This was Xu Zhi's first time attending a gathering with her mother.
Xu Zhi used to envy her sisters the most, who were taken by their parents to various flower and poetry gatherings and made some close friends. Each of the sisters in the mansion had a close friend, and whenever they exchanged small gifts or invitations, the maids and servants in the mansion would gossip about it. Every time Xu Zhi heard this, she was extremely envious.
Tomorrow I'm going to meet these girls with my mother.
Xu Zhi was overjoyed and couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning.
Granny Lu was sleeping on the same kang (heated brick bed) as Xu Zhi. Listening to Xu Zhi's movements, she sighed and said, "Ninth Miss, why aren't you sleeping?"
Xu Zhi said somewhat embarrassedly, "Grandma, did I disturb you? I'm so happy thinking about going out with my mother tomorrow."
Granny Lu turned to the side and said, "Aren't you going to the flower show? Tell me, why are you so happy?"
Xu Zhi said happily, "I can meet a lot of close friends who are about my age, Auntie. Do you think I will be able to make any good friends tomorrow?"
Granny Lu thought for a moment and said, "Ninth Miss, why do you want to make friends tomorrow? Tomorrow is just an ordinary flower fair, and the children going are mostly from families with low or no rank. Although our Third Master is a seventh-rank county magistrate, our family is descended from the Yongning Marquis's Mansion. Even if you get along well with those girls now, what about later?"
Xu Zhi fell silent after hearing this. Granny Lu, seeing this, felt a little sorry for her and said, "Ninth Miss, don't blame me for speaking so harshly. These are just some very real things."
Xu Zhi quickly said, "Grandma, what you said isn't harsh. That's exactly what I want. I just want to make a few close friends."
Granny Lu said, "Granny knows what you're thinking, Ninth Miss. When we make friends, it's to find a few like-minded people with whom we can stay for a long time. How can we be like-minded? At the very least, we should consider things in a similar way. How can we be similar? This requires that our experiences be similar. You come from the Marquis's mansion. Our mansion may not be the most powerful or influential, but at least you've been served since you were a child. Some of the young ladies who will be going tomorrow, even though they are young ladies from wealthy families, still have to do some rough work at home. Can you guarantee that you can talk to them?"
After listening to Granny Lu's words, Xu Zhi fell silent. It was indeed true. Although she was in this small border town, her parents and brother doted on her. They always gave her the best food, clothes, and other necessities. Granny Lu was also invited to teach her manners. After learning manners from Granny Lu, Xu Zhi truly understood many principles.
Xu Zhi said, "Granny, I understand what you're saying."
Granny Lu said, "I'm telling you this not so that you'll look down on people, but so that you'll understand that people in different positions have different ideas. Even if you feel like you can talk to each other at first, you'll eventually have conflicts because of these viewpoints. So, you have to be careful when you make friends now. Of course, there are many poor but upright young men who are worth befriending. Ninth Miss, we are girls and we can't travel outside like our eldest brother in the future, so there's no need to make too many friends. Just have three or five close confidantes."
Xu Zhi kept thinking about what Granny Lu had said, and she didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up, it was already bright outside. She quickly sat up and saw that she was all alone on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Granny Lu came in from outside and saw that Xu Zhi was awake. She said, "Ninth Miss is awake. Let's get dressed and wash up. I made your favorite hand-pulled noodles for breakfast, and it's already set out. After breakfast, we'll go out with Third Madam."
Xu Zhi said somewhat embarrassedly, "Granny, I overslept."
Granny Lu smiled and said, "We are still young and growing, so we must not miss any sleep. It's okay if we are not very good at following the rules while we are outside. When we return to the Marquis's mansion, we will have to follow the rules properly."
Xu Zhi whispered, "Granny, it's not as good outside as in the Marquis's mansion. The old grandmother is the best person in the mansion."
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu chuckled and said, "You can't say things like that anymore. If people hear it, they'll laugh at our Ninth Miss for being so ignorant."
Xu Zhi wrinkled her nose, tugged at Granny Lu's arm, and said in a coquettish tone, "Oh, Granny, I've only told you this, even my mother hasn't told me."
Granny Lu was completely charmed by Xu Zhi's charm. When Xu Zhi tugged at her arm and acted coquettishly, she felt her heart melt. At this moment, she could really understand how the Xu family doted on this little girl.
Granny Lu said, "Alright, alright, Granny knows, Granny knows. Let's get dressed quickly, and then we'll go eat."
After breakfast, the coachman hitched up the carriage, and with Zhang Zhaoci, Xu Zhilu's nanny, and Qingmiao and Qingsui in tow, Xu Di rode his horse alongside them, and the group headed towards Li Zhubu's house.
Li, the registrar, has been living in Hexi for more than ten years. He has bought a house on the east side of the city, a three-courtyard house with blue bricks and black tiles.
Several carriages were already parked in front of Li Zhubu's house. Today, in addition to the families of the county magistrate and the county magistrate, the families of several wealthy families in the county were also invited.
Madam Li, who was originally greeting guests at the hanging flower gate, hurried to the main gate to greet them.
Zhang Zhaoci smiled and took Madam Li's hand, saying, "I'm sorry to have bothered you today."
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