"Is this true? You're my aunt?"
The Duchess nodded with satisfaction. "Yes, I am your aunt. You and my brother-in-law look very similar, and this plum blossom birthmark is proof of that. There's no mistake."
The Duchess cried so bitterly that Xiao Li couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat and started crying too.
After a while, the two of them got ready again, sat down, and started talking.
The Duchess carefully examined Xiaoli's face. "Your mouth and chin resemble your sister's, but the rest of your features resemble your brother-in-law's."
Xiao Li listened quietly, also wanting to know about her parents' past.
"Ali, why don't you move into the mansion? You'll be able to keep Yue'er company."
Xiao Li, however, was unwilling. Although the Duke's mansion was nice, it was not her home.
"Aunt, I'm all grown up now, you don't need to worry about me."
The Duchess disagreed, saying, "It's only when you're grown up that you should move in. Once Yue'er is feeling better in a few days, I'll hold a banquet to introduce you to everyone."
"Our Ali's grown up, it's time for him to find a partner. You're good-looking, so you'd better choose carefully."
The reason the Duchess said this was because of the rules set by the imperial court in this world.
The law stipulates that if a woman is over 18 and unmarried, she will be forced to marry. Rather than waiting for an official match, it is better to choose her own husband now.
Xiao Li blushed, a rare occurrence for her; her aunt was truly kind.
But she was an orphan and didn't want to rely on the Duke's mansion to find a husband through connections; she probably didn't have much sincerity.
The lady seemed to sense Xiaoli's concerns. "Don't overthink it. Your aunt will take care of this."
Xiaoli felt a warm and comforting feeling in her heart. This aunt, whom she had only met for the first time, was really concerned about her.
Immediately, the Duchess had Xiaoli's household registration changed. After learning that she had a younger brother, she changed the registration to show that she had two brothers.
Xiao Li's surname has also been changed; her surname is now Chen.
The Duchess also gave Xiaoli some of her sister's belongings from back then.
"There's hardly anyone left in your father's family. After their accident, your grandparents passed away a few years later."
The Duchess handed over the deeds to some farmland and shops.
“After they died, they gave their property to their clansmen, but your mother’s property was given to me.”
"These things should rightfully be inherited by you, so you should keep them."
Xiao Li declined at first, but the Duchess was adamant that she could not refuse, so Xiao Li had no choice but to accept.
“Aunt, you’ve managed these businesses all these years, how can I just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor?”
The Duchess stroked Xiaoli's hair. "Taking care of these things is not difficult. You can keep them."
Your grandparents sent these things over hoping that when you come back someday, they'll have something left for you.
She seemed worried that Xiaoli would feel awkward, so she introduced Xiaoli to her family members.
"Now that your mother is gone, I am your closest relative. From now on, treat this place as your own home."
Your uncle is a very good person; he was the one who took care of everything for your parents back then.
Xiao Li nodded in agreement. The Duke's mansion's backyard was very clean, which was enough to show the character of the people in charge.
“You have two older cousins and one younger cousin. Your eldest cousin, Guo Yingyue, is already married. You have already met your second cousin, Guo Fuyue. Your younger cousin, Guo Siyu, is studying at the academy.”
Xiao Li silently remembered that these were all family members.
Xiao Li settled down at the Duke's mansion. She couldn't refuse her aunt's kindness, but she also made it clear that she would move out after the banquet.
The Duchess had no choice but to agree. Fortunately, one of the properties she provided was a two-courtyard house very close to the Duke's mansion.
She has already ordered people to clean it, and Xiaoli will be able to move in then. Xiaoli also thinks it's great; the house here is safe and secure, and it's not something you can buy just because you have money.
The banquet was about to begin, and during this time Xiao Li had already met many of the masters of the Duke's mansion.
The old lady, uncle, older cousin, and younger cousin were all very friendly.
The Duchess also gave them a task: to bring Xiaoli to the banquet to make sure that all the ladies in the capital knew that the Duke's mansion had gained a cousin who was of marriageable age.
Xiao Li and Guo Fuyue were best friends. They were both sixteen or seventeen years old and had a lot to talk about.
They discussed music, chess, calligraphy, and painting together, made perfumes together, and studied makeup together; they got along very well.
On the day of the banquet, the two women came out wearing the same style of clothes but different colors, brought by the Duchess, which immediately dazzled everyone.
"Ah Yan is so lucky, she got a daughter at her age."
The Duchess looked at the Princess Consort of Shun'an who was making a joke.
"That's right, I'm very lucky."
Everyone echoed the praise, "What a beautiful pair of pearls!"
"Yes, any family that marries her will be incredibly lucky."
With the Duke's mansion as their backing, the banquet went very smoothly.
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