Chapter 29 Jiang Family Gathers at Tai'an Courtyard
"My Lord is right. When the old lady heard that you were going to pick up the eldest daughter and brought her back home, she said that the family had not had a meal together for a long time, so she asked me to invite you two to sit down for a while before we can start the meal."

This Mother Du was still a decent person. Jiang Shiyuan still remembered the expressions of everyone in the mansion before and after he got married in his previous life, but this Mother Du treated them all with a normal attitude, neither fawning over them nor flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak.

Therefore, when she said this, Jiang Shiyuan had no intention of making things difficult for her.

After hearing his daughter talk like that on the way here, Jiang Huaishan was naturally a little wary, so he frowned and asked.

"The Crown Princess is back?"

"No."

If Jiang Shijin wasn't around, the scene would probably look better, so he glanced at his daughter beside him, and seeing that she didn't show any obvious resistance, he asked.

"A Nian, you can go if you want. If you are not feeling well, I can go there myself. You can go back and rest first."

"Look at what father said. I am not made of clay. Besides, I should go to see my grandmother when I return home. However, I have something specially prepared for my grandmother, but I didn't find a suitable opportunity to send it to her. I will go back to the courtyard to get it and go again later."

"Okay, then I will go back and change my clothes. It is not appropriate to go to the meeting in official uniform."

The father and daughter agreed. Seeing this, Mother Du didn't know what to say and could only leave first.

After returning to Tingshixuan, Jiang Shiyuan felt as if she had been away for a long time, even though she had only been away for three days.

There were people sweeping the yard, so even when she was not there, it was very clean. After Jiang Shiyuan sat down, she took a look at the furnishings which were similar to those in her own boudoir in Marquis Wenyuan's mansion, and then took out a list from the secret compartment of the rosewood table, handed it to Luluo, and calmly gave instructions.

"Go to the warehouse and prepare all the items on the list. Then ask someone to get them and we'll go see grandma together."

Luoluo took it and looked at it. There were quite a few things, so she asked with a little confusion.

"Girl, do we need to give so much?"

"Didn't you hear what Mother Du said? The family hasn't gathered for a long time. Just wait and see. Everyone will be here today. I want to see how those people will talk after I give out the gifts."

After he finished speaking, Luluo understood most of what was going on. She nodded and turned around to take care of the matter, while Liuhua, who was serving on the side, helped Jiang Shiyuan wash up again.

In mid-May, the temperature in Xijing City really heated up.

The family dinner was scheduled at Tai'an Courtyard where the old lady lived, which was some distance away from Tingshixuan. The master and his two servants had to move forward slowly. Along the way, the white neem flowers were in full bloom, dotted in the shade of the bushes, with a harmonious combination of green and white.

"I'll have someone pick a few good ones and bring them back to Tingshixuan later, and find the turquoise vase that my second aunt gave me last year, and put it in the center of the table, so that it can add some vitality to the room."

"Young lady, please leave this matter to me. I have been eyeing these white pine nuts for several days and I am itching to try them."

During the long days of recuperation, Jiang Shiyuan often heard her tell funny stories to cheer herself up, so he indulged her innocence and smiled back at her.

"Okay, it's up to you."

Once you pass the garden at home, Tai'an Courtyard is not far away.

Jiang Shiyuan climbed the stone steps and entered the corridor. The wind blew from three sides, making her feel a little cooler. She raised her hands, and the wind blew through her sleeves, making her body less hot. The closer she got, the more she could hear the noises of playfulness coming from inside. This bustle instantly brought her memory back to her childhood.

When my mother was still alive, she was the one who took care of all the happy events in the family. She came from a marquis's family, was open-minded and virtuous, and was decent and thoughtful in her work, so she had a good reputation among the officials' wives in Xuzhou.

At that time, she was loved by her father, had a virtuous mother, an intelligent brother, a kind grandmother, and was accompanied by her second uncle's family. Although her life was not luxurious, it was warm and peaceful, which made people miss her very much.

The smile on her lips hadn't faded yet when she suddenly heard a sharp voice from inside that pierced her memories. After hearing clearly what the person said, the smile on her lips turned cold and disappeared with the cold wind.

"If you ask me, the eldest daughter is the most impressive. Now all the old and young in the family have arrived, except for her. I guess it's because the Marquis Wenyuan's Mansion has raised her too extravagantly, so she looks down on our Jiang family."

The man was trying to sow discord as soon as he opened his mouth. Jiang Shiyuan's eyes turned cold when he heard it at the door.

Her second aunt really doesn't match her fate. She's already bullying her before they even meet. Suddenly, she remembered how she cried and begged for her daughter's marriage a few months ago. It really makes people admire her for her true face.

Liuhua frowned and Luluo glared angrily, but when the curtain in front of the door was lifted, the master and his servants regained their calm expressions.

After entering the house, the jar of ice crystals soon made Jiang Shiyuan feel much more comfortable. After Liuhua and Luluo took the jade fan from her hand, Jiang Shiyuan walked forward generously and politely, then bowed to everyone and spoke.

"The granddaughter has met her grandmother. May she be in good health."

"My daughter has met daddy, second aunt, Aunt Yang, and Aunt Hai."

The two concubines of Yang Hai came today just to make up the numbers. They could not accept Jiang Shiyuan's gift, so they were flattered and immediately returned the gift, then lowered their heads to make their presence less noticeable to avoid getting into trouble.

Jiang Shiyuan saw this and knew in his heart that they were having a hard time in the mansion, so he smiled faintly and glanced at them, then greeted the rest of his brothers and sisters.

The rules were not violated at all, which left Second Aunt Zhang speechless for a moment.

The white-haired old lady sitting at the top was Jiang Shiyuan's grandmother, Old Madam Jiang.

She was dressed simply today, with her gray hair combed into a neat bun and fixed with two silver hairpins. She wore a long satin gown with a slanting collar and a stone-carved blue pattern. Her wrinkled face was a little swollen, and the dark circles under her eyes showed that she had not slept well in the past two days, and she even looked a little tired when she looked at people.

"Well, sit down."

Old Madam Jiang's tone was neutral. The moment she saw her granddaughter Jiang Shiyuan come in and pay her respects, it was as if she saw her eldest daughter-in-law Wang coming in and serving tea. Her elegant and graceful appearance, like a banished immortal, was 70% similar to her mother.

For a moment, his face was a little complicated.

Jiang Huaishan, who was sitting on the lower right, was also dazed for a moment, but soon came to his senses. It had been eleven years since his wife passed away, and he had grown from a young man to his thirties, and was about to enter his forties, so he looked at his daughter in front of him and said something with concern.

"It's been hot on the road, I hope it's been smooth on the way here."

"Don't worry, Daddy, my daughter is fine."

The affection between the father and daughter was quite deep, which made Second Aunt Zhang who was sitting opposite her somewhat displeased. Her daughter was already in dire straits in Prince Chun's mansion, but they were pretending to be affectionate father and daughter here. She tangled the handkerchief in her hand into a ball and opened her mouth to interrupt the scene, but was interrupted by Jiang Shiyuan.