High-class maid

Having received the hint, Hou Xinyu gracefully entered the hall carrying the tea that had been prepared beforehand.

"Xinyu, quickly serve tea," Hou Xinyu's mother said, pointing to Liu.

Liu looked at Hou Xinyu with anticipation. The protagonist of the day wore a light pink patterned fox fur cloak, a complete set of pink glass butterfly and flower headdresses, and crystal-clear pink jade earrings. Liu was increasingly pleased with her appearance.

Hou Xinyu blushed and slowly walked over, carrying tea, but the hair ornament on her head didn't move at all. Anyone who saw her would say she was a lady from a respectable family.

"Auntie, please have some tea." Her face was already flushed to the roots of her ears. She placed the tea on the table and said softly.

"Good, good, good." Madam Liu picked up her teacup and took a big gulp to save face. Although the tea was a little cold, she still praised it highly.

"Good child, it's kind of you to bring this over again. You can wear this bracelet and play with it." After saying that, she took off a jade bracelet from her arm. This jade bracelet was so fine that you could see the lines on your hand through it. In modern terms, it was a glass-type jade bracelet.

Hou Xinyu turned to look at her mother's opinion. After seeing her mother nod, she shyly reached out and took it, saying, "Thank you, Auntie."

"This child, is he too happy? Why is he calling her 'Auntie'?" said one of Hou Xinyu's aunts.

Everyone burst into laughter. Hou Xinyu looked up and saw that her mother was not unhappy. After considering her words for a moment, she said as if she had mustered up her courage, "Thank you... Mother."

"Oh! This is your aunt, and this is Luo Sheng, our second young lady Luo Yu. You've met her before." Madam Liu smiled broadly, pointing out the members of the second branch of the family to her.

"After the Luo sisters came last time, Xinyu took an instant liking to them. So, when she heard they were coming today, she prepared a painting in the house and said she wanted them to inscribe it," said Hou Xinyu's mother.

"Then hurry up and go," Liu said to the Xiao sisters.

So the young women bowed gracefully to the ladies in the hall and left hand in hand.

Thus, after Hou Xinyu changed her address to "Mother," their engagement ceremony was finally completed.

Xiao Yi'an, in the front yard, was unaware that his mother had won over his wife. He was surrounded by Hou Xinyu's brothers, playing pitch-pot together.

"Brother Xiao, you're amazing! You hit the bullseye every time!" Hou Xinyu's older brother, Hou Yumo, patted him on the shoulder and said.

"Brother, you flatter me. It was just a coincidence today," Xiao Yi'an said with a smile, not at all arrogant.

Hou Yumo was even more satisfied with him because he was not arrogant.

The hustle and bustle of Yongchang Prefecture continued until noon. With a command from the steward of the front courtyard, everyone put down what they were carrying and turned to follow the host to the pavilion.

Although it was called a pavilion, it was actually surrounded by cotton cloth embroidered with magpies. Every ten steps inside the pavilion, there was a charcoal brazier, and each table had an exquisite hand warmer. The men found their seats under the arrangement of the host.

"I have prepared a banquet for you all today, so please eat and drink to your heart's content. If there is anything that is not well received, please forgive me!"

After saying this, Hou Xinyu's father raised his wine cup to the sky and bowed, then slightly bent down, spilling a little wine onto the ground. He then picked up his cup, raised his arm to the crowd, took a sip, and said, "I'll drink this first!"

Everyone stood up and downed their drinks in one gulp.

They ate and drank in the front yard, and even played drinking games. It was incredibly lively.

Meanwhile, the ladies in the inner courtyard had already begun eating the food prepared by Yongchang Prefecture. Madam Liu watched as the maids served one dish after another, each dish being cleared away when only half a plate remained. She secretly counted and found that twenty dishes had already been served, with more maids serving more dishes to come.

"Little sister, please try some. I didn't know what flavor you liked, so I prepared a little of each one," Hou Xinyu's mother said politely.

“Sister, there’s no need for such trouble. I’ve heard that your family’s food is exquisite, and after tasting it today, I can confirm that it lives up to its reputation.” Liu smiled and raised her wine cup to her, then drank it all in one gulp.

The maids were also enjoying the delicious food at this time.

"Mmm, this fish is delicious, sister, you should try some too." Shen Xing'er was captivated by the sweet and sour fish on the table, and she also picked up a piece for Jinglin. After tasting it, Jinglin nodded repeatedly.

"Not bad, it's really delicious. I just counted, there are a total of sixteen dishes!" Jinglin said softly.

"Yongchang Prefecture is treating us so well; they're trying to intimidate us," Shen Xing'er said to Jing Lin after they had eaten and drunk their fill.

“I understand what my sister means. The more Yongchang Mansion treats us, the more they show that they value their eldest daughter. This will ensure that she won’t be mistreated when she comes to our manor in the future.”

"Yes! These sixteen dishes alone are enough for our monthly allowance for three months," Shen Xing'er said, looking at the food on the table with a pained expression.

Jinglin chuckled and said, "I didn't expect Xing'er to be so frugal. We've certainly learned something new here. Ordinary families would never be so extravagant."

Just as the maids were finishing their meal and chatting, someone outside called out, "Let's go back!"

Everyone hurriedly got up, checked each other, and finding nothing amiss, they all dropped their joking expressions and lined up to leave the side room.

"Xing'er, come here!" Wang saw Shen Xing'er and secretly called her name. Shen Xing'er hurriedly pulled Jinglin and ran over.

"You hold this one! This one is for Jinglin." Wang took two boxes and handed them to them, then went to attend to other matters.

Shen Xing'er and Jing Lin each carried a lighter box and, just like when they arrived, lined up to go back.

"Why do we have to carry this box back? But this box is different from the one we brought," Shen Xing'er asked Jing Lin softly.

Jinglin didn't understand what this meant either, and shook his head to indicate that he didn't know.

"This is a return gift from the bride's family, usually prepared for the groom's elders. The chests being carried over there are the bride's dowry; the remaining dowry will be taken to the groom's house a few days before the wedding," said an older maid.

"Oh, I see." Shen Xing'er and Jing Lin nodded, looking as if they had just realized something.

"The rules in high-ranking families are so many, unlike ordinary families where everything is simple. The engagement ceremony in a high-ranking family is even more grand than a wedding in an ordinary family. What will my engagement be like? Who will I be engaged to?... "

Shen Xing'er held the box, lost in thought. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but before she had walked for a while, the main group returned to the Minister's residence.