Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 594 - 592

Chapter 594: Chapter 592

Xiao’er returned to the mansion and noticed that the western sky had darkened.

A storm was brewing.

As Xiao’er made her way to the courtyard where Mrs. Liu was, she saw numerous maids and older women running around, tidying things up.

The weather had been pleasant this morning and Mrs. Liu, expecting her baby soon, had instructed the maids to air the pre-prepared and clean baby clothes, cradle, small bed, and other necessities under the sun. However, halfway through the day, signs of an imminent storm had shown up.

Upon entering the house, Xiao’er saw Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Liu, engaged in a conversation about yesterday’s incident on the main street.

The duo stopped talking abruptly as Xiao’er entered, as the matter they discussed wasn’t suitable for a young girl to hear.

Unbeknownst to them, Xiao’er was already aware of the matter and had even taken part in scheming it.

"Aunt, how come you had the time to visit today?" greeted Xiao’er as she entered.

"We received a letter from our hometown. Mr. Shen reported that Shen Jingwen is getting married and invited us and your family to the wedding," said Mrs. Lu as she handed a letter to Xiao’er.

Reading the letter, Xiao’er noticed that the handwriting seemed to be of Mr. Shen’s, which seemingly lacked vigor, a telltale sign of the old man’s declining health.

Mr. Shen was aging too and his recent years must have been increasingly tough.

Xiao’er’s family hadn’t paid him much attention, but the assumptions were quite evident.

The letter simply invited both families for a wedding feast. After all, they were blood-related brothers. The entire village was invited to attend this joyous occasion and no other intent was implied.

After reading the letter, Xiao’er asked Mrs. Lu, "Do you and Uncle plan on going back?".

Since they have cut ties with those two branches of the family, they definitely won’t be going themselves. Even if they do not go, it’s justified. Some may argue that it’s heartless, but many officials in the Imperial City have their hometown, too. This isn’t modern times where airplanes are available for swift transportation. If every official is to travel back home for a wedding, they won’t have time to do their duties at the Government Office!

With some hesitation, Mrs. Lu replied, "Our shops can’t be left unattended, furthermore Jingjie is studying at the academy, and our two little ones are still young. We don’t have the time to make the trip. The round trip would take more than two months! I’m thinking of not going! How about you?"

Going back would bring unpredictable troubles—what if Mrs. Shen feigns sickness and requests assistance, thereby delaying their return? She remembers how they had to leave Shengping County in the past.

Xiao’er nodded, implying she didn’t want to return back, which was quite reasonable.

"We’re definitely not going. My mother is about to give birth, my father is occupied with official duties, my brother and younger brother will soon be having their exams, and this is a crucial reading period for them. Besides, our two families have severed ties; there is no need to return," replied Xiao’er without a second thought.

No one has sent gifts over the past few years and it seems like Master Shen, considering the years passed, wants to mend their relationship.

Mrs. Liu nodded in agreement, "We won’t have to return. Since the entire village is invited, we’ll just follow the village’s customs and send a gift. Let’s have the housekeeper send a parcel of cloth or a basket of eggs to honor the wedding feast!"

Whenever there’s a joyous occasion in the village that involves everyone, villagers usually offer a basket of eggs or half a yard of cloth as customary.

In the past few years, during a joyful occasion in the village, Mrs. Liu would have the housekeeper attend on behalf of their family, bringing customary gifts. As for what gifts to bring, they would decide based on their past relationships with them.

According to Mrs. Lu, by treating the main family and second branch as regular village neighbors, it was indeed a convenient approach. She feared that by being generous with their gifts, they would attract unnecessary attention and might be taken advantage of. On the other hand, if the gifts were deemed inadequate, they might be subjected to rumors by the villagers, given they own shops in town and in the Imperial City.

Mrs. Lu was indeed worried about losing face, not wanting to give too much or too little, and being subjected to public discussion.

"How should we give our gifts? I feel like no matter what we do, it won’t be appropriate," Mrs. Lu said with a headache. They had troubled her to the point of having a miscarriage and she really didn’t want to interact with them anymore. Unfortunately, she hadn’t disowned them and had to prepare a generous gift for the sake of reputation, a situation that made her feel aggrieved.

Mrs. Liu found it hard to respond to her question.

"Why is this even difficult? The basis of social interaction lies in reciprocity. When Xiao Jingmin was one month old, how did they gift you? You should reciprocate in the same way!" The reason why many families keep a comprehensive record of gifts given and received was for the purpose of reciprocity. Giving a light gift is inappropriate but offering a heavy gift would also be unfit. In the first case, you’re at a disadvantage; in the second case, next time, the other party has to reciprocate with an equally heavy gift, which could strain them if they’re not well off.

A single remark could spark a realization. Mrs. Lu realized, "Why didn’t I think of that before!"

On the one-month celebration of Mrs. Lu’s youngest son, Mrs. Shen gifted a half yard of moldy cloth, while the second branch offered a basket of eggs. Although uncertain if the eggs were originally rotten or had rotted along the way, Mrs. Lu did receive a basket of rotten eggs. She was so furious that she almost rode the carriage back to Mrs. Li’s and threw an egg at her face. She lamented the fact that none of the eggs, cushioned with more straw in the basket than eggs themselves, had actually cracked along the way.

Now was indeed the time for reciprocity!

Mrs. Lu thought about checking her warehouse for any moldy cloth they had. In respect of their status as the main branch, she decided to present a whole yard of it. That was double the amount - a true act of reciprocation! She was indeed giving them face!

She regretted throwing away the half a yard of moldy cloth she had received earlier. If she had known, she would have kept it to gift back.

"When do you plan on dispatching the gift? It seems like we’re sending some goods back to Shengping County tomorrow, and we could help you deliver it on the way," Mrs. Liu offered.

"That works. I will prepare the gift tonight and send it over first thing in the morning," Mrs. Lu nodded in agreement.

Xiao’er glanced outside the window. A whirlwind was on the rise and it seemed like it would soon start raining heavily. She suggested, "It seems like a heavy rain is coming. Aunt, maybe you should wait until after dinner before you go. I’m heading back to my room."

Mrs. Lu nodded and went back to chatting with Mrs. Liu again.

The rain continued to pour for more than an hour. After dinner, Shangguan Xuanyi hadn’t sent any news over, probably because he was busy attending to the indisposed.

Gazing at the garden, washed clean by the rain, Xiao’er seemed lost in thought. Given that Shangguan Xuanyi had the medicine up his sleeve, the emperor was bound to recover. But the reason for the emperor’s sudden fainting was uncertain.

As people age, their bodies deteriorate each passing year, and each organ’s function starts to decline naturally. Although she could use her spatial resources to delay aging, she couldn’t prevent aging or death.

The emperor’s loss of consciousness this time might give some people a glimmer of hope.

As Xiao’er mulled over things, jotting down the presents for the servants for the Mid-Autumn Festival, she thought to herself.

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