At this ti, arrangents were made for the mbers of the Lian Family, including Lian Lanlan and her mother, the family of four of Lady Zhang, and the maternal relatives of Zhao Xiue, to take a carriage to the Zheng Family’s feast.
The carriages were provided by the Zheng Family.
The residence of Third Old Master Zheng was located in the northern part of Taicang County Town. Sitting in the carriage, Lian Manman quietly lifted a corner of the curtain and peered out. She saw a street flanked by high walls and deep courtyards, house after house, so sharing a garden. Lady He had ntioned as they left ho that the northern parts of the town were inhabited by wealthy families, mostly surnad Zheng, either from one family or the sa clan.
Looking at the dense houses, the Zheng family truly was a local magnate.
The ho of Third Old Master Zheng was on Golden Lion Street towards the west, but the carriage passed the main gate of his residence and continued westward, entering the side gate of a neighboring house. After dismounting, they were led into a large garden where the banquet was set up in a flower hall.
"Third Old Master Zheng’s celebration not only calls for the whole town but all prominent figures of the county to co and give their blessings. Since we are the new relatives, they regard us highly and specifically arranged this garden for us to avoid the noisy disturbances over there, making the banquet peaceful," Lady He said as they settled in the flower hall.
Indeed, inside the flower hall, a screen divided the space, with Old Master Lian leading Lian Shouyi, Erlang, and other male guests on one side, and the won of the Lian Family on the other.
It seed there was underfloor heating in the flower hall; even with the screens wide open, it was not the least bit cold. A stage had already been set up in front of the hall, and servants had brought in play scripts for Old Master Lian to choose from.
It indeed seed to be a VIP seat for the new relatives.
"Just look at this grand arrangent; Xiuxiu has truly fallen into a blessed nest," Lady He remarked, her eyes darting around, seemingly overwheld. "Now with Xiuxiu settled, we don’t need to worry about Yaya’s marriage matters. With so many households in the Zheng family, we can surely find soone suitable for Yaya."
From the way Lady He spoke, it was clear she had intentions of marrying Lian Yaya into the Zheng family as well.
Shortly after, a servant ca from the n’s side with the play script to ask Lady He to choose a play.
In the won’s section, Lady He was in charge, since Lady Zhou, Lady Gu, and Lian Lanlan were not present.
Earlier, the Zheng Family had specifically sent a carriage to fetch Lady Zhou, Lady Gu, Lian Lanlan, and Lady Chiang, because they were to accompany Lian Xiuxiu during the wedding rituals and would join the banquet later.
Lian Shouren was also absent; he had arrived earlier with the bridal procession of the Zheng Family and was likely busy socializing.
Lady He, unfamiliar with selecting plays, passed the task to Zhao Xiue’s mother who ntioned a play. The servant hesitated slightly then smiled and agreed.
Soon, maids continuously served dishes like a flowing stream, and the front stage resounded with the sound of drums and music, signaling the actors’ entrance.
After the feast, the Zheng Family arranged for carriages to take them back to the County Yan. By this ti, it was just past midday; in the afternoon, Lady Zhou, Lian Lanlan, Lady Gu, and Lady Chiang were also sent back by the Zheng Family.
Seeing Lady Zhou’s deanor, although she felt so reluctance for Lian Xiuxiu, there was more joy in her expression.
"...they said the bridal chamber was beautifully arranged, with a crowd of maids and matrons attending, the old lady was quite pleased..." Lady He made a round in front of Lady Zhou and then relayed this to a few people including Lady Zhang.
After finishing the banquet for Lian Xiuxiu, Lady Zhang began to talk about returning ho.
"...it’s a long way to travel, and we rarely co here, let’s stay for a couple more days," Old Master Lian suggested.
"Yes, stay for a few more days," Lady Gu and Lady Chiang also said.
Lian Lanlan and Yin Suo were to stay until Lian Xiuxiu returned for her hocoming celebration, and so were the relatives of Zhao Xiue.
"Now that you are here, stay and have the hocoming wine before leaving," Old Master Lian stated.
With everyone insisting, Lady Zhang considered that the Zheng Family’s carriage team would not return until three days later, and ultimately nodded in agreent.
"Then, we’ll wait until after the hocoming celebration to leave," Lian Manman privately remarked, "If we leave now, when I go back and report to my father, I wouldn’t have seen anything about my uncle. Even if people in our village ask, I would not know what to say."
And so, Lian Manman and the others stayed.
The next day, after breakfast, Lian Manman expressed a wish to stroll down the streets to see Taicang County Town, naturally accompanied by Lady Zhang. Old Master Lian asked Brother Sanlang to go with them.
They left the gate of the County Magistrate’s office, but Sanlang did not head forward, instead, he took them to the rear side, suggesting they leave through a side gate, through an alley leading to the busiest street of Taicang.
"Brother Sanlang, wasn’t it said that the side gate was locked and unavailable?" Lian Manman asked.
"...It’s the gatekeeper, sohow he lost the key. It was found yesterday, and he ca specifically to our house to inform us that the side gate is open for use as needed," Sanlang replied.
"Oh," Lian Manman murmured thoughtfully.
As they reached the side gate, the gatekeeper, seeing them, nodded and bowed respectfully.
"My father said that in a couple of days, they are planning to replace this gatekeeper," Sanlang ntioned as they walked through the alley.
Exiting the alley, they indeed entered a bustling street. Observing the pedestrians, dressed and accessorized similarly to those in Liaodong Prefecture, only their accents differed.
"...you can’t go asking Grand Master Li for help anymore, you’ve wasted money without solving anything, and if it goes wrong, you could offend people. You might not know, but soon this whole county’s criminal matters will no longer be governed by the elderly, it’ll be under the jurisdiction of parents," they passed a tea stall where Lian Manman overheard soone speaking.
***......***
Here’s the first update, a second one will follow later.
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