Seeing that Yan Qingqing showed no sign of accepting the money, Old Mrs. Li hardened her heart and said, "I know that I have done many wrong things in the past, and I feel guilty towards you and your children."
Especially regarding Xinniang's marriage, we made a mistake, and I don't expect your forgiveness. But this is a small token of our appreciation from her grandfather and me; we hope you can accept it on behalf of the child.
Seeing this, Li Sanniu chimed in, "Second sister-in-law, since this is a small token of our parents' affection, please accept it."
Yan Qingqing remained silent. She could forgive Old Master Li, but no matter how much she tried to befriend Old Madam Li, Yan Qingqing could not forget what she had done.
The group looked at each other in silence, and the atmosphere became awkward.
Finally, Yan Qingqing spoke up, saying, "Since this is a gift for Xinniang, I have no right to interfere."
"Ruyi, go and invite the eldest daughter over. Tell her that the old master and matriarch have come to add to her dowry and ask her to come to the flower hall."
Ruyi nodded upon hearing this and immediately went to invite Li Xinniang.
Li Xinniang was feeling anxious because she was leaving for the capital the next day. She might never be able to return to Canghe Village, see her mother, or see her brothers and sisters again.
But she chose this path herself, and even if she finds it bitter, she has to swallow it.
Just then, Ruyi walked in, first bowed to Li Xinniang, and then said, "Eldest Miss, the old master and old lady have come to add to your dowry and have brought over a set of silver jewelry."
The lady said that whether or not to accept the jewelry is up to you, young lady.
Or, if you'd like, young lady, you can go to the flower hall to meet them.
Upon hearing this, Li Xinniang looked at Ruyi with sparkling eyes and asked, "Did my mother send you? Is she also in the flower hall?"
Ruyi didn't speak, she just nodded.
Seeing this, Li Xinniang said, "Alright, let's go to the flower hall now."
Actually, she wanted to take this opportunity to say a few words to Yan Qingqing, even just to see her would put her mind at ease.
When Li Xinniang arrived at the front hall, she saw that all the elders of the family were there and greeted them one by one.
Li Xinniang is leaving tomorrow, and Yan Qingqing didn't want things to get too awkward between mother and daughter. She nodded to Li Xinniang and said, "You're leaving home tomorrow. Your grandparents bought you a set of silver jewelry. Do you like it?"
Li Xinniang was furious upon hearing this. Ever since she got engaged to Wu Jingzhi, Yan Qingqing had rarely paid any attention to her. Even when she went to Yan Qingqing's courtyard to pay her respects, Yan Qingqing refused to see her eight out of ten times.
Today, Yan Qingqing actually took the initiative to talk to her. Li Xinniang replied with a sob in her voice, "Okay, I'll listen to you, Mother."
After saying that, he walked up to Old Mrs. Li and picked up the jewelry.
To be honest, given the Li family's current financial situation, Li Xinniang really didn't think much of this silver jewelry. Any of the jewelry sets Yan Qingqing had bought for her before were much more valuable than this. However, it was a token of the Li family's goodwill.
Moreover, for Mr. and Mrs. Li, being able to come up with such a gift must have cost them a considerable amount of their savings.
Not wanting to disappoint them, Li Xinniang smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma. I really like this set of jewelry. You've gone to so much trouble."
Hearing Li Xinniang's words, Old Master Li breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Li Xinniang would refuse to accept it, which would make things awkward for everyone.
Grandpa Li patted Li Xin's mother on the shoulder and said, "Grandpa knows you've always been a kind and good child. The journey to the capital is long, so you must take good care of yourself."
Li Xinniang nodded, moved.
Seeing that it was getting late, Yan Qingqing said, "Alright, you've accepted the gifts. It's getting late, and we have to set off for the capital early tomorrow morning. Everyone should go back and rest early."
After saying that, Yan Qingqing stood up and went back to her room. Grandpa Li and Grandma Li didn't want to stay any longer, so they left as well.
The remaining Xu Shi and Li San Niu exchanged a few more words of comfort before returning to their respective rooms.
The next day, at the crack of dawn, the Li family's courtyard was brightly lit.
Yan Qingqing also got up early. No matter what, she should be happy today because of the happy occasion in her family.
While washing up, Yan Qingqing asked Ruyi, "Have all the dowry lists been checked?"
Ruyi nodded and said, "It's all been checked. This servant and the young mistress checked it together."
In addition to the betrothal gifts from the Wu family, all the dowry gifts for the eldest daughter were also given to her.
In addition, the government provided 50,000 taels of silver notes as a dowry for the eldest daughter, and the eldest daughter's wife also contributed 5,000 taels of silver notes from her own pocket to add to her dowry.
Yan Qingqing nodded in agreement. She knew that Yuan Huiniang had always been a good person. Although she was a bit stingy at times, she was very decisive when it came to important matters.
Meanwhile, in Li Xinniang's courtyard, a whole yard of maids, servants, and young men stood waiting; they were all going to accompany Li Xinniang to the capital after her marriage.
Inside the house, Li Xinniang was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, and her mother-in-law, Quanfu, was combing her hair.
While combing her hair, she muttered, "Combing to the end, may your children and grandchildren surround you."
Comb through the second comb to the end, and enjoy all the glory and wealth.
Comb your hair three times until it's almost dry, and you'll be old and content, leaning on each other for warmth.
After Grandma Quanfu finished combing her hair, Yuan Huiniang, who was heavily pregnant, quickly thanked her.
Granny Quanfu smiled and said, "Young Madam, you are too kind. It is my honor to be able to comb the young lady's hair."
Yuan Huiniang simply smiled and didn't reply, but instead had someone invite her down to be properly entertained.
Just then, the maid Ruqiu hurried in and said, "Madam has arrived."
Ruqiu was one of the maids the family bought later, specifically to be part of Li Xinniang's dowry.
This girl was not only loyal, but also seemed clever, so Yuan Huiniang took it upon herself to promote her to be Li Xinniang's personal maid.
Li Xinniang was happy to hear that Yan Qingqing had arrived, but she was also a little nervous. Yuan Huiniang smiled and said, "Actually, Mother still cares about her younger sister."
When Yan Qingqing came in, she saw Yuan Huiniang, who was heavily pregnant, busy taking care of things, and told her to make sure she got some rest.
Yuan Huiniang readily agreed, and then, with great tact, said, "I'll go check the dowry list again. Mother, stay here and chat with your sister."
After saying that, he went out, and before leaving, he dragged Ruqiu out with him.
The mother and daughter used to talk about everything, but now they feel somewhat awkward with each other.
However, there were some things Yan Qingqing had to say. Soon, Yan Qingqing left Li Xinniang's room, while Li Xinniang's sobbing could be heard from inside.
Yan Qingqing did not look back. Some paths are chosen by oneself, and all she can do is make some predictions. As for whether she can walk this path well in the future, that depends on Li Xinniang herself.
The auspicious hour arrived quickly, and the Wu family's bridal sedan chair was already waiting at the door. Naturally, there were also quite a few people gathered to watch the spectacle.
Wu Jingzhi was thoughtful enough to come and personally fetch the bride.
After bidding farewell to Yan Qingqing, the two officially set off.
Li Xiang'an, who was escorting the bride from the Li family, was also dressed in a brocade robe, which made his handsome features even more striking.
After Li Xiang'an mounted his horse, Mu Xi led ten children, all around ten years old, to mount their horses in unison.
Their fluid movements were exceptionally beautiful; no one would have guessed that these ten seemingly young children were all highly skilled.
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