The Imperial College had not yet opened, so my elder brother was staying at home. With the Spring Imperial Examinations approaching, he was no longer burying his head in his books. Instead, he spent his days discussing current affairs with An Yishi, and occasionally took him to attend discussion meetings with fellow students.
That evening, my father arranged a banquet, as a make-up for our missed reunion on New Year's Eve.
My mother was overjoyed, "Thanks to Nannan, this dinner table is finally lively."
"Don't leave me out!"
"Don't even mention it. Your brother and Yishi are both quiet types. Together, they don't talk as much as you do. Today, I have a word: Nannan is back, so you two, even if you're just sitting, must sit for at least half an hour."
With that, she opened two bottles of osmanthus wine.
Drinking and chatting, it was indeed hard to leave in less than half an hour. I didn't want to defy my mother, but there was no other way: "Mother, Imperial Physician Cai doesn't allow me to drink alcohol."
"It's alright, you can have tea instead."
"Drinking tea late at night doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"
My mother shot me a glare, and my father quickly scooped me a bowl of soup: "It's fine, Nannan can have two more bowls of soup."
This was truly my father.
An Yishi had seen how my mother and I interacted on the boat and was happy to watch the show. My elder brother also smiled, his eyes squinting, and after a while, he remembered to ask me, "I heard you were injured again in Meicheng. Have you recovered?"
"Not that quickly. Imperial Physician Cai said I need to rest and am not allowed to practice martial arts."
"That's good for tempering your restless nature. It's time for you to consider marriage, and you certainly can't reveal yourself to be someone no one dares to marry."
"Why don't you say that to Mother? She fights more than I do."
"Mother has Father, but what about you?"
I stuffed a chicken leg into his mouth: "Brother, you should focus on your studies and not ruin my appetite at the dinner table."
My brother grunted, "I'm doing this for your own good."
"I thank you for that."
After dinner, my mother had the needlework room measure me for custom clothing.
I patted my round belly, "Mother, is it appropriate to take measurements now?"
"It's fine, it won't make much difference. We need to get the clothes made quickly."
"Why the hurry?"
My mother rolled her eyes at me, "You've always been social. You've been in Meicheng for over two months, and now that you're back, there will be plenty of invitations. You're not going to wear old clothes, are you? Even if you wanted to, you might not fit into them."
I compared my waistline, "I've only gained a little weight, how could I not fit into my clothes?"
Just two months ago, they said I was severely depleted and tried to force me to eat, and now they're complaining I'm fat. Women are indeed the most fickle creatures.
My mother said, "A little weight gain isn't much. The key is that you've grown a bit taller. The clothes are fine, but the pants being too short would look ridiculous."
I looked down. They did seem a bit short. I immediately felt happy and leaned closer to my mother. Indeed, I had grown considerably. Before, I was an inch shorter than my mother, but now I was level with her.
I smiled and cooperated with the measurements. My mother also said that although custom-made clothes were good, they took too long. She asked me to go shopping with her the next day to buy some ready-made outfits, and of course, some jewelry couldn't be missed.
"Nannan, you're seventeen this year. Daughters in the capital get married late, but rarely past eighteen. You're not engaged yet, so we need to hurry."
"No way, Mother, my injury isn't even fully healed, and you're already talking about matchmaking? Didn't we agree to wait for the successful candidates to propose?"
My mother flicked her handkerchief at my face, "Do you think this is a play? It's not that easy to be chosen by the successful candidates. Besides, the young gentlemen in the capital are mostly well-known, aren't they better than those scholars from who-knows-where? Listen to your mother. When someone sends you an invitation, dress up beautifully and attend the banquet, maybe you'll hit it off with someone."
Tsk, which of the young gentlemen in the capital of similar age don't I know? If we were going to hit it off, we would have already.
But seeing my mother's enthusiastic face, I didn't have the guts to say that.
Women have a natural talent for shopping, especially my mother. Early in the morning, she dragged me out of bed and asked Axiu to help me with my makeup. Then she discovered that Yuegui had done a good job with my hair and immediately had Yuegui re-style it for her.
She was truly energetic, which made me a little envious.
Before I was injured, I was just as lively.