Chapter Seventy Birthday

  Xu Lingyi heard that all the relatives had sent birthday gifts, and he couldn't help but go to Mrs. Tao's place to discuss the birthday matters: "...... Although it won't be a big production, we'll have to invite a few tables of wine."

  The old lady shook her head: "It's not a birthday or anything, just have dinner with family."

  Xu Lingyi wanted to persuade again, but Tai Furen had already said: "That's right, I heard that the Emperor is going to wage war in the northwest?"

  "You're more worried than I am." Xu Lingyi knew her mother was concerned about her, so she smiled and said, "Now that I have a good reputation, not to mention the many brave generals in the imperial court, the Emperor originally only promoted me because of his gratitude towards Empress Dowager. Now that I've achieved success and fame, it's natural for me to know when to retreat."

  The old lady nodded: "It's best if you think so."

  "But someone said something in front of you?" Xu Lingyi smiled and asked, "Or who wants to do the grain business?"

  "Ghostly clever." The old lady smiled and said, "It's your third brother. He said someone from the Lin family asked him to join their partnership and asked if it was okay with me?"

  Xu Lingyi heard the tone of Tai Furen and already knew the answer, but smiled without speaking.

  The old lady sighed: "The moon is full and then wanes, the water is full and then overflows. Many people know, but few can do it." She looked very sentimental.

  Xu Lingyi wanted to comfort his mother for a while, but didn't know where to start, and was in a dilemma. Just then, a young maid came in to report: "Fifth Master and Fifth Madam have arrived!"

  The old lady listened with a smile all over her face.

  Xu Lingyi felt a slight relief in her heart.

  My fifth younger brother always makes our mother happy...

  A man and a woman walked in side by side.

  The man wore a jade hairpin, dressed in a white moon-patterned brocade robe, with a face as smooth as polished jade and temples as sharp as knife-cut. The woman wore a plain-colored dress with floral patterns, her black hair combed into a low bun, her eyebrows and eyes full of emotions, delicate and beautiful like a flower. Standing together, they looked even more noble than the golden boy and jade girl in front of Guanyin.

  "Come, come, come," said Madame Wang, her face lighting up with joy. "Sit down beside me!"

  Xu Lingyi stood up and gave his seat to Xu Lingkuan and his wife.

  Xu Lingkuan saw his mother, with a face full of joy, and just after warmly calling out "mother", he raised his head to see his fourth brother standing up, and that joy was reduced by 70%.

  He subconsciously took two steps back, weakly shouting "Fourth Brother..." which left the Eldest Lady and Fifth Lady staring in shock.

  "Have you been up to something again outside?" The old lady winked at her youngest son.

  "No, no." Xu Lingkuan, who was usually quick-witted, looked a bit dull at the moment. "Really didn't. I've been listening to opera in the garden every day during this period of time, and I haven't gone anywhere else."

  The old lady was shocked and frightened.

  Xu Lingyi still couldn't see her mother's intention of maintaining her brother's heart.

  When his father passed away, the third brother was busy with family matters, and he was busy with outside affairs. His mother only had a young brother to take care of her illness, and their relationship was different. He couldn't comfort his mother himself, so he allowed his younger brother to be spoiled by his mother's side, which made his younger brother develop a somewhat frivolous personality. To be strict, he himself was responsible and couldn't always blame him for being reckless...

  He couldn't help but smile and speak up for his younger brother: "These days, he's been going to the Imperial Forest Army every day to report for duty. Vice Commander Li has also been praising him highly! Mother doesn't need to worry."

  The old lady sighed with relief as she listened, and a few more comfortable smiles were added to her face: "Good, good, good. You can listen like this, it's better than anything else."

  "Mother," Xulian Kuan immediately "came back to life", sat down beside his mother with a smile, "You don't have to blame me. Since my fourth brother scolded me, I knew I was wrong and now I've changed."

  The old lady smiled: "Alright, alright, I won't mention you again." Her tone was extremely doting.

  The fifth lady smiled and approached to pay her respects to Lady Tai and Xu Lingyi.

  Old Lady Wang pointed to a nearby embroidered stool: "Xiao Wu, go sit there. Give your seat to your daughter-in-law."

  Xiao Wu said with a pout: "Look at how you've spoiled Danyang, in a few days he'll be bullying me too."

  "Dan Yang is not the kind of person you said he was." The old lady chuckled, "Come, Dan Yang, sit next to me."

  The fifth lady hurriedly lifted her skirt and sat down on the kang, while a small servant girl brought over a taishi chair for Xu Lingyi to sit in.

  The maids had just served tea when a little maid came in and announced: "Madam, Second Madam has arrived!"

  "Come in quickly!" As soon as the old lady's voice fell, the second lady walked in with a carved red lacquer box.

  Seeing Xulinyi, she was slightly stunned: "Master Hou is also here!"

  Xu Lingyi stood up and respectfully shouted "Second Aunt".

  Xu Lingkuan then moved the embroidered stool he was sitting on to in front of Er Furen: "Er Sao, please sit!"

  The second lady smiled and thanked Xu Lingkuan, then paid her respects to the elder lady and Xu Lingyi before sitting down. She handed the small box in her hand to Yao Huang, who was waiting on her: "I'm glad I didn't disappoint you!"

  Inside were the paired nameplates and account books of the Xu family's inner and outer houses.

  Xu Lingyi hastily said: "Thank you, Second Aunt, these past few days have been a trouble for you."

  "Master Hou is being polite!" The second lady hastily stood up, "Ordinarily, everyone accommodates my laziness. Now that I can be of help, let me do my best; how can it be called toil?"

  The old lady smiled and said: "One family doesn't speak two families' words. Everyone sit down!"

  The two of them smiled and sat back down.

  Madam Tai said: "Yi Zhen, this time thanks to you. Otherwise, Yuan Niang's funeral couldn't have been held so solemnly."

  The second lady smiled and said: "Mother asked me and Lord Hou to sit down and talk, why are you being polite?"

  Everyone burst out laughing at his words.

  A maid came in and reported: "Madam, the inner court has sent two baskets of cherries on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress."

  "Quick!" Old Mrs. heard with joy, "Bring it in and take a look."

  Then a young maid brought in some cherries.

  It's two baskets, weighing no more than twenty catties in total, covered with green leaves, and very lovely.

  Old Mrs. Tao immediately ordered someone to take one of the baskets away for cleaning, and instructed Wei Zi: "Go, call Third Mistress and a few children to come and taste the freshness."

  Yuanni's funeral had just passed, and Third Uncle Xu Lening went to offer sacrifices for those who hadn't come. He went to thank people like Imperial Concubine Lei Gonggong, who was by the empress's side, but they weren't at home. However, Qiao Lianfang was at home...

  The fifth lady was about to remind the old lady, but then she thought that Qiao Lian's house was not as good as it used to be, so she swallowed her words.

  Wei Zi left at the sound of his voice.

  "Have these delivered to the Gan, Sun and Luo estates."

  The second lady's parents had passed away, and she only had a foster brother serving as the prefect of Xinyang, with no relatives in Yanjing.

  Yao Huang busily arranged for someone to deliver the cherries.

  Soon, Mrs. Three arrived with several children.

  The house was filled with chatter and laughter, even Jun Ge, who had just lost his mother, cracked a smile.

  The old lady handed the red lacquer box to the third lady: "You're still in charge!"

  The third madam lowered her head in embarrassment: "Mother, let Second Sister-in-law take care of it. I really have the heart but not the strength!"

  Old Lady Wang knew she was referring to the Spring Banquet, and smiled: "If you don't suffer a loss, you won't gain wisdom. This time, watch how your second aunt handles things, and you should be able to learn something too. Just pay attention next time."

  "Yes." The third madam nodded and accepted.

  The fifth lady pulled her down to sit: "Third sister, eat the cherries quickly, or they will be snatched away."

  Everyone burst out laughing, and the third madam also relaxed a bit.

  Xu Lingkuan took the opportunity to discuss with Tai Furen about her birthday: "...In the morning, we brothers will come to pay our respects and have a birthday banquet. After the banquet, let Geng Changsheng sing two songs for you. In the evening, at Dianchuntang, let Xiao Wufu's acrobatic troupe perform some tricks for you..."

  The old lady looked at the young child with flying eyebrows and colorful words, knowing that he had put his heart into arranging it. Looking at Xu Lingyi again, she smiled and looked at her younger brother, but her eyes drifted far away, and the joy of just now faded a few points.

  "...Geng Changsheng's business will definitely be good in the future. Just because of his name, the birthday banquet will invite him..."

  Xu Lingkuan was still expressing his thoughts when the old lady interrupted him with a smile: "These days are busy with people coming and going, tomorrow is my birthday, you brothers just come to my place for a longevity banquet."

  "Oh!" Xu Lingkuan was somewhat disappointed.

  At night when he returned home, Xu Jia San Ye Xu Lingning knew that the third madam had regained the keys to the house and couldn't help but smile: "In her heart, she still has you..."

  The three madams coldly smiled and interrupted Xu Lingning's words: "Do you know what? She is afraid that when the eleventh daughter of the Luo family enters the house, it will be difficult to manage, so she lets me, this illegitimate wife, take charge of the household. Later on, it will also be easy to take back the keys..."

  "How can you mention these things again?" Xu Lingning said in a low voice, "Although I am a concubine's child, my mother has never treated me as an outsider..."

  "Shut up for a moment!" The third madam cut off her husband's words without waiting to see, and then affectionately put her hand on his shoulder. "What are you going to do about what the Lin family said last time?"

  Xu Lingning hummed a few times.

  The third madam raised an eyebrow: "I'm asking you a question, can't you just speak clearly? How come when you're in front of the old madam, everything is clear and concise, but as soon as you get to me, everything becomes unclear?"

  Xu Lingning listened and said displeased: "Mother said it, this matter will not work!"

  "Why not?" The third madam's face sank, "Others like Jian Ning Hou and Shou Chang Bo are doing business with the Ministry of Works' Du Shui Si, and they're even making money without investing a single penny. We, on the other hand, have invested real gold and silver, so why can't we?"

  Jianning Marquis and Shouchang Earl are two elder brothers of the current Empress Dowager, in charge of the Ministry of Works' Water Control Department, controlling rivers and canals, vehicles and boats...

  "It's different, the Empress Dowager has a life-saving grace towards the Emperor... Xu Lingning said vaguely, "Even if the Emperor finds out, he will turn a blind eye!"

  The three madams were furious and laughed: "What's the so-called rebirth grace, she just can't give birth to a son and doesn't want to be abandoned, so she raised the emperor under her name. If it weren't for the Xu family, if it weren't for the emperor, she would have been pulled down by Ye Guifei back then..."

  Xu Lingning was frightened by her words and quickly covered his wife's mouth: "Speak softly, speak softly, don't let others hear. Father had instructed before he died that no one is allowed to mention 'the Xu family back then' in front of the world."

  The third wife pushed away her husband's hand covering her mouth: "Those who are brave will die from being stuffed, those who are timid will starve to death. Xu Lingning, I'm telling you, you still have two sons to raise! They're your own flesh and blood..." As she spoke, tears fell down in a patter.

  That chapter title is a problem, but the content is fine, I'll think of a way to change it... ⊙﹏⊙b sweat!