Crossing Over to Yamada Love

The pretty maid saw that the lady only raised her eyebrows and did not speak, so she stood there expressionless, neither speaking nor moving. However, the two old women had different expressions. One of them curled her lips and her eyes revealed disdain.

Mo Lan didn't care. These four people were none of her business. They were just there to eat, while her family owned a shop. Their relationship was nothing more than that.

"What food has been prepared for our lady?" the old woman asked, her eyes revealing disdain.

Mo Lan glanced at her. This was the same voice that had previously complained about their shop. She could tell that the old woman had a decent appearance and was plump and fair-skinned. She seemed like a gentle person, but who knew she would be so difficult to get along with? You really can't judge a book by its cover.

"The food is being prepared, Madam, please wait a moment. Have some tea first. And please try these two snacks," Mo Lan said, pointing to the two snacks on the table.

She had her mother make these two things at noon. One was sachima, topped with crushed walnut kernels. Sachima is not too difficult to make.

Mix eggs and flour, then shape into strips and fry. Once fried, press into a mold to shape, then sprinkle with sesame seeds, peanuts, or chopped pecans.

Another item is glutinous rice strips, which are made from glutinous rice flour and are also fried. After frying, they are sprinkled with crushed rock sugar, making them sweet and crispy, which children like.

"What kind of food is this? I don't even know if it's clean or not! How dare you serve it to our lady? Take it away immediately!" The plump old woman scolded Mo Lan.

"What? Didn't you come here for a meal, Madam?" Mo Lan asked with her smile unchanged.

"Let's eat." The lady in purple finally spoke her first words since entering the room. Her voice wasn't very pleasant; it was somewhat hoarse.

After she finished speaking, she picked up a rice noodle with her chopsticks. Before she could put it in her mouth, the plump old woman spoke again: "Madam, the food here may not be clean. Let's not eat it."

Lady Purple had been behaving gently, but when she gave the old woman a cold glance, she immediately shut her mouth and stopped talking.

She put the glutinous rice strip into her mouth and gently bit it. Her movements were very refined and elegant. She was clearly a person of high social standing.

After finishing a stick of glutinous rice, she picked up a piece of Sachima and ate it. After eating most of it, she put the rest in a small dish.

The maid behind her hurriedly stepped forward and moved Xiaodie aside, then took another set of clean bowls and plates from the table and arranged them properly. Then she stepped back and stood behind the lady in purple.

The lady in purple was currently contemplating the two desserts on the table. Both were sweets and tasted alright. However, compared to glutinous rice strips, she preferred sachima (a type of sweet pastry) because it wasn't as crispy and was easier to chew. Glutinous rice strips, on the other hand, would be good for the children.

After thinking it over, she couldn't help but take another look at Mo Lan. This girl had a beautiful face and a generous demeanor. She was neither arrogant nor humble when she came in, and her thoughts and expressions were not revealed on her face. She didn't seem to be raised in the countryside.

Mo Lan remained silent, smiling as she was scrutinized. She knew in her heart that this lady was not just passing by, but had come intentionally. If she was not mistaken, this lady must have some connection with the Xue family.

The room was quiet, and the atmosphere was a bit strange. Fortunately, Qiu Dajun and Qiu Erjun came in with trays and placed the dishes on the table one by one.

Before the lady in purple could speak, the plump old woman interrupted, "You're all too bold! This is cornbread, the kind of food lowly people eat. How dare you serve it to our lady? Quickly take it away and serve her rice. Pearl rice, please. Don't serve anything else, she won't eat it."

Mo Lan ignored her and instead looked at the lady in front of her. The lady in purple also glanced at Mo Lan. Then she picked up a steamed bun with her chopsticks.

The cornbread wasn't big, but it was golden in color and looked quite appealing. It was filled with pickled vegetables. The pickled vegetables with minced meat were mixed with bits of red chili pepper, making it look very appetizing. She opened her mouth and took a bite.

The plump old woman saw the lady eating and was about to speak up to stop her, but was glared at fiercely by another old woman, so she shut her mouth in annoyance.

The lady in purple loved strong flavors, and this cornbread was just what she wanted. Before eating it, she never imagined that such a small cornbread could taste so good.

The cornbread itself was very fragrant, with a sweet taste. The pickled vegetables were stir-fried to be spicy, salty, and fragrant, making it a unique and delicious combination with the cornbread. Before she knew it, she had finished the whole cornbread.

She picked up the sweet and sour pork again. Hmm, it was better than the one her cook made at home. It was crispy enough and the flavor was just right, which meant that the sauce was better than what she made at home.

Century egg and tofu is refreshing and delicious. The stir-fried pickled tomatoes and chili peppers are flavorful enough for her.

The pine nut and corn soup was also good. This mushroom soup didn't have many ingredients, and it wasn't very oily, but it tasted better than the one at the manor.

This little shop is really something to behold. No wonder they eat here every day.

And this little girl shouldn't be underestimated either. It's no wonder she attracted the attention of the three brothers. Just based on her unyielding and unyielding demeanor after seeing him, she made them think more highly of her.

It's a pity, her status disqualifies her from entering the manor. Someone like her would be murdered within days of entering.

The woman in purple took a few bites of all the food, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and gracefully rose and walked out. She didn't speak or even glance at Mo Lan during this time.

The maidservant behind her hurriedly followed. As she went out, she gave Mo Lan a serious look, her gaze somewhat complicated, which Mo Lan couldn't decipher.

After the two left, the plump old woman curled her lip at Mo Lan and said, "Know your place, don't be a toad trying to eat swan meat."

Another old woman shoved her and whispered to her, "Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and follow the madam."

After saying that, she glanced at Mo Lan and walked out with the plump old woman.

The four of them went out. The lady in purple went straight out, followed by the maid and the plump old woman. The last old woman paid for the meal.

Mo Lan watched their retreating figures, raising an eyebrow. What was the point of their trip? If it was a warning, they should have at least said something harsh. Just leaving like that? What kind of nonsense is this!

If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't think about it anymore. Anyway, the Xue family had nothing to do with her, and she was about to get engaged to Cheng Xiao, so why think so much! The easygoing Mo Lan stopped thinking about the lady's identity and purpose and continued with her work.

The next morning, Mo Changhe went to town with Old Liu. They returned quite late. Mo Lan saw that he had bought a lot of cloth, including bright red brocade.

"Father, why are you buying so much cloth?" Mo Lan asked, puzzled. Although their family was doing well, they were frugal and didn't have any extravagant habits. Her father wouldn't buy so much cloth unless there was a reason.

"It's for your and Mei'er's dowry. You should start embroidering too. Your sister is always embroidering, but you can't sit still. Have your aunt teach you sometime, and you should settle down." Mo Changhe said with a smile.

"Father, there are still several years to go, what's the rush?" Mo Lan couldn't help but rub her forehead. Starting to embroider the dowry now? Wasn't that too early?

"Why wouldn't we be in a hurry? Some families prepare dowries for their daughters as soon as they're born. You and Mei'er are starting late. I'll prepare whatever good dowries I see for you in the future. We can't let people think our daughters' dowries are meager." Mo Changhe looked at his beautiful daughter, feeling very excited. He was happy that his daughter had found such a good husband.

"Whatever Father says goes, but Auntie will embroider my dowry. I don't have the time to sit there and embroider; it would drive me crazy." Mo Lan muttered, then turned and ran away.

"You silly girl, you're about to get engaged, how come you're still so fickle?" Mo Changhe called out helplessly to his daughter's retreating figure.

The next morning, the Mo family was all smiles, happy about Mo Lan's engagement, because the matchmaker was coming to their door that day, and the Mo family had officially agreed to Cheng Xiao and Mo Lan's engagement.

After finishing preparing the filling, everyone changed into new clothes so they would be presentable when the matchmaker arrived, and it also showed how much they valued the marriage. Even Chen Xuan's mother was dressed in new clothes; she also took Mo Lan's engagement very seriously.

The matchmaker finally arrived, and Madam Qiu hurriedly invited her to sit down and poured her some tea.

Mo Lan didn't leave. She glanced at the matchmaker and felt that the matchmaker's smile was a little uneasy. Could something be wrong? She wondered to herself.

"Young lady, how has your family decided about what happened last time?" the matchmaker asked bluntly.

"Hehe, our family has discussed it and agreed, but we have conditions. My daughter has to wait until she's seventeen to get married. She's still young and needs to stay for a few years. We need to make this clear to the Cheng family. We need to tell Cheng Xiao to wait, and he can't do anything reckless these next few years. Also, the necessary formalities can't be skipped. I'll leave this to you, sister-in-law. I'm sure you'll need to give us a matchmaker's gift when the time comes." Qiu's face was full of smiles as she explained her family's intentions.

“Sister, there’s really no need to go through all that trouble. Waiting until the seventeenth? Where else can you find such a good opportunity? The sooner your daughter is settled, the more at ease you’ll be. If you ask me, we should just find an auspicious day in a few days and have the Cheng family send a sedan chair to bring your daughter in.” The matchmaker advised Qiu, but her words sounded rather unpleasant.

"How can this be! How old is my daughter? How can she go in? Besides, I can't just treat my daughter like this when I'm getting married. This is definitely not acceptable!" Qiu's eyes widened when she heard this; she wouldn't listen to the matchmaker.

Everyone was somewhat surprised; why was the Cheng family in such a hurry?

"Alright, then let's wait a few days and find an auspicious day for the engagement. Madam Cheng said she'll hold a banquet to formally arrange the marriage between the two children. Look how much the scholar's family values ​​this matter; you're truly blessed to have such in-laws." Upon hearing Qiu's words, the matchmaker immediately changed her tune, saying that the Cheng family was going to hold a banquet to formally arrange the engagement between Cheng Xiao and Mo Lan, and that the Cheng family valued this matter.