Although in Xinduli, this matter was kept very secret, and few people mentioned it.
However, Jiaren, who was present, knew the inside story, and Jiaxu, because his younger sister Baozhu was a witness, also knew it very well.
As the heir apparent Lu Zong had a large household, it was impossible to keep it a secret.
Therefore, all of them looked unwell.
Well, with so many people, all sorts of thoughts come together, and it's really not easy for nothing to go wrong when they're all gathered in one place.
In the past two years, flower viewing parties have actually become less frequent.
But time is the best healer; it can heal everything and also make you forget everything.
So since the beginning of spring this year, families have gradually started to get lively again.
Flower appreciation banquets, poetry gatherings, tea competitions, birthday banquets, and so on—the names are varied, but the purposes are basically the same.
That is... arranged marriages, matchmaking, and matchmaking events!
Tianwu did not have a family planning policy, and families like the Li family that did not take concubines were extremely rare. Therefore, there were plenty of legitimate sons and illegitimate daughters in every family.
There is no legal age for marriage here. It is common for people to start looking for each other at the age of thirteen or fourteen and get married at the age of fifteen or sixteen.
Young ladies and gentlemen can endure the loneliness and refrain from admiring flowers and going out for fun, but the ladies of the household cannot.
After all, the daughters of every family are hidden deep within the four corners of the inner quarters. If they don't "trick" people out, how can they find suitable partners for their sons?
Jiayin guessed that the Gu family's flower viewing banquet would follow the same pattern, so she called Shuiling and instructed her, "Pick a basket of peaches and send it to Miss Gu. Also, ask how many guests there will be at the flower viewing banquet the day after tomorrow."
Shui Ling loves running errands, so she immediately agreed cheerfully and rushed downstairs to make the arrangements.
For some reason, Xingxing still wanted to go play with Shuiling, but Jiayin stopped her.
She pulled out her ever-present self-defense dagger from her calf, quickly peeled a melon rind, and carved a cute little pig. This successfully won over the chubby boy, who clapped his hands and showered her with flattery.
"Auntie is the best! Auntie is the most amazing!"
Jiayin gave him a big kiss on his chubby cheek, finally understanding why her family had been so willing to tease her back then.
Chubby kids are so adorable!
Baozhu, seeing this with envy, moved closer, wanting to get a bite too.
Unfortunately, the chubby boy was very clever. He turned around and buried himself in his aunt's arms, leaving only his chubby body outside, looking like a white worm.
This prompted Baozhu to gently pat him, feigning anger as she said, "Hmph, if you won't let me kiss you, I won't let Daju play with you!"
Through her aunt's arms, Xingxing watched as the orange cat stood up and tried to grab the shrimp on the table, licking its lips greedily. It was so funny...
Needless to say, in the end, Xingxing's cheeks were smacked on both sides before he was granted the "right to use" the orange cat!
Jiaren, Lu Zong, and Jia Xu watched the excitement while grilling skewers; the rooftop was truly a scene of joy and harmony.
Before long, Yueya'er from Madam Wen's family, with red eyes, was also brought over by Sister-in-law Qiong.
It turned out that the little girl woke up to go play with the stars, but couldn't find her brother, so she cried sadly.
Jiayin quickly put her and Xingxing together, let them eat fruit and pet the orange cat, and soon the little girl was laughing.
Xingxing was only twenty days older than Yueya'er, and according to seniority, he should be Yueya'er's nephew, but he acted like an older brother and took good care of Yueya'er, which made everyone's hearts melt.
Halfway through the meal, Shui Ling returned.
Just as Jiayin had guessed, the Gu family's flower-viewing banquet was actually a matchmaking event.
Of course, with Dean Gu acting as guarantor, this "matchmaking banquet" had a very high purpose, and the invited ladies and gentlemen all had very good reputations.
Anyone with questionable morals or a poor reputation is not on the guest list.
Moreover, the daughters of noble families could be accompanied by their mothers to the banquet, which made people feel even more at ease.
Most importantly, Baozhu, Jiaxu, and Luzong were all among those invited.
Jiaren was relieved and encouraged his sister to go and have some fun.
Most girls want to go out more as they get older, but his sister is the complete opposite.
When she was little, she always wanted to go to the city or Luo'an. But after the Princess's Mansion was built in the last two years, she became more secluded and rarely went out. Every day she went between the Princess's Mansion and the old house.
This is a rare opportunity, so let's just let my sister get some fresh air.
Jiayin thought about it and realized she wasn't too busy lately, so she decided to go to the matchmaking event to join in the fun.
So, everyone happily decided to meet at the Gu family's flower-viewing banquet the day after tomorrow.
The charcoal fire glowed red-hot, and everyone ate with gusto, their mouths greasy with oil.
When Xingxing and Yueya'er got tired of playing, Jiayin coaxed them back to the old house to find their respective mothers.
Then, she took out a jar of homemade grape syrup, which was chilled and refreshing. It tasted absolutely amazing with the grilled skewers!
As the sun began to set, Jia Xu supported Baozhu, with Lu Zong following behind; all three of them swayed slightly.
The aftereffects of grape syrup are really strong!
The three of them were half-drunk, and after finally managing to climb into the carriage, Baozhu fell asleep immediately...
In his previous life, Jiayin had a title called the God of Wine. It's unclear which gene he inherited from his parents, but he had the capacity to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.
Two jin of baijiu (Chinese liquor) is the minimum order, and beer is drunk by the case.
But such boldness was really not like a girl's behavior, so she rarely showed off this skill.
He made a name for himself by knocking out the entire class at their college graduation dinner!
After unexpectedly arriving in Tianwu, it seems that her ability to drink without getting drunk also came along with her.
At this moment, her older brother was walking unsteadily and had gone back to sleep, but she was perfectly fine. She changed into a coarse cloth dress and went to check on the medicinal seedlings in the herb field, treating it as a post-meal digestion.
After the Princess's Mansion was built, fifty acres of nearby farmland were fenced off for growing medicinal herbs.
These fifty acres of land originally belonged to Dahuaishu Village, but Jiayin bought them easily at double the price.
In fact, the entire Broken Gold Beach was her fiefdom, which she requisitioned directly, and no one dared to say anything.
But farmers depend on the land; without the land, they lose their way to survive.
She didn't want to do something so domineering, and her family wouldn't allow it.
Therefore, she bought it at a high price and instructed the head of the village of Dahuaishu to prioritize recruiting people from these families to take care of the melon fields.
In this way, the families wouldn't lose their livelihoods.
Like the new village, almost all the fields in Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang, and Dahuaishu Village were planted with jade melons and golden fruits.
The melon vines are all produced by the space, so the melons that grow from them are naturally sweet and tempting, easily monopolizing the entire Tianwu market.
Besides the orders placed by wealthy families in the new city, the surplus was sent to the southern prefectures, where it also sold extremely well.
Therefore, the villagers of Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang, and Dahuaishu could each receive a hundred or so taels of silver at the end of the year.
The families who guarded and looked after the melon field received an extra ten or so taels of silver.
This is much more profitable than growing crops!
So instead of being saddened by losing their land, they told everyone they met how lucky they were...
In the medicinal herb field, a dozen or so boys wearing straw hats were busy weeding.
Upon seeing Jiayin arrive, they all bowed in greeting.
Jiayin waved her hand and asked, "Does the field need water for irrigation?"
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