Xichun filled a basin with water and looked at the hairpin in the mirror. Sure enough, it was a silver hairpin, shaped like a silver flower stamen, which highlighted her personality while appearing relatively understated. Xichun quite liked it.
Fu Changfeng's family set a time for a banquet to entertain guests, and even in the restaurant, many people said they wanted to go and celebrate.
Because they had also invited the Wang family, Xichun had Qiangzi drive an oxcart to pick them up and bring them to the city. Only then did Wang realize that Xichun was preparing to get engaged to Young Master Fu.
Her lips couldn't help but curl upwards as she said, "Xichun, you've finally overcome your hardships. I've been worried for so long, afraid that I wouldn't find a suitable person. The kind of men who are good enough for my daughter are not those lazy, good-for-nothing men who would be willing to marry into the family."
But now that Young Master Fu has become a scholar, won't his family have any objections?
"Mother, don't worry, they didn't say anything, but this matter hasn't been announced to the public yet, so don't talk about it outside. Wait until it's confirmed before announcing it to the outside world," Xichun instructed.
"Don't worry, we'll definitely remember. This concerns your reputation. If anyone dares to gossip about it, I won't let them off the hook." Wang looked at Ma Xiaobao.
Ma Xiaobao also came along this time. Attending the scholar's banquet was just too tempting. Xiaofeng's father also brought him along so that he could broaden his horizons and meet people.
“Xichun, I was a bastard before. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I’ve changed now.” Ma Xiaobao rarely appears in front of Xichun anymore. He feels that Xichun is no longer the same Xichun. Moreover, she is very capable. Even though the villagers all followed Xichun to work in the city, Old Lady Ma was afraid that Xichun would not want to, so she asked him to go with his father to collect herbs on the mountain.
"Alright, what's past is past. I've seen the changes in you over the years. As long as you maintain that, I don't intend to pursue the past." Xi Chun said this, and then led them all to the Fu family.
People came and went in an endless stream in front of the Fu family's gate. The eldest brother of the Fu family was greeting guests at the door. When he saw them coming, he immediately came over to greet them.
"Miss Chen, Aunt Wang, Uncle Ma, Aunt Zhang, Qiangzi, Taozi, you're all here?" He was grateful to everyone for their help, so he greeted them one by one.
"Brother Fu, you don't need to greet us. There are other guests. We can go in by ourselves," Xichun said with a smile.
"Okay, then I'll have someone take you in. There are separate areas for men and women, and there will be people to greet you once you're inside."
Wang and Aunt Zhang followed Xichun into the women's area, where Madam Fu was entertaining the guests who had arrived early. Some were local gentry from the county town, while others were family members.
"Xichun, you've arrived! Come in, come in! Sit down and have some tea first. We'll start eating in a little while."
The women's area was mainly for important friends and guests of the Fu family, so there was no banquet arranged there. Those banquets were in the outer area, where anyone who came to the Fu family to offer their congratulations could eat.
"Xichun, I'll sit at this table, you can sit there yourselves." Aunt Zhang was also very perceptive. Seeing that Madam Fu was leading them to sit at the main table, she suggested that she sit at another table.
"Oh dear, Sister Zhang, you are a great benefactor to our family. We also want to express our gratitude this time. How can we let you sit there alone? Come, come, let's sit together and make it more lively." In the past, Madam Fu would not have stopped them, but now it's different. Aunt Zhang's family alone has put in a lot of time and effort to help them. How could they not repay their kindness?
Besides, Xichun treated Aunt Zhang as an important person, not just someone she casually hired. The whole family was valued by Xichun, so she respected Xichun and naturally respected her even more.
"How can that be? How about I sit at the side table then?" Aunt Zhang insisted on not sitting there. After going back and forth, Aunt Zhang finally sat down at the side table.
At the main table, besides Xichun and her daughter, were Fu's maternal relatives and several well-connected gentry from the county town. The county magistrate's wife only sent a gift; she did not come in person. The reason for sending the gift was that her husband had been temporarily promoted because of the Fu family's affairs.
Otherwise, he was just a scholar, and there were many such people in the county; there was no need for them to make such a fuss.
At the secondary table, Mrs. Fu's sister-in-law was in charge of greeting guests, and with their cooperation, the female guests got along quite well.
When others first saw Xichun and Wangshi sitting at the main table, they assumed it was to thank Xichun for her help. However, when they saw Madam Fu talking to Wangshi, the ladies exchanged glances and guessed the reason.
It seems the Fu family and Miss Chen are discussing marriage. I wonder which young master they're talking about, since neither of the Fu family's two young masters are married yet.
I heard that Young Master Fu's childhood betrothal was to another small landlord family in the county. However, on the day Young Master Fu was falsely accused and imprisoned, that family came in person to break off the engagement.
It seems like none of them came today. Well, that makes sense; their family is too short-sighted. Now, who knows if anyone will be willing to come and propose marriage.
After the meal, Xichun and Wang Shi took their leave, as they needed to send the people back today.
"Ma Xiaobao has already arranged a marriage for you. The girl is from the neighboring Liu family village, and they're getting married at the end of this year. Your Uncle Ma asked me to tell you that he wants to invite you back for the wedding banquet." Before returning home, Wang told Xichun this news.
"Okay, I'll go back when I have time." Xi Chun knew that Uncle Ma probably wanted to invite her back to save face. Now Xi Chun was the manager of a restaurant, and her status in the village was quite impressive.
"If the Fu family is going to propose marriage, just let me know, and your Uncle Ma and I will come and support you," Wang said, knowing that Xichun wouldn't be returning to the village to get engaged.
"Okay, I'll definitely ask Brother Qiangzi to bring you over a day in advance."
The Fu family acted very quickly. Just a few days later, they sent someone to inform them that five days later was an auspicious day and they would specially invite a matchmaker to their door.
Madam Wang came in person. These things were just formalities. After the two sides exchanged birth charts and analyzed each other's horoscopes, and it was determined that Xichun and Fu Changfeng's combination was very auspicious, the announcement was officially made.
Many people were surprised that the second young master of the Fu family, who had already become a scholar, was willing to marry Xichun. Some even gossiped behind his back, wondering if the Fu family had lost their minds because of the previous incident. They thought that the young master was still very young and might even pass the imperial examination in the future. It wouldn't be a good thing for him to have a wife who was always out in the public eye doing business.
However, some insiders speculated that the Fu family valued Xichun's competence and intelligence, believing that such a virtuous wife could bring prosperity to three generations.
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