Parting

When Xu Yongyi heard this, he broke out in a cold sweat.

He had a head for business, and he could tell that the cold dish Xu Xi had come up with was definitely a good business that could make money. All he could think about now was getting the business started quickly so he could make a fortune sooner. He had never considered these details at all.

Though Xu Yongyi had never heard the maxim "details determine success or failure," he understood the principle.

The neighbors around the house in the county seat were ordinary townsfolk, and plenty of them envied others and could not bear to see them prosper. If Xu Xi had not reminded him today, once his business got going, people would surely start wagging their tongues everywhere. A business's reputation was hard to build, but it could be destroyed overnight. The good business Xu Xi had taken such pains to think up for him would end up ruined in his hands.

"Miss Xi, don't worry. Your uncle will make sure the house and courtyard are spotless. I'll be careful about hygiene when I make the cold dishes too. I'll never let anyone get an upset stomach from eating them," he promised solemnly, as though taking an oath.

Seeing that he had taken her words to heart, Xu Xi was delighted.

Madam Xie was grateful. She hurriedly picked up some food with her chopsticks and put it in Xu Xi's bowl. "Here, eat more."

Watching Xu Xi eat with such relish, she sighed. "I don't know when I'll get to share another meal with you."

Her words made everyone feel sad.

Xu Yongyi glared at Madam Xie. "We're having a perfectly good meal. Why bring that up? Miss Xi studies at the academy, and we've moved to the county seat. Won't it be easy for us to see each other whenever we want?"

"That's right," Xu Xi said with a smile. "I'm close to you and far from the marquis's residence. All we have to do to see each other is step out the door."

Xu Chongwen, who had been silent all this time, raised his head and looked at Xu Xi, as though he wanted to speak but held back.

Seeing this, Xu Xi asked, "Brother, do you want me not to go to the marquis's residence?" In the original owner's memories, Xu Chongwen had protected his two younger sisters since childhood and had been an exceptionally good brother.

Xu Chongwen shook his head. "Not exactly." He fell silent, shoveling a mouthful of rice into his mouth and chewing slowly, his eyes lowered. "I'm just worried about you going to that place. I've heard that those big residences have lots of people and are very complicated. I'm afraid you'll be bullied."

Xu Xi had just the bowl of chicken soup to feed Xu Chongwen.

"Brother, if you don't want Xiaoxue and me to be bullied, you'll have to make something of yourself. If you pass the exams to become a xiucai, a juren, or even a jinshi and become an official, anyone who wants to bully us will have to weigh their chances first."

"That's right, that's exactly how it is," Xu Yongyi chimed in. "Chongwen, you need to work hard at your studies."

"Mm." Xu Chongwen nodded firmly. "Our teacher said I could sit the exam and give it a try next year."

"Really?" Madam Xie grew excited. "Your teacher really said that?"

"Mm."

"Then you'd better work hard." Madam Xie pushed the steamed egg custard into Xu Chongwen's bowl. "Eat more."

Xu Chongwen moved his bowl away. "Give it to Miss Xi."

Xu Xi was helpless. "Surely I won't go to the marquis's residence and find I can't even get steamed egg custard to eat? That would be too miserable! So, Brother, stop pushing it back and forth. Whether we get to eat chicken legs in the future depends on you."

Everyone laughed.

At the si hour, three carriages bearing the marquis's residence's insignia slowly entered Little Banyan Village.

The marquis's carriages had come every day for the past few days, and the villagers of Little Banyan Village had grown numb to them. Who didn't have endless work to do? Eating melons wouldn't fill their stomachs! So now, the only ones running after the carriages and coming to the Xu family's house to watch were a group of little brats and a few old women with nothing better to do who loved gossip.

Madam Xie had seen the disdain Lady Wei and Zhao Ruyu showed that day, and it had weighed on her mind. She felt that her family had made Xu Xi lose face. So after Matron Ruan left yesterday, she swept the courtyard again and again, rinsed it down with water, and shut all the chickens in their coop to keep them from running all over the place. When she got up this morning, she tidied the house inside and out once more.

But the courtyard had a dirt floor, and the furniture was old and shabby. No matter how much she tidied, that was all she could do; it did not look much better than before.

Once again, Matron Ruan and Steward Liu accompanied Lady Zhu, the marchioness. A matron and a maid from Lady Zhu's side came along as well.

Lady Zhu stepped down from the carriage and, as though she had not seen the Xu family's humble mud house, took Madam Xie's hand and walked with her toward the main room. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she looked at Xu Xi's face and said, "I can tell Miss Xi is a child of our marquis's family. She doesn't look like her father or mother, but she does look like her eldest uncle."

Madam Xie had never met Marquis Suiping and assumed Lady Zhu was merely being polite. After all, the little red mole behind Xu Xi's ear had already confirmed that she was the child who had been switched at birth at the marquis's residence, so it hardly mattered whom she resembled. Lady Zhu was saying this to smooth things over for the second madam, Lady Wei.

She smiled and said, "There are plenty of children who don't look like their parents. Some take after all their good features, while others take after all their bad ones. Our Miss Xi took after all the good ones."

Lady Zhu laughed heartily. "You're right."