My name is Chang An, your name is Gu Li

Chapter 153: The Family Dinner

"Congratulations, Brother Yonghe, on moving into a new house!" Wang Wei came up and bowed to Chang An, then picked up the basket in his hand. Only then did Chang An realize that Wang Wei, Gao Shi, and even Du, Cui, Zhang, and Zhao had not put down their baskets.

Cui Yu also raised the basket in her hand and handed it to Gu Li, saying, "This is the housewarming gift my husband and I prepared. Please don't refuse it."

Wang Wei opened the basket, and inside was a brand new set of tea sets; and Cui Yu had some honey. Chang An was stunned for a moment, then looked up at him, and Wang Wei, receiving his gaze, just smiled.

"I wish you and Mr. Chang will always be sweet and happy." Cui Yu said to Gu Li with a smile.

"Brother Chang, Madam Gu." Gao Shi also came up at this time, put the basket in his hand into Chang An's hand, and then opened it.

There was a short sword inside. Gao Shi said, "Brother Chang, since you have moved into the new house, I will give you a sword to ward off evil spirits."

"Thank you, Brother Gao."

At this time, Du Chengming and the others also came up with a smile and said, "Brother Yonghe, look, your hands are full..."

"Huaiqin! Come here! Get something for your uncle!"

"I'm coming!"

Huaiqin was very happy to see someone giving her gifts, even if they were not for her. So she took Zhen'er with her and came to Du Chengming to accept their gifts.

Su Meng's maid Yuqi also came over and said to Chang An, "Lord Ji Kang, my wife still needs to put on makeup and prepare for the restaurant, so she can't get away. So I asked this humble maid to bring you two a housewarming gift."

As she spoke, she opened the basket, inside of which was a set of study treasures and several pieces of red silk.

"Please thank Su Meng for me." Chang An smiled and thanked her. He took the things in her hand and watched her leave.

Seeing such a bustling crowd, Chang An said, "Please don't wait at the door. The tables and chairs have been set up inside. You can go in and wait first."

"Thank you, Ji Kangbo!"

"Thank you, Ji Kangbo!"

The guests outside all said so, and then led by Huaiqin and Zhener, they entered the Jikangbo Mansion. At this time, a childish voice came from the back of the crowd:

"Mr. Jicombe! Mrs. Jicombe!"

Why does this voice sound so familiar? Chang An and Gu Li turned around and looked at the street. They found that little Du Fu was holding a basket and looking at them with a smile. At this time, Gongsun Da Niang was standing behind him.

"Greetings, Earl Jikang and Lady Jikang." Aunt Gongsun also greeted them.

"Young Master Du, Madam Gongsun." Chang An also greeted them and said, "You don't have to call us that. Just call us what you used to call us."

Du Fu ran over with a basket in his arms and wanted to give it to Chang An. But seeing that Chang An's hands were already full of gifts, he had to give it to Gu Li instead and said, "This is my housewarming gift for Mr. Chang and Ms. Gu."

After Gu Li took the basket, Du Fu opened it and said, "There are candies and a calligraphy in it. I wish Mr. Chang and Ms. Gu happiness and sweetness, and I wish Mr. Chang a bright future!"

"Thank you, Mr. Du." Gu Li thanked with a smile.

Then Madam Gongsun spoke up, saying, "I don't know what gifts to bring, so I can only perform a sword dance for Mr. Chang and Ms. Gu."

Chang An smiled and said, "Madam Gongsun's sword dance is the best in the world. Thank you in advance for adding a bit of liveliness to my humble abode."

"Where is it."

After a few pleasantries, Chang An took the two of them into the mansion and asked them to find an empty seat to sit down. Then the couple came to the main seat and sat down to rest. At this time, Song Jing came over with a brocade box and said:

"I have been ordered to guide you well, but your talent is already beyond mine and there is no more room for improvement. So I will give you a poem to encourage you to keep this in mind in the future."

"Thank you sir."

Afterwards, more guests came up one after another with gifts in their hands, all offering congratulations. The gifts these guests brought were also different, and some even brought large sums of cash.

After receiving the gifts, Chang An ordered the servants to serve the dishes. A total of fifty servants and maids in the house were busy, and they all carried dishes to the tables of the guests.

At this time, Chang An raised his glass, said a few polite and flattering words of welcome, and drank the wine in the glass. The guests also followed Chang An and drank a glass together, and then Chang An announced that the meal would begin.

While eating, Chang An felt someone approaching, so he looked up - it was Huaiqin and Zhen'er. Both of them were holding a box in their hands, and seemed a little embarrassed.

"What's wrong? We're all family, why should we be so shy?" Chang An couldn't help but say with a smile when he saw the two of them like this.

"That..." Zhen'er nudged Huaiqin at this time, signaling her to speak.

But Huaiqin was also a little nervous, and then he stammered, "Well... we saw that the young master and the lady were able to... move into a new house, and the two of us followed the young master and the lady for a long time..."

"So... we each prepared gifts, wishing the young master and the third lady... good luck and happiness every year."

Afterwards, they each opened the brocade boxes in their hands and placed them in front of Chang An and Gu Li. They each presented a pair of exquisitely crafted chopsticks. Although the workmanship was different, they had the same charm. They said:

"I wish that you and Miss Sanniang will always be a pair like these two pairs of chopsticks."

"You are so thoughtful," Chang An pointed to a table not far from him and said, "Go, that table was originally reserved for you."

"Thank you, sir, and thank you, Sanniang." The two thanked them happily, and then went to the table.

Gu Li looked at the two pairs of chopsticks and said, "They are also thoughtful."

Chang An put some more food into her bowl and said, "Yes."

"By the way, that table looks a little small. Could it be that Chang Lang really prepared it for them?" Gu Li also put some dishes into Chang An's bowl and asked.

"Indeed," Chang An nodded and said, "They have been with us for a long time. Even if they are not family members, they are no different from family members. Naturally, we have to prepare a table for them."

"A smaller table will also make them feel more comfortable. If they were to sit at the same table as the other guests, they probably wouldn't agree."

Gu Li nodded and suddenly said, "They are both old enough to get married. How about finding a good family for them?"

Chang An shook his head and said, "No."

"Why?" Gu Li frowned slightly, a little confused.

"It depends on whether they like it. What's the difference between us arranging it for them and selling them both?" Chang An said as a matter of course.

"If they don't like it, we can still pay their head tax until they meet a man they like."

Gu Li always respected Chang An's wishes 120 percent, and then said, "Then let's do as Chang Lang says."

"Master, Madam." At this time, another servant came over, greeted them and placed the box in front of them, then said, "This is a gift from the lady."

As he spoke, the servant pointed to the seats outside. Chang An and Gu Li followed their gaze and looked over there. Chang Wenqing and Zhou Kuangping also nodded slightly at them after receiving their gaze.

"You go down."

Chang An asked the servant to leave, then opened the box. Inside was a jade carving of a Pi Xiu, which looked to be of great value.

......

The sky gradually darkened, and the whole banquet was over. Chang An and Gu Li saw the guests off at the door, and Chang Wenmeng was the last one who had not left.

"Father." Chang An looked at Chang Wenmeng.

Chang Wenmeng also looked at Chang An, then reached out and patted Chang An on the shoulder, saying, "If you are not used to living here, you can come back home and stay for a few days."

Chang An smiled and said, "If you are really not used to it, we will."

Chang Wenmeng nodded, his eyes full of relief, and said, "That's it. If you have any problems, come back home to find me. Anyway, we live next door, so it's convenient for us to travel."

After saying that, Chang Wenmeng left. Chang An and Gu Li looked at his departing back and said, "Goodbye, father."

After Chang Wenmeng was no longer visible, the two returned to the mansion, and the doorman closed the door. Looking into the yard, the servants were still cleaning the table.

After returning to the new room, Chang An and Gu Li sat directly at the low table. At this time, Gu Li crawled behind Chang An and massaged his shoulders.

She still remembered the appointment at noon.

But Chang An took her little hand, pulled her into his arms, and said, "Don't worry, pinch her after you take a bath and before going to bed."

"I don't care, I want to do it now." But Gu Li turned around in his arms, facing Chang An, and massaged his shoulders.

Chang An looked at her lovingly, then pecked her little mouth.

"Hey, Chang Lang, what are you doing?" Gu Li glared at Chang An fiercely and said.

"My mother Gu is so cute that I can't help but want to molest her." Chang An said with a smile, and then kissed her on the mouth again.

Gu Li suddenly felt a little aggrieved, as he was being "molested", but he was still pinching the other person's shoulders. For a moment, he didn't know whether to "talk back" or continue pinching.

Until then, Zhen'er came in with a bowl of medicine and said, "Sanniang, the medicine is ready. You can go take a bath after drinking it."

"Okay." Gu Li then let Chang An go, drank the medicine in one gulp, and then casually took out a set of clothes.

Before leaving, she stared at Chang An fiercely and said with her mouth:

"I'll deal with Chang Lang when I come back..."