Old Mrs. Xia glanced at Mrs. Miao, her mind clear.
The status of the main guest invited affects the maiden's reputation.
On Mrs. Miao's maternal side, the remaining women of high rank are all quite elderly, hardly even able to get around, while the younger ones are of similar rank to Mrs. Miao.
When visiting familiar in-laws, Mrs. Miao doesn't dare to make decisions on her own, surpassing Old Mrs. Xia.
Old Mrs. Xia looked at Du Yunru and Du Yunluo.
When Du Yunru came of age, the main guest invited was a maternal aunt from Mrs. Zhen's family, who had a favorable marriage and herself became a Lady of Stately Elegance.
This was thanks to the face of Mrs. Zhen.
As for when Du Yunluo comes of age in the future...
Old Mrs. Xia had her calculations; if Du Yunluo's betrothal to the Heir of Duke Dingyuan were settled, the main guest for her coming-of-age ceremony must be even more carefully chosen. Old Mrs. Xia would swallow her pride and personally invite the wives of the First Rank and Second Rank.
Presently, regarding Du Yunying, she needed to lay the groundwork, lest two years from now, others say she favors one over the other too much.
She did not wish for Du Yunluo to hear strange rumors.
Old Mrs. Xia squinted, pondering: "During the New Year, when Huairang's wife's elder sister came to pay respects, did she mention that her younger sister was recently titled Mrs.?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Miao felt relieved.
At that time, Du Yunru had benefited from Mrs. Zhen's prestige; although Mrs. Miao was envious, she did not let jealousy overwhelm her. She also needed to find a Lady of Stately Elegance for Du Yunying.
If she could find a Mrs. as the main guest, it would not be bad.
After all, the glory days of Du Gongfu were long past. In the current Du family, those pursuing officialdom were quite lacking, and Mrs. Miao's own husband hadn't even managed to secure a scholar's post and was left managing the Du family's assets.
"My sister-in-law is not in the capital, this..." Mrs. Miao expressed her concern.
Huairang's wife's sister-in-law was surnamed Huang, and Mrs. was the younger sister from the maternal family of Yang Huang. This relationship wasn't extremely close, but it wasn't distant either.
Had Yang's wife been in the capital, she could have visited her maternal family to ask indirectly, but she wasn't there.
Old Mrs. Xia understood this relationship and said, "Leave this matter to this old woman. I will send someone to speak with the Yang Family."
With these words, Mrs. Miao felt reassured and quickly nodded, "Then I must trouble Old Mrs. Xia."
"They are all my granddaughters, no trouble at all." Old Mrs. Xia laughed heartily.
Mrs. Miao smiled warmly, continuing to speak pleasantly, while inwardly cursing Old Mrs. Xia's bias that anyone with eyes could see. Her words did not make her face blush.
Old Mrs. Xia asked a few more questions about the preparations for the banquet. Seeing everything was well-organized, she did not interfere further.
Du Yunluo stayed with Old Mrs. Xia for lunch at Lianfu Garden before returning to Anhua Courtyard for a nap.
Jin Ling tucked her in, and Du Yunluo instructed, "Send someone to the second gate to keep watch. Let me know as soon as Fourth Sister returns. Also, pack the snacks from Suyun Workshop. I'll take them to Fourth Sister later."
Jin Ling agreed with a smile.
When Du Yunluo awoke, Jin Rui helped her dress, and Jin Ling came in to report that Du Yunnuo had returned.
Once she was ready, Du Yunluo had Jin Rui carry the food box, and they headed to Anfeng Courtyard together.
Anfeng Courtyard was a four-house compound with ample space.
Du Huai'en and Aunt Liao lived in the main house, Aunt Mo resided in the West Courtyard, and the East Courtyard was originally Du Yunlan's. After Du Yunlan moved to the front yard, Aunt Liao did some minor renovations and gave it to Du Yunnuo.
As soon as they entered Anfeng Courtyard, a young maid came over smilingly to greet them.
Du Yunluo first went to the main house. Aunt Liao was a bit tired and, after exchanging a few words, sent her to the East Courtyard.
Upon getting the message, Du Yunnuo met her at the moon gate.
Du Yunluo took the food box and smiled at Du Yunnuo, "I knew you liked the Four Happiness Cakes, so I brought several."
Du Yunnuo smiled gently, "You're in quite a hurry. Fortunately, the rain stopped; otherwise, you would have gotten wet."
"Four Happiness Cakes taste best when fresh. If left too long, they lose their flavor." Du Yunluo followed Du Yunnuo into the house and sat in the east room.
The maid served tea.
Du Yunluo sniffed it—Bi Luo Chun.
"It's from Third Brother. He likes this tea," Du Yunnuo said with a smile, "I didn't have time to prepare date tea before you arrived, so this is what we have."
"It's nice to change things up occasionally." Du Yunluo sipped the tea, its fragrance cleansing her palate, leaving her feeling more refreshed, "How was today's coming-of-age ceremony?"
"The flower hall was packed; I took a glance, and everyone there was someone not to be trifled with. Do you remember that Princess Hui from the Prince Rui Mansion? She's notoriously snobbish and was there too. Honestly, if not for accompanying Mother, someone like me wouldn't even get a seat." Du Yunnuo's smile dimmed a bit.
Du Yunluo offered a few comforting words, though she couldn't help but ponder inwardly.
In her understanding of Du Yunnuo, this Fourth Sister was never one to conceal her feelings. At the Duke Jing Mansion, she would express her feelings straightforwardly, whether succeeding or failing, not wallow in regrets over her birth and refrain from mentioning Princess An Ran.
Though both were born of concubines, Princess An Ran, cradled in Old Master's hands, and that Princess Hui, whose mother was related to a concubine within the palace, were elevated by family background.
Du Yunnuo, after all, Aunt Liao was the blood sister of Liao, making Princess An Ran her close relation.
Otherwise, how would the proud Princess An Ran interact with Du Yunnuo?
Since Du Yunnuo avoided dwelling on it, Du Yunluo hesitated to press her directly. She inquired tangentially but soon dropped the matter, focusing instead on the coming-of-age ceremony's details.
As it neared evening, Jin Rui offered a reminder, and Du Yunluo stood to take her leave, heading to Qinghui Garden.
In Mrs. Zhen's room, the meal was already laid out. She urged Du Yunluo to wash up before sitting down to eat with her sister.
After dining and clearing the table, fresh fruits were served, and a maid announced loudly that Du Huaili had returned home and had gone to Lianfu Garden before coming here.
After a wait, Du Huaili arrived.
Just over thirty, Du Huaili was elegant and handsome, his official attire accentuating his tall, straight figure.
After drinking, the wind had reddened his face, making his eyes even brighter.
Du Yunluo and Du Yunru greeted him, while Mrs. Zhen glared at Du Huaili, saying, "Smelling of alcohol, aren't you worried about overpowering the girls?"
Du Huaili smiled gently and, without comment, pulled a letter from his coat, handing it to Mrs. Zhen before heading to clean up.
Curious, Du Yunluo leaned in to take a look.
Upon noticing the familiar handwriting on the envelope, Mrs. Zhen's eyes reddened as she quickly withdrew the letter from its already opened seal, reading it carefully.
Du Yunru recognized the handwriting too and asked, "What does Fourth Brother say?"
Mrs. Zhen read it twice, clasped her hands, and chanted a prayer, "Yun Di says everything is well. In July, the academy will break, and he plans to come home."
Du Yunluo was a bit taken aback.
July...
She recalled that it was also this July in her past life that Du Yundi returned home and accompanied Mrs. Zhen and her to offer incense, marking her first encounter with Mu Lianxiao.
By then, their marriage had dissolved, but that meeting led to the subsequent imperial decree, marriage, and everything that followed.