After muttering to herself, Madam Wei suddenly remembered to ask, "Cai Die, did your parents arrange any marriages for you at home before?"
Wei Caidie knew that it was impossible to completely hide some things, so she pitifully said, "Grandmother, before I came of age, my father did indeed arrange a marriage with a teacher in town. That person was three years older than me. This year, when I came of age, the two families should have formally exchanged betrothal vows, but coincidentally, it was when my father left home. After they heard about this, they kept their distance..."
After saying that, Wei Caidie lowered her head, looking extremely aggrieved.
This made Madam Wei even more distressed, and she said angrily, "Hmph, these pedantic scholars are the best at looking down on people! If this marriage falls through, so be it. Grandmother will definitely find you a marriage that is a hundred or a thousand times better than the previous one."
Wei Caidie was naturally overjoyed to hear this.
Madam Wei stared at her little face for a moment, then sighed inwardly. Cai Die was the same age as Wei Shuwan, but Wei Shuwan's skin was so smooth and supple that you could almost squeeze water out of it, while Cai Die's was dry and brittle... She had a good foundation, but unfortunately, she had suffered too much at such a young age.
Wei Wenshi took out a box from the small drawer at the head of her bed. Inside was the money she had saved up as tribute since arriving in Shengjing. Originally, the second branch of the family had given quite a lot, but the first branch kept taking money from her every few days, so in the end, she only had a few dozen taels left.
Wei Wenshi counted them and simply stuffed the whole box into Cai Die's hands: "Take this and go buy two decent outfits, and some cosmetics for girls."
“This is all that Grandmother had, how could Cai Die have taken it…”
Despite her repeated refusals, Wei Caidie eventually left Wei Wenshi's room carrying the box.
This trip has truly yielded remarkable results!
Having received her grandmother's assurance that she and her mother could live there permanently, and having changed her surname to become a legitimate member of the Wei family, she could now call Wei Wenshi "grandmother," just like Wei Shuwan and Wei Shuyao, instead of simply being a cousin of the Wei family.
In addition, her grandmother arranged her marriage and gave her money to buy clothes and cosmetics.
Wei Caidie happily hugged the box in her hand and, led by the maid of Songheju, went to her room.
As soon as Wei Wenshi returned, she ordered people to sweep and clean the house, and tidy up the two rooms in the east wing for Wei Ping and her daughter to live in.
The maid stopped outside the door, gestured for you to enter, and then explained with a smile, "The aunt and cousin returned in a hurry, and there hasn't been time to prepare everything carefully. Please make do for a day or two. I have already delivered the bedding, washcloth, and other daily necessities. They are all new. We will prepare the rest and deliver them to you as soon as possible. If you want anything else, please just let me know."
Since her mother was reunited with her family, life had become much better, but Cai Die had never experienced being served by servants. Hearing the respectful and flattering voice of the little maid in her ear, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed, and as she stepped into the room, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.
She had assumed the room would be as simple and lacking as the maid had described, but upon entering, she discovered that it was actually quite well-equipped.
The exquisite curtains hanging in front of the carved windows, the fine ornaments displayed in the curio cabinet, and the plum blossoms in bud that are about to bloom in the vase on the corner table... everywhere exudes luxury and refinement.
These were ordinary things in the eyes of her grandmother and the Wei family, but they were things she had never enjoyed in her life.
Just as the colorful butterfly was engrossed in its beauty, it heard three extremely unpleasant words rang out again:
"Miss, is there anything else you need?"
The joy on Cai Die's face vanished instantly. She turned to look at the little maid and solemnly warned her, "Grandmother has agreed to let me take my mother's surname. From now on, I am a girl of the Wei family. There will be no more cousins. Do you understand?!"
The young maid was frightened by her slightly ferocious expression and nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice: "I remember, this servant remembers, cousin..."
In her haste, she blurted out something, and the little maid quickly corrected herself, saying, "This servant will remember, Miss!"
Cai Die finally felt more comfortable this time, and her happy expression returned. She smiled and said, "Go down."
After the maid left, there was no one else in the room. Xi Die went straight to the canopy bed and sat down, touching the gorgeous and soft bedding, murmuring her new name: "Wei Cai Die, Wei Cai Die..."
She buried her face in the soft bedding, feeling completely satisfied with both her new name and her new home!
...
In the dining hall in the front courtyard, the three members of the eldest branch of the family also found an excuse to leave early after the old lady left. Now only the members of the second branch of the family, Sun Xingjian, and Wei Ping, who inexplicably insisted on staying, remained.
If Wei Ping hadn't been there, Sun Lurong would have planned to chat with Sun Xingjian at the table for a while longer. However, because of the inconvenient outsider, Sun Lurong decided to end the meal early and chat with Sun Xingjian in another place.
Just as Sun Lurong was about to get up and leave, the gatekeeper hurried over to report:
"Master, Madam, Uncle Zhong from the Sheng family says he has something important he wants to deliver in person."
"Uncle Zhong?" Wei Zheng couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. This Uncle Zhong was someone that Lord Sheng trusted very much. He had entrusted him with all the affairs of the Sheng family, big and small, and he was both the steward and a family member.
Wei Zheng quickly said, "Please come in!"
When the Wei family fell into misfortune, Lord Sheng did a lot of work to help them. If it weren't for the fear of bringing bad luck to the Sheng family, they should have kowtowed three times in front of the Sheng mansion as soon as they were released from prison.
"Uncle Zhong's sudden visit is of unknown purpose..." Wei Zheng knew that Uncle Zhong would not come in person unless necessary; he could simply send a servant.
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