Chapter 603. Returning Back (2/2)
Helpless in the face of the events, at the end of the eleventh month, Zhu Junyang reluctantly journeyed off with Xiaocao back to the capital. Within their luggage, they had added a few carts of valuable fur pelts as well. Naturally, the most expensive items that they were bringing back home, the rare and hard to find medicinal herbs, were all stored within Xiaocao’s medicine box!
At the start of the twelfth month, Xiaocao finally arrived back at the capital. In the midst of a windy and snowy day, she obtained the news that Fang Zizhen and his wife were waiting to welcome their adopted daughter home at the Shili Pavilion in a suburb outside of the capital.
“Godfather, Godmother! It’s such a cold day yet you both still came out of the capital to welcome me!” Yu Xiaocao exited the carriage and excitedly threw herself into Lady Fang’s arms. After spending almost two months away from the capital, the closer she got to the city, the more Xiaocao reminisced about her time there and missed her relatives. The fact that her godfather and godmother came out to welcome her back had touched her greatly and made her feel very fortunate——she also had people who missed her!
Lady Fang carefully inspected her goddaughter from head to toe. She noticed that Xiaocao’s complexion was bright and rosy and it looked like she had gained a bit of weight as her cheeks felt much more soft under the gentle pinch of her hand. She helped the little lass to stand up straight and discovered that her daughter had seemed to have grown a bit taller. Furthermore, the girl’s body had added a bit more curve to it and she now resembled a little flower that was gradually blooming, beautiful and stunning.
She felt herself relax and revealed a smile, “Your godfather, ah, started to inquire after your whereabouts right at the start of the twelfth month. A few days ago, he found out from Imperial Prince Jing’s Estate that you would probably be back within the next two days, so he couldn’t sit still anymore. He ran out here every day. In fact, even snow didn’t stop him from heading out. I secretly calculated a bit and thought that you would likely be back by today, so I headed out with him. And see, it looks like my hunch was right. I truly did pick the right day. Doesn’t that show that us two have our hearts linked together?”
Yu Xiaocao hugged her godmother’s arm and swayed a bit as she chirped in a sweet voice, “Does that mean only Godfather was waiting for me ah? Godmother, does that mean you weren’t excited about me coming back?”
“How could she not miss you? Right after you left the capital, she began to incessantly mutter into my ears: ‘As a girl, do you think Cao’er will be able to get used to life at the border ah? Is Cao’er at the stud farm at the border yet? Will Cao’er be bullied by the horses? When will Cao’er come back? Cao’er should be back by now right? Why has she been gone for so long? It couldn’t be that something has happened right…’ She was like a broken record that it made my head spin every day. Even your younger brother learned from her and began to ask when his older sister would come back!” Fang Zizhen roasted his wife as he gently stroked his daughter’s black and silky hair with a fake helpless expression on his face.
Zhu Junyang silently stood at the side and waited until the three of them had finished their conversation before he sidled forward to wish his two future in-laws well. However, all he got in return was a disdainful eye roll from General Fang——It was this fellow who took his daughter off to the forsaken border to help him establish a horse breeding farm. Having a young maiden live in the crude and harsh conditions of the border front in order to build a stud farm was only an idea this brat could come up with!!
Fang Zizhen directly ignored Zhu Junyang, who was a royal prince, and instead warmly greeted Chief Steward Su and even thanked him for taking good care of his goddaughter.
Zhu Junyang: Clearly it was this prince who had been taking care of the little lass, alright? How was any of this related to that stinking old eunuch?
“If you want to chatter, do it once we get back to the capital. It’s windy and snowing right now, so we shouldn’t let our daughter get exposed to the cold!” Lady Fang pulled on her daughter's hand and led her onto Xiaocao’s carriage. After entering the carriage, she discovered that the inside was wide and spacious and had been appropriately supplied. There were fur blankets in the carriage and plump cushions on the seats to make sitting more comfortable. Furthermore, the carriage had a warm and welcoming brazier in the corner, which made the entire inside cozy and at a comfortable temperature. Only then did Lady Fang relax after seeing all of this.
Xiaocao nestled next to her godmother and the two of them began to chat about the residence. Lady Fang told her some good news, “When your father and mother found out that you had been sent to the border on a mission and that you wouldn’t be back until the twelfth month, they couldn't bear for you to make another journey to Tanggu Town and decided to bring their entire family over to the capital at the end of the month.”
“My parents are coming to the capital to celebrate the New Years ah! Then what about their business in Tanggu Town?” Their farmstead in Tanggu Town had over a thousand mu in land that was cultivating out of season vegetables under greenhouse pavilions. Normally, her father and her eldest brother managed the day to day operations, so was it truly okay for them to leave at this time?
Lady Fang patted her daughter’s hand and said, “Are the stewards at the farmstead eating and drinking for nothing ah? If every owner of land and business had to manage everything themselves, then what’s the point of having stewards? You, ah, at such a young age, really like to worry over things. It’s not the first year that your family has grown vegetables out of season in greenhouses and there are so many experienced hands on the farmstead. Your parents will only be gone for less than a month, so what sort of problems could arise then?”
“You are right! Steward Ding, who is in charge of the greenhouses, is quite capable despite his young age! This is also the right time to test him. If he’s unable to handle everything, then it’s better we find a new steward to take his place instead. That way, we can avoid my father and eldest brother becoming overtired from working so hard!” Yu Xiaocao forcefully nodded her head in agreement.
Lady Fang tapped her head and lightly said, “You must be tired after traveling so long, right? Come lean against me and sleep for a bit. When we get back home, I’ll wake you up! We’ll first go back to the General’s Residence as your younger brother has been asking after you for days. If you didn’t come back soon, I’m sure he would throw a huge temper tantrum!” The ‘younger brother’ that Lady Fang was referring to was naturally her blood-related son, Fang Haolin, who had just turned three this year.