The first night, Tian Jing felt no discomfort. She was familiar with the house's layout and therefore wouldn't get lost.
Little Lily, an obedient child, only woke up once. Her father took care of her, and then placing her by the human pacifier, her whimpers turned into suckling sounds.
Li Zhengguo got into bed in the dark and slept with his two sons.
...
The room was already quite bright when Xiao Shuyuan, sleeping in the east wing room, suddenly woke up. How could he have slept until dawn?
Where was the master? Why hadn't the master coughed all night?
He sat up abruptly, slipped on his shoes, and hurried out of the wing room, "Master..."
Uh, where was the master?
Seeing the door to the east room ajar, he quickly opened it and ran out.
As soon as he stepped out of the main hall, he froze.
His master was sitting on a long bench in the inner courtyard, watching his two grand-nephews practice horse stance in the yard.
Hoo~
He let out a long sigh of relief. It was good that the master was alright; he had been frightened.
Grandpa Xiao waved at Xiao Shuyuan, who was standing stunned at the doorway of the main hall.
Xiao Shuyuan stepped down from the stairs, "Master, how did you..."
"Shh, don't speak."
Grandpa Xiao patted the bench beside him, signaling him to sit.
How could he dare to sit? In the past, to take care of the master, he would sit by his side and support him.
Now that the master's health had improved, he no longer needed his support. The young lady, while not enforcing strict rules, did not allow them to be undisciplined either.
He had advised his wife to serve the young lady with care, just as she served the master.
He stood behind the master and asked in a low voice, "Master, why did you come out? Your subordinate overslept."
Grandpa Xiao waved his hand, "It's nothing. You've been tired from taking care of me lately. I also slept until I naturally woke up."
Then his granddaughter brought him a teacup to feed him, followed by his grandson-in-law helping him to the restroom. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he finally sat here.
These things, he was unwilling to tell this subordinate who was loyal enough to him.
Because he was loyal to him, it didn't mean he was loyal to Jingjing. Jingjing clearly disliked A Yuan and avoided him in her actions.
"How did you get out?"
"Zhengguo helped me out. Don't worry, Zhengguo has taken good care of me."
Xiao Shuyuan...
Could he be reassured? His tasks had all been done by the younger son-in-law. What was left for him to do?
Grandpa Xiao waved his hand, "Go quickly and tidy yourself up, then go see if breakfast is ready in the kitchen. The children have worked too hard."
Grandpa Xiao felt sorry for his two great-grand-nephews, aged three and four, who had been holding the horse stance for over half an hour. Their little legs were trembling, and their father still wouldn't let them stop.
Xiao Shuyuan finally looked towards the courtyard.
The two grand-nephews' legs were trembling, and the younger son-in-law watched them with a stern gaze.
"Yes, yes, I'll go now."
Grandpa Xiao was hoping for the housekeeper to quickly announce dinner, so he could step in and rescue his great-grand-nephews.
Who knew his granddaughter called from the west room, "Zheng Ge, Lily is awake."
Immediately, his grandson-in-law waved his hand, "Dismissed."
Then he ran into the main room.
Li Weihao straightened up and the first thing he did was go to support his younger brother and bend down to rub his legs.
Li Weiwei bent down to rub them himself, "Big brother, I can do it myself."
Grandpa Xiao watched with a smile as his two great-grand-nephews showed brotherly affection. This was what a family was.
His own family, however...
Thinking of his family, his smile vanished. Alas~
"Great-grandpa~"
"Great-grandpa~"
Li Weihao walked through the courtyard with his younger brother.
"Hey, hey, come and sit down to rest."
"We can't rest, we have to keep walking."
Grandpa Xiao didn't understand much about exercise. "Then keep walking. You'll have lunch soon."
"Mm-hmm."
In the west room, Li Zhengguo had taken care of his daughter and asked his wife, "What are we doing today?"
"Nothing, just accompanying Grandpa."
"Alright, I'll help Grandpa come inside."
When it was time for breakfast, Xu Ma, sitting at the lower end of the table, only had a bowl of plain water.
Tian Jing pretended not to see.
A Guang felt pity and wanted to share some food with his godmother, but was stopped by his godfather's gaze.
Xiao Shuyuan, carrying the master's breakfast, left. Out of sight, out of mind. Who told his wife to be the chicken used to warn the monkeys?
By evening, Grandpa Xiao could walk around the courtyard once.
He was only slightly out of breath. He wanted to walk another round, but Li Zhengguo stopped him, saying that he was old and shouldn't overexert himself.
The next morning, Xiao Shuyuan woke up with a start again.
How could he have overslept again?
His master was sitting in the courtyard again, watching his two grand-nephews practice horse stance.
This day, Grandpa Xiao was allowed to eat in the dining room.
Seeing the bowl of plain water in front of Xu Ma, he paused and said nothing.
He knew that Xu Ma was being punished, but he also knew that Xu Ma, who managed the kitchen, would never go hungry.
It was just this display, too obvious, too deliberate, too theatrical.
The more she acted like this, the more Jingjing disliked her.
Alas~
For several days, Xiao Shuyuan only woke up when it was bright. He realized belatedly that his sleep schedule had been manipulated by the young lady and the younger son-in-law.
He immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
If they wanted his life, they could do it without anyone knowing.
Dragging his body, which felt heavy due to his somber mood, he went to the kitchen.
He told his wife of his discovery, "Don't blame me for not warning you. The young lady and the younger son-in-law definitely know about the tricks you've been playing and what you've been doing in secret."
"They are waiting. Waiting for the lady to come back."
"If you continue like this, you'll have a bad ending. I've decided to only follow the master. If the master passes away before me, I'll ask him to release me, and I'll become an ordinary person."
Xu Ma also broke out in a cold sweat, "But, but the lady, she..."
"Heh heh, you always bring up the lady. Do you think I don't know what you've been doing in secret?"
"Husband and wife are like birds of the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly in different directions. You'd best look after yourself."
...
Grandpa Xiao could now dress himself, get out of bed, and wash up.
When his granddaughter brought him a teacup again, he was a little resistant. "Aren't I better now? Why do I still need to drink this?"
"This is to condition your body. Don't you want to personally put on the adult gifts you prepared for Hao Hao and Xiao Bo?"
Looking at the teacup, Grandpa Xiao asked for the first time, "What kind of medicine is this?"
"It's a top-grade tonic pill primarily made from hundred-year-old ginseng, supplemented with hundred-year-old polygonum multiflorum. Because your body is too weak and the medicine is too potent, only a small amount is scraped off each time and mixed with water. You need to drink this for at least half a year."
Grandpa Xiao raised an eyebrow. His granddaughter's explanation was not entirely convincing, but he could still smell the faint scent of ginseng in the water.
"Alright, Grandpa believes you."
The comfort he felt after drinking it made him sigh, "The medicine must be kept well-guarded."
"Of course, no one will find it."
How could anyone find the essence of ginseng she extracted every morning after planting it fresh?
Grandpa Xiao was relieved. "Let's go see Hao Hao and Xiao Bo."
...
Xiao Shuyuan felt completely redundant.
Before, the master had depended on him for everything, physically, in daily life, and even as a companion for conversation.
Now, the master didn't need him. Physically and in daily life, his companions for conversation had become his two grand-nephews.
In the morning, the master woke up, dressed, and washed himself. In the morning, he chatted and laughed with his two grand-nephews, and read them classics like the Three Character Classic.
After lunch and a nap, in the afternoon, the younger son-in-law would play chess with the master.
In the evening, the master would walk a few laps in the courtyard on his own. After dinner, the master would wash himself.
He had become a superfluous person.
He couldn't help with kitchen matters, nor with going out to purchase things. What else could he do?
He was very flustered. "Master, are you discarding A Yuan?"
Grandpa Xiao sighed, "A Yuan, I have found my current life goal. What about you?"
His life goal? Hadn't his life goal always been to take good care of the master?
"Master, you know that from the moment I was born, I've only had one goal."
"Then you need to re-plan your goals. You're only fifty, you can start over."
Start over?
Was this a sign that he was being excluded?