Xie Ming

Chapter 828 Everyone's Busy with Their Own Things

Jingyi was understanding; seeing that this jinx had barged in with a silly, clueless look, she didn't make things difficult for him.

He craned his neck and stood on tiptoe, even trying to find Xiao Chu for him.

"Look, there he is. Your warlord is right there. If you want to find him, just go there."

After saying this, she smiled and gracefully walked away to watch the excitement elsewhere.

Only the jinx remained, bowing in place.

"Uh, yes, yes." He sounded rather wooden.

And speaking of which, just as Jingyi made that gesture, Xiao Jingchuan noticed the situation from a distance, even from among the several playful maids.

Upon seeing that it was his personal attendant returning home, he was overjoyed and immediately shouted to greet them.

"Hey! Over here, come quick!"

He then waved his hand towards the jinx.

Upon seeing the situation and hearing the sound, the jinx didn't delay any longer and hurried closer.

When they got closer, Duke Jing patted him on the shoulder and, without any hesitation, blurted out his words.

See, even a jinx like him shouldn't forget basic etiquette.

"Commander-in-Chief, Madam." He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Yu'e, who was standing nearby, saw his behavior and returned the greeting without saying much.

"Haha, you're back just in time. You're pretty fast," Xiao Yan joked.

Upon hearing this, the jinx was revealed to be Matsushita, who scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly.

"Hehehe, we're in a hurry to meet the deadline."

"The New Year is just around the corner, and the brothers in the north are thinking of the warlord."

"I'm just too busy with my duties to come and greet everyone individually."

"Look, on this trip back home, many people asked me to bring back New Year's goods."

"Those boys who came to the front yard to carry things are being accounted for by Uncle Xue."

It's rare for him, a jinx, to say such things in one breath.

"Hey, we're all brothers, why bother with all this formalities?"

"Don't do that again next time."

Upon hearing this, Xiao feigned anger, but inwardly felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Meanwhile, Hongyu made a fool of herself again. She picked up a sturdy maid from among the servants, put her bottom on the maid's shoulder, and said she was dusting the wall, but her funny appearance and wobbling manner clearly showed that she was making a complete mess of things.

Laughter and scolding intermittently, it's like the one riding on top of the others taking charge of the ones below, while the ones suffering below are stubborn and relentlessly verbal.

The commotion drew the attention of General Xiao and the jinx, who kept turning their heads to look.

Seeing that she was behaving inappropriately, Xiao Lang was displeased and turned to exchange a glance with Xiao E.

Yu'e had no choice. She found it amusing and laughed, but since her husband had pointed it out to her, she had to adopt the demeanor of a mistress and scold him to cool down the joke.

"Hey, by the way, how's it going in Nanjing?"

"Nothing unusual, right?"

Seeing Xiao'e move, he quickly regained his composure. Xiao Lang was about to continue talking about the jinx when, concerned about the stability of the northern border, he hurriedly asked for her opinion.

"Oh, Governor, rest assured, everything at the Nanjing Water Fortress is as usual."

"On the north bank of the Huai River, Chen Jiulang and Lan Qi are as steady as Mount Tai, there's nothing to say about them."

"So, you had He Zhou take over the defense of the water fortress, and Brother Wenze is helping with the military supplies."

"Everything is going smoothly, there's no way anything will go wrong."

Hearing that the warlord had asked a question, the jinx calmly answered.

"It's always best to be cautious in everything."

"It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Especially with the holidays approaching, we should increase patrols and defenses to prevent any unforeseen events."

With many instructions, the commander-in-chief has fulfilled his responsibilities.

"Yes Yes."

"This subordinate understands." The jinx also became serious, not daring to joke about military matters.

After saying this, Xiao Jingchuan realized that public and private matters were being separated.

During the Lunar New Year, drinking is still necessary, but moderation is key to managing people effectively.

"Hehe, alright, now that you're back."

"Then let's have a good drink first and talk about it later."

"I told you, you jinx, you'd better hurry back, no matter how hard you try, you can't come back today."

"You must have caught a whiff of the new wine and come here to beg for it, huh?! Your nose's got a long nose! Hahaha!"

After finishing discussing military matters, he immediately launched into a lighthearted remark.

The jinx stood there dumbfounded, not reacting for a moment. After a moment of stunned silence, Fang Yi burst into laughter.

"Ah, hahaha"

"Yes, yes, definitely."

“I could smell the wine from 800 li away.”

"As soon as I entered, I said to Uncle Xue, 'I'm glad I arrived at the right time, not that I came early.'"

"Look how lively our mansion is!" said the jinx casually.

After a few exchanges, the general and his commander became close.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Then drink more later."

"Actually, if it were up to me, I would never let them go through all this trouble."

"It's not cheaper in Hangzhou than it is in Nanjing." "Too many people and too much attention is never a good thing."

"But you saw it too, with your sister-in-law standing here, there's no way we can offer any opinions."

"That's why these girls became even more unruly."

I wonder if they're afraid to admit they're in the rear, living a life of decadence and debauchery.

While the soldiers on the front lines were suffering, he, a general, was enjoying himself at home.

So, whether intentionally or unintentionally in jokes, I always kept these words in mind and tried my best to distance myself from the situation.

"Hahaha"

"In the end, the warlord is truly blessed."

"It's Chinese New Year, so it should be more festive."

What can one say about "the jinx"? It's just a matter of following the crowd during a major festival.

Just then, his eyelids twitched, and he suddenly realized he had forgotten his business. He quickly slapped his head.

"Oh, right, wow, look at my brain, I almost got sidetracked from the important matter."

"Commander, look, a letter has arrived from Henan."

“It wasn’t an urgent report. It was sealed and sent to Nanjing. We didn’t dare touch it. We were just in a hurry to send it to you.” The jinx straightened his expression.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi looked surprised, raised an eyebrow, and accepted the letter.

"Oh?"

When did this happen?

He then broke the seal and inquired about the matter.

“Just two days ago,” the jinx replied.

After pulling the letter out of the archives, Xiao Yihuan stood to the left and right.

"Come on, it's too messy here. Come with me to the study."

Military affairs in Henan were handed over to Pei Zhong for administration.

The letter is coming now, and it's not an urgent report, so it probably isn't anything urgent either.

It is not impossible to express one's feelings from afar during the holidays, such as sending greetings and requesting gifts.

However, military matters are never taken lightly or lightly.

So Xiao Jiang decided to observe closely and eventually pulled the jinx into the study to talk.

Of course, Xiao'e took it all in stride and didn't pay much attention to it.

Only his two generals left, and he alone took a few more steps forward, feeling bored.

In the corridor in front of the hall, Hongyu, with her sharp eyes, noticed that the lady was lonely and quickly came to greet her.

"Ma'am, ma'am."

"Over here, over here."

Hearing the call, Xiao'e slowly turned her eyes.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

She wasn't loud, nor did she put on airs; it was just like sisters talking.

"Look, isn't this big red lantern beautiful?"

“I told Jingyi to make a few more, so we can hang them high all over the yard.”

"She's not happy about it yet."

Hongyu was a sensible girl. Seeing that the lady looked listless, she deliberately made up a story to amuse her.

Upon hearing this, Jingyi, who was watching the commotion from under the eaves, immediately objected.

"Humph!"

"You, Hongyu, I'm still here, and you're still gossiping."

"You think this thing is so easy to make?"

"Just these few have almost broken both my arms."

"We've been working so hard, and it's only taken us ten days to get this much done. You're still not satisfied."

"I won't dare to answer any of your questions tomorrow."

"It's a thankless task."

Jingyi complained, walked out from under the corridor with her hands on her hips, and glared at Hongyu.

But look at that girl, so clever and mischievous. She raised an eyebrow, as if she knew what it meant. Her anger turned into a smile, and she suddenly changed her tune.

"Madam, you be the judge of this matter." He then steered the conversation towards Xiao'e, leaving the decision to her.

Caught between these two sworn enemies, Yu'e had no time to care about her earlier thoughts. She chuckled and covered her mouth with a smile.

"whee."

“Jingyi is right, I’m on her side.” Joining in, the three women became entangled.

"See? Madam Shu is a reasonable person."

"Otherwise, I'll be tortured to death by you all day long."

Jingyi, with her barbed words and sharp remarks, also sought revenge for her "personal grudge."

"Pah, pah, pah, don't even bother with such a serious matter."

So, Hongyu rolled her eyes on the ladder, truly suffering in silence.

"Yes, me? I'm disliked by everyone, okay?"

"Born with a servile face, who can blame them?"

Responding to the girl's cunning, the three sisters could no longer hold back their laughter and launched into another round of witty banter.

(End of this chapter)