Rebirth is not a dream.

Since the Laba Festival, Su Yue has been getting up early every day to go to the Marquis's Mansion to greet the Marquis's wife. Deep down, she is actually very reluctant to get up early, but she has to do it because of etiquette. What's more, the weather is getting colder, and getting up every morning is simply a painful torture for her.

In this era, the materials that can provide warmth are quite limited. In addition to expensive furs, silk is more common. As for the common people, wool or feathers are mostly used to make warm clothes, while ramie is a lower choice; some people can only use straw as a warm material. However, it is regrettable that cotton has not yet been widely popularized. This precious plant is mainly grown in Nanhai Kingdom, Baiyue Kingdom and border areas. It is rare and has a single purpose - it is only used by nobles to weave white folded cloth.

For this reason, people carried hand warmers with them wherever they went to keep out the cold. This undoubtedly reveals the inadequacy of the warmth-keeping measures at the time. Although fur was heavy, Su Yue did not like to use it; in comparison, silk was lighter but less warm.

Su Yue knew very well that if she did anything wrong, someone would definitely say that she didn't know the rules. Although she was very reluctant, she still gritted her teeth and persisted for three days. She secretly told herself that if she persisted for a while, after twenty-one days, she might be able to gradually adapt to this lifestyle. After all, habits become natural. As long as she can persist, I believe everything will get better and better.

During these visits, her nominal mother-in-law was still thinking about setting various rules for her! However, unexpectedly, she either spilled soup on the clothes of the Marquis's wife or accidentally splashed tea on her. As a result, after only two or three such mistakes, the Marquis's wife no longer let her do these things.

Every time she saw the eldest young lady serving the Marquis's wife wholeheartedly, she would say to her, "Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law! Look at how clumsy I am. I always fail to do these things well. I really trouble you too much, sister-in-law!"

Every time Su Yue saw her sister-in-law, she would show a good temper and respond: "Sister-in-law, please don't say that! Serving the mother-in-law is our duty as daughters-in-law." Although her heart had already been surging with countless waves, Su Yue could only smile on the surface. After all, in this ancient era, the so-called virtues had deeply bound women, so that they dared not even express the slightest complaint. It seemed that only by shaping herself into a flawless saint image could she be considered a perfect woman who met the expectations of society.

However, Su Yue knew very well that she was taking advantage of the situation by doing this. But she couldn't help but want to provoke the eldest young lady in this way, perhaps because of some indescribable pleasure deep in her heart. She knew that doing this might cause some trouble, but the feeling of watching the other person being irritated by her but unable to vent was too tempting and made her unable to stop.

Su Yue thought to herself that her behavior was really boring. Today she got up a little later than usual. When she and Qiu Zhu arrived at the flower hall, the Marquis's wife had already finished breakfast and was drinking tea. At this moment, everyone in the hall was sitting or standing, and it was very lively. The eldest young lady sat dignifiedly in the main seat, and the seventh and eighth young ladies sat beside her, both of them were pretty and charming. The two concubines of the Marquis, Aunt Lan and Aunt Qiu, stood quietly in the corner, looking at everyone with a smile on their faces.

Su Yue walked forward lightly, bowed to everyone, then sat down gracefully and took a sip of tea. At this time, the Marquis's wife smiled and asked, "Yue'er, I heard that your cousin will come to visit you today?"

Su Yue nodded politely and replied, "Yes, ma'am."

Madam Hou continued, "That's great! Tell the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes for lunch and treat our cousin well."

Su Yue smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you, Madam, for your concern and kindness."

Afterwards, Su Yue sat with everyone for a while, but she was always thinking about her cousin who was coming. She was full of curiosity about her cousin and had many questions to ask him. However, since she didn't want others to hear their conversation, Su Yue began to think about where to meet.

Finally, Su Yue decided to find Aunt Tao and asked, "When will my cousin arrive at the mansion?"

Aunt Tao replied respectfully, "Uncle Yuan is expected to arrive at 3:30 pm. It might be inconvenient to come too early."

Su Yue nodded slightly, indicating that she understood. Then, she continued to make arrangements: "After my cousin has met the Marquis' wife, we will meet in the pavilion in the back garden. Send someone to prepare some fireside and other necessary items."

Although Aunt Tao was a little confused as to why she had to meet the guest in the pavilion in the back garden, she still responded obediently: "Okay, Miss, I'll arrange it right away."

Su Yue walked through the corridors and finally came to the pavilion in the back garden. The pavilion had a unique shape, with four corners and eaves raised, like a phoenix spreading its wings and ready to fly. There was a plaque above the pavilion, with the three characters "Huilan Pavilion" written in a flamboyant style.

This pavilion was built on a rockery beside the lotus pond. It was the highest place in the entire mansion. Standing here, you can overlook half of the mansion, with pavilions, towers, flowers, plants and trees in full view. Moreover, due to its remote location and quiet surroundings, it is indeed difficult for others to notice if you talk here.

Su Yue stepped lightly onto the steps and walked into the pavilion. She stood quietly leaning against the railing, looking into the distance, with a myriad of thoughts in her mind. The breeze blew by, bringing bursts of lotus fragrance, which gradually calmed her mood.

Su Yue waved her hand to signal Ding Xiang to make tea and prepare some exquisite snacks. Then, she sat quietly in the pavilion, admiring the beautiful scenery around her while waiting for her cousin to arrive.

On the other hand, Qin Yi had never expected that Su Yue would choose Huilan Pavilion to receive his cousin. When he and Su Mingyuan stepped into Huilan Pavilion, he saw Su Yue sitting there leisurely and sipping tea.

Su Yue was surprised to see Qin Yi leading a young man into the pavilion. She originally thought that her cousin would be an older man, but she didn't expect that this young man named Su Mingyuan looked so young. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be not much different from Qin Yi, and he should not be much older than Qin Yi.

Su Yue slowly stood up, performed a standard etiquette towards Su Mingyuan, and said softly: "Uncle... hello." Her voice was clear and pleasant, like the sound of a yellow oriole singing in a valley.

Su Mingyuan's eyes were full of doting. He quickly reached out and helped Su Yue up, smiling and saying, "Oh my, after not seeing you for a few years, Yue'er has grown into a graceful young lady!"

After hearing this, Su Yue blushed, smiled slightly, and said softly: "Cousin, you are too kind. Yue'er is still the same Yue'er." That hint of shyness was like the peach blossoms blooming in spring, so beautiful and charming.

Then, Su Yue turned to look at Qin Yi, smiled and said, "Uncle and Sanlang, please take a seat." There was a hint of tenderness and kindness in her eyes.

Qin Yi thought that Su Yue was meeting her cousin here, and she must be hoping to have a quiet environment without being disturbed by others. So he took the initiative to say, "My wife and my cousin haven't seen each other for a long time, and they must have a lot to talk about. I'll go see if the guest room has been cleaned up." After that, he bowed to Su Mingyuan and turned to leave.

When leaving, Qin Yi's steps seemed particularly light, as if he was afraid to disturb the warm moment of the reunion of the relatives in front of him. He knew in his heart that at this moment, allowing Su Yue and her cousin to chat freely was the most important thing.