Xu Zhi didn't fall asleep until the middle of the night. Just as dawn broke, she heard the sound of a large broom sweeping the ground outside. Xu Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and she leaned out the window to look. Sure enough, there was a layer of snow on the ground outside, but it wasn't very thick. Xi Jing'an was holding a large broom and sweeping it.
A whooshing sound came from afar, coming from the training ground, where it was time for morning exercises.
Zheng Yuanyuan rubbed her eyes and saw Xu Zhi leaning against the window. She asked, "Sister-in-law, what are you looking at?"
“It’s snowing outside,” Xu Zhi said. Then she saw Wang Mama lift the curtain and come in, smiling as she said, “It snowed in the middle of the night, but not much. I just went to the kitchen and there was still some fermented rice wine in there. I made a bowl of fermented rice wine with eggs for each of you. It’s so cold, this will warm you up.”
Zheng Yuanyuan said with a smile, "Grandma, I love your fermented rice with eggs, but it would be even better with fermented rice balls."
Granny Wang said with a smile, "Then when we get to Wuzhou, I'll find a way to make it for you."
Before they had even washed up, the two of them each ate a bowl of sweet fermented rice with eggs. After eating, they felt warm all over. Hong Gu helped them get water to wash their faces. After they washed up, someone from the kitchen came to deliver food: a plate of meat pies and a porridge bucket wrapped in a cotton pad.
You can't expect the food to be fancy in a military camp, but it tasted pretty good. The meat pie was delicious and flavorful, and Xu Zhizi ate a whole one.
Not long after they finished eating, Zheng Boyuan came over. Xu Zhi could tell at a glance that he had just taken a shower. He wasn't afraid of getting cold from taking a shower in this freezing weather.
Seeing Xu Zhi's expression, Zheng Boyuan knew what she was thinking. He smiled and said, "I led the training this morning and I'm all sweaty. It's fine if I'm alone, but I'm worried the smell might bother you guys."
Xu Zhi brought over all the medicines she had collected from Chen Zhaoci, explained them one by one, and then prepared to leave.
Zheng Boyuan escorted the carriage halfway down the road until it was out of sight in the distance before turning back.
Upon arriving in Wuzhou, he went directly to his own residence, which had already been prepared.
When Granny Wang entered the house and saw the charming courtyard full of Jiangnan style, she kept saying how nice it was. Xu Zhi took out the gifts she wanted to bring to the Feng family from the luggage that had been delivered earlier, and went to the back office with them.
Shen Shi and Shen Mingwan had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Xu Zhi arrive, Shen Mingwan smiled and said, "I've been waiting for you since early this morning. It was so kind of you to come back."
Madam Shen said reproachfully, "What are you saying? What, do you think A-Jiu won't come back?"
Shen continued to address Xu Zhi as Ajiu, just like Shen Mingwan. Xu Zhi smiled and said, "I'm back now, aren't I? And I even brought you some local products from the capital."
Madam Shen treated Xu Zhi very well. She always felt that her daughter's success today was largely due to Xu Zhi's influence. Most importantly, because of Xu Zhi, Shen Mingwan was registered with the Emperor. In the future, no matter who investigated anything, it would be Shen Mingwan.
Madam Shen smiled and said, "You've come all this way, and you've even brought over a dozen cartloads of cotton-padded clothes. Is it really worth it for you to bring all this stuff with you?"
Xu Zhi sat next to Shen Mingwan on the kang (a heated brick bed). Seeing the several embroidered items on the kang table, she asked curiously, "Auntie, what are you doing?"
Madam Shen looked at Shen Mingwan and said, "I was planning to find another personal attendant for Mingwan. Mingwan said she wanted someone who was good at needlework, so I had a few maids bring out their needlework for us to see."
Xu Zhi nodded; she knew. What Shen Shi was most worried about right now was Shen Mingwan's marriage. Shen Mingwan would soon be eighteen, and an eighteen-year-old girl without a husband would attract gossip. Moreover, both Shen Shi and Feng Zhongyi wanted their daughter to have someone who loved her, so that Shen Mingwan wouldn't grow old alone.
Shen Mingwan's attitude was quite clear: she would not find a husband and would live alone in the future. If her parents felt that they would be lonely and helpless in the future, they could adopt a child.
Feng Zhongyi and Madam Shen have been worrying about Shen Mingwan's marriage these past few days. Madam Shen has even started making some preparations in secret. For example, she has replaced some of the servants who need to serve Shen Mingwan, and added others, so that when Shen Mingwan gets married, the servants who serve her will be well-integrated and she won't have to spend energy adapting.
After Shen went outside, Shen Mingwan said to Xu Zhi with some helplessness, "My aunt is always worried about my marriage. She insists on finding someone for me to marry, but I really don't want to get married now. What's so good about getting married? It's meaningless."
Seeing Shen Mingwan's helpless expression, Xu Zhi advised, "It's good to marry someone you like, so you'll have someone to accompany you in the future."
Shen Mingwan scoffed and said, "I'm doing very well now, why would I need to find someone else? Ah Jiu, not everyone is as lucky as you to have found a husband. Although you were adopted out, you don't have in-laws to keep you in check, and you don't have to be confined to the inner quarters dealing with family affairs. You can do whatever you want."
Thinking of those married women who were trapped in the inner quarters every day, Shen Mingwan felt very resistant to the idea of getting married.
Shen Mingwan said softly, "Ajiu, once a woman gets married, she has to be filial to her parents-in-law and raise her children. Even if I don't want to have children, I still have to help the man I married take several concubines, and I still have to raise the children born to those concubines. Ajiu, do you think it's suffocating to live like this?"
Xu Zhi understood perfectly well that once a girl has seen more of the world, she no longer wanted to be confined to the small world of the inner quarters. Shen Mingwan had escaped death and traveled all over the country with her people. Her thoughts and ideas were no longer those of the young lady she once was. Moreover, Xu Zhi felt that she had also had a great influence on her.
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