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After the first day of the new year had passed, the following days seemed to accelerate.
On the eighth day of the lunar month, Bai Wu and his daughter Bai Miaqing, accompanied by Bai Yi (the son of the Bai family steward), arrived in Longxian Village.
The capital city was quite far from Longxian Village, and the Bai family had set out several days earlier to reach here on the eighth day.
When they arrived, it was just before noon.
Song Shi and Zhao Shi warmly welcomed a woman of similar age to them as she walked out of the door with a cheerful smile.
The woman who came out had a mole at the corner of her mouth and a somewhat plump figure, always wearing a smile when she looked at people.
She was Li the Matchmaker from the neighboring village. Within ten miles in every direction, she knew everything about which young girl was of marriageable age or which child was ready to wed.
As for the Shen and Zhang families who had been here for a while, other villagers had gradually become familiar with them.
Initially, they only knew that these two families had little property due to famine, but news about Shen Rong’s scholarly achievements had also spread.
As a result, not only the villagers of Longxian, but also the people from nearby villages, had come to know about this matter.
For these villagers, having a scholar emerge from their village was an extremely honorable achievement.
So, naturally, the eligible individuals in the Shen family became desirable candidates in the eyes of outsiders.
Song Shi, Zhao Shi, and Ding Hehua happened to be considering matchmaking for them, so they didn’t refuse the matchmaker who came to inquire.
Just as Song Shi and Zhao Shi had seen off Matchmaker Li, they spotted a carriage parked in front of their house. The driver was none other than Bai Yi, who had brought them here in the first place.
Bai Yi hopped down from the carriage’s driver’s seat, placed a stool on the ground from the side, and tapped the carriage.
“Master, Miss, we have arrived.”
The carriage door was pushed open from inside, Bai Wu was the first to step out.
Stepping down from the stool Bai Yi had just placed on the ground, Bai Wu helped Bai Miaqing, who peeked her head out from behind, to alight from the carriage.
Song Shi’s smile hadn’t faded yet when she spotted them.
Standing at the door, she exclaimed, “Oh my, you’re here! The journey was so far. Why did you make this trip?”
While her words sounded this way, her actions were quick as she ushered them inside.
Song Shi gestured for Bai Wu and Bai Miaqing to enter, while Zhao Shi directed Bai Yi to drive the carriage into the courtyard through another gate.
The matchmaker, who had just been sent away, looked at the lavish carriage that had arrived at the Shen family’s doorstep and her eyes lit up with excitement.
These members of the Shen family actually know such wealthy households.
If her own family had suitable sons or daughters, she would consider pursuing such a marriage alliance.
Even if she couldn’t secure such a prestigious match, as long as she could successfully arrange a marriage, there would certainly be a good amount of money to be gained.
With these thoughts in mind, Matchmaker Li happily patted her handkerchief and left.
As for the Shen family, they were all quite surprised to see the arrival of the Bai father and daughter.
They quickly exchanged pleasantries and ushered the guests into the house.
Bai Yi also carried the gifts he had brought from the carriage and followed Zhao Shi.
The members of the Shen family glanced at Bai Wu and Bai Miaqing. Both of them were dressed in luxurious silk garments.
As they observed the Bai father and daughter, Bai Wu and Bai Miaqing were also taking in the Shen family members.
Seeing that the Shen family members looked healthy and well, they could tell that the Shen family’s time here had been comfortable.
Xiao Zhang had finished her postpartum confinement and was now sitting in the main room, chatting and warming herself by the fire. She and her husband each cradled a chubby-looking baby in their arms.
The two babies had just turned one month old. A couple of days ago, the Shen family had dyed a significant number of red eggs to distribute among the villagers.
Currently, both babies were snugly wrapped in thick swaddling clothes. Bai Wu took out two silver longevity locks from his pocket and placed one in each baby’s swaddling cloth.
The longevity locks had been prepared beforehand.
Being a physician, Bai Wu had estimated that Xiao Zhang would give birth around this time, so he had prepared the welcome gifts for the two babies in advance.
After amusing the babies for a while, Bai Miaqing held hands with Shen Yu’an and left the main room, returning to her own quarters.
Shen Yu’an looked at Bai Miaqing beside her and asked how she had been doing in the Bai household.
Bai Miaqing smiled without revealing her teeth, unlike Shen Yu’an’s lively and exuberant nature.
She replied, “I’ve been doing extremely well. Uncle and Auntie are both very kind.”
Upon entering the room, the cold wind was blocked outside.
Bai Miaqing noticed a stack of papers casually placed on the table and picked up the top sheet absentmindedly.
After reading it briefly, she looked up in surprise and asked, “Did you write the contents on this?”
Shen Yu’an smiled and asked in return, “I wrote some, and my older brother and others took turns recording as well. Have you read them?”
Bai Miaqing picked up the next sheet, which was connected to the one she had just read.
She nodded and replied, “I’ve read them. Mingzhe, my cousin, enjoys reading these things. He had his servant buy them, he thought I might get bored there, so he brought two books along for me.”
With a look of admiration, she continued, “The content is indeed exceptionally well-written. I never thought it was penned by someone I knew.”
Shen Yu’an smiled somewhat sheepishly. In reality, she had an advantage due to her circumstances.
Having grown up in the 23rd century, several hundred years later than this era, she had knowledge of many things that were not present here. Bringing them out would naturally captivate people’s interest.
Bai Miaqing continued speaking as she picked up the next page to read. The feeling of being a step ahead of everyone else in knowing what happens next delighted her.
As she read, Bai Miaqing commented, “The reputation of this booklet is quite substantial. In just a few days, it has revitalized a newly opened bookstore. Even many ladies in the capital city are well-acquainted with the content of this booklet.”
“A bookstore?” Shen Yu’an inquired, “Is it Tranquil Bookstore?”
Bai Miaqing shifted her gaze from the densely written pages to Shen Yu’an and replied, “Exactly. The bookstore suddenly appeared in the most bustling part of the capital city. Who would have thought it would gain fame through these booklets?”
As if recalling something amusing, she continued with a smile, “Come to think of it, many literati don’t favor such booklets. They believe that those who write them tarnish the dignity of scholars. So, after these booklets became popular, you could casually enter a teahouse and hear self-proclaimed dignified literati criticizing those who wrote them.”
Bai Miaqing suddenly paused and then imitated the mannerisms of those literati while criticizing, straightening her back and raising a hand.
“Hmph, it truly damages the reputation of us scholars. After toiling away in the study for decades, they’ve resorted to writing such romantic booklets. If I, Li so-and-so, were to meet them…”
These individuals naturally hadn’t actually read the content of the booklets; they simply assumed that these booklets were all about romance. They immediately launched into criticism.
Bai Miaqing playfully echoed their sentiments, and Shen Yu’an listened with laughter.