Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 707 Living in Constant Fear [Thank you! Thank you again! 38k words owed]

In the hall,
While Xu Zaijing was chatting enthusiastically with his elder brother and brother-in-law,
A maid came from the backyard.
After going around the screen, he bowed to the three men and said with a smile, "Young master, gentlemen, the madam said that the food and wine in the main room have been prepared. Please come and take your seats."

Zai Zhang stood up, gestured with his hand, and said with a smile, "Brother-in-law, let's go, let's eat and chat."

Huyan Jiong also stood up, put one hand on Zai Zhang's shoulder, and gestured with the other hand, saying, "Brother, please go first."

“My brother-in-law is a guest,” Zai Zhang said.

Xu Zaijing, standing behind the two, shook his head helplessly.

Then he stretched out his hands and pushed Zai Zhang and Hu Yanjiong by the backs to walk outside, saying, "Alright! You two are really slow."

The three of them left the house together.

We passed through the corridor and the gate to the main house of the Sun family compound.

As Zai Zhang and Hu Yanjiong walked toward the banquet, Xu Zaijing took two steps toward the side room.

Peeking out,

In the side room separated by a screen,
Xu Xingdai and several other children were sitting at the small table, looking quite serious.
Upon seeing Xu Zaijing, the four children quickly greeted him.

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "Dai-ge'er, you two must take good care of your younger brother and sister."

"Understood, Uncle," replied Xu Xingdai, the eldest of the group.

Xu Zaijing looked at Huyan Bi and said, "Little nephew, why do you look so dark again?"

Hu Yanbi, who was tanned a bit dark from the sun, chuckled and scratched his cheek: "Hehe, little uncle, I've been practicing my water skills a lot lately."

Xu Zaijing: "No wonder!"

Cui Chan, who was standing by, smiled and said, "Fifth Young Master, please take a seat. We'll take care of things here."

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile.

On the other side of the table,
Lady Sun, wife of Marquis Xu, sat at the head of the table.

Xie Shi, Hua Lan, and Zai Zhang were sitting on one side.
On the other side sat An Mei and Hu Yanjiong, while the empty seat was reserved for Xu Zaijing.

"Xiao Wu, come and sit down."

Anmei, with a rosy complexion and a smile, greeted them.

“Sister, I have eyes,” Xu Zaijing replied.

Hearing this,

Xie and Hualan smiled helplessly.

Madam Sun frowned and said, "Xu Zaijing, how can you talk like that?! Your sister was being kind to you, and this is how you behave?"

Xu Zaijing quickly smiled and said, "Mother, I was just joking with my sister!"

"Don't joke around!" Madam Sun scolded, frowning.

Xu Zaijing quickly bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Fourth Sister, I was wrong! I shouldn't have joked around like that."

"Alright, sit down!" Anmei waved her hand dismissively, "You're too kind to hold a grudge against someone like me!"

Xu Zaijing: "Me"

Seeing Xu Zaijing's expression, a smile appeared on Xi's face again.

After they sat down,

Xu Zaijing walked past Huyan Jiong and looked at An Mei, saying, "Sister, you and brother-in-law should also cherish my nephew!"

Anmei pursed her lips, pretending not to hear.

Huyan Jiong laughed and said, "Fifth Brother is right. I will definitely pay attention to that in the future."

An Mei put down her chopsticks, looked past Hu Yanjiong and glared at Xu Zaijing, saying, "What, do you think my husband and I are stepparents?"

Xu Zaijing waved his hand with a smile: "Sister, brother-in-law, what I mean is, if it doesn't work out, I'll just build an indoor pool for my little nephew!"

"He's getting so tanned every day that my little nephew looks like a black monkey! What if he doesn't get his fair skin back? How will he ever find a wife?"

Anmei's expression froze instantly upon hearing this.

This concerned her son's lifelong happiness, and Anmei looked at Huyan Jiong with some worry.

Hu Yanjiong glanced at everyone at the table and laughed, "Mother-in-law, wife, don't worry, I've always been like this since I was a child! If you get tanned in the summer, you can just stay fair all winter and your skin will come back to normal."

Sun, who was sitting at the head of the table, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good! With such fair skin, it will be a great asset to any prospective suitors!"

Xu Zaijing, sitting to the left, nodded repeatedly in agreement, and then smugly wiped his forehead, saying, "Mother is right!"

Sun Shi helplessly stretched out her finger and pointed at Xu Zaijing in the air with a smile: "Jing'er, I think you're asking for a beating again!"

Madam Xie shook her head with a smile, while Hua Lan, standing to the side, looked at An Mei and said with a smile, "Little sister, seeing you and Jiong-ge'er back makes Xiao Wu very happy! It's been quite a while since we've seen him play like this."

Upon hearing this, An Mei turned her head to look at Xu Zaijing, who was smiling, and nodded, saying, "Sister-in-law is right! In that case, I will forgive his nonsense."

Hu Yanjiong, who was next to An Mei, smiled, raised his wine glass, and clinked it with Xu Zaijing's.

Lunch took about half an hour to eat.
The guests and hosts had a great time.

Shen Shi Chu Ke (after 3 PM)
After drinking tea for a while, Hu Yanjiong and An Mei took their leave.

As everyone walked towards the second gate,
Hu Yanjiong and Xu Zaijing walked at the very back.

While the people in front were talking, Hu Yanjiong handed a long wooden box to Xu Zaijing.

Before Xu Zaijing could speak, Huyan Jiong patted his arm: "You can keep Wulang, or you can give him away."

Looking at his brother-in-law's expression, Xu Zaijing nodded.

After watching the Huyan family's carriage leave, Xu Zaijing went straight back to his own courtyard.

While drinking the hangover soup, Xu Zaijing casually opened the long wooden box.

Looking at the extremely heavy gold hairpin lying quietly in the wooden box, Xu Zaijing smiled and muttered to himself, "Looks like my brother-in-law wants a daughter."

The grass beside him said, "Young master, such a heavy hairpin might weigh you down."

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded, then closed the wooden box and handed it to Qingcao, saying, "Put it in the storeroom."

In early July,
After the Beginning of Autumn solar term,

Although it was still hot around noon, it became slightly cooler in the morning and evening.

Every day after school, Xu Zaijing could see stalls selling various toys such as Mohele, Guban, and water-floating toys on the street.

The cries of vendors were incessant.

You will also occasionally encounter flatbed horse-drawn carts carrying timber or bamboo.

The materials on the carriage were mostly used by wealthy and powerful families to build the Qiqiao Tower.

In some quieter streets and alleys, you might see children running and laughing wildly, holding lotus leaves in their hands.

This scene lasted for three or four days.

On the eve of Qixi Festival,
Early in the morning,
The autumn rain began to fall in a drizzle, dispelling much of the stuffiness in the air.

Many leaves fell with the autumn rain, giving the scene a more autumnal feel.

Near Daxiangguo Temple,

The scenery is absolutely stunning.

Looking out from a high vantage point, the dark pavilions and towers appear and disappear in the misty rain.

In an attic,

As footsteps approached...
The young man, who was leaning against the railing gazing at the scenery, turned his head to look towards the stairwell.

The monk who had climbed up to the attic greeted the young man with his hands clasped together, saying, "Greetings, senior brother."

The young man nodded in agreement and asked, "Did the messenger send me here because of something important?"

The monk nodded emphatically and said, "A secret message has arrived from the authorities, saying that something big may happen on the day of the Great Zhou prince's wedding! I urge you, senior brother, to act according to the circumstances; you may be able to achieve unparalleled merit!"

The young man was none other than Zhang Shipan, who hailed from Beizhou.

"An unparalleled achievement?" Zhang Shipan sneered, "A few days ago, you were all terrified like startled birds, living in constant fear. And today you actually tell me that I can achieve an unparalleled achievement?"

The monk clasped his hands together, bowed his head, and said, "Brother, you're being too anxious! We were just worried and then decided to lie low."

Zhang Shipan looked at the rainy scene outside without comment and said indifferently, "What could be the matter? Explain clearly!" The monk said, "Brother, to be honest, I don't know either."

Looking up at Zhang Shipan's expression, the monk continued, "The secret letter from the authorities said that how to proceed that day was entirely up to you, senior brother, and there was no intention to force you to act."

Zhang Shipan took a deep breath and said, "I suppose you don't know this, but on the day of the ceremony, many sons of noble families from the Great Zhou Dynasty will be near Prince Zhao Fang."

"Xu Zaijing, whom I repeatedly instructed you to eliminate, is among them!"

"Since you were unable to eliminate Xu Zaijing, I naturally could not attend the ceremony that day."

The monk nodded repeatedly: "Brother, we know about this matter and will not let you go into danger. You are Maitreya's supreme blade, why bother with such mortals?"

Zhang Shipan didn't reply, but asked directly, "Is there anything else?"

The monk shook his head.

Zhang Shipan said, "On that day, you should all be ready to provide support."

"Don't worry, senior brother," the monk said.

"Ah."

After glancing at the rainy scene again, Zhang Shipan walked downstairs with his hands behind his back.

"Respectfully seeing off my senior brother."

The monk continued.

Qixi Festival.

In the capital, many wealthy and powerful families erected Qiqiao Towers, where Kui Xing (the God of Literature) was enshrined.

Ordinary families don't build decorated pavilions.
They would simply set up a table with offerings of fruits and vegetables on it. If they were praying for offspring, they would also set up a pair of Mohele (a type of amulet), and sincerely burn incense to pray for blessings.

Compared with previous years,
The decorated pavilion in the backyard of the Duke of Qi's residence was particularly exquisite and luxurious, and the Kui Xing statue inside was newly carved.

On the offering table in front of the building, besides offerings of fruits and vegetables, and the writing implements used by Gu Tingyu during his imperial examinations, there were also Qi Heng's Four Treasures of the Study.

Princess Pingning knelt sincerely on the prayer mat, her hands clasped together as she murmured prayers.

After a while, Princess Pingning, having finished her prayers, stood up from the prayer mat with Qi Heng's help.

"Heng'er, kneel down and pray too," Princess Pingning instructed.

"Yes, mother."

After Qi Heng finished speaking, he followed suit and knelt on the prayer mat, closed his eyes, and prepared to pray.

Princess Pingning couldn't hear Qi Heng's voice and assumed he was praying for her to pass the imperial examination.

When Qi Heng closed his eyes, what welled up in his heart was not the desire for the imperial examination, but Minglan's beautiful figure.

'Goddess Weaver, have you heard Sheng Minglan's prayer? Please listen carefully, Goddess, and grant her skill!'

Please also indicate when I can see her again.

Please bless me.

Qi Heng silently recited this in his heart.

Princess Pingning, standing to the side, looked at Qi Heng's devout appearance with a happy expression in her eyes. She leaned close to the Duke of Qi's ear and said, "Heng'er is really sensible."

The Duke of Qi smiled.

"If Heng'er passes the imperial examination, I will go to the Chai family to express my gratitude," Princess Pingning said in a low voice.

"Why is that?" Duke Qi asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Madam Chai said that for the past two years, every Qixi Festival, Zhengzheng would also pray for her cousin!"

Duke Qi nodded repeatedly, not pressing for the possibility of two children, because he knew that neither the Chai nor Qi families intended to have that.

When Qi Heng opened his eyes, Princess Pingning reached out and helped him stand up.

Quyuan Street,
The Marquis of Yongyi's Residence

Similar to the Qi family's situation,
Because both Zai Zhang and Xu Zai Jing were facing the imperial examination, the Qiqiao Tower was also decorated in a magnificent manner.

The Kui Xing statue enshrined in the building was even repainted by a master craftsman.

Actually, Sun originally wanted to have someone carve a new statue, but Xie and Hualan both said that the Kui Xing statue had been worshipped for many years and had already received incense offerings, so replacing it with a new one might be a loss.

Only then did Madam Sun give up her idea.

Seeing Sun, Xie, and Hualan kneeling on the prayer mats for a long time, their hands clasped together in sincere prayer, Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang exchanged a glance.

There was no mockery in their eyes, only gratitude.

After a long while, the three women finally stopped muttering to themselves.

Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang rushed forward to help the person.

Xu Xingdai and the other two followed suit, saying, "Grandmother, please slow down!" and "Grandmother, let me help you!" as they came closer.

The children's few words brought a smile of relief to Mrs. Sun, who had been looking somewhat distressed as she stood up. She said, "Good children, you are still young. Let your uncle do it."

After resting for a while,

Xu Zaijing took a dozen or so small cardboard boxes from Qingcao.

If you listen carefully, you can hear a rustling sound coming from the cardboard box; that's the little spiders wandering around inside.

Xu Zaijing placed several of them in front of his niece Qingyi.

He then waved a few more in front of Ning Mei and said, "Little sister, these are spider boxes that your brother prepared for you! They will surely help you gain skill."

Holding Ningmei, Mother Zhu smiled and said, "Girl, quickly say thank you to your brother."

"Thank you, bro," Ning Mei said with a smile.

Xu Zaijing happily touched her bangs and placed the spider box on the offering table.

Jiying Lane,
The Sheng family,

The old lady has gone back to her room to rest.

In front of the Qiqiao Tower,

Changbai stood beside his mother, Wang Ruofu, ready to help her at any moment.

Rulan, kneeling behind Wang Ruofu, moved closer to Wang Ruofu, her eyes darting around, listening to her mother's incantations.

After listening for a while,

Rulan glanced at Changbai beside her with a smile on her lips.

After noticing the gaze, Changbai glared at Rulan and then gave her a look: Learn from your sixth sister!

Rulan followed Changbai's gaze and saw Minglan beside her praying sincerely with her eyes closed.

Rulan looked up and saw that Minglan was standing next to her, looking at her.

After smiling at Nagamaki, Rulan offered a few perfunctory prayers.

Where is Mo Lan? She's in the courtyard of Linxi Pavilion, in front of the much smaller Qiqiao Tower, praying with Lin Qinshuang and Changfeng.

After Wang Ruofu finished praying, he stood up with the help of Changbai's arm, turned around and looked at Wei Shuyi and said, "Shuyi, you should pray for the women of our family on behalf of the Qixi Festival."

"Yes, madam."

After Wei Shuyi finished speaking, he took the needle and thread, walked a few steps, and knelt on the prayer mat where Minglan had knelt earlier.

Rulan said to Minglan, "Sixth Sister, there's no need to look. Wei Xiaoniang will definitely find a way."

Minglan smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Fifth Sister."

After raising an eyebrow, Rulan leaned closer to Changbai and whispered, "Second brother, do you want to know what Mother said in her prayer just now?"

Changbai looked helplessly at his younger sister, pursing his lips with an expression that said, "I don't want to know."

Rulan pretended not to see it and said in a low voice, "Four out of ten sentences are for blessing you, Second Brother, and four are for blessing your husband, Eldest Sister! Eldest Sister and I each have one sentence, and Seventh Brother has one sentence."

"If only you could remember what the scholar said so clearly!" Changbai said in a low voice.

Rulan: "I"

(End of this chapter)