PFC Chapter 190
Chapter 190
When Xia Tian and Zhang Zhou sent the half-drunk Xia Chu back home, Jia Qingwu was already getting anxious, worried that Xia Tian would take her directly back to Lin'an. She was even prepared to have Aunt Xu pack up her things so that once Xia Chu left, she would follow her to Lin'an.
Fortunately, she returned safely, though reeking of alcohol, with a flushed face and hazy eyes. Seeing Jia Qingwu, she rushed over with a giggle, hugged her and called her "mother" coquettishly.
Jia Qingwu had been on edge all afternoon, now feeling helpless. Xia Tian lifted her up with one hand and said, "She only drank half a cup, and that's it. Where's the room? I'll take her in."
"This way." Aunt Xu helped and led people to put Xia Chu on the bed.
"That's all you get after half a cup. You were always clamoring to drink before." Jia Qingwu said with a smile.
"I like to drink, but I can't hold my liquor." Xia Tian explained.
"Are you Xia Tian, the eldest son of the Wang family?" Jia Qingwu looked at the young man before her. He was tall and straight, with honey-colored skin and regular features. His eyes were filled with doting. He looked like a good brother, a good man.
"Yes, Madam." Xia Tian bowed, not daring to look at her any longer. At a glance, he didn't look like a patient. He looked about five or six times like his sister, and it was obvious at a glance that they were related.
"Okay, okay, Zhang Zhou is here too. Come on, serve the tea." Jia Qingwu invited them to sit outside.
"Thank you for your kindness, Aunt Jia. It's just that it's getting late, so it's inconvenient for the two of us brothers to stay. Let's come back for tea next time." Zhang Zhou declined. "My sister has been returned safely, so we'll take our leave."
It was getting close to evening, and since she was a woman, it was not convenient for her to keep the two brothers. She nodded and agreed, "Then I'll treat you well another day. Madam Xu will have someone harness the carriage."
"Yes, I'll go right away." Aunt Xu waved at Cuihua, and Cuihua took the order and left.
"No need, we are fine anyway, we can walk back." Zhang Zhou quickly refused.
"It won't take long. A quick ride is all it takes. I'll take you out." This time, Jia Qingwu didn't let him do anything, and personally escorted them to the gate. "I'm going to the horse race tomorrow, and I've always been a little worried. Now that summer's here, I feel a little more at ease."
"Xia Chu is stubborn and can't be persuaded easily. I will keep a good eye on her tomorrow, don't worry." Xia Tian promised.
"That's great." Jia Qingwu said with a smile.
After saying this, Cuihua had already led the coachman and the carriage over. Xia Tian and Zhang Zhou no longer refused, got on the carriage, said goodbye and went back.
"You are such a good young lady, yet you are such a drunkard." Jia Qingwu tapped Xia Chu's nose, and together with Aunt Xu, she took off her coat, wiped her hands and face, and let her sleep well.
"I remember that the eldest lady also loved to drink when she was young. Not only do they look similar, but I think Miss Xia has a similar personality as well. She can play the pipa and loves to drink, exactly the same." Aunt Xu continued with a smile.
"That's true. We haven't been together for very long. She can't remember anything from her childhood, but her habits are the same as mine. It's really amazing." Jia Qingwu sighed.
"What do you call it? It's a family tradition." After serving Xia Chu, Madam Xu asked the maids to change the water. "Madam, you should also go to bed early. The smell of alcohol is overwhelming. You should go to the guest room to sleep."
Jia Qingwu shook her head. "No, I was worried that she might get thirsty after drinking, so I decided to sleep with her so I could take care of her at night."
"Let Cuihua take care of it. Why should the Madam worry about all this?" Aunt Xu disagreed. "The Madam is just getting better. She shouldn't be bothered anymore."
"How could that be?" Jia Qingwu looked at Xia Chu's sleeping face and couldn't help but touch it. "I wish she would let me take care of her more, as a way of making up for all these years of separation."
Madam Xu could not persuade her, so she had to agree. After Jia Qingwu finished packing, she told Cuihua to be alert during the night and not to sleep too deeply.
Cuihua nodded repeatedly.
However, Xia Chu was quite obedient after getting drunk. He slept until the next day before getting up to drink water.
Jia Qingwu didn't sleep well that night, waking up several times to check on Xia Chu. In the morning, she looked haggard. Xia Chu guessed the reason and, feeling a little guilty, raised her hand and declared she would never drink pure grain wine again. She'd previously mostly drunk fruit and flower wines, which weren't as high in alcohol. She'd had one or two at a time, and while she'd gotten tipsy sometimes, she'd rarely been completely drunk.
"It's okay, whether you have a headache or not. You have to go horseback riding today. If you don't feel well, don't force yourself." Although she said that, Jia Qingwu couldn't bear to stop her from going. After all, seeing how hard she had been training these past few days, and how seriously she had been doing, she definitely didn't want her efforts to go to waste.
Before Xia Chu could reply, Jia Wanqing's voice had already arrived, "Aunt, Wanqing is here. Has my cousin left yet?"
"No." Xia Chu responded.
"We caught up, we caught up." Jia Wanqing pulled Jia Wanlin in, still a little out of breath.
Jia Wanlin had been taught etiquette and manners since she was a child, and she had never been in such a hurry before, even though she was anxious inside. After she stood firm, she gave Jia Wanqing a reproachful look and knelt to greet Jia Qingwu and Xia Chu.
Jia Qingwu smiled and told them not to be so polite, then said to Wan Qing in a stern voice, "Why are you in such a hurry? You're sweating."
Jia Wanqing chuckled and obediently raised her head to let her aunt wipe the sweat off her face.
"We've never seen anything like this before, and we want our cousin to take us there to see it for ourselves," Jia Wanlin said shyly. As a girl, she loved to join in the fun, and she was afraid of being laughed at, yet she couldn't help but want to join in the fun. "It's just that I haven't been able to find my cousin these past few days, so we had to get up early today."
"I'll take you there, and I'll go too." Jia Qingwu couldn't sit still at home, so she decided to go along. Also traveling with them were Jia Junting and Jia Junjie. She asked around and found out that Jia Sansi had also received an invitation and asked the boys at home.
In addition to studying, Jia Junyang also had to learn business from his father, leaving him with no free time. Jia Junjie was very interested in this matter and was the first to say he wanted to participate. Jia Junting was not interested at all, and Madam Jia II would not allow him to do such a dangerous thing.
The Jia family drove two carriages there, and Zhang Zhou and Xia Tian were already waiting at the gate. You Shaofeng arrived later than them, and the gatekeeper received instructions and quickly sent someone to inform the masters who were going to the mansion.
Zhang Zhou rode in the same carriage with the Jia brothers. The horses they had ridden in the summer were well rested after a day of rest. He rode behind them, while You Shaofeng rode ahead. When they left the house, they realized that the streets were crowded with carriages and horses, all heading in the same direction as theirs.
It can be seen that this event is indeed a lively and big event.
"So many people!" Jia Wanqing exclaimed softly as she lifted the car curtain. Her eyes darted around, almost overwhelmed, her face filled with delight. "It's so lively."
Jia Qingwu took a look and said, "It really is. It's almost better than any other temple fair."
Xia Chu and Jia Wanlin looked from the other side and saw that there were indeed so many people that the road was a bit blocked. The vendors in the shops along the road were so happy to see so many people that they shouted louder.