“Mother’s is mother’s, and mine is mine. They shouldn’t be mixed up; otherwise, it would be impolite. This jade pendant was blessed before, and it can ward off evil and disaster. If Sister Su wears it, it can also protect Sister Su’s safety, and I will feel much more at ease.”

Zhou Ruoyi said with a smile, “Sister Su, don’t worry, Mother knows about this matter. Mother also thinks that it’s a good thing to repay kindness, so she allowed me to come today. If Sister Su refuses to accept it, I absolutely will not accept it.”

His eyes were firm, revealing a child’s stubbornness.

He seemed determined to get what he wanted.

It was just a jade pendant; after a moment’s thought, Su Yujin accepted it. “Since that’s the case, then I’ll take it. Thank you, Young Master Yi.”

Zhou Ruoyi was overjoyed to see Su Yujin accept it. “If Sister Su doesn’t mind, just call me Yi’er. Mother and Grandmother can call me that too.”

“Alright.” Su Yujin nodded with a smile. “I made some white lotus seed paste milk pastries. Yi’er, try some and see if they’re good.”

“Okay.” Zhou Ruoyi nodded excitedly, picked up a piece of pastry, and put it in his mouth. “So delicious!”

Even better than the pastries from Yunzhizhai.

Zhou Ruoyi blinked. “Then can I come to Sister Su’s house to eat pastries often?”

“Sure.” Su Yujin felt she had no reason to refuse.

“That’s great!”

The six-year-old boy’s face was full of bright smiles, his eyes shining like the stars and the sea. Most importantly, Zhou Ruoyi had a round face with a bit of baby fat, making him look extremely cute.

Su Yujin smiled and called for Ai Cao to pour Zhou Ruoyi a steaming cup of milk tea.

Zhou Ruoyi stayed there for quite a while, only getting up when the sun was setting. When she left, Su Yujin packed her a large bag of pastries.

Besides the white lotus seed paste milk pastry she had just eaten, there were peanut brittle, honey osmanthus steamed sponge cake, rose milk pastry cake, and five or six other kinds of pastries. Zhou Ruoyi was so happy that her eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.

On the way back, she couldn’t help but say to Zhuang Mama beside her, “Sister Su is truly a wonderful person.”

“Yes,” Zhuang Mama nodded in agreement, “Miss Su is exceptionally beautiful, has outstanding medical skills, excellent cooking skills, and is very tactful in her dealings with others. She is truly excellent in every way.”

No wonder the lady of the house always spoke of Su Yujin with great respect and praise.

“Just now, in front of Miss Su, this old servant shouldn’t have said too much. Was that jade pendant truly given to Miss Su with the young master’s permission?”

As Zhou Ruoyi had said, this jade pendant had been blessed, and it was carved from a piece of exceptional mutton-fat jade that the old lady had found in the storeroom when Zhou Ruoyi was born; it was quite valuable.

Of course, Su Yujin was Zhou Ruoyi’s savior, and in front of a benefactor, no gift of great value would be excessive. However, this jade pendant had been with Zhou Ruoyi for a long time, and his recent strokes of good fortune might have been partly due to it.

It could be said to be of extraordinary significance.

Giving such a jade pendant to Su Yujin…

Granny Zhuang was unsure.

Zhou Ruoyi smiled. “Whether Mother agrees or not makes no difference. This jade pendant is mine, and it’s already been given away.”

“Besides,” he continued, “Mother Zhuang must think this jade pendant is special to me, which is why she’s reluctant to let me give it away. But I think that since it’s such a meaningful item, it should be given to Sister Su to show my feelings.”

He spoke like a little adult, his words clear and logical, leaving no room for argument.

“Young Master makes some sense,” Mother Zhuang nodded.

As Zhou Ruoyi said, the item had already been given away, and further discussion was pointless, so she didn’t bring it up again.

Zhou Ruoyi, however, was quite excited. “These pastries all look delicious. I’ll pick some out when we get back and take them to Grandma so she can taste Sister Su’s cooking.”

Seeing Zhou Ruoyi’s filial piety and thoughtfulness, Aunt Zhuang smiled and agreed.

—

As October arrived, the days grew colder.

Su Yujin was already wearing padded clothes, and because of the cold weather, she didn’t want to go out much, spending her days at home preparing all sorts of food.

Lotus root stewed with pork ribs, appetizing borscht, crispy and delicious cookies, and fragrant pork floss rolls—she even started trying to make cream puffs and egg tarts…

The variety of new foods was endless, almost making Ai Cao ecstatic.

After all, even the ones Su Yujin thought were bad, Ai Cao found delicious and savory, indulging in them all day long.

After several days of indulging in gluttony, Ai Cao felt her clothes were getting tighter…

Zhao Shi and Yu Yongye, accompanied by a matchmaker, went to Shuangye’s house to propose marriage.

The six steps of marriage at this time were betrothal, asking the name, auspicious date selection, presenting gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony. The matchmaker’s visit was the first step, with the groom, accompanied by the matchmaker, bringing appropriate gifts to the bride’s home to propose.

Generally, betrothal gifts required a pair of geese, as geese are birds of loyalty, symbolizing unwavering fidelity in the marriage.

However, geese were rare, so many people used regular geese instead. Zhao Shi and Yu Yongye brought a pair of spirited white geese, along with other customary gifts.

In addition, Yu Yongye had painted a picture of geese, depicting a pair of geese nestled among hibiscus flowers, exuding tranquility and beauty.

“I am but a scholar, too weak to even kill a chicken, and truly cannot hunt a pair of geese myself. I can only express my feelings through a painting.” Yu Yongye said, full of embarrassment.

Su Yujin smiled and said, “Having this intention is already very kind.”

Putting aside everything else, this gesture alone showed his attitude. Moreover, although the things Zhao Shi prepared were not particularly expensive, it was clear that she had carefully selected them and done her best to handle these matters well.

Many times, poverty and perfunctory work are truly two different things.

In such matters, the most important thing was attitude.

Zhao Shi and Yu Yongye stayed at home for half a day, talking a lot.

Zhao Shi said that the house had been old for a while, and she was planning to hire craftsmen to renovate it soon. Zhao Shi said that the east room of the house was intended to be used as a new house in the future, and it needed to be properly prepared. She had already found a carpenter to make new furniture.

Zhao Shi also said that Shuangye usually wore plain-colored clothes, so she guessed that Shuangye probably didn’t like bright colors. Therefore, the fabrics sent this time were mostly in light and elegant colors, not the usual bright reds and greens…

Overall, Su Yujin was quite satisfied with Zhao Shi and Yu Yongye’s mother and son after this interaction and felt that Shuangye had truly found a satisfactory match.

Upon learning of Yu Yongye’s marriage proposal, Hu Qiaohui cried at home for two whole days.

Author Note: Zhou Ruoyi’s age in Chapter 15 has been changed from eight or nine to five or six. Please be aware.

(End of Chapter)

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