My Stepmother is Soft and Charming

Chapter 19 Shang Qilang

This meal was the first time the couple had gotten married in three years.

 The two of them didn’t talk much during the dinner. When they only had cherries and tangerine dishes, they would pick out the ingredients and taste them.

In the past, Du Jingyi liked to talk a lot about Taoism with Danruo, but today, seeing that her husband didn't say a word, she couldn't keep chattering away.

 After simply using up half a bowl of rice and a little meat, I stopped using my chopsticks.

Shang Ji saw how little she ate, so he thought it was because he was here and she was too embarrassed to use it.

 So, I ate the last few bites in a hurry, put down my chopsticks, and said to Du Jingyi.

"I just came back from Cezhou. I have military reports to deal with these days, so I won't leave the study if nothing happens. You should eat and sleep, so don't be restrained."

 Then he added another sentence.

"I've remembered my return tomorrow. Is it okay to set off at midnight?"

What time is it?

Judging from Du Jingyi’s habit of sleeping in, it’s naturally too early.

She was very happy about the fact that it was the Du family that could go back.

 So, he answered with a smile.

“I just obey the general’s orders.”

Shang Ji nodded and asked Aunt Dou next to him to arrange the carriage and horses for tomorrow. Then he got up and left the main room.

 After walking out for a while, he turned back and said to Aunt Dou.

“The madam probably hasn’t had enough to eat. Please show the kitchen and make some of her favorite food to send to her.”

 “Yes, the old slave has written it down.”

 Mother Dou was very satisfied with all the actions of the general who took the initiative to care about the young lady.

You know, he is almost thirty now, and he doesn’t even have a queen.

 This is what military commanders are most taboo about.

 Therefore, Aunt Dou was eager to have the general and the young lady consummate their marriage as soon as possible, and the young master could be born as soon as possible.

 But she also understood that the general and the young lady were not people who would wrong her personally, so it was better to let matters fall into place.

Therefore, Aunt Dou is extremely willing to do anything that can help enhance the relationship between them as husband and wife, and she must do it beautifully.

Not long after the two of them finished talking, they saw Butler He walking towards them.

 He first saluted Shang Ji respectfully, and then said.

“General, the seventh young master is here and wants to see you.”

 Shang Qilang?

 He is Mrs. Wei's dearest son.

 At a young age, he is already a civil servant.

Shang Ji remembered that when he left Beijing, Shang Qilang had already become a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Ming.

Seeing that Jinshi status is just around the corner, the bright future makes everyone in Mrs. Wei's family extremely proud.

How could he suddenly come to look for me in Dongyuan, where Mrs. Wei and Mrs. Wei were always on good terms?

After a moment of silence, Shang Ji whispered.

"Let him wait in the flower hall. I will go there immediately."

 “Yes, General.”

 The flower hall in Dongyuan has not received guests for a long time.

 The last time it was activated was more than a year ago.

Since the three-bedroom and five-bedroom people could not get any good from the people in Dongyuan, they didn’t come here very often.

Occasionally, if I have something to say, I will send my servants over directly, so there is no need to use the flower hall to entertain guests.

 But even so, the flower hall was still very clean.

Shang Qilang had just taken a sip of fragrant tea inside. Before he could sigh at the overflowing fragrance of tea, he saw Shang Ji walking in.

 He has a majestic appearance and is surrendered by all parties. He is indeed a general who has been fighting for many years.

This aura is enough to intimidate anyone.

 Compared with Shang Ji, Shang Qilang is a bit weak. After all, the path he wants to take in the future is to be a clean official, and he is naturally stronger and stronger than Shang Ji, who has to use swords and guns every day.

Perhaps he has been sitting in front of the desk for many years, so his whole person exudes a gentle and elegant temperament.

 It’s just that because he is only sixteen years old, he doesn’t show much distinction yet.

 But if you look closely, you will find that there is a lot of peace between his brows and eyes. This kind of calm yet majestic character and attitude is rare among young people.

Shang Ji's impression of him was still that of the young man he was many years ago. Now that he suddenly saw him like this, his expression fluctuated slightly.

 Looking at Shang Qilang, there was more joy in his eyes and the corners of his mouth.

If there is anyone in the entire family who is sincerely looking forward to his return, it is probably Shang Qilang.

Although they are in different camps, the relationship between him and Shang Bamei has been pretty good over the years.

Hence, Shang Bamei opened her mouth and shouted.

 “Sixth brother.”

"Um."

Shang Qilang wanted to get closer to Shang Ji, but after hearing Shang Ji's indifferent answer, he couldn't help but sigh.

 There is a big age difference between the two of them, and the living environment of the two is also not very similar.

To put it bluntly, there are no hobbies or topics to chat about, so he sighed, but Shang Ji saw it and was unmoved.

 “Tell things.”

 In one sentence, familiarity and distance make the difference.

Shang Ji still had many military reports that he had not dealt with, so he did not have much time to spend here talking about the Spring and Autumn Period with Shang Qilang.

Helping, Shang Qilang smiled bitterly, and then spoke.

"Today is the day when Brother Six will go home and have a nice reunion dinner. Unfortunately, the peace at home disturbs the celebration, so I, my younger brother, specially sent you the congratulatory gift I prepared earlier to celebrate your safe return. Home."

 After saying that, Shang Qilang handed over the box placed on the Eight Immortals' table.

From the outside, the brocade box looks very exquisitely made, but you can’t see what’s inside.

Shang Ji sat calmly, not intending to reach out to pick it up.

Instead, Luo Yuan, who was beside him, stepped forward, took the box, and nodded in the direction of Shang Qilang.

 Throughout the whole process, Shang Ji had no intention of opening it.

Seeing this, Shang Qilang was a little sad.

“Brother Six, why don’t you open it and take a look?”

 Here lay an isolated copy of the Art of War that had been lost for many years, but it took him a lot of effort to find it.

He originally expected to see Sixth Brother's happy expression, but he didn't expect that they didn't even intend to see what the gift was.

Hearing his words, Shang Ji didn't react at all, and just said something lightly.

  “What is it?”

"This is the only copy of The Art of War. I searched for it for many days. I thought Brother Six would definitely like it!"

 “Well, thank you very much.”

The tone was calm, as if it was as normal as eating and drinking.

 Shang Qilang felt a lot disappointed, but he also knew that his sixth brother's temperament had been like this since he was a child.

 So, don’t force it.

 After adjusting his mentality, he said with a smile.

“We are all a family, Brother Six, there is no need to be so polite to me.”

After he said this, he saw that Shang Ji stopped answering, and the coldness on his body became more and more obvious, and he seemed to be welcoming guests.

 Shang Qilang was not very happy either.

　　Finally, he gritted his teeth and broke the deadlock of silence, speaking with some helplessness and expectation in his eyes.

"Sixth brother, although you and I were not born from the same mother, I often visited Mrs. Gu when she was still alive. And you and I have the same father after all, so there is no need for such a quarrel."

 (End of this chapter)