Xu Zhi and her aunt Zheng Yuanyuan spent two days arranging things at home in an orderly manner.
Amin went to the military camp by the sea outside Yuezhou City twice, but did not see Zheng Boyuan. The people in the camp said that Zheng Boyuan had taken the troops out to sea for training and had not returned.
Since they hadn't returned, Xu Zhi wasn't in a hurry. She assigned Zheng Yuanyuan to be in charge of the daily shopping, while A Ming was responsible for buying various daily necessities from the streets. The climate here was mild and humid, and things didn't keep well. They didn't dare to buy too much grain to keep at home. However, there were many more kinds of vegetables than in the north. Every morning, Zheng Yuanyuan had to calculate how many people would eat breakfast that day, including the next day, and how much vegetables to buy. She also had to constantly check whether the grain, oil, and seasonings stored at home were enough.
Zheng Yuanyuan was a little flustered at first, but after two days she sorted out her work and even went with A-Xia to the beach outside the city to see the sea. They bought some seafood from the beach and brought it back, and that night the whole family had a seafood feast.
It was the 70th birthday of the matriarch of the Shen family, and the Shen family had sent Xu Zhi an invitation well in advance.
Lin Mama personally delivered the invitation and said to Xu Zhi, "Our young lady knows that Madam is new here and has many things to take care of, so she didn't want to bother you. It just so happens that this is our old lady's seventieth birthday, so we thought we would invite Madam and your young lady to come and celebrate together."
Xu Zhi smiled and accepted the invitation, saying, "Granny, how is your young lady's health?"
Lin Mama smiled and said, "When we got home, we asked a doctor to examine her carefully. The doctor said it was fortunate that we met Madam on the way and she gave us those pills. Otherwise, our young lady's cold would have been very difficult to cure. Also, the doctor said that the combination of the medicinal materials in the prescription prescribed by your sister Baizhu was extremely wonderful. He did not prescribe any other prescriptions and just let our young lady continue to take the prescription prescribed by Baizhu."
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "It's not like it's just your young lady. Tomorrow, I'll bring Bai Shu to your residence so that Bai Shu can examine your young lady again."
Granny Lin readily agreed.
After seeing off Granny Lin, Granny Lu said, "So, what gifts should we prepare for our trip to the Shen residence tomorrow?"
Xu Zhi said, "When we came, the old lady put some double-sided embroidery that was very popular in the capital. We just need to go to the embroidery shop on the street and get a base for it."
Yuezhou is a necessary stop for Daliang's seagoing ships to leave port. It is rich in resources, and the things sold in the shops on the street can basically lead the fashion trend of the entire Daliang. It is not a difficult thing to get a base for the embroidery workshop on the street.
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu went to put the things in the room and found a double-sided embroidered table screen. One side depicted flowers in full bloom and wealth, while the other side featured green pines and cypresses, which had a very auspicious meaning.
Xu Zhi said, "Grandma has a good eye; this is quite good."
Granny Lu said, "This is indeed very good. It is an embroidery produced by the most famous embroidery workshop in the capital."
Xu Zhi said, "At least we can save face for each other this time."
Zheng Yuanyuan already knew that she would be visiting the Shen family with her sister-in-law the next day. She had heard about the prestigious Shen family of Yuezhou many times in the past two days. As the most famous family in Yuezhou, the Shen family was not only the most famous merchant family, but also related to the chief minister Feng in the capital. Most importantly, the Shen family had been based in Yuezhou for hundreds of years and had always been the most famous philanthropist family in the area, doing many good deeds such as building bridges and paving roads.
Zheng Yuanyuan ran from the backyard to Xu Zhi's yard and said happily, "Sister-in-law, I heard that you are going to take me to the Shen family banquet tomorrow. What kind of clothes should I wear?"
Xu Zhi wasn't a high-profile person. After thinking for a moment, she said, "We're going to someone's house as guests, and they're having a birthday celebration tomorrow. We can't dress too flamboyantly, but we also can't dress too plainly. We'll just choose some clothes with slightly brighter colors. Besides, the Shen family has so many young ladies and gentlemen. There's not enough room for everyone to look at them. Who would come to see us?"
Zheng Yuanyuan nodded, chatted with Xu Zhi for a few more minutes, and then returned to her own courtyard.
In the bedroom on the second floor, the wardrobe full of clothes was wide open, and Wang Mama was taking out each piece one by one to examine it, putting back the ones she didn't like.
Upon seeing this, Zheng Yuanyuan asked in surprise, "Granny, what are you doing?"
Granny Wang said, "Miss, tomorrow is your first appearance in Yuezhou City. You can't afford to dress poorly, or you'll embarrass our family."
Zheng Yuanyuan said, "I just asked my sister-in-law, and she told me to wear clothes that are a little brighter in color. After all, we are going to visit someone's family, and they are celebrating an elder's birthday. Granny, I've thought about it carefully, and what my sister-in-law said makes a lot of sense. If we dress too flamboyantly when we visit someone's family, it will overshadow the elegance of their daughters. That would be inconsiderate of us. But tomorrow is the 70th birthday of the Shen family's matriarch, and we are going to offer our congratulations. If we dress too plainly, it will make them uncomfortable. Granny, don't you think that makes sense?"
Granny Wang said, "That makes sense, but you should be dressed up nicely right now. How can you not dress up nicely? Miss, how about we wear this one? We made this one when we were in the capital."
Zheng Yuanyuan looked over and saw a pale yellow jacket over a light blue skirt embroidered with blooming flowers, which looked very magnificent.
Zheng Yuanyuan said, "Grandma, this one is too flashy. Let's change it. I remember I have a plain blue dress that looks great with a light blue jacket. Let's wear that tomorrow."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
