The candy lted quickly in her mouth, Xi’er looked at her with a smile: "Madam, you haven’t changed a bit, still so young!"
Madam Xia’s cheeks flushed, and she gave Xi’er a playful glare: "You’ve beco quite the smooth talker, teasing your madam." Then, she took a bundle from Xiuzhi’s hands: "This is sothing Madam Luo sent from Yongzhou. The Lady doesn’t know about it. Keep it safe. She said she might not be able to return for your wedding, so she sent these gifts for your marriage in advance!"
"Why such an extravagant gesture? How did it co to this?" Xi’er’s eyebrows rose as she took the bundle from Madam Xia’s hands and opened it, only to be stunned: "Why is this so valuable? She isn’t exactly living lavishly herself. Did she say anything else when she did this?" Madam Xia’s eyes flickered, and she turned her gaze aside with a smile: "Nothing else really. It’s just her kind gesture. Just accept it!"
Xi’er looked at the bundle of gold, silver, jade hairpins, and bracelets, and even a five-hundred tael silver banknote beneath them. Such a large sum for wedding gifts might even be more than what the Lady would give her. She frowned at Madam Xia and asked, "Did Madam Luo really have no other requests?" This was not like Madam Luo at all!
Madam Xia firmly shook her head and denied: "Truly none." She continued, "The Fourth Miss’s marriage has been decided. Next, the Lady might worry about your marriage. You should be a bit proactive. I don’t ask for riches or grand fortune, just that you marry a suitable husband who is devoted to you. That would be better than anything!"
Xi’er nodded with a smile. In truth, they knew it was just their wishful thinking. If she had control over her own marriage, would there be so many grievances and reluctances?!
Madam Xia stood up, held Xi’er’s hand, and said, "Keep the things well. I’ll go back first to avoid raising the Lady’s suspicions!"
"Let walk you out!" Xi’er took her arm and escorted Madam Xia to the door. Just then, they ran into Nanny Song rushing out of the courtyard. Xi’er frowned suspiciously and glanced at Xi’er, who, though young, was always quite sharp. She understood Xi’er’s aning instantly, and imdiately followed Nanny Song out the door.
Madam Xia also looked puzzled: "Did sothing happen with the Lady?"
Xi’er smiled back and replied, "It won’t stay hidden; we’ll know soon enough."
anwhile, the Lady was cross-checking accounts with the serving won from various parts of the mansion. Nanny Lin from Marquis Xuanning’s side got off the carriage and, with the help of a maid, rushed in. The Lady’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Nanny Lin’s distraught look. She dropped the account book and asked, "What happened to Xihua?"
Nanny Lin knelt in front of the Lady, sobbing: "Lady, it’s not good!"
"Has the Lady or the First Young Master returned? Did any news co from the Marquis Mansion?" Xi’er asked as she put down her embroidery hoop upon seeing Xi’er co in. After Nanny Lin arrived in the morning, no one knew what she had discussed with the Lady, but the Lady had sent soone to invite Tong Shen Zhi and hurried off to the Xuanning Marquis Mansion herself.
Xi’er shook her head, scratching her head as she replied, "The Lady hasn’t returned yet, but Daihe ca back once and took a serving woman." She thought for a mont and explained, "That woman used to do odd jobs in the kitchen."
Odd jobs? Why take her to the Xuanning Marquis Mansion?
Xi’er was ultimately young. If it had been Chunyan or Sixing, they would’ve asked about the woman’s background. Since Xi’er couldn’t get much from her, she waved her hand and said, "Go rest. If the Lady returns, take a look at the front courtyard."
Xi’er nodded in agreent and stepped out.
Xi’er sat back down on the kang, contemplating that Nanny Lin was the accompanying servant taken along when Tong Xihua got married. She watched Tong Xihua grow up and was closer to her than her own children. If anything could make her rush back so anxiously, she couldn’t think of any other reason besides sothing happening to Tong Xihua.
Did sothing happen to Tong Xihua?
She thought of the child in Tong Xihua’s belly. When she left, she felt that Tong Xihua’s face looked quite bad, and she was weakly spoken. But her complexion had always been poor since she got pregnant. If sothing had happened, it wouldn’t have waited until today, would it!?
The thought flickered as Sixing and Chunyan walked in, both carrying a basket each. In Sixing’s hands was also a black lacquer box. She ca in and smiled at Xi’er: "Miss, Siliu’s New Year’s gifts have arrived!" She placed the items on the table and handed over the gift list from Siliu to Xi’er: "Here is the list."
Xi’er took a quick glance at the list and couldn’t help but laugh. Chunyan also covered her mouth with a laugh and pointed at the list: "Miss, look, who sends New Year’s gifts like this, with cloth, red threads, and needles?" She took the list back from Xi’er, folded a page, and pointed at a spot with a giggle: "Instead of gifting rice cakes, it’s the osmanthus yam cake from Hongyan Building!" She shook her head as she spoke.
Sixing was laughing so hard she was shaking from back to front: "She’s practical. Without a little kitchen here, everything to eat has to be made in the courtyard’s kitchen. If she sent fish or turtle rice cakes like others, they’d have to be cooked there, just giving people more to chatter about for no reason."
Chunyan, not convinced, pointed at the basket: "Even so, the eight major items for New Year’s should still be there. Look here, where are they? In my view, she doesn’t care about these things and hasn’t noted them in her heart at all." Sixing gave an embarrassed smile and didn’t say anything. Compared to Chunyan, she understood Siliu a bit better. What Chunyan said wasn’t wrong; Siliu really didn’t care about these. She probably thought about what the Miss needed and sent that. As for everything else, it wasn’t important!
Such matters she handled so casually. It seems she’s living well at the Lai Family.
Sixing felt quite pleased inside.
"She’s always been like this; it’s not like you two are eting her for the first ti, no need to compete about it." Xi’er laughed, placed the gift list on the table, and instructed Sixing and Chunyan: "Send so of the pastries to the Seventh Young Master and madam, keep so for yourselves, and put everything else into storage."
Sixing and Chunyan stopped talking. They quietly gathered the items from the table and noted them again. Chunyan took pen and ink to the yard and recorded items left in the courtyard that hadn’t been moved inside, letting the servants move them to the storeroom. When they returned, Xi’er instructed, "If there’s nothing tomorrow, personally take the return gifts over and check on her health." Pausing, she added, "When you return, prepare the duty roster for the New Year’s festival so that everyone can enjoy a comfortable ti."
Sixing and Chunyan laughed. They had long wanted to visit Siliu, but few things in the room needed their decision. Even if they were gone for half a day, it worried them.
That night, the Lady and Nanny Fang, along with Tong Shen Zhi, didn’t return. Things seed worse than she expected!
Xi’er spent a sowhat uneasy day. In the evening, Daijuan ca and curtsied to Xi’er, asking: "Fourth Miss asked to inquire if Sixth Miss knows why the Lady went to the Xuanning Marquis Mansion?!"
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