Young Madam Zhong also asked the maid who had come to inform, "What is the matter with Grand Master and the Old Lady sending for us?"
The maid shook her head, "This servant does not know, I only know that the guard who attends to the second young Master has returned!"
"Oh, has my second brother returned?" Zhong Xinglong paused his chopsticks and asked.
"Eldest Young Master, this servant does not know, I didn’t see the second young Master!"
Zhong Xinglong and his wife exchanged a glance; it was pointless to ask a maid who knew nothing further.
So he waved his hand to dismiss her, saying they would visit after finishing their meal.
"Husband, could it be that the second brother has invited his future in-laws over?" Young Madam Zhong said.
"Hmm, that’s possible, let’s finish eating and we will find out when we go to my parents’ courtyard."
Zhong Xinglong and his wife quickly finished their meal, instructing the wet nurse to feed their two sons slowly. They decided not to bring their children to their parents’ courtyard this time, suspecting they might discuss important matters.
His sister, Zhong Jieqiong, had already married and had children, marrying into a noble family in the Capital and was living rather well.
Now, only their second brother remained unmarried; naturally, their parents and they were more concerned about him.
When they arrived at their parents’ courtyard, they saw only their father. So they sat in the living room, and after they were seated, Madam Zhong also emerged from the Buddhist Hall.
The family then discussed the strange incidents that had occurred on the way as their second son and his in-laws had traveled here.
Zhong Xinglong was not a believer in ghosts and spirits and listened with some skepticism. He wanted to verify the guard’s story and thought it might be clearer to ask the second brother directly.
However, Young Madam Zhong was a believer, often accompanying her Mother-in-law in worshipping Buddhas, and believed in the protection of the Mountain God.
"My eldest son, daughter-in-law, let’s prepare lunch for tomorrow to welcome the in-laws, to offer them a feast and help them settle their nerves!"
Old Mrs. Zhong was taking it seriously, but Young Madam Zhong wasn’t upset; both her father-in-law and Mother-in-law were good to her, and it was normal for the elders to show a little more affection towards the younger son.
She had experienced such occasions herself when her own family and relatives visited, they were received with great hospitality.
So the Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law discussed the menu, aiming to offer the best hospitality to show their in-laws how much they valued them.
They also prepared gifts for them.
Zhong Xinglong and Mr. Zhong discussed as well. Now that the younger brother was preparing to start a family, he couldn’t just study and do nothing else.
It was time to teach him some of the family management, to involve him in the work and share some of the burden.
Mr. Zhong was aware that his second son was not cut out for scholarship. If he genuinely had the talent, Mr. Zhong too would have liked a top scorer for a son.
Now over twenty years old without passing the Scholar exams after several attempts, he wasn’t entirely unintelligent, just without the natural gift for academics. It was wasteful to spend copper coins on his education at the academy.
After eating his fill and having a bit to drink, Zhong Xingwang felt as if the day’s fatigue had vanished, and he fancied a stroll on the streets with his future wife that same evening.
But he dismissed the thought, knowing his family must be tired after traveling the whole day. There would be plenty of time for outings later.
After dinner, Zhong Xingwang returned to his room, thankful to have his Young Uncle staying with him for conversation.
Feeling bored, he asked the waiter to bring a chessboard to play with his Young Uncle.
Meanwhile, he tried to coax some information from his Young Uncle’s mouth:
"Wenjie, are those people brought by your uncle all his subordinates? Are they from the same village?"
Ye Wenjie, a youngster fresh from a bath and a meal, was full of energy. Playing chess with his sister’s husband from the Capital, he longed to see the city’s splendor but didn’t dare to ask someone to take him out, so he stayed in the room.
"Yes, Uncle is coming with us, he might stay in the Capital to do business!"
"Have those young fellows already found wives?"
"Are you asking about the elder brothers from our village? They are old enough to marry, but none of them have taken wives yet!"
"At their age, aren’t their families anxious?"
"They don’t have a brother-in-law yet, are you that old? The family is anxious, but they must be willing! Just like the brother-in-law!"
Zhong Xingwang..., can’t this brat speak properly? Where does he get off calling him old? He’s in the prime of life.
He’d already wormed out of Ye Wenjie that those lads hadn’t married yet, so they might fancy his wife and sisters-in-law.
He needed to be on guard. No, he couldn’t stay at home; he had to protect his wife.
Zhong Xingwang had wanted to invite Ye Wenjie out for a late night snack, but instead, he ended up staying in the room, having the waiter deliver the meal so he could curry favor with his young uncle.
Ye Shiqi’s room overlooked the main street, and after dinner she returned there, where her elder sisters had gathered for a chatter.
Out here with her sisters, she didn’t know if the outside world would be complicated or bring trouble to their family; so they stayed in their room, waiting for tomorrow to come.
Looking out at the streets of the Capital, of course, they seemed wealthier than their small county. Gazing outside from her window, she just felt the air quality wasn’t all that great.
Outside the window, the sky held the moon and stars, now midway through the month, the moon full and round, with no breeze penetrating the window at night.
She felt a bit stuffy and hot, and even with ice in the room, she could only feel the heat.
"The city’s night lights are so beautiful, and the streets are still so lively so late!"
Ye Fengqi noticed that there weren’t just vendors, but also people enjoying the night markets, with carriages, pedestrians, and occasionally those riding bicycles.
Seeing more men on bicycles than women, it seemed that the women were mostly strolling with their lovers.
Ye Luoqi..., are the men and women in the Capital so bold?
She imagined walking the streets, enjoying the night markets with her future husband. It was just a thought; if he really asked her out, she wouldn’t dare go.
Though betrothed, she hadn’t yet married into his family. In this unfamiliar place, she feared being kidnapped or getting separated from her family.
The thought of possibly meeting her future father-in-law in the next few days made her very nervous.
This was a step in life one had to take, meeting the future in-laws sooner and bonding with them could be essential.
Ye Luoqi felt very uncertain about the future. With her family so far away, if she were to face any hardship, she would have nobody to talk to.
Then she thought again, wouldn’t she have her future elder sister-in-law?
The elder sister-in-law’s family would be returning to the Capital soon; she wouldn’t be without familiar faces.
And the young uncle was in the Capital too!
Ye Shiqi, looking out onto the street, had many thoughts. This street must be a popular place for shoppers, maybe with no shops left for sale.
A quieter street would be okay for their grain selling business, but their grain was expensive and suited for affluent areas, not to be sold in poorer districts.
Ye Shiqi understood that wealthy households and commoners had different spending habits. Commoners needed affordable sustenance, not overly expensive food to enjoy its quality.
Rich people were different; they had the money to eat better and could afford high-priced food.
She wasn’t just selling grain; she had also brought honey this time.
As for cosmetics and the like, she’d rather not get involved.