The Humble Family’s Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!
Chapter 1238 - 1054: The Longevity Festival

Chapter 1238: Chapter 1054: The Longevity Festival

In mid-December, after being away for three months, Xiao Yeyang returned to the Prince Residence with Daozi, braving the heavy snow.

"Why were you gone for such a long time? It’s almost the New Year!"

Daohua personally brushed the snow off the coats of the father and son. Although her words carried some complaints, the longing in her eyes could not be concealed.

Seeing his father obediently listening to the scolding, Daozi covered his mouth and snickered, then slipped off his cape and ran inside to see his younger siblings.

Watching Daozi run off, Daohua did not go after him but wrung out a hot towel to wipe Xiao Yeyang’s face.

After refreshing himself and drinking a large bowl of milk tea to warm up, Xiao Yeyang finally spoke up: "After handing over the refugee resettlement to the Magistrate of each prefecture, they didn’t cause me too much trouble. The reason I came back late was that I took a group of women to the various military settlements."

Daohua expressed surprise: "Womenfolk?"

Xiao Yeyang nodded: "Many of the soldiers stationed at the border haven’t settled down, and this issue must be addressed. Whenever disasters occur, many families sell their daughters. I submitted a memorandum to my imperial uncle about this matter."

"Believe it or not, this time it actually attracted quite a number of maidens ready for marriage. Although it’s still far from enough, at least it gave the unmarried soldiers hope and something to look forward to."

Daohua replied: "But such opportunities are too rare, you’ll have to think of other methods if you really want to solve the soldiers’ difficulties in finding wives."

Xiao Yeyang ’hmmed’ in agreement: "Yes, in the end, it depends on the development of Xiliang. As long as Xiliang prospers, the population will increase, and naturally, the soldiers will be able to find wives. Introducing people from other statuses is still a temporary measure."

Not continuing on this topic, Daohua asked about Daozi’s performance.

Xiao Yeyang couldn’t help but laugh: "That rascal truly is our son; he’s even more clever than I imagined."

"I took him to all twelve military towns this time and gave him a task to identify the key points of each military town."

"Guess how he did it? He went straight to the seasoned soldiers and tricked them into giving out information. Before this, I had no idea the little rascal was so talkative. In the end, he did indeed manage to identify the key points."

Unable to help herself, Daohua laughed: "That’s because Daozi has a clever way with words."

Xiao Yeyang also laughed: "Yes, yes, in that regard, he takes after you." Pausing, he added, "With so many refugees moving here this time, there will be people to cultivate the wasteland, and Xiliang will only get better and better."

When resting at night, Xiao Yeyang thought of something and said to Daohua: "Next April is the imperial uncle’s sixtieth birthday, and we should return to Beijing to celebrate it."

Upon hearing this, Daohua suddenly sat up: "Really?!"

Seeing Daohua’s surprised and delighted expression, Xiao Yeyang laughed, gently pulled her back down, and made her lie down again: "Of course it’s true. How many years have we been in Xiliang?"

Daohua: "Ten years."

Xiao Yeyang’s expression grew somewhat wistful: "It’s been that long, huh? It’s about time we went back for a visit."

Thinking that they would return to Beijing after the New Year made Daohua so excited she could hardly sleep; although there had been exchanges of holiday gifts over the years, she still missed her grandmother and mother whom she hadn’t seen in person.

Seeing her tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Xiao Yeyang had no choice but to wrap his arms around her: "After the New Year, I’ll delegate my duties early and aim to start our journey back to Beijing in February."

...

The New Year’s Eve arrived in a flash.

Knowing that they could return to Beijing after the New Year, Daohua was in an exceptionally good mood, which made this year’s festival at the Prince Residence extraordinarily joyous.

The twins were now speaking and moving about briskly, chasing after Daozi around the residence, their laughter filling the air.

After the Lantern Festival, Daozi noticed his mother packing and asked with some confusion: "Mother, why are you packing? Father didn’t say we were going on a long trip, did he?"

Daohua’s face was lit with clear joy: "This time, it’s not your father who is going on a long trip, but our whole family."

Daozi’s eyes lit up: "Are we going on an outing?" As he spoke, he looked at the belongings the maids and servants were packing, puzzled: "But haven’t you prepared too much?"

Daohua laughed and said, "Not much, this time, we will be away for several months."

Daozi’s face lit up with joy, he ran over and hugged Daohua: "Mom, where are we going?"

Daohua looked at Daozi with a smile: "It’s soon your imperial grandfather’s birthday celebration, we are going to return to Beijing to wish him longevity."

"Back to Beijing?"

Daozi was momentarily stunned, then burst into excitement: "Mom, we are going back to Beijing?" He had never been to Beijing since he had grown up.

"Then can I see grandma and Grandpa Chu as well?"

Daohua: "Yes, not only can you see grandma and Grandpa Chu, but also your paternal grandfather, and your maternal grandparents, and your great maternal grandmother. You have quite a few relatives in Beijing, and this time when we return, you can see them all."

Daozi was truly happy: "And Fourth Brother!" Saying so, he ran outside, "Mom, I’m going to tell great-grandpa, then help him pack up."

Daohua watched her son run out of sight in a moment, shook her head, continued organizing things with the maids, and once nearly done, she headed to Nanshan Hall.

As soon as she entered Nanshan Hall, Daohua saw Daozi pouting.

"What’s wrong? Weren’t you just happy a moment ago?"

Daozi looked at Daohua: "Mom, great-grandpa said he isn’t going back to Beijing."

Daohua’s expression changed, and she told Daozi to look after the twins as she entered the room.

Gu Jian sat in front of the fireplace inside the room, intently sanding down the wooden rocking horse he made for the twins.

"Master..."

Gu Jian looked up at Daohua and said directly: "I’m not returning to Beijing with you all, that place... I don’t want to set foot in there again."

At this point, Daohua knew better than to persuade, for her master and Grandmother Gu, Beijing was their nightmare, a place of heartache.

Seeing his disciple looking worriedly at him, Gu Jian laughed and said: "You, over these years, have increasingly become a worrier. With so many people in the Duke Residence, and with Dongli and Caiju around, I’ll stay here, avoiding the hardships of travel."

"You and Xiao Yeyang, just take good care of the three kids. Beijing is a big dye vat; don’t let the children pick up any messy habits."

"I have also not visited the Duke Residence; after you return this time, take Daomiao to have a good look, and arrange for some trustworthy people to stay there. As Daomiao grows up, he’ll have to live there."

"As for the emperor, I will seal a letter to him. This old body of mine can’t withstand too much, he will understand."

Hearing this, a glint flashed in Daohua’s eyes, suddenly realizing that the emperor was sixty years old, and her master was almost eighty.

After the last serious illness, the master looked even older than before.

After thinking for a while, Daohua said: "Master, this time I won’t return to Beijing with Xiao Yeyang. Let him take Daozi to congratulate our imperial uncle, and when they return, I’ll take the twins to Beijing to see grandma and others. That way we won’t delay anything."

"That’s right, just like that."

"Just like that my foot!"

Gu Jian looked speechlessly at Daohua, her care was appreciated, but having stayed by his side for all these years, now that there was a chance to go back to Beijing and see her parents, how could he keep her here?

"Splitting the family into two groups to return, those who don’t know might think you’re from two different families. The mother of three children, and yet you still think so thoughtlessly."

"You’ll only be gone for a few months. Without you, what could happen to me, after all?"

Seeing Daohua want to say more, he interrupted: "Enough, don’t speak. These days, speaking to you is not even as pleasing as talking with the three siblings Daozi."