jdhmnovel Chapter 320 Inviting the cousins to come early for a last-minute cram session
Chapter 320 Inviting the cousins to come early for a last-minute cram session
"Master, the Jiang residence has sent another gift. It was delivered personally by Steward Li and has already been given to Madam."
"Oh? It must be that my junior brother had someone bring it back again. I'll go take a look."
Li Haisheng knew that his junior brother would definitely not leave him out of his share. It wasn't that he was coveting the things, but he was just a little worried about his junior brother.
"Moon, did Mingfei bring something?"
In private, Li Haisheng habitually calls his wife by her maiden name, which is a reflection of their close relationship.
"Yes, my husband. It was my younger brother who brought the things back. He delivered them to Grandfather first, and then Grandfather picked out our portion first and had Steward Li deliver it here."
"Come and see! There are three purple bamboo fans for you! The workmanship is extremely fine, and the color of the fan ribs is beautiful."
"Indeed, it is very elegant and unique. Mingfei's taste has always been good. The ribs of this fan are smooth and heavy, and it is obviously made of bamboo that has been around for a long time."
Li Haisheng picked up two purple bamboo fans. One fan had several bamboo branches painted on it, while the other two had orchids painted on them, only slightly different in shape.
None of the three fans had any inscriptions or seals.
However, Li Haisheng believed that these paintings were definitely made by his junior apprentice.
Even the most skilled folding fan craftsman could not create such a lifelike painting.
He carefully put away the only fan painted with ink bamboo, then took the fan he was carrying out of its case and tossed it aside.
"Thud!" The old folding fan was mercilessly thrown onto the octagonal table.
A purple bamboo fan painted with orchids was seamlessly placed into a fan case that Jiang Xiyue had sewn herself.
"You, you're such a fickle person!"
"Haha, how can this be considered being fickle? My fan paintings can't compare to Mingfei's. Of course, you should use the best things when you have good ones."
"What about this orchid-patterned purple bamboo fan? Why isn't it stored away as carefully as the ink bamboo fan?"
Li Haisheng picked up the fan, a sly look on his face: "Mingfei must have given one to Xue Xu as well. Tomorrow I'll ask him what the design is. If it doesn't have orchids, I'll trade with him for one."
Li Haisheng was probably the person who understood Jiang Changqing, the landlord, the most besides Jiang Xiaoqi. He knew that when his grandfather distributed things to everyone, he wouldn't open each item carefully.
He would only put away the portion that his beloved grandson had specially given him first, and then roughly divide the others according to quantity and type.
That's how he ended up with the same orchid fan. He actually had two. Xue Xu might also have duplicates. He could try to match them with the other person's.
"Alright, whatever you say, but this set of silver wine utensils is unique to our family, so don't let it slip later."
Even my father doesn't have any. This was sent by Mingfei from the south, thousands of miles away. Though it's not precious, the sentiment behind it is the most precious thing.
Li Haisheng picked up the silver wine pot, which indeed had a somewhat exotic feel. Since neither his father-in-law nor his brother Xue had any, he couldn't just take it out and use it himself.
"Put it away for now. Silverware will tarnish if left unused. Seal it up and keep it away from high temperatures. Wipe it with a soft cloth from time to time."
"Okay~ I'll listen to my husband~"
Li Haisheng had little interest in other items such as floral dew, flower tea, and tie-dye.
He only took the orchid fan with him. The next day, after finishing his duty at the palace, Li Haisheng returned home satisfied with a fan painted with plum blossoms braving the snow.
Xue Xu's three purple bamboo fans, two of which featured plum blossoms braving the snow and one of which featured ink bamboo, were quite remarkable. It was rare that these two brothers-in-law were so in sync, both carrying the same fan with the same design when they went on duty.
The two of them swapped places, which made it perfect.
The two sons-in-law were satisfied, and Jiang Wenqing, the father-in-law, was also quite satisfied. One of his fans was painted with chrysanthemums, and the other fan was also painted with chrysanthemums.
The only difference is the color; one is a dark chrysanthemum, and the other is a darker chrysanthemum... a dark chrysanthemum.
The two fans in Jiang Changshou's hands depicted a cold mountain pine and a red-crowned crane about to take flight.
Unlike the other eight fans featuring plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, these two fans each bear a short poem and are stamped with Jiang Xiaoqi's personal seal.
Most importantly, the pendants of both the "Evergreen Pine of Cold Mountain" and "Crane with Spreading Wings" fans are made of Hetian jade, with a lustrous texture and exquisite craftsmanship.
Although the gifts were slightly different, everyone in the capital who received them was extremely satisfied.
Xinghe Prefecture, the Jiang family—
"Young Master, all the young masters of the clan have arrived and are now having tea and resting in the front hall. Their luggage has been arranged in the front yard as you instructed."
Jiang Lin, along with Jiang Yan and Jiang Hao, waited in the front hall. It wasn't that Jiang Xiaoqi was arrogant; rather, the group had arrived two days earlier.
At this moment, Jiang Xiaoqi was practicing his spear at the training ground according to his schedule. Naturally, he had to wash up and change his clothes before entertaining his guests.
In fact, given Jiang Xiaoqi's current physique, he wouldn't sweat too much even if he ran ten kilometers, but he didn't deliberately try to stop himself from sweating.
After all, sweat can also remove some toxins from the body, just like tears.
So Jiang Xiaoqi doesn't control his sweating, nor does he control his "a man doesn't easily shed tears." When he's in the mood and the atmosphere is right, he cries whenever he wants, treating it as a free detox spa treatment.
Having digressed, let’s get back to the topic.
Jiang Lin and the others only waited for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before Jiang Xiaoqi arrived, looking neat and tidy, dressed in very ordinary clothes.
Unlike when she met Yun Muze a few days ago, she now had a smile in her eyes and greeted her cousins warmly.
Among them, Jiang Lin is the oldest, now nineteen years old.
If I pass this provincial examination, I will be twenty years old when I take the metropolitan examination next spring.
The tallest of them all, Jiang Yan, is a year younger than Jiang Lin and just turned eighteen this year.
Jiang Hao is the youngest, only three years older than Jiang Xiaoqi, but he passed the imperial examination three years ago and is also a young prodigy.
"Mingfei, there's still over a month until the provincial examination, and we're only two or three days away from the provincial capital. Isn't it too early to set off now?"
Although Jiang Lin and the others felt it was still early, they rushed over from their respective county governments after receiving a letter from their cousin Jiang Xiaoqi.
"Going to the provincial government now is a bit too early, so we won't go."
"Huh? Not going? Then why did you write to us in such a hurry to say we'd meet in Xinghe Prefecture?"
Jiang Hao is the type who can't keep secrets. He asks questions directly, even if they're his own brothers. Why beat around the bush?
Jiang Xiaoqi picked up her teacup and took a sip: "I'm not going to the provincial capital, I'll just stay here and cram before the exam!"
What is... last-minute cramming?
"Brothers, don't worry, the craftsmen will be here soon. You should all get some rest, have a good meal tonight, and get a good night's sleep."
After all... these carefree days won't last long~