Xu Gui's marriage was arranged, but because her two older sisters' marriages were still undecided, the wedding date had to be postponed. The old lady was also a little reluctant. She loved her great-granddaughters very much, and seeing them grow up and get married one by one made her feel bad. She wanted them to stay at home as long as possible.
Xu Zhi came out of the old lady's courtyard, stood at the crossroads leading to her own courtyard and thought for a moment, then said to Bai Guo, "Sister Bai Guo, I want to go see Sixth Sister."
Although Xu Gui's marriage was arranged, it hadn't started yet. However, the marriage was a done deal, so Xu Gui had already begun embroidering her dowry.
Xu Gui's mother, Chen, had made quite a bit of money in recent years, earning several thousand taels of silver annually, which was a considerable sum even for a middle-class family. When Chen's eldest daughter, Xu Mian, got married, the family wasn't well-off, and Chen secretly subsidized her quite a bit. Now that her second daughter, Xu Gui, was getting married, Chen wanted to prepare a larger dowry for her.
Xu Gui declined her mother's offer, feeling that she could prepare her own wedding dress, veil, and pillowcases. She wanted to keep these things and bring them out decades later as a memento of her wedding. So, when Xu Zhi arrived at Xu Gui's room, Xu Gui had just stood up from behind a large embroidery frame.
Seeing the smile on Xu Gui's face, Xu Zhi knew that her sixth sister was very satisfied with the marriage. Xu Zhi thought of the group of young men who came to welcome her when she got married in Ganzhou, and she immediately understood that it must have been at that time that her sixth sister met Lu Mingzhang.
Xu Gui had a maid serve tea to Xu Zhi, and sat down beside her on the daybed by the window, smiling as she said, "Ninth Sister, it's rare for you to come back. I heard you're leaving soon. Is there something important you need to do?"
Xu Zhi hadn't achieved anything yet and didn't want her sisters to know, so she smiled and replied, "My third uncle is going to Liaodong. It's good that I don't have anything to do, so I'll go with him to see my parents."
Xu Gui looked at Xu Zhi with envy and said, "Ninth Sister, of all the sisters in the family, I envy you the most. You went to such far places with Third Uncle when you were very young. Over the years, you have been to so many places, unlike us, who are always in this back house."
Thinking of Xu Gui's marriage, Xu Zhi said, "Sixth Sister, I heard that after you get married, you will go to Hexi with your husband. The rules in Hexi are not as strict as in the capital. You can take advantage of your husband's off-duty time to go and see the surrounding area. There are some places there that are worth visiting."
When the topic of her marriage came up, Xu Gui blushed. She never expected that the man would actually send someone to her home to propose marriage, and that her family would agree to the marriage.
Xu Gui knew that the situation in the Ningguo Duke's mansion was complicated, with each branch of the family fighting amongst themselves. Lu Mingzhang was the eldest son of a concubine, and he had been going to Yanmen Pass for years. It was said that he had not returned to the mansion since he left. Xu Gui was worried about how to face the elders and peers in the mansion when she got married.
Xu Gui sighed and said to Xu Zhi, "Ninth Sister, I never expected that General Lu would actually come to our house to propose marriage. We met a few times when we were young. When you got married, I didn't expect that General Lu would recognize me at a glance and say that he wanted to marry me. I always feel uneasy about this."
Xu Zhi guessed that Lu Mingzhang had met Xu Gui when she got married, and that the two must have had some contact. She just didn't expect Xu Gui to tell her about their past relationship so readily.
Xu Gui is different from herself. After getting married, she will stay with her husband forever. Two people who originally had no interaction will suddenly have to live under the same roof. For the woman, there is always some fear.
Xu Zhi advised, "Sixth Sister, since you've known each other since childhood, and General Lu didn't hide anything from you after meeting you, directly stating his desire to marry you, it shows he's an upright and honest person. With your wisdom, how could you not have a good life with General Lu?"
Xu Gui smiled and shook her head, saying, "Ninth Sister, I'm a little embarrassed by what you're saying about me. We sisters grew up together since we were little, and when we reached marriageable age, one by one we got married. After that, it's not so easy to see each other again. I feel sad when I think about this."
After a woman gets married, she is never so free. She has to manage household affairs, serve her parents-in-law, and have children. She only has a few opportunities to go back to her parents' home a year.
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "We can write letters often, and we won't always be scattered so far apart. We'll all be able to return to the capital and reunite someday. Sixth Sister, all you need to worry about now is your dowry. Don't think about anything else. Thinking too much is pointless. Once you're married and things have settled down, you can write a letter to your sisters to tell them about your current situation. Actually, thinking about it, it's a happy thing."
Xu Zhi stayed in Xu Gui's room for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, she said goodbye and returned to her own courtyard.
Xu Di and Li Yuexi naturally came over after having dinner. The siblings don't see each other often, so they took the opportunity to talk as much as possible.
When Xu Di heard that Xu Zhi had come from Xu Gui's side, he smiled and said, "Is Sixth Sister embroidering her wedding dress in her room? Second Aunt complained to me that Sixth Sister wouldn't let her buy a pre-embroidered wedding dress from outside, and insisted on embroidering one herself."
Xu Zhi nodded and said, "I see that Sixth Sister has already embroidered a lot, but being able to embroider a wedding dress herself is also a very meaningful thing."
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