Uncle Guo just nodded and agreed, he could see that Aunt Xia was really angry. Aunt Xia rarely got angry with him, and when things happened, she usually discussed them calmly. But once Aunt Xia got angry, it was also very scary.

  Summer elder aunt would never unprincipled partiality to her natal family, today this matter, Summer elder aunt indeed occupied the reason. The courtyard that Summer elder aunt said, of course, refers to Guo Yuhuan's home.

  As for Guo's family being close relatives, Xia Dagu wasn't without complaints. However, she had been enduring it silently before, and now that it has erupted, Guo's uncle was somewhat unable to defend himself.

  "Sixteen and Little Dragon have come these days. When did they ever look at the two children with a straight eye? Sixteen and Little Dragon speak to them with great respect, but I can't bear the airs they put on... And then there's his second uncle and the others, who used to talk about you in such a way before; now that they know you've become acquainted with the official's family, they're eager to curry favor with him immediately. They even want me to take them along to introduce them, but I don't have the face for it. Have they also come looking for you? Don't bother with this matter!"

  Uncle Guo's face turned red, and he muttered to himself. "They're all not outsiders. Second Brother and the others won't be at a disadvantage either. In the future, they'll also have an arm in the prefectural city."

  Xia Dagu frowned, she didn't want Xia Ershu and Guo Daguo to get too close through Guo Gufu. "They are both what kind of temper, getting along for a while is fine, nothing will happen. If they suddenly don't get along, it's hard for you to be in the middle."

  This is for Uncle Guo's consideration.

  Guo's uncle thought for a moment and felt that what Xia Dagu said also made some sense, but he was being too cautious. "Can't do it. If it were someone else, I wouldn't care, one is our big brother, the other is our second uncle, these are not outsiders."

  The Guo family is very poor, but Mr. Guo's uncle treats his brother's family with great sincerity and kindness.

  Xia Dagu knew that it was impossible to persuade Guo Gufu for the time being, and he had already introduced Guo Dage and Xia Ershu to each other. She could only temporarily put this topic aside. However, such an opportunity was hard to come by, and the resentment in her heart couldn't help but be vented out.

  "...Look down on my family's relatives, after all, it's still looking down on me. Don't think I don't know, when we were engaged back then, you and your wife didn't want to. You said I had no dowry, no decent family... Your sister-in-law even wanted to marry her younger sister off to you at that time..."

  "Goodness gracious, this is all so many years of old calendar!" Guo's uncle's face turned red. He hurriedly begged Xia Dagu not to mention past events again.

  "Let's not talk about the past, let's just say now, they still look down on me. They don't dare to say it to my face, but behind my back, they haven't stopped gossiping about me."

  These words are true, and Uncle Guo also knows. But he still explained to Brother Guo and Sister-in-law Guo: "They dare not look down on you. If you don't look down on them, that's fine. You're so capable, they all know. Besides, what they say doesn't count, I've always respected you."

  After being said by Uncle Guo, Xia Dagu's anger slowly subsided a bit.

  "Let's not talk about anything else, just this matter at hand. They can't make excuses for the sixteen little kids. If it weren't for our sake, would they have known who they are? You're their uncle, if you don't protect them, but instead help them, tell me, is what you did right or not?"

  Xia Dagu asked Guo Gufu in this way, seeing that Guo Gufu had shown signs of regret, she added another sentence: "Shiliu has been living with us for these days. You should have seen it by now. Shiliu's temper is a bit like Old Master's, he won't treat people unfairly."

  This remark made Guo's uncle's face flush with anger. He reddened and stammered to Xia Dagu, "Really, your brother-in-law didn't mean anything else. Don't worry, even if they have something, I'll take care of it. We can't let Shi Liu and Xiao Long suffer a loss, and in the future, we won't be able to explain ourselves to Old Master."

  "It's fine as long as you understand." Xia Dagu let out a sigh of relief.

  When several of them returned to the upper house after the summer solstice, Xia Dagu was talking to Guo Gufu about the festival, as if the quarrel had never happened.

  Because Xia Xiuzai didn't return to Daxingzhuang for the festival, Auntie Xia decided to invite him to spend the holiday at their home.

  "This matter, Xia Zhi can't answer for Xia Xiuzai. 'My dad said he wants to give someone an article, don't know if there will be time later.'"

  "How about taking a break to have a meal during the holiday, it's always possible." Xia Dagu said, then instructed Changsheng, "You go to the academy tomorrow and invite your uncle to come."

  Since they've invited Xia Xiucan, Uncle Guo said it wouldn't be right if they didn't invite Xia Erlu.

  Xia Dagu hesitated for a moment. Xia Ershu's situation was different from Xia Xiucan's. Xia Xiucan was alone in the prefectural city, while Xia Ershu had a large family and was living in exile at Tian Mosheng's outer mansion. They should be spending the holiday with the Zhang family.

  "If we're talking about distance, his second uncle is still closer to us. Whether they come or not is their business, but we must invite them, otherwise people will find fault." said Guo's uncle.

  Xia Dagu knew that Guo Gufu still wanted to win over Xia Ershu, so she thought for a moment and nodded.

  Uncle Guo was delighted: "He's going to his eldest uncle's place for a long time, and it's close to his second uncle's place. Tomorrow I'll go to Gui Fang Zhai and tell his second uncle about it."

  Xia Dagu nodded and said it was okay, then she asked Xia Zhi: "Sixteen, the day after tomorrow is a holiday, are you taking a rest?"

  "Alright, elder sister, I won't rest." Xia Zhi replied with a smile.

  Although several big orders have been completed, the Dragon Boat Festival is exactly when zongzi sells best. While others are on holiday, her workshop will not be closed.

  "Sixteen, now you know how hard it is for us to run a small business. When others are resting, we can't rest."

  Near the Dragon Boat Festival, the business of grocery stores is also more prosperous than usual.

  Xia nodded and then said to Xia's aunt, "However, I've arranged everything in the workshop. Just go take a look when the time comes. Aunt, how are you planning to spend the holiday? Do you need me to do anything?"

  "You don't have to do anything. I just want you to take a break and have fun with Zhenzhu and your sisters." Xia Dagu said with a smile, then asked Xia Zhi and Xiao Heiyu, "Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll ask Liu Shu to prepare it in advance."

  It's the first time for the two kids to spend the holiday at her place, so they must be treated well.

  Xia Zhi and Xiao Hei Yu Er both said there's nothing special they want to eat.

  Xia Dagu began discussing the menu for the festival with Guo Gufu.

  The next day, Xia Dagu sent Changsheng to Wen Shan Academy and gave him a death order, telling him that he must invite Xia Xiucan. Changsheng agreed and went, and after a while, he returned and said that Xia Xiucan had agreed.

  Summer big aunt was very happy. After a while, Uncle Guo also came back.

  "What did your second uncle say?" Xia Dagu asked.

  "He's coming this afternoon," said Uncle Guo with a smile. "He has to wait until dinner time to come over." Xia Ershu and his family were going to have lunch with Zhang Cai's family for the holiday, but he promised to come to Xia Dagou's house for dinner.

  In Beizhen government's place, generally during festivals, lunch is the main meal.

  "Why don't we all just wait a bit, let's push it to dinner time. Everyone being together is more lively anyway." Guo Shu said to Xia Dagu. This sentence wasn't a discussion, but a decision.

  Xia Dagu nodded, and it didn't matter whether they had lunch at noon or dinner in the evening. Then, Guo Shu said he also wanted to invite Guo Dage's family over.

  "It's all the same relatives, if we invite both of them, it wouldn't be right to not invite them." Guo's uncle discussed with Xia's aunt.

  "This is settled then." Xia Dagu nodded in satisfaction. Anyway, Guo's family was the closest relative of the Guo family on this side. The two families lived next to each other and could take care of many things for each other. With this arrangement, the close relatives of the Guo family in Fucheng were all gathered together.

  These things, Xia Zhi naturally wouldn't have an opinion. She saw Xia Dagu and Guo Gufu discussing other matters again, so she went with Xiao Hei to the workshop in the back.

  Now that the workshop has a manager, Xia Zhi's workload has been greatly reduced. Except for checking accounts every night, she only needs to come over and take a look during the day. After inspecting both kitchens, Xia Zhi moved a small stool to sit in the shade of the courtyard and did some needlework. Xiao Hei couldn't sit still, so he ran back and forth between the two kitchens, diligently doing his job as a little supervisor. Da Qing didn't follow Xiao Hei, instead he stretched his waist and lay down beside Xia Zhi to enjoy the cool breeze together.

  Busy and bustling, yet time passes quietly.

  There were only a few stitches left on the shoes for Changsheng, and the finished one had been tried on with shoe trees. This was what she had promised to Changsheng at the beginning of summer, and although she had been busy later, she still found time to make this pair of shoes.

  Xia Zhi was making shoes while thinking about something in her mind. The old woman who guarded the back door came over and told her that someone outside was looking for her.

  "Who is it? What are you delivering?" Xia Zhi asked, guessing in her heart that it was a delivery from some household.

  "The master, the one who came is not a delivery person. It's a fat little boy, says he knows the master." The old lady replied with a smile. She lives nearby, and her family conditions are not very good. Changsheng knows her, introduced her to come and be a gatekeeper for Xia Zhi, earning some extra money every day to support her family. This old lady does things in an orderly manner, very honest and down-to-earth."

  Chubby kid? At the summer solstice, her heart moved slightly. She knew many people in the imperial city, but she didn't know any chubby kids. However, since he had come to find her, she would naturally see him anyway.

  "It's probably someone my uncle knows or something. Tell him to come in, I'm right here." Xia Zhi instructed.

  The wife turned around and went back, after a while, she saw a chubby little boy coming over. Xia Zhi didn't react much, but Da Qing had already stood up and called out to the approaching person twice.

  The two shouts were not fierce, and the person who came was someone Daqing knew.

  Tian Lai Bao wore a suit of reddish-brown clothes and stood there, smiling at Xia Zhi: "Sixteen..."

  Xia Zhi was slightly surprised, she didn't expect Tian Lai Bao to come. However, soon she relaxed. But before she could speak, Xiao Hei Yu Er heard Da Qing's call and walked over, and immediately saw Tian Lai Bao.

  "Lai Bao, how did you come?" Little Black Fish was both surprised and delighted.

  "Old Uncle." Tian Lai Bao chuckled and called out to Little Black Fish.

  The little black fish jumped over and punched Tian Lai Bao's belly. "Why did you come so late!"

  Tian Lai Bao clutched his stomach, shouting in pain, but the expression on his face was entirely different. He had been punched by Xiao Hei Yu and was over the moon with joy.

  "Alright, alright." Xia Zhi saw that Xiao Hei Yu was still staring at Tian Lai Bao and smiled to mediate. "Don't stand in the scorching sun, let's talk over there."

  Tian Lai Bao smiled and apologized to Xiao Hei Yu, then followed him to Xia Zhi's side. He took two steps, then stopped, with an exaggerated pitiful expression: "Sixteen, Uncle, I think Da Qing is going to bite me."

  "Shouldn't you be bitten?" Xia Zhi smiled, secretly scolding Tian Lai Bao as a cunning devil. Da Qing obviously recognized him, how could he bite him?

  Tianlai Bao is making so many tricks, actually she is apologizing to her and Xiao Hei Yu. In fact, both of them are not really angry with Tianlai Bao.

  Tian Lai Bao was still a child at home, and many things, especially big things, he couldn't make decisions on his own. Even if he didn't want to, he had to listen to his parents.

  Xiao Hei Yu saw him and hit him, Xia Zhi said that he should let Da Qing bite him. Tian Lai Bao not only didn't get angry or sad, but instead was very happy. He walked to Xia Zhi's side with a smile, no longer afraid of being bitten by Da Qing.

  "I'm the one who's going to get bitten, I've given up anyway, go ahead and bite me, maybe it'll make my heart feel better. Hehe. Sixteen, Old Uncle, you two are quite good."

  "Sixteen, what did you call me? You should be calling me sister, have you forgotten again? I should let Da Qing bite you." Xia Zhi smiled and forced Tian Lai Bao to call her "Xia Zhi Jie". Only then did she put away the needlework basket. "Let's go inside and talk." She led Tian Lai Bao and Xiao Hei into the inner room.

  "Is it just you who came?" Xia Zhi asked as everyone sat down.

  "It's just me. Hehe, I sneaked out." Tian Lai Bao held the tea bowl handed over by Xia Zhi and first drank two mouthfuls of sour plum soup with a gurgling sound.

  "You should have sneaked out long ago." Little Black Fish scolded Tian Lai Bao, "Sixteen and I have been here for days, but you only just arrived."

  "It's all my fault." Tian Lai Bao's attitude of admitting his mistake was very good, "I also just found out that you guys came to Fu City a few days ago. Today, taking advantage of my parents not being at home, I managed to sneak out." As he said this, he glanced at Xia Zhi, and the look in his eyes was no longer purely childlike simplicity.

  Xia Zhi already knew that she and Gui Xiang Pavilion's transaction, Tian Lai Bao should also be aware of.

  "It's not your fault." Xia Zhi also poured himself a bowl of sour plum soup, then slowly sat down across from Tian Lai Bao. "Those messy things originally had nothing to do with us. But grown-ups probably don't think that way. I and Old Uncle were going to go find you to play, but in the end didn't go, precisely because of this."

  Tian Lai Bao's eyes sparkled brightly.

  "But still, Lai Bao, Uncle and I consider you a friend." Xia Zhi added.

  Tian Lai Bao's face suddenly lit up, and his eyes sparkled even brighter. "Sixteen, with you saying that, there's no need to say anything else."

  The little friends have said the most important things, and everything else is trivial, so there's no need to worry about anything.

  (。)