Upon entering the main hall, Shen Qi found all members of the Xie family gathered.
That morning, Xie Yuduo had reminded her once again about the family structure.
The Xie family spanned three generations.
The first-generation grandfather had passed away early, leaving Grandmother Old Lady Wu to preside over the entire household.
Old Lady Wu had two sons: the eldest was Father Xie Yan, and the second was Second Uncle Xie Ang.
In the main branch, Mother Madam Lin had passed away early. Xie Yan had three children: Eldest Sister Xie Yuzhong, who had married far away in the provincial capital; himself, Xie Yuduo; and the youngest sister, Xie Yujing.
In the Second Branch, Second Uncle Xie Ang and Second Aunt Lady Feng had one son and one daughter. Eldest Brother Xie Yuming was married to Sun Xueyi, the daughter of a wealthy family in the city. Their daughter was Xie Yujin, who ranked second among the three sisters. She had a somewhat arrogant temperament and was not easy to get along with, so it was best for Shen Qi to keep her distance.
The Second Branch also had a rarely seen Concubine Yun, who had given birth to the youngest brother, Xie Yushuo, the smallest child in the family.
Shen Qi carefully memorized all this. As she observed attentively, Eldest Sister Xie Yuzhong and Third Younger Sister Xie Yujing noticed Shen Qi’s arrival and came forward to greet her.
“Second Sister-in-law, come sit next to me!” Yujing ran over and tugged at Shen Qi’s sleeve, her eyes sparkling.
Yuzhong wrapped an arm around her younger sister’s shoulder. “Yujing, let your sister-in-law sit with Second Brother. How about the two of us sit together instead?”
Seeing Yujing’s slightly disappointed expression, Shen Qi quickly smiled and comforted her.
“It’s alright. You can sit between Eldest Sister and me, and let your brother sit on the other side. How does that sound?”
Yujing immediately cheered with delight.
When Xie Yujin saw Shen Qi and the others approaching, she merely gave a slight nod and sat down by herself.
She was cut from the same cloth as Lady Feng and, having been pampered since childhood, had always looked down on relatives from humble backgrounds. She never expected that Shen Qi would actually enter their household.
She supposed it was merely due to her slightly superior beauty. Given Shen Qi’s status, it was best to keep her distance to avoid being tainted by any sense of poverty.
At the dining table, Shen Qi saw Lady Feng serving dishes to Old Madam. Beside her, a young woman was ladling soup, whom Shen Qi assumed must be Cousin-in-law Sun, the wife of Cousin Xie Yuming. She wondered why she hadn’t come to the bridal chamber to meet her yesterday.
Shen Qi also stood up to help her serve the soup.
There was also a woman in her thirties, dressed in plain clothes, helping to serve dishes, but Shen Qi couldn’t recall who she was for the moment.
After everything was neatly arranged, everyone took their seats. The plainly dressed woman then turned and left, not eating with the rest.
Yuzhong noticed Shen Qi’s gaze and whispered that she was Concubine Yun from Second Uncle’s household, the birth mother of Younger Cousin Xie Yushuo, who always ate only in the kitchen.
Shen Qi noticed a young boy seated next to Old Madam at the table. He looked about two years younger than her own younger brother from the Shen Family, and she made a mental note of him.
The Xie family was large and prosperous, and the dining table was lavishly spread. For breakfast alone, there were two large plates of steamed buns, four plates of hot dishes, four small side dishes, and two types of porridge: one was Combined Broth Soup with eggs and tofu, and the other was Japonica Rice Porridge with nuts and sugar.
In the Shen Family, they typically only ate wheat-based staples at noon, with porridge and side dishes for breakfast and dinner. Now, Shen Qi had no choice but to follow local customs and adapt to the general practice.
After breakfast, Father-in-law and Second Uncle went to visit business associates, while Xie Yuduo and Xie Yuming went to check on the shop.
Old Lady Wu was heading to the Buddhist prayer room to chant scriptures and instructed Eldest Sister Yuzhong, Cousin-in-law Sun, and the sisters to accompany the new bride, Shen Qi, on a tour of the household.
Yuzhong and Yujing naturally complied. Since Old Madam had spoken, Yujin and Sun Shi from the Second Branch, as sisters-in-law, had no choice but to agree as well.
The group of sisters-in-law strolled leisurely, stopping and starting, and after making a full circle, Shen Qi had a general understanding of the Xie family's layout.
The Xie residence consisted of four courtyards. The first courtyard connected to the five street-facing shops, serving as the area where shop assistants managed the stores and took breaks. Only a Ceremonial Gate linked it to the rear.
The second courtyard was divided into left and right wings. One side housed the study for the men of the family, while the other served as a storeroom for valuable medicinal herbs. The study was where the master reviewed accounts and received guests. As Father-in-law and Second Uncle had largely withdrawn from management in recent years, Eldest Brother Xie Yuming had been handling affairs there.
This year, with Xie Yuduo's return home, Eldest Brother gladly took the opportunity to relax, delegating most of the responsibilities to him, intending to resume them only when Yuduo left again.
Beyond the narrow passage of the second courtyard stood another Drooping Flower Gate. The third courtyard was the inner residence, divided into East and West Courtyards.
The East Courtyard belonged to the eldest branch of the family, while the West Courtyard housed Second Uncle's family. Each had small gates connecting to the front and rear courtyards.
Both courtyards followed the same layout: three central main rooms served as the living quarters for the elders, with a small side room on each side.
Three wing rooms each on the east and west sides accommodated the children of the respective families, all connected by a Winding Covered Corridor encircling the courtyard.
The fourth courtyard was the residence of Old Madam Wu. In addition to living quarters, it included a large hall where the entire family dined.
To the right was a small garden planted with flowers, vegetables, and fruits, with a swing set up in one corner.
To the left were the kitchen and servants' quarters, with a stable in the corner. A gate nearby led to the Back Street, making it convenient for the family to purchase fresh water and groceries.
This four-courtyard residence had originally been purchased by Xie Yuduo's grandfather's generation and had since been continuously renovated and expanded, with both the front and rear facing the street.
A residence of this scale could be counted on one hand in Pingshan County.
However, compared to the business scale of the grandfather's era, the Xie family had declined somewhat. Among the merchants of Pingshan County, they were neither among the top nor the bottom—simply average.
After completing the tour, the others chatted and laughed, but Xie Yujin had long grown impatient. She already looked down on her own sister-in-law, let alone this country-bred cousin's wife.
As they reached the passage between the East and West Courtyards, Xie Yujin said, "I woke up early today, and now that I've worked up a sweat, I feel quite tired. I need to go rest."
Without waiting for a response, she swayed away like a delicate willow in the wind.
Sun Shi did not leave immediately but offered a few polite remarks. Shen Qi sensed she had little genuine interest and, after exchanging a few words, allowed her to depart as well.
Naturally, Yu Zhong, her sister, and Shen Qi headed east, returning to the East Courtyard.
Yujing was most familiar with this courtyard and led Shen Qi on a detailed tour.
The three central main rooms of the East Courtyard naturally belonged to Father Xie Yan.
The small western side room served as a study, where Father usually read, practiced calligraphy, and often discussed shop matters with his sons.
The eastern side room was used as a small kitchen, though it was rarely used for cooking, mainly for heating water and washing.
The three-room West Wing had previously been the residence of Eldest Daughter Yu Zhong and Third Daughter Yujing. Now, only Yujing and a young maid, Chunliu, lived there.
Recently, with Yu Zhong's return, she also stayed in Yujing's room.
The East Wing was the new residence of Xie Yuduo and Shen Qi.
Previously, as Xie Yuduo was seldom home, the East Wing had been vacant for a long time. Recently renovated with care, it naturally looked brand new.
The center of the courtyard featured a cross-shaped brick-paved pathway, planted with a pomegranate tree and a sweet osmanthus tree.
Along the corridor, potted flowers such as begonias and hostas were arranged, while near the windows, several broad-leaved banana plants grew, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere.
Xiao Yujing was particularly fond of her sister-in-law and wanted to keep Shen Qi talking, but Yu Zhong, having been through it herself, knew that Shen Qi must have slept poorly the night before and needed time to rest and recover today.
"Dear sister, after walking such a long way, even if you aren’t tired, I am exhausted. Come back with me first and let your sister-in-law return to her room to rest for a while."
Shen Qi naturally understood Eldest Sister’s kindness and nodded gratefully toward her.
With a gentle smile, Yu Zhong urged Shen Qi to rest peacefully and coaxed Yujing back to the West Wing.
Returning to the East Wing, the central room was a small parlor furnished with a high table, round stools, embroidered cushions, tea sets, and fruit trays, typically used for the couple to sit together.
The room on the left was the couple’s bedroom, furnished with the gilded and painted canopy bed that Shen Qi had brought as part of her dowry, draped with tasseled curtains bearing the treasure elephant pattern. Near the window stood a vermilion-lacquered, gilded dressing mirror stand.
The room on the right had several cabinets and chests placed against the wall, storing seasonal clothing as well as spring and winter bedding. Near the window, a folding screen partitioned off a bathing area, providing convenience for the young couple’s daily ablutions.
Having slept poorly the night before and having spent the morning walking around, Shen Qi was inevitably weary. She closed the door, leaned against the pillow, and drifted off to sleep.
She had only intended to nap briefly, but she fell into a deep, sweet slumber. When she finally awoke, she hazily saw a familiar figure standing by the bed.
It took her a moment to gather her thoughts before she realized it was her husband, whom she had just met the day before.