Chapter 351: Chapter 187: Take 2nd Lang to the Capital?
The family doesnât have enough food prepared for so many people, so calling the two families definitely wonât be enough. If we only call the eldest and the second son, there should be just enough dishes.
"Ah! Then Iâll go inside and tell his mother." Gu Chengli quickly agreed happily and turned around to go to the east wing.
Mrs. Lv was somewhat unhappy. Her previously smiling face had become a bit stern.
This is a rare moment of reunion. She didnât mind calling the eldest, but if the eldest is called, what about the second son? If she has to sit at the same table and eat with the second son, sheâs afraid she wonât have an appetite.
"As for the second son... Iâll go and ask." Mr. Gu also noticed that Mrs. Lv looked unhappy and could only say with a hard head.
Mrs. Lv dragged Gu Chengyu and Gu Wan, angrily entering the main house.
Gu Chengyu quickly stepped forward to comfort her, "Itâs also a rare occasion, donât get upset! Weâve already divided the family, even if he doesnât like me, it doesnât matter."
Gu Chengyi is still Mr. Guâs son, and everyone lives in the same courtyard, so itâs impossible not to meet.
"Second sister! I brought you some fabrics and jewelry from the Capital this time, even bought the red fabric for the wedding dress." Gu Chengyu changed the topic and listed the things bought in the Capital one by one.
Women always like these things, and sure enough, as soon as these were mentioned, Mrs. Lv and Gu Wan became enthusiastic in their discussion, also saying theyâd sort things out after dinner. The wedding date, already discussed with the Sun family, was set for the eighth of next month, half a month later.
Now itâs already September, the weather has cooled a lot, and by next month, Gu Wan wouldnât feel cold even in layers of bridal clothes. It gets cold early in the Northern lands, by then it will be late autumn.
"Mother! I definitely canât finish the bridal clothes alone, why not let the embroideress from my shop help with the embroidery!"
Previously, because they needed to go to the Capital, Mrs. Lv let Gu Chengyu keep an eye out for good red fabric. That red fabric was actually taken from the space by Gu Chengyu, falsely claiming it was bought in the Capital.
A womanâs wedding is the most important event in life, and if the family is well-off, theyâd pull out good red silk for making a wedding dress and veil for the daughter.
So the bridal clothesâ matter got somewhat delayed, but even for girls from wealthy families, the bridal clothes arenât entirely embroidered by themselves. Those not good at needlework would let the servants embroider, adding a few stitches themselves on the completed bridal clothes to claim it as their work.
Embroidering bridal clothes is very intricate, from cutting to sewing, followed by embroidery, it takes a lot of effort. Wealthy families would even use gold and silver threads in embroidery, and if pearls or gemstones are added, it takes even longer.
Good bridal clothes can be kept as dowry for descendants, of course, families with silver wouldnât wear them again, just keeping them hidden away.
"Then let the embroideress do it, when you get married, you must make your mother-in-law and Brother Xianâs shoes, as well as intimate clothing. Have you done more work usually?"
Actually, the Sun family only has two people, Gu Wan doesnât need to do a lot of needlework, itâs rather easy.
"Iâve prepared them long ago." Gu Wan said, blushing.
"I bought gold and silver threads in the Capital, along with some pearls, you can use these on the bridal clothes."
"Isnât that too extravagant? You should keep those good things for yourself, youâll need them when you marry."
Gu Wan knew her little brother was always generous to her, and she was afraid Xiao Bao was used to spending lavishly, unable to save any silver.
"I have more." As soon as marriage was mentioned, Gu Chengyuâs face stiffened a bit, but after a moment he brushed it aside.
"His mother, let the maid bring the food." Mr. Gu called Gu Chengyi, expecting him not to agree, but surprisingly the second son agreed.
Since the family division, they only had a reunion meal during the New Year, Mr. Gu still wished for some liveliness in the family.
With Gu Chengyu not at home, there were only three people eating, extremely quiet.
Though Mrs. Lv was dissatisfied, she still stood up, going to the kitchen to tell the maid to bring the food and dishes.
Gu Chengyi sat at the table and surprisingly spoke to Gu Chengyu, even congratulating him on becoming a scholar. Gu Chengyu responded with a sentence and no longer talked to him.
Perhaps because he was thinking of taking advantage, he started showing respect at the last minute. Gu Chengyu first thought of tax-free land. He suspected Gu Chengyi wanted to put land under his name.
However, this was still speculation. Anyway, this second brother disliked him so much; even if he was slightly polite, Gu Chengyu would think he had ulterior motives, wondering what advantage he wanted.
The originally warm dining table atmosphere became somewhat silent with the inclusion of the second son.
"Xiao Bao! Is the Capital big?" Gu Chengli was somewhat curious about the Capital, never going further than the county, unable to imagine what the Capital was like.
"This time I only went to a few places, spent every day in the inn studying, just wandered nearby. When I study in the Capital, Iâll write letters home describing the scenery to you, and let Da Lang read them to you. If you want to see for yourself, you can also write to me, and Iâll have Ming Mo meet you."
His mother, Mrs. Lv, previously as a maid, never ventured outside, let alone the Capital. Once he earned his titles, heâd take his parents to the Capital to live as long as they liked. When they got tired of it, heâd send them back.
Gu Chengyiâs hand paused while picking up food, then he smirked, thinking one day his second son would also become a scholar, maybe even an advanced scholar, which was highly possible.
Because Gu Chengyu hadnât told the family about the dangers at sea, everyone talked about the Capitalâs customs and inquired about the exams.
By now, as long as Gu Chengyi didnât interrupt, the atmosphere was much smoother than before.
"When are you going to the Prefecture, Xiao Bao? Your second sisterâs items are still lacking. I need to go to the Prefecture for whatâs left. Things in the county are still inferior to the Prefecture."
"I plan to first go to town tomorrow to thank Mr. Wen, meet with some classmates, then head to the Prefecture the day after. Iâll pass by the county to deliver an invitation to Manager Liu and visit Da Ya and Brother Dongzi to invite them over."
Gu Chengyu planned to set the date ten days from now. Tomorrow heâd have to find Wang Qikai and the others and prepare gifts for Mr. Wen.
Wang Qikai and You Siyuan hadnât passed the scholar exam this year, and he had to leave for the Capital in over a month, so they had to meet earlier.
In a few days, heâd certainly have his scholar banquet, and his second sisterâs wedding also required guests. He needed to send invitations in town, and both Manager Zhou and Manager Pan had to come.
Actually, passing the scholar exam isnât so easy? Thereâs no need to mention Gu Chengyu, as he defied conventional wisdom, and Sun Xian was well-prepared and confident.
As for Ye Zhiqiu, he was originally the student most favored by the teacher before Gu Chengyuâs arrival. A school that produced three scholars was already surprising.
Not to mention now theyâre scholars, which is extraordinary. Mr. Wenâs private school doors might be trampled down.
"Does mother need to buy anything else?" With both elder and second brothers present, Gu Chengyu couldnât mention the already ordered furniture, let alone say new houses in the village still needed buying, as theyâd still need a place to live when they returned, right?
"Fifth brother! As youâre going to the Capital for studies, why not take the second son along?"
Gu Chengyi, who had been focused on eating, only mentioned this after he had eaten quite a lot.