Chapter 86: His Name is Liu Liu Xiao Mao [Many thanks for the readers' support! Bowing again]

It turned out to be one of the Xu family's dowry lifts, carrying corn.

The residents of Bianjing also saw the new grain that the official families had been talking about.

There were also two young, fine horses, led by household servants in the middle of the procession.

Apparently trained, these two fine horses were not startled by the musicians or passersby.

Xu Xu Pingmei, holding a round fan, entered the Gu family home together with Gu Gu Tingyu and paid respects to Gu Yankai and Bai Shi.

Whether it was Gu Yankai or Bai Shi, both looked at Xu Xu Pingmei with faces full of smiles.

Although Gu Yankai loved Lady Da Qin, he did not want Gu Gu Tingyu to follow in his footsteps and marry a wife who would have difficulty bearing children.

The principal wives of the fourth branch, Gu Junkai, and the fifth branch, Gu Lunkai, both looked at Xu Xu Pingmei with scrutinizing expressions,

but upon seeing Xu Xu Pingmei lower her round fan,

they were also somewhat surprised by the beauty of this young lady from the Xu family.

The wife from the fifth branch could find no fault, so she merely rolled her eyes and made a sour remark: "She is so tall."

After entering the bridal chamber and completing the rituals amidst Gu Gu Tingye's teasing, Gu Gu Tingyu was escorted out by friends and relatives.

Amidst the exchange of cups and toasts,

citing his weak constitution since childhood, Gu Gu Tingyu was not forced to drink much wine.

Some guests were still drinking; for those who drank too much, the Gu family had guest rooms prepared.

Meanwhile, Gu Gu Tingyu was supported by Youqing as he returned to the Fuyao Courtyard.

Upon entering the room, Gu Gu Tingyu looked at the woman inside and deeply exhaled a breath reeking of wine.

Xu Xu Pingmei, having already changed her clothes, held the round fan and sat on the new bed with a face flushed with shyness.

Just as the newlyweds were sharing a tender moment, Qingxia's voice came from outside the window.

It turned out that Gu Gu Tingye had been chased away from beneath the window.

Of course, this young couple was not wealthy enough to spend their wedding night counting deeds to fields and properties.

When the sky began to brighten,

Xu Pingmei rose to dress and do her hair, changing into the hairstyle of a married woman.

Together with her husband, she served tea to Gu Yankai and Bai Shi.

She received six hairpins of different styles,

a set of exceedingly luxurious seven-treasure pendant neck ornaments,

six armlets of different designs,

a pair of gold bangles that were somewhat excessively heavy,

eight pairs of earrings to match different outfits,

and twelve rings.

If Xu Xu Zaijing had been there, he would have realized that just these six hairpins alone were far more exquisite and valuable than any of the Nine-Turn Filigree Gold Hairpin he had ever seen.

Qingxia, Sister Qingzhi, and the other female attendants accompanying Xu Pingmei were stunned dumbfounded by Bai Shi's generosity.

On the second day, Gu Gu Tingyu, returning to his own courtyard from outside, saw the embroidery painting of "Plum Blossoms Opening to Five Blessings" hanging in the study.

"Da Da Niangzi, this embroidery painting is truly exquisite; is it your needlework?"

Wearing a hairpin given by Bai Shi, Xu Pingmei walked over to Gu Gu Tingyu and, looking at the embroidery painting together, said:

"It is a wedding gift sent by someone else; I am also studying the needlework within it."

Looking at Gu Gu Tingyu's profile, Xu Pingmei continued: "Impressive, isn't it? Using only two colors of embroidery thread, they outlined this scene of plum blossoms braving the snow."

"Yes, especially that touch of flying eaves embroidered in the corner; it possesses quite a charm."

"By the way, Guanren, one of the lifts contains silk and satin bestowed by the Empress in the palace; please choose whichever you like, and I will make a new outfit for you."

"Good."

Subsequently, Gu Gu Tingyu displayed a strange expression as he looked at the fine items that had appeared on the table, saying:

"These few items look like styles from the palace; where did Da Da Niangzi obtain them?"

Xu Pingmei smiled and said: "My Han Wulang gave these to me, his elder sister."

As the husband and wife talked in the study, the attending Qingxia watched with an auntie-like smile on her face.

Sister Qingzhi walked in, spoke a few words, and just as she was about to leave, Qingxia chased after her, saying:

"From now on, whenever you leave this courtyard, you must be accompanied by one of the elder sisters at the gate; remember this?"

Sister Qingzhi said: "I know, elder sister. Should we be calling her Wu Da Da Niangzi from now on?"

"Only you are so quick-witted. Go on."

On the third day, the two returned together to the Xu family home.

On the road, they saw a procession making a loud clamor with music; upon inquiring, they learned that the old Miss from the Dongchang Hou Fu had been taken as a continuing wife.

At the Xu family home, Xu Pingmei was asked by her mother and sister-in-law about matters between women; upon hearing about the gifts Bai Shi had given Xu Pingmei, Sun Shi was also startled.

Xie Shi looked even more surprised at the jade armlet with a mechanism that Xu Pingmei was wearing, repeatedly exclaiming at the exquisiteness of the item.

Later, during the banquet and conversation, Xu Pingmei noticed that her eldest sister-in-law was inadvertently protecting her lower abdomen.

After some inquiry, she learned that her eldest sister-in-law was already pregnant.

This was indeed a double blessing; she explicitly stated that once a nephew or niece arrived, she would definitely present a thick congratulatory gift.

At Shen hour,

around three or four in the afternoon,

the family saw off Gu Gu Tingyu and his wife.

Gu Gu Tingyu had been forcefully plied with wine by his three younger brothers-in-law at the Xu family home and was already somewhat drunk.

"Listening to my eldest brother-in-law, it seems that in the future, whenever a young lady of the Xu family marries, two fine horses will be included in the dowry; Jing-ge'er said this is now an established rule. Da Da Niangzi, the brothers of the Xu family truly dote on their elder sister."

Xu Xu Pingmei smiled slightly.

Providing horses as part of the dowry serves two purposes: first, it looks impressive for the occasion; second, it ensures the married Miss has her own mount, so if anything truly happens, she has a means of transport.

It also signifies that if anyone dares to bully her, her natal family's brothers will rush to your door at this speed to beat you.

The Xu Family

It had been more than half a month since the eldest sister returned to her natal home.

At the racecourse, the horses in the stables were eating corn stalks and leaves chopped by cutting blades.

Because Xu Minghua had returned to Bianjing, the empty spaces in the stables were quickly filled by the mounts of personal guards and family soldiers.

Several of the personal guard brothers whom Xu Xu Zaijing knew had not returned to Bianjing; some had been promoted, while others had fallen on the battlefield.

Seeing Xu Xu Zaijing so disciplined, those who had returned from the war naturally engaged in sparring matches with him.

Although they were no match for Xu Xu Zaijing even in a single exchange, many dirty and damaging tricks were still used against him.

Xu Xu Zaijing, wearing sandbags all over his body to simulate metal armor, stepped into a pit trap dug by the personal guards on the racecourse.

It had been dug in the middle of the night; during the sparring match, they simply lured him in, causing him to fall. They claimed there was water inside, saying that if he couldn't climb out for a while, he would drown.

Indeed, the art of war is the way of deception.

On the battlefield, there are countless fighting styles even more reckless than those of the personal guards.

After training for one double-hour, Xu Xu Zaijing returned to the adjacent house to bathe; sparring with these guards who had seen battle exhausted one's physical strength, but mainly drained one's spirit and mind.

On the estate,

The white-fold flowers, or rather cotton, which had been planted for a long time, were harvested once again, dried, fluffed, and processed into cotton wool.

Since ancient times, rarity has made things precious.

The scope of cotton cultivation was never large to begin with, and the processing techniques had been developed only by the Xu Family.

Thus, cotton clothing and quilts became rare treasures throughout Bianjing.

To popularize them among the residents of Bianjing and even across all regions of Great Zhou would still require time.

Stimulated by high profits, the Xu Family, in alliance with Wu Da Da Niangzi, the Bai Family, and the Cao Family, had already begun searching northwest and south for more cotton seeds and finished products.

After finishing the arrangements for her eldest daughter's marriage, Sun Shi had not been idle during this period.

This Da Da Niangzi continued to go to the Zhu Family's residence in Bianjing to help her sister-in-law arrange the grand wedding of Zhu Zhu Qinghu.

The Zhu Family were military officers, and they had observed mourning for a long time.

Moreover, Zhu Zhu Qinghu was already quite advanced in age, making his marriage the top priority.

Xu Xu Zaijing and his male cousins, along with those few comrades-in-arms who were sworn brothers to life and death with Zhu Zhu Qinghu, naturally came to help.

This caused the surrounding households to see the precious horses and luxurious carriages parked at the Zhu Family gate; upon inquiry, they learned that this low-ranking imperial guard officer in Bianjing actually had relatives in Hou Fu.

Zhou Wansheng Gate Inner Street

Xiaoya Lane

The Ni Residence

The Ni Family Miss was waiting for the bridal procession with the help of neighboring sisters-in-law and older women.

Inside the residence were also several women dressed in obviously wealthier attire; these were relatives sent by the groom's side to help, having heard that the bride had few family members.

After some conversation, it was revealed that they were the daughters-in-law of the Sun Family from Xishui Gate, not far from here.

After chatting for a while, these older women discovered they could even claim some distant kinship.

They were also happy that this ill-fated girl of the Ni Family had finally found a place to belong.

They had assumed he was just an ordinary junior officer of the Bianjing imperial guards with some relation to the Sun Family.

But when Zhu Zhu Qinghu arrived riding a tall, sturdy horse, surrounded by seven or eight richly dressed young masters and several imperial guard officers,

they felt that this group's clothing was extravagantly luxurious to an excessive degree.

Especially certain styles and fabrics, which they had never seen before.

The Ni Family Miss burned incense for her deceased parents at home; after a series of farewell rites, she was supported by the older women as she exited the residence gate.

Three children, ranging in age from over ten to seven or eight, were directly lifted onto the horses of the wealthy young masters and proceeded together toward the Zhu Family.

Upon entering the Zhu Family gate, the Ni Family Miss discovered that besides Xu Shi, whom she had met once before, there was another woman dressed with extraordinary opulence.

Through the introduction of the master of ceremonies, she learned that this was Sun Shi, the Da Da Niangzi of the renowned Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Xu Family, whose fame had grown in recent years.

After the wedding concluded, the three little ones from the Ni Family had been arranged to sleep in the side rooms of the residence, where there were also several children who had traveled from afar from the Zhu Family estate in Xiangzhou.

The Ni Family Miss also saw her husband, Zhu Zhu Qinghu, walk in.

On the night of his grand wedding, Zhu Zhu Qinghu, with his three male cousins covering for him, had not intended to drink too much.

However, unable to resist those few brothers with whom he had shared life and death, he had drunk a bit more, though he was not yet drunk.

Pushing open the door to the bridal chamber,

he also saw the Miss sitting on the bed, holding a round fan and wearing a green wedding dress.

The Ni Family Miss lowered the round fan; her face was not one of supreme beauty, but merely that of an ordinary-looking woman with fair skin.

Looking at her husband, who stood dazed in thought reeking of alcohol, some worry appeared in the Ni Family Miss's eyes, as she thought she had been despised.

But boldly observing him closely, and seeing Zhu Zhu Qinghu's hesitant expression as if he wanted to speak but stopped, she said, "Husband, let us settle down."

After one night passed.

The next day, Sun Shi watched as her nephew's wife served tea; she gifted her a piece of valuable jewelry,

and specifically gave clothes and scholar's supplies to the three little ones of the Ni Family.

Zhu Zhu Qinghu and his Da Da Niangzi returned to their own courtyard.

Zhu Zhu Qinghu looked at his wife somewhat nervously and said, "I, I, I have..."

The Ni Family Miss spoke in a calm tone: "You have a mistress?"

Zhu Zhu Qinghu's face flushed with urgency, and he said, "No, I do not; I merely have an unreasonable request."

Miss Ni sighed and said, "Husband, please speak."

Zhu Zhu Qinghu took a deep breath, his expression turning serious as he said, "Miss, do you know about my mission to break through the Western Army's encirclement to deliver military intelligence?"

"Of course I have heard of it; that is how you, Husband, earned your status. You ought to call me Da Da Niangzi."

"Yes, yes! Back then, out of the fifty brothers under two captains in my squad, fewer than ten survived."

"Among them, the brother closest to me and I made a pact: whoever survived and got married would burn paper money and incense to inform the other."

"So I wanted to ask..."

Staring at Zhu Zhu Qinghu, Miss Ni said, "Husband, you want me to join you?"

Glancing at Miss Ni, Zhu Zhu Qinghu said, "Yes."

"Husband, you are the head of the household; how can you use the word 'ask'? I am unworthy of it. Moreover, burning paper money and incense for a hero who protected his home and defended his country is my honor."

"I knew you were extraordinary."

Having spoken, Miss Ni followed Zhu Zhu Qinghu into the adjacent side room; as Zhu Zhu Qinghu lit the incense, he said:

"Back then, just as we were about to break through, he sacrificed his life to lure away the pursuers. Before that, he always disliked his name and wanted to change it to Liu Feng Dabao."

Before a spirit tablet engraved with the name Liu Liu Xiao Mao, Miss Ni bowed respectfully.

Zhu Zhu Qinghu inserted the incense sticks into the censer and, his nose stuffed up, said:

"Liu Xiao Mao, isn't my wife wonderful, coming here to burn incense for you, lad! If you were still alive, finding a wife would have been the best you could hope for."

After speaking, he discreetly wiped the corner of his eye.

Looking at Zhu Zhu Qinghu's tear-glistening eyes, Miss Ni felt a slight relief in her heart: 'One who knows gratitude and remembers brothers life and death cannot be a bad person.'

"Let's go; we still need to escort Uncle and Auntie back to the residence."

"Mm, let's go, Da Da Niangzi!"

Many thanks for everyone's support!

Thanks again!

If there are any typos or awkward passages, please long-press and click 'Report Error'; the author will correct them immediately after getting up.

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(End of Chapter)