Chapter 854: Ask About the Gift
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Youyao was a little at a loss. Although she had been conferred the title of princess and had also traveled on a phoenix carriage, the etiquette was not enforced. The commoners did not have to kneel down to welcome her. They only had to retreat to avoid collision.
Xie Jingliu, who was riding beside the carriage, smiled. “The three provinces of Liaodong are bitterly cold. The commoners have limited crops to farm, and the food they can obtain is also limited. In addition, with the nobles in charge, the commoners often don’t have enough to eat.”
“Xiangping City was the first batch of beneficiaries of the sweet potatoes. Everyone explored and planted sweet potatoes, and the sweet potatoes had already become their main food. The Yue Fei’s Residence spared no effort to publicize your merit. Your reputation as a living Bodhisattva had first spread from Xiangping City. There were even commoners who built a shrine for you, made statues, and worshiped you every day.”
Yu Youyao suddenly remembered that her original intention for planting sweet potatoes was to ensure that green vines filled the fields, that there would be no famine in the world, and that all the people in the world would be happy.
It was achieved in Xiangping City.
When the sweet potatoes were successfully promoted in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, more people would not starve anymore.
The ancient city of Xiangping was very big. Yu Youyao opened the window and saw many shops along the way. There were also all kinds of small stalls by the roadside. There were government officials patrolling the streets from time to time. The commoners’ clothes were shabby, but they were still neat. All of them were in good spirits. The people at the border were tall and strong, and their voices were loud. The streets were not prosperous, but they still looked noisy.
The men and women on the streets had magnanimous expressions as they walked freely without any reservations.
There were young and beautiful women walking on the street, causing the men to stare at them dishonestly. The women did not seem to be embarrassed at all. They even glared back righteously, and some even scolded them back shrewishly. Usually, they would cause the men to laugh and even whistle frivolously. When others saw this, they would also laugh kindly without any malice.
Yu Youyao pursed her lips and chuckled.
Xiangping City was the first county in Liaodong. The carriage traveled in the city for another two hours before slowly stopping.
Xie Jingliu dismounted. “We’re home.”
Chun Xiao and Xia Tao were the first to get out of the carriage. They drew the curtains on the left and the right. Auntie Xu followed them out. Only then did Yu Youyao leave the carriage. She stepped on a stool and was helped out of the carriage by Auntie Xu.
The weather in Xiangping was wet and cold. It was already March, and the weather suddenly became hot and cold. It was also a little piercing.
Auntie Xu took a waist-length cloak from the old woman and helped Yu Youyao tie it.
Yu Youyao looked up and saw the noble family in front of her. There were three steps in front of the main door. There were two wooden pillars on both sides. The main door was painted in bronze, making it look simple and low-key. There was a plaque with the words “Xie Residence” hanging on the door.
At this moment, the entire Xie family was waiting at the door.
Her maternal grandfather and grandmother were there.
Eldest Uncle Xie Xun, Second Uncle Xie Liao, and Third Uncle Xie Tiao were there.
Eldest Aunt Madam Yao, Second Aunt Madam Lin, and Third Aunt Madam Zheng were present.
Eldest Cousin Xie Xingzhou, Second Cousin Xie Linyuan, Fourth Cousin Xie Yanqing, and Fifth Cousin Xie Yunze were also present.
Seeing Yu Youyao get out of the carriage, Old Madam Xie was overjoyed. She quickly shouted, “Hurry up and bring the brazier over. Cross it so that we can relieve our bad luck.”
Immediately, an old woman shouted, “The brazier is here.”
The brazier was placed at the entrance. Old Madam Xie quickly said, “My children and grandchildren will step over the fire and smoke. Bad luck will disappear and blessings will arrive. The family business will prosper and we won’t be unhappy. The family will be harmonious and everything will prosper.”
Yu Youyao picked up her skirt, raised her legs, stepped over the brazier, and entered.
Old Madam Xie smiled until her eyes narrowed. She quickly picked up the willow branch, dipped it in citrus water, and sprinkled it all over her body. She asked her, “Is it clean?”
This was an auspicious gift. It was done by her elders to chase away evil and avoid calamity. Yu Youyao quickly said, “Yes!”
Old Madam Xie’s smile deepened. She asked, “Is it auspicious?”
Yu Youyao continued, “It’s auspicious!”
Old Master Xie quickly said, “Old Master is still waiting in the main hall. Hurry up and greet him.”
Yu Youyao went to the main hall surrounded by her cousins.
During this time, Old Madam Xie saw that Yu Youyao was walking strangely and quickly asked what was going on.
Yu Youyao explained using the excuse she had made with her Third Cousin.
Old Madam Xie did not suspect anything when Xie Jingliu chimed in from the side. She just felt sorry for her granddaughter. She held her granddaughter’s hand and asked about the injury on her foot in detail.
When they arrived at the main hall, Yu Youyao thanked the Old Master respectfully.
Old Master Xie hurriedly said, “Get up, get up. You sprained your ankle and haven’t recovered fully. You have to be careful. Our family doesn’t care about such superficial etiquette.”
Old Madam Xie stepped forward and helped Yu Youyao up. “Your Second and Third Uncles arrived in Xiangping in December. With King Yue Fei’s help, they bought two adjacent three-way houses in Xiangping City. The third branch of the Xie Residence lives here, and the left side is for you to stay in. The few people in front of you have already arranged the courtyard long ago.”
Yu Youyao’s maidservants all came to Xiangping first.
“Can the third branch live in a three-way house?” The Xie family had built a group of residences in Quanzhou, and every family lived in a three-way courtyard.
It wasn’t that there weren’t bigger houses in Xiangping City, but because of the rules of respect and etiquette, ordinary families couldn’t have a house that was larger than a three-way house. They were also new here, so the ready-made houses didn’t have everything they wanted. They might not be able to buy a suitable one even if they paid money.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw an independent four-part courtyard. The main house had two floors, with side houses on the east and west sides. There were also side courtyards of various sizes.
The Xie Residence did not take in concubines. There were not many sons and daughters of concubines in the family. There were only a few people in the house, so it was definitely more than enough for them to live in a courtyard.
However, with the comparison of the Xie Residence in Quanzhou, it was inevitable that there would be a difference.
Old Madam Xie also thought of the residence in Quanzhou and felt a little sad. “It’s enough to live in. There are few people in the Liaodong area, unlike Quanzhou, where every inch of land is made of gold. The residence takes up a lot of space, and the layout inside is also wide. There are many rooms and courtyards. The size of one courtyard is as big as a two-way courtyard in Quanzhou.”
The North was far away from the authorities and the residential land was not expensive. However, they could not exceed the residential rules. They took advantage of the size of the land, the layout of the homes, and the number of small courtyards.
King Yue Fei had helped to choose the residence, but their family had also taken a fancy to the size of this residence. Each courtyard was more than 460 square meters large. The family could live comfortably, so they bought it.
Madam Wang also smiled and said, “There’s a small mountain behind our house. When we bought the house, we bought it along with it. When our family settles down in Xiangping City, we’ll flatten the mountain and build a few more courtyards. We’re new here, so the first few days definitely won’t go as planned. Fortunately, the entire family is in one place. This is better than anything else. The later days will definitely be better.”
Everyone in the family lived in the courtyard, but she lived alone in a large residence. Yu Youyao felt that it was not suitable.
Madam Lin held her hand. “Other than being a young lady of our family, you’re also Princess Shaoyi, who has been personally conferred the title by the Imperial Court. You’ve even lived in a five-way courtyard. It was only because you couldn’t find a more suitable residence for the time being that I arranged for you to live in the courtyard beside us. When our family settles down, we’ll expand the courtyard beside us.”
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