Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Chapter 266: Mutual Blow

"Come on! Come on!"

The cheers of children were accompanied by the appearance of running and jumping figures, followed by two men in dark blue official uniforms. Both of them had short beards on their lips, clear faces, and similar appearances. They looked to be about forty years old and had some of the style of middle-aged Confucian scholars.

Tsk, this is unlike Cui Bianxu. Little Cui looks rather cold and arrogant, but these two look like people in officialdom at first glance.

After a quick observation, Jiang Shangxian lowered his head slightly and followed Madam Xia a few steps into the courtyard. He whispered, "These two are cousins ​​from Cui Bianxu's side branch."

As for the official position, Cui Bianxu and Zhao Yue didn't mention it, and she didn't ask. Maybe it was because it was too low and there was no need to mention it?

However, from the color of his official uniform, it can be seen that he is probably of the eighth rank. As for whether he is upper eighth rank or lower eighth rank, that is unknown. Anyway, regardless of whether he is upper or lower, he is indeed a minor official as Cui Bianxu and his mother said.

But compared with the Jiang family, no matter how small it is, it is still an official!

Who can say that cockroach thighs are not meaty?

And since they were specifically here to help out as messengers, they had to be welcoming! All-around, 360-degree, lightning-fast hospitality!

Everyone in the Jiang family had a warm and affectionate smile on their face. If it wasn't difficult to control, Jiang's mother would probably ask even Xiongba to smile!

"Good news! Good news!" The children outside shouted loudly and skillfully. When it comes to this kind of thing, every child is a professional!

"Hahahaha, old lady, congratulations. I came to talk to you today because I really have something happy to discuss with you!" Cui Xiao, the messenger, entered the yard under the guidance of Jiang Wangri and Lao Fan. When he was still a little distance away from Old Lady Xia, he quickened his pace and walked up to her and bowed.

Jiang Shangxian knew at a glance that this person was a person who was good at pretending.

Tsk, this is different from the feeling Cui Shuhua gives people.

Why is it that working makes people more flexible? People who have experienced the harshness of society are indeed different from those who rely on their parents at home.

Cui Xiao was wondering in his heart, and when he came in, he was shocked by the three tables in the yard. They were too full, with so many dishes. Didn’t they mean they were for ordinary people?

What commoner would prepare such a sumptuous feast for the slaves who carried the loads? Could it be that he wasn't aware that the living standards of ordinary people in Chang'an had risen? Or was he secretly subsidizing his cousin?

"Congratulations, it's great to have you two uncles from the Cui family make this trip. Thank you for your hard work." Old Madam Xia was all smiles. She saluted her in her official uniform, giving her enough face. I guess her grandson-in-law had given her detailed instructions.

Cui Rui, the deputy messenger standing by, was also beaming. "Old Madam, you're too polite. Since our two families are going to marry, you can just call us nephews. It's truly an honor for us two brothers to be entrusted with such a happy event."

What he said was the truth. Although they were not blood brothers, their fathers were brothers. They were definitely closer than the direct line from Cui Zhe's side. Zhao Yue and Cui Bianxu had entrusted them with this matter, which meant that Cui Zhe's family owed them a favor.

They were really happy to get a favor from the direct branch of the family. As for Cui Bianxu marrying a commoner woman, they had naturally talked about it behind his back, but the head of the Cui family agreed, so they had no room to say anything.

Old Madam Xia was so nervous. These were two officials! She had never spoken to officials in the past few decades, and she had never spoken as much as she had after coming to Chang'an!

"You two have had a hard journey. Please come in and have a cup of tea to relieve your fatigue." Old Lady Xia tried hard not to laugh too wildly and led them to the main room.

Every family has to be formal when marrying off their daughter, but this family really can’t do that because they want her to get married so badly!

Jiang Shangxian and Xia Zhenying were secretly counting the heads and the number of betrothal gifts respectively, and finally they both felt respect for Old Madam Xia.

That was a pretty accurate calculation! There were exactly eighteen lifts, and thirty-six people, so three large tables would be just enough to accommodate them.

A large table of food had been set up in the main hall, but the betrothal gifts could not be carried in. Fortunately, Old Fan was very active. These people were all servants of the Cui Mansion and were old acquaintances of him. He waved and greeted them in a low voice, and arranged to move the things into the room that Jiang's mother had cleaned up.

Xia Zhenying, who was following at the end, saw Zhou Ying peeking over and quietly moved over to the outside to talk to him: "Why are you peeking here? If you want to see, just come along and watch."

"It just so happens that I was thinking of asking you to come over and bring in the lotus tea. Master knows about it and has specially prepared it for those two." Zhou Ying's eyesight was really amazing. He had been observing them secretly and brewed the lotus tea at the first opportunity. When he saw they were about to go in, he hurriedly brought it over.

Xia Zhenying couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, took the tray and praised him softly, "You are really smart."

"We will prepare the tea outside and bring it to them in a while." Wang Wan didn't come today, so Zhou Ying acted like a senior brother.

"Okay, the remaining dishes can be served. Remember to come over and tell me." Zhou Ying's face was full of wrinkles when he smiled, and he looked particularly festive.

Xia Zhenying also laughed: "Okay, go back quickly."

In the main hall, after sitting down, Cui Xiao and Cui Rui calmly looked at the layout and today's protagonist Jiang Shangxian. They were all ordinary. When Xia Zhenying served them lotus tea, the two felt that the Jiang family looked ordinary, but the tea was extraordinary.

Not to mention the servants, just the lotus tea requires at least a lotus pond, which they don't have now. When they were still in their hometown of Qinghe, they could enjoy it occasionally.

The two of them were indeed a little thirsty after walking all the way, so they took small sips and drank the tea clean before starting to talk about business.

They were all people who liked to show off, and they were quick to spout nonsense. Cui Xiao praised Jiang Shangxian to Old Madam Xia and Jiang's mother endlessly, "I've heard that the mistress of your mansion is clever and skillful, gentle and elegant, and proficient in knitting and needlework. She and my son Jiulang are a match made in heaven. My cousin's wife is always so pleased when she mentions the mistress. This time, my brother and I came here at her request to marry her and share in her good fortune."

Hearing this, Jiang's mother nodded continuously: That's right, her daughter is so good!

She was a widow, so it was not appropriate for her to talk too much on such a festive occasion. Besides, she was afraid that she would be too excited, and her voice would tremble and she would talk nonsense when she spoke, which would be very embarrassing.

Jiang Shangxian couldn't help but glance sideways: As expected, the older a man gets, the more nonsense he talks. No wonder the real uncle in the comment section of Yixiaoqingcheng looks like a college student who is trying to make fun of people.

If this uncle from the Cui family had not specifically pointed out that he was talking about her, Xiao Jiang would have thought that he was talking about another young lady!