This chest, besides the top layer being filled with many gold horseshoes and small foals figures, also has three layers of drawers of varying heights underneath.

The first drawer was only about two inches high, and inside, it contains objects and bracelets made of jade, such as ping’an kou (safety buckles), jade pendants, thumb rings, finger rings, and various small hanging ornaments.

平安扣 (píng'ān kòu): "Safety Buckle." A traditional jade ornament shaped like a flat, smooth circle with a hole in the middle (resembling a donut). It symbolizes peace, safety, and harmony.
扳指 (bānzhǐ): A thumb ring. Originally used by archers to protect the thumb from the bowstring, it later became a purely decorative piece of jewelry worn by noblemen to show status.

The second drawer was over three inches high and contained larger gold and jade decorative pieces, most of which were also related to horses.

The third drawer was over five inches high, and inside were actually cavalrymen crafted from solid gold, eight in total. The horses were in various poses and the figures were lifelike; even the quivers on the figures’ backs, the sabers at their waists, the reins in their hands, and even the saddles and stirrups were rendered with such detail that every tiny hair and fiber was visible.

“This was given to me by my Jiujiu when I was born. My mother also knows about it. Apart from this, you can take anything else as you please.” Zhao Huanxi took out the eight cavalrymen and placed them on the bed, saying to Xu Nian’an.

“These are all gifts you’ve received from childhood up till now?” Xu Nian’an asked him.

Zhao Huanxi nodded. “These are part of them. There are some other miscellaneous items that are too big that my mother has put away in the storeroom.”

“Whenever you need money, you use these?”

“These are things I like, so I don’t use them. They’re for you. When I need money, my mother will give it to me,” Zhao Huanxi said, indifferent.

Xu Nian’an sighed. “You put them away quickly. I don’t want them.”

“Why don’t you want them? Aren’t you concerned about the first meeting gifts?” Zhao Huanxi stretched out his slender, fair hand, counting on his fingers. “My Er Jiejie has four sons.”

见面礼 - meeting gifts; presents elder gift to younger ones for first time meeting

Xu Nian’an widened her eyes: So capable?

Before marriage, she was only concerned about the affairs within the Jing Guogong Residence, and she didn’t know much about the situation of her sisters-in-law who had been married off.

“My San Jiejie doesn’t have any children yet, and my Si Jiejie has a daughter. So, you need to prepare five sets of meeting gifts. Take something of equivalent value. Didn’t you say… a fake couple should be clear about accounts?” Zhao Huanxi said, his thick and black eyelashes drooping.

Xu Nian’an went along with it. “Alright then, I’ll take this little foal. It’s quite adorable.” She took out a golden foal the size of an egg from the top layer of the chest.

“Is one enough?” Zhao Huanxi asked anxiously.

“It’s enough,” Xu Nian’an said, playing with the heavy little foal. She asked him, “How old is your San Jie this year? Why doesn’t she have any children yet?”

Zhao Huanxi said, “My San Jie is five years older than me. She should be twenty-one this year. She had a miscarriage three years ago and has not been pregnant again since. My mother is very worried whenever it is mentioned.”

At this point, he seemed to recall something, furrowing his brows deeply, but eventually said, “Forget it, let’s not talk about him.” He then said to Xu Nian’an, “I also have a Da Jie, she and my Da Jiefu are in Xuanzhou. If she were here, you would definitely be at a big loss with just one little foal. She has three sons and two daughters, five children in total! Haha! My Er Jiejie doesn’t talk much and may seem a bit serious, but she is actually the most amiable. My San Jie, among the four of them, loves to joke the most, you’ll definitely like her when you meet her. My Si Jie is three years older than me, very gentle in nature, likes taking care of others, and is very easy to get along with.”

Xu Nian’an tilted her head and looked at him, her eyes gleaming with cunning. She asked, “Why are you telling me all this? Are you afraid I won’t be able to handle it tomorrow?”

“I-I mean, my sisters are all very easy to get along with. Don’t bully them because of this!” Zhao Huanxi argued, his expression somewhat unnatural.

Xu Nian’an couldn’t help but suppress a smile, her eyes soft and bright as she looked at him, whispering, “Thank you.”

Zhao Huanxi’s face turned red, and he lowered his head, looking at the golden cavalry on the bed, and said softly, “You’re welcome.”

✦

Early the next morning, as Xu Nian’an climbed over the soundly sleeping Zhao Huanxi to get out of bed, she thought privately to herself: It is time to take back her territory.

When she arrived at Jiaxiang House, it was just past the hour of Mao Hour (around 5-7 a.m.), and there were some steward and Pozis standing in the courtyard who had arrived early, but Yin Furen had not yet begun her activities.

Upon hearing that Xu Nian’an had arrived, Yin Furen was quite surprised and instructed Qianhe to call her in.

“Erxi wishes Mother well.” Xu Nian’an entered the inner room and found Yin Furen having breakfast.

“Why did you come so early?” Yin Furen asked her.

Xu Nian’an replied: “One is used to getting up early at home.”

“Where’s Sanlang?”

“Sanlang hasn’t woken up yet.”

Yin Furen paused with the spoon in her hand and asked, “Your younger brother is about the same age as Sanlang, what time does he usually get up?”

Xu Nian’an smiled. “My younger brother is a night owl. He’s used to staying up late and not getting up early at home. When he’s at the academy, there are rules to follow, so he might be better about it. He just wakes up whenever the academy tells him.”

“Sit down, let us have some breakfast together. Qianhe, bring another set of bowl and chopsticks,” Yin Furen said.

Xu Nian’an hurriedly said, “Thanking Mother for the care, but Erxi will not eat for now. One will wait and eat with Sanlang after going back (to her courtyard) later.”

Yin Fureb didn’t insist. “Suit yourself. Sit down first. I have a few things to discuss with you.”

Xu Nian’an sat down, and Yin Furen dismissed the servants. She asked, “Now that you are married to Sanlang, do you have any plans for what Sanlang will do in the future?”

Xu Nian’an replied, “The old saying goes ‘marry and establish a career’, but Erxi has thought carefully about it. Sanlang is young and has yet to establish any career. Besides, our family is not in a hurry for him to do so. In that case, it’s better for him to continue his studies. Even if he’s not aiming for officialdom, reading more books and making more friends will always be beneficial to him in the future.”

Yin Furen didn’t like hearing about not seeking official positions, but she still liked the idea of Huanxi studying. So she patiently said, “We all know that studying is good, but he doesn’t like to study. What can we do about it? We hired a teacher at home, but he wasn’t strict enough. Later, we sent him to the Imperial Academy, but after a while, he refused to go. Ai!”

“If someone doesn’t like to do something, there is always a reason, just as there is a reason for liking to do something. Only by finding the root cause can we prescribe the right remedy.”

Yin Furen said, “In that case, I’ll leave this matter entirely to you. As long as you can get Sanlang to study, even if… even if it’s not for officialdom, it’s still better than idling away at home. If you need anything, just send a maid to tell me. I won’t refuse.”

Xu Nian’an smiled and said, “Mother, there’s no need to rush. This matter cannot be rushed and requires waiting for the right opportunity. When the time is right, Erxi will come to Mother and discuss it.”

Although Yin Furen did not receive a definite answer, she was not as helpless as before. Changing the subject, she said, “You’re new here, and the kitchen doesn’t know your taste yet. Later, you can tell Songyun to go to the kitchen.”

“Understood.”

Seeing that it was almost time, Yin Furen finished her breakfast and prepared to attend to her duties. Xu Nian’an returned to the Shenhui Courtyard and saw Songyun and other maidservants standing guard outside the main room.

“Nainai, San Yé hasn’t woken up yet.” Songyun approached Xu Nian’an as she said.

“It’s okay, let him sleep. There’s nothing important today,” Xu Nian’an replied.

“Then, breakfast….”

“Serve it when he wakes up.”

Xu Nian’an entered the room and glanced at the young man who was still sleeping soundly on the bed. She took a book and sat by the window to read.

Zhao Huanxi woke up naturally, stretching his arms and legs before even opening his eyes. Halfway through his stretch, he suddenly stiffened, opened his eyes wide, and looked towards the inner side of the bed, only to find no one there. He then turned his head to look outside the bed.

The fair-skinned and delicate-featured young woman was sitting under the window reading a book. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she turned the pages, and the breeze gently moved the tassels of rice pearls on her hairpin. The golden-red sunlight draped lightly over her right shoulder, creating a serene and beautiful scene.

“If you don’t get up soon, I’ll starve to death,” Xu Nian’an said without looking away from her book, flipping the pages.

Zhao Huanxi suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, his cheeks flushing. Uncomfortably, he cleared his throat and sat up, pushing aside the covers.

Nuanxing and other maidservants brought water for Zhao Huanxi to wash up. After he finished washing, Xu Nian’an sent them to prepare breakfast, setting aside her book and personally helped Zhao Huanxi get dressed.

“Today, when your sisters go back to their maiden home, will their husbands come?” Xu Nian’an asked.

As she was half a head shorter than him, when she lowered her head to fasten the jade pendant to his belt, her hair bun was very close to his nose. A faint fragrance from her hair gently wafted into his nose.

“Er Jiefu is working at the court today, so he probably won’t come. San Jiefu won’t come either. Si Jiefu might come,” Zhao Huanxi said absentmindedly.

“How is your relationship with your Si Jiefu?” Xu Nian’an asked, raising her head after fastening the jade pendant.

“He… gets along better with Zhao Huanxu,” Zhao Huanxi said, somewhat annoyed.

Xu Nian’an couldn’t help but smile and remained silent.

“Why are you laughing?” Zhao Huanxi felt a bit embarrassed. Seeing Xu Nian’an turn away, he followed her and said, “Let me tell you, if it weren’t for my Si Jie saying that he treats her decently, I wouldn’t even bother to pay attention to him.”

“I didn’t say anything, so why do I have to explain (why she laughed)?” Xu Nian’an walked to the window and opened it fully, brightening the room considerably.

“You didn’t say anything, but you laughed. That’s worse than saying something. You were laughing at me,” Zhao Huanxi said.

“That’s unreasonable. If I laugh, it must be laughing at you? Are you going to stop people from laughing in the future? We’ve only been married for a few days, and you’re already acting so domineering.”

Unable to argue with her, Zhao Huanxi was tongue-tied for a while. Just as he wanted to explain, the maids came in with breakfast, so he had to hold back.

After finishing breakfast, Zhao Huanxi lingered in the room. Xu Nian’an glanced at him and said, “Aren’t you going to practice calligraphy?”

Zhao Huanxi saw her sitting under the window again and asked, “Aren’t you going?”

“What? Do you need me to accompany you to practice calligraphy?” Xu Nian’an looked at him in surprise.

Zhao Huanxi’s face turned slightly red, and he turned away, saying, “I don’t need that!” He regretted his words before he even reached the door. He returned to the window, pulling Xu Nian’an’s sleeve and dragging her out, saying, “I don’t want you to accompany me. I want you to grind ink for me.”