March 29th is Gu Jinyan’s birthday, and it is also the most important coming-of-age ceremony in a girl’s life.
Tian An rushed to Gu's house early in the morning, bringing gifts with her. She had promised Gu Jinyan that she would personally put on her makeup. In addition to the glazed eternal life lantern, she also prepared a three-layer fruit cream cake.
Tinglanyuan is Gu Jinyan's courtyard. Not long after Tian An arrived, several girls who studied with him on weekdays also arrived.
I was curious when I saw a gift covered with red satin on the table.
Wu Yufei said anxiously, "Sister Jinyan, what is this gift covered with red silk? It seems to have a faint floral fragrance!"
Wei Lingran also nodded and said, "Yes! It seemed to be there and not there. I searched for a long time before I found that it was coming from here."
Zuo Yunshu also said: "This scent is very fresh and elegant, a bit like the scent of orchids, but not entirely."
Song Zhiyun closed her eyes and carefully felt it before saying, "It's like the fragrance of flowers after the rain. It makes people feel very comfortable."
Gu Jinyan, who was dressing up, took a moment to glance at the things they were talking about and said, "That was the coming-of-age gift An An gave me. I haven't opened it yet! I don't know what's inside."
At this moment, Tian An was concentrating on painting the flower ornaments on Gu Jinyan's forehead. After finishing the last stroke, he said, "It's nothing, just flowers."
"Flowers?" several people asked in surprise.
Tian An nodded, "Yes, it's just that the blooming period of this flower is longer."
Zuo Yunshu raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Long? How long?"
Before Tian An could say anything, a little maid ran in and said, "Miss, the auspicious time is almost here. Madam sent this servant to ask if you are ready."
Gu Jinyan looked at Tian An, and when she nodded, she said, "Tell my mother that you are fine."
Then he stood up and said, "The auspicious time is almost here. Let's go out! We'll come back to see the gifts later."
Of course, they would not miss Gu Jinyan's auspicious time, so they all stood up and went to the main hall together.
After arriving at the main hall, Tian An and others returned to the guests below first, while Gu Jinyan stayed in the east room waiting.
All matters related to the coming-of-age ceremony have been prepared.
A maid said loudly, "The auspicious time has arrived. Please take your seats."
Because Lord Gu was on duty in Dingzhou and could not come, Madam Gu and Old Madam Gu welcomed them one by one and then took the main seat themselves.
"The coming-of-age ceremony has begun. Please leave the room."
Gu Jinyan slowly walked out of the room and knelt down to pay respects to Madam Gu and Old Madam Gu in turn.
Seeing them nod slightly, Gu Jinyan was kneeling on the mat.
"Please ask the main guest to perform the washing ceremony, and ask the assistant to prepare the makeup for the one who is about to get married."
The sponsor was Zuo Yunshu's mother. Mrs. Zuo, with a kind face and a proper smile, came up behind Gu Jinyan, combed her hair with a peach wood comb, and then tied it into a beautiful bun.
"Please ask the host to put on the hairpin for the one who is about to get married. The first time..."
Then four maids came to Gu Jinyan holding a tray for her crown and hairpin. A beautiful middle-aged woman whom Tian An had never seen before said sternly, "Today is an auspicious day for you to wear your first clothes. Give up your stubborn nature and become a good family man. Be gentle, respectful, frugal, and follow the rules."
Then he put a hairpin on Gu Jinyan, who was wearing a plain skirt.
Afterwards, Gu Jinyan stood up and kowtowed to her mother and grandmother. She returned to the east room and, with the help of Madam Zuo, changed into a long, curved-hem gown.
"Plus..."
The beautiful woman continued, "It is an auspicious month and a good day, and I am here to present my service to you. I will respect your dignity and be prudent in your virtue."
Then he put another hairpin on Gu Jinyan.
"Three plus..."
Gu Jinyan kowtowed to the beautiful lady who was the main guest, and then returned to the east room to change into a gorgeous long dress with wide sleeves.
"With the right year and the order of the month, all are blessed. Brothers are present to complete their virtue."
The beautiful woman finally put a hairpin on Gu Jinyan's head.
Gu Jinyan stood up and bowed to everyone, then knelt down and took the sweet wine handed to her by Madam Zuo.
"The sweet wine is rich, and the praises are fragrant. Bow and accept the offerings, and it will secure your good fortune."
Gu Jinyan knelt down and sprinkled some wine on the ground as a libation, then symbolically touched her lips with the wine. She then took the rice and tasted it.
The beautiful woman continued, "Now that the rituals are complete, let's choose an auspicious day in the month to announce your name... Gu's daughter, Gu Jinyan, will be named Ruolan."
This was Gu Jinyan's courtesy name. After thanking the beautiful woman, Gu Jinyan listened to Madam Gu's instructions and finally stood up and saluted everyone. Thus, the coming-of-age ceremony ended.
Mrs. Gu stood up and thanked the people who came to watch the ceremony. She invited everyone to eat.
Gu Jinyan's coming-of-age ceremony was a grand affair, with many ladies from various families in the capital in attendance. Aside from Zuo Yunshu and a few others, Tian An and Qin Yalan barely knew any of them. Luckily, the Gu family thoughtfully arranged for them to sit at the same table, but there were only six of them, so there were four other young ladies sitting at the table they didn't know.
With Zuo Yunshu and the others introducing them, everyone exchanged greetings, and while the atmosphere wasn't particularly warm, it was still acceptable. But some people are just born to be thorns.
A girl named Zhao, who was sitting opposite Tian An and was from the Duke's Mansion, started to speak in sarcastic tones after hearing about Tian An and Qin Yalan's family background, and openly and covertly mocked Qin Yalan's family background for not being worthy of such a banquet.
Everyone frowned when they heard this. Qin Yalan didn't want to cause trouble, so she didn't say anything. But when she saw Qin Yalan didn't say anything, she actually became more aggressive.
"Some people! Not only do they have poor family backgrounds, but they also have poor upbringing. When someone asks them questions, they don't even know how to respond. They're truly not worthy of being in public."
Tian An was slightly angry, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Wu Yufei say bluntly: "That's better than some people using chicken feathers as a token of authority and pretending to be powerful."
"You?" Zhao Qianhua's face changed, and she was about to lose her temper when she heard Miss Jiang from the Yongsheng Earl's Mansion next to her say, "Sister Zhao, today is Miss Gu's big day, let's not steal the show!"
Zhao Qianhua's expression suddenly changed, and she instantly put away her domineering look. She said timidly, "Sister Jiang is right. Qianhua was reckless."
This wave of operations surprised Tian An. Did she misunderstand? Could it be that the status of the Earl's Mansion was higher than that of the Duke's Mansion?
Since when has the young lady of the Duke's Mansion been required to be humble in front of the young lady of the Earl's Mansion? This world is too fantastical!
Seeing Zuo Yunshu and the others looking completely unfazed, Tian An became even more puzzled. However, now was clearly not the time to ask, so he decided to wait for another opportunity to ask them.
Tian An was just about to lower his head to eat his food, but he didn't expect the person opposite him to make trouble again.
Zhao Qianhua stared at her intently and said, "What are you looking at? You country bumpkin are really uneducated. You're wasting Madam Xiao's energy."
Tian An was stunned for a moment, with a look of astonishment on his face, and asked, "Miss Zhao, are you talking about me?"
Zhao Qianhua snorted disdainfully and said, "Who else can you blame? Is there anyone else here who is from the countryside besides you?"
Tian An was puzzled. "Miss, if I remember correctly, I haven't offended you!"
Unexpectedly, after hearing her words, Zhao Qianhua immediately got furious.
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