"What made you think of visiting your great-grandmother today?" The Second Lady asked with a smile, holding onto Du Zhao's hand. The several senior maids in the Second Lady's quarters were all busy either offering melons and fruits, or tea and water, or snacks, and they all welcomed Du Zhao with smiling faces.

  Dong Zhao nodded to several senior maids and greeted them, telling the second lady about the matter of sending incense to Bian Guangyi in Zhending Prefecture: "...I sent Buddha to the west. I saw that the two elder sisters of another family were helpless and dependent on no one, so I promised Bian Guangyi that if he passed away, his two daughters would be taken in by me. Since Bian Guangyi was still fine at that time, this matter was not made public, it's unlucky."

  The industries of the East and West Caves are still managed together, and have not been formally separated. The Second Madam is the highest-ranking woman in the Duan family, so giving her a greeting is a matter of courtesy. Later on, when the sisters Bi Suixin and Bi Sulan move around the inner house, they will also encounter fewer troubles.

  The second lady was somewhat surprised and hesitated: "Does your father know?"

  Dong Zhao smiled and said, "Let me tell you first, if you agree, I can still talk to Father about it later. And as for the Sixth Aunt's place, once someone enters the mansion, they may need to ask Sixth Aunt to explain the rules."

  The second lady listened and was very satisfied. She smiled: "This is a good thing, it's a good thing to accumulate blessings. What do I have to disagree with? Just as you said, when that Bie has fulfilled his seven-year vow, let those two little girls enter the mansion! At that time, you lead me to take a look."

  Dong Zhao smiled and replied "yes", chatted with Er Tai Furen for a while, then stood up to bid farewell.

  "First, we had to open our own shop, and then we arranged for the Cui family members to move into the shop. Now, we've also taken in two 'apprentices'," Dou Shi-bang asked his mother: "What do you think about this..."

  The second lady covered the tea leaves in the teacup with a saucer and said lightly, "No matter who instigated her, one shop and a few people may not be enough to satisfy her, and there will be more tricks. We don't need to rush, let's just wait and see for now."

  Dong Shibang bowed his head respectfully.

  Dòu Zhāo went to Jì's place.

  Wu Shan was taken back home by his family to celebrate the New Year, and the warm sunshine shone in the courtyard. Dou Zhengchang was alone, being served by his personal attendant, writing spring couplets in the courtyard.

  This is a rule passed down from Wu Huan-Cheng's generation.

  When Du Huan-Cheng was sixty years old, he resigned and returned home. In other people's eyes, he had a successful career as a young man, with many children and grandchildren, and in his later years, he still had good hearing and vision, making him a blessed person. Therefore, every Spring Festival, many relatives and friends would come to ask for couplets, hoping to share Du Huan-Cheng's good fortune and get a good omen. As a kind-hearted neighbor, Du Huan-Cheng naturally agreed to their requests and wrote couplets for them with his own paper and ink. Over time, more and more people came to ask for couplets, and Du Huan-Cheng became overwhelmed. His two sons and three grandsons all helped write couplets, and later on, any child in the Du family who had practiced writing well enough could write couplets for their fellow villagers during Spring Festival, which also became an important indicator of whether the children's studies were successful or not.

  Last year, Du Zhengchang and his brother Du Dechang were already qualified to write Spring Festival couplets.

  Dong Zhaoqi said: "What about Twelfth Brother?"

  Dòu Zhèngchāng was sweating profusely, and as he looked up to answer, he grabbed a handkerchief to wipe his forehead: "Fourth sister has arrived just in time, quickly help me find Zhi Ge - today the two of us have to write 400 spring couplets, how can I finish them by myself?"

  I don't even know if that sweat is from anxiety or heat.

  Dong Zhao smiled and said: "After I go to pay my respects to Liu Bo Mu, can I help the eleventh brother find someone? Anyway, the eleventh brother won't be of any help at this time."

  The warm curtains of the main house fluttered open, and Cai Shu walked out with a smile.

  She curtsied to Duan Zhao and smiled: "Madam said she seemed to hear the voice of Fourth Miss, we all thought Madam had misheard, didn't expect it was really Fourth Miss who came." While speaking, she turned around and lifted the warm curtain to invite her in. "Is Aunt Cui doing well? The narcissus and plum blossoms that Fourth Miss gave to our madam last time have all bloomed, filling the room with a refreshing fragrance. Madam doesn't know how much she likes it!"

  Because of Ji's family background, all the maids and elderly women in the six houses showed great respect to Cui Aunt.

  "She's doing all right," said Du Zhao, as he and Cai Shu entered the hall, where they were immediately greeted by the two pots of winter plum blossoms he had sent last time. The yellow flowers sparkled with a crystal clear transparency, like fine yellow jade carvings, cool and serene.

  The warm curtains in the inner room were wide open, and Ji Shi, dressed in a peach-red embroidered jacket with a blue lining, smiled as she walked out from inside. Seeing that she was only wearing a cloak made of green lotus-patterned wool, she grasped her hand and scolded: "This child doesn't even wear more. Her hands are icy cold." She called for the maid to bring over her own hand warmer to give to Du Zhao, then entered the inner room with Du Zhao: "I was just about to go to your place." Then she asked: "Are the New Year's goods on your side all prepared?"

  "There's Aunt Cui, of course everything is already well-prepared." Duan Zhao smiled and got on the bed with Ji Shi, telling her one by one about what had happened in recent days.

  Ji smiled and said, "You're a lucky kid. Taking in those sisters will do your reputation some good. You should do more of this kind of thing in the future. Even if the people you take in are troublesome at first, once the storm passes, there's always a way to send them on their way. Don't worry about it." He also said, "As for the shop, it doesn't matter if we lose several thousand taels of silver at first. As long as you can break even before you get married, that's all that matters. We're not looking to make a profit from this either."

  The whole picture has been turned upside down.

  Sweat dripping down his face.

  Ji smiled and asked her: "Have you personally gone to Second Madam's place to report?"

  "I went to Er Tai's place first, and then came here."

  "That's good." Ji said with a smile, "Older people are most afraid of being looked down upon by younger generations. From now on, if you have anything to discuss, just talk to the second madam more often."

  Dong Zhao understood this principle early on, but still smiled and nodded in agreement.

  Waiting for her to come out of the Ji's house, Duan Dechang had already returned and was writing Spring Festival couplets with Duan Zhengchang.

  "Where did the twelfth brother sneak back from?" Dòu Zhāo looked at the warm sunlight shining on them, and went to help them grind ink, also taking the opportunity to bask in the sun.

  "I'm going to the toilet," said Dou Dechang, "but I didn't go anywhere."

  Really?

  Dòu Zhāo Cháo Dòu Zhèng Chāng wàng qù.

  Translation:

  Dou Zhao and Dou Zhang looked on from a distance.

  Dou Zhengchang's face still had a few points of anger, but he said: "He came back early!"

  What's wrong with this guy?

  These days have been quite strange and eerie.

  But with Dou Qijun watching, nothing major should happen.

  Dong Zhao muttered to himself and returned to Xifu.

  After the Lantern Festival, Bie Zhengyi also passed his 49th day. The Bie sisters cleaned up and left for Xidu.

  Ganluo and Suoyu hurried over to help them pack up their things.

  Dong Zhao saw that they were not wearing red, nor were they wearing mourning clothes. He said, "The second lady of the East Manor is a bit too particular about rules, but you don't have to pay much attention to the others."

  At that time when asking for Dou Zhao's help, Chen Quanshui had inquired about Dou Zhao. They also had some understanding of the situation at Dou's house.

  Bie Suxin and Bie Sulan responded in unison, the two changed into moon-white fine cotton jackets and went to Aunt Cui's place.

  Cui's aunt first pulled the hands of the two and asked about their well-being, then pointed at Bie Suxin and said to Duan Zhao: "You look so delicate, how can you be a martial artist?" Then she pulled Bie Sulan: "This child is really good-looking!" Her tone was very sincere.

  Dong Zhao smiled and pursed his lips.

  Grandma likes children who are sturdy and robust.

  Bie Sulan was somewhat surprised and delighted by this.

  She and her sister stood together, others were praising her sister for looking good, no one had ever praised her.

  Although it was their first meeting, Bie Sulan immediately took a liking to her grandmother.

  Bie Suxin also felt that her grandmother was kind and approachable, and she couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. The worries she had before coming here all disappeared into thin air. She handed the key to the Bie family martial arts hall to Du Zhao: "You did this for my father so he would have a place to go when he passed away, we are already eternally grateful. Now that Father's funeral is over, this house should also be returned to you."

  Dong Zhao was redeemed in the name of Bie Gang Wei. She had no intention of wanting this house from the start, but Bie Su's expression of giving up on that house still made her quite pleased. She took back the key.

  "Grandma whispered to her: 'That's someone else's ancestral home, just give it back to them. You don't lack that little bit of silver.'"

  "Definitely going to return it to them, but not at this time."

  Grandma asked again, Dou Zhao had already said: "Alright. Alright, you go change your clothes quickly, later Tuo Niang and Cui Si will bring the child to see you."

  Because of Grandfather's reason, the people in the Cui family all came to pay New Year's greetings to Aunt Cui after the Chinese New Year. Nowadays, although Aunt Cui has moved into the Dou family, the people in the Cui family have already gotten used to it and still come to pay New Year's greetings to Aunt Cui after the Chinese New Year.

  The grandmother laughed very happily. Du Zhao took advantage of the fact that the Cui family's people had not yet arrived, and led the Bie sisters to meet the second lady.

  The second lady asked a few questions, saw the two sisters answering politely and modestly, and was very satisfied. She instructed them to serve Du Zhao well and rewarded each of them with a silver hairpin adorned with plum blossoms before serving tea.

  Dong Zhao took the two men to Liu Bei's mother's place.

  The courtyard was filled with people at Liu Bo Mu's place, everyone either carrying trunks or holding porcelain bottles, or lugging some small items, flowing incessantly towards the east wing.

  Bie Suxin and Bie Sulan were frightened out of their wits.

  Dong Zhao laughed and said: "It's the fourth master of the Wu family who has returned!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Shan suddenly appeared from somewhere.

  "Fourth sister, did you have a good New Year?" He bowed to Du Zhao.

  Dong Zhao smiled and returned the courtesy: "Pretty good! How's the old lady of Wu's family?"

  Wu Shan's great-grandmother is still alive.

  "Alright, alright." Wu Shan smiled and called out to his personal servant, "Bring over that Xiangshangmu Go board I brought from home." Then he said to Du Zhao, "The pieces on that board are carved with Arhats, their clothing is vividly depicted, they seem so lifelike, it's very interesting, Fourth Sister will definitely like it."

  He often gave some small things to Dou Zhao, and Dou Zhao put them all in boxes.

  She smiled and thanked him, pointing out the Bai sisters for him to get acquainted with.

  He rewarded two pieces of extremely fine jade pendants to Bie Suxin and Bie Sulan.

  Bie Sulan was overjoyed, hiding the jade pendant in her trunk and thinking to herself: "That Wu Gongzi is really generous! This jade pendant is probably worth 40 or 50 taels of silver."

  Bie Su Xin smiled and patted her sister's head, not making a sound, but in her heart she was thinking of Wu Shan's gaze at Dou Zhao, which could be described as never leaving for even a moment. She didn't know what kind of relationship Wu Shan and Fourth Miss had, but it looked very harmonious...

  Just then, Ganluo pushed open the door and entered: "Su Xin sister, there is a person named Chen Xiaofeng who claims to be your relative and has come to see you."

  ※

  Sisters, pink tickets......

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