The two young maids, upon hearing their young lady's words, smiled obsequiously and curtsied together, "Lichun (Lixia), thank you, young lady, for bestowing names upon us."
Fang shi, seeing that the two young maids were both intelligent, smiled and said to Yang mama and the others, "You shall follow the young lady to the back. Serve her well from now on."
"Yes."
Fu Xin Ci nodded, smiled at Fang shi, and turned to return to the small building.
Chun Yu beckoned to Lichun and Lixia. The two young maids hesitated for a moment, made a gesture of farewell, and then joyfully followed.
Yang mama watched Fang shi, who waved her hand, indicating that she too should hurry along.
Having received the madam's permission, Yang mama bowed to her and also followed.
Yin shi watched her daughter's retreating back. Though she was worried, she didn't show it too much and continued to tidy the kitchen with Han Da Niang.
Chun Yu's task today was important: to explain the young lady's daily habits to the three newcomers.
At this moment, Yang mama, with the two young maids, had the leisure to quietly observe the young lady's living quarters.
From the outside, it appeared to be a very ordinary two-story building, but beneath this ordinary facade lay something extraordinary.
Even though all three of them had witnessed immense wealth, they had never seen such fine windows.
"These windows are transparent, much better than..." Lixia was still young and almost revealed something when she started speaking.
Yang mama quickly covered her mouth, and Lichun, frightened, helped her mother.
"Mmmph~ Yang mama." The family's misfortune had caused Lixia to mature quickly. She had also realized her mistake almost immediately and hurriedly apologized to Yang mama.
Seeing that Chun Yu suspected nothing, Yang mama squatted down and whispered into Lixia's ear, "My little ancestor, you must not speak carelessly again."
"Yes, Yang mama, from now on... Lixia will never dare to make a mistake again."
"Little ancestor, if we... we must..."
"Yang mama, Lixia remembers."
"It's good that you remember, good that you remember."
Fu Xin Ci, from inside the room, unobtrusively observed the happenings in the courtyard and then paid them no further mind.
Tomorrow, Han Xue would be married, and her dowry was ready. Two sets of brightly colored, brand-new quilts, filled with new cotton, were warm and comfortable to the touch.
The jackets in her seasonal clothing were made of thick, vibrantly colored cotton cloth, looking very festive.
A complete set of silver jewelry, which the young lady had commissioned someone to buy from Ning Yuan City.
As for the four silver ingots of five taels each for the dowry chest, they were also a gift from the young lady.
Even more noteworthy was that Han Xue's dowry also included two hundred jin of grain and two hundred jin of wheat. When she first learned of these items, she was somewhat bewildered.
The young lady, however, had said with a smile, "Having food gives one the strength to work."
Thinking that the young lady not only prepared these things for her but also returned her deed of sale.
She knelt before the young lady, filled with gratitude.
She was content with everything she had now.
She knew Han Shuang's fate. The moment she showed signs of trying to climb the social ladder, she was married off by the madam to a servant of the manor. She remembered that servant; he was an alright person, but he had a fondness for drink.
Before drinking, he was a servant in the guard's manor; after drinking, the guard's manor could no longer contain him.
Thinking of the fate of such a person, Han Xue felt worried for Han Shuang.
However, this worry was fleeting.
She was getting married and had too many happy thoughts to spare for worrying about others.
Everyone had their own way of living; the path one chose, one had to walk to the end, even if it meant crying.
Just now, the madam had also given her ten taels of silver, saying it was a reward for her diligent care of the young lady over the years.
Thinking that her dowry chest silver had increased, combined with her savings over the years, she would live a life of comfort and security as long as she and Dan Xiao Cong lived well. Her mood became even more joyful.
The Dan family also attached great importance to this marriage. Huang shi personally invited a "full blessing" person from town to help Han Xue dress.
When Dan Xiao Cong, in a festive red robe, rode a tall horse to fetch the bride, he looked gratefully at Qi He upon seeing the red "double happiness" characters pasted at the entrance of the Meng family courtyard.
Qi He: "What are you looking at me for? Look ahead, you should dismount."
"Xiao Qi, thank you for what you've done for me."
"It's a small matter, unworthy of thanks."
"It is."
"Alright, stop dawdling."
"I'm not dawdling, I'm just a bit nervous."
"What's there to be nervous about? Getting married should be a happy occasion."
"Xiao Qi, you don't know. You'll understand when it's your turn to get married."
"Yes, I feel the same way." Meng Qi Shan was also getting married in a few days, and he felt even more nervous than Dan Xiao Cong.
Qi He: "Is it that serious?"
However, no one answered him.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Meng family courtyard, Dan Xiao Cong, without needing to be reminded by his companions, leaped off the horse and ran into the courtyard.
This startled Yu'er and Ning'er, who were blocking the entrance, ready to give him a difficult challenge. They thought, "Why is this person not following the usual procedure?"
Dan Xiao Cong: He was so nervous that he had forgotten many things. The only thing he remembered was that he had to bring his new bride home today.
Grandpa Meng sat in his room, watching the lively scene in the courtyard through the glass window. He was immensely amused by Dan Xiao Cong's actions and did not forget to loudly remind him, "Everything after this can be skipped. Remember to take your bride home."
Dan Xiao Cong's mind was still in a daze. Upon hearing Grandpa Meng's words, he nodded repeatedly. "It's great that Grandpa Meng reminded me. I'm so bewildered right now, I can't recall anything."
"It's alright, just remember you're getting married today. Hurry and bring your new bride home."
"Yes."
"Thank you, Grandpa Meng." Dan Xiao Cong, after receiving Han Xue, brought her to outside Grandpa Meng's room and kowtowed to him.
"Get up quickly." Grandpa Meng signaled Qi He to help Dan Xiao Cong up and gave him a large red envelope to add to the festivities.
The Dan family had built a new house last year, and their lives were much better now.
At this moment, the whole family was sitting in the main hall, waiting for Dan Xiao Cong to bring the bride over for the ceremony.
There was no place for Dan Yin Yin and Dan Shi Shi here. Having long been married women, they took their own children and went to the courtyard entrance to wait for their younger brother to bring the new bride.
Dan Yin Yin still had her old temper. Seeing that no one had returned from the end of the street yet, she pouted and muttered softly, "I don't know what they were thinking, insisting on marrying a maid from the Meng family."
"What's wrong with a maid? I heard Mother say that she has quite a dowry, and the silver for the dowry chest alone is twenty taels. Sister, you can ask around town, which bride has twenty taels of silver for her dowry chest?"
Hearing about the dowry and the dowry chest silver, Dan Yin Yin felt uncomfortable. She, as the only legitimate daughter of the Dan family, only received a set of quilts and a pair of ancient silver bracelets when she got married. Thinking about it made her heart ache.