Seeing Uncle Ding arrange all the people and matters perfectly, Bai Sheng couldn't help but admire her husband's good judgment in people.
Uncle Ding was actually quite suited to be a steward; being a gatekeeper felt like a waste of his talent. Her husband surely felt the same.
However, since there weren't many people in the mansion initially and few matters to manage, Uncle Ding temporarily took on the role of gatekeeper.
Once a gatekeeper's assistant was found, Bai Sheng planned to officially promote Uncle Ding to the position of head steward of the mansion.
But Uncle Ding hadn't sold himself into servitude to their family. It was best for the head steward to be one of their own household servants for the utmost security.
Bai Sheng felt a bit conflicted.
Lu Ye comforted her, saying there was no need to rush. They would look for suitable servants for the head steward position at the agency. If they couldn't find anyone, they could then consider Uncle Ding.
Bai Sheng nodded, agreeing that this was the best course of action.
As the household servants frequently cleaned and tidied these rooms, each room was very clean, essentially ready for immediate occupancy.
After Lu Huo and the four maids tidied the beds for Bai Sheng, they went to clean their own rooms.
Everyone felt a sense of peace and stability after washing up.
Despite the interesting events and broadened horizons over nearly twenty days of travel, they were truly exhausted.
The sun began to set.
Lu Hua, Ga Mei, Qing Feng, and Wang Da Fa had not yet finished work. Uncle Ding, fearing that the newly arrived group would be hungry, first called his own wife and children for dinner, making sure to leave enough food for the four who had not yet returned.
The dining tables were set in the main hall just inside the courtyard, with a total of four tables, simply separated by screens.
Although Bai Sheng didn't hold strong notions of master-servant hierarchy, the servants were very considerate and did not sit at the same table as the masters. Even when Bai Sheng invited them, they refused to join.
"Fine," she thought, "in this feudal era, master-servant relationships are deeply ingrained. Bai Sheng didn't want to be overly ostentatious; things should proceed as they are. Besides, she wasn't a cruel mistress, and for the servants, this was already the best possible belonging." Bai Sheng was confident in this regard.
Dinner was relatively simple: plain white rice, a large pot of braised meat, and stir-fried green vegetables.
Lu Yu, relying on his innate sensitivity to food and mealtimes, led the younger children back just before dinner began.
He wouldn't miss a single meal unless he chose to.
His companions also understood the true meaning of life: following Xiao Yu meant having food to eat.
Everyone ate heartily, repeatedly praising Aunt Ding's cooking.
As a modern person who had tasted all sorts of popular delicacies, Bai Sheng found Aunt Ding's cooking to be quite ordinary, but she didn't want to dampen Aunt Ding's enthusiasm.
She decided to write Aunt Ding a stack of recipes, allowing her to improve her cooking skills subtly.
Before making dinner, Bai Sheng had Lu Yin go to the kitchen and specifically instruct Aunt Ding to make plenty of food, as everyone in the family were big eaters.
Aunt Ding was also perceptive. Seeing Lu Huo's physique, she knew he ate a lot, so she specially scooped out several extra bowls of rice.
As night descended, it was finally time to finish work.
Lu Hua and Wang Da Fa always drove the carriage first to the Sweet Fruit Orchard, picked up Ga Mei and Qing Feng, and then returned together.
Hengheng had already informed Lu Hua that Bai Sheng and Lu Ye would arrive that day.
Lu Hua had been excited all day.
However, she couldn't share the good news of her brother and sister-in-law's arrival with the other three, so she had to bear this immense joy alone.
Therefore, her entire demeanor seemed a bit peculiar.
When it was time to finish work, she kept urging Uncle Da Fa, saying she was hungry and wanted to go back quickly for dinner.
Wang Da Fa thought the child was usually very sensible and rarely made requests. Since she said she was hungry, he assumed she was genuinely starving and drove the carriage very fast.
After picking up Ga Mei and Qing Feng at the Sweet Fruit Orchard, they hurried back towards Yuhua Alley.
As they drove the carriage through the gate of the mansion, they all sensed a particularly unusual atmosphere.
Lu Hua: "I didn't feel anything."
Firstly, Uncle Ding did not come out to greet them with his usual cheerful smile.
Secondly, several carriages were parked outside the main courtyard.
Finally, the main courtyard, which had been vacant, was brightly lit, and the sounds of laughter and conversation could be heard from time to time.
After standing outside the main courtyard for a moment, the four of them came to a unanimous conclusion: their elder brother and sister-in-law (Elder Master and Madam) must have arrived!
Lu Hua feigned excitement and shouted, "Brother! Sister-in-law!" then immediately ran inside.
Hengheng, who was bouncing in her sling bag, sighed, "Tsk, Hua Hua's acting skills have improved."
Ga Mei also shouted, "Madam!" and rushed after her.
Wang Da Fa and Qing Feng exchanged a look and excitedly ran in as well.
"Sister-in-law!" Seeing Bai Sheng's slightly sunken stomach, Lu Hua's eyes welled up.
"Hua Hua!" Bai Sheng also stood up abruptly, overcome with emotion.
"Sister-in-law, I missed you so much!" Lu Hua threw herself into Bai Sheng's arms and began to cry.
For the past few months, she had been far from home and family, cautiously adapting to her new job and life in the unfamiliar capital. Although there had been twists and turns, she had managed to get through it.
At this moment, upon seeing her brother and sister-in-law, her complex emotions erupted collectively.
Bai Sheng gently patted her back, "We missed you very much too."
Lu Yun and Lu Yu, seeing their sister, also had their eyes instantly redden. They put down their bowls and chopsticks, shouted, "Sister!" and then buried their heads and ran towards her.
Lu Hua pulled away from Bai Sheng's embrace, turned, and hugged her two younger brothers. After hugging them, Lu Hua wiped her tears, looked at Lu Ye, and trembling, called out, "Brother."
Lu Ye's nose also felt a bit sore. He reached out and stroked Lu Hua's head.
Ga Mei, standing nearby, seeing that Lu Hua had finished her reunion, immediately stepped forward and excitedly called out, "Madam!"
Bai Sheng also raised her hand to hug her, "Oh, Ga Mei, you've become prettier."
Ga Mei glanced at Qing Feng and shyly said, "Madam is joking, how could I have?"
Bai Sheng smiled and looked at Qing Feng, "Senior Brother, tell me, has Ga Mei become prettier?"
Qing Feng, who was standing nearby with a smile, was called upon by Bai Sheng. He immediately looked closely at Ga Mei and thought, "It seems... nothing has really changed."
However, he wouldn't tell the truth. Uncle Da Fa had said that women liked to be told they were pretty, so Qing Feng nodded earnestly, "Indeed, she has become prettier."
Ga Mei's face instantly flushed with embarrassment.
Those who understood the underlying meaning stifled their laughter. Only Qing Feng naively thought his junior sister was merely asking if Ga Mei had become prettier, and fearing offending someone, he had spoken words of flattery.
"What a perpetually oblivious straight man," Bai Sheng mused, looking at Qing Feng. It seemed that the revolution was not yet successful, and Ga Mei still had to keep trying.
Bai Sheng sympathetically patted Ga Mei's shoulder.
Ga Mei, of course, did not know that her Madam's gesture was one of sympathy. She was so touched that she just smiled foolishly.
With everyone present, Lu Ye introduced Lu Tong, Lu Tie, Lu Huo, Lu Yin, as well as Qiu and Dong, to the four of them one by one.
Lu Hua had been thinking about her nephew and nieces all along. After meeting everyone, she immediately pleaded with Bai Sheng to take her to the room to see them.