Chapter 372 Conversation

Chapter 372 Conversation

The wife of the Vice Minister of War was surnamed Zhao. Upon hearing from her servants that the family of General Yu was here, she tidied up a bit and went to the parlor to wait.

Lady Zhao's eldest daughter had already married, and the remaining girls were only two daughters from concubines.

One was ten years old this year, and the other was eight, both already recorded under Lady Zhao's name and could be married off as legitimate daughters in the future.

At this moment, Lady Zhao had her maid call over the two daughters from concubines.

They obediently came to the parlor and sat in the chairs below, waiting.

Lady Zhao glanced at the two daughters from concubines; both were well-behaved and their birth mothers were her own maids. She didn't mind elevating their status slightly. However, the age difference was indeed too large.

Otherwise, Lady Zhao thought, she wouldn't be willing to introduce such a good opportunity to her sister!

Lady Zhao was well aware that the entire capital was eyeing the Yu family as a highly sought-after match. By acting early, she could sooner bind the Yu family to her own.

Her sister's family was, after all, a marquisate, though somewhat declined in status, it wouldn't disgrace General Yu. In fact, it would be considered a marriage of lower status for him!

As Lady Zhao was calculating in her heart, the maid's announcement came from outside, saying that the ladies of the Yu family had arrived.

The two daughters from concubines immediately sat more upright.

Lady Zhao glanced at them from the corner of her eye, fairly satisfied, and with a smile on her face, instructed the maid to invite the ladies of the Yu family in.

The bead curtain was lifted by the maid, and Lady Zhao rose from her seat to warmly welcome them: "...Madam Li has arrived. I've always wondered what kind of family could raise such a remarkable young hero as General Yu. Today, I finally get to meet Madam Li."

Li Chunhua was actually still a bit nervous, but she forced herself to appear natural.

However, she was still somewhat awkward, smiling a bit stiffly: "Good day, Lady Zhao."

Lady Zhao was very enthusiastic, taking Li Chunhua's hand and inviting her to sit, showing her great respect.

Li Chunhua felt relieved and more at ease, introducing Bai Xiaofeng and Xingxing to Lady Zhao.

Bai Xiaofeng, though also nervous, was naturally more outgoing and shrewd than Li Chunhua, and managed the situation gracefully.

As for Xingxing, even though she was just a ten-year-old child, her behavior was flawless.

Lady Zhao's two daughters from concubines looked at Xingxing curiously.

They recognized the butterfly hairpin with red gemstones on Xingxing's head, a new design from the Huaiyu Pavilion in the capital, which cost over a hundred taels of silver!

To be fair, their stepmother was quite kind to them, but they received only five taels of silver each month. It would take them more than two years of saving to afford such a hairpin!

Not to mention the water-green Xiang satin gown with gold-thread plum blossoms and fur trim that Xingxing was wearing, which they had previously seen only on the princess of the royal palace!

The two daughters from concubines, who had long lived under their stepmother's rule, immediately realized that this sister of General Yu must be highly cherished at home.

The fabrics that the two daughters from concubines could recognize, their stepmother naturally recognized as well.

After Lady Zhao and Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng introduced each other, she smiled at Xingxing: "...Speaking of which, Xingxing is almost eleven years old, right? My Ling'er is also turning eleven soon."

The slightly older daughter from a concubine stood up, blushing, to greet Xingxing: "Could you tell me in which month you were born?"

Xingxing actually didn't know her birth month.

She was found on the rocky shore by Wei Pozi in late spring, and at that time, she had no memory, only knowing she was over three. Poor families didn't pay much attention to children's birthdays, but Wei Pozi wanted Xingxing to grow up safely and had specially requested Daxisipo to select a more auspicious day for her.

Daxisipo quickly chose the 8th of November as Xingxing's birthday, saying that according to their custom, this day was very auspicious and would bring continuous good fortune in the future.

So, Xingxing casually told Nie Linger, "I was born in November, and in a few days, it will be my eleventh birthday."

Nie Linger calculated and smiled shyly, "I was born in May, but I won't turn eleven until next May. I should call you Sister Yu."

The other eight-year-old younger sister, Nie Dang'er, also quickly called out "Sister Yu."

Xingxing smiled and nodded.

The vibe was really nice.

Lady Zhao smiled even more as she talked with Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng about daily stuff.

The three kids also started whispering among themselves.

Nie Linger liked Xingxing's sweet and gentle nature. She whispered, "Sister Yu, do you not like certain foods? You seem about the same height as Dang'er."

Xingxing sighed and looked a bit worried.

Xingxing knew she was taken in. She also remembered that when she was first brought to the Yujia, she heard her grandmother quietly worrying with her aunts and uncles that she was so thin and looked much younger than her peers, and needed to be well taken care of.

To grow taller, Xingxing ate everything and would drink a cup of goat's milk before bed—this started after the Yujia family got better off, and Wei Pozi heard that the young ladies in the county did this, so she prepared a cup for Xingxing every day.

But perhaps because Xingxing was malnourished as a child, even after years of nourishment, although she had grown quite a bit, she was still slightly shorter compared to the well-cared-for girls who had been well-fed since childhood.

Xingxing whispered, "I eat everything. It's just that I was too short when I was young, and even after years of good care, I still haven't caught up in height. My grandma said not to worry, I'll keep growing and catch up."

Nie Linger nodded, though she didn't fully get it.

Nie Dang'er, being younger, noticed the delicate gold bracelet on Xingxing's wrist and, seeing its unique design, blushed and whispered to Xingxing, "Sister Yu, can I take a closer look?"

Xingxing was very generous and directly extended her wrist.

Nie Linger and Nie Dang'er both leaned in closely to examine it carefully.

Lady Zhao, sitting in the main chair, smiled as she saw her two younger daughters getting along with the Yujia girl.

The mood was perfect when the maid announced the Marchioness of Jiangtai's arrival.

Lady Zhao smiled, first instructing the maid to bring her in, then explained to Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng, "This is my younger sister from my maiden family, who married into the Jiangtai Marquisate... She heard about General Yu's exploits on the battlefield and is very impressed. When she heard I was inviting the ladies of the Yujia for a visit, she asked me to introduce her to you."

Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng naturally did not want to spoil the mood and both smiled and agreed.