Chapter 310: Chapter 57: Holding Her Head High! The Eldest Sister-in-Law Visits Relatives in Fine Clothes
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Xu Anming, an ordinary direct line member of the Changning Xu Family.
Now eighty years old, he retired from the family business many years ago to become a clan elder, spending his days playing with grandchildren or tending to flowers and plants.
In his younger years, he had cultivated to the High Stage of the eighth level in the Qi Refining Realm, but as he aged, his vigorous vitality gradually faded.
He didn’t make a point of consuming a large amount of Spiritual Food or Elixirs to maintain it, so his cultivation currently only remains at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm without falling.
Xu Anming’s life didn’t hold any great achievements, but he had his own pride.
He had three sons and two daughters, with fifteen grandchildren and great-grandchildren; now there are even four great-grandchildren.
His life can be considered fulfilling and complete.
As a clan elder, Xu Anming lived in Lixiang Garden, located in the western part of the main residence. This house is close to the main hall and quite large, considered respectable even within the various sections of the Changning Xu Family’s main residence.
During springtime, Lixiang Garden was lush with greenery, flourishing well.
Under the careful tending of the household servants, various kinds of flowers bloomed in a disordered array, vying for beauty, making the whole garden pleasing to the eye and vibrant with life.
Early this morning, the main pathways in the garden were scrubbed two or three times with clean water by the servants, and the used water was swept into specially dug drainage channels, so even in this rainy season, there is no need to worry about water accumulation affecting the master’s mood.
Xu Anming also dressed in a brand-new robe early in the morning, sat solemnly in the main hall, with a slightly expectant look on his dignified face, as if he was waiting for someone.
His sons and grandsons usually lived nearby, and today they all gathered in Lixiang Garden, the whole family together, resembling the style of a large family within a smaller family of stature.
"Xu Zhenxing, go out and see if your sister has arrived?"
Elder Xu Anming frowned slightly, seemingly unable to calm down.
Out of his three sons and two daughters, he was most concerned about his second daughter, Xu Chunyun. Because one time, the patriarch personally stepped in to arrange her marriage to Wang Shouxin, a direct line member of the Ping’an Wang Family.
How was the Ping’an Wang Family doing then? Not only located in the remote countryside, the family had only one word written all over—"poor."
What kind of life could his daughter have married into?
Xu Zhenxing, being the eldest son, is now in his fifties. Over the years, he has taken over his father’s responsibilities and held a managerial position in an important department in the Weaving Workshop of the Changning Xu Family, making him quite a figure.
Upon hearing this, he bowed to his father and said, "Yes, Father."
Before he could leave, the second son, Xu Zhenye, also smiled and said, "I’ll go with my brother. After all, I haven’t seen my sister for three years. Moreover, this time, I heard brother-in-law Shouxin is also coming."
With that, the two brothers went out together, without any hint of displeasure in their manners or gestures.
In fact, before they left, each instructed their wives to take good care of the elder while getting everything needed ready.
At the front gate of the Changning Xu residence.
Under the slanting sunlight, the exquisitely beautiful wooden archway towered high, solemn and dignified.
On the archway hung a plaque with the four characters "Changning Xu Family," and the official seal representing the status of an Eighth-Grade Noble Family glimmered brightly.
Outside the archway was a wide long path paved with bluestone.
The higher the rank of the noble family, the wider this long path would be. For example, a Ninth-Grade Noble Family could only build it one zhang wide, while an Eighth-Grade could have it two zhang wide, and for a Seventh-Grade, bluestone bricks could be replaced with carved bricks, with higher specifications going further up. This was the dignity granted to noble families by the Daqian Imperial Court.
At this moment, a beautifully decorated carriage, emblazoned with the Ping’an Wang Family crest, slowly came to a stop on the long bluestone path under the escort of household generals and servants.
The household servants at the gate quickly and eagerly went up to greet them, showering them with flattering words.
The Wang Family’s coachman set the stepstool and respectfully invited the master to alight.
Only then did Wang Shouxin and his wife descend, holding a child under three years old, surrounded by the respectful attendants.
Wang Shouxin was now over fifty years old; although he didn’t look aged, his demeanor was calm and reserved, appearing quite dignified under the escort of household generals and servants.
However, his originally neat brocade robe seemed a bit disheveled, and the tiger-shaped jade belt buckle at his waist was also crooked, as if it had been hurriedly fastened.
His gaze was evasive and uncomfortable when looking at the coachman, and his expressions were even more complex when facing his wife Xu.
This wife, always bold and fearless, but he didn’t expect such audacious behavior.
Xu Chunyun’s brows slightly carried a hint of spring, seemingly a bit smug and satisfied, and even her still charming face seemed slightly flushed and more radiant.
The Wang Family’s coachman drooped his eyelids, looking as if he hadn’t woken up.
What happened just now? He didn’t see it, didn’t hear it, and knew nothing.
As a coachman with generations of service in the Wang Family, he had solid professional ethics, being deaf and mute was foundational, and occasionally, his eyes could choose to be selectively blind.
Sure enough, Lady Xu secretly slipped him a Qian Gold, warning in a low voice, "Old Wang, you know very well, I have a bad temper, so don’t let any gossip spread."
"What did you say, Lady Xu?" Old Wang had a look of being hard of hearing, but quietly, that Qian Gold had already been hidden close to him.