Sixteen return to the mansion

  Wan Yu was like a sponge, desperately absorbing things she didn't know, and in the blink of an eye, six years had passed. During this time, the big house had added another girl, Mu Rong Yun Shu, who was two years younger than Wan Yu. She was born when her father was stationed in the northwest, and someone had sent a little maid to curry favor with him, saying that she sang well and had given birth to a daughter, and was promoted to be a auntie. These were all things that Wan Yu heard from the old ladies who served Li Shi, and her father would occasionally send letters, also writing to his siblings to instruct them to listen to their grandmother and mother, and to study hard, etc.

  However, these days the mansion is very lively because the second and third branches are going back to Beijing. Next year, Father will also come back, and then I can see that younger sister of mine. She has always been living in the northwest, and Father hasn't mentioned bringing her back to the capital for education, so Li Shi just pretended not to think about it this time.

  After nearly six years of hard work in the outer provinces, both Er Fang and San Fang did very well in their posts and received excellent evaluations. Murong Jin found someone to bring them back to the imperial capital, planning to give them actual positions that suited their abilities.

  Their family members had returned to Beijing ahead of them. Today, Yuanyu was going with Li Shi to welcome Second Aunt and Third Aunt, as well as her younger brother and sisters.

  The Li family, with Yuanyu, welcomed the guests at the door to show respect and closeness. Early in the morning, Yuanyu was dressed up, carefully washed and combed, and as a nine-year-old girl, she already had a bit of a young beauty's appearance. Today, she would meet her aunt, so she wore an 80% new water-red embroidered yellow small chrysanthemum jacket, a crimson hundred-pleated skirt, with a few fluttering butterflies on the hem, and only wore a small millet pearl flower on her head, bright eyes, delicate skin, beautiful and lovely; elegant and refined, like a lotus flower out of the water, gentle and dignified.

  "How come they haven't arrived yet? Are they late? And why hasn't Changfu brother returned?" Yuanyu looked out the door for a long time. The early spring weather was still a bit cold, and after standing for a while, Madame Li's hands were getting chilly, making Yuanyu worry that she might catch a cold.

  Wan Yu handed the fox fur hand warmer to Mrs. Li, "Mother, your hands are cold, warm them up."

  Li smiled comfortably and scolded, "It's been a while, I'm not cold, you're worried that they'll freeze to death. They're almost here, just hold on a bit longer." Although she didn't really want her daughter to come out in such cold weather and risk getting sick again, the old lady had always doted on Er'er, so she didn't dare let her stay away for fear of worrying the old lady too much. If Wan Yu stayed away any longer, it wouldn't be good.

  Wan Yu naturally understood that Mrs. Li had some reservations about the second house, and the old lady was slightly biased towards the second house, although she was still fair, but it was enough to make it difficult for her daughter-in-law, afraid of making a mistake and causing her mother-in-law's dissatisfaction.

  "I'm not cold, you can still feel the warmth in my hand." Yuanyu pulled Li's hand and quietly transferred a bit of spiritual energy to her, warming her up.

  "Do you still remember your second aunt and third aunt? When you see them, be sure to greet them politely and be sweet with your words. You should show respect when you see your second brother, and your third brother is the most mischievous of all, he will definitely bring gifts for you this time. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask your brothers. Your second sister and fourth sister are both younger than you, so you should act like an older sister, let them have their way in everything, if there's something lacking, tell your mother, don't fight with your sisters."

  Wanyu smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, mother. After next year I'll be ten years old, a grown-up, and won't play wildly with my sister anymore. The homework that Nian's nanny gave me is quite a lot, and usually there's no time for fun, my sisters are all good, as the older sister it's natural to protect and care for them."

  She felt that her mother might not like the second aunt very much, but she was still quite close to the third aunt. The attitude towards the second and third brothers was completely different, and the tone of voice was also very different. It seemed that she didn't get along well with the second aunt. It looked like she had to handle her relationship with the second house carefully, not too close or too far, and show some respect.

  Mr. Li saw that his daughter understood what he meant, and smiled contentedly, "Next year your father will be back, and then you'll have another sister to play with." His tone was tinged with a hint of sarcasm.

  Wan Yu smiled and nodded, pulling Li's hand tight, "Mother, since it's our eldest house's child, why haven't I ever heard Father mention bringing her back to raise? Is Father very fond of her? Will he dislike me and forget about me?" She deliberately reminded Li with a worried tone.

  Mr. Li thought for a moment and understood that if she was raised by her aunt in the northwest, she wouldn't amount to much. If he truly cared about her, he should have brought her back to raise her himself. Can someone raised by their stepmother be compared to one raised by their own mother? Since Father didn't say anything, it means he doesn't think highly of her either, and his heart felt a bit more at ease.

  He finally showed a warm smile, reached out to pinch Yuwen's delicate face, and teased: "You said your father doesn't love you, last month your father just got you a whole set of Hetian white jade jewelry, knowing you like jade, he went to great lengths to get the best jade for you, your father loves you the most, even more than your brother."

  This isn't entirely false, as Murong Jin is indeed fond of Wan Yu. If it's something his daughter wants, he'll go to great lengths to get it for her, no matter the cost.

  Wan Yu's face turned red as she tilted her head, "I also gave Father a gift, didn't I? The wooden shoes I made for Father took a lot of effort from me. Don't you think I'm worried about Father suffering in the northwest?"

  "Yes, my daughter is the most filial." Li smiled with satisfaction.

  Although Murong Jin was away for several years, Wanyu did not lose contact with him and instead kept in touch through letters. She would often ask people to bring things over to him, which were mostly trivial items such as big characters written by her brother, the first embroidered sachet she made, or Father's praise of her brother. Wanyu was like a nagging little sister, able to fill several pages with each letter she wrote to Murong Jin. Every month, she would write a letter to report on all the big and small things happening at home, especially making sure to mention the daily lives of the three siblings, so that Murong Jin would not forget about them.

  Li was very supportive of this, and Yu Xin's letter subtly mentioned Li's hard work, also often talking about interesting stories between brothers and sisters. Murong Jin was delighted and frequently exchanged letters with them, but the ones for his older brother were given separately, seemingly starting to appropriately teach his older brother some court politics.

  Wan Yu smiled, "Mother, I haven't forgotten you. The other day, I embroidered a pair of leg warmers for you. It's still a bit cold in the spring. I also embroidered a pair for grandmother." She gestured with her hands, her big eyes and long eyelashes fluttering, her eyes shining brightly, her expression lovely and charming.

  Mrs. Li felt greatly comforted, "That's great, I was just missing a pair like this, my daughter knows how to care for people." She happily teased her, with a hint of relief and joy in her eyes.

  The old woman beside Li immediately chimed in, "Madam, look at how thoughtful the eldest young lady is. Ever since she learned to do needlework, she hasn't neglected anyone's shoes - Lao Da's and Qi Ge's gloves and leg warmers are almost all complete. It's a pity that our eldest young lady doesn't know how to make clothes yet, or else this piece would also be taken care of."

  Li immediately nodded with excitement, "This child is filial and meticulous. Lige always walks in the palace and his shoes wear out quickly. Wearing his sister's shoes is more comfortable than others, if not careful, it wouldn't be noticeable." His face unconsciously showed a few hints of pride, full of the pride of having a young daughter growing up.

  Wan Yu was praised by them until she felt embarrassed, her small face turned red, with a peach-like complexion, becoming even more gentle and soft.

  She suddenly pulled Li's sleeve excitedly and shouted in a tender voice: "Mother, they've come, they've come, the aunts are back."

  In the distance, two celadon-glazed carriages were slowly approaching. The curtain of the front carriage had already been lifted by a pair of small hands, curiously looking out and revealing a pair of lovely and clever almond-shaped eyes.