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Lu Songli and Lu Mingzhi had been staying in the main hall, and they had lunch there as well.
After Lu Desheng took his medicine and had a nap, he woke up in the afternoon feeling much better than in the morning, but he still couldn’t speak.
At this time, someone from the gatekeeper’s lodge came in, “Madam, Second Miss, Second Young Master, Eldest Young Master and Eldest Young Madam have returned. Master Tian and Young Master Tian have also come along.”
Upon hearing that her eldest son and daughter-in-law had returned, along with the father and son from the Tian family, Madam Jiang stood up and wanted to go out.
But she was stopped by Lu Songli and Lu Mingzhi, “Mother, you are tired today, just wait in the main hall. My younger brother and I will go to the second gate to welcome the father-in-law and brother, as well as our eldest brother and sister-in-law.”
It was already late December outside, with light snow falling, and the weather was truly cold. Both elders were already ill, and her mother couldn’t afford to fall ill as well.
“But the father-in-law is here—” If it was just her eldest son and daughter-in-law returning, she wouldn’t have to go, but with the father-in-law visiting and her husband being sick, it would be disrespectful not to greet them.
“They won’t mind.” With that, Lu Songli walked towards the door, gesturing for Lu Mingzhi to follow.
As Lu Songli walked, she pondered on the purpose of the Tian family’s visit.
The Tian family had come back, releasing her big brother. Today was a snowy day, not suitable for traveling. However, her big brother and sister-in-law still chose to return today. Thinking about it, she could understand. It was already entering the beginning of winter, and the weather would only get colder as time went on. It was better for her big brother’s family to return earlier.
The servants of the Lu residence had already cleared the snow from the main road leading to the main hall early in the morning, making the path easy to walk. Just as the siblings arrived at the second gate, several carriages from both the Lu and Tian families were approaching them.
Lu Songli subconsciously felt that there were too many carriages. Normally, her eldest brother’s family and their servants would need two carriages at most. The Tian father and son would use one carriage, even with their accompanying people. But now, there were five carriages coming in.
Perhaps they had been spotted, as the leading carriage directly lifted a corner of the curtain.
When Lu Xiao saw them, he shouted loudly, “Auntie! Uncle—”
“Sister, come up quickly!” Lu Zhiyuan jumped down from the carriage to give his seat to Lu Songli, otherwise the carriage would be too crowded with one more person. It was just right for him to come down and walk with his younger brother.
Lu Xiao kept waving at her, “Auntie, come up quickly.”
Lu Songli didn’t hesitate and climbed onto the carriage.
Lu Xiao squeezed next to his mother, making sure there was enough space for Lu Songli. He patted the empty seat, signaling her, “Auntie, sit here, next to Xiao Xiao.”
Once Lu Songli sat down, the little one next to her started counting.
“Auntie, you said you would come to pick up Xiao Xiao as soon as Grandfather and Uncle returned, but Xiao Xiao has been waiting and waiting, and you still haven’t come.” The little one complained.
“I’m sorry, it’s Auntie’s fault. Auntie has been too busy and hasn’t had the chance to come pick you up.” Lu Songli apologized directly, not brushing him off just because he was a child.
She had wanted to personally pick up Lu Xiao, but things didn’t go as planned, did they? They had returned today. But Lu Songli guessed that the Tian family had probably just arrived home not long ago.
“It’s okay, I forgive you! I came back by myself!” Lu Xiao said proudly.
“Thank you for being so forgiving, Xiao Xiao is really amazing.” Lu Songli praised him straightforwardly.
The little one blushed at the praise, leaning close to his mother.
Tian had never heard elders praise children so straightforwardly before. In their upbringing, they always taught children to be obedient and humble. Even if a child did something well or achieved something, they were always told not to be proud or complacent.
“Little sister, I heard that our father is sick, is it serious?” Tian asked nervously while holding her sleeping daughter. They had heard about it from Chen, the steward, at the door. Her father had even glanced at her with a hint of reproach in his eyes.
“Our father is weak and has a cold, but he has seen a doctor and taken medicine. His condition has improved a bit compared to this morning.”
“That’s good then.”
Lu Zhiyuan and Lu Mingzhi were walking outside when Tian Fu, Tian Qinglai, called for the Tian family’s carriage. They also mentioned Censor Lu’s condition, and upon hearing that he was fine, Tian Fu breathed a sigh of relief.
The carriage stopped in the main courtyard, where Madam Jiang was already waiting at the door.
Tian Qinglai introduced his eldest son, Tian Kui, to Madam Jiang, followed by Lu Zhiyuan and Tian Shi with their child to pay their respects.
Lu Xiao immediately clung to Madam Jiang, calling her grandmother sweetly and affectionately. Lu Songli raised an eyebrow, noticing that her nephew resembled his grandfather. Her eldest brother was not a frivolous person, and both he and his wife were quite serious. It was surprising to see Lu Xiao, a sweet-talking and agile child, which showed the strong genetic inheritance.
Lu Songli invited everyone inside, urging them not to stay outside in the snow any longer.
At this time, Lu Desheng had just finished eating and taking his medicine, and he had been sleeping all morning, so he wasn’t very tired.
Madam Jiang led Tian Qinglai and Tian Kui to visit Lu Desheng first, while Lu Zhiyuan and Tian naturally walked ahead.
Madam Jiang greeted Lu Desheng, “Old man, guess who’s back?”
“Father—”
Lu Desheng saw Lu Zhiyuan and instinctively wanted to snort coldly, but he couldn’t make a sound.
Lu Songli also brought Lu Xiao forward, “Father, look, isn’t Big Brother and you inseparable? When you fell ill, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, and your grandson all came home.”
As she spoke, Lu Songli put Lu Xiao down and let him approach the bed, but Lu Desheng quickly waved his hand to stop him from getting too close, afraid of infecting him with his illness.
Finally, Lu Songli brought a chair for Lu Xiao to sit and talk to his grandfather. The little guy could only awkwardly ask his grandfather questions from a distance.
Lu Songli stepped aside, noticing her eldest brother’s unnatural expression earlier. However, there was no lingering animosity between father and son, and it wasn’t a big deal. They would work it out slowly, especially with Lu Xiao acting as a mediator.
Facing the caring concern of his beloved grandson, Lu Desheng couldn’t resist for long. Though he couldn’t speak, he smiled broadly, showing his toothy grin and the fine lines around his eyes.
As Lu Desheng couldn’t speak, Tian Qinglai comforted him a few words before the group left. After all, he was a weak patient, and as a relative, the gesture was what mattered.