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The Shen family had prepared a sum of money for Shen Ziju, urging him to depart early to meet with his old friends and discuss exam questions together, preparing for the autumn imperial examination in August with greater confidence.
As Shen Ziju prepared to leave, it was customary to inform the Xiao family beforehand, who had already expressed their intention to see him off before his departure. The Shen family sent a message, and the Xiao family promptly arrived.
Although the Xiao family was not wealthy, they were not impoverished either. They had saved up some silver over the years, and this time, they truly dipped into their savings to support their future son-in-law’s career prospects, offering five taels of silver outright. Their gesture was twofold: firstly, they hoped that by supporting Shen Ziju, he would remember their kindness when he succeeded. Secondly, they aimed to preempt any doubts Shen Ziju might have about Xiao Ping’er’s suitability. Thus, by offering this silver, they intended to silence any potential objections should Shen Ziju achieve success and contemplate looking down on their daughter.
Shen Youfu and his companions looked at the silver, knowing deep down that this silver might not stay with them for long. Nevertheless, they accepted it. After all, the two families were now in-laws, and the marriage arrangement was still in progress!
Wang Shi and Sun Shi teamed up to prepare two large tables of delicious food, and both families sat together to enjoy the meal.
Xiao Ping’er sneakily glanced at Shen Ziju and quickly lowered her eyes. Although she was naturally shy, she wasn’t usually the type to shy away from people. It was just that he was her future husband, and he looked so handsome, which made her feel bashful.
Today, Shen Ziju wore a long robe, made of fine green cotton fabric, with a square green scarf on his head. His fair skin and tall stature made him look exceptionally talented. Even though he didn’t smile much, his demeanor was polite, carrying the refined air of a scholar.
The Xiao family was thoroughly pleased with Shen Ziju. They bombarded him with questions, and Shen Ziju answered each one warmly, leaving Xiao Ping’er’s parents quite satisfied.
Xiao Dalu remained dissatisfied with the prospect of his sister marrying Shen Ziju. He admired strong men, valuing physical strength over scholarly achievements. While he acknowledged Shen Ziju’s intellect, he felt that physical prowess was more important. As a result, he wasn’t as warm towards Shen Ziju, but he also didn’t go out of his way to cause trouble. His father had warned him that if he caused any trouble today, he would be punished.
Xiao Dalu chatted happily with his elder and second brothers. As for Third Brother, he didn’t pay much attention to him, and Third Brother didn’t seem to care much for him either. They simply didn’t get along.
After finishing their meal, Xiao Dalu suggested that his elder and second brothers take him to visit Zi’an’s home to see what they were like.
Shen Youfu and his family were eager for Xiao Dalu to leave. Shen Zhang shi then instructed the elder and second brothers to take Xiao Dalu along for a visit.
“Chunlan, Chunxiang, if you’d like to go too, go ahead. We’ll stay here with Ping’er. Let’s have a chat,” Shen Zhu said.
Chunlan and Chunxiang responded with agreement and then departed. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to stay and accompany the guests, but their aunt wanted to stay with them. They didn’t feel right about staying either. Moreover, they were eager to visit their fourth Uncle’s house. There, they planned to join Chunyue and others in weaving nets, which they could later bring back home to sell as a side income.
The weather was exceptionally hot now, hotter than in previous years, exacerbated by the drought that had caused the grass on the ground to wither and the leaves on the trees to turn yellow. Even the river had dried up, leaving little amusement.
A group of half-grown children rushed straight to the east side of the river, heading first to Shen Zigui’s house.
Since Shen Ziju passed the provincial examination and returned as a scholar, Shen Zigui had separated from the rest of the family after hosting several feasts. Their house was now fully built, and the family had settled in quite comfortably.
Shen Zigui’s house had a spacious courtyard with three rooms made of blue bricks and tiles. On either side, there were thatched houses for storage, cooking, and chicken-raising, as they had decided not to raise pigs due to the drought. Despite the drought, they managed to grow vegetables, fetching water conveniently from Shen Zi’an’s house nearby.
When Chunyue and the others saw them arrive, they were delighted. Chunlan and Chunxiang, being girls, sat together comfortably, weaving nets. However, the boys couldn’t sit still for long. They soon ran off to play in Shen Zi’an’s garden, joining Xiaori and others.
Upon seeing Xiao Dalu, Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi knew that the Xia family had arrived. They brought out some snacks to entertain the children. Despite the dry weather, Su Zhi’s family still had water and could prepare delicious food. She made red bean cakes, which Xiao Dalu praised enthusiastically. Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi both liked him for his hearty nature. After finishing the snacks, Xiao Dalu and the older boys took Xiaori and the others to run around in the garden.
Su Zhi thought it fortunate that the White Wolf family had gone to the mountains again; otherwise, they would have caused a ruckus. But imagining Xiao Dalu encountering the white wolf, would he still dare to be so rowdy? Su Zhi smiled at the thought and went to sit with Aunt Lan to sew clothes. She was making small clothes for the three children; it was too hot in summer, and she didn’t want them to feel uncomfortable.
After a while, Chunlan and Chunxiang also joined them. The whole group sat in the pavilion by the pond, weaving nets and chatting lively.
Soon half a day had passed, approaching the hour of the Shen, and Xiaori and the others were about to return to the old Shen residence and then hurry home.
After playing for half a day, Xiaori had become familiar with Xiao Dalu and the others. Seeing he was leaving, they felt reluctant to part and wanted to see him off. Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi walked with them towards the old residence. Upon arriving, Uncle Xiao and Aunt Xiao stood up. It was getting late, though summer nights were long, it was almost dark by the time they arrived home.
“Dalu, where’s your sister?” Aunt Xiao looked around but didn’t see Xiao Ping’er. She casually asked Dalu, thinking she might be outside.
Dalu hesitated for a moment and replied, “My sister didn’t come with me!”
“What? She didn’t come with you? Didn’t she come looking for you?! She didn’t come back with you?!” Aunt Xiao became anxious.
Chunlan and Chunxiang exchanged glances, then Chunlan stepped forward and said, “When we went out, we didn’t take her with us, and she didn’t come looking for us either. On our way back just now, we didn’t see her with us. Now, all of us are here.”
Aunt Xiao’s face turned pale upon hearing this, and Uncle Xiao supported her from the side.
“Mother, my sister is missing?!” Xiao Dalu also realized that his sister seemed to have gone out. Everyone thought she had gone to find him, but he hadn’t seen her. “How long has my sister been gone? Did she go out to play with someone else?”
“Check if anyone else is missing. Maybe they are together,” Uncle Xiao immediately suggested. His daughter had been gone for half a day, and not knowing where she was in this simple countryside made him anxious.