"Please stay for lunch," said a round-faced woman with snow-white skin, holding Qin Luoxia's hand sincerely.
Madam Dong had a naive and carefree personality.
At her age, she still loved reading illustrated novels.
She especially enjoyed stories about female knights roaming the martial world, upholding justice.
When she first laid eyes on Qin Luoxia who came to visit, she was stunned by her beauty.
Isn't this the very embodiment of a female knight?
Her eyes were filled with stars as she looked at her.
Moreover, every move Mrs. Jiang made was exactly like the female knights in her mind.
The hairstyle, clothes, shoes - everything was the same.
If not for the inappropriate setting, she would have knelt down with her daughter right then and there.
Last night, she had already heard from her husband.
He said he had found a good match for their daughter, and this time it was guaranteed to be stable.
Minister Dong believed that Meng Qingshe wouldn't lie. Meng Qingshe was known for his honesty, and if something wasn't good, he would criticize it directly. There was no need for excessive praise.
Moreover, Meng Qingshe's son, Meng Shaoxia, had lived with his father-in-law for so many years without a single complaint, only good words. This spoke volumes about their character.
Either they were of impeccable character, or they were extremely good at dealing with people and being diplomatic, to the point where no one felt uncomfortable around them.
Whichever it was, it was good enough for his daughter.
Meng Shaoxia was intelligent, considered one of the outstanding young talents among his generation. If he didn't feel uncomfortable, then given his daughter's easygoing personality, she would certainly live well.
Considering all aspects, Minister Dong thought it was an excellent match. He wanted to make a quick decision, otherwise, once the old foxes in the capital caught wind of it, his daughter might miss out on the opportunity.
The next day, Minister Dong had to go to work.
Madam Dong stayed home to receive the guests.
Her husband said if the other party was interested, they would likely come to visit.
Madam Dong had the servants tidy up the house, though it was always kept clean and didn't need much special preparation.
Minister Dong's family lived in the east of the city. Despite his high position as a minister, he was very frugal, and their house was small, with nothing much... That's impossible.
It's not possible to be an official just to live in poverty.
Minister Dong's house was equipped as befitting a Minister's Mansion.
Although the official salary wasn't high, there were various additional rewards and incomes. The emperor was very generous to the ministers he favored, rewarding them with money, land, houses, jewels, titles...
Madam Dong had a son and a daughter. The son worked in the Ministry of Works, just like his father.
The son had been educated with a focus on science and liked to immerse himself in the Technical Department of the Ministry of Works.
He wasn't cut out for officialdom, but he was good at technology.
The daughter was at home, waiting to be married.
Preparing to receive guests, Madam Dong was a bit nervous, but she had an old nanny by her side. In meetings between noble families, there usually weren't any intense interactions, so following the nanny's instructions would suffice.
After so many years, she had also gained some experience.
However, all of this went out the window when she saw Mrs. Jiang Qin in person. "Bang!" It exploded.
Madam Dong couldn't understand how someone could naturally exude such a strong aura of a female knight. She was so, so beautiful, every aspect of her hitting Madam Dong's soft spot.
The two nannies exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away.
Madam Dong admired the female knight for quite a while before remembering, after the nanny's reminder, to call her daughter out to meet the guests.
Let's kneel together!
Worried about her daughter's rebellious nature, she didn't mention who the guests were.
However, when her daughter saw Mrs. Jiang, she became very enthusiastic.
As expected of her own daughter, they probably read the same kind of illustrated novels.
Dong E had big bright eyes and two dimples, always seeming to contain a smile, looking extremely cheerful.
As soon as Qin Luoxia saw this girl, her heart settled, and she immediately took a liking to her.
These days, when discussing marriage, although it's a union between two families, it's best to have a chance to see the children in person.
Although one shouldn't believe or spread rumors, there were talks outside about Miss Dong being spoiled, having a bad temper, being jealous, and so on. When it came to broken engagements, all the blame was usually put on the girl's side.
Her husband had asked her to visit, and Qin Luoxia knew it wasn't for the sake of social climbing, but to see what the girl was really like, to check her out for their son. They couldn't let their son marry a strange girl.
They didn't care about family background, they just wanted someone who could manage daily life.
That's what they had told Yin miss as well.
The gifts they brought were neither too heavy nor too light. If they were satisfied, they could settle the engagement. If not, it could just be considered a friendly visit to build relationships, no big deal.
After all, they hadn't made a big fuss about it.
Qin Luoxia wanted to stay longer to observe more, so she thick-skinedly agreed to stay for lunch.
Eating together can really reveal a person's upbringing.
During the meal, Dong E wasn't very good at serving others, clearly a child raised with indulgence, but her table manners were proper. When Madam Dong put food on her plate that she didn't like, she frowned but still ate it, not wasting anything.
Then she put several pieces of her favorite ribs on Qin Luoxia's plate.
"Auntie, this is delicious, and this, and this too."
She loved to share.
She loved to smile.
When she ate something delicious, her smile was sweet.
When she ate something not to her taste, she would frown slightly, but soon, when she ate something good again, she couldn't help but smile.
Over the course of the meal, Qin Luoxia grew to like this girl even more.
She was a bit like Elder Sister Yu, both loving food, but to be fair, she was much more likable than Elder Sister Yu. Elder Sister Yu's words could be a bit harsh, always direct and sharp. If it weren't for her in-laws being good people, she would have been worried about Elder Sister Yu getting married.
Dong E didn't have much guile, unlike Elder Sister Yu, her words were as if coated with honey, extremely sweet.
She was very lively, chattering non-stop.
And not at all reserved.
Qin Luoxia was very satisfied.
When leaving, she took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on the young girl's hand.
It was originally prepared for the young girl anyway. Qin Luoxia herself didn't like wearing such things, thinking it would be a waste to use a jade bracelet to hit someone in a critical moment.
If satisfied, she would give it to the other party; if not, she would just keep wearing it herself.
The young girl didn't refuse and happily accepted it.
Madam Dong, after all, was the wife of a minister. Seeing that bracelet, judging its quality, she knew it was extremely valuable, one in ten thousand, like sheep fat jade, oily and lustrous. It was a bracelet that even their family would consider precious. This single bracelet could probably buy a house in the capital.
Her husband had said the other party had substantial wealth, but she hadn't quite believed it. She had thought that at most, they would need to provide more dowry. But seeing this bracelet, she felt her husband was right.
After seeing Mrs. Jiang off.
She saw her daughter holding up her hand to the sunlight, looking at the bracelet, happy and carefree.
Madam Dong carefully asked, "Do you know why Mrs. Jiang gave you the bracelet?"
"Of course, Auntie likes me. Mother, I'm going to check if my wedding dress is embroidered yet, otherwise it won't be ready in time."
Her daughter bounced away, swinging her arms, to embroider her wedding dress.
Madam Dong was completely bewildered. Did her daughter understand or not??
She turned to ask the nanny, "Nanny, do you think I could wear clothes like Mrs. Jiang's? And those boots?"
The nanny shook her head diplomatically, "Mrs. Jiang's outfit requires a certain height to pull off. You need to be tall to make it work."
Madam Dong gave the nanny a look, thinking, you're saying I'm short.
Soon, Madam Dong got excited again, "Mrs. Jiang is so tall, if E'er's future daughter grows that tall, she could dress like that too, the number one female knight in the martial world! Ho ho ho!"
The nanny looked up to the sky: ...
