Chapter 164 Preparing for Marriage
Two days later, Xiao Mo sent someone to deliver the wedding dress, including a phoenix crown adorned with gems, a wide-sleeved shirt, a shawl, a horse-faced skirt, etc.
Huixiang held the clothes and examined them one by one, making a clicking sound, and suggested to Chen Shuyao, "Miss, would you like to try them on?"
Chen Shuyao shook her head and said, "You'll see him soon."
A few days later, Xiao Jinshan and Lu Xuanling came to the Shen Mansion to add makeup to her.
This was the first time Shen Shuyao saw her third cousin after she got married. Xiao Jinshan was wearing a primrose-colored jacket and a white horse-faced skirt with twined branch patterns. Her hair was tied in a peony bun with a jade-gilded hairpin on it. She looked radiant and energetic.
When she saw Chen Shuyao, she smiled and said, "You are finally back. I heard that you and your brother went to Huzhou. I was worried that you would not be able to catch up!"
Chen Shuyao thought of Wuying who was beside the prince. With him watching, she had to catch up even if she couldn't.
Lu Xuanling came to the Shen Mansion once a year ago, and happened to meet his brother out of the house at that time.
In the blink of an eye, she was about to get married, but the window paper had not yet been broken. Shen Shuyao was a little worried for a while.
However, looking at her third cousin in front of her, she couldn't help but ask her how she felt after getting married. Xiao Jinshan blushed and said, "My waist hurts."
Chen Shuyao thought about the pinches she had received from the prince before, and it seemed to be really painful.
A few of them chatted and laughed, and after a while they heard that their brother had arrived.
Chen Shuyao was a little embarrassed. There were female relatives here, but her brother had not yet had the soup he always drank every day!
I was just about to send someone over to talk to him and ask him to come back later.
Then Lu Xuanling beside him said first: "I have no problem."
Chen Shuyao looked at the young lady with some surprise, and saw that her expression was a little unnatural.
“…”
Then, my third cousin Xiao Jinshan also said nonchalantly: "It's okay, drinking the soup is important."
But when her brother came over, Shen Shuyao asked the maid to bring the soup out for him to drink.
After seeing the two off, I saw my brother coming to Mingxiuyuan again on his own initiative.
Chen Shuyao smiled and said, "Didn't you come here just now? Besides, you drank the soup."
Shen Shaoyu looked embarrassed. After drinking half a pot of tea in Mingxiu Courtyard, he finally asked, "What does Taotao think of the young lady from the Lu family?"
"Which Lu family?" Chen Shuyao pretended to be confused.
Shen Shaoyu looked at her for a moment, then smiled: "You took the soup outside just now, did you do it on purpose?"
Chen Shuyao said stubbornly: "When did brother and her fall in love? I was totally unaware of it."
"You! You really don't suffer any loss at all." Shen Shaoyu sighed, "Wasn't your previous purpose to bring us together?"
"How could it be? It was her parents' order, the matchmaker's words, how could Taotao do such a thing?" Chen Shuyao waved her hands and said seriously, "Xuanling is a friend I know. I got along well with her, so I invited her to my house. That's all."
Shen Shaoyu was so angry that he reached out and flicked his sister's forehead. "Little fool! Your brother already knew her before you came back. Why would I need you to act as a matchmaker?"
Chen Shuyao: “…”
Seeing her standing there in a daze, as if she hadn't reacted, Shen Shaoyu smiled again and said, "Brother already knew her, and now that he sees that his sister likes her, he's taking action. Why are you angry?"
Chen Shuyao muttered, "How could I be the only one without any energy?"
"It's just... I'm a little confused." She said immediately and then added: "Then I'll go talk to mother!"
Shen Shaoyu hurriedly stopped him: "Your wedding date is coming soon, let's talk about it in a few days!"
Chen Shuyao insisted: "Go and decide on someone now!"
After hearing this, Shen Shaoyu burst into a hearty laugh, "You, you! The people in the Duke's Mansion said you were calm and steady, but now I know that our Taotao is actually impatient."
"Don't worry! I am your brother after all." Shen Shaoyu sighed, with a faint smile on his face and his words were very gentle.
Chen Shuyao looked at her brother in front of her and found that the dejection and loneliness he had originally shown were gradually fading away.
The man admiring chrysanthemums in autumn, the man who seemed like he could be blown down by a gust of wind, was him but not him.
Chen Shuyao nodded: "Okay! I'll listen to you."
She was used to being an older sister, so she felt a little uneasy when facing her brother.
Only two days before the 26th, the betrothal gifts from the Chengguo Mansion arrived. In addition to a set of gold and silver utensils engraved with dragon and phoenix patterns, a dowry, spices, and various gems that can only be seen overseas and at the border.
There were nearly ten pieces of brocade alone, followed by kesi silk and various rare leathers and fabrics.
In addition, there are rare Yunwu tea, Songluo tea, Pu'er tea...
Sesame and tea make up the oily tea ceremony, which symbolizes keeping the marriage promise, while four-color sugars such as rock sugar and tangerine cake represent sweetness and perfection.
Of course, there are also whole pigs, live sheep, castrated chickens, etc. decorated with carvings.
The deeds to the land, houses and shops that came with the betrothal gifts were packed into a thick stack.
All the things were placed in the main courtyard of the Ruan family. When Chen Shuyao went there, she suddenly felt like she didn't know where to start.
While Ruan had people packing up the things in the courtyard, she said to Shen Shuyao, "My in-laws have given so much, I'll help you add some more."
Then she was seen adding and subtracting items from the original dowry list. When Chen Shuyao took it again, she saw that her dowry had increased from 120 loads to 129 loads.
Chen Shuyao smiled and made some polite remarks before accepting everything.
Ruan had also prepared a lot of dowry for Shen Jingshu. When she returned home, the dowry followed her back to the Shen Mansion, but was moved directly to the Shen family's main house.
Later, the evil deeds of the mother and daughter were exposed. The uncle couldn't bear to embezzle the huge sum of money, so he returned the things.
Since Shen Jingshu died a violent death, her dowry would not be directly included in Shen Shuyao's dowry list, so Ruan was a little stretched.
Shen Xinian and Shen Shaoyu were also very satisfied after seeing the betrothal gifts sent by the Chengguo Mansion. The Shen family certainly had no shortage of money, but marriage was a relationship between two families, and the amount of the gifts could, to some extent, reflect the other party's sincerity.
With only two days until the wedding, Shen Shuyao finally felt a sense of urgency.
She had previously embroidered some handkerchiefs, drapes, and made two sets of pajamas.
In addition, she embroidered a few bellybands for herself with mandarin ducks playing in the water. The maids in the room thought Shen Shuyao would be embarrassed, but this master was meticulous until she finished sewing. How could she have the yearning for marriage of a new bride?
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