"I'm Old Liu! Can't you recognize me?" Liu Aiping said with a smile. But she did feel a little uncomfortable. She hadn't expected Miao Guizhi to look even a little older after all these years. Then she looked at herself, and she felt so much older. It was all due to all the worry. Fortunately, both of her sons were doing well. She finally felt a sense of peace.
"Oh! It's our future in-laws! Come in quickly! Xiaomei, Xiaodi, your Aunt Liu is here!" Miao Guizhi invited them into the house.
Seeing Zhao Xiaokun, he said again, "Xiaokun is still so energetic! When we lived in the bungalow, Xiaokun was the best student. Everyone in our yard envies you for having such a good son!"
"Hello, Auntie!" Zhao Xiaokun smiled awkwardly. He was actually the one other parents always used as an example when educating their own children. As a result, no one in his compound wanted to play with him. Because when they did, the other parents would come home and ask, "Can you compare to Zhao Xiaokun? Those other kids are so good at studying, what's your level?"
Jiang Di and Jiang Xiaomei were busy cooking. Jiang Di didn't know how to cook, so she could only help her sister. When they heard that it was Xiaofei's mother and eldest brother, they quickly put down their work to greet them.
The siblings kept calling each other "Auntie" and "Big Brother." Liu Aiping was delighted, chatting with Miao Guizhi and Jiang Xiaomei about family matters. They'd talk about how a certain neighbor was doing, whose son was in jail, whose daughter had married a good husband, and how many houses a certain family owned. Zhao Xiaokun got annoyed by this. So he and Jiang Di found a corner to chat about Xiaofei's company.
The three women chatted like a bunch of ducks, quacking and making a very annoying sound. Jiang Di said to Zhao Xiaokun, "My sister is also annoyed by this. What's wrong with her today? Why is she so excited?"
"Your sister is just pretending! How many young people nowadays are willing to listen to these family gossips?" Zhao Xiaokun said.
"My sister, how many brain cells must have died!" Jiang Di hadn't finished speaking when Jiang Xiaomei called her away to continue cooking. Zhao Xiaokun also hurried into the kitchen to help. He didn't want to listen to the two old ladies talking about these things.
Soon, the food was served. The two families ate happily. After finishing the meal and cleaning up, Liu Aiping took the initiative to say, "Xiao Fei and Xiao Mei have been friends for a long time. They have been inseparable since childhood. We are here today to propose marriage! Xiao Fei and Xiao Mei are planning to get married next Spring Festival, so I brought the betrothal gifts today."
"Oh! Old Liu, I didn't expect that we would become in-laws! This is great! I have known about Xiaomei and Xiaofei for a long time. The brother and sister are still working in Xiaofei's company, and it is your Xiaofei who takes care of us. I am really happy about this. I just hope they can live a good life in the future, and Xiaomei will give your family a grandson, so you will have something to do when you retire! Then we can take care of the children together!" Miao Guizhi said with a smile.
Jiang Xiaomei wasn't shy, but said, "Xiao Fei said we should try to have more children at once and get ovulation injections. This will save us from having to give birth to one child after another, and then suffer twice."
"Xiao Fei is right! It seems that he loves his wife." Miao Guizhi said.
"Of course, it doesn't matter whether it's brought up by education. My dear relatives! This is a little gift from me. It's not much, but that's my intention." Liu Aiping immediately took out the nine pieces of gold jewelry she bought today.
Miao Guizhi took one look and said with a smile, "Mother-in-law! This is quite a lot! We didn't have this much when we got married before! It's a blessing for my daughter to marry into your family. So, let's get married after the Spring Festival. You decide the date!"
"Okay! I'll go back and find a fortune teller to see when the day is suitable. I'll let you know then." Liu Aiping said.
In this way, without Zhao Xiaofei's knowledge, his mother and elder brother helped him to arrange the betrothal gifts and marriage proposal. Meanwhile, he was busy with his wedding with the princess in the Ming Dynasty!
Today was a sunny day. After a complex process, Zhao Xiaofei finally entered the palace to prepare for the ceremony of offering wild geese. This ceremony involves the groom's entourage presenting a pair of wild geese, symbolizing the harmonious yin and yang of the couple and their unwavering fidelity. The officiant then announced the entrance to the hall and led the groom to kneel before the bride's parents.
After Minister of Rites Lin Yuji finished reading the imperial edict, Zhao Xiaofei handed the wild goose to a nearby eunuch. He then kowtowed to Chongzhen and Empress Zhou, kneeling three times and kowtow nine times. Zhao Xiaofei felt his knees ache, and his kowtows were resounding. Fortunately, Wang Erxi had received 600 taels of silver and replaced the floor tile with a hollow one. This way, he could kowtow with less force and achieve a louder sound, demonstrating the consort's sincerity in marrying the princess.
After knocking his head, Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself, this money is worth spending. Otherwise, I would have knocked my head until it bled and I wouldn't have been able to hear any sound!
At this moment, a palace lady-in-waiting led Princess Kunxing, Zhu Mianzhu, to appear before Zhao Xiaofei. Zhao Xiaofei couldn't recognize the woman before him as the little princess. The princess cleansed her face, combed her hair, and donned her Hanfu. She had begun applying makeup early that morning, then bid farewell to her parents and left her boudoir, donning her veil.
Princess Kunxing, tears streaming down her face, knelt down, kowtowed to Chongzhen, and called him "Father." Chongzhen felt a pang of reluctance, his eyes misting over as he struggled to control his emotions, determined not to tarnish his image as an emperor. Empress Zhou, however, was less so. After all, Kunxing wasn't her biological daughter. She valued Chongzhen's emotions, and seeing that he was struggling to control himself, she reached out to hold his hand.
Kunxing knelt down again and saluted Empress Zhou, calling her "Mother." Empress Zhou said, "After you marry, you must strictly abide by the rules of a woman and not act like a princess at home. You must support your husband and raise your children, and be a role model for women in the imperial family!"
"Thank you, mother, for your teachings!" Kunxing bowed again.
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