Chapter 829: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 829: The Coming-of-Age Ceremony and the Establishment of the Academy (2)
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On the morning of the third day of the third lunar month, the sound of firecrackers shattered the early morning tranquility. Wu Shi, Cai Saozi, Zhou Shi, and others woke up almost simultaneously, quickly getting out of bed to get dressed. After tidying themselves up, they hurriedly grabbed the gifts prepared the day before and rushed towards the Mo family.
At the Mo household, everyone except Mo Yan had gotten up unusually early. Before the firecrackers went off, they had already arranged all the ingredients for the feast in the yard. They washed what needed to be washed, chopped what needed to be chopped, and even the youngest, Sheng’er, sat on a small stool washing the bright red radishes.
This time, the Mo family invited more guests than ever before. It wasn’t that the Mo family was showing off; rather, the village heads from several nearby villages had heard about the event and had requested to come and watch the ceremony.
For a girl's coming-of-age ceremony, the more guests that attend, the better. The Mo family had no reason to turn them away, so they sent invitations to a few of the village heads. As for the villagers, those who had no conflicts with the Mo family naturally said they would attend. Whether or not there was food wasn’t a big deal; they wanted to witness the grand event and have something impressive to talk about in the future.
Today was also a joyful day for Xiao Ruiyuan, who had arrived early at the Mo family by himself. As for the matchmaker, dowry, and marriage proposal letter, they would come later with Chu Heng.
When a marriage is arranged, it must follow the parents' orders and the matchmaker’s words, though if it is an imperial marriage, things are different.
For normal families, on the day the engagement is made, the groom's parents must go to the bride’s family to show their respect. However, Xiao Xiong and Wei Shi would rather Xiao Ruiyuan remain unmarried for life, as this would give the title of Marquis to Xiao Ruiqing's branch of the family. Naturally, they would not come to the Mo family.
Knowing their intentions, Xiao Ruiyuan hadn’t told them that the engagement would take place today. However, without the groom’s parents present at the engagement, it would not look good on the bride's side and would seem improper.
Therefore, Chu Heng stepped in once again. As Xiao Ruiyuan’s elder brother, he would solidify the engagement. As the Crown Prince of the nation, his presence would eliminate any negative implications caused by Xiao Xiong and Wei Shi’s absence, even making the engagement appear more "authoritative" than if Xiao Xiong and Wei Shi had attended.
Mo Qingze stood at the entrance of the yard to welcome guests. When Xiao Ruiyuan arrived, he naturally stood behind his future father-in-law, joining his two future brothers-in-law in welcoming the guests.
The villagers weren’t blind. Seeing this, they immediately understood the situation. When greeting Mo Qingze, they congratulated him twice more, and their gaze toward Xiao Ruiyuan changed. They were less awed and more casual.
Soon, the invited guests from the Han and Liu families arrived. As they got out of their carriages, they froze upon seeing Xiao Ruiyuan in the greeting line.
Xiao Ruiyuan remained composed, and together with Zhen’er and Yun Zhao, he stepped forward to bow respectfully. "Nephew greets Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, Uncle Han, and Aunt Han!"
"Wait..."
Everyone looked at Mo Qingze in unison, their expressions complicated. They didn’t know whether to stay still and let Xiao Ruiyuan skip the formalities, or to bow to him. After all, Xiao Ruiyuan was a high-ranking official in the court, and it was proper for them to bow to him.
The atmosphere became awkward, but Mo Qingze seemed unfazed. He patted Xiao Ruiyuan’s shoulder and casually said, "Look at you, you've startled the elders. Quickly invite them in and make some tea as an apology."
"Yes, I’ll do that now!" Xiao Ruiyuan answered respectfully. Far from being upset, he actually felt a sense of closeness from Mo Qingze’s casual manner, and a softening of his usually stern face.
(The End of This Chapter)
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