Chapter 472 - 253: A Leaf Blinds the Eye_1
Because of the bonds with Ming Wa and Jingjing, Cheng Yue’s thoughts were no longer entirely focused on Qian Yixiu. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Qian Yixiu finally went with Qian Yeejin to Xishan County Town to see the lanterns, having previously agreed with Cheng Yue that she would stay there and play for three days. During the day, she spent time playing at the Zhang family’s place, Qian Manchuan’s house, and Qianxiang House, and spent the nights at her own house in the county town.
The Qian’s third wife had long bought a three-section residence in the county town, not far from the Zhang family. Back when Qian Yixiu was "singing for a living," she had passed by this place. At that time, she and the young maiden Qian Manxia envied the people who lived there. Therefore, when Qian Sangui proposed buying a large residence in the county town, Qian Yixiu chose this place without hesitation.
Before the New Year, the eldest branch also bought a small quadrangle in the county town. Qian Manchuan’s family officially moved on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month and even hosted guests for a day. From then on, they would live in the county town for good, becoming bona fide residents of the town. But Qian Dagui and his wife still preferred to live in the countryside, accustomed not only to the quiet of rural life but also concerned about the lotus pond and the fields.
At first, Old Man Qian and his wife thought their eldest son’s family would move to the county town and planned to enjoy their later years at the third wife’s residence once they left. But since the eldest son and his wife did not move, they had to continue living in the main house.
Becoming town residents like Qian Manchuan’s family made Qian Manhe and Lady Xiao Wong extremely envious. Although they earned almost as much as the main house, their burdens were too heavy. First, they needed to help Qian Mandua’s Family, and then they had to support Lady Tang. If they wanted to become residents of the county town, they would need to struggle for a few more years.
On the evening of the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, Prince Consort Pan reappeared at the dining table of Qian’s third wife. In recent days, he had seemed quite haggard, occupied with either babysitting his younger siblings or burying his head in painting. Qian Sangui invited him to the main house for the New Year’s Eve dinner, but he did not attend, and he also declined several invitations from Mr. Yu.
It was only after the breakfast on the first day of the New Year that he visited Qian’s Main Courtyard, giving each of the four siblings, Qian Yixiu included, a big red envelope. Qian Yixiu and Qian Yeejin, seeing his dejected face and then watching him joyfully tear up when the younger siblings kowtowed to him, couldn’t help but feel moved.