Princess Jiang returned to the village, and Wu Family Village became lively again.
County officials, gentry, and wealthy families from the surrounding villages and towns successively prepared generous gifts.
Qingshan has become incredibly adept at handling these trivial matters.
Aside from gifts from a few families with whom he had a long-standing relationship, he accepted them on behalf of his mother and gave her a return gift as well.
The rest were all politely declined, and the generous gifts were politely refused.
Some people think that this Princess Jiang is just trying to gain fame and reputation, and that she deliberately refused to accept the gifts because she felt they weren't generous enough.
A wise person would inquire briefly and then give up.
The foolish man, after returning and discussing the matter, sent an even more valuable gift.
But after being repeatedly pushed back, even the most foolish person eventually realized what was happening...
They're not trying to gain fame; they genuinely don't want to accept it.
Continuing to give gifts foolishly will only make you disliked.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, and overnight, the rooftops of every household in Wujia Village were covered with snow.
The country roads were also covered with thick snow.
The first thing the men in every household did after getting up was to grab shovels and sweep snow from their yards and roofs to prevent the roofs from collapsing due to their weight.
As the village head, Wu Jiahu naturally wouldn't remain uninvolved.
They rallied the patrol team members and quietly took the lead in clearing the village's extensive network of roads.
Especially the area in front of Princess Jiang's courtyard, it must be swept clean!
The servants of the Wu family were not idle; they started cleaning the courtyard early in the morning, trying their best not to make any noise that might disturb their masters.
The guards brought back from Yunshui County also joined in the busy work.
Aunt Ge, along with her maids, was busy running around in the kitchen.
The food eaten by the master's family, the servants, and the guards, when added together, was quite substantial.
Preparing the most ordinary foods—steamed buns, dumplings, chicken noodle soup, multigrain porridge, pickled vegetables, and tea eggs—took quite a bit of time.
Jiang Yue woke up naturally, got up, dressed, and went to wash up.
After washing up, at Aunt Ge's request, I ordered a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
It's not thin noodles, it's rice noodles.
It's very chewy, has a wonderful aroma of scallions, and the soup base is incredibly rich.
Jiang Yue sighed, "It's only back in my hometown that I can eat such authentic chicken noodle soup."
Where is Miss?
"Your Highness, Miss stayed up too late with Miss Sun last night and is still asleep."
Aunt Ge replied with a smile, her tone unconsciously doting.
"Let her sleep."
Jiang Yue chuckled upon hearing this, then said seriously:
"This is a one-time exception."
"This servant obeys."
Aunt Ge noted it down, and she would later instruct Xia Hua to remind the young lady of her daily routine.
"Woof woof woof~"
A dark head poked its way in from outside the door.
They seemed hungry and dared not come in.
"Sesame is probably hungry, I'll feed it right away."
When Aunt Ge saw the puppy, she felt a little uneasy. Miss Sun's taste was rather strange.
"Um."
Jiang Yue hummed in agreement and continued eating her noodles.
With such gems before us, how could we possibly be fickle and prefer something new?
Sesame is the eldest granddaughter's beloved pet, so let her spoil her.
"Ooh~"
Sesame withdrew its little head; it seemed this imposing human didn't like it very much...
The puppy's disappointment came quickly, but it also vanished just as quickly in the face of food.
The snow-white little tail wagged wildly, and after eating delicious minced meat, it was another wonderful day!
A moment later—
Da Xue brought her son over to greet her mother-in-law. The two women chatted intimately for a while before starting to write a gift list.
Little Tangyuan, clutching a hot water bottle, nestled drowsily in her mother's arms.
Seeing this, Jiang Yue couldn't help but touch the little guy's chubby cheeks; they were so cute.
cough cough~
Realizing that her actions were inappropriate, Jiang Yue withdrew her hand and pretended to look at the list carefully.
Da Xue saw through her mother-in-law's lapse in composure but pretended not to notice, and earnestly discussed with her how to give this year's New Year's gifts.
According to the principle of closeness and distance, the most important gift should be given to the old family home, while the most generous gift should be given to the mother-in-law's family, her family, the second brother's wife's family, and the third brother's family, who is not yet married. However, according to custom, a gift should also be prepared.
The small gifts were given to the old village chief, the new village chief, the managers of various factories, and the teachers and tutors of the schools.
Ordinary etiquette refers to the kind of polite exchanges that are merely perfunctory among the gentry.
Each gift has its own specifications and amount.
Just selecting them took a lot of time.
According to the list, they were busy for a full hour.
Then, the task was handed over to Aunt Ge to arrange for sorting and packing, and an extra ordinary gift was prepared just in case.
"Your Highness, there are people outside who claim to be matchmakers visiting."
A servant came to report that this visitor was quite unexpected.
“Mother, these matchmakers have come over several times in the past few days.”
Upon hearing this, Da Xue frowned. It was another matchmaker. She must have heard the news and come over again!
"Men should marry when they are of age, and women should marry when they are of age. Although we are reluctant to part with Yao Yao, she is of marriageable age, so we should still look at more potential partners."
Jiang Yue took it all in stride, so when she heard the matchmaker had arrived, she subtly reassured her daughter-in-law.
"Yes, Mother is right. Shall we meet her?"
Although the eldest sister-in-law is said to be like a mother, the mother-in-law is still alive, so it's not her place as a sister-in-law to decide her sister-in-law's marriage.
Da Xue was very clear-headed; many matchmakers came to propose marriage, each with their own agenda...
"Chunhua, go and keep watch over Miss's room. If Miss wakes up, tell her to get up later. There are uninvited guests at home."
Jiang Yue instructed her daughter-in-law's head maid that such a trivial matter did not require her daughter's involvement.
"This servant obeys!"
Chunhua bowed respectfully and slowly withdrew.
Soon, the servants led the matchmaker into the front yard.
Aunt Ge instructed Qiu Hua to serve tea, while she herself stood quietly beside the princess.
"This humble woman, Zhang the matchmaker, greets Your Highness, the Princess!"
The person who came was dressed in red and green. Although she did not have the matchmaker's signature mole, she did have the standard bright red lips.
He was a polite person and greeted her first, stating his identity.
"No need for formalities, please take a seat."
The heavy snow silently pressed down on the handkerchief, and the eyes and ears worked together to learn how the mother-in-law treated people.
Well, she felt her mother-in-law had a very imposing presence; her words carried a quiet authority, which she greatly admired.
"This humble woman thanks Your Highness the Princess!"
Matchmaker Zhang swallowed hard, her legs trembling, and she was somewhat afraid.
She struggled to suppress the urge to leave, put on a smile, and, employing her matchmaker skills, began her introduction:
"Your Highness, congratulations! This humble woman has come to propose marriage on behalf of the young master of the Zhao family in town!"
"Oh? The Zhao family?"
Jiang Yue pursed her lips, her mind a complete blank.
The Zhao family, which Zhao family?
With so many Zhao families, who knows which one it is?
"Grain merchants, the Zhao family."
Matchmaker Zhang's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the princess looked down on the Zhao family and was doing this on purpose?
Thinking of the generous reward the Zhao family had given her, she forced herself to continue:
"The eldest son of the Zhao family is disabled in both legs and born out of wedlock. This young master is different. He is young, shrewd in business, and very learned. He has a bright future ahead of him..."
"Someone, see the guest out!"
Upon hearing that she was born out of wedlock, Jiang Yue lost interest in wasting any more time listening.
If a family has a child born out of wedlock, doesn't that mean the head of the family is corrupt, and sooner or later the children will follow suit?
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