The next day, the sky was clear, and Yang Ruxin awaited her fifteenth coming-of-age ceremony.
The Xiaohong Building was bustling early in the morning; not only was the courtyard cleaned spotlessly, but even the road leading to the village was swept.
Everyone donned new clothes, their faces adorned with happy smiles.
Those familiar with the Yang Family naturally attended, and even those who werenât close wanted to take this opportunity to increase their rapport. After all, the main branch of the Yang Family was at the forefront, making envy impossible.
Never mind that it wasnât the harvesting season yet; even during busy times, a day or half wouldnât matter much. Thus, if not the entire village, then close to it, was present.
Du Chengfeng had arranged for people to handle the reception early in the morning, ensuring everything was organized and orderly.
When guests arrived, they all brought thoughtful gifts. Those skilled in embroidery brought insoles or handkerchiefs, and those who werenât, brought home-raised chickens or eggs.
The value didnât matter, only the sentiment.
Yang Ruxin knew it would be impossible to stop people from bringing gifts, so she prepared a return gift for each family, a bag of brown sugar.
In this ancient time, sugar was a luxury, costing dozens of coins per pound.
Regarding these return gifts, some people were happy, naturally, while others felt a pang of jealousy, but as long as they didnât show it, no one cared.
Of course, besides the villagers, people like Han Baichuan and Wang Zhenggang came too, and Lu Gao even arrived with a cart of seafood, reportedly setting out before dawn.
Yang Ruxin accepted these guests with ease, for their relationships were built on mutual benefits and compatible tempers.
However, what Yang Ruxin didnât anticipate was that people from the Wei Family also attended. Even putting aside her private relationship with Wei Yao, the collaboration on those dolls made the Wei Familyâs attendance reasonable. However, this time, not only did Wei Yao and her father come, but the Wei Family head in the Prefectural City also arrived. It was Wei Yaoâs uncle, Wei Bingyi, who brought substantial gifts.
Even though the Wei Family held high status in the Prefectural City, with her godfather Fang Dehua around, Yang Ruxin wasnât concerned about not being able to maintain order. Despite the wealth, merchants were ranked last in status among the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Still, the visit was peculiar. She didnât think her village maidenâs birthday was worthy of such a grand gesture from them.
She promptly called Zhou Xiao over and asked him to discreetly observe Wei Bingyiâs words and actions.
Zhou Xiao, being very clever, immediately understood and hurried off with Xiaofeng to act as little monitors.
The traditional procedures for the coming-of-age ceremony were quite complex, requiring various tools and involving hair-coiling and clothing changes. It was said that three clothing changes were needed, each representing different stages of a maidenâs life...
These procedures were well known to Ye Familyâs former eldest daughter-in-law, and even Yuan Mengzhu knew them by heart.
Listening to these, Yang Ruxinâs head was spinning; in such heat, she couldnât expose arms or legs. Even one outfit seemed excessive to her; how could she handle more without feeling overwhelmed? Thus, she waved her hand decisively, simplifying things since she was just a village girl here.
The procedures were simplified, but none of the participants were left out.
With no father, her uncle Dong Wenming and his wife, Dong Wenxiu, served as hosts, her godmother Yuan Mengzhu took the main guest position, while the village headmanâs wife, Lin Xiaoling, was the ritual officer. Meanwhile, Yu Qingge insisted on taking the role of the prompter.