The matter was settled, and the status was decided.
Su Xiaoqi hesitated for a moment before kowtowing to Madam Yu.
The surname Yu was not common in the Daliang Dynasty, and she finally remembered.
In the distant capital, there was a very prominent Yu family.
If she guessed correctly, Madam Yu must have come from that Yu family.
With a powerful background behind her, she could rely on them; it was beneficial and harmless.
Moreover, she genuinely liked Madam Yu.
She would kneel if she had to; she deserved it!
Discarding her modern notion of a person having golden knees, Su Xiaoqi performed the grand ceremony for Madam Yu.
Madam Yu was so delighted that she almost shed tears. It was Gu Shicheng who, upon hearing about this, brought Shen Yun to join the festivities.
Seeing Madam Yu's expression, he knew she was weeping from joy. He quickly held her hand, gently patted her shoulder, and repeatedly said that this was a great occasion and she shouldn't cry, as it would be inauspicious.
Madam Yu then dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and swallowed her tears.
According to etiquette, the Gu family would also host a banquet, one to acknowledge her as their adopted daughter and another to celebrate.
However, Madam Yu felt that the time was too rushed and she hadn't had enough time to prepare, so she hesitated about when to set the date.
"How about the end of August?" Gu Shicheng decided.
He was thinking of double happiness.
First, it was the acknowledgment of kinship. As for himself, he was quite impressed with Su Xiaoqi, and he hadn't expected his wife to be so capable as to directly recognize her as a goddaughter.
It could be imagined that their days in Mianzhou City would not be too dull from now on.
Second, he was very confident about Shen Yun's performance in this year's provincial examination.
Even if he didn't get first place like in the prefectural examination, he would at least be in the top ten.
Therefore, the banquet at the end of August would serve as both a kinship recognition banquet and a celebration banquet.
However, he couldn't say this too early, lest it jinx Shen Yun's luck.
But everyone present were astute individuals; a mere glance was enough for them to understand Gu Shicheng's intentions, and no one objected.
Only Du Yiyi, who was unaware of the situation, pouted and cajoled her aunt:
"Oh, by the end of August, I don't know if my parents will still allow me to come out and play.
I went to a lot of trouble to sneak out with my elder brother this time."
"Hahaha, you girl, you're more mischievous than your brother. Your brother can help you with your duties." Madam Yu playfully tapped her forehead.
However, she also gave her a promise. As she was an important witness to this event, she would send her an invitation then.
Of course, whether her mother would let her come was another matter, but Yiyi would surely find a way.
"You are my mother's elder sister. If you invite her, she won't dare to refuse. Hehe, it's settled." Du Yiyi looked delighted.
After saying this, she went to Su Xiaoqi again, put her arm around her shoulders, and whispered in her ear that there were still two weeks until the end of the month, and she had to think hard about what gift to prepare for her.
Su Xiaoqi was deeply moved at this moment, but her clever mouth didn't know what to say.
She was touched and overjoyed, but because the emotions were too intense, she couldn't say anything.
She even wondered if everything happening now was real.
The original owner of the novel didn't have this plot.
Shen Yun understood her and held her hand, giving her a gentle smile, "Congratulations, wife."
Su Xiaoqi blinked her eyes, letting the joy wash over her.
Since they treated her sincerely, she would reciprocate with all her heart.
So, when she heard that the Gu couple liked to eat corn and potatoes, Su Xiaoqi went out for a while and gave them a large pile of them.
Du Yiyi complained that she couldn't buy mooncakes from Chen Jin Ji no matter what.
Su Xiaoqi readily agreed, wrote a note for her, and asked her to send someone to Chen Jin Ji later. When she went tomorrow, she could pick them up at her convenience.
"Wow, really, really? Sister Xiaoqi, you're amazing." Du Yiyi looked at Su Xiaoqi with great admiration.
Her sparkling eyes even made Su Xiaoqi, who considered herself thick-skinned, blush.
She repeatedly said it was nothing special, just because she was friends with the owner of Chen Jin Ji, and Shen Yun's younger sister knew how to make mooncakes.
"Wow, that's amazing. Sister Xiaoqi, you have no idea how much my mother and I love Chen Jin Ji's pastries.
It would be wonderful if a shop like this could be opened in Yizhou Prefecture, allowing us to eat Chen Jin Ji's pastries every day."
These were Du Yiyi's casual words, but Su Xiaoqi's heart was immediately stirred.
Yes, it would be wonderful if Chen Jin Ji could open a branch in Yizhou Prefecture. She heard that it was full of wealthy people there.
She tentatively asked Du Yiyi, "Miss Yiyi..."
"Hey, Sister Xiaoqi, you are now my aunt's youngest daughter. We should address each other as sisters. You can just call me Yiyi."
Although Du Yiyi's personality was a bit impulsive, she was very sensible and didn't put on any airs of a young lady.
"Yiyi." Su Xiaoqi went along with it, as she wasn't one to be overly sentimental.
She had long found the constant "Miss" and "Miss" tiresome.
"Yiyi, do you own any shops?"
"Shops? What shops, ah, Sister Xiaoqi, you mean..." Du Yiyi was indeed smart; she understood what she meant after hearing only the first half of the sentence.
"If you have any shops under your name and are willing to open them as pastry shops, then we can cooperate."
Su Xiaoqi laid all her cards on the table, revealing that Chen Jin Ji was a business she had started with Chen Jin Niang and Shen Xiaomei.
After all, she had only omitted her relationship with Chen Jin Ji just now, she hadn't lied.
"Goodness, this, this is even more amazing." Du Yiyi's admiration for Su Xiaoqi deepened.
She didn't know how to describe her feelings.
She could only nod repeatedly and say, "Yes, yes, yes. I have four shops in Yizhou Prefecture, located in the east, south, west, and north of the city.
I also have shops in the capital. When my father can return to the capital, we can open Chen Jin Ji there too."
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoqi realized that Du Yiyi was not just an ordinary wealthy young lady.
She was actually a daughter of an official.
Her surname was Du, and if she remembered correctly, she had heard Shen Yun mention before that the prefect of Yizhou Prefecture was also surnamed Du, and he had come from the capital.
Therefore, Du Yiyi's identity was self-evident.
However, Du Yiyi did not flaunt her status, so there was no need for Su Xiaoqi to point it out.
Gu Shicheng and Madam Yu sat aside, drinking tea and watching the two girls excitedly discuss business.
Madam Yu feigned a headache and said, "My third sister always used to complain and tell me not to let Yiyi engage in this merchant business.
She always chided my brother-in-law for giving Yiyi shops. Now, it's great, Yiyi might not need them to give her shops anymore; her own shops will generate more."
Madam Yu was not speaking idly.
Not to mention the booming popularity of Chen Jin Ji in Mianzhou City.
Let alone Du Yiyi, even she herself might not be able to buy the pastries she wanted quickly.
There were too many people, and they all had to queue.
Moreover, Su Xiaoqi, a ready source of brilliant ideas, was here.
She had heard her husband say that Xiaoqi, despite her gentle and humble appearance, was actually full of ideas and extremely shrewd, very good at doing business.
Yiyi and Xiaoqi were of similar age and both were girls she liked, so she was happy to see them become close.
In the future, if Shen Yun were to be posted to the capital, and she couldn't follow him, the Du family could look after her.
Alas, this goddaughter was just too much to her liking; she loved her to the bone.
"Madam, Xiaoqi just said that if you want anything to eat in the future, just have Qiwen go to Chen Jin Ji and mention it. You can pick it up directly without queuing."
Gu Shicheng saw Madam Yu spacing out, lost in thought, and gently patted her hand to remind her.
"Ah, oh, that's wonderful." Madam Yu suddenly came back to her senses and looked at Su Xiaoqi with delight.
This girl was indeed wonderful, and it was not in vain that she had been thinking about her plans while spacing out.
Sometimes, the way people interact is truly magical. Some people, even if they spend days together, seem to have a barrier between them.
But sometimes, if you meet the right person, a single glance is enough to make your hearts connect and entrust yourselves to each other.