Chapter 181: Like Orchid is Hungry-Hungry [Many thanks for everyone's support! Bowing again!]

Weirui Pavilion

Wang Shi sat at the dining table and slapped away Hearing Rulan's outstretched claw of hunger.

"Your father hasn't arrived yet!"

"If Father hasn't come by this hour, he must have gone to Linqi Pavilion; what are we waiting for!"

"You! He is speaking with your grandmother!"

Just as Wang Shi was about to tap Hearing Rulan's forehead, Caihuan walked in from the doorway: "Da Da Niangzi, the Master says he will not be coming."

"What?!!"

"See, I told you; we might as well have eaten early."

"Did he go to that wretch Lin Lin Qinshuang's room?"

"Replying to Da Da Niangzi, no; he went to Jin'an Studio!"

Hearing Caihuan's words, Hearing Rulan froze, her outstretched claw of hunger halting mid-air: "Ah?"

"Was it Wei Wei Shuyi who sent someone to intercept him, using that child as a pretext to drag the Master there?" Wang Shi asked, frowning.

"Da Da Niangzi, n-no. After the Master left Shou'an Hall, his face was full of smiles; he smiled and told this servant that he was going to Jin'an Studio today and that Da Da Niangzi need not wait. This servant did not see any servants from Jin'an Studio."

Wang Wang Ruofu closed her eyes, calming her anger:

"Fine, so he went to a concubine's room with a smile on his face! First there was Lin Lin Qinshuang, and now this Wei Wei Shuyi! I tell you, as the Da Da Niangzi... you only know how to eat!"

Wang Wang Ruofu's finger finally tapped onto Hearing Rulan's head.

Hearing Rulan wore an expression of complete indifference.

"Da Da Niangzi, this servant thinks it would be better to wait a little longer!"

Hearing Mama Liu's words, Hearing Rulan's expression changed drastically: "Ah? Wait again? I'm about to collapse from hunger!"

Mama Liu looked at Hearing Rulan with some pity and said:

"Da Da Niangzi, this servant observes that the one in Jin'an Studio is not like the one in Linqi Pavilion who knows no rules; we have been in Bianjing for so many days, yet this Wei Wei Shuyi has not changed despite bearing a son."

"Mm, what you say is true."

Wang Wang Ruofu nodded.

"Moreover, Jin'an Studio uses the Old Lady's small kitchen, not the main kitchen; surely they did not prepare a meal for the Master today."

"Then wouldn't she give her own portion to the Master?... But that little bit wouldn't be enough to eat. In that case, let us wait a while longer."

"Ah?" Hearing Rulan instantly slumped.

"Mother, your daughter is hungry-hungry."

At this moment, a young maid outside the door reported: "Da Da Niangzi, Sister Sister Xiaodie from Jin'an Studio is waiting outside the courtyard; she says Wei Wei Xiaoniang has matters to report."

Wang Wang Ruofu glanced at Mama Liu and said: "Let her in."

Sister Xiaodie squatted in a bow, slightly out of breath: "Da Da Niangzi, Wei Xiaoniang says there is no dinner prepared in the courtyard; today you should come to Weirui Pavilion, so she sent this servant running over to tell you to wait for the Master a while."

Wang Wang Ruofu nodded without speaking, gesturing for Mama Liu to escort the person out.

Outside the courtyard, Mama Liu walked alongside Sister Xiaodie and said in a low voice: "Miss Sister Xiaodie, do you know why the Master went to Jin'an Studio today?"

"Replying to Mama Liu, Wei Xiaoniang saw the Master and immediately sent me to convey the message; I truly do not know."

Mama Liu nodded; given the time she had spent speaking with Wang Wang Ruofu, the fact that Sister Xiaodie could come over proved it was the truth.

Jin'an Studio

After lifting the curtain and entering the room, Sheng Hong said:

"Wei Shuyi, how do you possess such excellent calligraphy?"

"Master! It was taught by my father during my childhood."

"Oh? I regret not meeting him sooner! Come, let us discuss these few characters!"

"Master, you have labored over documents today, and the light is so dim; continuing to discuss calligraphy might harm your eyes."

"It is no matter! Wei Shuyi, this character 'many' of yours, how..."

"Master, perhaps after the betrothal gifts and various affairs for the Eldest Miss are concluded, on some day when you have time during daylight, you can come again to instruct this concubine; the Da Da Niangzi has also been busy for so long."

Hearing Wei Wei Shuyi's words, Sheng Hong smiled, looked at her, and said: "Good!"

"Waa waa waa~~"

"Master, the child has awakened; this concubine..."

"Go; the child is most important."

Sheng Hong stood up, glanced around Wei Wei Shuyi's room, felt that something was amiss, then examined it for a while longer by candlelight, yet still saw nothing.

He shook his head in some confusion.

Mama Cui squatted nearby in a bow and said in a low voice: "Master, at this hour, the young master cannot be separated from Wei Xiaoniang for less than two ke; you see..."

"Ah? Oh! Then I shall go to the other courtyard first; thank you for your trouble, Mama!"

"The Master speaks too heavily."

At this moment, Sister Xiaodie entered the room and said: "Master, Mama Liu says the Da Da Niangzi is still waiting for you to eat."

"Perfect; I will go to Weirui Pavilion."

Dongrong walked beside him holding a lantern, with Mama Liu following behind.

Suddenly,

Sheng Hong stopped and muttered to himself: "No wonder."

Mama Liu said from behind: "Master?"

"Ah? Tomorrow, have the Da Da Niangzi send a superior set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to Jin'an Studio."

"Yes!"

"Father! You have finally come."

Hearing Hearing Rulan's joyful shout from the depths of her heart, Sheng Hong laughed, and Wang Ruo Fu helped Sheng Hong sit down:

"Ru'er, why are you so diligent today?"

"Isn't it because I'm hungry and miss Father!"

"Hahaha, you little rascal."

Sheng Hong looked at the table of fragrant dishes, gazed at Wang Ruo Fu with a smile, and stared until Wang Ruo Fu's face turned red.

"Husband, Ru'er is nearly starving."

"Very well, very well, let's eat."

After finishing the meal and drinking tea to aid digestion, Wang Ruo Fu helped Sheng Hong change his clothes; Sheng Hong glanced at Wang Ruo Fu and said:

"Wu Da Da Niangzi, you truly have excellent taste!"

"What does Husband mean by that?"

Just as Sheng Hong was about to speak, his eyes shifted and he said, "You have been busy with Hua'er's affairs these past few days; you have worked hard."

"Hmph, Hua'er is my firstborn, and from such a fine family!"

"By the way, a colleague from the Ministry of Personnel said today that we must prepare the wine and spirits immediately, or they won't be available a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Mm, Mother instructed me earlier. Husband, it is time to retire."

The next day

Sheng Hong went to court early.

Wang Ruo Fu, her face flushed, was preparing breakfast,

"Wu Da Da Niangzi, the Master instructed last night to send a set of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone to Jin'an Zhai."

"Mm, seeing that Wei Shi is also well-mannered, send her the few items my brother sent last year."

"Yes."

Jin'an Zhai,

After thanking Mother Liu, Wei Wei Shuyi looked at the items in Sister Sister Xiaodie's hands, exchanged a glance with Mother Cui who was present, and said, "They are all fine things."

Mother Cui nodded with a smile.

When school ended at You hour,

Scholar Zhuang announced a day of rest tomorrow, then shook his head looking at the happy students in the lecture hall.

"Haha, Sixth Sister, we can rest tomorrow!"

Hearing Rulan said happily.

Qi Heng, with a puzzled expression, asked Gu Gu Tingye, "Second Uncle, what day is tomorrow?"

Gu Gu Tingye said, "The Xu family is coming to the Sheng family tomorrow!"

The marriage had long been agreed upon by both families, and both sets of parents had already consented.

The step of exchanging the draft betrothal letter was thus skipped (or rather, it had been done in Yang Zhou.)

Some time ago, the Xu family had already sent the detailed betrothal letter (listing Xu Zaizhang's birth date, birth order, and the names of the male descendants of the previous three generations,)

and the Sheng family had returned Sheng Sheng Sheng Hualan's detailed betrothal letter (listing Sheng Sheng Sheng Hualan's birth date, birth order, the names of the male descendants of the previous three generations, and a detailed list of various dowry items.)

The Xu family then quickly sent several loads of 'Xi Yan Hong' (containing eight bottles of 'Xu Kou Jiu', jewelry and gems, silk fabrics, tea, biscuits, dried fruits, and various other gifts)

and the Sheng family gave 'Hui Yu Zhu' (half of the tea, biscuits, and dried fruits from the 'Xi Yan Hong'; inside the empty bottles of 'Xu Kou Jiu', they placed fresh water, a goldfish, and one pair each of gold and silver chopsticks, along with two stalks of 'Xiang Sheng Cong' made of colored silk hung on the wine bottles.)

This counted as passing the betrothal gifts.

And the day the Sheng family took off was the day the Xu family came to deliver the formal betrothal gifts.

In Xu Zaijing's distant memory, because the Yuan family traveled a thousand li to Yang Zhou, all of the above seemed to be completed in a single day; once the Sheng family arrived in Bianjing, Sheng Sheng Hualan went directly into the Yuan family.

But the Xu family's entire process took many days.

When the day of delivering the betrothal gifts arrived.

A pair of wild geese that Xu Zaizhang had caught in February this year, now raised until they were glossy and sleek, along with various gold, silver, and jade ornaments, and precious fabrics of all kinds as dozens of palanquins of betrothal gifts, were delivered to the Sheng family by the eldest son of the Cao family, the Marquis Marquis Tuoxi, who acted as the matchmaker.

The two families also set the date for the wedding procession, which would be in November.

The plot was quite smooth until the author looked up the specific procedures of Song Dynasty weddings, then felt numb; it was better not to have looked. Four hundred-plus characters were deleted.

Continuing tomorrow.

If there are typos or awkward passages, I respectfully ask the esteemed readers to point them out without hesitation.

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(End of this chapter)