Chapter 749: Xie Residence
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The Xie Residence had more people than the Yu Residence, but their relationship was much simpler.
Her maternal grandfather, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, three uncles, three aunts, and five cousins were all from the same family and were very close.
Yu Youyao was stunned for a moment. She quickly said, “Get off the ship quickly, lest Eldest Uncle and the four cousins wait too long.”
There were many people at the pier. Yin Huaixi led the way. A few maidservants and old maids surrounded Yu Youyao to prevent too many people from b.u.mping into her.
Not long after, she saw the carriage with the Xie family’s emblem parked in the open.
Yu Youyao saw someone waving at her. Immediately after, her eldest uncle led four young men and welcomed her excitedly.
The people from the Xie Residence were all good-looking. Eldest Uncle, Xie Xun, was in his forties and had a beautiful beard. He had an elegant and handsome aura. Third Cousin, Xie Jingliu, took after his eldest uncle.
Yu Youyao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to her eldest uncle. “h.e.l.lo, Eldest Uncle!”
It had been four to five years since Xie Xun had seen Yu Youyao. In the past, she used to be a pink and tender ball of glutinous rice, but now, she had grown into a graceful young lady. She looked very much like her younger sister, and he felt both nostalgic and gratified.
He reached out and patted his niece’s small shoulder gently. He nodded. “We’re all family. There’s no need for such etiquette.” With that, he pointed at his cousin, who was standing a step behind him. “You’ve never seen these cousins before…
Eldest Uncle, Xie Xun, had two sons. Eldest Cousin, Xingzhou, and Third Cousin, Jingliu. Eldest Cousin was 26 years old and had already started a family. He had a little nephew who was four years old this year.
Her second uncle, Xie Liao, had a son. He was her cousin, Xie Linyuan. He was 23 years old this year and had just started a family. He did not have any children yet.
Third Uncle, Xie Tiao, also had two sons. Fourth Cousin, Xie Yanqing, and Fifth Cousin, Xie Yunze. Fourth Cousin and Third Cousin were all in their prime. Fifth Cousin had just turned 18 this year.
Yu Youyao bowed and greeted each of them.
Her cousins also returned the greetings one by one.
Xie Yunze was the youngest and had a lively personality. There were a few times when he wanted to get close to his pet.i.te and pleasant cousin and talk to her, but he was stopped by Xie Xingzhou.
After the etiquette ceremony, Eldest Cousin Xie Xingzhou stroked Yu Youyao’s head. “The pier isn’t a place to talk. Little Yao’er has been on the boat for more than half a month. I think it’s been hard on her, so she’ll return to the residence to settle down first.’
Fourth Cousin, Xie Qingyan, tugged at Xie Yunze and quickly agreed. “Yes, yes. Great Grandfather, Second Grandfather, Grandmother, and all the Aunts are waiting for Little Yao’er at home.”
There were all kinds of people at the pier. It was very noisy and they did not stay for long.
Her second cousin, Xie Linyuan, said gently, “Great-grandfather,
Grandfather, and Grandmother have been talking about you recently, hoping that you would come over sooner. When Grandmother heard that you had entered the harbor on a boat, she shouted that she wanted to come and pick you up. It took her some effort to persuade her to not come over. Auntie Xu, who’s in front of you, has returned to the residence first with Xia Tao, who’s seasick. The rest of the servants and luggage will be sent to the residence with the carriage.”
Yu Youyao nodded. “Then let’s go back to the residence first. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. I also miss Great Grandfather, Grandfather,
Grandmother, and the others. I’ve never seen everyone before.”
Her eyes were sparkling, and her tone was filled with joy and antic.i.p.ation.
Every time a merchant ship from the Xie Residence entered the capital, a few aunts would prepare gifts for her.
She would also carefully prepare a gift in return. Although they had never interacted or even met, after reciprocating for a long time, she could more or less tell how they were like.
Xie Xun stayed at the dock.
On the way back to the Xie Residence, Yin Huaixi and the four brothers of the Xie family were in a carriage.
Yu Youyao brought Chun Xiao, Bi Zhu, Cui Zhu, and Liu’er into a carriage.
The carriage moved slowly. Chun Xiao rolled up the curtain. Yu Youyao saw people coming and going on the streets. It was a prosperous scene, It was even better than the capital.
In August, the j.a.panese invaded the southeast coast on a large scale but it did not affect Quanzhou. The people along the coast were stable and rich, and they were more open.
The kind of veiled hat that covered the entire body was popular in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
When the young misses went out, if they did not stay on the streets for a long time, they did not have to wear veiled hats to cover themselves. If they stayed for a long time, they would have to wear veiled hats. The gauze on the veiled hats only reached their shoulders.
Along the way, Yu Youyao saw many young misses in embroidered clothes and accessories strolling on the street with their servants. They did not even put on their veiled hats.
Cui Zhu explained, “Quanzhou accepts guests from all around the open. The atmosphere is very open. Women can also walk on the streets as they please. Although Miss is in mourning, it’s not a problem for you to come out and walk around to familiarize yourself with the environment.”
In the capital, she had to show filial piety. She could only live in a shabby house and rarely leave. Yu Youyao finally felt the restrictions on her body loosen.
The Xie Residence had lived in Quanzhou for generations. The Xie Residence occupied a huge area.
Her maternal grandfather lived in the main residence, and her uncles did not live together. They lived around the main residence like stars surrounding the moon. The residences were all interconnected, so it was very convenient for them to come and go.
If everyone did not live together, they would not cause trouble over trivialities. Naturally, their relationship was good.
After entering the residence, the Xie Residence prepared a soft sedan chair in front of the flower gate. Yu Youyao got into the soft sedan chair and went to the main house to greet her grandfather, grandmother, and Eldest Aunt.
Old Madam Xie’s heart ached when she saw that her granddaughter had lost a lot of weight. “l heard that you were sick previously. Are you feeling better? You’ve been on the ship for so long. Are you seasick?”
Yu Youyao held her grandmother’s hand. “I’ve already recovered. I’ll be fine after recuperating carefully for a while. On the boat, Third Cousin also takes good care of me. The boat travels slowly. Every time it reaches a port, it will dock ash.o.r.e and rest for a night before continuing to sail. I was a little uncomfortable at first, but I was used to it after staying on the boat for a long time.”
Madam w.a.n.g smiled and said, “Most people will more or less feel seasick and uncomfortable the first time they take a boat. They need to experience it a few more times to get used to it. Although our Little Yao’er grew up in the capital, she has taken after our Xie family.”
Old Master Xie also agreed. “Our Little Yao’er takes after the Xie family. Even when it comes to food, she prefers the taste of Quanzhou. She belongs to our family.”
Yu Youyao looked like Mother Xiao, but her eyes were different. However, she had taken after Old Madam Xie and liked to eat seafood since she was young. This kind of similarity made the people from the Xie family, who originally doted on her very much, love her even more.
This was because in their hearts, Yu Youyao was not only their granddaughter, but also a family member.
After chatting warmly for a while, Old Master Xie said, “Your second and third uncles are all waiting in Old Master’s house, Hurry over!”
Yu Youyao was stunned when she heard this. According to the rules, after she entered the Xie Residence, she should enter the main house first and visit her maternal grandfather, grandmother, and eldest aunt’s family. Then, they would bring her to visit her maternal great grandfather. After that, it would be time to visit her second uncle’s family and third uncle’s family. From the looks of it, the etiquette would be very complicated..