......
Commander Jiang's gentle deanor.
His elegant manner of speech.
His handso appearance.
All left a deep impression on the officials in Jiangzhou, a city on the cusp of first-tier status.
Among the crowd, there was a prevalent sentint: "With soone as handso, dashing, and excellent as myself already here, why must there also be a Commander Jiang?"
Commander Jiang seed to possess a face naturally suited for a successful career in officialdom.
It was said that even Inspector He greatly admired him.
Of course, there were also rumors that Commander Jiang was quite fond of accumulating wealth.
Whether he was a formidable newcor or rely an insect, the even more acquisitive Governor Lu had already stepped forward to test the waters.
The others need only observe quietly and see how things unfold.
The wine ran dry, the dishes dwindled, the table was in disarray, and young won sang to enliven the atmosphere.
Jiang Changtian, new to the scene, carefully observed the crowd.
He discovered that the pecking order here was more blatant.
For instance, if one couldn't discern an official's rank, the beauty of the girls at their table could be used as a gauge.
The more attractive the girls, the higher the official's rank.
There was a clear class divide among the group.
In their eyes, a fifth-rank commander like himself was of unremarkable rank, lacking any significant backing, and rely served as a pretext for their revelry.
Most of them ca from prominent families, proud and arrogant, looking down on everything.
They were intoxicated by splendor and beauty.
Even if they found Commander Jiang's appearance and deanor sowhat surprising, that was the extent of it. This was a world strictly divided by rank.
In comparison, even young Jia seed to have a bit more humanity.
As for Governor Lu, who had brazenly asked for a horse, the others rely laughed.
Enjoying the spectacle.
The first round of the banquet concluded.
Gong Qichi and Commander Jiang shared a carriage back.
The seasoned officials of Jiangzhou bid farewell with laughter and banter.
They were yet unfamiliar with the idiom "wolves and jackals collude" - or rather, "dragons and tigers unite."
Gong Qichi had drunk a bit too much.
As he boarded the familiar carriage, with its familiar scent of Chinese herbs, he felt at ease.
Gong Qichi, who had been smiling all along, tilted his head once inside the carriage and fell into a comfortable sleep.
Soon, he began to snore.
When they arrived at their destination, the carriage stopped.
Gong Qichi opened his eyes.
As if the person who had just been snoring wasn't him.
He got off the carriage together with Jiang.
Qin Luoxia had been waiting at the door of the relay station, her tall figure both powerful and reassuring.
Jiang Changtian revealed a genuine smile.
Gone was the three parts aloofness and three parts pride, replaced by an openly foolish grin.
"Sister-in-law," Gong Qichi also displayed a hearty smile.
Qin Luoxia was equally delighted.
With her husband entering the capital, she had been sowhat worried. It was said that people in the capital were all very cunning, each more sly and treacherous than the last. Her husband was simple-minded and could easily be taken advantage of.
As a woman, she couldn't accompany him to the governnt office.
With Elder Brother Gong around, things would be much better.
Back in Ming County, their family's fortunes only improved after Elder Brother Gong arrived.
It could be said that Elder Brother Gong was their family's benefactor.
Qin Luoxia warmly welcod Gong Qichi.
She called the younger family mbers to co and greet him.
Ti flies.
Gong Qichi saw Jiang Feng; the young man had lost his fierce edge, appearing more restrained and gentle.
The ng Young General had gained a bit of weight, clearly living well, with slightly heavy dark circles under his eyes, but smiling broadly.
Elder Sister Yu had grown fair and plump, the kind of appearance that delights elders.
Little Mianmian had beco a graceful young lady.
She seed much more well-behaved now.
He saw the ng family's twins.
When he held the hefty infants in his arms, he felt deeply moved.
It's only when holding new life that one can truly co to terms with those who have passed.
These two children were quite heavy; after holding them for a while, his arms began to tire, but he dared not move. He quickly handed the children back.
He felt that everyone had changed sowhat, yet hadn't changed at all. Seeing them again was just as heartwarming.
However, everyone thought he had changed dramatically, aging far too quickly.
Gong Qichi initially looked like Jiang Changtian's colleague, then like an elder brother, and now he looked like a father~~~
Indeed, his movents were also like those of a father's father.
He casually gave Mianmian many gifts again.
He also gave gifts to Mianmian's two older nephews.
Then he went to have a late-night chat with her father.
Although not at his own ho, Qin Luoxia had grown accustod to Mr. Gong's ways and prepared tea and snacks.
n sotis seem to have endless topics to discuss, talking about ideals, the future, and human affairs. In short, they always seem to have more to say than ti allows.
The two of them had returned relatively early.
Other officials still had another round to attend.
Master Jia, unable to refuse his colleagues' enthusiastic invitation, also stayed for the next round.
They chose to return ho together.
Although the relay station wasn't ho, with family there, it beca ho.
The courtyard of the relay station was rather simple, with few flowers and plants.
The climate here was generally warm; even in winter, the leaves in the courtyard remained green.
In the past, when Mianmian was still small, Jiang Changtian and Gong Qichi would like to hold her in their arms during their late-night talks.
Jiang Mianmian would pretend to understand, listening very attentively.
Now, little Mianmian no longer needed to be held, and could even help brew tea and assist.
Mom borrowed their pot to make noodles, and also prepared so for her daughter who, though out of confinent, still had pregnancy cravings.
A good bowl of noodles with a handful of green onions, sprinkled with dried wild scallions brought from their hotown, emitted a fragrant aroma.
The welcoming banquet may have seed to have many dishes, but one couldn't really eat their fill. It wasn't as satisfying as a bowl of noodles at ho.
The familiar taste, with the fragrance of noodles and wild scallions, savory and salty.
The noodles they once ate in that small courtyard in the countryside now tasted the sa.
From north to south.
The soup even stained his beard; he lacked the elegance of the past, eating a bit hastily.
Life had beco rougher.
He buried his head in the noodles, not looking up.
He wasn't just eating noodles, but mories, the past. A gentleman doesn't shed tears, but if tears fall into the soup, they beco invisible, only adding to the saltiness.
After finishing the noodles, he wiped his mouth.
Gong Qichi grinned.
He reached out and patted Mianmian's head again.
In truth, Mianmian was also a bit startled by Uncle Gong. The Magic Spring Water wasn't omnipotent after all. Uncle Gong seed to have drunk a tiny bit of it, and had also eaten at their ho, but in these few years apart, he had aged rapidly, looking extrely weathered, as if on the verge of death.
It was truly shocking at first glance.
It served as a reminder to Mianmian to be cautious and moderate when taking risks; there's no such thing as immortality.
After accompanying her brother, father, and Uncle Gong for a late-night snack, Jiang Mianmian was dragged off to bed by her mother.
The night in Jiangzhou was filled with light, not just from the starry sky, but from the entire city, twinkling with countless lights. It was a city rich in nightlife, without a curfew.
ng Shaoxia, in his role as a hands-on father, personally attended to the children. With two babies, twins, he didn't trust the maids and nannies to care for them. ng Shaoxia was very involved in childcare.
Now he could hold one baby in each arm with ease.
He no longer used swords for morning exercises, switching to babies instead.
With a baby in each hand, he would lift them up and down, or lie down and bench press them. The two babies would grin with delight, and he managed to keep up with his daily exercises.
At night, to take care of the babies, he also went to bed earlier, as the little ones would wake up several tis during the night.
Initially, they had considered finding a wet nurse in the big town, but after encountering assassination attempts and poisoning incidents, they couldn't trust anyone. So they decided to raise the children themselves.
As a result, the couple grew even closer.
They beca more affectionate with each other.
The Jiang family generally didn't disturb young ng at night, so he wasn't part of the late-night tea gatherings.
As Mianmian passed by her sister's room, she heard her brother-in-law still humming so tune to soothe the babies, sounding quite content.
She felt that although her sister seed simple-minded, she had at least one talent: she had her husband well in hand. In their years of marriage, they had never had a real argunt, living each day with laughter and joy. Even during pregnancy mood swings, they never truly fought.
Her great-aunt once said that if nothing else, being able to keep a good husband in check is enough to sustain one for a lifeti.
This point seed quite remarkable.
Mianmian felt that her sister sotis showed a bit of cunning, but it was all focused on her husband alone.
That was enough.
anwhile, the voices of her father, brother, and Uncle Gong had also lowered.
Without deliberately listening, she couldn't make out what they were saying.
Mianmian took her little tree and went to bed.
She faintly heard sothing about horses and donkeys.
......
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