Granny He and Shuiyun nodded in agreement. Granny He chimed in, "Our family is kind and honest, and our masters are also compassionate. We eat and dress well every day. If we don't do some work, we'll really be ashamed to stay at home."
"Yes, yes!" Shui Ling nodded vigorously. "I can eat two bowls of rice in one meal. My mother complains that I eat too much, but the old lady is always worried that I'm not eating enough. She wishes she could give me another bowl. Our family is so good. I don't want to go back to Zhengjiazhuang!"
"Don't talk nonsense, you've been here for months. You should go back and let your families see you and have a proper New Year's reunion." Tao Hongying glared at Shui Ling reproachfully, which made Shui Ling stick out her tongue.
Shuiyun, however, smiled innocently and whispered a request, "Fourth Madam, my father likes to eat duck. When we go back, could you please roast two ducks for me? I can pay for them..."
“Sure,” Tao Hongying agreed immediately. “We need to eat at home too, and we’ll have to use the oven every time, so it’s easy to bring two extra.”
"Also, let's not talk about money. You've always taken good care of Fu Niu'er, and I was thinking of giving you something in return. Since you want roast duck, it saves me the trouble of choosing something."
Shuiyun quickly thanked them, and everyone laughed, while their subordinates became even busier.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the courtyard. It turned out that the Marquis and Li Laosi, with a few personal guards, were rushing back under the moonlight.
Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying quickly prepared the meal, while Old Lady Li and the others welcomed the Marquis and the Fourth Prince into the house.
Jiayin was tired from playing with her brothers all day and had just taken a nap. Now, she rubbed her eyes, hugged her father, and sat next to the Marquis, yawning.
The Marquis ruffled the little girl's hair and took out a fist-sized luminous pearl from his bosom.
Even with candlelight in the room, the faint glow of the luminous pearl could not be concealed.
Jiayin was overjoyed and rushed over to hug him, almost drooling.
Although scientific research in my previous life said that luminous pearls emit radiation and that prolonged exposure can easily cause illness.
But no one can resist such a bright and beautiful super-sized "pearl"!
At most, I'll put it in my online space and take it out to play with occasionally.
Jiayin made up her mind and clung to the luminous pearl even more tightly.
Old Lady Li felt it was too precious and asked the Marquis, "Such a fine thing, shouldn't it be sent to the palace?"
The Marquis waved his hand dismissively and said with a smile, "This was just something I took from the palace. I heard it was a beloved possession of a princess from the previous dynasty. I had it enshrined in a temple for forty-nine days to clear away all karmic debts before bringing it back."
Old Mrs. Li was both amused and exasperated. "The Emperor is pitiful. All the good things he has are taken away by his cousin. In the future, if we have any good things at home, we should send more to the Emperor. Otherwise, we will feel really guilty."
Everyone laughed, and Li Zhensheng said, "Don't worry, Mother, I'll go south again and bring back some good stuff."
Soon, Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru brought up the food: two large bowls of shredded pork noodles with poached eggs, a plate of meat pies, and two refreshing side dishes.
The Marquis glanced outside, and Zhao Yuru said, "Your Majesty, please eat with peace of mind. The personal guards have already sent Dongmei to deliver soup noodles and salted duck eggs."
The Marquis thanked him and then began to eat.
Jiayin sat between her father and godfather, holding the luminous pearl. She was busy taking bites of shredded meat and egg yolks.
She wasn't hungry at all, but it tasted especially sweet when it was shared like this.
You should know that what she's eating isn't just food, it's love...
The next morning, the whole family got up quickly and started sweeping, cleaning, and cooking.
Even the villagers carried brooms and swept the main roads and alleys inside and outside the village clean.
When the sun was high in the sky, Madam Liu arrived in a carriage, accompanied by her two sons, Zhimin and Xiujie.
Madam Cui had been waiting for them, and after picking them up, they went together to the Li family's residence.
Mrs. Liu had nothing much going on at home and was looking forward to soaking in the hot springs, so she planned to stay at the Cui family's house tonight and attend the wedding banquet tomorrow.
When Zhimin and Xiujie saw Jia'an and Jiaxi, they were overjoyed, like long-lost comrades finally finding their organization. They could have jumped for joy.
Grandma Li was afraid that the boys would cause trouble, so she simply sent them off to play around in the hot spring valley.
Soon, the Peng family's procession delivering the woodenware arrived, led by the wives of the two teachers from the academy.
They all have parents and in-laws living in their homes, and they also have both sons and daughters. Therefore, they are often invited to be the "blessing people" for weddings, helping with wedding processions and setting up the wedding bed.
With practice, they quickly finished decorating their new house.
With Old Lady Li in charge, Zhao Yuru (the mother-in-law) accompanying them, and Princess Jiayin in charge, the two women were treated to a lunch carefully prepared by Tao Hongying. Afterwards, the two women and the servants who carried the woodenware received red envelopes and returned to Luo'an with gifts from the Li family. They were quite satisfied.
The Li family breathed a sigh of relief and rested for the night, but the next day was even busier.
Jia Huan led his entourage to personally welcome them early in the morning. Jia Ren, Jia Yi, Liu Yang, along with Xiu Jie and Zhi Min, were all dressed in new clothes and accompanied them to make a grand entrance.
The journey back and forth was quite long, and the wedding procession finally returned in the late afternoon.
The Peng family wasn't particularly wealthy, but they had a certain family background, and Peng Wenjuan's mother had left her entire dowry to her daughter.
Therefore, Peng Wenjuan's dowry consisted of forty-eight loads, which was not particularly luxurious, but it was certainly not meager either.
With a flushed face, Jia Huan pulled off a large red silk ribbon and led Wen Juan into the house. After bowing to heaven and earth, she escorted Wen Juan into the bridal chamber and lifted her veil.
The bright red wedding dress and gold jewelry accentuated the bride's beauty, making her look even more stunning. Moreover, Wenjuan was already pretty and lively, and with this outfit, she looked like a fairy.
Jia Huan stared wide-eyed, wanting to say something to comfort Wen Juan, worried that she might not adapt well to the new environment. However, he was naturally clumsy with words, and even after training in the restaurant for so long, he still didn't know what to say.
Hui Niang led Jia Yin in from outside. Seeing Jia Huan like this, she smiled and came to her rescue, "Jia Huan, go out and offer a toast. I'll take care of things here."
Jiayin patted her chest and assured her brother, "Brother, you go ahead and do your work. I'll keep sister-in-law company. Don't worry, I'll have a great time with her!"
Jia Huan blushed deeply after being teased, rubbed his little sister's head, and quickly "ran away".
Hui Niang had Xiao Yue close the door, then helped Wen Juan take off her wedding dress, remove her heavy jewelry, and change into more comfortable everyday clothes.
Wenjuan thanked her shyly, but didn't know how to address Huiniang.
Hui Niang said, "From now on, just call me Aunt Yong. Your mother-in-law is busy greeting guests, and your fourth aunt is taking care of the banquet, so I'll be the one to take care of you."
After hearing about Jia Huan's family situation, Wen Juan immediately smiled and said, "Auntie, thank you for your hard work."
"It's nothing, just a small matter." Hui Niang held Wen Juan's hand and smiled. "The whole family welcomes you. Don't be afraid, you'll get used to it gradually."
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