Chapter 229

The next day, Headmistress Chu sent a letter saying that he had already made an appointment with Miss Xu and set the travel date for two days later.

He also said that it was thanks to Shen Cui that she mentioned “accounting” to Xu Shan’er.

Otherwise, Xu Shan’er would have refused to travel with the students of Cui Wei.

With the travel date set, Shen Cui naturally also wanted to tidy up the two children.

Mei Ruochu still wore the one Xu Shan’er had given him.

After Shen Cui helped him wash and dry it, she carefully ironed it with a copper iron filled with hot water.

As for Mu Er Pang, Zhou Shi had been staying at home to rest lately, no longer handling the affairs of her shop.

However, she was used to being busy and couldn’t sit still, so it just happened that a few days ago, she had the maidservant bring over the clothes she had made for Mu Er Pang.

With their clothes ready, Shen Cui also thought about bringing some food and drinks.

Xu Shan’er came from a family of culinary skills, and Liu Muyue was a little glutton who was used to eating good things.

The food bought from outside definitely wouldn’t suit their tastes.

Shen Cui took on the appearance of preparing examination supplies for her students, starting to select from the system’s mall.

After the selection was over, Shen Cui packed all the food into two large food boxes.

Although they were a bit heavy, the two young people could naturally carry them.

In addition, Xiaoci heard that he could go out to play, and he was also very excited.

After becoming a person, he hadn’t really played like a child yet, but recently, his performance had been quite good.

But last time, because Shen Cui didn’t take him out, there was a commotion, and he got hurt.

So this time, although he was eager, he didn’t dare to make a fuss.

He just sat at the dining table, eating his food and occasionally glancing at Shen Cui.

Shen Cui found it amusing and said, “Am I supposed to make your food tastier by my looks? Eat your vegetables!”

Lao Buyu didn’t say anything, even Zheng Shi couldn’t help but intercede for him, saying, “It’s almost winter, and there won’t be many opportunities to go out. Just let him go with Er Pang and the others.”

Shen Cui then glanced at Xie Jiulu.

Xie Jiulu nodded slightly in understanding and said, “That day, I’m off duty too. I’ll take ‘Little Brother’ with me.”

With him looking after him, Shen Cui wasn’t worried about Xiaoci leaving the academy and causing trouble.

So she agreed.

On the appointed day, early in the morning, Shen Cui and Zheng Shi arranged breakfast, so they could set off after they finished eating.

After breakfast, Mu Er Pang and Mei Ruochu went back to their rooms to change their clothes.

When they were ready, and Shen Cui had checked the food boxes, she was ready to send them off.

Mu Er Pang was the first to come out of the room. After coming out, he asked in surprise, “Mom, why haven’t you changed your clothes yet?”

Shen Cui was also surprised, “Why should I change my clothes?”

“Of course, it’s the clothes for going out to play,” Zheng Shi interjected with a smile. “I’ve prepared them for you and ironed them. I’ll go put them on now.”

“The children are going out to play…” They were all juniors she liked, so Shen Cui was willing to go with them.

But thinking from their perspective, a gathering among young people might be uncomfortable with her, a generation apart, tagging along.

However, looking at Zheng Shi’s smiling face, Shen Cui knew that Zheng Shi would definitely say something like, “As long as I’m here, you’re always a child, no matter if you live to be a hundred.”

As they were talking, Mei Ruochu also came over casually and mentioned, “It seems like the headmaster promised me something last time?”

What Mei Ruochu mentioned last time was, of course, to go and meet Miss Xu.

Shen Cui chuckled, “Alright, I’ll go then.” She thought that if she couldn’t blend in with the young people’s conversations later, she would just look after Xiaoci with Xie Jiulu.

After she was ready, Xie Jiulu helped her carry the two heavy food boxes, and Wei Shu also came over in a carriage.

After Shen Cui got on the carriage, she asked why Wei Xi didn’t come.

Wei Shu smiled and said, “Xiao Xi is not very convenient. We agreed on this side, and there happened to be someone visiting over there.”

Wei Shu could be absent, but Wei Xi had to be present for the guest he wanted to accompany.

It was probably the Wei family arranging a marriage for Wei Xi.

With no outsiders around, Wei Shu briefly explained the situation.

The girl Wei Xi was meeting was not just anyone; she was the granddaughter of an old Hanlin Wang.

Shen Cui didn’t know this Hanlin named Wang, but she was not unfamiliar with him because he was the mentor of Mei Ruochu and the others.

Hanlin Wang wasn’t very good at handling interpersonal relationships in the officialdom, so he had been serving in the Hanlin Academy for these years.

He was knowledgeable and preferred scholarly pursuits to promotions.

Although the Wei family was wealthy, they were still merchants. In terms of social status, they might not be as high as the Mu family.

If Wei Xi and Miss Wang could take a liking to each other and get married, it would definitely be a good match.

Speaking of which, by now, several of Shen Cui’s students from Cui Wei had settled down.

The only one left without any developments in this area was Shen Aoshuang.

But with a family like the Shen family, they naturally had to be very cautious about marriage matters.

Just like Wei Shu and Wei Xi, Shen Aoshuang had her own elders to take care of these things, so Shen Cui, an outsider, didn’t need to worry about it.

On the way, chatting and laughing, the carriage arrived at Xiangfeng Mountain outside the city.

On Xiangfeng Mountain, the maple leaves were fiery red, the mountain scenery was beautiful, and at the top of the mountain, there was the bustling Qingxu Temple.

Therefore, there were always many tourists and pilgrims, and it was quite normal to meet acquaintances.

It was also the perfect place for the younger generation to meet.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, the group got off the carriage, enjoying the scenery at the foot of the mountain while waiting for the others.

After a short while, the Chu family’s carriage also arrived.

Chu Zhongling and Liu Muyue got off first.

Chu Zhongling was already considered half a member of the Wei family, but he still felt a bit embarrassed when he saw Wei Shu.

Liu Muyue was not usually shy in front of others, but today was different, so when she saw someone she knew, she hesitated to approach.

Since they didn’t come over, Shen Cui went over to them.

She was about to say that she was persuaded by others to come and wouldn’t disturb them, but Liu Muyue and Chu Zhongling greeted her as if they had seen a savior.

Liu Muyue, feeling closer to her, even patted her chest and said, “Thank goodness you’re here too, otherwise I would have felt like leaving.”

Chu Zhongling blushed and whispered, “It’s my fault, my fault.”

She was accompanying Wei Shu to introduce the other two couples to each other, giving a more reasonable excuse for their outing together.

However, after being engaged to Wei Shu, she hadn’t seen him for over a month, so she felt a bit embarrassed to approach him.

“As long as you don’t mind me disturbing you,” Shen Cui said, and then Xie Shan’er got off the carriage.

When she got off the carriage and saw Shen Cui, Xie Shan’er wanted to bow in respect.

Last time at the Liu family’s banquet, she was invited along with other members of the Xie family.

Xie Shan’er was tired of listening to her aunt’s idle gossip, so she personally sent a congratulatory gift and left after a brief stay.

Unexpectedly, after the banquet, she heard that her aunt was furious because she overheard someone speaking ill of her.

This was absolutely bizarre to Xie Shan’er. If it were the other way around and her aunt was the one being gossiped about, she would find it more normal!

When Chu Shan went to return the gift with Liu Muyue, she explained the situation to her.

Apart from not detailing how harsh the words of Mrs. Xie were, she didn’t hide any other details from her.

Therefore, when Xie Shan’er saw her today, she naturally wanted to thank her.

Shen Cui quickly stopped her, saying there was no need to be polite. “In the future, we’ll…”

Shen Cui glanced behind her, where her kids were standing too politely, not stepping forward at all. She just said, “There’s no need to be polite in the future.”

As more and more tourists gathered at the foot of the mountain, Shen Cui suggested going up the mountain.

After getting the agreement of several girls, she gestured for her kids to follow.

The group climbed up the mountain.

As they climbed and enjoyed the scenery, the three girls quickly relaxed and gathered around Shen Cui, chatting and laughing.

With the girls’ company and the beautiful scenery, Shen Cui didn’t feel bored at all. However, she felt that something was off.

She had come to join the fun, not to become the center of attention!

So, when they reached halfway up the mountain and the number of tourists decreased, Shen Cui suggested resting in a pavilion for a while.

After some maidservants helped tidy up the pavilion, they all sat down. When Mei Ruochu and the others, who had fallen behind by a few dozen steps, caught up, they naturally joined them in the pavilion.

Finally, after both groups gathered for about an hour, the young men and women had a chance for close contact.

After walking the mountain path for half the morning, Shen Cui was indeed a bit tired. She said, “I’m a bit tired. I’ll rest here for a while. You all can go play.”

Liu Muyue, Chu Zhongling, and Xie Shan’er all said they were willing to stay with her.

The boys, on the other hand, silently unpacked the food from their boxes and laid it out on the stone table, as if they were setting up camp there.

Shen Cui couldn’t help but cover her forehead with her hand.

Chu Zhongling, feeling a bit embarrassed, took on the role of matchmaker and suggested, “Since we’re a big group, it might disturb the peace here. How about we each go to the nearby woods to pick some beautiful maple leaves and make them into bookmarks?”

Finally, everyone left the pavilion, and the atmosphere lightened up.

Shen Cui overheard Xie Shan’er and Liu Muyue talking and chuckled. “I misunderstood you before. You’re not just an accountant; you’re a top scholar. It was embarrassing for me to have you calculate the debts of my little shop. Did I delay your important matters?”

Mey Ruochu smiled and reassured her, “I used to take on some odd jobs to help with household expenses. And recently, I’ve finished my official duties. The time after work is all mine. If you still need help, feel free to let me know.”

They spoke softly, and Shen Cui could also hear the conversation between Mu Er Pang and Liu Muyue.

Their conversation was more interesting. Liu Muyue praised, “The snacks we just had were delicious, just as good as what Sister Xu makes.”

Mu Er Pang chimed in, “They were really good. I haven’t had them before; my mother prepared them.”

Liu Muyue couldn’t help but laugh. “I was just about to envy your usual good fortune, but it turns out you haven’t had them either. My mother must have prepared them for me. She knows I have a sweet tooth.”

She carefully mentioned her little flaw, trying to gauge Mu Er Pang’s reaction.

“Speaking of having a sweet tooth, it’s no different from when I was a child. The most delicious thing I can remember now is the sugar-coated eggs my mother used to make.”

Although Mu Er Pang is now older and not as greedy, he still loves good food.

The two of them talked about food and exchanged poems, which opened up the conversation.

Listening for a while, Shen Cui couldn’t help but smile softly, then turned to Xie Jiulu who was accompanying her in the pavilion and said, “That’s enough, you can stop now.”

Although the woods were close by, Shen Cui wasn’t blessed with sharp ears.

How could she hear their conversation so clearly? It was just that Xie Jiulu, seeing her concerned, used his abilities to send the words to her ears.

After Shen Cui spoke, the clear sound of conversation in her ears disappeared.

After this matchmaking session, with Mu Er Pang’s consent, Shen Cui also went to inquire about the Liu family’s intentions.

The two families officially began the process of the three letters and six gifts.

Knowing that the Mu family was not wealthy, both Mr. Liu and Chu Shan Zhang explicitly stated that Shen Cui did not need to prepare too extravagant betrothal gifts. Chu Shan Zhang even revealed Mr. Liu’s past, saying that when he married Mr. Liu, he had prepared a pair of wild geese as a proposal gift.

Shen Cui felt that she couldn’t let Liu Muyue be wronged, so she wanted to earn some extra money—she was still writing under the pen name of Fangcao Ke and had a new series out, but this was a long-term business, with a steady income of tens of taels a year, and she wouldn’t see money in the short term.

So Shen Cui decided to make and sell some soap, a must-have item for the female leads in novels.

The channel was also ready-made, and she could cooperate with the business of the Wei family.

She was busy with her soap-making, and when Xiaoci heard about it, he said, “What’s so troublesome? Need money? That’s easy. I know where many people hide their money. I can take you to dig it up.”

Shen Cui ignored him and, after making the soap, earned several hundred taels in a few months.

She divided the silver into two parts. One part was naturally used to prepare the betrothal gifts for the Liu family, and the other part was left for Mei Ruochu to start a family with.

When Mu Er Pang and Liu Muyue were formally engaged, Mei Ruochu also subtly mentioned to Shen Cui that he was going to propose to the Xu family.

Shen Cui immediately took out that part of the silver.

She knew that Mei Ruochu had some savings and had recently received some sporadic rewards from the palace.

However, the Xu family managed Xu Shanye’s dowry, so if the betrothal gifts were not made more generous, they might not agree to the marriage.

But Mei Ruochu said it was unnecessary, “Just informing you, you don’t need to worry about the rest.”

After giving such a reply, a few months later, Mei Ruochu’s marriage to Xu Shanye was settled, and not a single tael of silver had to be given to the Xu family to send Xu Shanye away—Mei Ruochu managed to obtain the emperor’s favor and had him grant the marriage.

Even Emperor Xihe knew that Mei Ruochu was an orphan without parents, still living in Cuiwei, and directly granted him a house and some silver.

The betrothal gifts purchased with the imperial silver were naturally not to be underestimated by the Xu family.

In order to make this imperial marriage look better, they not only kept the dowry originally prepared by Mr. Xu for Xu Shanye but also added a lot to it.