On New Year's Eve, the family held a family worship ceremony, presided over by the Marquis, with the old lady in attendance.

This is the most important event of the year. The northernmost courtyard is used as the family's ancestral hall, where the heads of the Xu family throughout the generations are enshrined. The old lady, served by her two daughters-in-law, personally arranged the offerings one by one. The Marquis and the second master of the mansion, along with their nephews and nieces, offered incense, lit candles, and burned paper money for their ancestors.

Ning and her sisters-in-law served on the side, while Xu Di's generation of children stood outside the ancestral hall. On such occasions, the girls in the family were not allowed to participate. After the ancestral hall was tidied up, the family, young and old, began to kowtow under the guidance of the old lady.

The weather was cold. After kowtowing, the Marquis had someone send the old lady back to her courtyard. He himself, along with the men of his household, stayed in the ancestral hall until all the incense had burned out and they burned a lot of paper money in the brazier before everyone dispersed.

After the ancestral worship ceremony, the people in the mansion began to put up Spring Festival couplets. Every courtyard was bustling with activity. Everyone wore new clothes and the brightest hair ornaments, and tidied up their courtyards neatly.

After Xu Tong finished making it, he went to Xu Zhi's room.

Because Xu Zhi had been following Xu Rao to his post, she didn't have her own courtyard in the mansion. She had been living in the east wing of Zhang Zhaoci's courtyard. When Xu Tong came over, Xu Zhi was trying on her new clothes.

The new clothes were made by the best tailors in the capital, at Ning's behest. The finest fabrics were selected, and each of the young ladies in the mansion had a set made. The colors and styles of the fabrics were all from the same series, but no two were exactly alike. Girls all like their things to be unique. Ning herself had come from this period, so how could she not know this?

When Xu Tong saw Xu Zhi wearing new clothes, she noticed that she had taken off her pearl hair ornaments. On the dressing table by the kang (a heated brick bed), there was an open mahogany jewelry box carved with intertwined flowers, which was full of things and looked very precious.

Xu Tong and Xu Zhi were the closest, and they always spoke their minds. Xu Tong sighed and said, "I think you're the one who's doing the best in this family. You get to go to such faraway places with your parents. You're also the only girl in the family. Your third uncle and aunt have really been incredibly good to you."

Xu Zhi said, "Your fourth uncle and fourth aunt are very good to you too."

Xu Tong sighed and said, "My mother has been busy with my sister's wedding and hasn't had a proper conversation with me in a long time."

Xu Zhi said, "Getting married is a major event in one's life, so it's only right that Fourth Aunt is busy. Is Second Sister still locked in her room embroidering her dowry?"

Xu Tong said, "The nanny that Grandmother hired has been teaching my second sister a lot of things, but I don't know how much she can learn. I don't think she's very enthusiastic."

Xu Zhi asked in surprise, "What is Second Sister doing? She's getting married, why does she sound so unhappy?"

Xu Tong said, "Last night I went to see my second sister. She secretly told me that she was afraid of going to a strange place and living with a stranger. I think my second sister should meet the Feng family's son before getting married."

Xu Tong said, "Isn't this inappropriate? Meeting in private, before we're even married."

Xu Zhi said, "At least let Second Sister know what kind of person she's going to live with in the future, so she can feel a little more at ease, don't you think?"

Xu Tong said, "I don't think my mother will agree. My mother is a person who values ​​rules the most."

Xu Zhi said, "How about we ask my brother to help us find someone, and then we can take my second sister to meet them? Even if we don't talk, just seeing them and knowing what they look like would be good."

Xu Tong said, "Then do you think we should talk to my parents?"

Xu Zhi said, "Let me ask my brother if it's convenient for him. If it is, he can invite the young master of the Feng family out, and then we can take my second sister to sneak a peek."

Xu Tong said, "Actually, the young master of the Feng family has come over several times, but my second sister is unwilling to see him. She's unwilling to see him even in our mansion, so why would she want to see him outside?"

Xu Zhi frowned and said, "I think Second Sister must have her own ideas. Why don't you go and sound her out and see what she really means?"

Xu Tong shook her head and said, "I've been there several times, but my second sister doesn't really pay attention to me."

Xu Zhi sighed and said, "This is going to be difficult."

Seeing several maids busy outside, Xu Tong leaned close to Xu Zhi and whispered, "I think Fourth Sister probably won't be able to come out for the New Year this year. The couplets in her courtyard were put up by the two old nannies in the courtyard. This morning, my aunt sent someone to deliver clothes and jewelry, but there was no movement in her courtyard."

Xu Zhi said, "Fourth Sister has her own ideas."

Xu Tong said, "Do you know what happened to Fourth Sister?"

Xu Zhi naturally couldn't tell Xu Tongming, so she said, "I don't know. Fourth Sister's affairs are all arranged by my eldest aunt. How would I know? Fifth Sister, come and see, is there anything wrong with my clothes? I'll quickly alter them. I won't do any needlework in the first month of the lunar year. If I find out they don't fit tomorrow, I won't be able to alter them anymore."

Xu Tong had Xu Zhi turn around in front of her and said, "I think it fits perfectly. You're so particular. It's just a piece of clothing, why does it have to fit perfectly in every way? We grow so fast. If it fits us now, it will be too small in a few days. I think it's fine if it's a little big, so we can wear it until the spring season."

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