Chapter 106: The Day of Coming of Age
The Second Elder and the Great Master shouted in unison: "We are discussing the preparation of gifts."
They were a little nervous at this moment, fearing that if they were a little late, they would become like the Great Elder.
When the Second Master saw that they had finished talking and it was finally his turn, he slowly said, "Xuan'er, you will be coming of age tomorrow. We are preparing your coming-of-age gift."
"Hair-haired?"
At this time Shen Jingxuan realized that she had been here for two years without realizing it.
I still remember when I first arrived here, my grandfather once said that he was thirteen years old that year. That year was a disaster for the original owner, but also for myself.
Before she could continue thinking, the Great Elder's acupoints had been unblocked. He glared at the Third Elder and chased him away. When everyone saw the Third Elder leaving, their hearts slowly settled down.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Shen Jingxuan was awakened by Chuntao, followed by her mother Hao and Old Madam Shen.
Following behind them were Qiu You and Xia Mei Dong Lian, who had not been seen for a long time. What surprised Shen Jingxuan even more was that Jiang Shaoying also walked in.
"Ying'er? Why are you here?" Shen Jingxuan looked at Jiang Shaoying with sleepy eyes.
It was still dark at this time, but she had already arrived at the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion. It was obvious that she had gotten up early just to accompany me during my coming-of-age ceremony. I couldn't help but feel a little warm in my heart.
Jiang Shaoying looked at Shen Jingxuan with a smile: "Xuan, I'm with you, just don't be nervous."
In order not to delay the maid from dressing her up, she stood at a distance and watched them busying around, occasionally lending a hand.
Old Madam Shen stood by and gave orders, and my mother and the maids did exactly what she told them to do.
By the time they had finished cleaning up, it was already daybreak. Shen Jingxuan didn't even have time to eat breakfast, so she followed everyone outside.
As soon as he walked out of the yard, he saw two masters and three old men standing side by side waiting for him, followed by three senior brothers, Li Luo and Shen Xinglin.
They gave gifts to Shen Jingxuan one after another, and said words of praise and auspiciousness, which made Shen Jingxuan smile.
Old Madam Shen brought a group of people to the side courtyard of the front hall, and Shen Jingxuan was able to have breakfast.
At this time, the front hall was already full of guests, although her father was no longer there.
But Mr. Shen's prestige is still there, and other mansions will give him some face and come to participate.
Old Master Shen couldn't help but have tears in his eyes as he stood in front of the main seat. This was what his son Shen Jianan should have done.
But since he is no longer here, this matter fell on me, and I have to complete what a father should do for my son.
He restrained his emotions and said loudly: "Today, the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, Shen Jingxuan, is about to come of age. Thank you all for coming to watch my granddaughter's coming of age ceremony."
After Mr. Shen finished speaking, he bowed deeply to the guests below.
After he took his seat, Shen Jingxuan, supported by a maid, slowly walked in from the side door. Her arrival drew praises from the guests below.
She was wearing a bright red robe embroidered with exquisite golden patterns, and her long hair was casually draped behind her.
Her face was as delicate as a jade carving, her eyes were bright and lively, emitting wisdom and spirituality, and there was a gentle smile on the corners of her mouth.
This was the scene Xie Lingxiao saw when he arrived, and he was stunned for a moment.
This is the girl he likes, the one he thinks about all the time, and after today, she will grow up.
But seeing how beautiful she is, I just want to hide her and not let anyone see her.
When Shen Jingxuan came out of the side hall, she saw Xie Lingxiao who had hurried over. Seeing him standing there motionless and looking at her, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him.
Chun Tao and a few others helped her bow to the guests below, and then a praiser came forward to comb her hair. As soon as her hair was combed, before she could catch her breath, a person next to her began to recite a blessing loudly.
Then they tied her hair into a bun and secured it with a hairpin. Chuntao and the others then took Shen Jingxuan away.
Shen Jingxuan sat on the chair, as if exhausted. She was so tired that she didn't want to move anymore.
But Jiang Shaoying pulled her and asked her to get up and change her clothes. Shen Jingxuan said impatiently: "Ying'er, when will it end? I'm so tired."
"It's almost done, it's almost done, don't keep the guests waiting for too long." Jiang Shaoying urged.
Shen Jingxuan had no choice but to continue with the trouble. She changed her clothes and went back to the front hall.
First, he paid formal respects to Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen and his mother to express his gratitude for their upbringing.
Then he bowed formally to the master and the three old men to show his respect to the master and the predecessors.
Finally, formal greetings are performed to the guests below to express gratitude for coming to attend the coming-of-age ceremony.
Shen Jingxuan felt dizzy at this moment. She had not expected that a coming-of-age ceremony would be so complicated.
The person standing in front of her kept talking, but Shen Jingxuan could no longer hear a word he said, her mind was filled with the thought that it wasn't over yet.
It was not until Qiuyou pulled her that Shen Jingxuan came back to her senses.
She followed Mr. Shen in bowing and thanking the people below before being taken away from the front hall by Chuntao and others.
Tired, Shen Jingxuan just felt tired now. She still didn't understand. It was just a coming-of-age ceremony to prove that she had grown up. Why did she have to make a fuss about it to be known to everyone in the city?
After resting in the side hall for a while, Shen Jingxuan was pulled back to the front hall by Chuntao and others and asked to greet the guests with Old Madam Shen and her mother.
At this time, Jiang Shaoying had already taken her seat. Shen Jingxuan saw her waving at her from afar, so she walked towards her with a smile.
"Ying'er, why are you sitting here?" This place is very remote. If you don't look carefully, you won't notice that there is any seat here.
Jiang Shaoying pointed to her seat inside and said, "Ah Xuan, sit here. People outside won't see you."
Shen Jingxuan couldn't help but laugh. No wonder he found such a remote place. It turned out that he was afraid that he would be hungry, so he made it convenient for him to eat secretly here.
Her smile became warmer, and she came to sit next to Jiang Shaoying: "Ying'er, you are still the best to me."
Jiang Shaoying felt a little embarrassed by what she said, and her face turned slightly red: "Okay, eat something quickly, or someone will come and you'll be hungry again."
The two of them ate happily, but they didn't know that everything they did was seen by Xie Lingxiao, who was always paying attention to Shen Jingxuan.
When he saw Shen Jingxuan eating, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly and he shook his head helplessly.
At this time, Shen Jingxuan's cheeks were bulging with food, like a little hamster, her eyes were rolling around, and she and Jiang Shaoying were occasionally passing food between them.
"Xuan'er, this is delicious." Jiang Shaoying praised while putting the dish into her own bowl.
Shen Jingxuan had just put the food in the bowl into her mouth when she heard a noisy sound outside.
She looked up outside and saw boxes after boxes, all wrapped in red silk.