When Maoqiu saw Ah Man, he ran up to her happily and rubbed against her feet affectionately. Ah Man also leaned over and touched his head.

"Greetings, Uncle Ding and Aunt Ding." Da Jun bowed deeply and respectfully to Ding Youtian and Jian Ning. Ah Man also bowed to them with a smile on her face, but still did not call them by name.

"Furry ball!" Dabao shouted at the fur ball, "Come here."

Maoqiu looked at Dabao, then turned his head to look at Ah Man, and suddenly stood up like a fox, swinging his two front paws and walking towards Dabao in a swagger. In the past, whenever Ah Man imitated the way people walked, he would clap his hands and laugh.

Ah Man did laugh, but it was just a smile.

After Huo Jincheng's body was sent back and she had a serious illness, she seemed to have grown up overnight. Although she still smiled when she met people, she no longer laughed as happily and carefree as before.

Qiaofeng and Dajun gradually got used to this kind of Ah Man, so they didn't find it strange. Erniu and Sanniu noticed her changes and asked her privately. Ah Man's answer was that she had grown up and learned the rules, and a girl should not show her teeth when smiling.

Erniu and Sanniu both thought she was boring. Seeing that she no longer called their mother "mother," they looked at each other. Erniu said angrily, "Sister Ah Man, have you forgotten what we said before, that we would be good sisters for life?"

"I haven't forgotten." Ah Man took each of them by the hand, "Jia Jia, Yao Yao, you will always be my good sisters! And sister Shu Er. Let's go and see Sister Qiao Feng's dowry."

Dajun saw Dabao grabbing one of the fur ball's front paws and dragging it towards the porch pillar like a disobedient child. He hurriedly followed and whispered, "Good brother, stay."

"Don't be angry with my sister, maybe she will be fine after a while." Da Jun lowered his voice. When Ah Man was seriously ill, she refused to eat for several days and didn't talk to anyone. He stayed with Ah Man every day, and everyone thought that he comforted her.

Actually, this is not the case.

Da Jun knew that Ah Man had figured it out on her own, but she hadn't paid much attention to Da Bao since then. She often went to the rockery alone and stayed with Brother Qiu for a long time. Even Mao Qiu had fallen out of favor with her.

"She is just like my own sister. How could I be angry with my own sister? You think too much." Dabao picked up the ball of fur and stroked the fur on its back with his eyes lowered, not even looking at Dajun, and said calmly.

Da Jun was really angry with A Man when he heard what he said. He and Da Bao had been classmates since they were students of Master Mo in Baisha Town. Later, Huo Jincheng sent him to the Beijing Academy where Da Bao was studying together for a few years. How could he not know Da Bao's temper? Just as he was about to say something, a few people came over from the front yard, and one of the young men called Da Bao.

The ones who came were the Chen family, the shopkeeper. His son Chen Qinian was a classmate of Dabao when they were in Jin County. Now he is also studying in the capital, but not in the same academy as Dabao.

Chen Qinian, Dajun and A'man all came to send Qiaofeng off for marriage. Shopkeeper Chen almost lost his life in Yue Kingdom, which really proved the saying that those who survive a great disaster will be blessed in the future. As the general distributor of ginkgo paste, Jian Ning naturally would not forget him. Now he is an imperial merchant, and has been appointed as the general manager of ginkgo paste. He also has an official position and was named Tongfeng Doctor (third rank).

Dabao introduced Dajun and Chen Qinian to each other. The two half-grown children bowed and greeted each other in a very formal manner. Although Chen Qinian's status was lower than the other two, his words and deeds were polite and well-mannered. Not only was there no trace of restraint and humility, but he also showed the calmness of a young man with a wealth of knowledge and elegance.

The three of them went to the pavilion by the waterside terrace to chat. The maids, servants, and other servants passing by saw Dabao leading them and stepped aside, their hands clasped in their hands, and bowed their heads until they had passed before leaving. This was the rule set by Duan Xinyan's assistant steward, Uncle Liao, for the servants.

Min has been in control of Prince Pingnan's Mansion for many years. She seems out of touch with Duan Xinyan, but under the subtle influence of her mother, she has her own way of subduing the servants and what she says is very reasonable.

Duan Xinyan told Jian Ning that things were different now than they had been in the county government. Now that she had a large family and a large business, there was no order without rules. The master was the master, and the servants were the servants. If she was too lenient with the servants, those cunning ones would bully her. Rather than punishing them after they had caused trouble, it was better to establish rules from the beginning. A balanced system of rewards and punishments was the way to run a household.

Jian Ning was really impressed by her. It showed that fully understanding a person was not something that could be done overnight. Duan Xinyan had given her a big surprise.

With Duan Xinyan and her three dowry mothers managing the backyard at the Ding Mansion, and Cao's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law learning to manage things from the three mothers, everything in the mansion was perfectly organized. Jian Ning was now practically a hands-off manager, no longer having to personally handle any of the affairs within the mansion. She only had to bring Tian along and offer some advice for the Ginkgo Cream and Yunshan Cui. Between focusing on her pregnancy and entertaining guests, she had plenty of time and energy to devote to preparing Qiaofeng's dowry.

Jian Ning also prepared a boudoir for Qiao Feng in the mansion for her to stay in later. All the furnishings in the room were arranged by Duan Xinyan after she had reviewed them. Duan Xinyan personally held up the dowry list and read it to Qiao Feng: "Ebony gilt elephant bed with winding branches, small round sandalwood table with pear blossom and gold thread, a carved agarwood screen with four seasons auspicious wishes, a rosewood wardrobe with twenty-four carved panels, a satin box with a double oriole pattern in gold thread, a bronze mirror with double phoenix and diamond patterns, a green jade vase with a winding lotus pattern, a white jade cup with a hibiscus flower pattern..."

A total of sixty-eight loads.

Duan Xinyan finished reading the list and handed it to Qiaofeng. Seeing tears glistening in Qiaofeng's eyes, she raised her eyebrows, "Why are you crying? Compared to when I got married, we are so different. But I'm not at a disadvantage either. My mother bought me a house and gave me a dowry mother. After we move into our own house, my mother and eldest sister have promised to supplement my dowry. I will have everything you have. It won't be worse than yours, only better."

"Who wants to compete with you?" Qiao Feng's heart was in turmoil. Although she was the magistrate's daughter, she had never seen these good things since she was a child. She was so moved that she wanted to cry, but she was amused by her words.

"Silly boy, I know you won't compare yourself to me. Isn't this just a trick to amuse you? It's true that my elder sister loves you, but believe it or not, she loves me even more? In the future, the things she buys for my house will only be better than yours. This is the truth. I'm not comparing myself to you. I'm just telling you the truth."

Qiaofeng recalled the fight with Duan Xinyan in Danyang County Court. The two of them could be said to have known each other for a long time. Later, when Duan Xinyan followed Jian Ning and others to Xing'an County, she left her two dowry maids to her.

"Sister Yan...Master told me that you took the trouble to buy all of this for me. Thank you." Qiaofeng said as she stepped back two steps and wanted to salute her, but she held her back.