When Xia Daohua opened the envelope, she found a piece of exquisite gold-sprinkled paper inside, which also had the scent of orchid incense.
It turned out that Xie Fanglan, the seventh daughter of the county magistrate, was planning to hold a flower-viewing banquet on the Flower Festival on February 15th, and had specially sent out an invitation to Xia Daohua to attend.
Xia Daohua was a little surprised. The seventh daughter of the county magistrate didn't seem to have any relationship with her.
She looked through the customer information records and found that this Miss Seven was the first customer to buy something from the store on the opening day, except for the opening guests she invited.
The slender young lady with a veil on her head, followed by two maids.
Why would she want to invite herself to a flower viewing party?
Xia Daohua suddenly became interested.
However, she had never attended such a banquet in this time and space before, and she wondered if she would make a fool of herself. However, on second thought, whether she made a fool of herself or not was not a big deal.
After all, my soul is that of an adult. Would I care about what some children think?
She tried to search her memory for the novels she had read and the web pages she had browsed in her previous life, but it seemed that there were no detailed descriptions of the etiquette of this kind of banquet...
Forget it, let it be!
Thinking this way, Xia Daohua prepared a set of balsam gift boxes of flowers of the four seasons as souvenirs.
The gift box was specially made by Xia Daohua. It was made of thin wood, painted red and engraved with hollow flower patterns.
Inside were twelve small round iron boxes.
Twelve different kinds of flowers are printed on the lid of the small iron box, which are lifelike and extremely exquisite.
In the small iron box, there are twelve kinds of balms with different fragrances, soft textures and colors.
Xia Daohua thought that since it was a flower-viewing banquet, the souvenirs she brought should be related to flowers and should be appropriate!
On the day of the Flower Festival, Xia Daohua arrived early at the venue of the flower viewing banquet with some souvenirs. The county magistrate's home was located in the suburbs of Jixiang County: Xianmei Garden.
With the post in hand, I easily entered the garden.
The Xie family had a young maid, who had just grown her hair. She walked in front with a well-behaved and lovely face. Xia Daohua followed the maid and soon saw a large field of plum blossoms in full bloom.
In the sea of fragrant snow, plum trees are planted everywhere. When the flowers bloom, they are fresh, crystal clear, fragrant, and white as snow.
When Xia Daohua saw such a beautiful scenery, she couldn't help but admire it.
Speaking of the garden art of the ancients, one really can't help but be impressed. The county magistrate was just a county magistrate, yet he could decorate this villa so beautifully.
If it were the homes of princes and nobles, I wonder what a breathtaking scenery it would be.
After passing through the plum forest and walking into a nine-winding corridor, passing by three rockery, two water bodies and four pavilions, we finally arrived at the banquet venue.
When Xie Fanglan saw Xia Daohua, she hurried over to greet her:
"Madam Xia."
"Thank you, ma'am."
The two of them each smiled and happily bowed to each other, arranged their seats in order of host and guest, and then sat down to drink tea and talk.
The little maid who had just led the way turned around and left quietly when she arrived at the place.
A maid who was older, with two buns on her head, wearing a uniform lake blue shirt, an autumn-colored bodice, a moon-white embroidered skirt, and a thin blue corset, came up to make tea, pour water, set out tea and fruit, and serve diligently.
When Xia Daohua saw this behavior, she couldn't help but think of the costume TV dramas she had watched in her previous life.
Xia Daohua placed the souvenirs she brought with her on the table and pushed them towards Xie Fanglan:
"Since it's a flower viewing party, I'll join in the fun. The little things in the shop aren't worth much, they're just for the occasion. If Madam Xie has any particular fragrance you like, you can tell me and I'll have them make it later."
Xie Fanglan took the gift box with a smile and praised, "Mrs. Xia, this is so thoughtful. But we'll have to visit each other often in the future, so I hope you won't spend so much money."
Not many of the guests invited by Xie Fanglan have arrived yet, and Xia Daohua is the first one to arrive.
Xie Fanglan talked to Xia Daohua for a few words, and then someone else came. She stood up again, took two steps forward to greet them warmly, generously and politely.
It took a full quarter of an hour before all the young ladies finally arrived.
Among the last wave of people, Xia Daohua actually saw a very familiar face.
It is said that she is a royal relative, a little princess who is very much favored by the current emperor.
When Xia Daohua saw the little princess, she had a vague idea why she was invited.
This little princess appeared in Beiguan Town more than two months ago.
She was one of Gu Mingzhen's two younger generations, but at that time, she was dressed as a man.
After all, he was just a child and didn't talk much. Xia Daohua didn't realize at that time that this person was not a young man, but a young lady.
The young princess's name was Gu Shanrou. When she saw Xia Daohua, she smiled and asked her, "Sister Xia, are you having a good time in Jixiang County? Are you used to it?"
Xia Daohua nodded: "Not bad. Jixiang County is a good place."
Gu Shanrou smiled and said, "I heard Sister Xia opened a shop called Daohuaxiang? Is business going well?"
Xia Daohua could tell that the young princess' words were filled with pure concern, so she smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern. Thanks to you, the store is doing well. It's only been open for a little over two months, and we're already breaking even."
Gu Shanrou smiled and said, "Sister Xia is really capable. I also have a yard nearby and I come here to escape the heat in the summer. If you have free time, please come and visit me often."
Summer Rice Flower replied, "Yes. I hope you don't mind the noise of the rice flowers."
When others saw how kind Gu Shanrou was to Xia Daohua, they couldn't help but pay some attention to her.
The others were regulars, while Xia Daohua and Gu Shanrou were newcomers. However, Gu Shanrou was wearing the official dress of a princess, so her identity was immediately apparent.
Xia Daohua was wearing very simple civilian clothes, so everyone began to speculate about the background of this unfamiliar young lady.
When people heard that Xia Daohua opened a shop, they thought she was a merchant and couldn't help but look down on her.
Xia Daohua didn't explain either.
She can't control what others think, nor does she mind.
There's no need to put in that effort.
If they were compatible, they would naturally become friends. If someone looked down on her simply because of her status, she was probably not someone worth making friends with.
Xie Fanglan's attitude towards Xia Daohua was warm and generous, and there was no sign of dissatisfaction or contempt on her part.
Xia Daohua felt that this trip to the banquet not only allowed her to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but also allowed her to meet Xie Fanglan and Gu Shanrou, which was already a very rewarding experience.
Seeing that everyone was present and those who knew each other had spent some time chatting with each other, Xie Fanglan stood up and invited everyone to walk together to appreciate the flowers, and then sit down to listen to the opera.
There were more than a dozen young ladies, and except for Xia Daohua, each young lady was accompanied by one or two maids. The huge group of people walked towards the depths of Xianmei Garden.
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