Of course, the purpose remained unspoken between the two parties. The occasions chosen were often chance encounters on the way to a temple to worship Buddha, or unintentional bumping into each other at a banquet.
In this way, even if they are not satisfied with each other after meeting, the marriage proposal cannot continue, and there will be no grounds for gossip.
The customs of the Qi people are much more open than those of the previous dynasty. However, whether it is a young woman or a young man, if they cannot find a suitable partner after going on too many dates, it will inevitably lead to gossip that they are too picky or that their parents are too demanding. In short, it is not a good reputation.
The Jun and He families have been related by marriage for many years, so Jun Nian, the brother-in-law, and He Caiqiong, the sister-in-law, naturally knew each other's appearance and temperament. However, because of the He family, the old lady was particularly worried about her youngest son's remarriage. She was afraid of making a mistake again, so she insisted on personally inspecting the marriage, and her eldest son and daughter-in-law had to accompany her to make sure she was at ease.
The opportunity the old lady had been waiting for soon arrived.
When Junyu turned 100 days old, the Marquis of Runan held a grand banquet for the young heir, inviting all the noble families in the capital, including the He family.
Although Jun Yu was the main character, he couldn't handle the task of entertaining guests, so it all fell to Jun Shu and his wife. Wu Xia, the housekeeper, learned the ropes quite well and helped Yang Shi with many things while preparing for the banquet. On the actual day of the banquet, Yang Shi entrusted her with the task of entertaining the unmarried young ladies.
The unmarried girls varied in age, the oldest being eighteen and the youngest only three or four. The way they were treated to different age groups also differed. Girls in their teens could play games like pitch-pot, flower appreciation, poetry writing, painting, and drinking games, while girls seven or eight and younger could do very little.
Wushuang is a loyal and good younger sister who is willing to help her older sister with her troubles. She volunteers to lead the little girls aged eight and under to listen to stories and play the game of promotion.
Despite the large number of guests, the atmosphere was joyful and harmonious.
"Shuangshuang, you're amazing!" Chu Wan exclaimed sincerely, looking at the girls' orderly demeanor. "You even know how to entertain guests! I've never done that before!"
The Prince of Ying's mansion now lacks a mistress, so even when he invites guests, Chu Yao only holds the banquet in the front courtyard and doesn't invite any female guests. Chu Wan, however, has already begun to dream of the day when she can be as capable as Wushuang.
"When my family holds a banquet in the future, Shuangshuang, you have to teach me how to cook, okay?"
Wushuang nodded in agreement.
It's not difficult at all. It's just about finding some things for the girls to pass the time, so they won't start fights or gossips because of personal grudges or factional differences.
On her younger brother's special day, Wushuang didn't want anyone to quarrel and spoil the atmosphere.
However, there are always some people who just can't find peace no matter what.
As the two little girls huddled together eating snacks, a young woman dressed in a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) emerged from the group of older girls playing the pitch-pot game.
Upon getting closer, Wushuang recognized her as Wu Wan'er, the one who had killed her sister Wuxia in her past life.
"Shuangshuang, I am Sister Wan'er. We met at General Qiao's mansion, do you remember?" Wu Wan'er bent down and greeted her with extra warmth, taking advantage of Wushuang's height.
Wushuang was extremely wary of her, unwilling to speak easily, and shook her head with her big eyes.
Wu Wan'er didn't take it seriously and chuckled, "Just now when everyone was chatting, your sister praised you for being smart and sensible, and I liked it when I heard that."
She doesn't want to be liked by her!
Wushuang thought to herself, then lowered her head and pretended to be shy, putting on a pure and innocent appearance.
Seeing this, Wu Wan'er finally got to the point, saying, "You know that there will soon be a new second aunt, right?"
Wu Shuang nodded with pursed lips, and then Wu Wan'er said, "I was asked by your new second aunt to ask for your help to arrange for your second uncle to meet by the lake in the back garden."
"Can't they arrange to meet themselves?" Wushuang held up the cherry shortbread in her hand with a displeased look. "They want to eat some snacks. After running around, it's not even cold anymore. It's not very tasty."
Children are just children; they only care about eating and don't even understand the difference between men and women.
Wu Wan'er covered her mouth with a handkerchief to hide her smile and said softly, "If your second aunt takes the initiative to invite your second uncle, people will gossip. Shuangshuang is kind-hearted and would definitely not want her second aunt to be ridiculed, so I'll have to trouble you to make the trip. As for the snacks, once your second aunt is married, you can ask her for as many as you want, and she'll surely give them to you."
It's not even close to being done yet, and this pie in the sky is already too far-fetched. It shows absolutely no sincerity and is just taking advantage of children who are easy to fool.
However, seeing how hard Wu Wan'er was persuading him, Wu Shuang couldn't help but wonder what she wanted to do. In the end, she went to the front yard herself and led Jun Nian to the lakeside in the back garden.
"This is it. After you come down the path, turn left and go to the third willow tree by the lake." Wushuang let go of Junnian's hand. "Second Uncle, you wait here. Shuangshuang is going back to eat su luo."
After saying that, without waiting for Jun Nian's reaction, he ran back to the path and secretly slipped into the bushes at the bend to see what was going on.
Suddenly, a splashing sound rang out, and someone fell from the pleasure boat into the lake.
"Help!" The cry for help was soft and high-pitched, clearly from a young woman.
She splashed around so much that water was everywhere, making it impossible to see her face clearly.
However, Wu Shuang had just spoken with Wu Wan'er, so she could naturally recognize her voice.
Therefore, Wu Wan'er took a liking to the title of the second wife of the Marquis of Runan and staged a scene of a hero saving a beauty so that she could marry into the family in a natural way.
They really have a big heart.
But what about Xu Lang, her true love from her past life?
As Wushuang marveled, she saw the branches and leaves rustling beside her, and with a soft rustling sound, a tall and slender figure came to her side.
"Tsk tsk." The newcomer imitated Wushuang.
Chapter 71 | Table of Contents
Chapter 71:
"Shameless!" The Lady of the House, a woman of impeccable virtue throughout her life, was exceptionally strict in educating her daughters. Seeing her unmarried daughter, Wu Wan'er, lying naked with a man, she was naturally furious. "Yingge, go and wake her up! I want to know how she could do such a depraved thing in the pure land of Buddhism."
The parrot, its face flushed, approached the daybed.
Wu Wan'er was still wearing her undergarment, while the man was completely naked from the waist up. Parrot turned his face away, unwilling to look any longer, and only reached out to gently pat Wu Wan'er's cheek: "Miss, wake up quickly."
Despite calling her name several times, Wu Wan'er remained unresponsive.
Left with no other option, Parrot turned around, grabbed Wu Wan'er's shoulders, and shook her, saying, "Miss, wake up."
This time, Wu Wan'er reacted slightly, her brows furrowing. After a long while, she opened her eyes and asked groggily, "Sister Parrot, what's wrong?"