Given that both Yunqi and Dabao were the reserved sort, they rarely spoke outside of absolute necessity.

In these past few days, Dabao had exchanged no more than ten sentences with her, mostly consisting of essential greetings like "Going to sleep," "Are you up?" or "Have you eaten?" Yunqi felt that even though she was married, this existence felt lonelier than when she had been by herself.

But what could she, as a woman, do? She certainly couldn't go broadcasting her situation to everyone. These days, a deep sense of grievance had settled in her heart, yet she had no recourse; she could only remain quietly, simply taking things one day at a time.

Dabao, having just been scolded by Old Madam Huang, was in a mood of quiet reflection. Seeing Yunqi sitting alone and looking desolate, a flicker of pity stirred in him. He walked up to her and said, "Come, let's go for a walk. I have a small hill over by my family's place; I'll take you to see it."

Yunqi was momentarily stunned, almost overwhelmed by Dabao's suggestion. After composing herself, she quickly nodded and followed him out the door.

After Dabao and Yunqi left, Old Madam Huang and Lin He emerged from their rooms. Lin He thought that her mother-in-law truly was an experienced hand; with just a few well-placed words, she had managed to persuade Dabao.

The first day of the New Year passed quickly. By the morning of the second day, Old Madam Huang roused the servants early, instructing them to wake the household, as they needed to visit Lin He's maternal grandmother's home early. Dabao and Yunqi still had to return to Yunqi’s parents’ house for the formal post-marriage visit. When Dabao and Yunqi finally rose, Lin He noticed a faint blush coloring Yunqi’s cheeks and a touch of shyness in her expression—a distinct change from her demeanor of the preceding days. Lin He smiled secretly; progress, at last.

It seemed Old Madam Huang had noticed the change as well, for when she looked at Yunqi, a knowing, almost intimate smile touched her lips. She even asked Yunqi if she was tired or if she felt comfortable, prompting both Dabao and Yunqi to flush a deep crimson. Old Madam Huang and Er Niu, meanwhile, were in high spirits, laughing as they gave instructions about the household matters.

The visit to Lin He's grandmother was brief. Since the newly married couple needed to make the return visit to Yunqi's family, the grandmother didn't press them to stay long, only offering gifts for them to take back. Old Madam Huang had already seen to the required return gifts for Yunqi, and upon their arrival home, she immediately urged Dabao to take the carriage and depart.

In truth, once the first and second days of the first lunar month were over, time seemed to accelerate. During these days, relatives kept arriving at Lin He's home in a ceaseless stream; many of the faces were unfamiliar to Lin He. For several days, Lin He and Chen'er avoided the main courtyard, lest they be cornered by these distant relatives for tedious chitchat, which inevitably circled back to the topic of Lin He marrying into wealth. Feeling increasingly vexed, Lin He decided to remain within the confines of her small courtyard whenever she was free.

Around the sixth day of the first month, the influx of relatives had largely subsided. Lin He brought Chen'er into the courtyard and began working on embroidery. Old Madam Huang had already stated that Lin He should start preparing her dowry in earnest now, lest she run out of time.

Old Madam Huang explained that since the Wen family was prominent, the embroidery for the dowry needed to include not just the wedding dress, but also sachets, silk scarves, and more. Furthermore, when Lin He had spare moments, she should work on larger items like screens, which would certainly be needed at the Wen residence. If Lin He embroidered these herself, it would lend grace to the dowry presented to the Wen family and demonstrate that even though she was not the daughter of a grand house, she possessed considerable skill.

Lin He was unfamiliar with such customs, and she felt there was no immediate rush for the screens. However, Old Madam Huang insisted. Seeing little else to occupy her time, and figuring it would serve as good practice for Chen'er, Lin He sat down in the courtyard and began embroidering alongside her.

Since Old Madam Huang mentioned screens, Lin He decided to set that grand project aside for the moment, opting instead to work with Chen'er on smaller items like sachets, embroidered shoes, and scarves. Chen'er had been practicing for some time; while her skill at sewing garments remained lacking, she managed the sachets quite well. Seeing her elder sister working alongside her, Chen'er took great delight in the craft.

One morning, after Lin He and Chen'er had been working in the courtyard for only a short while, Ziyu approached and announced, "Miss, the Second Young Master and the Third Young Master have arrived. They say they've come to pay their New Year's respects."

Not long after Ziyu finished speaking, the voices of Old Madam Huang and Xiao Mo could be heard near the entrance. Xiao Mo was sweetly reciting all the auspicious greetings appropriate for a New Year's call, causing Old Madam Huang to smile constantly as she walked. Upon entering the courtyard, Old Madam Huang led her maid into the inner room, stating she needed to fetch some pastries and refreshments to serve Xiao Mo and the others.

Xiao Mo and Wen Ningxuan approached Lin He and Chen'er. Xiao Mo grinned and said, "Chen'er, why is it that every time I visit, I find you working on these things? Will you ever finish anything? Let me see, what are you fiddling with now?"

With that, he reached over and gently took the sachet from Chen'er's hand for inspection. Chen'er was delighted to see Xiao Mo and replied, "Brother Xiao Mo, you mustn't underestimate me! This sachet is part of my elder sister's dowry embroidery; it’s for when she marries tomorrow. Look, isn't it quite nice?"

At Chen'er's words, Xiao Mo's expression instantly clouded over. Though he had managed to convince himself to accept that He'er was destined to become his second sister-in-law, hearing it stated so plainly still caused him pain. A sharp pang hit his heart, but he quickly masked it, forcing a smile as he examined the sachet while offering a critique: "Hmm, not bad. At least the years haven't been wasted in learning; it's much better than when you first started."

Wen Ningxuan, standing nearby, also curved his lips upward upon hearing Chen'er's statement. He took the sachet Lin He was working on from her hand, looked at it briefly, and murmured softly, "Yes, one must certainly hurry along with the work."

Lin He glanced sideways at Wen Ningxuan, then took back the sachet from his hand and the one from Xiao Mo’s, handing both to Ziyu waiting nearby, instructing her to take them inside. She then inquired, "Why have you two come today? Your house is full of relatives; have you finished paying all your respects?"

"Well, whether we go visit those relatives barely matters. The house has been crowded these past few days, and it's been tiresome. I figured since Dabao doesn't need to go to the shop this month and Xiaobao is home, I’d come pay New Year's respects to Uncle Lin and Auntie Lin. Oh, where is Xiaobao? I don't see him." Xiao Mo said, scanning the courtyard.

"Brother Xiao Mo, Xiaobao is in the study practicing calligraphy. He should be almost done by now. Let's go find him; he'll be delighted to know you're here," Chen'er said, leading Xiao Mo forward.

"And what about you? Xiao Mo doesn't have to visit relatives, but shouldn't you be calling on yours? Doesn't Uncle Wen say anything?" Lin He asked as she settled back down at the table.

"Even if one is busy, one must still visit future in-laws. I had intended to come on the second day, but I thought your house would be crowded with guests then, so I delayed until today," Wen Ningxuan said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

A few soft blushes touched Lin He's cheeks as she shot Wen Ningxuan a sidelong glance before turning her attention back to her seat, falling silent. Wen Ningxuan let out a quiet laugh, and after a moment, added, "You don't need to embroider those sachets. If you need them, you can just get them from Caidiexuan; they have plenty of such things there. Don't exhaust yourself unnecessarily."