When Xu Lingyi came back in the evening, Shiyi Niang was playing the game of hiding things with Jing'er.

"Where is our Jing'er's rattle?" She teased Jing'er, "Go find it for mom."

Jing'er climbed to the corner of the kang with his butt raised and grabbed the rattle to show to Shiyi Niang.

Eleventh Lady gave Jin Ge'er a big kiss on the cheek and sighed, "You are so smart, why don't you say anything!"

Jing'er shook the rattle and smiled at his mother.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help feeling a little depressed.

Xu Lingyi went over and hugged his son.

"Why are you talking so early?" He said disapprovingly, "You are chattering and not steady."

"The Marquis is back!" Eleventh Lady got off the kang, smelled the alcohol on Xu Lingyi, and went to pick up the child. "There must be a lot of guests today, right? The Marquis must be tired after a day, go wash up!"

Xu Lingyi held his son tightly and said, "Let's go later. Play with Jing'er first!" Then he threw Jing'er into the air and caught him again.

Jing'er was giggling, and he was so happy that it was hard to tell.

Although Eleventh Lady knew that Xu Lingyi had a steady hand, her heart was tense.

"My Lord, go wash up!" She stood nervously by the side, "Jin'er is too excited to play, it's time for him to stay up again!"

After hearing this, Xu Lingyi gave up and handed his son over to Shiyi Niang.

Jing'er kept yelling at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi had no choice but to touch his head and said, "Let's play again tomorrow."

"Your Majesty will have to entertain guests tomorrow." Because the wedding was held at the Yongping Marquis's Mansion, all the people with connections in the palace sent gifts, and the Third Master was not at home, so Xu Lingyi took charge of the overall situation and entertained the guests. "You can't just promise a child casually. He won't understand now, and when he grows up, he won't trust us as parents."

"Got it!" Maybe because he had drunk some wine, Xu Lingyi was not as serious as usual. He smiled and pinched Shiyi Niang's nose. "Why are you so talkative? The housekeepers will take care of the housework. I will play with Jin Ge'er tomorrow morning before going out to meet the guests. Anyway, the wedding is scheduled for the beginning of the Hai period. As for you, find an excuse to have a good rest. The newlyweds will make a fuss until dawn if you are not careful. You still have to recognize the relatives the next day."

Eleventh Lady said “hmm”.

Xu Lingyi went to the bathroom.

When I came out, Shiyi Niang and Jing'er were no longer in the room.

Qiu Yu hurriedly said, "Madam has gone to coax the Sixth Young Master to sleep!"

Xu Lingyi nodded, went to bed and read most of the travel book before Shiyi Niang came over with a tired look on her face.

"Jin'er has fallen asleep!" Feeling a little guilty, he lifted the corner of the quilt to signal Shiyi Niang to go to rest quickly.

Eleventh Lady pointed to the royal blue robe with a cloud pattern and a round flower hanging on a black lacquer hanger with a Pixiu hat and said, "That's the dress the Marquis will wear tomorrow."

Xu Lingyi's eyes couldn't help but fall on the small stool under the clothes rack.

On it was a pair of white silk socks, embroidered with several fine cloud patterns in royal blue and gold silk threads. It was luxurious and elegant, and it made people's eyes light up when they looked at it, and they knew that it was not an ordinary item.

"Stop sewing." He held Eleventh Lady's hand. "It's just a pair of socks. No one else can see it."

If she were to walk around at night in brocade clothes, it would be a waste of her good craftsmanship, and it would be a pity for her to wear them herself.

But it’s not that no one noticed.

Yesterday, Zhou Shizheng asked him who made the socks. He was willing to pay 1,000 taels of silver to let him give the embroiderer to him, and said, "...you don't care about these things anyway."

Xu Lingyi was embarrassed to say that it was Shiyi Niang who made it, so he had to say that the embroiderer was making clothes for Shiyi Niang and also made two pairs of socks for him.

Zhou Shizheng was inevitably disappointed after hearing this.

Xu Lingyi's second wife likes to dress up and is well-known in the Great Zhou. To steal someone's embroiderer is as unkind as to steal someone's confidante.

"Didn't the Marquis say it was very comfortable to wear?" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "That's fine!"

That's true.

The socks that Shiyi Niang made for him not only fit his feet well, but also met his liking - not too exquisite, but not too casual either, which made him feel very satisfied.

When Eleventh Lady saw that he didn't say anything, she also went to bed in silence.

Seeing that she didn't talk to him, Xu Lingyi asked with concern: "Are you tired?"

"It's the third room's business. I'm not in charge of the household chores. I just watch the fun from the sidelines. It's not tiring." His tone was a little hesitant.

"What's wrong?" Xu Lingyi leaned against the head of the bed, posing as a deputy director.

Eleventh Lady turned over and looked at Xu Lingyi from her side: "What do you think about me taking over the household affairs?"

Xu Lingyi thought for a moment and said, "Is it because you feel uneasy watching your mother busying around?"

Eleventh Lady nodded and said, "I've thought about it. Zhun'er is ten years old this year, and Miss Jiang is only a month younger than him. In five or six years, even if we are not anxious, the Jiang family will be anxious. At that time, let Miss Jiang take charge of the household affairs. What do you think?"

Although she had not actively fought for it before, she had also devoted herself to it. This was the first time she showed that she did not want to be the head of the family.

Xu Lingyi said nothing.

Eleventh Lady also sat up: "Does the Marquis think it's inappropriate?"

Xu Lingyi thought for a moment and said, "Didn't I take Zhun Ge'er to climb the mountain a few days ago? He..." He stopped talking.

Xu Sizhun was very happy to come back, and told her with great interest where he had been, who he had met, and what he had eaten... Xu Lingyi didn't say anything when he came back. Eleventh Lady thought that things were going smoothly. Unexpectedly, the two people had completely different perceptions.

"What happened?" Eleventh Lady couldn't help but frowned.

Xu Lingyi pondered for a while before whispering, "Lao Dou's grandson is two years older than Zhun'er, so I won't talk about him. Wang Li's son is one year younger than Zhun'er, but he knows the principle of 'when there is something to do, the disciples should do the hard work'. He is good..." Xu Lingyi smiled bitterly, "When he was hanging out with those servants, he was talking and laughing, but when he met Lao Dou and Wang Li, he started to be timid..." His voice gradually became inaudible, but he could not hide his disappointment.

"Take your time!" Eleventh Lady had no choice but to comfort Xu Lingyi, "Maybe Wang Li's son is a special exception!"

Xu Lingyi had never lost to anyone in his life. Even when he was at a disadvantage occasionally, he always felt that he would get back on his feet one day. It was only after he met Zhun Ge that he felt unsure.

He sighed, "Go to sleep! We'll be busy tomorrow."

Eleventh Lady put her face on his back and hugged his waist.

* * * * * *

The next day, a banquet was held, firecrackers were set off, and the sedan chair was moved. Everything went on in an orderly manner.

After the bride came in and drank the wedding wine, the Fifth Lady took Eleventh Lady to see the bride.

The housekeepers and maids were all standing under the eaves of the new house, and the Gan family's aunts and uncles were already in the new house. There were people everywhere, and the festive atmosphere was overwhelming.

As soon as Eleventh Lady and Fifth Lady entered the courtyard, the clever housekeeper loudly announced, "Fourth Lady and Fifth Lady are here!"

There was an endless stream of greetings from "Fourth Madam" and "Fifth Madam" and the sounds of people bowing and kneeling, and even the blocked door of the new house made way for a path.

Eleventh Lady and Fifth Lady nodded slightly and walked into the bridal chamber side by side.

Some familiar people from the Gan family came over to say hello, while some unfamiliar people stood there, either smiling reservedly, or shrinking into a corner, or taking the initiative to come forward and say hello.

After Eleventh Lady, Fifth Lady and the Gan family's relatives had paid their respects, they had the chance to look at the bride.

No wonder the third lady agreed to this marriage.

The bride was in her prime, like a newly-bloomed magnolia, and her gentle and graceful temperament was not something that could be cultivated by an ordinary family. It was obvious that the Fang family had carefully taught their daughter.

In terms of temperament, Xu Siqin and Fang were a bit too high-class.

Seeing Eleventh Lady and Fifth Lady looking at her, the newlywed girl blushed like the morning glow, and she suppressed her shyness and said softly, "Please don't blame me, aunts. I will kowtow to you twice more tomorrow morning."

You cannot get down from the bed while sitting on it.

The Fifth Lady and the Eleventh Lady could not help but exchange glances, then smiled and stepped forward to hold the bride's hand: "My niece's wife is so beautiful. Could it be that my Third Sister-in-law is so anxious to marry her into the family before she can feel at ease?"

The bride's face turned even redder and she politely replied, "Thank you very much for your kindness, Aunt Fifth. I am not worthy of it."

Marrying to Yanjing from the unfamiliar Huzhou, facing an unfamiliar place and a new life, anyone would feel a little uneasy.

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "I am from Yuhang, but I had never been out of the house before I got married, so I don't know how far it is from Huzhou."

The bride's eyes suddenly lit up, sparkling like jade, adding an extra touch of brightness to her face.

She said softly, "I once went to Hangzhou Prefecture with my grandmother. Then I lived with my father for two years when he was in office. I have never been to Yuhang, but I seem to have read in a book that Tiaoxi River flows from Yuhang into the northeast of Wucheng County and into Taihu Lake. Our Huzhou..." When she said this, she realized that she had said something wrong, and there was a sense of guilt in her eyes. She said again, "Huzhou is bordered by Taihu Lake in the north, so I think it is not far from Yuhang!" After saying this, her expression was indeed a little more relaxed.

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "This is the first time I've heard of this. It's a pity that today is your big day, otherwise, I'd take the book and look it over with you, and I'd definitely be able to figure out how far Yuhang is from Huzhou!"

Fang smiled with her lips pursed, showing the elegance of a daughter of a wealthy family.

Madam Wu joked, "Now we can't finish eating all the fish jerky at home!"

Fang and Shiyi Niang smiled at each other, and the atmosphere in the room was very harmonious.

Someone brought a throne over for the two of them to sit on.

Eleventh Lady looked up and saw the two mothers who had sent her off to marry yesterday.

Fang introduced them: "This is Mother Cheng, and this is Mother Li. They both came here with me."

Eleventh Lady nodded at the two of them.

The two of them hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to Eleventh Lady and Fifth Lady.

Qiuyu and Hexiang, the maidservant beside Madam Wu, hurried forward to support the two mothers.

"Today is the eldest young lady's auspicious day. If you want to kowtow to us, this is not the right time!" The Fifth Lady smiled.

The Third Madam's happy smile could be heard from outside: "Sister-in-law, please slow down. I renovated the bluestone bricks in the yard in a hurry. I have a lot to do and I don't know if they are laid evenly. Be careful not to stumble."

All the relatives from the Gan family rushed over.

Eleventh Lady explained to Fang: "This is the wife of the Earl of Zhongqin."

Fang nodded slightly, obviously knowing this wife of the Earl of Zhongqin!

The Fifth Lady said softly to Eleventh Lady: "The new house is so small, let's go back first!"

Eleventh Lady didn't want to say anything more to Lady Zhongqin, so she smiled and nodded.

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I have to get an injection tomorrow morning, so the time for updating at noon is a bit tight. I'll find a chance to update it!

O(∩_∩)O~