When Xu Di returned, he saw Zhang Zhaoci and Granny Lu quietly taking orders.

There were cotton-padded coats, cotton-padded hats, and even cotton-padded gloves. Xu Di picked them up and looked at them, then asked, "What are you going to do with this?"

Zhang Zhaoci said, "I sent them to your cousins. It's been getting really cold these past few days, and the cotton-padded coats I made a while ago were a bit too thin, so I had someone make a thicker one and send it over."

Xu Di asked, "When are my grandpa and the others arriving? It's been so long, why haven't they come back yet?"

Zhang Zhaoci said, "It's not that easy to come back from there. We've been in the south for so many years. Not to mention how many people have been added, don't we need to take good care of our family businesses and servants?"

Xu Di said, "It's already the twelfth lunar month. If we don't come back soon, we'll miss the New Year."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "I asked your eldest uncle, and he said your maternal grandparents are coming back for the New Year. If you have time these next few days, could you help me prepare some New Year's goods to send over?"

Xu Di said, "Mother, can't you think of something to give her yourself?"

Zhang Zhaoci said matter-of-factly, "I'm thinking about what kind of medicinal herbs to send."

Xu Di was speechless. His mother had always been impatient with housework. Once, when Xu Di was in junior high school, Dr. Zhang had a rare day off and said she would stew a chicken for Xu Di. After buying a cleaned chicken, Dr. Zhang put the whole chicken in the pot to stew.

It was from that time that Xu Di truly realized that he was different from other children. Other children only needed to open their mouths and wait for their parents to feed them, but what about his family? In other families, the mothers took care of most of the housework and cooked excellent meals, but in his family? When his father was home, it was okay, he could eat ordinary home-cooked meals, but if his father was not home and only his mother was home, he still had to cook for himself if he wanted to eat something he liked.

It was from that time that Xu Di began to practice his cooking skills diligently, and he learned to cook well by following several chefs from different regions.

Xu Di nodded and said, "I understand, Mother. Don't worry, I will definitely handle this matter perfectly."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci turned around and took out a thick stack of silver notes from a box on her dressing table in her room. She said, "I haven't sent any festival gifts to my parents' home for many years. You can decide what to do. Go and have a good talk with your uncle. Whatever it is, whether it's food, drink, clothing, or accessories, get everything you need. If you don't have enough money, just come and ask me for more."

Xu Di looked at the stack of five-hundred-tael silver notes and said, "Mother, it's rare to see you spend so much."

Zhang Zhaoci sighed and said, "How can you make a banknote show its value? You have to buy something with it to know its value. If you just leave it at home, it's just a pile of waste paper."

Xu Di said, "It's fine if you only talk about it with me and Granny Lu, but if you say it to other people, they might beat you up."

The joke made Granny Lu laugh so hard she bent over. She had been with the Xu family for so many years, and it was rare to see this family always smiling no matter what risks they faced, and able to joke around in any situation. Such composure in the face of honor and disgrace was the most difficult thing to achieve.

Xu Di watched as Zhang Zhaoci and Granny Lu packed the cotton-padded clothes into different bundles, each with a name written on it. He said, "I'll deliver them to them first thing tomorrow morning and also check on our Xu Xiaobai. He's gone from being a day student to a boarding student. I wonder if he's adapted well and if he's been homesick and crying."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "You shouldn't always criticize him like that. Although he is young, the younger the child, the more they care about their reputation. Moreover, when faced with something that makes them lose face, they don't have a good way of managing their emotions, which can easily lead to psychological problems."

Xu Di waved his hand and said, "I know, I know."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "By the way, when are the people who went to Hexi to deliver the things leaving? I prepared some things for the Li family, please take them with me."

Xu Di said, "We're leaving at noon tomorrow. They need to come back for the New Year, so we can't leave too late."

Zhang Zhaoci sighed and said, "The transportation is still inconvenient. I'll get everything ready later, and you can send it to me first thing tomorrow morning. There are also a few bolts of fabric for Yuexi to make clothes, so please write a letter explaining that."

Xu Di kept agreeing, saying that they would be getting married next year, and he was actually quite excited about it.

Xu Di is not a person who likes to compromise. For the first thirty years of his life, he was busy with his studies and work and felt that he did not have much energy to spend on dating. Therefore, he was always single. After finally graduating, he not only longed for his future job, but also longed to find a like-minded girl to spend the next few decades with and have a sweet romance. As a result, he had made plans, but he came to this era with his parents.

He was already in his teens, so naturally he couldn't bring up the topic of getting married. However, his mother wanted to arrange a marriage for him at such a young age. Xu Di thought this was unreliable, but if he didn't arrange a marriage quickly, someone might take advantage of him. It was at that time that Xu Di, who was only in his teens but had the mentality of someone in their thirties, began to seriously consider his future partner.

That's how it was in this era. Women weren't allowed to show their faces in public. They were confined to the inner quarters, bearing children, managing the household, and being filial to their parents-in-law. Given this, Xu Di wanted to find a girl who could support the family. He was the eldest son, and his parents would be living with him in the future. His mother was someone who didn't worry about anything, so it would be best if she could take over the household after he married into the family.

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