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She understood even though she didn’t.

"What else could happen? You’ll understand after you’re married."

"You can’t escape," Xun Qingqing added one more sentence in the end.

Tao Minmin’s face turned red, "I’m not married yet."

Xun Qingqing said, "Soon, you’ll experience what it’s like to not be able to sleep at night and how it feels to get up in the morning."

Feng Wuyou said with a giggle, "Big sister, it seems you speak from experience."

Xun Qingqing, her face flushed, retorted: "And aren’t you even more experienced?"

Feng Wuyou lifted his chin defiantly, "What do you know? His Highness listens to me now. If I say sleep, he absolutely won’t object and will fall asleep right away."

If this were before, Xun Qingqing might have believed it, but now that she was married, she wasn’t so easily fooled.

"Really? His Highness is that easy to talk to?"

Feng Wuyou smiled proudly. "Of course."

Exhaustion naturally leads to sleep; Xiao Jinyan’s struggles were to no avail.

Tao Minmin remained skeptical as well.

Feng Wuyou asked, "Where’s my elder brother?"

Xun Qingqing replied, "He’s outside chatting with His Highness."

After that, the two of them started to check out Tao Minmin again.

"By the way, have you prepared your wedding dress?"

Tao Minmin replied, "It’s being prepared as we speak; it will be ready before the wedding."

Feng Wuyou felt somewhat sentimental, "Before long, when we all get together again, it will be a gathering of married women, bidding farewell to girlhood."

Xun Qingqing also felt sentimental, "Yes, we can talk about topics that married women discuss."

Tao Minmin, curious and puzzled, asked, "What topics should married women discuss?"

Xun Qingqing explained, "Of course, the topics that adults should discuss."

Feng Wuyou commented, "I think, perhaps, it will be topics that mothers should discuss."

Xun Qingqing and Tao Minmin looked at Feng Wuyou together and suddenly understood: after marriage, they could have babies.

The Tao Family, as wealthy merchants, had many friends and relatives, and even for the engagement party, several tables were set.

Feng Wuyou praised while eating, "The Tao Family really is rich; just look at these dishes, look at this soup..."

Xiao Jinyan glanced at the dishes in front of him, "You ate the same things yesterday."

Feng Wuyou chuckled, "That’s not important. What’s important is that I get to eat them again."

Xiao Jinyan: "..."

In the past few days, Top Scholar Song had been busy with the betrothal gifts and finally had some free time today.

After getting engaged and thinking of asking Tao Minmin to Qin Garden to appreciate the plum blossoms, he didn’t expect Tao Minmin to speak up first.

Tao Minmin, her face blushing, asked, "How about we go to Qin Garden to admire the plum blossoms together tomorrow?"

Top Scholar Song replied, "I was just thinking the same."

Hearing this, Tao Minmin smiled happily, "You’re not busy tomorrow, are you?"

Top Scholar Song answered, "The little imperial grandson is very smart, and the Crown Princess doesn’t want him studying all day. Since the end of the year is approaching, His Highness is sympathetic to me and has granted me a long vacation."

He also needed to prepare for the wedding, so the holiday was extended until the third day after the wedding.

Tao Minmin said, "That’s good then."

*

Today was the first meaningful date between Tao Minmin and Top Scholar Song.

Tao Minmin made an extra effort to dress up; when she stepped out, she was surprised to see Top Scholar Song standing at the doorway.

"I thought we were meeting at the entrance to Qin Garden."

Top Scholar Song said in a gentle voice, "How could I let you go there by yourself?"

Tao Minmin found it strange since Top Scholar Song had never been this proactive or considerate before.

Top Scholar Song, a scholar, while not pedantic, was also a man of letters, not a romantic.

To make an appointment to admire the plum blossoms and to come to pick her up early was like the domineering CEOs or gentlemanly men from storybooks.

Tao Minmin, puzzled, got on the horse carriage.

The distance to Qin Garden wasn’t far, and the horse carriage arrived after a brief ride.

Top Scholar Song got off the carriage first and then stood to one side, extending his hand to help her.

Tao Minmin naturally placed her hand in his and stepped down from the carriage.

After two days of continuous snowfall, Qin Garden was shrouded in pristine white snow, with bright red plum blossoms blooming defiantly against the snow.

Tao Minmin had never seen such beautiful snow-standing red plum blossoms; it was as if she could hear the sound of the blossoms opening.

Top Scholar Song stood by her side, admiring the red plum blossoms in the snow. If it had been any other time, he would certainly have composed a couple of poems.