The old lady later wrote a letter to Xu Rao, saying that children's marriages are all arranged by their parents and matchmakers. Since Xu Rao and his wife had taken a liking to the girl, they should arrange the marriage for Xu Di.
The old lady knew very well that Xu Rao and his wife had written to her about their engagement to Xu Di. No one else in the manor, including the Marquis, his wife, and even Concubine Zhu, had received the letter. The old lady had experienced a lot and knew the concerns of Xu Rao and his wife. The purpose of writing this letter to Xu Rao was to tell them that they could do what they wanted, and that she already knew about it. In the future, anyone who made things difficult for Xu Rao's family because of Xu Di would be making things difficult for the old lady.
That evening, the old lady wrote a letter and instructed Granny Shen to deliver it to the Zhang family the next day, asking them to help deliver the letter to Hexi.
Granny Shen had already sorted through the things Xu Rao had sent back. Xu Rao had written that the border region was bitterly cold and she couldn't afford to prepare any decent gifts, so she could only prepare whatever she had for her grandmother. She said that when she had the chance to go back in the future, she would go to the best jewelry store in the capital to buy her grandmother the most beautiful hairpin.
The old lady sat at the kang table, in front of which lay a headband and a calligraphy scroll depicting the longevity of a hundred years. The headband was embroidered by Xu Zhi under the guidance of Granny Lu, and the scroll was written by Xu Di. The old lady remembered that Xu Zhi had embroidered a handkerchief for her last year, and Xu Di had copied Buddhist scriptures.
The old lady stroked one of the gifts Xu Rao had sent back from Hexi. It was a thick bolt of cashmere wool, dark gray in color, soft and thick, the most popular and expensive material in the capital at the time. It was said that high-quality cashmere wool was priceless, but Xu Rao had actually sent back a thick bolt. How much would such a bolt cost?
Granny Shen has been with the old lady her whole life. The two have been together since they were six or seven years old. Granny Shen accompanied the old lady from her maiden home to the Xu family, and she accompanied the old lady through the birth of her children, raising them, and helping them find wives. They have been through thick and thin for decades, so she naturally knows very well what the old lady is thinking now.
Granny Shen said with a smile, "Our Third Master is really generous. Such a cashmere woolen garment must be worth a lot of money."
The old lady sighed and said, "Yes, they brought it back to me from so far away. I don't know how they got used to life there. Come, look at our Ninth Miss's embroidery. Has it improved since last year?"
Granny Shen picked up the headband. Her skills didn't seem very good, but for a six or seven-year-old girl, it was already quite an achievement. So she said, "Of course, she has improved a lot. This needlework is clearly taught by Granny Lu."
The old lady sighed and said, "Xinlan's needlework is only passable. She didn't learn it properly back then, but she can still teach Xiao Jiu now."
Granny Shen smiled and said, "Look at you, even if our daughters aren't good at needlework, what can anyone say? Our daughters will be in charge of the household in the future, they'll be managing the household, where will they have time to do needlework?"
Upon hearing this, the old lady smiled and said, "I was mistaken. It's just that the young ladies in the manor have all hired renowned embroiderers to teach them how to embroider. Our Xiao Jiu is far away, and I don't know if she can find a good teacher. As for our eldest young master's studies, the border is harsh and cold, and I don't know how his studies are going. Sigh, thinking about the situation over there, I don't know how that family manages to make a living."
Granny Shen whispered, "Third Master and Third Mistress are both easygoing people; they can make a good living wherever they go."
Hearing this, the old lady felt even more distressed and said, "When they went to Hexi, they would send back a cartload of gifts every year during festivals. I wonder if our family has sent them anything."
Granny Shen naturally knew this. There had never been any. The household was managed by the young master's wife, Ning Shi. Ning Shi and Zhang Zhaoci didn't have a very good relationship. In addition, back then, because Zhang Zhaoci filed a complaint against the head kitchen, not only did it make Ning Shi lose face, but more importantly, it caused the loss of some of the people that Ning Shi had carefully cultivated.
Ning Shi was not a very generous person. After Xu Rao's family left the Marquis's mansion, they even wanted to clear out the courtyard where Xu Rao's family used to live so that their youngest daughter could live there. It was only because the Heir Apparent stopped them, saying that it would not look good when the third brother came back, that they gave up. Ning Shi felt that it was only right for Xu Rao and his family to send festival gifts to the mansion. As for returning the gifts, Xu Rao had not yet separated from the family and there were elderly people in the family. It was only right that they send gifts back to show their respect during festivals.
The old lady sighed and said, "Later, open my storeroom and find some jewelry suitable for young wives and girls. Also, find a few bolts of silk and fabric and tell the Zhang family to send them over to us. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren are often around me, and I give them things when I'm in a good mood. Our eldest young master and ninth young lady live far away, but they always call me Grandmother. Later, write a letter saying that the jewelry is for the third mistress and the ninth young lady. If they like it, they can wear it; if they don't, they can keep it to give as a gift. The silk and fabric are for making clothes for them. The people in the manor still have an annual allowance. It doesn't make sense for them to stop receiving it just because they've gone to take up their posts in other places."
Granny Shen was actually quite troubled. The old lady's actions were a slap in the face to the young master's wife, Ning Shi. The third master would send gifts to their home during festivals, and she didn't even know how to reciprocate.
The old lady kept this matter a secret. That evening, the manor learned that Hexi had sent the old lady birthday gifts. It was said that the old lady had opened the storeroom to find some things to send to the Third Master's family in Hexi.
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