Yan Qingqing could roughly guess who Li Xinniang was in her heart, but although Wu Jing was a good person, in Yan Qingqing's opinion, he was not a good match for Li Xinniang.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing said to Ruyi, "Go and tell the Third Madam to tell Matchmaker Xie that if the Han family is interested, they should come over so I can meet them first."
Let them use business as an excuse; even if nothing comes of it, it won't damage either of their reputations.
Ruyi nodded and hurried off to find Madam Xu.
The Han family had been waiting for a letter from the Li family, but after several days they still hadn't received a reply, and they thought there was no hope.
Unexpectedly, Matchmaker Xie arrived at the door. Upon seeing Matchmaker Xie, Madam Han, without bothering with pleasantries, excitedly exclaimed, "Oh dear, Matchmaker Xie is here! Has the letter arrived from over there?"
Matchmaker Xie nodded and replied, "Mingzhao has sent word that we should go there in five days."
Let's use business as an excuse to let the two children meet first. If they're interested in each other, we'll discuss the next step. If it doesn't work out, we won't hurt the feelings between our two families.
Madam Han smiled and said, "Mingzhao is so thoughtful. To be honest, I've been quite anxious these past few days, afraid that Mingzhao would blame us for marrying above our station."
Matchmaker Xie laughed and said, "You're really overthinking it. Mingzhao is a very easy-going person."
"If you two could truly become in-laws, it would be of great benefit to your scholar husband."
Madam Han nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. Her family was considered a prominent family in Chengyang County, and their only son was a scholar.
If she could marry the eldest daughter of the Li family, it would be considered a good match, especially since she had heard that the eldest daughter of the Li family was capable of both business dealings and managing the household.
She is indeed the perfect choice to be the daughter-in-law.
After finishing their business, Matchmaker Xie got up to leave, but Madam Han smiled and handed her a purse, saying, "Thank you for making this trip, Matchmaker Xie. Consider this a small token of my appreciation for your tea. If the marriage between the two children goes through, you will certainly have to give me a thank-you gift."
Matchmaker Xie repeatedly said she dared not accept it, but still smiled and took the purse from Madam Han's hand.
The amount was quite substantial, estimated to be around two ounces. Matchmaker Xie was overjoyed, her smile widening. This trip was truly worthwhile.
Yan Qingqing had some free time and wanted to go for a walk in the mountains; it had been a long time since she had been up a mountain.
Since her family started their business, Yan Qingqing has rarely gone to the back mountain. However, the last time she went up the mountain, she discovered a century-old ginseng. This was the greatest blessing God had given her since she came to this era.
Who knows, this trip to the mountains might yield some great results.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing was full of energy and asked Ruyi to give her a small basket before heading up the mountain.
This time, Ruyi insisted on coming along, so Yan Qingqing had no choice but to take her with her.
As soon as she reached the door, she saw Mu Xi standing there waiting. Yan Qingqing asked in surprise, "Mu Xi, what are you doing standing here?"
Mu Xi replied, "Of course I'm waiting for you, Madam. I heard you're going up the mountain, so I'm going with you."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "No need, I know this mountain very well. You should stay and help Xiang An."
Mu Xi is a capable person. Not only is she skilled in martial arts, but she is also literate, making her an excellent helper.
Therefore, Yan Qingqing specifically asked him to assist Li Xiang'an, and as it turned out, Mu Xi handled every matter very well.
But Mu Xi shook her head and replied, "There's nothing wrong with the Second Young Master. Besides, protecting Madam is Mu Xi's duty. How could Mu Xi not follow Madam up the mountain?"
Seeing that everyone insisted on following her, Yan Qingqing said helplessly, "Alright, if you want to come, then come."
After saying that, he took the lead and walked towards the back of the mountain.
This season is when plants are lush and green, unlike the bare landscape at the beginning of spring.
As soon as Yan Qingqing entered the mountain, Xiao Mochen received the news.
So he instructed Lin You, "It's rare for my aunt to be in the mood to go into the mountains. Pass down the order for them to suspend training today and hide. Don't disturb my aunt."
Lin You quickly agreed upon hearing this.
However, Xiao Mochen could control people, but he couldn't control birds.
Little Black probably smelled Yan Qingqing's scent and excitedly barked in the forest.
Mu Xi remained calm upon hearing the shout, while Ru Yi was somewhat frightened. However, remembering that she was the madam's personal maid and that Mu Xi was there, she couldn't embarrass the madam, so she pretended to be calm.
Yan Qingqing felt a sense of warmth upon hearing the unpleasant cry, as Xiao Hei had rarely returned home since coming to the mountain with Xiao Mochen and the others.
I hadn't seen it for a long time, so I laughed and called out, "Little Black, stop barking, it sounds awful."
Immediately afterwards, a large, silly white bird flew towards Yan Qingqing.
Yan Qingqing quickly dodged the big, silly bird. The little black bird was getting bigger and bigger, and now it was almost the size of a five or six-year-old child. If it pounced on her, she would fall down.
Yan Qingqing dodged, and Xiao Hei, unable to brake in time, fell to the ground.
Then, flapping its wings, it stood up and turned around to look at Yan Qingqing with a mournful expression.
Yan Qingqing wanted to cover her face at that expression, but she still explained, "I just didn't react in time and that's why I dodged it. Don't be angry. Did you hurt yourself?"
Xiao Hei then walked up to Yan Qingqing with a wronged expression.
Ruyi went from being frightened at first to being amazed, until finally exclaiming in surprise, "Madam, this bird can actually understand human speech!"
Ruyi arrived late and didn't know that Li Xiangkang had rescued the bird and insisted on keeping it, but Muxi, who had stayed in the mountains for so long, knew.
This Xiao Hei is usually very aloof and rarely pays attention to others, so why does he act like an idiot in front of Yan Qingqing?
Yan Qingqing patted Xiao Hei's head and said, "Go play, but remember to come home tonight. I'll ask the kitchen to save you a roast chicken."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hei affectionately rubbed against Yan Qingqing, then let out a loud cry and flew away.
Ruyi was amazed by Xiao Hei's remarkable understanding of human nature and exclaimed in wonder.
Yan Qingqing looked around at the surrounding mountains and forests.
She knew that Xiao Mochen's people and their family's guards were all training in the mountains, but there was no sign of them making a move.
Yan Qingqing knew they must have been ordered by Xiao Mochen to go into hiding. Yan Qingqing looked at the mountain and remained silent for a moment.
However, she quickly regained her composure and said to Ruyi, "Now is the time when there are many mosquitoes, snakes and ants. You are different from Muxi. He is familiar with this place. You must stick close to me."
Ruyi was also from a poor family and often went up the mountain, so she knew about these things. She nodded and said, "Don't worry, Madam, I will be careful."
So the three of them started wandering around the mountain.
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