The Xu family of three lived in fear for many days until December, when they received a letter from Granny Lu instructing them to stop their investigation. Only then did Xu Di feel relieved.

Ever since Zheng Yuanyuan arrived in Hexi, Xu Zhi felt she had a new place to go. Originally, she quite liked going to the Li family, but now that the eldest daughter of the Li family was married, the second daughter, who was Xu Zhi's sister-in-law, was being kept at home by Madam Li to embroider her dowry. After Xu Zhi went there, she could only say a few words before being urged to do chores by the nanny hired by the Li family. After a few times, Xu Zhi was no longer willing to go.

When Xu Zhi returned, she complained to Granny Lu that people who were engaged and preparing to get married were really uncomfortable. She said that even the words spoken by Sister Li were being controlled. Xu Zhi said that she should enjoy life while she was still free from the shackles of marriage.

Upon hearing this, Granny Lu knew that these were words spoken by the eldest young master of the family, Xu Di, to Xu Zhi. Granny Lu even went to talk to Xu Di about it.

After hearing this, Xu Di sighed and said, "Granny, this doesn't sound nice. Think about it carefully, is it true? You see, before the engagement, young men and women can shyly express their admiration when they see a pretty girl or a handsome boy on the street. But after the engagement, they have to keep a proper distance."

Granny Lu said, "Stop right there. What do you mean by 'pretending properly'? How can that be considered pretending? Once the engagement is made, you have to prepare for the wedding. After the wedding, you have to take good care of the family. The man has to support the family, and the woman has to manage the household, be a good wife and mother. The two of you should love each other, discuss things together, live your lives well, and raise your children well. Isn't that good?"

Xu Di said, "Granny, this is good. What I'm telling you is that before the engagement, everyone is quite lively. After the engagement, they can't be so lively anymore. They have to pay attention to their words and actions. The boys are fine, but the girls have to stay at home and embroider their dowry and learn manners. Isn't Yuexi like that? She's controlled by Madam Li all day long. When our Xiao Jiu gets to Yuexi's age, I feel quite sorry for her."

Granny Lu said, "My dear young master, I think you're just trying to confuse what I'm saying with something else. What I'm saying is, don't say anything outrageous in front of Ninth Miss in the future. It's fine to say whatever you want at home, but the problem is if something bad gets out and spreads. A girl's reputation is very important."

Xu Di said, "Granny, I know a girl's reputation is important. Don't worry, I promise I won't say it in front of Xiao Jiu anymore, okay?"

Granny Lu said, “Our Xiao Jiu is a good girl, obedient and well-behaved. We all like her, but for her future, she needs to learn many things now and do some things. It’s not easy for girls to live in this world. I know you all think that after Miss Jiu gets married, she will have to manage the household, help her husband, and raise the children. You think that when she’s at home, she should be as relaxed as possible. Young Master, since this is the path she will take in the future, we still need to let Miss Jiu learn some skills to support herself so that she can live a good life in the future.”

Xu Di listened and fell silent for a moment. What Granny Lu said made a lot of sense. It was one thing to understand it in one's heart, but whether or not to ask his sister to do it was another matter entirely.

Xu Zhi was naturally unaware that her brother and Granny Lu had said those words for her sake. After the twelfth lunar month began, she often ran to the Zheng family's courtyard with her little tail, Xu Bai.

Zheng Boyuan still returned every two weeks. Zheng Yuanyuan lived in that small courtyard with a few servants and her own governess. However, many things in Hexi were different from those in the capital, especially after the twelfth lunar month, such as how to prepare for the New Year and where to buy what.

Zheng Boyuan's eldest uncle gave several shops in Hexi to Zheng Boyuan and Zheng Yuanyuan. It just so happened that the shop was Xu Zhi's favorite place to go, where she could buy many things that she couldn't find elsewhere. Xu Zhi helped Zheng Yuanyuan hire a local cook from Hexi to help with cooking and preparing New Year's goods. Zheng Yuanyuan was grateful for Xu Zhi's help. The owner of the dried goods shop brought back a batch of dried seafood from out of town. With the help of her nanny, Zheng Yuanyuan prepared a four-colored gift box and, accompanied by her maid and servants, came to the Xu family to express her gratitude.

Zhang Zhaoci didn't mind at all. She was happy that her daughter had a close friend. Young girls don't always want to talk about things with their parents, brothers, or even people around them, but they like to talk to their friends. Zhang Zhaoci was very happy to have such a friend.

Zheng Yuanyuan was born with some congenital deficiencies and was quite weak since childhood. In addition, she did not have her own mother to take care of her. Although she lived with the old lady in the mansion, the old lady was old and could not take care of some things. She was about the same age as Xu Zhi, but she was half a head shorter than Xu Zhi and looked very weak.

Zhang Zhaoci looked at the small child, whose breathing was not very steady when he spoke. If he didn't take good care of himself, not only would he have some difficulty having children after he got married, but it would probably also affect his lifespan.

While Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan were talking on the kang (heated brick bed) with Xu Bai in the room, Zhang Zhaoci invited the nanny next to Zheng Yuanyuan over.

This nanny was found by Chen's eldest uncle. It was clearly stated that she would come to take care of the two children's daily lives, and that the two children would take care of her in her old age.

Many palace maids who reached a certain age left the palace and, for various reasons, became tutors for daughters of officials. Some of them would stay with the girls they had taught, accompanying them when they got married, so that these girls would take care of them in their old age. The tutor surnamed Chen next to Zheng Yuanyuan was in this situation.

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