Chapter 22 Du Family Residence
Du Jingyi's hands were slender and white, and they looked particularly soft and attractive in Shang Ji's broad and thick palms.
When Du Jingyi accidentally touched the thick calluses on his hands, her face turned slightly red.
Since she was born, she has never had such a feeling for a full eighteen years.
It is hard to say what it is, but it feels weird.
Shang Ji looked calm, and his eyes were more calm.
After getting off the carriage and standing still, Du Jingyi had no time to react to the next step.
He saw his father and mother, whom he had not seen for a long time, standing at the door of the Du family's house.
Du Jingyi's nose was sore all of a sudden.
She took back the hand that had just been placed in Shang Ji's palm, and immediately ran over with her skirt lifted, pretending to kneel in front of the two elders of the Du family.
Her eyes suddenly became red, and even her voice was a little crying.
"My daughter is unfilial and has not returned home for a long time. Please forgive me, father and mother."
When the Du family saw their daughter, they threw all the rules and etiquette out of their minds.
They hurried forward to help her up.
The two elders' eyes were also a little wet, but they couldn't cry because they were still at the door of their house.
After taking a few breaths, they suppressed the joy and longing for reunion after a long separation.
Especially Mr. Du, who loves his daughters like his life.
The eldest daughter married far away and did not return. Although the youngest daughter married nearby, they rarely met because of the many rules in the Duke's Mansion.
So, in the huge Du Mansion, there were only him and his wife.
It was really a bit empty.
When he saw Du Jingyi at this moment, he called out.
"Tangtang, it's good to be back, it's good to be back."
"Daddy..."
Tangtang, is it the Tang in Begonia?
No wonder she likes Begonia so much, it turns out that there is such a source.
Shang Ji, who was standing aside, thought so.
The father and daughter were busy expressing their longing for each other, but Mrs. Du was sharp-eyed and saw Shang Ji who was walking with her.
After wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, she smiled appropriately.
She said to Shang Ji, who was standing like a pine tree.
"I'm sorry to make you laugh, please come in."
The Du family is all merchants, and they can't compare with the young master of the Duke's Mansion who holds power.
If it were a formal occasion, the couple would have to bow and kneel when they met their daughter and son-in-law.
But today is the return etiquette three years ago, so they can treat them with family etiquette.
Shang Ji didn't take it lightly when he saw Mrs. Du's invitation.
He clasped his fists and said in a deep voice.
"Thank you, father-in-law, mother-in-law, please."
The family wiped their tears, grinned, and finally entered the Du residence.
After stepping on this place and taking a look around, Shang Ji finally understood why the back garden of Xitang Courtyard was so exquisitely maintained.
Looking around, this Du residence is not like an ordinary merchant's house.
Instead, it has many garden furnishings with the charm of Jiangnan.
Pavilions and terraces are of different heights, and the winding corridors change the scenery as you walk.
Before entering the main hall of the main courtyard, there is a bright pool in the middle, in which many imposing rockery yellow stones are built.
The water in the pool flows in a winding way, showing vitality.
Looking around, there are towering ancient trees and floating fragrance.
Mingse Courtyard where the Du family couple lives is hidden in this landscape.
Passing through the hall all the way and going around the corridor.
When the few people walked to the main house of Mingse Courtyard, Zhuixin Hall, the servants stood in the courtyard in an orderly manner, waiting to salute.
After seeing the host and the guests enter the door, they all saluted and greeted.
"I (the servant) meet the second young lady and the second uncle."
Since I have entered the Du family, I naturally follow the rules of the Du family.
Shang Ji didn't care much about these titles, so when he heard the servants of the Du family call him the second uncle, he smiled.
Mrs. Du next to him had sharp eyes and saw this detail at a glance.
My heart was also much more stable.
When they married their daughter, they were both helpless and desperate.
I thought that maybe it would be a turn of events.
Who knew that there would be unexpected events, and the uncle went to help Cezhou on the night of the wedding, and he was gone for three years.
A good girl inexplicably stayed in an empty room for three years.
No matter which family's parents were in the same family, they would feel distressed.
It's not that they didn't think about going to the Duke's Mansion to solve this marriage.
But this one who has no origin and no fault is always three points lower when he opens his mouth.
If outsiders still hold this handle and arbitrarily tarnish their daughter's reputation, they will lose more than they gain.
That's why it has been delayed until now.
Fortunately, the son-in-law returned safely. She watched from the dark and was still concerned about her daughter.
Mrs. Du finally felt relieved.
She smiled more enthusiastically than before and said.
"A few months ago, I heard that the son-in-law had won a victory and was preparing to return to the court. I was thinking about when we would have time to go to his house to congratulate him. I never thought that you would send a message saying that you were going to return home. Look, the house has been cleaned up and down, and even today's dishes are made by the chef that the master asked to come from Jinling City. The son-in-law will try it later to see if he likes it?"
Speaking of this Mrs. Du, she grew up following her father to walk the streets and alleys to do business.
Later, she married Mr. Du, and she didn't have any life in the backyard to take care of her husband and children.
Instead, she accompanied her husband in this dynasty change and won one business after another.
This made the Du family's business more prosperous.
Therefore, it can be said that everyone in the Du family respects their wives.
Of course, this also includes Mr. Du himself.
Otherwise, he would not have the reputation of being childless and not taking concubines or adopting children.
Instead, he raised his two daughters with love and care.
Hearing this, Du Jingyi hadn't spoken yet, but Shang Ji answered first.
"Mother-in-law, you are polite. My grandfather's family is also from Jinling City, so I also like the dishes of Jinling City."
His words made the Du family and his wife take a breath.
"That's good, that's good."
Mr. Du smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed into a slit, and his round body was very plump.
Especially with a pair of big earrings like Buddha, he looked like a blessed person!
The Gu family is different from the Shang family.
They are a well-known and promising family in Jinling City, with many descendants, all of whom are good at both literature and martial arts.
In those days, the founding emperor of Daxing was able to successfully overthrow the old dynasty, although his brothers who rose up together risked their lives to escort him.
But it was also inseparable from the strong support of famous families such as the Gu family in Jinling City.
Even the marriage relationship between the Shang and Gu families was determined after the old master Shang saved the old marshal Gu.
Otherwise, with the Shang family's background and status, it would be a fantasy for Shang Yukuan to marry into the Gu family.