Chapter 243: A Reunion
Commander Jiang’s gentle temperament, elegant speech, and handsome appearance left a deep impression on the officialdom of Jiangzhou, a quasi-first-tier city.
Among the crowd, there was a prevailing sentiment: “Since there is already someone as handsome, dashing, and outstanding as me, why must there also be someone like Commander Jiang?”
Commander Jiang seemed naturally born with a face destined for a smooth career in officialdom.
It is said that even Censor He appreciates him very much.
Of course, there are also rumors that Commander Jiang is very fond of amassing wealth.
Whether he is a powerful dragon or a mere worm, Prefect Lu, who is even fonder of amassing wealth, has already jumped out to test him.
Everyone just needs to wait and see what happens.
The wine ran dry, the dishes dwindled, and the table was left in disarray, with young women singing to provide entertainment.
Jiang Changtian, being new to the area, observed everyone very carefully.
He discovered that the chain of contempt here was more straightforward.
For instance, if you cannot discern an official’s rank, you can judge it by the beauty of the young women at their table.
The more beautiful they are, the higher the rank.
Everyone shares a very clear dividing line of class.
In their eyes, a fifth-rank Official Rank is of average standing, lacking any major background, and merely serves as a catalyst for a banquet of revelry.
Most of them come from prominent families, proud and arrogant, looking down on everything.
They indulge in prosperity and beauty.
Even if they were somewhat surprised by Commander Jiang’s looks and demeanor, that was all there was to it; this is a world with distinct levels.
By comparison, Xiao Jia is slightly more humane.
As for Prefect Lu, who bluntly asked for a horse, everyone just laughed. Watching the spectacle.
The first part of the banquet ended. Gong Qichi and Commander Jiang returned in the same carriage.
The old foxes of the Jiangzhou officialdom said their goodbyes with laughter.
They didn’t yet understand the idiom “colluding like wolves and badgers”—oh no, rather, “a gathering of dragons and tigers.”
Gong Qichi had drunk a bit too much.
Getting into the familiar carriage, the familiar scent inside—a hint of traditional Chinese medicine—made him feel at ease.
Gong Qichi, who had been smiling the whole time, tilted his head upon entering the carriage and fell asleep peacefully. Soon, he began to snore.
When they reached their destination and the carriage stopped, Gong Qichi opened his eyes.
As if the person snoring moments ago wasn’t him, he followed along and got off the carriage.
At the post station, Qin Luoxia was already waiting at the door, her figure tall, powerful, and reassuring.
Jiang Changtian revealed a genuine smile. It wasn’t the one with three parts detachment and three parts arrogance, but a straightforward, silly grin.
“Sister-in-law.” Gong Qichi also revealed a hearty smile.
Qin Luoxia was also very pleasantly surprised.
With her husband heading to the capital, she had been a bit worried. It was said that the people in the capital were very crafty, each more cunning than the last, and her husband was simple-minded and easily bullied.
As a woman, she couldn’t follow him to the government office. With Uncle Gong there, it was much better.
Back in Ming County, after Uncle Gong arrived, their family’s life began to improve. Come to think of it, Uncle Gong is their family’s benefactor.
Qin Luoxia welcomed Gong Qichi very warmly. She called over the younger generation of the family to meet him.
Time flew by.
Gong Qichi saw Jiang Feng; the young man had less hostility about him and looked more restrained and gentle.
Young General Meng had gained a little weight, clearly living a very good life. His dark circles were a bit heavy, but he smiled very happily.
Jiang Yu had grown up fair and round, looking very pleasing to the elders.
Little Mianmian was already a slender young lady. She looked much more well-behaved.
He saw the twins of the Meng Family. When he held those heavy infants in his arms, he felt many emotions.
Only when holding new life can one find peace with the lives that have passed.
These two children were quite heavy. After holding them for a while, his arms felt the strain, and not daring to move, he quickly handed them back.
He felt that everyone had changed, yet they hadn’t; meeting again, the intimacy remained the same.
Yet everyone else felt he had changed drastically, growing old too quickly.
At first, Gong Qichi looked like Jiang Changtian’s colleague, then he looked like an Elder Brother, and now he looked like a Father~~~ Indeed, his actions were also like the Father of a Father.
He casually stuffed many gifts into Mianmian’s hands. He also gave gifts to Mianmian’s two big nephews.
Then he went to have a candlelit conversation with Father.
Although they were not at their own home, Qin Luoxia had grown accustomed to Mr. Gang’s ways and prepared tea and snacks for them.
Men sometimes have endless things to say, discussing ideals, the future, and human affairs; in short, it seems there is so much to discuss that it can never be finished.
The two of them returned relatively early. The other officials still had a second round.
Magistrate Jia, unable to refuse the warm hospitality of his colleagues, also stayed for the second round. They chose to go home together.
Although the post station is not a home, as long as there is family, it becomes a home.
The post station’s courtyard had rather simple flowers and plants. The climate here was generally warm, and in winter, the leaves in the courtyard remained evergreen.
In the past, when Mianmian was still small, when Jiang Changtian and Gong Qichi had their candlelit chats, they would like to hold the girl in their arms.
Jiang Mianmian would pretend to understand, listening very seriously.
Now, Little Mianmian no longer needed to be held; she could even brew tea and help out.
Mother borrowed their pot to make noodles, and incidentally made some for her daughter, who was a glutton; although she had finished her postpartum confinement, her appetite had not yet exited that state.
Good noodles with a handful of scallions, sprinkled with dried wild scallion bits brought from their hometown—the fragrance of the noodles was steaming.
The welcome banquet looked like it had many dishes, but in reality, one couldn’t get full; it was not as satisfying as a bowl of noodles at home.
The familiar taste, the aroma of the noodles, the scent of wild scallions, fresh and salty.
The noodles once eaten in that small courtyard in the countryside still tasted the same today. From north to south.
The noodle soup even got on his beard; he was not as elegant as he used to be, eating a bit too fast. Life had become rougher.
He buried his head in the noodles, not looking up. What he was eating was not noodles, but memories, the past; it is said that a gentleman does not shed tears, but if tears fall into the noodle soup, they cannot be seen, and it still tastes salty when eaten.
After finishing the noodles, he wiped his mouth. Gong Qichi grinned. He reached out and touched Mianmian’s head.
Mianmian was actually a bit startled when looking at Uncle Gong; this spiritual spring water was not omnipotent. Uncle Gong seemed to have drunk a tiny bit, and had eaten her family’s food, but in these few years, he had aged rapidly, becoming incredibly weathered, looking as if he were on the verge of death.
Seeing him suddenly, she was truly startled. It served as a reminder to Mianmian: when courting death, one must be cautious and moderate; there is no such thing as an immortal body.
After accompanying Elder Brother, Father, and Uncle Gong for a late-night snack, Jiang Mianmian was dragged away by Mother to go to sleep.
The night in Jiangzhou was lit up, not just by the starry sky, but by the whole city, which was filled with twinkling lights. It was a city with a rich nightlife and no curfew.
As a stay-at-home dad, Meng Shaoxia went to accompany the children personally. With two babies, twins, he didn’t trust the maids or nannies to look after them, so Meng Shaoxia always helped take care of the babies himself.
Now, with one baby in his left hand and one in his right, he was very adept at holding them. He no longer used a sword for morning exercises, switching to using the babies instead.
With one baby in each hand, he did overhead presses, or lay down for bench presses; the two babies laughed with glee, and he managed to keep up with his daily exercise routine in the process.
At night, he also went to sleep quite early to take care of the babies, because the babies would wake up several times in the middle of the night.
At first, they talked about finding a wet nurse in a big city, but because of encounters with assassinations and poisonings, they didn’t trust anyone, so he ended up taking care of them himself.
The couple, however, became closer because of this. They were even more inseparable.
The Jiang Family generally wouldn’t disturb Meng Shaoxia at night, so he wasn’t part of the late-night tea session.
Passing by her elder sister’s room, Mianmian heard her brother-in-law humming some tune to soothe the babies, sounding quite happy.
She felt that although her elder sister didn’t seem to have much cunning, she at least had one thing: she had her husband well in hand. In the few years since their marriage, they had never argued, passing their days happily; even when she was pregnant and temperamental, she never caused a scene with her husband.
Great-Aunt said that, if nothing else, being able to handle a good husband is enough to live well for a lifetime. This, she felt, was quite rare.
Mianmian felt that her elder sister sometimes had a tiny bit of cunning, it was just used solely on her husband. That was enough.
Meanwhile, the voices of Father, Elder Brother, and Uncle Gong as they chatted had lowered. Unless one listened intently, one couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Mianmian took her Little Tree and went back to sleep. She vaguely heard something about horses and donkeys.
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