This was a small courtyard with three sections. After entering, Ning frowned, but remembering that it wasn't her home, she refrained from saying anything. Chen Zhaoci, on the other hand, turned around the screen wall and saw that the blue bricks paving the courtyard were uneven and that a lot of broken bricks had been used. He sighed inwardly.

Ning, however, remained standing in front of the screen wall, looking at the path paved with blue bricks. She said to Xu Shao, "Elder sister, go find someone to repave these bricks. We don't need to worry about other places, but this courtyard is where Xingge's wife will live, so everything needs to be tidied up."

Zhao Sixing had already received the news and came in from outside. Upon hearing Ning's words, his face immediately turned red. He had been living here recently and walked in and out of this passageway every day. How come he hadn't noticed that the passageway was not paved neatly?

Zhao Sixing blushed and bowed to Madam Ning. Madam Ning pulled Zhao Sixing aside and said earnestly, "Sixing, you're a boy, and it's inevitable that you'll sometimes be careless. Your aunt won't say anything, but you should quickly find some craftsmen and bring some blue bricks to properly prepare this area. Tomorrow is the wedding, and the bride will be moving into this courtyard. Many people will be coming to witness the ceremony, and we can't let them laugh at us because the path in the courtyard is difficult to walk on, can we?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sixing immediately sent someone to find the craftsmen. Ning Shi looked at Xu Shao, whose face showed some unease, and knew that her sister-in-law probably hadn't carefully helped Zhao Sixing prepare for the wedding.

Ning sighed, took Xu Shao's hand, and walked towards the backyard while whispering, "Little sister, listen to your sister-in-law. From now on, you, Xing'er, and Xing'er's wife will have to rely on each other in this family. To put it bluntly, you can't rely on Xing'er's father; you have to rely on this young couple. If they are bullied in the mansion, you should help them. And if you are bullied, they will naturally help you without you having to say anything."

Xu Shao responded softly. The group did not enter the main house, but instead entered the backyard through a moon gate on the east wall. There were three main houses in the backyard, and a wing room on the west side. Although the courtyard was small, it was clear that it had been carefully arranged. Further back, there was another moon gate. The small backyard had a row of covered walkways, which should have been where the servants lived.

Xu Shao led them back to the main house, which served as their new home. There were three main rooms and two corner rooms on either side. The east corner room was used as a washing area, and the west corner room was converted into a small study.

Inside the bedroom was a canopy bed and a kang (heated brick bed) built by the window. It was the typical decor of a typical Beijing household. Even the furniture was the kind that was popular in the capital, and the materials used for the furniture were not particularly expensive.

Seeing Zhao Sixing's new house, and thinking back to the new house she had decorated when Xu Di got married, Ning sighed inwardly. They were both eldest grandsons, but her own grandson was born to a concubine, yet their status in the family was so different.

The red lacquer boxes that Ning brought were already placed on the round table after entering the room. Xu Shao had someone serve tea to Ning and the others. After Zhao Sixing found a craftsman to come over, Ning called Zhao Sixing over and said to Xu Shao and Zhao Sixing, "These were asked to be brought by my great-grandmother, father, mother, second uncle, and second aunt. They are a small token of their appreciation for Xing-ge'er."

Upon opening the lacquer boxes, some contained jewelry, others jade, and the small box given by the Marquis contained several silver notes.

Zhao Sixing thanked Ning Shi, who smiled and said, "The day after tomorrow, you can bring your wife to our house and thank the elders properly."

A servant came over to report that the eldest daughter had returned.

The eldest daughter mentioned in this mansion is Zhao Siyan, who has already married into the Yang family of the Marquis of Zhongyong.

Zhao Siyan has been married for several years but has not had any children. Yang Siying has now been given a job in the Jinwuwei.

Upon seeing Zhao Siyan, Xu Zhi was startled. Her cousin looked even more haggard than the last time she saw her.

Zhao Siyan bowed to her aunts and then to her cousins ​​who had come with the elders of the family. Besides Xu Zhi, Xu Li and Xu Ju were also with the Ning family members who came with them.

When Xu Shao saw Zhao Siyan, a sad expression flashed across her face. She took Zhao Siyan's hand, wanting to say something, but perhaps because her family members were there, she was too embarrassed to speak. She just squeezed Zhao Siyan's hand tightly, her eyes slightly reddening. However, considering that they were in her brother's new house and that her aunts and cousins ​​were there, she forced back her tears.

How could Ning Shi not see the subtle tension between the mother and daughter? Thinking of the gossip she had heard about the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, Ning Shi sighed inwardly. Such a good girl as Zhao Siyan had truly married into a quagmire.

Everyone sat in Zhao Sixing's new house, drinking tea and eating snacks while commenting on the furniture in the room. Although it was made of very ordinary materials, it was made of the most popular styles in the capital at the time, so it was passable. However, it couldn't compare to the dowries of those noble ladies. They started saving for their dowries from birth, and they didn't know how long they had been saving up for the materials to make the furniture.

These pieces of furniture were all purchased by Zhao Sixing himself in the capital. Zhao Sixing had discussed it with Zhou Junhong. They decided to buy only usable furniture for the house and save money to buy an estate in the suburbs of Beijing, as well as some fields and woodlands. Zhou Junhong had been managing her household since she was a few years old, so she naturally knew how to run the business over the years.

After meeting Zhou Junhong a few times, Zhao Sixing felt that the wife his uncle and maternal grandfather had found for him was truly the one for him. She was dignified and capable, decisive and efficient, and most importantly, shrewd and capable. When it came to managing a household, she had a whole set of methods. If his mother had half the shrewdness of this daughter-in-law, she wouldn't have squandered almost all of her enormous dowry.

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