It had to be said, Meng Huaining really did everything meticulously.
What he gave to the only elder of the Mo Family, Old Lady Mo, was a stalk of aged wild ginseng to nourish her body.
What he prepared for his sisters-in-law were osmanthus cakes from the famous dessert shop in Yuncheng, and for the Mo brothers it was the tea leaves sent by his family before the new year.
Finally, Meng Huaining took out an exquisite little cloth bag, inside was actually a long-eared rabbit pendant...
In order to pick out a meaningful gift for Mo Hanyue, Meng Huaining went through a lot of trouble.
He specifically sent Meng An out to gather information on what items young ladies liked these days.
What Meng An found out was that recently, whether in Yuncheng or the surrounding counties, young ladies from wealthy families all took pride in being able to buy one of these pendants.
However, Tang Mingrui currently did not have any in stock. Meng Huaining managed to barely obtain this one by leveraging his position as the county magistrate.
Not only that, he even spent a premium price for it. People were buying them at 12 taels each, but he ended up paying 24 taels to get his hands on one.
Upon seeing this long-eared rabbit pendant, the Mo Family people had varied reactions.
The Mo brothers all looked at each other, wanting to laugh but not daring to.
The sisters-in-law were the same, and when they heard Meng Huaining spent 24 taels to buy this pendant, they all covered their mouths trying not to laugh.
Meng Huaining observed their reactions and realized something was off. Somewhat at a loss, he asked:
"Brothers and sisters, where did I do wrong?"
Seeing that Meng Huaining spent money wrongly buying this pendant for her, Mo Hanyue's face turned red as she explained embarrassingly.
"Master Meng, this long-eared rabbit pendant was made by me and my sisters-in-law."
Hearing this, disbelief was written all over Meng Huaining's face. But looking into Mo Hanyue's pure, innocent eyes, he tried his best to gently ask:
"Miss Mo means these pendants were made by you?"
Mo Hanyue nodded vigorously: "Yes, our family raises rabbits. This was made using the tanned rabbit hides."
Meng Huaining knew the Mo Family raised rabbits, he just thought it was to earn money selling rabbit meat.
He didn't expect they would utilize the fur so aptly.
As the youngest daughter of the family, Mo Hanyue was doted on by everyone. Seeing the pendants they made delighted the little miss, each sister-in-law had kept one of every color for her.
Mo Hanyue went back to her room for a bit, and soon brought back seven long-eared rabbit pendants in various colors.
She displayed them in front of Meng Huaining.
"Please see, Master Meng, I have seven pendants in different colors."
Meng Huaining was stunned...
He had painstakingly picked out a special gift for Mo Hanyue, but in the end what he chose turned out to be something made by the Mo Family themselves.
On top of that, he had paid more than double the price to purchase it.
Thinking of this, a faint embarrassed blush crept up Meng Huaining's originally fair face.
This gift had really backfired. He blamed Meng An for not inquiring clearly when buying it, causing him to end up in such an awkward situation.
Seeing Meng Huaining's discomfort, Mo Jiuye realized his sister had poured oil on the fire by bringing out the seven colored pendants.
Even if he wanted to ease the atmosphere, he didn't know what to do.
Ultimately it was Old Lady Mo who spoke first, breaking the brief silence.
"Although these long-eared rabbit pendants originated from our Mo Family, the quantity has always been limited. Many who failed to buy one offered high prices for them. For Master Meng to choose such a gift for Hanyue, he really gave it much thought."
The eldest sister-in-law also played along, "That's right, you can tell Master Meng put great care into selecting this gift. This item is especially popular among the young ladies in the city right now."
The corner of Meng Huaining's mouth twitched as he followed the lead they gave him and said,
"When this official was selecting a gift, I did think so at the time. Since this pendant came from the Mo Family, it doesn't count as a gift. This official will look for an even better item to give Miss Mo as compensation."
Mo Hanyue quickly waved her hands, somewhat embarrassedly saying, "Master Meng needn't go through the trouble. I really like this gift."
As she spoke, she placed the pendant Meng Huaining brought together with her original seven.
"This way it's even better, I have an additional lovely pendant."
As the little girl was speaking, she bashfully lowered her head.
In Northwest China, in the capital city, rich families followed strict customs. Young ladies would not appear before male guests from outside the home.
Meng Huaining was also the first outsider Mo Hanyue had interacted with at such a close distance since she was little.
Especially since Meng Huaining had extraordinary bearing himself, causing Mo Hanyue's heart to race at the sight of him.
Sitting at the head, it seemed Old Lady Mo also noticed something.
She got up and called to Mo Hanyue, "Hanyue, accompany Mother to the rear courtyard."
Mo Hanyue obediently followed her mother outside.
Once outside, Old Lady Mo's expression immediately became stern.
She looked at Mo Hanyue. This girl had reached marriageable age. If it wasn't for the Mo Family's fall from grace, she would have already planned to find a suitable match from a good family for her in the capital city.
Now in Northwest China, the Mo Family's once prestigious status was gone. They were now just commoners.
Mo Hanyue's marriage had truly become a difficult matter weighing on Old Lady Mo's mind.
Although she didn't place as much importance on social status, especially since the Mo Family had already declined, as a mother she still sincerely didn't want her daughter to marry a peasant.
After all, Mo Hanyue had been well-educated since she was little, even proficient in musical instruments, chess, calligraphy and painting.
Forget about status for now. Two children raised in completely different environments living together would surely have many issues accepting each other, and in that kind of life, Hanyue likely wouldn't find happiness.
Just now, Old Lady Mo had inadvertently captured Meng Huaining's barely hidden gentle glow when looking at Mo Hanyue.
With her experience, she judged that Meng Huaining had feelings for her daughter.
It seemed her daughter did not dislike Meng Huaining either.
Although the Mo Family had fallen on hard times now, the Meng Family situation wasn't much better. Meng Huaining was only a magistrate of the seventh rank. His family had also declined.
Therefore, Old Lady Mo didn't feel that Mo Hanyue marrying Meng Huaining would be reaching too high above her station. On the contrary, it was a good match.
Thinking this, she was willing to fulfill the wish of these two young people.
However in these kinds of matters, the man's side should make the overtures first. Even if she intended to matchmake her daughter with Meng Huaining, she could not indicate so in front of others.
But before that, Old Lady Mo still wanted to understand her daughter's thoughts.
Mo Hanyue's heart and mind were simple. She didn't think about why her mother would bring her out.
Mother and daughter returned to the room. Mo Hanyue carefully placed those pendants back in their original spots, then prepared to go help out at the rear courtyard.
Seeing her about to leave, Old Lady Mo quickly stopped her.
"Hanyue, talk to Mother."
