As April drew to a close, the Dragon Boat Festival was fast approaching, and every household and courtyard was busy making preparations.
The Du Family placed great importance on the Dragon Boat Festival.
Old Ancestor Mrs. Fang, when she was alive, loved eating zongzi the most. Du Gongfu was a filial son, and every Dragon Boat Festival, he would personally wash the glutinous rice, wrap the zongzi, and steam them, delivering them personally to Old Ancestor Fang.
Du Gongfu's actions inspired the sons and daughters-in-law under him to follow suit and not shirk their duties.
After Old Ancestor Fang passed away, Du Gongfu and Old Mrs. Xia no longer made zongzi by hand, but the Huai and Yun generations kept up the tradition.
In Lianfu Garden, Mrs. Miao sent out a black lacquered food box and said, "Old Madam, this was brought back by your eldest son and daughter-in-law. The person who delivered it said the eldest daughter-in-law wanted it delivered early to avoid delays on the road, hence it arrived a bit early."
Hearing it was sent by her eldest son, Old Mrs. Xia beamed with joy and let Nanny Xu take it. When opened, they found ten small zongzi inside the double-layered food box, wrapped with red and black cotton strings, arranged neatly.
"These lotus leaves still carry a fresh fragrance," Old Mrs. Xia nodded in satisfaction. "Was there any letter sent back?"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Miao handed over the envelope.
Being elderly and worried about straining her eyes, Old Mrs. Xia said, "Yunuo, read it to your grandmother."
Du Yunnuo thought Old Mrs. Xia would call Du Yunluo. Hearing her own name, she was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained her composure and agreed with a smile.
Approaching to take the letter, Du Yunnuo glanced mischievously at Du Yunying and Du Yunluo, noting their usual indifferent expressions, and internally scoffed: pretending!
Breaking the fire lacquer, Du Yunnuo took out the letter, her eyes falling on the clean, tidy small script.
This seemed to be in the handwriting of Mrs. Yang.
Gently, Du Yunnuo began to read aloud.
The letter was written very properly, first wishing for the health of the parents and expressing guilt for not being able to fulfill filial duties in person, then sending best wishes to the same and younger generations, and finally mentioning their affairs in Lindong.
The ten zongzi were made by Du Huarang and Mrs. Yang together with their sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law. Du Gongfu preferred sweet flavors, so they used date filling, while Old Mrs. Xia liked fresh meat, for which they made five and distinguished them with different colored strings.
"Grandmother, the red ones are date-filled, and the black ones are fresh meat. Elder Sister-in-law is really thoughtful," Du Yunnuo said with a smile.
Old Mrs. Xia was also delighted. No amount of gold or silver compares to the heartfelt work of descendants. No matter the filling, everything just tasted better.
"Keep reading, what else does it say?" Old Mrs. Xia urged.
Du Yunnuo looked at a few more lines, and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's all good news, Grandmother, let me read it to you."
According to the letter, Du Huarang's term in Lindong was going smoothly, and the family was enjoying continual good news.
Du Yuntao's wife, Mrs. Yan, had been with the family for over a year and was diagnosed half a month ago with a happy pulse.
And Du Yunhu, after having her coming-of-age ceremony six months ago, had already arranged her marriage two years prior, and the date had been set for the engagement ceremony on May 18, with the wedding next spring.
"Grandmother, I'm going to become an aunt! Sister-in-law is going to give us a new nephew," Du Yunnuo said joyously and added, "Eldest sister will be married in the fall, and second sister next spring, it's really fast. When I close my eyes and think, it's still about us playing together as kids."
Having said that, Du Yunnuo took a deep look at Du Yunying.
As expected, she saw Du Yunying's delicate lips purse a bit, causing Du Yunnuo to laugh. No matter how composed she acted, she couldn't help herself.
"When this old woman closes her eyes and thinks, you're all still like glutinous rice dumplings! Haha, these are all good things!" Old Mrs. Xia didn't notice anything strange; she smiled even more broadly. At her age, she cherished the thriving family line and the prospect of the girls having good matches, "Yunhu's husband's family is from the Shen compiler's family, right?"
Mrs. Liao listened with keen interest. Du Yunnuo brought joy to Old Mrs. Xia with the family letter from the eldest branch, and she felt proud.
Moreover, Mrs. Liao had a good relationship with Mrs. Yang, and the eldest branch was in Lindong, with no friction with her usually. Seeing their family doing well, she felt genuinely happy.
Upon hearing Old Mrs. Xia's question, Mrs. Liao squinted and laughed, "You're right, Old Madam. It's the local Shen family from Lindong. Our second girl is matched with the second son of the Shen family's eldest branch, Shen compiler's younger brother."
With this said, Old Mrs. Xia recalled and nodded repeatedly, "So I said, the wife of Huairang really has a sharp eye. When I first heard it was the Shen family, everyone here said it wasn't good, but Huairang's wife insisted on securing the match. Now look?"
Hearing about this old affair, even Du Yunluo had some recollection.
The Shen family in Lindong was an aristocratic family but had fallen on hard times. Over the years, they had sold quite a bit of land and houses, leaving only rooms packed with books.
Even Du Huarang said that if not for the few scholars the Shen family had left with some talent, the Shen family would have become nothing but bookworms.
When the two families discussed marriage, most people in the Du family shook their heads, but in the end, it was Du Gongfu who spoke a fair word.
A family that sells fields and land but not books must have some backbone. Whether the marriage goes through or not, don't let people think we're snobbish.
That sentence in Mrs. Yang's hands turned into a warrant, saying that a lean camel is bigger than a horse and not to underestimate the poor youth. She decisively settled it and even quietly helped the Shen family, enabling the Shen family's eldest son to go to the capital for exams.
When the Shen family's eldest son came to the Capital, he visited the Du Mansion to pay his respects, as required by his junior status. Moreover, the imperial examinations required not only knowledge and luck but also connections. Although Du Gongfu was no longer as influential in the Capital, the old saying was, a lean camel is bigger than a horse.
Once the families were engaged, Old Mrs. Xia set out that kinship should not show disdain or neglect.
Du Yunluo naturally hadn't met the Shen family's eldest son, but at first sight, Du Gongfu liked him very much and asked about the Shen family's situation. Knowing that the Shen family's second son was younger but even more learned than his older brother, he was ever more satisfied.
On the day of the exam results, the Shen family's eldest son scored on the golden list, getting a second-tier place, and entered the Hanlin Academy as a compiler, which brought joy and jealousy to the Du family.
The Shen family's eldest son stayed in the capital and never neglected etiquette during festivals. Once, Mrs. Liao mentioned in front of Old Mrs. Xia how the eldest son was already prominent but wondered about the younger brother's capabilities.
With a broad smile, Old Mrs. Xia speculated, if Mrs. Yang could pick one so accurately, why should she worry?
"Times have changed, the Shen family now has a scholar. When the new son-in-law wins titles in the future, if we lend some help, the second girl will be a genuine official's wife." Mrs. Liao echoed Old Mrs. Xia.
"Rather than say it's the Shen family's luck, I'd say it's our Yun Hu's fortune," Mrs. Zhen stated, "The Shen family had been declining for decades, but just as they got engaged with Yun Hu, fortune turned, and a scholar emerged. As I see it, it's all thanks to our Yun Hu's prowess."