Seeing Xu Zhi's interest, Ping said, "The children of the Yun family are all good-natured. What is extremely rare is that their family has an ancestral rule that a man can only take a concubine if he is forty years old and has no son. Moreover, the children born to concubines must be raised in the main wife's room. The Yun family has always been the most desired marriage partner for every family."
When Xu Zhi heard this ancestral precept, it was similar to her own family's. Her family had established this family rule after experiencing a painful lesson. She wondered if the Yun family had also experienced something bad before leaving behind such an ancestral precept.
When Ping thought of the head of the Yun family, a look of reverence appeared on her face. She said, "The head of the Yun family now is the old lady of the Yun family. Don't underestimate the old lady because of her age. She is in good health, has sharp hearing and eyesight, and is not confused at all. She has arranged her children and grandchildren and the family business very well."
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "A family like this is truly a good choice for an unmarried young lady."
Ping smiled and said, "Of course. Whenever the old lady of the Yun family attends a gathering, the number of people who come is exceptionally large. The Yun family has several branches. Although the children in the family cannot become officials, they are all ambitious. I also heard that they seem to be vying for the title of imperial merchant."
The two chatted for a while longer. Bai Ying carried Sui Jie'er in her arms, followed by He Jie'er and Miao Jie'er. The group came over from the backyard with smiles on their faces.
It was already noon when Zheng Boyuan arrived at the house with Feng Shaoli.
The meal brought the two families closer together, and Zheng Boyuan also witnessed Miao Jie'er's quirky and clever nature. In a family like the Zheng family, where could you find a child like Miao Jie'er? Zheng Boyuan truly felt that if he could have such a child by his side, life would definitely be very exciting.
After that meal, Xu Zhi and Ping Shi became even closer. They were always visiting each other's homes, and if they had anything unusual, they would send someone to deliver it to the neighbors. Ping Shi's vegetables in the backyard had recently had a bumper harvest, and Xu Zhi had eaten quite a few of her fresh vegetables.
Zheng Boyuan gradually got busy. He had been thinking about flood control lately. Xu Zhi wasn't the type to bother people. Seeing that Zheng Boyuan was busy, she found ways to amuse herself. She would either go out to play with Ping Shi and the three beautiful young girls, or be taken by Ping Shi to various gatherings.
At these gatherings, Xu Zhi witnessed many things she had never seen before. The gatherings in Miaozhou were mostly women from various families who, under various pretexts, gathered together to find husbands for their children. As a married woman, Xu Zhi was assigned to the group of women who were going to find husbands, which made her feel a bit too young. However, when she was assigned to the group of unmarried girls, she felt somewhat out of place. Fortunately, Ping Shi was no longer in a hurry to find husbands for her three children, so she took Xu Zhi to meet potential partners.
The customs of Miaozhou are quite different from those of the capital.
They called it a gathering of various kinds, but at most they would invite a female storyteller from the city to come to their homes to tell stories and amuse them. The wives and ladies of each family would gather together, and those who knew each other would find each other to chat and gossip. Women, no matter where they are, gossip is something they must do.
Xu Zhi also met several girls from families in the city, all in their teens, like newly sprouted willow branches, graceful and elegant. In such occasions, they were mostly shy and gentle. When they met someone, they would bow their heads and give a proper greeting, then smile and sit next to their elders.
After attending a few gatherings, Xu Zhi grew tired of them and thought she wouldn't go to any more. But then she received an invitation from the Yun family, saying that the lotus flowers in the pond outside the city were in full bloom and they invited all the ladies to come to their home to admire them.
The date was set for the second day of the sixth lunar month. There were still five days left. After discussing it with her usual colleagues, Xu Zhi waited for the second day of the sixth lunar month to arrive.
On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Zhi got up early, ate breakfast, and Ping Shi had already brought three girls over.
The Feng family didn't have a carriage, so whenever they went out, they either had to hire a sedan chair or a carriage. Xu Zhi had arranged with Ping Shi in advance that the two families would share a carriage when they went to the Yun family this time, and both families would use Xu Zhi's carriage.
Xu Zhi's carriage was custom-made by Xu Di. It looked ordinary on the outside, but it was made of extremely sturdy ironwood. The carriage was also designed with many small mechanisms that would be impossible to detect if you were not familiar with it. This carriage had already traveled to many places with Xu Zhi.
It was a rare occasion to bring the three children along. After Xu Zhi and Madam Ping had settled into the carriage with the three little girls, the coachman slowly drove the carriage to the street outside. Madam Ping said to Xu Zhi, "The Yun family's villa is near the Miao River, and the pond inside is fed by fresh water. The lotus pond there is quite large. It would be very cool to play there at this time of year. Since it's a rare opportunity to go out of the city to play, we might as well bring the three children along."
Xu Zhi nodded in agreement and said, "Of course. My brother and sister-in-law have been taking their children to play everywhere since they were little. They say that even though children are small, after they have been to some places, they will always leave some useful things behind."
Knowing that Xu Zhi's brother and sister-in-law had two-year-old twins, Ping suddenly became curious about how families in the capital raised their children and asked, "Ninth Sister, how do your brother and sister-in-law usually raise their children?"
Xu Zhi smiled as she thought of the two mischievous children, saying, "Those two are really naughty. Only my sister-in-law can handle them. My brother was sent to a post outside the capital, and my sister-in-law took the two children to live with my parents in the capital. My parents felt that the children were too young to be away from their father, so they spoiled them a lot. Sometimes they were too indulgent, and my sister-in-law had to clean up the mess."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
