Chapter 243

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Commander Jiang's gentle demeanor.

His elegant manner of speech.

His handsome appearance.

All left a deep impression on the officials in Jiangzhou, a city on the cusp of first-tier status.

Among the crowd, there was a prevalent sentiment: "With someone as handsome, dashing, and excellent as myself already here, why must there also be a Commander Jiang?"

Commander Jiang seemed to possess a face naturally suited for a successful career in officialdom.

It was said that even Inspector He greatly admired him.

Of course, there were also rumors that Commander Jiang was quite fond of accumulating wealth.

Whether he was a formidable newcomer or merely an insect, the even more acquisitive Governor Lu had already stepped forward to test the waters.

The others need only observe quietly and see how things unfold.

The wine ran dry, the dishes dwindled, the table was in disarray, and young women sang to enliven the atmosphere.

Jiang Changtian, new to the scene, carefully observed the crowd.

He discovered that the pecking order here was more blatant.

For instance, if one couldn't discern an official's rank, the beauty of the girls at their table could be used as a gauge.

The more attractive the girls, the higher the official's rank.

There was a clear class divide among the group.

In their eyes, a fifth-rank commander like himself was of unremarkable rank, lacking any significant backing, and merely served as a pretext for their revelry.

Most of them came from prominent families, proud and arrogant, looking down on everything.

They were intoxicated by splendor and beauty.

Even if they found Commander Jiang's appearance and demeanor somewhat surprising, that was the extent of it. This was a world strictly divided by rank.

In comparison, even young Jia seemed to have a bit more humanity.

As for Governor Lu, who had brazenly asked for a horse, the others merely laughed.

Enjoying the spectacle.

The first round of the banquet concluded.

Gong Qichi and Commander Jiang shared a carriage back.

The seasoned officials of Jiangzhou bid farewell with laughter and banter.

They were yet unfamiliar with the idiom "wolves and jackals collude" - or rather, "dragons and tigers unite."

Gong Qichi had drunk a bit too much.

As he boarded the familiar carriage, with its familiar scent of Chinese herbs, he felt at ease.

Gong Qichi, who had been smiling all along, tilted his head once inside the carriage and fell into a comfortable sleep.

Soon, he began to snore.

When they arrived at their destination, the carriage stopped.

Gong Qichi opened his eyes.

As if the person who had just been snoring wasn't him.

He got off the carriage together with Jiang.

Qin Luoxia had been waiting at the door of the relay station, her tall figure both powerful and reassuring.

Jiang Changtian revealed a genuine smile.

Mom borrowed their pot to make noodles, and also prepared some for her daughter who, though out of confinement, still had pregnancy cravings.

A good bowl of noodles with a handful of green onions, sprinkled with dried wild scallions brought from their hometown, emitted a fragrant aroma.

The welcoming banquet may have seemed to have many dishes, but one couldn't really eat their fill. It wasn't as satisfying as a bowl of noodles at home.

The familiar taste, with the fragrance of noodles and wild scallions, savory and salty.

The noodles they once ate in that small courtyard in the countryside now tasted the same.

From north to south.

The soup even stained his beard; he lacked the elegance of the past, eating a bit hastily.

Life had become rougher.

He buried his head in the noodles, not looking up.

He wasn't just eating noodles, but memories, the past. A gentleman doesn't shed tears, but if tears fall into the soup, they become invisible, only adding to the saltiness.

After finishing the noodles, he wiped his mouth.

Gong Qichi grinned.

He reached out and patted Mianmian's head again.

In truth, Mianmian was also a bit startled by Uncle Gong. The Magic Spring Water wasn't omnipotent after all. Uncle Gong seemed to have drunk a tiny bit of it, and had also eaten at their home, but in these few years apart, he had aged rapidly, looking extremely weathered, as if on the verge of death.

It was truly shocking at first glance.

It served as a reminder to Mianmian to be cautious and moderate when taking risks; there's no such thing as immortality.

After accompanying her brother, father, and Uncle Gong for a late-night snack, Jiang Mianmian was dragged off to bed by her mother.

The night in Jiangzhou was filled with light, not just from the starry sky, but from the entire city, twinkling with countless lights. It was a city rich in nightlife, without a curfew.

Meng Shaoxia, in his role as a hands-on father, personally attended to the children. With two babies, twins, he didn't trust the maids and nannies to care for them. Meng Shaoxia was very involved in childcare.

Now he could hold one baby in each arm with ease.

He no longer used swords for morning exercises, switching to babies instead.

With a baby in each hand, he would lift them up and down, or lie down and bench press them. The two babies would grin with delight, and he managed to keep up with his daily exercises.

At night, to take care of the babies, he also went to bed earlier, as the little ones would wake up several times during the night.

Initially, they had considered finding a wet nurse in the big town, but after encountering assassination attempts and poisoning incidents, they couldn't trust anyone. So they decided to raise the children themselves.

As a result, the couple grew even closer.

They became more affectionate with each other.

The Jiang family generally didn't disturb young Meng at night, so he wasn't part of the late-night tea gatherings.

As Mianmian passed by her sister's room, she heard her brother-in-law still humming some tune to soothe the babies, sounding quite content.

She felt that although her sister seemed simple-minded, she had at least one talent: she had her husband well in hand. In their years of marriage, they had never had a real argument, living each day with laughter and joy. Even during pregnancy mood swings, they never truly fought.

Her great-aunt once said that if nothing else, being able to keep a good husband in check is enough to sustain one for a lifetime.

This point seemed quite remarkable.

Mianmian felt that her sister sometimes showed a bit of cunning, but it was all focused on her husband alone.

That was enough.

Meanwhile, the voices of her father, brother, and Uncle Gong had also lowered.

Without deliberately listening, she couldn't make out what they were saying.

Mianmian took her little tree and went to bed.

She faintly heard something about horses and donkeys.

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