As for the dowry of the Huas, Qi You also had some mental preparation. After all, after agreeing to the marriage at first, the Huas had sent someone to inform them that the dowry was not small, and asked the Qis to prepare a larger new house. Then there was Qi Zhen's reminder. Although he hadn't seen the whole thing from start to finish today, what he saw was enough to make him take notice.

  After returning, the envy and jealousy of his colleagues, the "ten-li red makeup" in his grandmother's words, and the satisfaction in his mother's words all reminded him again and again that the Huas had invested a lot.

  As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, Qi You was still a bit surprised. According to reason, this dowry should have been carried in and arranged in the new house all along, how could there be so many left in the courtyard? Had the Qi family's servants been lazy?

  It's impossible. Just look at Mother's attitude and you'll know how much she's worried about it. She absolutely won't tolerate the servants' slowness, so there's only one possibility left - the dowry hasn't been moved in yet.

  "Grandson An is safe."

  "Hello, uncle."

  Qī Yòu's footsteps paused, looking at the person who was greeting him, calling him "Gū Yé", a member of the Huá family.

  "Free of charge, is there anything unsatisfactory?"

  The house servant was taken aback for a moment, probably didn't expect him to ask that, and quickly reacted by saying: "In response to Master's question, everything is fine."

  Qī Yòu nodded and entered the house, sizing up this new home that felt unfamiliar to him as well.

  He rarely stayed at home, and when he did return, he would either go to the concubine's quarters or stay in his study. The place where he grew up was actually becoming less and less of a residence for him over time.

  It's probably also because of this that I feel less and less a sense of belonging to the Qi family.

  Will this place become his little home from now on? Hua Ruochu - what kind of person is he after all? Can he be expected to have something?

  "Big brother." The gentle voice brought Qi You's somewhat dazed mind back, and he turned his head to look at the person who came, his tone no longer just cold, "What brings you here looking for me?"

  The lovely young lady in a green cross-collared jacket and skirt, with a rosy complexion, replied softly with a hint of shyness: "Young Master has been busy since morning, and now it's past lunchtime. I was worried, so I personally went to the small kitchen to cook some dishes. When I heard you came here, I came looking for you."

  Qī Yòu glanced at the basket in her hand, his expression didn't soften a bit, "Lǜ Liǔ, mind your manners, don't play those tricks, I'm tired of this young master, even the new mistress hasn't entered here yet, what qualifications do you have? Get out."

  "Da Gong Zi..."

  Qī Yòu gave her a cold look, making Lǜ Liǔ's back feel chilly. She hastily paid her respects and fled in a hurry. The servant girls of the Huá family pretended they hadn't seen anything and continued with their work, leaving the servants of the Qī family who thought they could see some excitement extremely disappointed.

  They had no idea that the servants of the Hua family were all strictly trained by Hua Ruochu, and those who could be sent here were carefully selected. Among them, some were even the dowry of the third young lady, so they naturally considered everything for their own young lady. Even if they had already turned countless corners in their hearts, they would not show it to people. As for how to deal with this Green Willow... This is a matter for the uncle's family, and it's not up to them to handle it. Of course, it should be left to their own young lady to amuse herself.

  To make matters worse, today this green willow also didn't gain any advantage, being scolded by the uncle with such harsh words, it's likely that soon the whole mansion will be talking about it, bringing shame upon herself.

  Qī Yòu didn't care what others thought, walked through the main hall and into the inner room to see the bed that his mother had deliberately mentioned.

  In his mind, he had imagined many things, and often entered the Crown Prince's bedroom. Everything he saw was luxurious, but now, in his heart, there was only admiration. The craftsmanship was exquisite, as expected, and the rich and extravagant atmosphere hit him right in the face. All the decorations were things he had never seen before, perhaps not necessarily very valuable, but novel enough to attract attention. No wonder his mother would deliberately mention it, this bed probably gave her a lot of face.

  He walked to the wall and opened one of the cabinets, took a look, and saw that the clothes were hung up by color, full and packed, probably without even enough space for another piece. He felt a sense that relying on his current situation, it would be difficult to support such a wife. The Huas' doting on their daughter was likely far beyond what he had imagined. Fortunately, they were willing to spare no expense in preparing such a rich dowry for her, so even if he, the son-in-law, didn't amount to much, their daughter wouldn't have to suffer hardship.

  He rubbed his left hand, looked around for a while, and suddenly didn't know what to do. He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he'd had so much free time. His life was always busy or busier, and stopping all of a sudden made him feel a bit aimless.

  Let's go to the study room instead, Qiyou decided finally.

  In a separate courtyard several streets away from the Li Manor, Hua Ruoyu was playing Go with her brother, her hair loosely tied up and wearing a simple yet elegant dress, not looking like someone who was about to get married at all.

  Qiu Jin brought three maidservants who were preparing red envelopes, which would be used on the wedding day, so they had to prepare them in advance.

  "Brother, you're going to lose this game again." Holding a white piece in her hand, Hua Ru Chu looked at the scattered black pieces on the chessboard.

  Hua Ru Yi decisively pushed away the chess pieces and admitted defeat. Losing to her little sister wasn't embarrassing, as there was no one in the family who could beat her anyway.

  "What about Yun Shu? Why haven't I seen her following you around these days?"

  "I let her come to Qingzhou first, and later we will settle down here. If there's no business to run, I won't have peace of mind."

  Dong Fei was the quietest among the four of them, rarely speaking, but when he did, it wouldn't be nonsense. He suddenly looked up and said, "Yun Shu will come over today."

  "Has she sent a message?"

  "Yes, she said Miss will definitely be there for her wedding."

  Just then, a rapid but steady footstep was heard outside the door, and a young man with a dusty appearance appeared before everyone.

  "Miss, I'm back." He was dressed in men's clothing, but his movements were elegant and refined. This person didn't look out of place at all, on the contrary, he seemed quite pleasing to the eye. If this were Yangzhou, this face would be recognized immediately. Yun Shu Gongzi's reputation in Yangzhou was indeed resounding. He was the only one who had appeared in Linlang Pavilion, and there were countless people who admired him, especially since he was so handsome and young.

  Hua was delighted to see her too, and stood up to help her up, looking at her rosy face with satisfaction. "My housekeeper is back, brother, now you can rest assured."

  Hua Ruyi nodded, "With Yunshu around, I can rest assured. Yunshu, don't let Ruixiu go too far away from now on. Wait until Ruixiu gains a foothold in the Qi manor before thinking of other things. The silver will be earned slowly, no need to rush."

  Yun Shu Zheng nodded heavily and replied, "Yes, young master. Yun Shu had planned it that way. If I didn't follow the miss, I wouldn't be at ease either."

  Upon hearing this, Hua Ru Yi finally cracked a smile. Even in the Hua household, not many people knew that Yun Shu Gong Zi was actually Yun Shu's personal servant, Yun Shu Ya Huan. Secrets were only secrets because they were known to a limited number of people; otherwise, they would just be open secrets.

  They had also been worried about Yun Shu's loyalty to Ru Chu, as women are often easily controlled by emotions. However, after ten years, they couldn't help but admire Ru Chu's discerning eye for people, having chosen Yun Shu from a large group of maids and trained her for two years, resulting in the creation of Lin Cang Ge. It was naturally Ru Chu who came up with the ideas behind the scenes, but turning those ideas into reality wasn't an easy task. Yet, Yun Shu accomplished it without compromise. What's most valuable is her unwavering loyalty to Ru Chu from start to finish, something that can't be bought with money.

  P.S: Still asking for recommendation votes, please please please please please~~~