Granny Lu nodded and opened the mahogany box again. Inside was a thick stack of silver notes, each worth five thousand taels. She counted them and found there were twenty of them.

Xu Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "So much, Granny! I never expected my grandfather to give me so much money."

Granny Lu said, "The Zhang family mainly does maritime shipping business. If they don't have enough money, their ships won't be able to run. Once the ships are running, the profits they make won't just be a few times, but dozens or even hundreds of times."

Xu Zhi said, "Grandma, I really feel like I've lost too much money on Grandma and Grandpa right now."

Granny Lu said, "They all hope that you can live a good life. In that case, young lady, you should work hard, do your job well, and make the old lady and the Marquis proud of you."

Xu Zhi felt a heavy weight in her heart, both because of her family's love for her and because of the unknown path she had chosen. Xu Zhi didn't know what awaited her ahead, but because of her family's love, she felt full of strength. She felt that she must move forward without hesitation and walk her path well.

Zheng Yuanyuan sat alone in the carriage at the back. She had a great time today. The older sisters of the Xu family took good care of her, whether it was during meals or when playing in the Xu family garden. Zheng Yuanyuan liked the older sisters of the Xu family very much.

Granny Wang sat in a carriage with her young mistress. Looking at the girl's flushed face from excitement, she felt a pang of sympathy.

This is something that young ladies from prominent families in the capital often do: accompany their elders to participate in activities at the homes of family friends or relatives. Girls of similar age can chat and talk together, and those who get along well often play together. Over time, they develop into close friends.

Girls need a few close friends. Even if they live in different places, they can write letters to each other to share their lives. The writer sends their blessings to the distance, and the recipient receives the blessings from afar. For both of them, receiving blessings from afar is something to look forward to in their daily lives.

Zheng Yuanyuan lost her mother at a young age and grew up with her grandmother. The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi had handed over all the affairs of the family to her daughter-in-law early on, and she herself spent most of her time in the Buddhist hall eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures. Zheng Yuanyuan followed the old lady and had no opportunity to participate in poetry gatherings, wine parties, tea parties, flower parties, and so on, so she naturally had no chance to make good friends.

Granny Wang looked affectionately at the corner of the curtain hanging above the carriage window, secretly peeking at the lively and elegant Zheng Yuanyuan on the street. After watching for a while, Zheng Yuanyuan lowered the curtain. Seeing Granny Wang watching her, she was a little embarrassed and said, "Granny, I'll just watch for a little while."

Granny Wang nodded and said, "Don't lift it too much, just enough so that people outside can see you, young lady."

Zheng Yuanyuan felt embarrassed to lift the curtain again, and said with a smile to Wang Mama, "Mama, the Xu family's sisters are so kind. They are gentle and take such good care of me. Sigh, I'm going to Yuezhou with my sister-in-law. Otherwise, it would be nice to come to the Yongning Marquis's residence often to chat with the sisters."

Granny Wang said, "When we go to Yuezhou, we should make friends with many officials and their families. The young lady will surely find good friends who share her interests."

Zheng Yuanyuan said, "But I still like the older sisters of the Xu family the most. I like the sixth sister the most. I think the sixth sister is the best among the sisters."

Granny Wang said with a smile, "Miss, you've only spent a short time with the Xu family's daughters, how can you know that their sixth daughter is the best among them?"

Zheng Yuanyuan said, "I feel that my sixth sister is a very reliable person. Being with her feels just like being with my brother. I feel very at ease."

As Wang Mama listened to her young mistress's words, she began to recall the Xu family's daughters. Apart from the second daughter who was already married and the third daughter who was preparing for her wedding, Wang Mama had a deep impression of the lively fifth daughter, Xu Tong. As for the sixth daughter, Xu Gui, whom Zheng Yuanyuan mentioned, Wang Mama only remembered that she was the elder of the twins.

Xu Gui and Xu Ju usually wear the same clothes. Even though they wear the same clothes, they look very similar. However, as they grow older, you can still tell them apart if you look closely. The older sister, Xu Gui, seems more composed than the younger sister, Xu Ju. This is Wang Mama's feeling. However, because she has never had direct contact with her, Wang Mama can't quite understand what Zheng Yuanyuan meant by the feeling that made her feel at ease.