Chapter 118: Zhuazhou Ceremony

Chapter 118

Zhuazhou Ceremony

Nie Shuang instructed the maids to gradually pack their belongings in preparation for the upcoming journey. When she first fled to Huangjing City, she had been alone, with only a few personal items. The bulk of her possessions consisted of her dowry and the wealth bestowed upon her by the Hou. This time, however, she was traveling with her children, and packing had to be done with greater care and precision, especially considering there were now three children involved—it wasn’t going to be easy.

When she informed the Hou and Elder Furen of the news, they were overjoyed, as though they had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"Good! Good! I’m ready to leave anytime! Hah! This time, the major families in the capital will envy ous Song family! Hahahaha."

Xu Shi, seeing her husband’s enthusiasm, shook her head and smiled, her eyes filled with contentment. Returning to the Hou Manor gave her a sense of relief—she had been worried about her son, who had remained in the capital. Both of them eagerly awaited the triplets’ first birthday celebration.

On the triplets’ first birthday, Nie Shuang bathed and dressed them in matching red outfits. Bao Bao and Bei Bei each had a single topknot tied in the center of their heads, while Xiao Hua Hua’s hair was styled into two pigtails. As the children were carried into the main hall, the adults all smiled fondly. Bao Bao, sensing that something was different from the usual, cheerfully made loud noises. His younger siblings, seeing Da Ge so lively, became excited too, waving their hands at the many guests filling the house. The house was festively decorated with red lanterns and paper cutouts for good fortune. In addition to the family, Kang Wang and some representatives from the Jiang family’s tea plantation were present.

Each child received an overwhelming number of gifts, even though no outsiders were invited. Just the generosity of their grandparents was more than enough, and with Kang Wang’s contributions, Nie Shuang even wondered if she would need to build a new storage room. After exchanging greetings, the adults gathered items for the children to choose from as part of the traditional Zhuazhou Ceremony. Normally, boys would be offered ink, brushes, ingots, books, or weapons to predict their future careers, while girls were offered kitchen utensils like spoons, ladles, or sewing tools like needles and scissors to predict their future spouses. But since there were both boys and a girl, all items were laid out together.

When they were set down, Bao Bao crawled forward toward the objects laid out before him. The Hou watched his eldest grandson with great anticipation. The Song family had been military Generals for generations, so the Hou was confident that Da Ge would choose the wooden sword. Indeed, Da Ge crawled toward the wooden sword, just as his grandfather expected. However, his chubby hand ended up grabbing the item next to it.

A ladle...

The Hou almost fainted. An item traditionally meant for predicting a girl’s future. His grandson!

Laughter erupted around the room. Bao Bao, turning to look, joined in, giggling and even tapping the ladle playfully on his head. Xu Shi laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes. Standing next to the Hou, she witnessed both her husband’s reaction and the antics of their mischievous grandson.

Xiao Hua Hua, seeing her brother grab something to play with, quickly crawled over with interest, her eyes scanning the options. She then made her way toward the ingot.

"Just like her mother!"

Nie Shuang exclaimed with joy. Seeing her foster sister so happy, Mu Rongying couldn’t help but smile broadly. The children were utterly adorable. Bao Bao noticed how excited his mother became when his sister grabbed something, so he dropped the item in his hand and crawled over to take a look. Upon seeing the ingot, he turned his face away, showing no interest.

Suddenly, Bao Bao’s eyes caught sight of a wooden bow. He picked it up, curiously examining what it was. Finally, the Hou smiled. However, Bao Bao still wasn’t satisfied. With his free hand, he grabbed a ball of thread, mistaking it for a toy ball that his mother had bought him to play with.

The Hou’s face twitched again. Even though everyone knew the Zhuazhou Ceremony was meant to be lighthearted, his grandson was taking it too far, picking mostly girls’ items. What was this, growing up to be a homemaker?! How embarrassing. Fortunately, no outside guests had been invited today; otherwise, people would have surely laughed at them. Xu Shi reached over to hold her husband’s hand and whispered softly,

"The Hou, they’re still children. This ceremony is just for fun."

The Hou nodded and turned his attention to his second grandson. Bei Bei wasn’t in a hurry like his elder brother and younger sister. He looked around at the people surrounding him, not understanding what they wanted from him. Each time his brother or sister grabbed an item, everyone reacted to it in some way. Bei Bei crawled toward the arranged items with no particular interest until he spotted some sweets. Crawling over, he grabbed the treat and started eating, completely ignoring everyone else. Kang Wang exclaimed,

"Er Ge is quite the clever one!"

It was said that if a child chose food or toys during the Zhuazhou Ceremony, they would grow up knowing how to enjoy life’s pleasures. From the looks of it, Bei Bei seemed to be that kind of person. After finishing the snack, he crawled over and picked up a brush. He had always wanted to touch one, but his mother had never let him play with it.

"Besides indulging in life’s pleasures, it seems Bei Bei is also interested in calligraphy,"

Xu Shi remarked affectionately. The Hou gave a satisfied grunt in agreement. Meanwhile, Xiao Hua Hua put down the ingot and crawled over to grab the wooden sword, making the Hou excited once more.

"Good! Good! Just like Grandpa’s little girl. When you’re older, Grandpa will personally teach you martial arts."

Seeing everyone in such high spirits, Nie Shuang felt truly happy. The Zhuazhou Ceremony concluded successfully, and afterward, everyone gathered for a lunch of longevity noodles. The atmosphere was warm and joyful, yet Nie Shuang couldn’t help but think of Song Qilin. By now, he was likely on the battlefield, and she could only hope for his safe return.

"When will you depart, Shuang Shuang?"

Kang Wang’s question pulled her out of her reverie. She smiled as she answered,

"In three days, Your Highness."

Kang Wang smiled sadly and said,

"How strange it is. Even though you’ve only been here in Huangjing for less than two years, the thought of you leaving feels like parting with an old friend."

Nie Shuang laughed.

"Your Highness, sometimes people may not know each other long, but if they get along well, it’s not surprising for them to become close friends. Your Highness has been more than a good friend to me, you have also shown me and my children great kindness. And besides, it’s not as though I’m leaving forever. Once I’ve taken care of everything, I’ll return."

"Ever since you started your business here in Huangjing, commerce in the city has been bustling. Many residents, especially women, have gained income from your tea trade. The Shen Nong Protection Agency has also driven out many of the city’s troublemakers. I hear some of them even went to learn martial arts at the agency with the intent of fighting their rivals, but ended up being reformed. Now, they’re traveling with trade caravans to provide security in other cities, aren’t they?"

Nie Shuang smiled. While she was a businesswoman who sought profit, she upheld principles of fairness and governance. If she only focused on benefiting herself without any responsibility to society, she wouldn’t have earned long-term support from the people. In fact, from what she estimated, the per capita income of Huangjing’s residents might now rival that of the capital. Under Kang Wang’s leadership, Huangjing had become peaceful and stable, with thriving trade. Most merchants traveled here specifically to trade tea, and the streets were filled with bustling shops. Naturally, this meant taxes were being fully collected, and it seemed that Kang Wang’s treasury might even surpass the royal treasury.

"Your Highness flatters me. The success of my business is due to your excellent policies. You have promoted commerce and supported education. In the future, I have no doubt that Huangjing will become one of the wealthiest cities in the entire Ye Region."

Kang Wang smiled humbly at the compliment, neither boasting nor downplaying his achievements. Nie Shuang wasn’t the only one listening—Yingying, sitting nearby, also gazed at him with admiration. Seeing this, Kang Wang had to suppress the urge to pull her into an embrace. How could someone be so endearing?

"This time, with you opening a branch in the capital, I suppose you’ll once again generate great wealth for the people there,"

Kang Wang teased, turning his gaze away from Mu Rongying.

"Is Your Highness interested in becoming a shareholder?"

Nie Shuang asked playfully, but to her surprise, Kang Wang agreed.

"Why not? Xiangyun Tea House uses the auspicious cloud as its emblem, and my personal seal is a tiger. How about using the symbol of a tiger riding the clouds for the capital branch where I have shares?"Nie Shuang’s eyes lit up at this suggestion. How could it not be good if Kang Wang allowed her to use his personal symbol? She had been thinking about finding a unique feature for the capital branch of the tea house, and now she could use Kang Wang’s seal to represent royal authority. The Xiangyun Tea House in the capital would exude grandeur befitting the residence of the Son of Heaven. She nodded in agreement and immediately had someone draft a contract.