The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 271 Zhiwan Protects Her Cousin
“Aunt, I don’t blame my cousin. He must have had something important to do that kept him from going,” Zhiwan said.

She didn't blame her cousin.

Because she knew what her cousin had gone to do.

However, she was very worried because her cousin hadn't come back for so long.

Unfortunately, Jiang Shi went along with them, so no matter how worried she was, she couldn't find anyone to ask.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei smiled and teased, "So you're already defending him?"

Zhiwan's face flushed slightly. "I'm not trying to protect my cousin..." After thinking for a moment, she told her the truth. "My cousin told me this before he left, but I didn't expect him to be gone for so long. Maybe even my cousin himself didn't expect it."

My cousin is always thorough in his work, but this time he even missed such an important day as the betrothal ceremony. I'm afraid... something must have happened.

Realizing this, she grabbed her aunt's hand and said, "Aunt, I'm afraid something might have happened to my cousin on the way. Why don't you ask Uncle to send some people to meet him?"

Wei hadn't taken it seriously at first, but upon hearing this, she became somewhat nervous. "Which direction should we go to meet them?"

"It should be in the direction of Yangzhou," Zhiwan said thoughtfully.

Last time, my uncle was captured by my cousin in Yangzhou. If we want to escort my uncle back to the capital, we should take the land route. If we are going to meet my cousin, we should definitely go in the direction of Yangzhou.

"I understand. I'll go talk to him right away. Don't worry too much; your cousin isn't reckless," Madam Wei reassured him before hurrying away.

Not long after Madam Wei left, Shuang'er came over with a booklet and a gift list.

"Miss, Brother Da Niu and the others have registered all the betrothal gifts sent by the Lu family. Please take a look. If there are no problems, they will be moved into the warehouse."

Seeing that her face was still a little pale, Zhiwan frowned and said, "Your injuries are not fully healed yet, why don't you rest more in the room?"

"I'm fine now, and after lying in bed for so many days, my bones are practically falling apart. I might as well get up and move around. Besides, checking the betrothal gifts isn't tiring work, and we have Nurse Chen and the others to help," Shuang'er said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan instructed, "Then be careful and don't overexert yourself."

"I know, Miss. You should take a look at the list. The betrothal gifts from the Lu family are so numerous that the front courtyard can hardly hold them all." Shuang'er handed her the list and gift list.

“Okay.” Zhiwan took them all at once and checked the register that Da Niu had made and the gift list that the Lu family had sent one by one. Seeing that everything matched, she was relieved.

Both Da Niu and Er Niu had some schooling, so they could do things like accounting and registering things.

The booklet records everything clearly and concisely, leaving no room for ambiguity.

"If nothing is missing, then this servant will go and tell Brother Da Niu and the others to move all the betrothal gifts into the storeroom," Shuang'er said.

“Go ahead,” Zhiwan nodded.

Shuang'er left with a smile on her face.

These betrothal gifts will also be used as the young lady's dowry and carried to the Lu family, so there must be no mistakes.

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Zhiwan went back to her room to paint.

In the evening, Shuang'er hurriedly walked in with an invitation in her hand.

"Miss, the Wei family has sent an invitation."

"The Wei family?" Zhiwan asked, somewhat surprised.

“It’s Madam Lu’s maternal family,” Shuang’er explained.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan frowned slightly and reached out to take the invitation.

It turned out to be Old Master Wei's 60th birthday. Her aunt had mentioned this to her a few days ago, saying that she would be taken to Old Master Wei's birthday celebration, and she had already agreed. But she didn't expect that the Wei family would send her an invitation at this time.

This is so sudden, because Old Master Wei's birthday is tomorrow.

Moreover, this means she also has to prepare a special birthday gift for Old Master Wei.

This was her first time attending a birthday celebration, and she didn't know what to give the elderly person.

Sending tonics to a family like the Wei family would seem insincere, especially since it was her first time visiting.

After thinking for a moment, she sent someone to invite Ouyang Zhenzhu to the mansion.

Hearing that the Wei family had sent a special invitation, Ouyang Zhenzhu stroked her chin and said, "I have a feeling that the Wei family has ulterior motives."

"What do you mean?" Zhiwan asked.

"Last time we went to the teahouse, weren't you invited over by that old lady Wei and given a hard time? Besides, according to custom, for a birthday celebration, invitations should be sent out at least three days in advance so that the recipient can prepare a gift. But the Wei family only sent theirs the day before the banquet. I think the Wei family has no good intentions towards you. Your marriage to Lord Lu was just settled, and the Wei family immediately sent you an invitation to attend the banquet. They are clearly trying to disgust you."

If they want to see you, they can just tell Madam Lu and ask her to take you with them. There's really no need to send you a separate invitation.

Moreover, since you received a separate invitation, you will inevitably have to prepare a special birthday gift.

If the gift is to their liking, that's fine; but if it's not, they'll definitely use it as an excuse to embarrass you.

“Your analysis makes sense.” Zhiwan nodded; she had thought of what Pearl had said as well.

She didn't want to assume malice towards others, but the Wei family harbored ill will towards her, as could be seen from their behavior at the teahouse last time.

But the Wei family was her aunt's family, so even if the Wei family had ill intentions towards her, she couldn't easily refuse, and she didn't want to put her aunt in a difficult position.

That's why she asked Ouyang Zhenzhu to help her think of what to send so as not to give the Wei family any excuse to make trouble.

"Then what do you think I should give her?" Zhiwan asked.

“I’m not very familiar with Old Master Fu, and I don’t know his preferences. Why don’t you ask Wei Jinxiu? Didn’t you say last time that that girl was different from the Wei family?” Ouyang Zhenzhu said.

Zhiwan said helplessly, "The birthday banquet is tomorrow, and it's getting dark soon. There's no time to look for her anymore."

She also considered looking for Wei Jinxiu.

However, she was not very familiar with Wei Jinxiu.

Although the other party had shown her kindness at the teahouse last time, she didn't know Wei Jinxiu's character and it would be risky to ask her about it.

She can go to her aunt.

But her aunt will definitely prepare a birthday gift for her directly.

"What should we do then?" Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn't help but feel anxious. "If all else fails, we can send some tonics. Although they are a bit ordinary, they are still acceptable and won't cause any major problems."

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan also began to seriously consider it.

In the afternoon, she saw on the gift list that Shuang'er brought that there were many precious tonics and medicinal herbs in the betrothal gifts. If all else fails, she can only take them from the betrothal gifts.

Ouyang Zhenzhu's gaze swept over the paper and pen on the table, and an idea suddenly popped into her mind. "Wanwan, I think you could paint a picture as a birthday gift for Old Master Wei. Painting is something you're good at, and even though tomorrow is his birthday, I believe you have the ability to create a stunning painting."

Zhiwan's lips twitched slightly. "I'm not some famous artist of our time. Old Master Wei wouldn't appreciate my paintings."

“So what if he’s not a famous artist? The most important thing is the sentiment.” Ouyang Zhenzhu said dismissively, “This is much more meaningful than sending tonics. Here, let me grind the ink for you. I won’t go back tonight; I’ll stay here and keep you company while you paint.” With that, she began grinding the ink herself.

Zhiwan: "..."