I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

They went to Liang Da's house first, but Liang Da wasn't home, so Meng Dongqing hosted them.

Meng Dongqing hadn't seen Xiangxi in a long time, and he was happy to have someone to talk to.

"Now that you're here, I finally have someone to talk to." Meng Dongqing had been feeling suffocated for the past few days.

To prove that he has no relationship with Duan Ziqiu, Liang Da now brings Meng Dongqing along whenever he discusses business with her.

Meng Dongqing was initially interested in following along, but after realizing that the two of them had nothing to do, he became too lazy to continue.

After chatting at home for a while, Meng Dongqing took Xiangxi and Yang's mother to meet the neighbors.

They even took them to Liang Da's ancestral home, a place Meng Dongqing least wanted to visit.

This area is home to many merchants, who inevitably have dealings with government officials.

Out of respect for Officer Yang, everyone said they would arrive on time tomorrow.

It was noon when I got back home after walking around.

The swallows had prepared the meal in advance.

"Mom, have lunch at my place today. Xuebao misses you."

"Okay, I'll eat here." After finishing her meal, Yang's mother didn't rush to leave. Instead, she gave Xiangxi some instructions for tomorrow.

"Clear the storeroom, and carefully store what each family sent, making sure to record it clearly, as we'll be giving return gifts later." Knowing that this might be a bit difficult for Xiangxi, Yang's mother made another preparation.

"Ming Le will come over to help tomorrow morning. She'll write down the gift list for you, so don't worry."

"My sister-in-law isn't feeling well, it's not good to trouble her like this."

"It's alright, she's already prepared a housewarming gift for you. Has your brother told him?"

"Yes, Tongchuan told him before we moved." Xiangxi couldn't possibly have forgotten her own brother.

"That's good. Think again carefully to see if there's anything we've overlooked."

"I haven't told my cousin yet."

"You mean Ziqiu?"

"Hmm, I don't know whether I should ask her in this situation."

What are your concerns?

"I wouldn't call it a concern, but I'm worried that she might overthink things since I didn't call her at Yan'er's one-month celebration last time, and I did this time."

"It's a small matter. I'll go to her shop on my way back later, explain it to her, and see if she's free tomorrow and can come over."

"Okay, thank you, Mother."

"There's no need for thanks among family members. The most important thing is that you and Tongchuan are living a good life."

When Yang Tongchuan returned from his shift in the afternoon, he told Xiangxi that the case from the morning was a false alarm. The child had run out to play and lost the small silver bracelet his parents had given him. He was so scared that he didn't dare go home and hid. The bracelet had been found by now.

"There's something else I need to tell you. The new county lieutenant will be arriving at the end of the month."

"So fast?"

"They're not coming soon. I heard they're from a branch of a high-ranking official family in Kyoto. I don't know if they're here for training or if they've been exiled. They said they brought several cartloads of luggage and are taking their time. They were supposed to arrive in the middle of the month, but they're planning to delay until the end of the month to take up their posts." Yang Tongchuan thought to himself, "This is some kind of big shot."

"Stop thinking about things that aren't there. Come and try on these clothes; you'll be wearing them tomorrow." Xiangxi took out the new clothes she had prepared for Yang Tongchuan.

"Just make them for you and Olaf. I wear my uniform all day, so I don't need new clothes."

"No, I want to make it for you."

Xiangxi was too embarrassed to say that she originally planned to make this dress herself, but the stitching on the finished product was still not good enough, so she took it to someone to have it altered, and it was just delivered to her.

The housewarming party on the second day was indeed exceptionally lively.

The gates of the new house opened early, and the constables from the yamen arrived first and in full force.

They pooled their money to buy a screen as a housewarming gift for Yang Tongchuan.

Mr. and Mrs. Yang arrived shortly afterward, along with Yang Tongshan's family.

When they arrived, the chef had just stewed the mutton until it was tender and the aroma was irresistible.

"Bring Yan'er here too, come inside quickly." Xiangxi hadn't seen Yan'er for a few days and felt that the child had grown a little more.

"It's warm today, so I brought him out to share in your joy." This was the first time Ming Le had taken Yan'er out.

It was also to shut up those gossipy people outside.

Rumors are circulating that Yang Tongshan's eldest son is sickly, takes medicine every day, and won't survive.

Ming Le wanted to slap those people's mouths to pieces after hearing that.

"Yan'er is already very fortunate." Xiangxi settled the wet nurse and Yan'er in the east wing. Fortunately, the room had been prepared in advance, and with the addition of two braziers, the child wouldn't get cold.

Soon all the neighbors arrived, with Liang Da being the first to arrive, having come with his older brother.

They also introduced Yang Tongchuan to the surrounding neighbors.

Everyone was quite generous, with lots of things like fabrics, bronze mirrors, bonsai, and calligraphy and paintings.

Fortunately, Ming Le was there to help. She would remind Xiang Xi from time to time about the approximate value of the item and what to pay attention to when giving a return gift in the future.

Fortunately, they made it through this ordeal without any major incident.

During the meal, Yang's mother was entertaining the female relatives and the young man's table. Xiangxi couldn't concentrate on eating, as he had to keep an eye on the dishes being served and the wine being refilled, for fear of not being able to entertain them properly.

"You're getting better and better at managing things now," Mingle praised without reservation, making Xiangxi feel embarrassed.

Duan Ziqiu arrived last. Before she left home today, an old customer who did wholesale came to the store and made a repeat purchase. She rushed over after seeing him off.

The housewarming gift was quite generous; it was a pair of very beautiful vases.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

The men at that table were playing a drinking game, each one shouting louder than the last.

The group of people, who were not familiar with each other before, quickly became friends after a few drinks.

The women and boys at this table are more relaxed.

They chatted about everyday things, talking about recent events in Changxing County and the daily lives of people in the neighborhood.

Duan Ziqiu remained as shrewd and resourceful as ever, seizing every opportunity to do business and extending invitations to everyone to visit her shop whenever they had time.

Xiangxi sat to the side, smiling and seemingly unfazed by the grand occasion.

As the sun moved a few steps westward, the people attending the housewarming party gradually dispersed.

The last two guests that Yang Tongchuan and Xiang Xi saw off were Liang Da and Meng Dongqing.

"My husband is going south in a few days. I'll come and talk to you when he's not home." Meng Dongqing said goodbye to Xiangxi reluctantly. He himself didn't know why he liked Xiangxi so much. Maybe it was fate.

Yang Tongchuan and Xiang happy turned around and went back into the courtyard.

I saw Ming Le holding the sleeping Yan'er and talking to Duan Ziqiu.

"I'll be going now, let's talk again if anything comes up." Duan Ziqiu said goodbye to Ming Le.

Ming Le carried Yan'er back to the east wing. Yang Tongshan had drunk quite a bit and was rather drunk, so he lay down in the east wing for a while.

"Xiangxi, I have something to discuss with you." Duan Ziqiu pulled Xiangxi aside.

"What does my cousin want with me?"

"Do you have some time lately? My shop is about to enter its peak season. If you'd like, you can come back to work anytime. We all miss you." Duan Ziqiu's monthly income is quite good now, so he doesn't need Xiangxi's two taels of silver.

"Thank you, cousin. I just moved here and there are still many things to sort out, so I probably can't come over right away."

"It's up to you. Come over whenever you're done with your work." Duan Ziqiu told the truth when he saw that Xiangxi was still hesitating.

"Let me be frank with you, Yue Wu and Qing Zhu have fallen for each other. I didn't want to break them up, so I released Qing Zhu from her slave status and let them get married. After Qing Zhu got married, she stopped working, and my shop is really short-staffed right now." Duan Ziqiu's personal maid got together with her shopkeeper, something she hadn't expected.

Qingzhu is not young anymore, and if she delays any longer, she might miss her chance. Duan Ziqiu wanted to get things done as soon as possible.