Gu Baozhu then became mysterious again, saying, "Sister-in-law, I said I would help, but there's no time to talk about it now. I'll just stay by your side and help entertain the guests. We'll talk about it when we're done."
Qin Yuan: "...Alright...Seventh Sister, would you like to change your clothes first?"
Gu Baozhu said, "No need, I just changed it."
Qin Yuan was completely baffled by her, so she could only say, "Then will you come with me to Wutong Garden?"
Gu Baozhu immediately nodded: "Okay."
It was as if they were just waiting for those words.
Qin Yuan was somewhat annoyed that Hongye wasn't around, so she had no choice but to take Gu Baozhu back to Wutong Garden to change her clothes.
Gu Baozhu didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting for a while, she went to the inner room and saw Qin Yuan changing clothes. She said, "Sister-in-law looks good in this. You look very serene."
"Quiet?"
Gu Baozhu nodded and said, "Yes, I've heard that women from scholarly families value gentleness and elegance. Sister-in-law, you do look very gentle in this dress."
Qin Yuan glanced at the pink palace dress Gu Baozhu was wearing and smiled, "Seventh Sister looks very elegant dressed like this."
A smug look flashed across Gu Baozhu's face.
Is what my sister-in-law said true?
"Of course it's true. I rarely see Seventh Sister dressed like this."
"That's because... I didn't care before, but now that I dress like this, I'll become more and more serene."
Qin Yuan understood somewhat, and tentatively asked, "Seventh Sister is usually very lively, why is she suddenly dressing up in such a quiet way?"
She had already changed into her overcoat and went to the dressing table to choose hairpins.
Gu Baozhu said, "Xu Zhen is only two years older than me, but she is already in a hurry to find a husband. My mother has probably talked about my marriage to my third sister-in-law quite a bit. I heard that scholars like quiet and elegant women, so I want to learn from my sister-in-law and slowly change my temperament."
Qin Yuan: "..."
Just as I expected.
Qin Yuan said, "No wonder my sister is wearing pink. She used to always love bright red."
Gu Baozhu smiled awkwardly, and after her embarrassment subsided, she said, "I just heard it from someone that wearing simple colors makes one look more elegant."
Qin Yuan said, "I think Mother is very good at dressing up. Why don't you let Mother teach you?"
Gu Baozhu said, "Mother likes to dress me up in a rich and ostentatious way. How could a poor scholar like that?"
"..."
Cui Ming's hand trembled slightly as she combed Qin Yuan's hair.
The two looked at each other in the mirror.
Gu Baozhu took a fancy to a poor scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and this poor scholar also liked elegant and quiet women.
This famine is going to be a long one.
Cui Ming thought to herself, "I wonder if that poor scholar was so pitiful that he caught the eye of the young lady from the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion."
Qin Yuan picked up the hairpin and chuckled, "You are originally a young lady of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion, with a hereditary title. Your brother is the God of War, the Marquis of Dingbei. What would a poor scholar like you? You could never choose a poor scholar as your husband."
Gu Baozhu's expression turned rather unpleasant.
Qin Yuan pretended not to know and said, "Sister-in-law Cheng is probably coming soon. I need to get ready quickly. Once this family reunion banquet is held today, I'll have less on my mind."
Cui Ming immediately chimed in, "That's what the Marquis thought too. This family reunion banquet has changed several times over, and no one expected it to be held so hastily. I'm afraid Young Master Cheng and Miss Yu will have to come and kowtow later."
Qin Yuan said, "It doesn't matter whether they kowtow or not. The Marquis had lunch with them at noon, saying that he wanted Mr. Songshan to take a look at Cheng Ge'er's aptitude. I guess he wants Cheng Ge'er to become Mr. Songshan's apprentice. Kang Ge'er and Fu Ge'er have been staying at home for the past few years, and I'm afraid Sixth Brother also wants them to follow Mr. Songshan."
Gu Baozhu knew the children didn't get along, so she immediately said, "How can that be? If they go to Sister Cheng's house, she'll naturally hire a tutor for them. Besides, Brother Cheng is tall and strong; he should hire a martial arts instructor so he can have a future in the army. And..."
In the back and forth, the topic was steered in a different direction.
Before long, Madam Dai arrived, wearing a newly made lilac-colored dress, her face full of joy.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "People are in high spirits when they have a happy occasion. Sister Cheng looks radiant and much more energetic."
Madam Dai said, "The addition of a new member to the family is naturally a joyous occasion."
The three of them laughed and headed to the flower hall to wait and receive the guests from both families.
Before long, the area in front of the Marquis of Dingbei's residence was bustling with people and carriages.
The guests were all Gu Jinghui's comrades-in-arms in the army, and Gu Jingcheng's colleagues and old friends who had been with him for many years, most of whom were military officers.
A banquet was set up in the front hall, and several tables were also set up in the flower hall to entertain the female relatives.
Apart from Madam Jin and Madam Dai, Qin Yuan didn't know any of the other ladies. Fortunately, with their help, she gradually became familiar with them.
Several of them were acquainted with Zhao, and their expressions towards her were somewhat strange, but none of them dared to say anything inappropriate.
Madam Jin whispered to Qin Yuan, "That's Madam Ma. She's very close to Madam Zhao. Her husband is a lieutenant general under the Marquis. He's always been with the Marquis and is very brave in battle."
Mrs. Ma buried her head in her food.
Qin Yuan remembered that this person arrived late, and after exchanging only a few pleasantries, he fell silent.
Qin Yuan asked cryptically, "Madam Ma doesn't seem to talk much, but she's very close to Madam Zhao. Is it because they're from the same hometown?"
Madam Jin glanced at Qin Yuan and said, "General Ma and Pang Hai are from the same hometown. Pang Hai said he was from Jizhou, and General Ma is also from Jizhou. However, they are still quite far apart in terms of being fellow townsmen. But in the army, they all like to swear brotherhood and recognize godparents. Even the old Marquis Gu has many godsons, and they are all friends who have risked their lives for each other."
That's an interesting statement.
Qin Yuan thought about it and realized that this meant Ma Bianjiang and Pang Hai were sworn brothers and had become godparents.
This might be part of the reason why Mrs. Ma was not close to her.
Qin Yuan said, "I haven't heard that the Marquis has recognized any godsons. Cheng Ge'er and Yu Jie'er are said to be godsons, but they often bully their nephews in the mansion. If they were his own children, I'm afraid the Marquis would have to teach them a lesson. If it weren't for Zhao Shi making trouble and making it impossible for them to stay in the mansion, the Marquis wouldn't have been willing to let them go to Sister-in-law Cheng's house."
Madam Jin shook her head: "I have never heard of the Marquis having any godson. Perhaps the Marquis is too young?"
That's a brilliant remark, Qin Yuan couldn't help but laugh.
Mrs. Jin laughed along with her.
Mrs. Ma glanced at them, then looked away.
Qin Yuan said, "Sister, Madam Ma is not close to me. Is it because she believes what Zhao said? I heard the Marquis say that someone was spreading rumors that Zhao often goes to the homes of the Pang brothers, saying that she gave birth to twins for the Marquis and that the Marquis is also thinking of taking her as a concubine after she finishes her mourning period."
Mrs. Jin was putting a pearl glutinous rice ball into her mouth, but before she could swallow it, she almost choked.
Trying to brush it off, he saw Qin Yuan's stunningly beautiful face right in front of him, her clear, bright eyes staring back at him, waiting for an answer.
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