Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 475 - 254 Jinjin_1

Chapter 475: Chapter 254 Jinjin_1

As the Huaxi Jetty was being urgently constructed, April arrived. It was the perfect season with birds singing, fragrances filling the air, and orioles soaring among the growing grass.

Ming Wa could now run all over the place. Although unsteady and making people nervous, he always managed to regain his balance at the critical moment of a fall. Wan Dazhong said he would make a good martial arts student. But he couldn’t speak a word, not even one.

Meanwhile, Jingjing could already say many words such as mommy, sister, brother, grandpa, grandma, eat, sleep, and poo-poo, but limited to two syllables only. There was just one phrase she could say with three syllables, "Brother Jiang."

The little girl was cunning. Whenever her mom got angry, she would cry out, "Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang," and her mom’s anger would dissipate upon hearing it. Eventually, it evolved so that she would shout "Brother Jiang" at anyone who got angry. Others found it genuinely amusing and would start to laugh, so she cleverly believed that "Brother Jiang" was a cure-all remedy.

This pair of siblings was nothing like the former Qian Yeejin and Qian Yixiu when they were young. Jingjing clearly had the upper hand, while Ming Wa was at a disadvantage. Ming Wa was the simple-hearted brother, and Jingjing was the delicate sister who directed all of Ming Wa’s actions. If he didn’t listen, Jingjing would cry to show him. Because yelling "Brother Jiang" at Ming Wa was ineffective, crying worked.

In her previous life, Yixiu had already reached the age to be a mother. Her maternal love overflowed from her past life to the present. She adored the young siblings and spent most of her time with them every day. Their bond with their sister was also very strong, even surpassing that with Cheng Yue.

On the first of April at noon, Old Lady Zhang arrived at the Qian family with Zhang Yang, Lady Huang, and the little ones Yuge’er and Zhi Jiejie. Zhi Jiejie was only a month younger than Jingjing and inherited the beauty of Lady Huang, adorable and charming. The Zhang family had been passing down their lineage from generation to generation with only one boy, and now they finally had a girl, whom they were utterly smitten with.

The Zhang family came to attend the joint birthday feast of Qian Yeejin and Qian Yixiu on the sixth of April but arrived early to enjoy a few extra days of fun. Another reason was that Old woman Qian hadn’t been in good health since the beginning of the year, so Zhang Yang would administer acupuncture and massages to her for several days continuously.

Although the Qian family now seemed to have an official status, elevating them above the Family of Apricot Forest like the Zhang family, the Qians continued to treat the Zhangs with the same evening respect. The crane-patterned robes worn by Old Lady Zhang were made by Sister-in-law Huang, and the crane pattern was embroidered by Cheng Yue.

Those who could wear clothing with the personal embroidery of Cheng Yue, aside from her own children, included Qian Sangui, Lady Wu, a Little Monk, and Old Lady Zhang. Every year on her birthday, the Qian family would gift her an article of clothing embroidered by Cheng Yue.

The Zhang family was beloved by everyone in the Qian family, so the Cuizhu Garden had been tidied two days in advance.

At noon, Qian Sangui and Wan Dazhong invited Zhang Yang and Mr. Yu to drink in the main courtyard, where Qian Yeejin was also present. He was nearly twelve years old by this point, practically a young adult. From now on, he would attend such social gatherings, a requirement set by Mr. Yu.

Mr. Yu believed that to be a good "official," one must not only be learned and well-versed in classics and the modern world but also empathetic to people’s needs and good at understanding and managing people, knowing the times and being adaptable. Those like the Former Crown Prince and Prince Consort Pan who were like "Immortals" were best suited for scholarship.

These were the lessons Mr. Yu had learned over the years. He even thought he had fallen short, having faced such embarrassment without it serving any purpose and being forced to resign his official post. If he had taken a different approach, perhaps he could have offered more assistance to Prince Ning...

The ladies and children gathered at the Water Pavilion next to the Lianxiang Water Pavilion on the corridor bridge, where two tables were set.

At one table sat Old Lady Zhang, Cheng Yue, and Qian Manxia. Another table, formed by joining two smaller ones, was occupied by Yixiu and several little children seated on small stools with a lowered table. A small basin was also placed beside them, where Shan Dian was eating.

The table was mostly served with snacks for the children to grab and eat. When it was time for porridge or soup, the nannies and servant girls behind them would step forward to feed them, except for Zhi Jiejie, who was held and fed by a nanny.

Lady Huang was somewhat worried about Yuge’ er, but Qian Manxia reassured her with a smile, "No worries, under Yixiu’s guidance, they’re very well-behaved."

Lady Huang looked and indeed they were!

Under Yixiu’s leadership, the table was lively yet orderly, and Yuge’er and Zhi Jiejie had never been so happy before.

In the afternoon, while everyone was resting, Guiyuan welcomed several carriages from Prince Ning Mansion, Weiguo Duke Mansion, and Rongen Earl Mansion, delivering birthday gifts. Liang Shi from the Weiguo Duke Mansion delivered them, accompanied by Pan Mao, who had visited before from the Rongen Earl Mansion. The gifts from Prince Ning Mansion were brought by a eunuch, Eunuch Li.