Chapter 750: Why not decide in advance to be the grandson's wife
Tang Bao and Xia Siya wore clothes of the same style and color, and dressed up beautifully to attend the banquet at the Bai family.
The only difference is that Tang Bao wore sandalwood Buddhist beads on her wrist, while Xia Siya wore a mutton-fat white jade bracelet on her wrist.
The two of them first went to the prefect's residence, accompanied by Madam Xia.
"Cousin, Sister Su." Zou Shuqin greeted them with a smile as soon as she saw them.
It was as if the falling out that day had never happened.
Tang Bao and Xia Siya looked at each other.
The two of them had a tacit understanding and neither of them told Mrs. Xia about Zou Shuqin's deliberate approach to Bai Shuzhi.
If someone of Zou Shuqin's caliber could deceive Bai Shuzhi, then Bai Shuzhi would probably be unreliable in the future.
"My cousin is dressed very uniquely today." Xia Siya said coldly, "This dress is also very exquisite."
A shy expression appeared on Zou Shuqin's face, and she looked at Mrs. Xia with gratitude.
"My aunt asked Hongxiufang to make it specially for me." said Zou Shuqin.
Mrs. Xia frowned slightly, feeling a little regretful about making clothes for her niece.
The Bai family invited the mother and daughter to visit, perhaps with the intention of wanting to see their daughter.
Now, my niece is dressed more formally than my daughter. Isn’t she stealing her daughter’s limelight?
Although I don't know why the Bai family suddenly proposed to marry into my family, I just heard that the child of the Bai family is also a talented and famous person in the capital, different from those uneducated and uncultured young men.
In this case, this marriage is quite good.
Mrs. Xia looked at Zou Shuqin and opened her mouth, wanting her to change her clothes.
"What's wrong, aunt?" Zou Shuqin asked in confusion.
Madam Xia: “…Nothing.”
Forget it. If my niece is chosen as a daughter-in-law by other women at the Bai family's banquet, it might be a good thing.
Mrs. Xia looked at Tang Bao and Xia Siya.
Two little girls, wearing pale yellow dresses, wore matching pearl flowers on their heads, and teardrop-shaped earrings inlaid with yellow warm jade in silver settings on their round, fair ears...
They stand together in a pretty and beautiful way, which is very pleasing to the eye.
Although my niece was wearing a light red floor-length skirt embroidered with a pattern of blooming flowers, which made her look extremely luxurious, a closer look revealed that she lacked the lightness of a girl and had a hint of heaviness.
Mrs. Xia felt a little relieved.
The Bai family was originally a prominent family in Qingzhou Prefecture.
This time the whole family came back to worship their ancestors, which naturally caused quite a sensation.
All the prominent people in Qingzhou Prefecture were proud to receive an invitation from the Bai family.
When Mrs. Xia and others arrived, they happened to meet the women of Zhang Hanlin's family.
Although the two families were discussing the marriage, they had not yet formally held a written engagement ceremony.
The reason was that Xia Siming was preparing for the exam a few days ago.
But, it can be considered that there is a clear path forward.
When Mrs. Xia and Mrs. Zhang met, they were naturally very cordial, after all, they were future in-laws.
However, the second wife and the second daughter of the Zhang family did not look very happy.
Especially Miss Zhang Er, she glared at Tang Bao fiercely.
Tang Bao was speechless, feeling that this Miss Zhang Er was clinging to her.
Xia Siya shook her head secretly and gave Miss Zhang Er a sympathetic look, feeling that she would be even more unlucky.
Everyone was welcomed into the Bai family's flower hall where guests were received.
The old lady of the Bai family was wearing a vermilion double-breasted long jacket and a headband embroidered with a longevity pattern of the same color. In the center of the headband was an imperial green jade. She was holding a rosewood dragon-headed cane in her hand and sitting in the main seat.
The first and second wives of the Bai family were talking to several elderly ladies.
There were still some young wives and girls scattered around in the flower hall, sitting or standing.
The atmosphere should have been festive, but no one was talking loudly or laughing.
"Meet the old lady."
Madam Xia and the first and second madams of the Zhang family bowed to the old lady together.
Tang Bao, Xia Siya and others followed behind, kneeling and bowing in an upright manner.
After all, the old lady of the Bai family is a first-rank lady.
The old lady smiled and asked everyone to excuse themselves.
Then, he looked at the girls behind him.
Madam Xia quickly pulled Xia Siya over and introduced her, "This is my daughter Siya."
"Well, he's an outstanding child." The old lady nodded.
After saying that, he glanced at the eldest lady of the Bai family.
The eldest lady immediately smiled and said, "Mother's vision is always right."
Although the eldest lady's uncle was reserved, many people present knew about the marriage between the Bai and Xia families.
So, after hearing what the eldest lady said, I knew in my heart that the marriage was settled.
Zou Shuqin's face changed, but she didn't dare to speak.
The old lady nodded to a pretty maid serving beside her.
The girl immediately smiled and picked up a red brocade box.
"Here is a pair of bracelets, which are presentable. Let you little girls wear them for fun." said the old lady.
The pretty girl opened the box, revealing a pair of crystal clear jade bracelets inside, and placed them in front of Xia Siya.
Xia Siya looked at Madam Xia in some embarrassment.
Madam Xia nodded slightly and said, "Why don't you thank the old lady?"
"Thank you, Madam."
Xia Siya bowed to the old lady.
Then he took the box and handed it to Shaoyao behind him.
The eldest lady said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes: "Mother gave me good things, so as a daughter-in-law, I naturally can't be stingy. This set of headgear was my favorite when I was a girl..."
As the eldest lady spoke, a maid behind her held up a jewelry box, revealing a set of red gold headpieces inlaid with rubies.
You can tell at a glance that it was prepared in advance.
Xia Siya thanked the lady, took the headgear and took a look at it.
Although this headpiece looks luxurious, its style is too old-fashioned and is not suitable for young girls at all.
The gift given by the second wife was much lighter, just a pair of jade earrings.
Several other distant relatives of the Bai family also knew what was going on and gave Xia Siya gifts.
Fortunately, Xia Siya listened to Madam Xia and brought two maids, Shaoyao and Qingluo.
Otherwise, I'm afraid one person wouldn't be able to carry so many jewelry boxes.
When the old lady saw that everyone in the Bai family had given Xia Siya a gift, a shrewd gleam flashed in her eyes and she looked at Tang Bao and Zou Shuqin.
His eyes moved between the two people.
"I wonder which family these two little girls belong to?" asked the old lady.
Mrs. Xia quickly introduced them: "This is my goddaughter Su Tang, and this is my niece Zou Shuqin."
The old lady immediately waved to Tang Bao and said with a smile: "This little girl looks like a good child. Come here and let me see her."
As for Zou Shuqin, the old lady just glanced at her casually.
Zou Shuqin bit her lip and tried hard to maintain a proper smile on her face.
Tang Bao walked up to the old lady with confidence.
The old lady took Tang Bao's hand, her face full of fondness.
His attitude is even more affectionate than towards Xia Siya.
If you don’t know, you might think she was looking for a wife for her grandson, and the one she chose was Tang Bao.
"Well, she has delicate eyebrows and eyes. Although she hasn't fully grown yet, you can tell at a glance that she's a little beauty." The old lady said with a smile.
A distant relative of the Bai family nearby immediately chimed in, saying, "Since the old lady likes her so much, why not decide on her as your granddaughter-in-law? Your family already has children of the same age."
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