Chapter 131: Childhood Engagement? “600 Votes Bonus Update”

Chapter 131: Childhood Engagement? "600 Votes Bonus Update"

The carriage arrived at the Zhu residence, where the front gate was already bustling with activity.

Little Raccoon, the first child of Zhu Jingcheng and Su Xinbai, was adored by the entire Zhu family. It was said that just over two months after birth, the gifts received and the properties under his name had already amounted to several thousand taels of silver.

During the full moon celebration in February, the Zhu family had rented dozens of restaurants and taverns in Xiangping. Anyone who had done business with the Zhu family was welcome to come in for a drink.

Today's godparent recognition ceremony had been prepared for a long time by the Zhu family, and it was even more grand than the full moon celebration.

As the carriage of Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse approached, a large group of Zhu family servants standing at the gate quickly got to work.

They opened the main gate, sent someone running inside to report, and brought out a horse stool to help Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian step down.

The people coming and going at the gate, knowing that the Number One Scholar and his spouse had arrived, all stopped to catch a glimpse of the celebrated scholar.

Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian, hand in hand, walked into the Zhu residence under the curious gazes of the crowd, following the servants guiding them to the banquet area.

Little Raccoon's godparent recognition ceremony was held in the main courtyard of the Zhu residence. The elderly Zhu family patriarch and matriarch had specially cleared the courtyard for their great-grandson.

After walking a dozen steps into the courtyard, Zhu Jingcheng and Zhu Jingwei hurried over to greet them.

"Is everything ready? We're not late, are we?"

Zhu Jingwei chuckled, "Not late, not late. There's still a little time before the auspicious hour."

Having managed the red fermented tofu workshop for two or three years, Zhu Jingwei had grown older and more reliable. Now, Zhu Jingcheng had started to delegate some of his business responsibilities to him.

Zhu Jingcheng personally led the way, saying, "Little Raccoon is still too young, afraid of cold and wind. Xinbai is with the child in the green gauze cabinet. We'll bring him out later during the formal ceremony."

Qiu Huanian nodded, "The child's health and safety are the most important."

The guests in the main courtyard were all close relatives and dear friends of the Zhu family. Knowing that Little Raccoon was to be the godson of the Number One Scholar and his spouse, everyone was green with envy.

However, no matter how envious they were, they couldn't replicate such fortune. Apart from the Zhu family, who had such extraordinary luck, who else could have the privilege of supporting a Number One Scholar before he rose to fame?

The Bai family from Liaozhou had once identified a young genius and married their eldest daughter to him. They supported him with fine food and drink for over a decade before he finally passed the imperial examination.

To continue maintaining good relations with their son-in-law, the Bai family not only sent another daughter from their family to him but also repeatedly sent large sums of silver to the capital.

This was considered quite fortunate, as it only took over a decade for him to pass the imperial examination. However, compared to the Number One Scholar who had achieved six consecutive top honors, that son-in-law, who might not even pass the imperial examination, was like night and day.

Everyone stood up to greet Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse. After exchanging a few words, Qiu Huanian hurried after Dian Mo, who had come out to welcome them, to the green gauze cabinet to see Little Raccoon.

The green gauze cabinet was a classical Chinese interior design, derived from folding screens, usually located at both ends of a house. Several connected partitions formed a thin wall, with only the middle two panels able to open for entry and exit. Above the partitions was a horizontal lintel, with gauze in the middle, effectively creating suites from a large room.

In "Dream of the Red Chamber," when Daiyu first entered the Jia residence, Grandmother Jia had her and Baoyu sleep in the green gauze cabinets on either side of her room. This actually meant partitioning the rooms at both ends of the five main rooms into two small rooms, not having the two children sleep in cabinets, like a classical version of Harry Potter.

Before his time-traveling, Qiu Huanian had little knowledge of ancient architecture. After time-traveling, as his standard of living improved, he gradually learned a lot.

Many rooms in their spacious mansion in the capital were equipped with green gauze cabinets, ensuring privacy, aesthetic appeal, and maximizing space efficiency.

To prevent cold air from affecting the child, the partition doors of the green gauze cabinet were slightly ajar. Inside, a brazier was burning, making the temperature several degrees higher than the outer room.

After Qiu Huanian entered, Dian Mo promptly shut the door behind him.

Merchants were restricted to houses no larger than three rooms, but these three rooms could be built in different ways. The Zhu family's wealth easily allowed them to purchase high-quality wood and hire skilled craftsmen. Although a "single" room was still a space enclosed by four pillars, its size was twice that of an ordinary house.

Inside the green gauze cabinet stood five or six people, including a nanny, maids, and male attendants taking care of the child. Su Xinbai was sitting by the window reading a book, with a redwood cradle carved with vivid images of the Hundred Acts of Filial Piety placed by his side.

"This is truly a great place to escape the hustle and bustle."

Su Xinbai preferred tranquility over noise, leaving all the social interactions outside to Zhu Jingcheng, while he stayed in the green gauze-curtained room reading.

"Any escape, however brief, is better than none," Su Xinbai said, putting down his book and standing up. "You came just in time; Little Raccoon just stirred awake."

"Wait for me to wash my hands, then I’ll take a good look at my godson," Qiu Huanian said with a smile, walking towards the basin placed by the partition. He crushed a medicinal bath bean with his fingers and carefully washed his hands.

He took the clean towel handed by the maid, dried his hands, and quickly walked to the cradle, eagerly peering inside.

The cradle was somewhat large for the baby, padded with several layers of thick cotton quilts, surrounded by finely sewn silk pillows. Little Raccoon was cozily nestled in the center, dressed in red clothes, with cute little hats and shoes on his head and feet, looking like a little red packet.

The last time Qiu Huanian saw Little Raccoon was when he was just born, his skin still a bit red. Now it had become very fair and smooth, as smooth as a hard-boiled egg, with features inheriting the best of Su Xinbai and Zhu Jingcheng, looking utterly adorable.

Qiu Huanian looked at the little creature in the cradle, unconsciously flailing his tiny arms, and couldn’t help but reach out to touch.

Su Xinbai gave a look, and the servant nearby came over to pick up Little Raccoon, teaching Qiu Huanian how to hold a baby.

Qiu Huanian had never tried such a delicate task before, fearing he might drop the child, so he sat down on a chair and let the servant place the baby on his lap.

The nearly three-month-old baby could already control its arms and eyes and could slightly turn over. Little Raccoon, on Qiu Huanian’s lap, waved his chubby little arms, moving his body to barely turn sideways, nestling his head against Qiu Huanian’s stomach.

The nanny chuckled, "The young master knows the Township Lord is his godfather and is getting close to him."

Qiu Huanian looked at the little bundle, whose mouth was opening and closing as if speaking but making no sound, and reached out his finger to tease him, "Really? Does Little Raccoon like his godfather? Tell me you like me, and I’ll give you a special gift."

Asking a baby less than three months old to speak was too much, but Little Raccoon waved his arms and continued to press against Qiu Huanian’s stomach. Qiu Huanian mischievously pulled him away a bit, but he kept eagerly snuggling back.

The baby’s body temperature was higher than an adult’s, and the warm little body pressing against him made Qiu Huanian unconsciously soften his breathing.

Qiu Huanian looked up at Su Xinbai, with a proud tone, "Look, how much your son likes me!"

Su Xinbai snorted lightly and came over to take Little Raccoon back.

He was very skilled at holding the baby, and Little Raccoon, being picked up by his father, didn’t cry but just blinked and continued to babble, like a little goldfish blowing bubbles.

With the faces of father and son close together, Qiu Huanian realized how much Little Raccoon resembled his father.

"Jingcheng must be really happy," he remarked sincerely.

"Hmm?" Su Xinbai didn’t react immediately, uttering a puzzled sound.

Before he could get angry, Qiu Huanian quickly changed the subject, "Is the ceremony going to be held in the outer room later? How are the preparations?"

Su Xinbai then called Dian Mo to go and ask. Dian Mo carefully opened the door of the green gauze-curtained room and soon returned, "The eldest young master said everything is ready, and the lord and lady have arrived. We should take the young master out now!"

The lord and lady Dian Mo referred to were naturally Su Xinbai’s biological father Su Yi and his stepmother Lady Kou. The attendance of a second-rank official and his wife raised the ceremony’s prestige.

The godparent ceremony was held in the outer room of the main house. The nanny wrapped Little Raccoon in a soft swaddle and followed Su Xinbai and Qiu Huanian out of the green gauze-curtained room.

In ancient times, formal godparent ceremonies were solemn affairs with complete procedures, far from being a trivial matter.

An incense table was set up in the courtyard. Since Little Raccoon was too young to go out, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse went to the incense table, and under everyone’s gaze, they first lit incense to announce to heaven and earth and their ancestors that from now on, Zhu Yijun of the Zhu family would be their godson, asking heaven and earth to witness and ancestors to bless.

Then they returned to the house, where Su Xinbai and Zhu Jingcheng held Little Raccoon’s hand and draped red silk over Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse, marking the joyous occasion of welcoming a new family member, with the godson presenting red to his godfathers.

Following that, Qiu Huanian took out the cat-shaped peace pendant he had prepared earlier and hung it on Little Raccoon. Su Xinbai, seeing this uniquely shaped peace pendant, seemed to have something to say but hesitated.

Besides the peace pendant, Qiu Huanian also prepared a set of silver chopsticks, a set of new clothes, and a bowl of mixed grains sealed with red paper for Little Raccoon, symbolizing his willingness to raise the child, ensuring he is well-fed and well-dressed.

Given Qiu Huanian's limited sewing skills, the clothes in the gift were mainly completed by Jiu Jiu. Qiu Huanian just stitched a few symbolic times, hidden inside where they couldn't be seen.

After the ceremony, Qiu Huanian took Little Raccoon over using the technique he had just learned, and Little Raccoon was very cooperative, grinning, his round, beautiful eyes sparkling like black grapes.

This was Qiu Huanian's first time interacting with such a large baby, and one so well-behaved and adorable at that, which made his heart itch with affection.

He whispered to Du Yunse when no one was paying attention, "Yun Se, do you think childhood betrothals are reliable?"

It was obvious who this childhood betrothal would be between.

Du Yunse glanced at Qiu Huanian, somewhat helpless, and whispered back in his ear, "Brother Hua, if you want to arrange a marriage with Little Raccoon, when do you plan to conceive and give birth to his future husband?"

Huh...

Qiu Huanian's face flushed, and he quickly dismissed this absurd thought from his mind, obediently handing the adorable baby back to the waiting nurse.

The banquet at the Zhu residence lasted until the afternoon. Little Raccoon was taken away early by the nurse to rest, while Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse had to mingle a bit longer. They didn’t leave the Zhu residence until late afternoon to return home.

On the way back in the carriage, Qiu Huanian asked Du Yunse, "What were you and Jing Cheng talking about behind everyone's back earlier?"

"About maritime trade."

Qiu Huanian quickly realized that the imperial court was planning to expand maritime trade, which would naturally require many merchants to sell goods from various parts of the Yu Dynasty to foreign countries and bring overseas goods back to sell locally.

Such an opportunity would undoubtedly attract merchants from all over the Yu Dynasty. Before they left the capital, many well-informed merchants in the capital region were already inquiring about ways to get involved.

In his area of expertise, with Zhu Jingcheng's abilities, given the chance, he would undoubtedly secure a place in this complex yet opportunity-filled treasure trove.