"Yiyi's mother..."
Gu Shi thought about it from all angles and felt that calling Madame Xue 'Yiyi's mother' was more intimate. She gently patted her hand, "I was afraid that after Yiyi got engaged to Jinshan, your Yiyi would be wronged!"
Madame Xue asked curiously, "Sister-in-law, they are willing, so I came to arrange it. How could she be wronged?"
These words were a bit inexplicable...
Gu Shi smiled slightly, "Yiyi's mother, think about it. Jinshan is six years older than Yiyi, and he comes from the countryside. He hasn't even passed the xiucai exam yet. How can he be worthy of Yiyi? Yiyi is the daughter of the prefect, talented and beautiful, elegant and intelligent, knowledgeable and well-mannered. If she were to be engaged to Jinshan, it would be a bit of a mismatch..."
She thought that after saying this, the Prefect Qin and his wife would change their minds, or even leave.
Who knew that not only did they not waver, but their desire to marry deepened.
"Sister-in-law!" Madame Xue's expression changed, and she withdrew her hand, grasping Gu Shi's wrist, "If we cared about these things, we wouldn't be sitting here today, talking to you and brother about them..."
"That's right!" Prefect Qin echoed, shouting towards the inner room, "Yiyi, come out, your father has something to say!"
Qin Yiyi trembled and hid behind Xiao Xitian, not moving.
Xiao Xitian couldn't hold back her laughter and turned to hug Qin Yiyi, "If Sister Yiyi doesn't want to go out, then sit here, don't be afraid..."
Seeing Prefect Qin fussing and shouting, Madame Xue gave him a sideways glance, "Why are you calling Yiyi? Behave yourself!"
Prefect Qin: "..."
Didn't I just want to ask Yiyi what she thought?
Old Man Yun was already moved. He glanced at Yun Erman with his eyes. Seeing that he was grinning like a fool, he knew Erman had no objections.
Old Man Yun then looked at his wife and winked hard, as if to say: Hurry up and agree, what are you still hesitating about?
"Yiyi's father, her mother..."
A moment later, Gu Shi looked up at the Prefect Qin and his wife, "Since that's the case, let's pick a good day to finalize the engagement of the two children. I'll arrange two tables then, and let relatives and friends come to celebrate..."
As the saying goes, good things come in pairs. Before the New Year, Jingde and Xiaoran were betrothed, and after the New Year, Jinshan and Yiyi were also paired up. For the Yun family, this was a great event.
Prefect Qin was overjoyed and quickly cupped his hands in congratulations, "Brother, sister-in-law, we are now in-laws. After you finish your farm work, I will send someone to pick you up to the prefectural city to stay for a few days..."
Speaking of which, Prefect Qin leaned into Old Man Yun's ear and whispered, "I still have seven or eight jars of good wine hidden at home, haha!"
Old Man Yun: "..."
No wonder you've gotten so fat. You only know how to eat and drink every day. How can you not get fat?
"Erman, my daughter is betrothed to your son. Do you have any objections?" Prefect Qin asked Yun Erman with a smile.
What objections could Yun Erman have? He was too happy to contain himself. He had to tell Shanshan immediately so she could be happy too...
Xiao Xitian, sitting in the inner room, had a warm smile and a dimple on her face, "It's done, it's done! Sister Yiyi, you'll be my niece-in-law from now on!"
Qin Yiyi: "..."
Sweetie, why are you shouting so loudly? It's embarrassing.
Seeing that it was getting late, Gu Shi asked Huaihua to prepare the meal, planning to treat the Prefect Qin and his wife well.
They couldn't just eat millet porridge and pickled vegetables every meal. There were still a lot of dried goods at home, like wood ear mushrooms, monkey head mushrooms, dried cabbage, dried radishes, dried beans, etc., all stored in a large jar...
Gu Shi personally cooked, washed the wood ear mushrooms, boiled them, then took them out and stir-fried them with cabbage slices and pork belly.
She also asked Jinshan to buy two pieces of large tofu from Fu Daqiang's house, cut them into small pieces, braised them with dried cabbage and pork bones. The soup was both delicious and appetizing...
As for the dried beans, when stewed with pork ribs, they produced an even more fragrant flavor.
The sound of 'dong dong dong' came from the kitchen. Du Tieshan was busy chopping the filling, and Jin Huaihua was kneading the dough. In just a moment, three steamers of radish and pork filling dumplings were wrapped...
Prefect Qin, who had been clamoring for vegetarian food, couldn't control his appetite when he saw these delicious dishes.
But before eating, he had to go to the west house to pay his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince.
When they first arrived at the old Yun family, they heard that the Crown Prince was resting and it was inconvenient for outsiders to disturb him, so they had to postpone it until now...
In the study of the west house.
"The house is built? Is it habitable?" Xiao Jinheng asked Xiao Jinfeng in front of him, his voice calm.
During this time, Xiao Jinfeng had been staying with the workers, working hard every day, and his skin had become rougher...
But his innate nobility was still faintly visible, not completely submerged by the trivialities of life.
Xiao Jinfeng smiled and said, "The main structure is built, but the house is not yet decorated, and the details need to be refined. I think as long as we can live in it by autumn..."
After hearing this, Xiao Jinheng looked up and down at Xiao Jinfeng's attire and sighed softly, "Second Brother, do you really not regret it?"
"Regret what?" Xiao Jinfeng asked, not understanding.
"Of course, it's giving up the life of luxury in the capital and coming to live in seclusion in the countryside..." Xiao Jinheng said.
Xiao Jinfeng couldn't help but laugh, "So, when Heng'er ascends the throne in the future, you must treat the villagers of Dashui Village well, after all, your own brother is still living here!"
Xiao Jinheng's mouth twitched violently. If you say that, my mother-in-law and father-in-law are also living here...
Just then, there was a knock on the study door. Xiao Jinheng raised his eyes, "Come in!"
A moment later, Prefect Qin pushed open the door and slowly walked in.
"Your subordinate pays his respects to the Crown... pays his respects to Young Master Xiao!" Prefect Qin bowed low, burying his head deeply.
Xiao Jinheng raised his hand, "Prefect Qin, there's no need to be so formal!"
He knew that the Prefect Qin's family had come to visit at noon, so he didn't disturb them.
As long as it wasn't something that greatly concerned the little village girl, he paid no attention to it...
Prefect Qin looked up and saw that Xiao Jinfeng looked quite familiar. He pondered for a long time but didn't dare to greet him.
"What, Prefect Qin, as an official in charge of a region, you don't even recognize my second brother?" Xiao Jinheng raised an eyebrow.
Prefect Qin was extremely apprehensive and cupped his hands again, "Your subordinate's eyesight is poor. Could this gentleman be the renowned Prince Ming?"
Oh my, it seems the rumors are true. Prince Ming has indeed returned to seclusion in the countryside...
Xiao Jinfeng pursed his lips and smiled, personally stepping forward to help Prefect Qin. Just as he was about to say something, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.