Chapter 79 The County Magistrate's Wife Visits
In midsummer, the pomegranate flowers in the courtyard are as red as fire, and they grow longer day by day.
After Xie Yuduo went to the provincial capital, Chen Qi sent Yu Suo to school every day, and taught Yu Jing and Xiao Ling to look at the account books and write small characters. In the afternoon, she and Sun Xueyi went shopping in the garden. The aunts and sisters-in-law looked at the flowers and embroidered, and life was not difficult.
The weather was still hot, but with the various foods arranged by Xie Yuduo, her appetite had improved a little.
One day, Guixiang, a maid from the west courtyard, came to see her and said that the second wife asked the second mistress if she was free the next morning. If she was, she would come to talk to the second mistress later.
When Chen Qi heard that it was her second aunt who asked her, she became cautious.
"Tell me first, what's the matter?"
Guixiang was honest, so since Second Mistress asked, she answered truthfully.
"The Second Madam said that tomorrow the County Magistrate's wife's maternal uncle will come to visit the Second Miss. If you are free..."
Shen Qi understood.
A family with a daughter is sought after by hundreds of families.
The Xie family prospered day by day, becoming the richest family in Pingshan County.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, everyone knew about the wealth of the Xie family on Silver Lion Street.
Seeing that the Xie family's building is gradually rising, and Yu Jin is now of marriageable age, there are many families interested in marrying her.
Those with slightly poorer financial conditions wanted to cling to the luxury of the wealthy Xie family.
Those who have some businesses at home also want to get involved in Xie Yuduo's business network.
These were originally wealthy families in the county, and were on par with the Xie family, which had fallen on hard times for many years. However, now that the Xie family was thriving, these families all wanted to curry favor with them.
Yu Jin was originally a bit arrogant. Seeing that other families were not as good as her own, she became even more proud of her status. Sometimes she would not even pour tea and would ask the maid to leave.
Feng was very annoyed that he was neither too high nor too low and still had no engagement at the age of 18.
Official families like the county magistrate, who had learned a lot, have always been too embarrassed to marry into the merchant family. His two sons are over 30 years old and each has a wife, and his grandchildren are still young and difficult to find a match.
Seeing the prosperity of the Xie family, the lady's brothers went to the official's sister to seek a wife for their son.
The wife of the county magistrate's maiden name was Huang. Mrs. Huang knew that the Xie family was now the richest family in Pingshan County. Seeing that her nephew was just in his early twenties and was a good match for the young lady of the Xie family, she agreed to stand up for him and go to the Xie family tomorrow to have a cup of tea and talk, so that they could get to know each other.
When the county magistrate's wife came to drink tea, even the usually arrogant Yu Jin found it hard to say no.
Feng took it even more seriously.
She repeatedly reminded Yu Jin that this was a rare and good marriage, and for her family, it was a higher status than the merchants in the provincial capital, so she must not refuse it.
Her legs and waist no longer hurt. She had started preparing two days in advance, sending servants, cleaning the courtyard, and setting the tables. She was more attentive than Chen Qi's usual housekeeper.
This was the Second House's business, so Second Uncle and Eldest Brother would be in charge of receiving male guests. Female guests would be accompanied by Old Madam Wu, Mrs. Feng, and Mrs. Sun. With Yu Jin making an appearance to serve tea, Chen Qi would simply follow from a distance and pay her respects; there was no need for her to go up to the stage to make things official.
It just so happened that Mrs. Wu ate a cold peach yesterday and has diarrhea today, which may not go away tomorrow.
Sun Xueyi found it even harder to be nice to her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. As soon as she heard the news, she quickly became "sick."
Second Aunt was alone and could not handle the occasion of receiving the official's wife, so she asked Chen Qi to come out.
After hearing the maid's reply, Chen Qi sat on a chair, fanning herself with a round fan. She remained silent for a while, pondering in her heart.
Firstly, this was the wife of an official, and no matter how wealthy the Xie family was, they couldn't afford to offend her. Furthermore, Xie Yuduo's business dealings often involved dealing with the government, so he had to consider his reputation.
Secondly, after Yujin got married, she would go to Yujing for a marriage consultation in a year or two. My mother-in-law died young, and I grew up in Baihe Town, so I wasn't familiar with the customs of marriage consultation in Pingshan County. If I didn't pay attention to this matter, I was afraid that I would not be able to arrange things for Yujing in the future.
For this reason, even though she didn't like Second Aunt and Yu Jin, she still nodded.
The next day, Second Aunt got up early to make arrangements and sent people to ask her to come over early three times a minute.
Chen Qi knew it was still early, so she sent everyone away. She leisurely combed her hair, put on makeup, ate breakfast, and changed into embroidered clothes for entertaining guests. Then she took Xiao Ling's hand and slowly went to the west courtyard.
Today is indeed a big deal.
Chen Qi has her hair tied up in a bun today, with a few pearls and jade in it, which makes her look slender and graceful, with a bright complexion. She is indeed as good as a fairy and even more beautiful than Chang'e.
When Yu Jin saw this, she gritted her teeth.
She was dressed up solemnly today, with dazzling embroidery and pearls all over her head, but when she stood next to the naturally beautiful Chen Qi, she looked a little vulgar.
Chen Qi didn't notice it and just watched people arrange tea and snacks.
When the county magistrate's wife, Mrs. Huang, and her aunt arrived, Chen Qi followed Mrs. Feng and the family's maids and servants to kneel at the gate to greet them, and then they surrounded Mrs. Huang and her aunt and welcomed them to the back hall.
The male guests were greeted by my second uncle and Xie Yuming, who sat in front drinking tea and chatting.
Mrs. Huang was over fifty years old. She was short and had a fair complexion. She wore a crown of emerald pearls and a bright red embroidered robe. Her hair was gray at the temples, but she was quite amiable.
After the formalities were completed, a brocade chair was placed in front of the brocade screen, and Mrs. Huang sat in the first seat, with Feng sitting opposite her. Chen Qi and the aunt sat on the east and west sides, with the guest sitting on the east and the host on the west.
At the banquet, the maids served various teas, fruits, and delicate sweets and pastries, and chatted for half a day.
Feng tried to curry favor with the wife of the highest-ranking official in Pingshan City, and deliberately boasted about her family's wealth with her eloquent speech.
The official's wife listened to what was said but seldom responded. She just smiled and drank her tea.
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, Mrs. Huang changed the subject and began to ask Chen Qi what business the second son of the Xie family was busy with recently, whether her father was in good health, and how old the third daughter was this year.
Chen Qi agreed to all of them, feeling very puzzled.
Second Aunt was also a little restless, so she winked at the maid and asked Yu Jin to come out and serve tea.
Yu Jin was exceptionally dignified and cautious this time. She served tea and stood by, waiting for Madam Huang and her aunt to talk to her.
Unexpectedly, after drinking for half a day, the other party only praised the tea as good. She also asked Chen Qi to ask the maid to bring a jade mirror to meet her. She took Chen Qi and her sister-in-law aside and praised the tea, then stood up and said goodbye.
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