Marrying the Crown Prince

Seeing that Liu was puzzled, Du explained, "She is the Seventh Princess's companion and grew up in the palace."

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu realized that it was no wonder Zhou Zhou's manners seemed different from others; he had been taught by a nobleman.

But with such a stepdaughter, the pressure on the stepmother must be immense, right?

Thinking of this, Liu cautiously looked at Du's expression and saw that her face was calm and indifferent, and she could not tell whether she was in a good mood or a bad mood.

It's true what they say, "Like father, like son." After my sister-in-law married into a marquis's family, her demeanor completely changed.

Meanwhile, the children had already built a snowman.

The snowman is round and plump, with a big belly. It has a scarf hanging on it, a carrot stuck in it, and eyes painted on it, making it look like a drunken old man who has eaten and drunk his fill and is going out for a stroll.

Zhou Yue breathed out a breath and rubbed her hands together, excitedly asking Zhou Zhou, "Sister, is it pretty?"

Upon seeing this, Zhou Zhou pulled Zhou Yue's hand over and tucked it into his sleeve to warm it for her. "It looks good."

Her sister's embrace was sweet and soft, and Zhou Yue felt as if she were soaking in honey.

No, it should be soaked in plum wine, sour and sweet, making you feel dizzy.

At lunchtime, Zhou Laowu was naturally forced to drink cup after cup of wine by Du Laowu until he finally passed out drunk.

Mrs. Du was speechless. "I've already told you he can't hold his liquor."

Du Laowu chuckled foolishly, pretending not to understand. In fact, he was doing it on purpose. This man was so old, yet he dared to marry his sister. How could he tolerate this?

Every time I see him, I'll make him drink!

Since the person had fainted, it wouldn't be right to just head back home. Madam Du told the coachman to go back to the Yongjing Marquis's residence to deliver a message, saying that she would stay overnight and return the next day.

Then Du Laowu called over his servants and told them to carry Zhou Laowu back to his guest room.

Zhou Laowu collapsed, but the rest of the Yongjing Marquis's household was still there, so Liu Shi asked the maid to clean the table and then brought out the tea set.

Gathered around the stove to brew tea, Lady Liu was able to indulge in the refined pleasures of these noblemen.

Since it was tea brewing, Zhou Zhou naturally wouldn't ask her elders to do it. So she deftly warmed the teapot and scalded the cups, which required little skill. All it took was nimble, delicate hands and graceful, fluid movements to be pleasing to the eye.

The subsequent skimming and cup-inverting were the more difficult moves, but Zhou Zhou's beautiful features and nimble fingers moved with precision and coordination, each movement as beautiful as a scenic view, smooth and natural, making it impossible to look away.

Liu and Du Laowu were stunned. They thought to themselves: It's not easy being a woman from a noble family. They have to learn all these things. The boiling water must have been so hot, but the young girl didn't even flinch.

Zhou Zhou raised her eyes and handed them the teacups.

Liu took a small sip and, whether it was psychological or not, felt that the tea today was indeed much better than before.

Afterwards, the men huddled together, while Zhou Chengan and Lin Yaozhi, the two teenagers, went off to chat with Du Laowu.

Zhou Cheng'an has read many books, but Lin Yaozhi and Du Laowu have traveled more roads. Du Laowu, in particular, simply recounted the humanities, history, customs, and traditions of the places he had visited, which Zhou Cheng'an found fascinating and planted the seed of studying abroad in his mind.

He said that sooner or later, he would leave Kyoto to see the desert scenery described in the book and truly witness whether "half city in mist and rain, half city in sand" was as hazy and dreamlike as it was depicted.

As for Madam Liu and Madam Du, they naturally handed the two younger children over to the wet nurses, asking them to take them away and coax the two children to take a nap.

Only when the child is out of a mother's arms does the happy time for her truly begin.

Lady Liu rolled up her sleeves and told the maid to bring out the leaf cards. "Come on, it's been a long time since I've played. Let's play a couple of rounds today."

Mr. Du's hands weren't itchy, and...

"If you lose too much, won't you get angry?"

Given Zhou Zhou's luck and her algorithm, Liu Shi definitely couldn't beat her.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Liu retorted, "How could I possibly keep losing?"

Du smiled and said, "Can you really say for sure about something like luck?"

It's really hard to say, but to be laughed at like this before even starting to play made Liu very indignant. "Then how can you be so sure?"

So, the women started playing cards at their table.

Liu, considering herself an adult, believed she should let the children have their way and not be so stingy. So she told Zhou Zhou and Zhou Yue to share the same set of cards, while she and Du each got their own set.

In the first round, Zhou Zhou won three cards against the others.

In the second round, Zhou Zhou won by five cards.

Zhou Zhou won the third round.

In the fourth hand, Zhou Zhou once again played all his cards.

On the fifth attempt, Lady Liu fell silent.

The sixth one, ...

……

……

After playing for a full half hour, Liu had lost all the loose silver she had prepared.

She rubbed her temples, looked at Zhou Zhou with a complicated expression. This palace even teaches people to play leaf cards?

Zhou Zhou looked at Liu Shi with a sweet smile, looking adorable.

Liu: "..."

Zhou Zhou's smile was indeed adorable, and her expression was so innocent that one wanted to pat her head. But it was precisely because of this that Liu Shi dared not look at her for long, because she knew that the girl in front of her was definitely not this innocent and pure.

Leaving the Du residence, the New Year was officially over.

Soon, the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, arrived.

Later generations all thought that Qixi Festival was Valentine's Day, but that's not the case. Qixi Festival is the Festival for praying for skills, a festival exclusively for girls; the Lantern Festival is the real Valentine's Day.

On this day, whether unmarried lovers or married couples, they can go out together, release lanterns, solve riddles, wear matching masks, hold hands and stroll through the streets, and have a lively and fun time.

Therefore, on this day, the Yongjing Marquis's residence was not so strict with the children, letting them go and play on their own. Of course, the children still needed to be accompanied by adults.

Du Shi had not made any arrangements with Zhou Laowu, so she brought Zhou Zhou and Zhou Yue along. As for that little brat Zhou Chengxuan, Du Shi found him annoying, so she left him with Old Madam Zhou.

It is said that grandparents love their grandchildren more. Seeing that her youngest grandson was chubby and not too noisy, Grandma Zhou liked him more and more and agreed to Du's request to help her take care of the baby for a day.

Meanwhile, Du explained to Zhou Zhou and Zhou Yue why they weren't bringing Zhou Chengxuan along today: "We're going to check out the shops this time, and it would be a bit inconvenient to bring him along."

"Mother has already made her choice?" Zhou Zhou's eyes lit up.

“We’ve chosen three, but we haven’t decided which one yet,” said Madam Du, taking out a food box from a hidden compartment. Inside the box were three small dishes of pastries. “Ultimately, this is your shop, so your approval is the only way to go.”

"I had the kitchen make this early this morning. It certainly can't compare to Baiweiyuan, but it's still good enough for a treat." With that, Madam Du picked up a teacup and poured tea for the three of them.