Chapter 1480: Housewarming Ceremony Part 3
As they were talking, they had already walked around to the garden. Tea and snacks were already set out in the pavilion. Zhou Lijun had just asked someone to serve them, and when he turned around and saw the guests, he hurried to greet them.
Manbao introduced her to them, "This is my second niece."
They were not surprised to see Manbao calling a girl older than her "niece". In a large family, it was common to see eight-year-old uncles and forty-year-old nephews.
After sitting in the open pavilion, Mrs. Tang asked her who she had invited.
Man Bao said, "I invited some friends I know. Besides you, the only female relatives are my friend Sister Fu, and a few young ladies from the Liu, Li, and Wang families."
They were all formally met in the palace last time. Before that, she had visited their homes for medical treatment, but they had never spoken much.
Mrs. Tang felt relieved when she heard this. She thought that these were all girls she knew, so their personalities couldn't be that bad.
Mrs. Tang was about to ask for more details when Zhou Liru came in and said, "Aunt, my second sister asked me to tell you that the second young lady of the Fu family is here."
Manbao's eyes lit up, and he said to the others, "I'll go pick someone up, you guys go play first."
After saying that, he ran away.
Mrs. Tang smiled and shook her head, then raised her teacup to signal to Sister Yin and the others.
Sister Yin smiled and raised her teacup to take a sip.
Fu Wenyun came alone. As soon as she met Manbao, she held his hand and walked in together, asking, "Why didn't you bring the child with you?"
"He's too young," Fu Wenyun said, "It's hard to take him out, so I left him at home."
She took her hand and said with a smile: "I thought I would come early to accompany you and leave after noon, but I didn't expect someone to come earlier than me."
Manbao smiled and said, "Mrs. Tang and the others live nearby, so they came quickly."
Fu Wenyun had never met Mrs. Tang and the others, so Manbao took her hand and introduced her to Mrs. Tang and the others.
There weren't many people there, and they were all Manbao's friends, so the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Zhou Lijun and Zhou Liru helped Manbao to welcome guests home. Liu Huan's sister Liu Lirong simply made an appointment with Wang Zhenshu, the young lady of the Wang family, Li Ming, the young lady of the Li family, and Han E and Cheng Wei, the young ladies of the Han and Cheng families, to come together.
They were all Manbao's good friends in the palace last time, and they often bought flowers from her afterwards. They were also the best friends with Princess Mingda, and they were of the same age as Manbao. So after Liu Huan got the invitation from Bai Shan to his sister last time, Manbao simply sent invitations to all of them.
They all came.
The three unmarried sisters of the Yin family were all familiar with them. After all, they often met at banquets, so they gathered together to talk.
Only four married women were left in the open pavilion: Madam Tang, Madam Yang, Sister Yin, and Fu Wenyun.
Li Ming turned his head to look at Changxuan, then pulled Manbao to ask, "Is Yang Heshu here too?"
Manbao nodded.
Li Ming's eyes lit up, and he asked in a low voice, "Is it really as beautiful as people say?"
Manbao was curious, "Haven't you seen him?"
Li Ming shook his head. "I used to live with my grandmother in my hometown. I only came to Beijing three years ago. I didn't even attend my cousin's son's hundred-day celebration last time."
Wang Zhenshu said, "I have two sisters who are a few years older than me and got married two years earlier. I heard that it's because of him that they are unwilling to talk to each other now. If they hadn't fought so fiercely back then, they might not have gotten the Cui family's daughter."
Manbao frowned slightly. "Xiaoxiong Yang is good-looking, but not this good-looking, right? There are many good-looking people in this world. Madam Yang is not ugly either."
"There are talented people in this world, and there are good-looking people, but it's rare to find someone who is both good-looking and talented, with excellent character and such an outstanding family background," Han E said with a smile, supporting Man Bao and Li Ming's shoulders. "You weren't in the capital when you were young, so you don't know how amazing Yang Heshu is. Look, he's good friends with Tang He now, but he's three years younger than him."
"Tang He was admitted to the Imperial College by imperial favor, but Yang Heshu got in on his own at a young age. When he was admitted, my father and my uncle beat all three of my brothers. I could hear my father beating and scolding them every day."
Man Bao was shocked. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Bai Shan also passed the exam to get into the Imperial College. I also saw their test papers last year. I think if I do the same test, I should be able to get in too."
So she didn't envy Yang Heshu at all.
Young ladies: ...I suddenly feel so angry.
Liu Lirong couldn't help but ask, "Can you play the piano?"
Manbao: "I've learned some. Do you want to play it? Bai Shan and I can borrow the piano. They have it."
"Then can you draw?" Li Ming: "I'm pretty good at drawing."
Manbao: “I learned a little bit.”
She paused and said, "Would you like to learn some medical knowledge from me? You never know, it might be useful in the future."
It seemed they couldn't compete academically, and the five girls were discouraged. Wang Zhenshu said, "I found the book you asked me to borrow last time in my study, but my father doesn't allow me to borrow it. I'm currently copying it and will send it to you when I'm done."
Manbao was very grateful.
The Wang family has the largest collection of books, but unfortunately, the Wang family also has many rules and attaches great importance to books. She has been to the Wang family three times, twice to see a doctor, and once to see Wang Zhenshu.
The last time Wang Zhenshu took her secretly into the study, the room was really full of books, which made her eyes go wide. Unfortunately, she was discovered quickly and ran away.
The other four girls didn't really like reading, so they couldn't join in their conversation. After they finished talking, Cheng Wei asked curiously, "Didn't you say your fourth and fifth sisters-in-law were here too? Why aren't they here?"
"Yes, I saw that the person who arranged the table in the guest house just now was Madam Bai. She is your future mother-in-law."
Manbao said, "My fourth sister-in-law is sick, and my fifth sister-in-law is also a little weak due to traveling, and she has to take care of the children, so she won't be out today."
After all, these young ladies are very fragile. What if they get sick?
Manbao said, "Next time you come, I'll introduce them to you."
Fourth Sister Yin looked around and saw that no one had arrived, so she couldn't help but ask her, "Are we the only female guests today?"
Manbao thought for a moment and said, "You are the only ones I invited. I wonder if there will be any female guests coming to the party that Bai Shan and the others invited earlier. If there are, my niece and the others will bring them here."
Fourth Sister Yin breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I think it's quite fun to have just the few of us. It's more relaxing."
Cheng Wei: "Yes, there were so many people at the last Hundred Days Party at Minister Li's house that the garden was filled with people. I had never seen many of them before."
Li Ming: "Just tell me what a mess it is. Forget about you. As the host, I'm dizzy. I don't recognize many people. I've been dragged around by adults all day to greet people. Many of them are family members who came to the capital for the exam."
The few of them chatted freely, and the topic gradually drifted away. Cheng Wei even nudged Fourth and Fifth Sisters Yin, winking and saying, "You're getting married in June. Since you're here today, why not let Manbao take a look at you? That way, you can have a son once you get married."
See you at 8pm
(End of this chapter)
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