Jiang Ningbao only smiled and did not reply. Jiang Mingyao’s eyes flashed with disappointment.
After walking one round, the people adding the dowry left and Jiang Ningbao also went back. If the sisters or good friends wanted to add the dowry, Jiang Ningbao needed to be present in her own courtyard to welcome them.
But where would Jiang Ningbao find a close friend? The only one who had quite a good relationship with her was Fu Wanning.
Once Jiang Ningbao went back to her courtyard, Chun Xi joyfully told her, “Lady, Lady Fu came to add your dowry.”
Jiang Ningbao spoke in pleasant surprise, “Quickly let her in.”
Not long later, Fu Wanning led two servant girls in. There was an intricate box in the servant girls’ hands.
Today, Fu Wanning wore an apricot colored long dress, looking gentle and beautiful.
“Ningbao, I came to add your dowry.”
Jiang Ningbao told her to sit while Chun Xi served the tea. Fu Wanning sippe the tea and her servant girls put the boxes forward. Inside was a set of exquisite accessories embed with gems.
“Ningbao, this is the dowry I give to you. It’s not valuable but don’t you look down on it,” Fu Wanning spoke with a soft tone.
Jiang Ningbao sincerely said thank you and let Chun Xi store it away.
She spoke with a light smile, “Wanning, you are ridiculing me. This set costs at least a few hundred silvers. Such an expensive gift, how can I look down on it? Moreover, you’ve come to add my dowry. Even if you only give me a sachet, I will still be happy.”
Fu Wanning’s eyes were filled with laughter.
The two of them talked for a while. Since Fu Wanning could not stay for long, she stood up and said farewell. Jiang Ningbao sent off Fu Wanning. After that, her concubine born female cousins came along with concubine born sisters from the first branch. They all came to add her dowry.
Satches, handkerchieves, gold and silver, jewelry, etcetera. They were all the intentions and their blessing coming from each one of them.
Jiang Ningbao welcomed them with good quality tea.
In the blink of an eye, it was already noon. Jiang Ningbao was preparing to eat together with her older brother. At this time, Chun Le came to report.
“Lady, first young lady and fifth young lady came to add your dowry.”
First young lady….
Jiang Ningbao was stunned. So her eldest female cousin came. Wasn’t she pregnant and needed to recover at the marquis residence?
Before she could think about it deeper, she heard footsteps nearing. Her eldest female cousin, Jiang Shuyan, came in while holding her fifth sister Jiang Mingyao. There were quite a lot of servants behind her eldest female cousin. It seemed that her eldest female cousin was living well.
“Oldest sister, fifth sister, you came.”
Jiang Ningbao greeted the two of them with a smile and she put her gaze on her eldest female cousin’s flat stomach for a while. After that, she told Chun Xi to put a jar of hot water on the table.
Jiang Shuyan was beautiful and her body exuded a soft and kind air. When she took in Jiang Ningbao’s appearance for the first time, she was slightly startled.
She always knew that her fourth sister was beautiful, especially with that soft air that made men feel the urge to protect. After just a few months, the pity evoking air had disappeared. In place of it was great brilliance and beauty akin to a dusty pearl that shone once the dust came off.
This beauty was even more eye-catching than before.
Jiang Shuyan drank a gulp of water and praised her fourth sister to be so attentive. Thanks to her fourth sister, she could get married to a young master from a marquis residence, but her days were not satisfactory. Her family was small and her two older brothers were not strong. After fourth sister’s engagement was annulled, it was difficult for her in the marquis residence.
When her fifth sister was engaged, she was being framed by a concubine. She had gotten pregnant at long last and only lost her baby. Hence, she did not receive the news and was said to be cold-hearted by grandmother.
The husband’s family disliked and her sisters-in-law bullied, the husband pampered little concubine. The grandmother said she was cold-hearted and selfish, not knowing to help the maternal family.
Jiang Shuyan did not know how she came here, only gritting her teeth to hold on. After that, the emperor decreed a marriage to her fourth sister which led to her days becoming better. The little concubines in the back yard did not dare to act arrogant and the marquis residence treated her better.
“Fourth sister, congratulations. These are the things I bring to add your dowry. May fourth sister and the duke be affectionate until old.”
After saying this, Jiang Shuyan let her servant girl present the gifts forward.
One shelf of small screen embroidered with mandarin ducks, small and exquisite and quite fine. It seemed that some thoughts were given to it. There were also two diamond embedded hairpins along with two pairs of delicately embroidered shoes with small pearls on top.
This gift to add the dowry was quite thoughtful.
Jiang Shuyan sincerely wished that her fourth sister and the duke could be affectionate. As long as her fourth sister was the duchess, her days in the marquis residence would be better.
She could not understand the thoughts of her mother and grandmother in the slightest.
If it were her, she would’ve built good relationships with her fourth sister. How could she scheme against her?
“Thank you, oldest sister. You’re considerate.”
Jiang Ningbao smiled as she thanked her. She was not familiar with this oldest sister but the two did not have any skirmish. Their relationship was quite faint. Inside the novel, this oldest cousin never made any appearance so she did not know what happened to her.
At this time, Jiang Mingyao also presented her gifts for adding the dowry. She gave a gray starling handicraft.
“Fourth sister, may you and the duke be wealthy until old age.”
Jiang Ningbao smiled, “Thank you, fifth sister.”
She stored away the gifts and chatted with them for a while before they left. Then, she summoned someone to call her older brother to eat lunch together.
After eating lunch, there was a continuous stream of people visiting her to add her dowry.
Jiang Ningbao even entertained a few noble ladies who she did not recognize, one of them being Yang Shuqing’s older concubine-born sister.
Jiang Ningbao was speechless.
Yang Wanling and ‘Jiang Ningbao’ were both the vicious secondary characters in the novel. In the latter part, the two had often worked together to frame the female lead.
Jiang Ningbao thought that she would not have any interaction with Yang Wanling. She did not think that the other would come to her house to add her dowry and used this chance to express goodwill. She even implied that they could work together to fight against Yang Shuqing.
Jiang Ningbao smiled slightly and thanked her, polite and courteous, but she did not reply to her goodwill.
Yang Wangling left, disappointed.
When night came, her oldest aunt Madam Zhang sent servants to move the big chests of dowry which contained quite valuable gold, silver, jewelries, handicraft, and others.
According to Jiang Ningbao’s servants, her oldest aunt did not embezzle her dowry which made her brows raised in astonishment. She silently thought that this was rare before teeling Chun Le and Chun Xi to tidy the things and put them in storage.
“Ningbao, the people on the dock had sent a letter saying that uncle and the rest have arrived.” Her older brother Jiang Jin rushed over and told Jiang Ningbao this good news happily.
Jiang Ningbao had a happy smile on her face once she heard that her uncle and his entourage finally arrived.
The only regret was that she did not know where her parents were at the moment.