Receiving the message, before Liu Yizhu returned, Li Mingwei began preparing. She packed the letter she had written earlier, gathered a few clothes, and was about to take the carriage from the Tang family to the county town.
The servant of the Tang family smiled, "The old master guessed that you would go to the manor, so he sent me here with the carriage."
Li Mingwei smiled, handed her bundle to him to load onto the carriage, then took the child from Old Lady Wang.
"What are you going to do?"
"To discuss with Lord Tang the matter of Yizhu and Tang Jue going to the Capital City together."
This was a proper matter, so Old Lady Wang did not dare disturb her and quickly helped her onto the carriage.
Tang Shan, who had already shared his joy with his wife, came out to welcome her personally. He took the child from her arms and looked at it, smiling, "He does resemble his father a bit more."
"I've heard that many times already, Brother Tang, you don't need to tease me again."
Tang Shan roared with laughter, then handed the child to Lady Tang behind him, "I need to say a few words to Mingwei."
Lady Tang took the child and left tactfully.
Li Mingwei sat down and did not stand on ceremony. She handed Tang Shan the two envelopes, one thin and one thick, "These are for Sister Xiu."
"Good."
Tang Shan went to the desk, wrote the name on the envelopes, and sealed them, "I'll have the household steward deliver them in person later."
The Tang family would certainly send a steward ahead to make preparations when Tang Jue went to the Capital City.
Li Mingwei nodded, "Mm."
After putting the letters in the drawer, Tang Shan sat back down beside Li Mingwei and asked, "When do you think they should set off?"
"When will they return?"
Tang Shan smiled, "You still don't understand your husband? He's probably on the road by now."
At the latest, he would arrive tomorrow if he left yesterday afternoon. Perhaps he would even arrive tonight.
"In a few days. I still need to prepare some things for him."
"What things? Let me prepare them."
Li Mingwei felt a bit embarrassed, "Clothes, shoes, socks, and such. With this trip..."
Tang Shan shook his head with a wry laugh, "This trip, he might just run into your family, right?"
He remembered that Sister Lang Yue placed great importance on propriety and appearance.
"Enough, I'll help you prepare. Do you have his measurements?"
"No need." Li Mingwei declined politely, "I understand my mother's preferences better."
Tang Shan nodded and instructed the head maid to accompany her to the Embroidery Workshop. With his support, the workshop would certainly not dare to delay.
Li Mingwei patted her plump purse confidently as she entered the largest Embroidery Workshop in the county town. Today, she had brought plenty of money.
The attendant at the counter smirked and went straight to greet the head maid from the Tang family, ignoring Li Mingwei. This was a distinguished regular customer not to be trifled with.
The head maid cleared her throat lightly, indicating for him to look at Li Mingwei in front. The attendant immediately stepped back and greeted her with a bow, "What would the customer like to see? We have a new batch of fine fabrics in various new colors."
Li Mingwei looked around but did not see what she wanted, puckering her lips in disappointment.
The head maid immediately said, "Lady Liu wishes to have some winter clothes and spring outfits made for the lord of the house. Please select some good materials and bring them up to the second floor for us to wait."
"Yes!"
The attendant hurried off, and another quickly ushered them upstairs to be seated, even serving tea and snacks.
Soon, several people came upstairs carrying bolts of fabric and introduced each one to them. Li Mingwei waved her hand, "No black, no deep blue. Something plainer, but with a striking color that catches the eye."
The attendant carefully selected a bolt of silver-gray fabric and respectfully asked, "How about this one for the lady?"
The color was acceptable. Li Mingwei felt the fabric, "Make a set of spring outfits with this."
"Yes."
The attendant handed the fabric to his colleague to record, then brought another bolt to present. After fussing for an entire afternoon, Li Mingwei paid, and the head maid stepped forward to instruct, "Our lady needs this urgently, so the sooner the better."
"Yes, rest assured, my lady."
After leaving the Embroidery Workshop, Li Mingwei patted her flattened purse and glanced back at their signboard. She had remembered it well - she would never come here again!
As she was alone, she did not need to stay in the small courtyard. Lady Tang had prepared a room for her in the manor. Li Mingwei held the whimpering child and apologized, "Sorry, I truly did not mean to forget about you. Are you hungry? Just wait a bit more, we're almost to the room."
The little maid leading the way turned and smiled, "One of the neighboring manors recently welcomed a little lord. The lady has invited their wet nurse over to feed him."
"Then why is he crying?"
She had thought he was hungry from not eating all afternoon.
"Perhaps he misses you?"
Oh, come on, it hasn't been that long. If anything, he should miss his grandmother.
Knowing she was tired, Tang Shan directly instructed the servants to send her dinner to her room. After feeding the child, Li Mingwei also received a bowl of nourishing postnatal soup.
Lady Tang was so considerate!
Tang Shan was in a good mood today. After finishing one bowl, he wanted another, but Lady Tang only added half a bowl when she took his empty one, "Eat a bit less for dinner."
"Alright." Tang Shan nodded reluctantly, remarking, "I just feel that the dishes tonight taste particularly good."
Lady Tang covered her mouth and chuckled softly. It was the same chef as always - how could there be any difference? It was just that his good mood made everything seem pleasant.
"Jue has finally done something commendable this time." Lady Tang glanced around the dining hall, seeing no outsiders, then said, "Are you really going to send Jue to the Capital City so early?"
"Mm."
Although with Tang Jue's current ranking, he would likely be eliminated next year, Lord Tang had his own considerations, "Mingwei has already made a reading list, including some from Minister Li's private collection. If Jue follows Liu Yizhu, he can take a look at those books as well."
"If he fails the Spring Examination next year, with our current relationship, after Mingwei returns to the Capital City, I'm sure she can easily get him admitted to Minister Li's academy for further studies. That would save me a lot of trouble, wouldn't it?"
The academies only accepted a limited number of students each year. He had been away from the Capital City for many years, and some of his connections had grown distant. With his current position as a county magistrate, it would be difficult for him to get someone admitted. But Mingwei only needed to say the word, so why not take advantage of it?
That way, his care for her over the past year or two would not be in vain.
Lady Tang nodded slightly, indicating her understanding.
At their age, Lady Tang had a decent grasp of the ways of the world. As an only son, she was reluctant to send him away so early, but she was willing to make the sacrifice for his future.
Of course, Li Mingwei was no fool either. No one would be so kind to another person without reason. She was the one who had initially asked for a favor, so she naturally owed Tang Shan a debt of gratitude that she would repay.
Tang Shan knew this, which was why he felt at ease letting Tang Jue go to the Capital City with Liu Yizhu. He put down his chopsticks and gestured to Lady Tang with a slight nod, "You should also start preparing for Jue. They might set off any day now."
Lady Tang acknowledged, "I understand."
