Jing Guogong, Zhao Kaishuo, had three brothers. Zhao Kaishuo himself had five sons, and main (di嫡) and side (pang旁支) branches numbered nearly two hundred people. At this moment, they were gathered in the main hall of the front courtyard of the Jing Guogong Residence, the Songmao Hall.

嫡支 (dízhī): The direct/primary branch of the family (descended from the legal wife).
旁支 (pángzhī): The collateral/lateral branches of the family (descended from concubines or extended relatives).

Zhao Kaishuo is in a very good mood today, chatting and laughing with his brothers.

Zhao Mingkun doesn’t have a heart nor a lung. A few compliments and he’s completely lost, spitting his saliva everywhere as he chatted away endlessly with his uncles and brothers.

伯叔兄弟 - 伯叔 (boshu) father's brother; 兄弟 (xiongdi) brothers, might refer to cousins too.

Yin Furen was the only one worrying there.

Although Xu Nian’an comes from Count Zhongyi Residence, she is not Count Zhongyi’s daughter after all. After leaving the Count Residence at the age of thirteen, she had to make a living and often mingled in the marketplaces. With such a big occasion today, if she shows any signs of stage fright or reveals her marketplace background, wouldn’t it be embarrassing?

Soon after Nanny Hou showed half of her face in front of the hall, Yin Furen couldn’t wait to turn around and look at Nanny Su behind her.

Nanny Su nodded at her and then walked out of the hall from the side, going to Nanny Hou’s side to talk to her.

“What’s the situation at Shenhui Courtyard?” Nanny Su asked in a low voice.

“Furen can be rest assured. The situation at Shenhui Courtyard is in good hands. San Yé is in good hands, and San Nainai is also in good hands.”

Nanny Su was somewhat incredulous. “Really? San Yé didn’t throw a tantrum at all?”

“No tantrums. When I went there earlier, San Yé hadn’t gotten up yet. San Nainai said he would get up by half an hour, and sure enough, he got up by himself shortly after.” Nanny Hou said.

Nanny Su was greatly relieved. “Amitabha, it’s good that there were no tantrums. Then, how is San Nainai dressed?”

Nanny Hou described Xu Nian’an’s attire and concluded, “I saw San Nainai calm and composed; she can handle things.”

Nanny Su got the answer and returned to Yin Furen’s side an whispered a few words to her. Yin Furen’s shoulders, which had been tense all along, relaxed slightly.

Zhao Huanxi walked along, introducing the buildings in the mansion to Xu Nian’an. After they left their small courtyard, Shenhui Courtyard, on the left was Shengxiu Courtyard, where the First Branch’s Da Yé Zhao Huanzhao and his wife, as well as Er Yé Zhao Huanyang and his wife, lived together. On the right was a small garden.

To the east of Shengxiu Court is the large garden used by the mansion’s doctors, Zhilan Garden. In the northwest corner of Zhilan Garden, there is a guest house. Pang Daixue Guniang lives in the guest house’s Furong Pavilion.

To the south of Shenhui Courtyard is Yin Furen’s Jiaxiang House. Jiaxiang House is a very large courtyard with twenty or thirty rooms. In addition to Da Laoyé and Yin Furen, Da Laoyé’s two concubines and the two unmarried shu daughters also live there.

庶 (shù) means of or by a concubine.

Originally, Zhao Huanxi also lived there, but he moved to Shenhui Courtyard only yesterday after his wedding.

To the left of Jiaxiang House is the Third Branch and Fourth Branch’s courtyards of the shu-line. To the right is the Second Branch and Fifth Branch’s courtyard of the main-line (legal wife line). The Fifth Branch’s courtyard is adjacent to Lao Taitai’s Lingde Hall.

To the south of Jiaxiang House, through the Neiyi gate, is the main hall of Jing Guogong Residence—the Songmao Hall.

内仪门 (nèi yímén): Inner Ceremonial Gate. This gate separated the outer courtyards (where men conducted business) from the inner quarters (where the family lived).

Xu Nian’an had just followed Zhao Huanxi out of the Neiyi gate when she saw a young boy, around ten years old, standing on the side path. He was dressed in fine silk clothes and had a handsome appearance.

The young boy didn’t have any maids or servants with him. When he saw Zhao Huanxi, his eyes lit up. He came over warmly, greeted them with a bow, and said, “Good morning, Xiao Shushu. Good morning, Xiao Shenshen.”

叔叔(shūshu)-father's younger brother; uncle
婶婶(shěnshen) - wife of a shushu; aunt
adding（小）or Xiao (little) at the front cause Zhao Huanxi is the youngest.

Xu Nian’an accepted the greeting and asked Zhao Huanxi, “This is…”

Zhao Huanxi introduced him, saying, “This is my eldest brother’s eldest son, my eldest nephew, Zhao Yujie. You can call him Jie Ge’er.”

Xu Nian’an smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

Zhao Yujie said to Zhao Huanxi, “Xiao Shushu, come with me. I have something to tell you.”

Without hesitation, Zhao Huanxi was about to go with him to talk privately. However, Xu Nian’an quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back, saying, “Sanlang, the sun is already out, and it’s getting late. We shouldn’t delay. It’s more important to go to the main hall and greet the elders first.” Then, she affectionately said to Zhao Yujie, “Jie Ge’er, after your Xiao Shushu finishes his work, you can come to our courtyard to talk to him, okay? Xiao Shenshen will give you something delicious to eat.”

After speaking, Xu Nian’an gave a wink to Yisu beside her, then took Zhao Huanxi’s hand and headed towards the main hall.

“Xiao Shushu, it’s an important matter…”

“Jie Da Shaoye, it’s the first day after San Yé and San Nainai’s wedding, and paying respects to the elders is a big deal. If you delay them and the elders get upset, who do you think will be blamed, you or San Yé? You are young and may not understand these things, so San Yé will naturally take the blame, right? Since you are so close to San Yé, you wouldn’t want to see him punished for your sake, right?” Yisu stepped forward to stop Zhao Yujie.

Unable to come up with a response, Zhao Yujie looked a bit resentful. He said, “Then I’ll talk to Xiao Shushu later.”

“It must be Daixue who has something to say and asked Jie Ge’er to pass on the message,” Zhao Huanxi said anxiously.

“Since they ask a child to pass on the message, it’s probably not a big deal. Let’s finish greeting the elders properly, and then we can discuss it in our own courtyard. Don’t panic, you’re not alone now. I’ll help you,” Xu Nian’an whispered reassuringly.

Zhao Huanxi turned to look at Xu Nian’an, and she nodded at him.

Her gentle expression and calm eyes inexplicably gave him a sense of reliability. Zhao Huanxi’s heart calmed down, and his gaze became steady once again.

In front of the crowd, the two entered the Songmao Hall. They first bowed to Jing Guogong, Zhao Kaishuo, who was seated at the head. Xu Nian’an served the tea to Jing Guogong.

Guogong Yé was very pleased. He took out a thick red envelope, tempting to the eyes, and gave it to Xu Nian’an, saying, “Your Zumu is unwell and couldn’t come to receive the greetings. This is from her to you. In the future, live well with Huanxi. You are the most sensible, so advise him more.”

Xu Nian’an obediently said, “Thanking Zufu and Zumu. Zufu, please don’t worry. Sanlang is also very sensible. Last night, he told me that he noticed how thin Mother had become from all the busy preparations for his wedding, and he realized it was because of his past recklessness that made Mother worry. He has decided to study hard in the future, to make progress, and not to let Zufu, Zumu and Father Mother worry.”

Zhao Huanxi who was kneeling beside her couldn’t help but look at her in surprise as she fabricated such a convincing story.

Guogong Yé was so happy that his beard was almost sticking up. He looked kindly at Zhao Huanxi and said, “Getting married makes you an adult, and indeed you’ve become much more sensible. A man should do what he says. Don’t disappoint your wife.”

The image of his grandfather in Zhao Huanxi’s mind had always been one of sternness and unapproachability. This was the first time he had heard his grandfather speak to him in such a kind and hopeful tone. He felt both happy and excited, and he bowed his head and said, “Sun’er will heed Zufu’s teachings.”

In the midst of his emotional turmoil, Zhao Huanxi bowed with a bit too much force, causing a loud “bang” that made everyone in the hall burst into laughter. Zhao Huanxi couldn’t help but blush even more.

Next, Zhao Huanxi bowed to Zhao Mingkun and Yin Furen. Despite knowing that Xu Nian’an’s words to Guogong Yé were probably false, Yin Furen was still delighted, her face flushed with joy. In addition to the prepared gifts, she took off a pair of flawless white jade bracelets from her wrists and gave them to Xu Nian’an.

For the remaining elders, they only needed to offer tea without bowing. There were many relatives from the main and side branches of Jing Guogong Residence. Zhao Huanxi personally introduced each one to Xu Nian’an, and she acknowledged each one without any mistakes, answering and interacting with them in a very appropriate and graceful manner, even responding with humor when teased.

After the family acknowledgement session, they had a quick breakfast and then proceeded to the ancestral hall to update the family records (adding Xu Nian’an name to the family’s genealogy). They were busy until midday, and only then did the young couple finally have time to return to Shenhui Courtyard to catch their breath.

Zhao Huanxi, who hadn’t slept well last night, collapsed onto the bed as soon as he entered the room.

Xu Nian’an straight away took out an abacus from her dowry and sat in the room, clacking away as she calculated.

Zhao Huanxi, who had originally wanted to take a nap, was disturbed by the sound of her abacus and couldn’t fall asleep. He sat up and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m keeping accounts. Your Zhao family is too prolific. We are a fake couple, so we must keep accounts clear.” Xu Nian’an replied.

Zhao Huanxi remembered that earlier, when they were acknowledging the relatives, Xu Nian’an had given a purse to each younger relative, presumably with money inside. He felt a pang of heartache now.

“Ha, what a stingy!” he sneered, about to lie down again. Suddenly, he remembered, “Oh, didn’t Jie Ge’er say he had something important to tell me? Why hasn’t he come to find me yet? No, I have to find him.”

“You don’t need to run around. Aren’t you tired enough? Jie Ge’er is just a child. He’s probably off somewhere mischievous. Just have Xiaowei send someone to find him,” Xu Nian’an said as she continued to use the abacus.

“That’s right,” Zhao Huanxi then went to find Xiaowei to search for the boy. However, when he reached outside the room, he happened to encounter two or three maids gossiping in the corridor, mocking Xu Nian’an for bringing only two maids with her when she married into the family, which was less than what the wives of the concubines’ sons had.

Zhao Huanxi was furious and wanted to scold them, but considering what they said was true, he turned around and went back into the room.

Xu Nian’an, still multitasking, noticed him coming in looking disgruntled and asked, “What’s wrong? Couldn’t find Xiaowei?”

“No need to look for her anymore,” Zhao Huanxi said, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking like he had nowhere to vent his anger.

Xu Nian’an stopped manipulating the abacus beads and looked at Zhao Huanxi, saying, “Although we are not a real couple, until we are truly separated, there is nothing you cannot tell me. I am two years older than you and have slightly more experience. Perhaps I can help you solve your troubles. It’s not good for your health to keep things bottled up.”

Zhao Huanxi looked up at her, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed, “There are a few maids outside talking about you, and it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know how to refute them.”

“What are they saying?”

“They said you only brought two maids with you as dowry, which is not respectable.”

“That’s true, but it’s none of their business to gossip about it.”

Zhao Huanxi got a clue, his eyes lit up, and he said, “I was only concerned about whether what they said was true, but I forgot that as maids, they dared to speak ill of a Nainai. I’ll go scold them!” He leaped up from the edge of the bed and strode confidently towards the door.

“You stay here. These matters within the inner courtyard are trivial and can be handled by me. If there’s something I can’t manage, I’ll seek help from Mother. You’re a man, don’t meddle in affairs between women. Men should do what men ought to do.” Xu Nian’an said.

Zhao Huanxi mulled over her words in his mind, feeling a chill. “You are not really planning to force me to study by speaking like that in front of Zufu today, right? I’ll tell you, I didn’t agree to it. I hate reading the most.”

Xu Nian’an rolled her eyes and said, “We’re not going to be a couple forever. Whether you study or not and make progress has nothing to do with me. I couldn’t care less about forcing you. I just said that in front of Zufu to make him happy.”

She wasn’t forcing him to study, which should have made Zhao Huanxi happy. However, for some reason, hearing her say that not only didn’t make him happy but also made him a bit angry and disappointed.

“Then, what did you mean by what you just said?” He asked Xu Nian’an with a pout.

“When I was in my maiden home, I had to take care of my mother and younger siblings, manage the household, and oversee the shop. There was always so much to do, and I got used to being busy. Now that I’m married to you, I don’t have to manage the household or the shop anymore, and I’m at a loss with all this free time. From what I can see, Zufu and your mother’s only requirement for me is to take care of you. So, don’t you think you should have something to do? If you don’t like studying, then what do you like?”