The gifts of gratitude delivered by Cao Fugui were all valuable items. After a round of refusal, Li Hui accepted them, thus settling the debt of gratitude between the two families.
After the gifts were accepted, Cao Fugui took out something akin to an invitation and placed it on the table. Li Hui opened it to find an admission spot for the Imperial Academy. At present, this was the most important thing for Li Hui.
"This is too valuable," Li Hui declined.
"For the great favor you did by saving my brother, this is just a small token," Cao Fugui thought to himself, after all, Li Hui had saved a princess, so what was an admission spot to the Imperial Academy in comparison?
Li Hui accepted the admission spot and wanted to return the other gifts. For him, this admission spot was enough. As a scholar, Li Hui could attend the Imperial Academy, but spots were limited and required testing. After his arrival in the capital, Li Hui had inquired at the Imperial Academy and found that it was already full.
Now with this admission spot, he could study at the Imperial Academy. For Li Hui, this spot was more significant than any other valuable gift.
Li Hui was unaware of the identity of the person he saved; to that person, this was but a simple favor.
Cao Fugui had a good overall impression of Li Hui. Back at the Chengen Marquis Residence, he relayed his impressions to Lady Luo, saying, "It's a pity that my eldest sister is already married."
"You should stop thinking about others' marriages and consider your own. Li Hui is already engaged," Lady Luo was speechless at Cao Fugui's needless worry.
"I'm still young. I can wait a couple more years." Given Cao Fugui's reputation in the capital, he was a well-known profligate, and nobody wanted to marry him. He also looked down on the daughters of those families.
"You are not young. You're already 16 years old. Your elder brother was married at your age," Lady Luo was helpless with her younger son.
"Mother, I remember my sister-in-law's family is hosting a plum appreciation banquet in a few days. You and my sister-in-law should invite the two Miss Lis," Cao Fugui changed the subject.
When Lady Luo heard about the Miss Lis, she looked at Cao Fugui, "You fancy Miss Li?" When checking on Li Hui, they also checked on Li Xin and Li Xia. Regarding Li Xin's misfortune, Lady Luo sighed at her ill-luck.
Cao Fugui rolled his eyes at his mother's assumptions, "Mother, what are you talking about? I'm just standing up for what's right. The Zhang Family claims to be a cultured family, but they are rotten on the inside."
Cao Fugui disdained the Zhang Family, partly because they had criticized him on several occasions. However, as dissolute as Cao Fugui was, he would not bed all the maids in his residence, nor would he behave so rudely towards a lady as to ruin her reputation.
Knowing her son's late maturity, Lady Luo sighed. But, she still told her daughter-in-law, Lady Feng, to invite the two Miss Lis to the plum appreciation banquet at the Feng Residence.
Lady Feng knew about the rumors that someone had saved a young lord from the Chengen Marquis Residence. But wasn't her son the young lord of Chengen Marquis Residence? He was fine and had not been kidnapped.
Who got kidnapped then? It couldn't possibly be a secret child of her father-in-law or her husband. Who was it then? She wanted to ask, but her husband forbid her. She could only suppress her doubts.
As the mother-in-law, Lady Luo had spoken, and Lady Feng agreed. She sent a letter back to the Feng Residence, asking her niece Feng Zhenzhen to send an invitation for the plum appreciation banquet to the Li family.
Upon receiving a message from her aunt, Feng Zhenzhen was puzzled but moved swiftly. The very next day, she had someone send an invitation to the plum blossom viewing in Guihua Alley.
When Li Xin and Li Xia received the invitation, they were completely mystified. Why would the Feng family send them an invitation?
Li Xia turned her gaze onto Qiu Ling, who stepped forward and explained, "The young master's wife of the Chengen Marquis Residence comes from the Feng family."
Now it was clear how the invitation had come to them. Li Xia, not very keen on going, asked, "Sister, do you intend to go?" The idea of viewing plum blossoms seemed rather troublesome to her.
Li Hui had just received a position at the Imperial Academy from the Cao family. If they refused to attend the plum blossom banquet, it might not bode well. However, they didn't know the etiquette of the plum blossom banquet.
"Ms. Liu, could you prepare for us? We're going to the Gongshun Marquis Manor." They needed guidance. Though they were closer to the Lu Residence by blood, the behavior of the three Lu daughters at the teahouse that day had left an uncomfortable impression on Li Xin, who decided to turn to Ms. Liu.
Having changed into appropriate attire for visiting, the two sisters arrived at the Gongshun Marquis Manor. Ms. Liu was copying Buddhist scriptures. Upon hearing of their arrival, she put down her brush.
Entering the reception hall, Ms. Liu saw Li Xin and Li Xia whispering together. She had seen many sisters, both legitimate and illegitimate, but these sisters from the Li family were unique in their genuine affection and consideration for each other. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the upbringing provided by the Lu family.
Li Xia was the first to spot Ms. Liu, and with a glance, signaled Li Xin. Both sisters rose to give their respects to Ms. Liu.
"Consider this your own home; there's no need for such formality," Ms. Liu said, taking Li Xin's hand.
Following Ms. Liu's lead, Li Xin took a seat next to her. "Ms. Liu, we've come in a rush because we need your advice," she started.
Li Xin then explained how Feng Zhenzhen had sent them both an invitation to the plum blossom viewing. "Ms. Liu, we've just arrived in the capital and we don't know a lot of the rules. We're even more clueless about this plum blossom banquet. We had no choice but to impose on you."
Ms. Liu had heard about Li Hui's accidental rescue of the young master of the Chengen Marquis Residence and she had guessed the origin of the plum blossom banquet invitation. She began to explain the details of the banquet to the sisters.
The Plum Garden of the Feng family was planted by the late Mr. Feng for his beloved wife. Especially notable were the plum trees by the Viewing Plum Pavilion in the center of the garden, which Mr. Feng had personally planted every year on his wife's birthday since their marriage.
With 60 years of loving companionship, they had planted 60 plum trees. The late Mrs. Feng loved lively gatherings, so every time the plum blossoms bloomed, she would invite friends and family to admire them. After both had passed away, the Feng family continued to hold the plum blossom banquet in memory of their parents. Gradually, the banquet became a venue for young men and women to meet.
A rumor even spread that if a young man and woman could meet in front of the 60 plum trees, they would enjoy a lifetime of love and harmony. Thus, the plum blossom banquet became a sought-after event for young men and women in the capital, with an invitation being hard to come by. This year, the banquet was even more exclusive, reportedly due to the attendance of the crown prince and his wife.
Li Xin and Li Xia exchanged looks, realizing the invitation they held was even more valuable than they thought.
"Ms. Liu, will you be attending?" asked Li Xin, somewhat worried about her own performance.
"I will take Dingxing with me," said Ms. Liu, whose heart is now set on Zhou Dingxing. She had no interest in the plum blossom appreciation banquet, and even when she received the invitation, she just put it aside. However, since Li Xin and her sister Li Xia wanted to go, she decided to accompany them to support the two sisters, so that no one would dare to offend them.
"Thank you, Aunt Liu," Li Xin quickly understood why Ms. Liu wanted to take Zhou Dingxing along.
"Dingxing loves being in lively places. Don't overthink, just dress up beautifully for the event," Ms. Liu said. Just then, Maid Yan entered, carrying a box of jewelry. Ms. Liu took the box and handed it to Li Xin. "This set of jewelry was worn by me when I was young."
Li Xin didn't take it. Ms. Liu had already given her a lot of jewelry. She couldn't be greedy and take more from Ms. Liu. "Aunt Liu, I can't accept this." The jewelry in the box looked very valuable. A single bracelet made of mutton fat white jade was worth more than all the clothes and accessories Li Xin was wearing that day.
