These words hit the nail on the head, and Shi Wenxia's face turned even paler. She twisted the handkerchief in her hand tightly and looked up at Yun Tianbai.
Yun Tianbai was somewhat annoyed. On one hand, he was annoyed that his wife could only offer such a meager gift when they met on the second day of their wedding. He knew that in his previous life, Jiang Youran had presented her elders and siblings with a fine red coral ornament, a rare double-sided Suzhou embroidery screen, and various expensive gold and jade ornaments when she met her relatives.
Why is Shi Wenxia so shabby and perfunctory? She even deliberately bought embroidery from her older sister's arch-rival's family, and her younger sister recognized it?
On the other hand, he was also annoyed that his younger siblings were being so aggressive, embarrassing his newlywed wife right in front of her.
He couldn't help but look at Su Youran again.
But her expression was calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Seeing his gaze shift towards Su Youran again, Shi Wenxia gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her face. "Wenxia, an orphan, is deeply grateful to the Duke's mansion for protecting her life. For the past six years, Wenxia has dared not step out of her room, keeping her grief for her parents and relatives hidden in her heart. As an orphan with no elders or relatives to guide her, how could Wenxia dare to prepare for her dowry on her own? She could only diligently practice needlework. It was only after the heir returned and set the wedding date that Wenxia dared to prepare these embroideries. However, due to the short notice, this oversight occurred. Please forgive me, elders."
Her tearful plea was so pitiful that Yun Tianbai's heart softened. He then looked at his younger siblings and reprimanded them, "You all received the same embroidery. The elders haven't even said anything yet, and you're already complaining? It wasn't easy for your sister-in-law to prepare these embroidery pieces. You should appreciate her efforts."
He had served in the military since childhood, and he possessed a formidable and intimidating presence in front of his younger siblings. After he uttered these words, none of his younger siblings dared to say anything more.
Madam Su spoke up, "Alright, today is the bride's tea ceremony, so as long as the formalities are observed, that's enough. We're truly family now, after all. Everyone, please disperse."
After bowing to Shi Wenxia, Yun Tianbai left.
Before leaving, Shi Wenxia vaguely heard Madam Su say to Old Madam Yun, "Mother, I originally thought that after the new daughter-in-law entered the family, my heavy responsibility of managing the household would be entrusted to someone else... but I didn't expect..."
Shi Wenxia couldn't hear what was said after that, but it seemed like he had been slapped in the face.
This is because they think she's too petty and can't manage the household affairs of the Duke's mansion!
Yun Tianbai had good hearing and naturally heard what Su Shi said, but he didn't think so. He recalled that in his previous life, whenever Jiang Youran hosted banquets in the mansion, Shi Wenxia would wave her handkerchief and point out this shortcoming and that flaw with a look of disgust. She always said that it was too extravagant and that a good banquet was vulgar and full of the smell of money.
On the way back to Mulan Courtyard, Shi Wenxia suddenly stopped halfway, grasped Yun Tianbai's hand, and said sincerely, "Your Highness, I... all these years, living in the Duke's mansion, I've been solely focused on mourning my parents, completely oblivious to the outside world, and have missed the opportunity to integrate into the Yun family. Now that I am a new bride of the Yun family, it is my duty to take on the responsibility of managing the household affairs and sharing my mother's burdens. Your Highness, next month is Grandmother's birthday banquet. If I could assist Mother in organizing the banquet, I could feel at ease."
Thinking about his grandmother's sixtieth birthday next month, Shi Wenxia thought that if he could really participate in the preparations, it would be quite beneficial.
The birthday banquet will definitely be funded by public funds, so Shi Wenxia won't have to pay out of his own pocket. Moreover, the birthday banquet is approaching, and I'm afraid Su has already made some general arrangements, just waiting for his wedding to be over before starting preparations.
If Shi Wenxia takes over at this time, he can not only achieve twice the result with half the effort, but also build a good reputation among the noble families in the capital.
After all, a newlywed woman who has just entered the family and is immediately in charge of her grandmother's birthday banquet is sure to be considered filial. If she handles it well, she will likely gain some prestige among noblewomen and it will certainly be helpful for her future endeavors.
After thinking for a moment, Yun Tianbai nodded in agreement, then took Shi Wenxia's hand and turned back to Fu'an Hall.
Only Madam Yun and her four daughters-in-law remained in Fu'an Hall, and they were indeed discussing Madam Yun's sixtieth birthday.
“Bai Ge’er’s wedding is over, and there’s no need to prepare gifts for the return visit, so we can start preparing for Mother’s birthday banquet.” Madam Su took out a red booklet. “Mother, please take a look. The banquet is the ‘Golden Jade Abundance’ set menu from Fuxilou Restaurant, the drinks are ‘June Intoxication’ from Jing Shui Liu Shang, and the opera troupe is Su Yun’s ‘Family Portrait’ performance. What do you think?”
Madam Li laughed and said, "Oh dear, this 'Golden Jade Hall' must cost at least 1,200 taels of silver per table, right? I've heard that 'June Drunkenness' is already no less than 600 taels per jar. Not to mention the opera troupe, I'm afraid these two things alone will require a considerable subsidy from you, sister-in-law!"
There are rules for banquets at the Duke's mansion. The amount allocated by the government is limited, so the extra portion has to be paid for by the person in charge.
Madam Su flipped to the back of the booklet and smiled, "As long as Mother is happy, what's a little subsidy? I was thinking, let's make a big upgrade and replace all the tables and chairs in the Yun residence with the latest eight-immortal tables and chairs from the capital. I've seen those round tables; they have jade tabletops and a large rotating plate in the middle where the dishes are placed and rotated. Each table can seat eight to ten people, making it much more convenient for talking and drinking!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Guo's eyes lit up. She glanced at the booklet and beamed with joy. "That's wonderful! I've also looked at the eight-immortal table and chairs at Shanshan's house. A set of eight chairs and a table costs 1,500 taels of silver. Last time, the Guo family was thinking of getting two or three sets for a family reunion dinner, but it was too expensive, so we didn't dare to make a purchase!"
Madam Yu also smiled and said, "My sisters-in-law are all refined people, and that sandalwood looks very elegant. If we had this round table, it would truly be a joyous and lively gathering for everyone!"
Madam Yun hesitated and said, "If it's just a family reunion, buying two or three round tables is already extravagant. For a banquet, wouldn't we need ten or eight tables? It's too expensive and too extravagant!"
Madam Su quickly smiled and said, "This Yun Dashan who can make Eight Immortals tables and chairs is from Sanyang Village. Do you still remember him, Mother? I was afraid I wouldn't make it in time for Mother's birthday banquet, so I placed an order with him a long time ago for sixteen sets of tables and chairs. Mother, you don't need to think it's expensive. Our You Ran has been kind to Yun Dashan. When I placed the order, he gave us almost a 50% discount, only charging for the wood. It's 800 taels per set. In terms of craftsmanship, it's all free for us."
Yu asked in surprise, "Yun Dashan? Could it be the Yun Dashan that Xiao Youran rescued from the mudslide that year?"
Mrs. Su nodded, "Indeed! Yun Dashan is a master carpenter. Five or six years ago, when we returned to Kyoto, he brought Xiaoshan and a few other carpenters from the same village and opened this Shanshan New Style Furniture shop. If I hadn't passed by the busiest street that day and heard You Ran mention Yun Dashan, I wouldn't have known that the Shanshan New Style Furniture that has swept through Kyoto in recent years was actually Yun Dashan's work!"
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