Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 195: 193: Recommendation

Di Yelei spoke very seriously.

“Oh, I see.”

Liu Sisi nodded in confusion.

She soon felt that something was not right, but she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong.

“Teacher! Teacher, you’re here too?”

A joyful voice came from a slant, and Gan Miaoruo in a pink autumn dress suddenly ran over from the side. She looked at her excitedly and glanced around.

She wore a pink rose-colored tight wide-sleeve robe top, a light green smoke yarn broken flower skirt underneath, and a gold silk belt tied with a big butterfly knot in front of her.

On both sides of her head, she had two buns with green-jade hairpins slanting.

A string of pink pearls adorned her forehead, and a pink pearl dangling between her eyebrows perfectly accentuated her playful expression.

“Eh! Where’s YingEr? How come I don’t see her? Did you not bring her out with you, Teacher?”

Her crisp “Teacher” was loud and clear, immediately attracting the attention of many people around, who looked over one after another.

“YingEr and the others have gone to play. Ruo Ruo, did you come alone today?”

“No way, I guessed that Teacher would come to the temple fair, so I came with my grandmother. Look, she’s over there!”

Following Gan Miaoruo’s direction, Liu Sisi looked up and saw Madam Gan Senior, with a smile on her face, slowly walking towards them accompanied by her servants.

She hurriedly got up and quickly walked a few steps forward to greet her: “Sisi greets Madam Gan Senior.”

Madam Gan Senior, wearing a double-breasted thin robe with auspicious clouds patterns, looked kindly at Liu Sisi while smiling, her eyes nearly narrowed to a slit. Seeing Liu Sisi bowing, she quickly walked forward to help her up. “No need for such formalities, please rise. My granddaughter mentioned you early this morning, wondering if you would come to the temple fair today. As fate would have it, we meet again here.”

“Madam, you are too kind. Sisi is here today with her husband and son. It’s a day of reunion, so we had to come to the temple fair.”

“As you should. And this is…?”

Just as Madam Gan Senior asked, she looked straight at Di Yelei, who was standing beside Liu Sisi, and couldn’t help but continue her question.

Liu Sisi turned her head and suddenly realized, quickly introducing the two parties: “Oh! Madam Gan, this is my husband, Di Yelei. Yelei, this is Madam Gan Senior and her granddaughter, Miss Gan I mentioned to you.”

Di Yelei hurriedly took a step forward to pay his respects: “Yelei greets Madam Gan Senior and Miss Gan.”

“So you are the third son of Di family. I have heard a lot about your outstanding appearance and extraordinary martial arts. Now that I see you in person, your reputation is well-deserved. Please rise, there is no need for Ruo Ruo to greet you since she is Sisi’s student.”

As she spoke, Madam Gan Senior helped Di Yelei up, her face full of surprise as she looked him up and down, then nodded satisfactorily.

Di Yelei was also quite embarrassed. They all sat down at the edge of the flower stand and began to chat at ease.

Despite Di Yelei’s honest appearance, he dealt with Madam Gan Senior far more smoothly than Liu Sisi.

Liu Sisi couldn’t help but feel embarrassed listening to them.

Upon further thought, she was indeed unfamiliar with social interactions like this, both in her previous life and now.

A few people were chatting leisurely when a familiar voice emerged from the diagonal direction again.

“Ah! So, Madam Gan Senior is here too, what a fortunate encounter!”

It was none other than the County Magistrate, dressed in his regular clothes, walking over from among the flower branches. The guards accompanying him quickly joined the other guards, and among them was Zuo Xingyu!

Lord County Magistrate, while bowing and paying respects to the Old Madam, greeted her with a smile.

“It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other, and you still look as charming as ever, Madam Gan Senior. I, the younger generation, truly admire you. I was thinking of paying a special visit to Gan Estate to greet you, but instead, I’m blessed to meet you here today. It seems heaven has taken pity on me.”

Old Madam Gan raised her eyebrows, looked at the fawning-faced County Magistrate, and let out a soft “hmm”.

“Hmm! It’s thoughtful of you. The weather today is so nice that I decided to come outside for a walk. I didn’t expect to meet Lord County Magistrate Su here by chance. It’s truly a lucky encounter. Let’s sit down and chat.”

County Magistrate Su was overjoyed! He bowed again and said, “Thank you, Madam Gan Senior.”

He then carefully lifted his robe to sit at the edge of the flower stand near the Old Madam.

Inwardly, he was thrilled, thinking that he had made the right choice coming to the temple fair instead of staying home with his two concubines. It was indeed a fruitful trip!

He had long learned through inquiries that Lord Gan carried great favor with His Majesty in the court and was enjoying a time of prominence. As for himself, he still had half a year left of his three-year term in Macheng County, and it was about time he started planning for his future.

Glancing at Zuo Xingyu and a few constables standing behind County Magistrate Su, Liu Sisi furrowed her brows. Seeing him again under such circumstances was not a pleasant experience for her.

Zuo Xingyu, however, still maintained his stern face, standing silently beside them, not even blinking an eye.

After exchanging pleasantries with the Old Madam and taking a seat, County Magistrate Su glanced at Liu Sisi and Di Yelei with a smile, and his eyes lit up instantly.

“So, the two of you are here also! What a lucky coincidence!”

Di Yelei and Liu Sisi got up in a hurry: “We greet Your Honor the County Magistrate.”

“Please rise, everyone sits down, let’s talk while seated.”

County Magistrate Su, beaming all over his face, glanced at the Old Madam sitting silently in her original spot. He quickly changed the topic to avoid any awkwardness.

“Brother Di, the four pairs of bear paws you sent the other day were indeed of excellent quality. Constable Zuo praised you lavishly too. He even recommended you to work at the governmental office. I wonder, what do you think of that, Brother Di?”

His words were clearly directed at Di Yelei, but his hidden gaze swept over Old Madam Gan’s face. Seeing that she slightly raised her eyebrows, his heart was filled with joy.

However, the conversation frightened the quiet Liu Sisi!

Did Zuo Xingyu really recommend Di Yelei?

Why would he do this? What’s his motive?

For a moment, Liu Sisi’s heart felt like it was filled with fifteen hanging bottles, swinging back and forth.

On the other hand, Di Yelei’s face showed obvious joy. He immediately got up and greeted with a fist: “Thank you for your trust, Constable Zuo. Although I have some brute strength, I know nothing about being a constable. Therefore…”

County Magistrate Su didn’t want to give up and continued to persuade him: “What being a constable needs is not knowledge but strength! Besides, I trust Constable Zuo’s judgment. Just do it with confidence.”

“Still, it’s impossible. The journey from Upper Village to the county is too far.”

Di Yelei was reluctant to leave Liu Sisi alone at home.