The person Wu's mother brought was named Shen Tian, a very thin and small figure with a pointed chin, but his eyes were very lively. Before Wu's mother brought him in, she must have told him something about Xie Juan, so when he saw Xie Juan sitting cross-legged at the desk, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, calling out "Third Young Lady".

  The young man who came out of Tiankanli entered the mansion without being timid at all.

  Xie Wan asked him some questions about his family situation, then let him go down to eat with Wu Mama. Xie Zhen made a gesture to Yu Fang, letting her quietly follow them.

  A moment later, Yufang came back with a pout and said: "As soon as this kid walked out the door, he told Wu's mother, 'I thought you were fooling me, Four Auntie. I didn't expect Third Sister to be so young. I was quite nervous at first, but when I saw that she was even shorter than me, I felt more at ease.'"

  "Wu's mother scolded him: 'Even if the young lady is small, she is still the master, and San Gu Niang is clever, don't think about mixing water and fish! If I'm careful, I'll send you back to the village to pick up scraps!' Shenda was scared and said, 'San Gu, please don't! I just thought it wasn't as scary as you said, this San Gu Niang doesn't look fierce at all, but rather like my sister.'"

  Xie Wan stroked the table and burst out laughing.

  Yu Fang resentfully said: "Miss, you say he is infuriating or not? How did you become his younger sister? Don't you feel ashamed!"

  Xie Wan suppressed her smile and said, "First let him stay in the mansion for two days, then have Wu Xing take him to meet Second Young Master. After that, he can get familiar with the environment and learn the necessary taboos. Later, when the two people Luo's steward found arrive, we'll send them together to Li Zi Hutong."

  The two people Luo Sheng found will be brought over by his wife only after two days, and tomorrow is the Laba Festival.

  Xie Wan let Yu Xue put a pot on the small stove in Yi Feng Yuan, adding red dates, longan and other ingredients that had been placed on the windowsill to dry, along with two large bowls of glutinous rice. They simmered a big pot of fragrant eight-treasure porridge. Although the main kitchen had already prepared a pot of porridge and some small dishes for each master's room, the style was very simple. Now, in Yi Feng Yuan, just a few people closed the door to cook on their own, which was quite interesting.

  Shen Tian had never been so busy during the Laba Festival, rushing around to help Wu Xing with firewood and helping Yu Xue with washing rice and pouring water, full of energy. When eating porridge, he didn't even care about burning his mouth, drinking three large bowls in a row, but when eating the fourth bowl, he started crying. Wu Mama scolded: "I've seen greedy people before, but never as greedy as you! It's not like there won't be enough for you, why are you so anxious?" thinking that he had burned his mouth.

  Xie Wan said: "Bring two more bowls, fill them with porridge and let him air-dry."

  Shen Tian wiped away tears and said: "I'm not greedy, I just miss my dad. I'm eating porridge here, but I don't know how he's doing at home."

  Everyone was stunned and didn't know what to say anymore.

  "Which family doesn't have a difficult time? Don't cry, go out and do well, earn money and then return to take care of your father!"

  Shen Tian nodded with tears in his eyes, but his enthusiasm was no longer as strong as before.

  After dinner was over, Xie Wan kept Luo Sheng behind.

  "What kind of people are working in the fields of Nanhua Village nowadays?"

  "Most of them are tenant farmers from nearby areas. The one in charge is someone who came over from the old Yang family, and he has been quite diligent and loyal to Second Master."

  Xie Wan nodded and said, "Then let's go ask Shen Tian if he is willing to bring his old father to Qinghe. He was originally a farmer, if he is willing, let him help out at Nanwa Village."

  Luo Sheng said with a sigh: "This Shen Tian has just arrived, and he hasn't even started working yet. Now you're arranging for his father to go to the estate, isn't that premature?"

  Xie Wan sighed: "I also know that this is a bit reckless, but if I can help, then I'll help. If it doesn't work out, I can just send him back. He's just a father like that, and it's not convenient for them to meet even with a county town in between. The farm has one more or less of him, taking him in will at least allow the father and son to see each other when they want to, and also let Shen Tian put his mind at ease and focus on work."

  Lu Sheng nodded slightly and bowed his head: "Miss's magnanimity makes me admire you very much."

  Luo Su went out for a moment, and Shen Tian rushed in like the wind. He arrived at Bao Xue's place without saying a word, knelt down on the ground and knocked his head several times, then cried: "I thank you, Third Sister! Your great kindness and virtue will be forever remembered in my heart!"

  Xie Wan smiled and said: "Doing things well will naturally succeed."

  Shen Tian nodded again: "I'll definitely work hard and do things for my sister!"

  "What's going on?"

  Just then, two people emerged from the corridor, and Ren Yun curiously looked inside through the long window of the hall.

  Xie Wan hastily gave a signal to Shen Tian, then stood up: "The shop has just hired a new apprentice, brother wants him to come to the mansion to kowtow to me, and then prepare to send him to the shop." At the same time, she walked to the corridor, looking at Ren Huan and Xie Yun who came together: "How did you guys come? Brother is not in his room?"

  Xie Yun urged Ren Yu to push forward and said, "We won't look for Second Brother today. Just now I told Third Sister that she had a tank of goldfish here, but Third Brother didn't believe me, so I brought him over. Third Sister, quickly bring out your treasure and let us feast our eyes!"

  Xie Wan looked at Ren Yu. The young masters of the Xie family had been staying in Qinghe for many years and hadn't even seen a goldfish, let alone be envious of it. The Ren family often came and went to the capital, and their eldest sister's husband, the Zeng family, was also a prominent figure in the imperial court, so why would he be envious of just a few goldfish?

  Ran Yun's face turned slightly red, as if she had seen through her doubts, and hastily said: "I also saw it at my sister-in-law's house before, but I heard that goldfish are very difficult to raise, so I was curious about how Sanmei took care of it."

  Xie Wan's eyes gazed at her nose, her nose gazed at her heart, and she thought for a moment before raising her head to say: "Let's go inside the pavilion and sit down."

  The goldfish was raised by her in a small side hall of the pavilion.

  Yu Xue carried the fish tank onto the table, and the three of them sat down on the floor in a triangular formation.

  Ren Yun nodded, pointing to the fish with a fiery red body: "This is the Red Robe, its posture is the most elegant. I remember that the late Jiangnan scholar Gu Youzhi was best at painting it."

  Xie Wan said: "Gu You's greatest talent is actually painting carp."

  She remembered that in her previous life, Gu Youzhi's painting of a carp playing with lotus had sold for as much as 300 taels of silver, while the large red robe had never exceeded 100 taels. The reason she could name a price so readily was that after Gu Youzhi's death, the Gu family produced only incompetent descendants who were idle and penniless, so they stole all their ancestors' paintings to sell for money. It just so happened that Xie Zhuang knew one of them, Gu Yanzhou.

  "Third Sister still knows how to appraise paintings?"

  Xie Wan did not respond. She leaned in close to the fish tank and pretended to feed the fish.

  Yuncai had just finished scanning the surroundings when Xie Qi's sweet voice rang out from outside the door: "Brother Yun! I didn't expect you to be here, I've been searching everywhere for you!"

  Xie Qi was wearing a new ethnic minority-style jacket and pants, with pearl flowers on her double buns that Xie Hong had brought back for her, and she skipped in happily.

  Ren Youwei smiled: "We came here to see Sanmei's fish, why did Ermei also come?"

  Xie Qi said: "Madam said that everyone is having lunch in the main courtyard today, let me take a look at where Jun Gege is, don't let Fourth Brother drag him out of the mansion." At the same time, she frowned and looked at the fish tank on the table, "What's so interesting about this? I have a painted bird that Father just brought back, come on, let's go play in Qi Feng Yuan!"

  Xie Yun was very dissatisfied with her words and frowned: "What's the meaning of 'don't let me drag you out of the house'? Do I like to trick people out?"

  Ren Youdao said, "Uncle Xie has just returned, and this trip must have been very tiring. I won't go now. I'll visit him again later." He turned around and spoke to Xie Wan: "Third sister rarely goes out, let's go together next time."

  Xie Yun said: "Turning around and around is still in the mansion, what's the point? I think it's better to take a slingshot to the village to hunt birds."

  "Great!" Ren Yuanyuan exclaimed: "Second Brother can't go to Wen Shu, Third Sister will come with us!"

  Xie Wan waved her hand: "I'm not going. You all go."

  Xie Yun Dao said: "You go, the more people the merrier! In the villa, there are not only mountains but also rivers, where you can catch fish. If we're lucky and it snows, we can go up the mountain together to chase wild rabbits! When we catch one, we'll bring it back, cut open its belly, stuff it with eight-cornered mandarin peel and scallions, tie it up with iron wire, roast it over an open flame, and the flavor will be beyond compare!"

  He was already drooling.

  "Then I'll go too!" Xie Qi exclaimed.

  Ren Youwei smiled and nodded: "Let's call Tongge and Daguiniang too, we'll go together." And then he looked at Xie Zhu earnestly: "Shall we go together?"

  Xie's family had only one estate, located in the eastern suburbs of the county town, near Huangshi Town, called Wutou Village, with hundreds of acres of land used for vegetable cultivation.

  Xie Wan said it was fake that she wasn't excited, how many years hadn't she been to Tianzhuang? And Luo Sheng from the Huangshi Town side had already set his sights on her and had even paid a deposit. Mei Sao had also promised to have news of employment in two days' time, if she could go take a look herself, and at the same time take a look at the goods nanny she had found, it would be more reassuring for her.

  Then Xie Yun persuaded her again, and she nodded: "Let's wait for the snow to fall before going. I see that the weather has changed, and I'm afraid it will snow in these two days."

  It's already passed the minor snow, but it hasn't started snowing this year. With these gloomy days, if it doesn't start snowing soon, it would be abnormal. She should make some preparations during these two days.

  Xie Yun jumped up: "That's settled then! As soon as it snows, I'll go to the Zhuangzi!"

  Ren Yuanyuan also smiled easily.

  Xie Qi pouted and picked up a handful of pine nuts from the plate to eat.

  At noon, after lunch in the upper house, she called Wu Xing: "If Luo Guan Shi is back, let him come in for a while."

  Xie Lang hastily came in and said, "Wu Xing, quickly help me prepare a few books! The imperial examination is set for next February, after the New Year it will be time to take action!" He rushed into the house with a flustered and anxious expression.

  Wu Xing hastily went in. Xie Wan leaned on the door frame and said inwardly, "Brother, don't be so nervous, you will definitely pass the exam." In his previous life, he was able to participate in the imperial examination, and a small Shengyuan exam was nothing to worry about. It was just that it was his first time taking the exam, and he was full of worries about the unknown.

  "Really?" Xie Liang patted his chest and let out a sigh: "If it's really as Yuanyuan said, that would be great!"