After hearing my inner thoughts, the ancestors in the Dream of the Red Chamber went berserk.

The three boys, who had initially felt somewhat guilty, immediately glared angrily at their grandfather (great-uncle).

That's outrageous! He's already in this state, how can his grandfather (great-uncle) still be laughing!

Jia Daishan smiled and said:

"You've made so many mistakes today, shouldn't you get a couple of spankings?"

Jia Hu remained silent.

[Any other punishment would be much better; spanking is too embarrassing!]

Jia Zhu and Jia Zhen nodded vigorously.

Jia Daishan smiled and said:

"Did you think spanking was shameful? Now you know you care about saving face."

Seeing the three of them on the verge of tears, Jia Daishan, fearing he might bully them too much, said:

"Alright, alright, Grandfather won't tell anyone about what happened today except the four of us. I won't let you go out and embarrass yourselves, okay?"

The little guy is quite concerned about his image.

The three little ones finally found some comfort.

Jia Daishan suppressed a laugh and coaxed, "Are you hungry? I've asked the kitchen to prepare your favorite dishes."

What Jia Hu was thinking was...

[Hmph, is this a case of hitting someone and then giving them a sweet treat?]

Jia Daishan coughed lightly to cover his mouth.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you want to eat anymore? Oh well, then Grandfather, you can eat alone today."

Jia Zhu and Jia Zhen immediately raised their hands and said, "We'll eat."

Jia Daishan then looked at Jia Hu, who, seeing his two younger brothers looking aggrieved, also raised his hand.

"Want to eat!"

Jia Daishan laughed even more heartily.

"Let's go to the warm pavilion for dinner."

Jia Hu followed along towards the warm pavilion, thinking to himself that he must eat an extra bowl of rice later, for only delicious food could soothe his wounded heart.

We were also relieved that there was no one else in the study, only a few of us.

Grandfather also said that if he didn't tell anyone, then not many people would know that he had been spanked, otherwise he would be too embarrassed.

After calming himself down, Jia Hu grabbed his two younger brothers and rushed towards the warm pavilion.

I've been busy with so many things all morning, and I'm hungry now.

Looking at his three grandsons who had regained their energy, Jia Daishan was in a very good mood and quickened his pace.

The grief and anger were channeled into a hearty appetite, and the three boys ate with great relish. Seeing his grandsons enjoying their meal, Jia Daishan unconsciously ate a little more himself.

Here, Grandmother Jia, along with Zhang Shi, hosted a banquet for Lin's mother and Lin Ruhai, who would soon be in-laws, so naturally the guests were all very happy.

After having eaten and sitting for a while, Lin's mother was about to take her leave.

She needs to hurry back to prepare for Najib's affairs; she must quickly settle down with such a good daughter-in-law.

Najib is a ritual performed by the man after he learns the woman's name and birth date. He then consults someone to analyze her birth chart, which is essentially a formality to bring good luck.

The main reason is that I hope the young couple can have a smooth and harmonious life together in the future.

After analyzing the birth charts and informing the woman of the results, the engagement ceremony can begin.

After seeing the Lin family off, Grandmother Jia told Zhang to go home and rest. Despite being heavily pregnant and busy all morning, she wasn't the unreasonable type of mother-in-law.

Grandmother Jia then took Jia Min to take stock of the dowry that had been prepared in advance.

Jia Min's dowry had been prepared since she was a child.

If the groom's betrothal gifts demonstrate his respect for the bride, then the dowry represents the woman's confidence and security.

This dowry needs to cover everything the girl will need for her entire life.

Once a girl gets married and becomes a wife, she is considered inferior. However, if her dowry is generous, she will have confidence in her husband's family because she has brought everything she eats, drinks, and uses herself.

In the capital, there has always been a competition among families when it comes to dowries. If you don't prepare those good things in advance, how can you expect them to be waiting for you? Therefore, daughters from wealthy families start preparing their dowries from a young age.

As the only daughter of the Duke, Jia Min's dowry was exceptionally substantial.

Grandmother Jia also constantly taught Jia Min how to manage the household affairs, which was something that the principal wife had to know.

The mother and daughter were bustling about, creating quite a lively scene.

The three little ones, having eaten their fill, relaxed in their chairs like little pigs, chatting with their grandfather (great-uncle).

Seeing that the three of them were all limp and listless, Jia Daishan found them endearing and asked gently:

"But you're tired, do you want to go back and rest?"

The three of them were just feeling sleepy after eating, but they didn't want to go to sleep.

I've already gotten a beating on the butt today, and I'm starting to give up.

She was even more eager to know whether her aunt and Uncle Lin had actually gotten together.

Jia Daishan looked at his grandchildren shaking their heads, took a sip of tea helplessly, and knew that they were also waiting.

Feeling confident about the marriage, he stopped paying attention to them.

Meanwhile, Grandmother Jia was showing Jia Min the jewelry in the dowry, but felt it wasn't enough. She was thinking of taking Jia Min to the Treasure Pavilion the next day to have a few more sets made.

Only then did he realize that he hadn't told Jia Daishan about today's results.

He then instructed his mother beside him:

"Go and tell the Duke that it's already arranged, and we'll start the engagement ceremony after the Lin family accepts the betrothal gift."

Before Mother arrived, Jia She and Jia Zheng came over first.

Putting everything else aside, Jia She did have some talent; he opened an appraisal pavilion.

People knew that he owned a shop, and with the Duke in charge, many people came to curry favor and support him.

Gradually, people realized that he was truly capable and not just messing around.

Many people without connections are willing to come to him for appraisals. With the Duke's mansion involved, they know that Jia She has a lot of good things to his name and won't covet their possessions, so they feel quite at ease.

Jia She didn't go every day; he would only go occasionally to appraise a few items.

Because Jia She has seen a lot and has a keen eye, he has made a name for himself. Now he only needs to look at two items a day, and there are still many people queuing up.

Since finding something that suits him, Jia She has changed his previous unambitious attitude and has become positive and radiant.

He had just finished his work at the shop in the morning and wanted to visit his eldest son after having lunch.

They happened to run into Jia Zheng on the way, so they came together.

Jia Zheng now understands how to care for the children at home, and during his rest time after meals, he thinks of coming to see them.

As soon as the two entered the house, they saw their father reading a book, while their sons and nephews were leaning back in their chairs.

Jia Zheng frowned slightly again.

Jia Daishan smiled as he saw them arrive:

"Why are you here?"

Jia Daishan noticed the changes in his two sons and began to find them more agreeable.

After the two men bowed, Jia She said:

"The son wants to come and see his father, Hu'er, and his nephews."

Jia Zheng said the same thing.

Jia Daishan smiled and said:

"sit down."

Jia Hu and the other two also stood up and bowed to them.

Jia Zheng couldn't help but say:

“One should sit properly; how can one be disrespectful in front of one’s grandfather?”

Jia Daishan frowned, still finding his son disagreeable.

"What are they doing? They just ate and are a little sleepy. I told them to relax. They don't need to be so formal at home."