Chapter 394: Many families start looking for potential matches for their daughters once they turn ten.

Chapter 394: Many families start looking for potential matches for their daughters once they turn ten.

Nan Yan came in with her maids in a line, setting down a table full of dishes.

Though the dishes looked abundant, they were actually small portions, with just a few bites each.

Dowager Marchioness Weibei stood up and invited Xingxing to eat with her: "Those people made such a fuss that we haven’t even eaten yet. Come, Xingxing, you’re still growing and shouldn’t go hungry."

Xingxing agreed and, just to be safe, checked the Dowager Marchioness’s pulse again.

Seeing that the Dowager Marchioness’s pulse was steady and unaffected by the earlier commotion, Xingxing withdrew her hand, washed it, and joined her for the meal.

Though the Yujia family didn’t have a rule about silence during meals or before bed, Xingxing noticed the Dowager Marchioness seemed distracted, zoning out after a few bites. Xingxing didn’t say anything and quietly finished her small bowl of food.

By the time the Dowager Marchioness finished her meal, lost in thought, it was already late.

The Dowager Marchioness seemed to snap out of her thoughts: "...It’s already this late."

She looked at Xingxing with fondness in her eyes: "Xingxing, I’m so grateful to have you with me today."

Without letting Xingxing refuse, the Dowager Marchioness took a jade pendant from her own waist and hung it on Xingxing’s, her gaze soft: "Take this as a little something for you to enjoy."

Xingxing instinctively protested: "Dowager Marchioness, I can’t accept such a gift without deserving it..."

The Dowager Marchioness’s face hardened: "Who says you haven’t earned it! I’ve had you, this little girl, by my side through all this drama, hasn’t that earned you something?"

Then, the Dowager Marchioness’s expression grew wistful, and she sighed, "Though I have many descendants, at times like these, only our Xingxing stays with me."

Hearing this, Xingxing felt a pang of sadness. After a moment’s hesitation, she didn’t refuse again but instead gave the Dowager Marchioness a gentle hug.

"Don’t be sad, I’ll take it," Xingxing said brightly. "Though I don’t know the sister Qingniang you mentioned, I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl since you care for her so much. Maybe breaking off the engagement is for the best?"

Hearing Xingxing’s gentle words of comfort, the Dowager Marchioness couldn’t help but smile a little.

At her angriest moment today, she’d even thought Qingniang, such a good girl, would be better off marrying a fine young man from the Yujia family than staying with that clueless Zhou Yunyi.

But the idea had only crossed her mind briefly.

Her late husband had already messed up one match; why should she interfere again and risk creating another disaster?

So, the Dowager Marchioness kept quiet, only thinking she might introduce Qingniang to the Yujia family’s fine young men when the time was right.

Yes, the Dowager Marchioness had decided to take Gong Qingniang as her god-granddaughter.

She’d use her private funds to give Qingniang a dowry and marry her off in style!

Wouldn’t that be better than marrying her off to that good-for-nothing son of hers?

With this thought, the Dowager Marchioness’s mood improved considerably, and her smile deepened.

As the banquet was about to end, the Dowager Marchioness had Nan Yan escort Xingxing back to the warm pavilion.

Xingxing had stayed by the Dowager Marchioness’s side throughout, a treatment not even her own granddaughters had received!

This made many people look at Xingxing thoughtfully.

Some even began to inquire with Wei Pozi and others whether Xingxing was already betrothed.

Wei Pozi was both shocked and alarmed, barely managing to keep a smile on her face!

The lady who brought up the topic covered her mouth and chuckled, "…Did I scare you? In the capital, many girls from wealthy households have their marriages arranged with suitable families from birth. Some families even start matchmaking when their daughters turn ten, as it ensures securing a good match."

Wei Pozi still couldn’t accept it and shook her head, "Xingxing is our family’s treasure, treasured like a precious gem. We definitely want to keep her with us a few more years."

Wei Pozi thought this would end the conversation, but to her surprise, the lady’s eyes lit up even more.

Treating a girl as a treasure is good; it means that marrying into Yujia would establish a deep marital relationship with the family, granting access to more resources.

This only made the other party even more enthusiastic.

Wei Pozi was a bit confused. Although she didn’t fully understand, she instinctively felt uneasy about families eager to take her precious girl and kept her distance.

Unlike others, the younger generation of the Marquis of Weibei’s household immediately spotted the jade pendant hanging from Xingxing’s waist!

They were too shocked to speak!

They all recognized it as the accessory their grandmother had worn for many years!

The jade pendant was of exceptional quality, one of the last remaining pieces by a late master jade carver. In the hands of those who knew its value, it would be worth at least several thousand taels of silver!

Their grandmother had simply given such a precious item to an outsider?!

Xingxing had no idea about any of this. She only noticed that after returning from Dowager Marchioness Weibei, many people looked at her in a different way.

Fortunately, the banquet was nearly over, and Xingxing didn’t pay much attention to it.

When Wei Pozi and the others left the Marquis of Weibei’s residence, Wei Pozi still remembered the four people they had rescued from the wrecked carriage that morning before coming to the Marquis’s residence.

She instructed the coachman to stop by the clinic where they had taken the rescued individuals.

However, Wei Pozi didn’t expect that, since they had rescued these people, their families still hadn’t come looking for them.

The woman who had miscarried was pale as a sheet and still unconscious.

The girl and the maid had not woken up.

The child who had been protected in the woman’s arms was awake, but he was young and terrified, crying nonstop. His throat was hoarse from crying, and the little boy silently sobbed by his mother’s bedside.

If it weren’t for the fact that these people clearly came from a wealthy household, the clinic would have been worried about who would pay for the medical expenses!

Perhaps it was a coincidence that Wei Pozi and the others arrived just as the doctor finished explaining the injuries of the patients. The woman who had been unconscious slowly opened her eyes.

Xingxing, sharp-eyed, exclaimed softly, "She’s awake."

The doctor turned to look and immediately beamed with joy, "She’s awake! That’s a relief!"

The doctor quickly called for the medicine boy to brew the herbal medicine.

The woman’s eyes were initially confused, but after a while, she seemed to remember something, her expression changing. Her already pale face lost all color, and she croaked, "Master Hao!"

The woman called out while struggling to get up, but due to the pain, she collapsed back down.