Xu Su Ying, having successfully dealt with the rumors, was brimming with satisfaction. On her way home, she decided to stop by the Zhao residence to see her daughter.

With no incense to make, Chen Wanqing had plenty of free time. She was sitting in the south room, reading a book for pleasure. In the room next door, the indistinct figure of a young man could be seen. Who else could it be but Zhao Jing?

Her son-in-law was hard at work studying, so Xu Su Ying dared not disturb him. She quietly beckoned for her daughter to come out, and Chen Wanqing did. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The sun was pleasantly warm, so the mother-daughter pair didn’t go into the courtyard. Instead, they stood right at the main gate, basking in the sunlight as they chatted.

Xu Su Ying recounted her grand exploits, and Chen Wanqing gave her mother a big thumbs-up.

What she admired most about her mother was this drive to take action.

When her mother said she would do something, she did it, without a shred of hesitation. In contrast, Wanqing fell far short of her mother in this regard.

After she finished bragging, Xu Su Ying asked her daughter, "I saw you were reading a book for pleasure just now?"

"Yes. I’ve finished making the incense I needed to, so I don’t have anything else to do."

’Actually, there was plenty to do. The new year was approaching, after all. The house needed to be swept, buns had to be steamed, meatballs had to be fried, and all sorts of New Year’s provisions needed to be prepared.’

’But Mrs. Zhao had said that her family members were picky eaters who preferred their food fresh, so it was best not to make too much in advance. It wouldn’t be too late to start on the twenty-sixth or twenty-seventh.’

’As for cleaning the house, it had been thoroughly tidied inside and out before she and Zhao Jing were married, so it was still quite neat and didn’t require any extra work.’

Xu Su Ying, vexed at her daughter’s lack of initiative, poked her with a finger. "With all the time you have to read those books, can’t you do some needlework for Jing? It doesn’t matter if it’s a handkerchief, a sachet, or even underclothes and shoes. Would sewing a few stitches kill you!"

Chen Wanqing wanted to say that no, it wouldn’t kill her, but those things... those things were indeed her responsibility now.

’It’s just that I haven’t fully adjusted to my new role, so it didn’t even cross my mind.’

’Speaking of needlework, Chen Wanqing couldn’t help but recall that she had made him a sachet and a set of clothes after their engagement. That wasn’t so little, was it?’

’Zhao Jing cherished the sachet embroidered with the "winning the top prize" motif. He normally kept it stored in a small box, only wearing it at his waist on the day he came to pick her up for the wedding.’

’As for the clothes she had made, Zhao Jing had also put them away carefully, saying he would wait to wear them for the New Year.’

’There was no sense of accomplishment in any of it. No wonder she never thought to do more needlework for him.’

’But even if she were to do some sewing, she would stick to outer garments and handkerchiefs. The thought of making his underclothes... she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.’

Chen Wanqing didn’t dare say this out loud, however. Her mother knew she and Zhao Jing had yet to consummate their marriage and already held it against her. If she were to suggest that her mother-in-law continue making Zhao Jing’s underclothes, her own mother would probably forbid her from visiting for the New Year.

The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer before Xu Su Ying left.

Only after her mother was gone did Chen Wanqing return to the south room.

As soon as she walked in, she saw Zhao Jing turn his head toward her. "I heard you speaking with someone at the door, Wanqing. Who came to see you?"

"Did we disturb you? We thought we were being quiet. Mother came to see me, but she saw you were studying and didn’t want to bother you."

"Mother-in-law was here? Wanqing, you should have called me. It was too rude of me not to go out and pay my respects."

"Oh, stop. We’re all family, there’s no need for such formalities. You get back to your work. When you’re finished reading, I have something to talk to you about."

"Tell me now. I can use this as a chance to rest for a bit."

Chen Wanqing thought that was a good idea, so she got straight to the point.

"Today is the twenty-sixth. Early on the morning of the twenty-eighth, my parents are moving to the county seat. Mother was hoping we could both go over that day. Are you free?"

"Of course I’m free. Moving is a joyous occasion; it’s only right that we go offer our congratulations in person."

"That’s good. I also have a few regular customers in the county seat that I want to visit before the year is out, so I figured I could do that on the same day. It’ll be simple—just dropping by to give a gift and say hello. The visits should only take an afternoon. What I’m saying is, we’ll probably have to stay the night in town. Is that alright?"

Zhao Jing looked slightly taken aback for a moment, then he replied, "Of course. We can stay the night, and the next day we can buy couplets and paper window decorations to bring home. Then we can start preparing for the New Year."

"That’s what I was thinking, too..."

It was the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month. All told, this was Chen Wanqing’s seventh day as a member of the Zhao family.

The Zhao family was small and life was quiet, so Chen Wanqing felt quite at ease.

Although she felt a little empty without her parents around, Zhao Jing always seemed to appear at just the right moments to talk with her and distract her, so Chen Wanqing didn’t find the days hard to bear.

Leaving Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing to their domestic chat, we turn our attention back to Xu Su Ying. Just as she was about to reach her own front gate, she happened to see several people from the old family compound in an ox-cart, heading toward the county seat.