Qin Miao had been spending her days leisurely for several days, and she was feeling very comfortable. But... the nanny who raised her was coming.

  This time's nanny was hired by the ancestors, previously in Beijing specializing in teaching ladies etiquette, only because her son's whole family moved to Hangzhou, she also followed south.

  Miss Kang was a kind and gentle person with a soft voice, but she was strict in her work. When teaching, she was meticulous and wouldn't tolerate any laziness. At first, Qin Miao had a hard time under her guidance. Fortunately, Qin Miao had also made up her mind to learn from Miss Kang and become a proper lady, so that she could stand proudly beside the handsome young master and become his worthy wife.

  Since Qin Miao had already arranged a marriage, it would not be convenient for him to continue managing the affairs of the Qin family in the future. Therefore, Qin Yu gradually reduced his external errands and focused on managing the store and accounting matters.

  "Ah, Ah, what do the madams of the Hou Mansion usually do? Is it difficult?" Qin Miao asked Kang Ah-yi very seriously one day. She had a lot of experience in managing businesses and found it interesting, but being a qualified wife of the Hou Mansion was indeed something she needed to learn.

  Aunt Kang smiled gently: "It's not difficult. Generally, the layout of a noble family is divided into front and back yards, just like the Qin family's current situation. The front yard doesn't require much attention from the ladies, but the back yard needs the mistress to put in some thought and effort to manage. Simply put, things can be roughly divided into several items: people, money, goods, and etiquette. 'People' refers to the management of all the servants in the Hou Mansion, which is the most important thing in the back yard. If you manage the people well and use them correctly, then the subsequent matters of money, goods, and etiquette can be simplified."

  "It's just like when I'm at the Qin family, responding to those shopkeepers in a way that suits each of them, showing off my skills and making sure to be sincere with the Qin family." Qin Miao continued from where Nurse Kang left off.

  Kang Aunty wasn't familiar with business matters, but after listening to Qin Miao's comparison, it was indeed similar: "That's right, that's the principle. And Qian refers to managing the household accounts and silver transactions. I believe this shouldn't be difficult for Miss Qin."

  Qin Miao nodded confidently, thinking that being a noble lady didn't seem so difficult after all.

  "When it comes to things, it refers to the purchases needed for the back house, from daily food to the repair of the mansion, all belong to the category of things. And as for etiquette, it corresponds to the courtesy and reciprocity of the marquis's household, which is human feelings, necessary for the big families to maintain their dignity. When you become the marchioness, there will be many such social obligations, so you also need to pay attention to these details."

  Qin Miao thought it over from head to toe in her heart, and confidently said to Kang Nian: "Niangniang, these things are indeed very consistent with what I did in the Qin family, it's really great."

  "Although that's the case, each household has its own troubles, and adapting to situations is the best strategy. Moreover, as for how to be a good madam of the manor, it ultimately boils down to one thing: being loving and faithful to the marquis, without any doubts. As long as you have the marquis's trust, your days in the manor won't be too difficult."

  Kang Aunty has seen many tricks of the high-class ladies, and no matter how intelligent a woman is, without her husband's consideration, she would be unable to move forward. However, this Miss Qin in front of her is clever and beautiful, enough to make any man's heart skip a beat. Hopefully, her previous words were unnecessary.

  Qin Miao followed Kang's rules like this, occasionally taking a walk on windy days, but later the ancestors added classes in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, completely squeezing out her free time.

  Time flies quickly, and before I knew it, the year was coming to an end. Mr. Qin had made arrangements for things in Beijing early on and brought Qin Lang back to Hangzhou before New Year's Eve.

  This was Qin Miao's last Chinese New Year in the Qin family. She, who usually didn't have a care in the world, became sentimental and melancholic on this New Year's Eve. The old ancestors seemed to have more white hair than before, Father's wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened, Sister-in-law was about to give birth with her huge belly, making Brother anxious. And Qin Lang, her childhood playmate, also looked more depressed today.

  Qin Miao patted his increasingly broad shoulders and said with a smile: "Didn't you say that this year you brought back many fireworks from the capital? Let me take a look!"

  Qin Lang nodded and greeted the adults in the house. After getting their consent, he took Qin Miao to the small courtyard.

  The winter days in Hangzhou do not snow, and the New Year's Eve is still cold. Qin Lang and Qin Miao walked side by side, from start to finish without saying a word to her. Several times she moved her mouth, trying to talk to him, but the words reached the edge of her mouth and couldn't be spoken.

  I never thought the road to Xiaoyuan could be so long, until the person beside me said in the cold wind: "Anuan, after the new year, I'll have to go to Shu again."

  "What does Father mean?"

  Qin Lang softly murmured "en", and then the two fell into silence again.

  "This time I may be away for half a year. I won't be able to see you off on your wedding day." Even someone as slow-witted as Qin Miao could sense the unease in his words.

  Qin Miao looked ahead with some discomfort, the people beside her having grown up together from childhood to adulthood. With the care of an elder brother and the righteousness of a sworn brother, it was unbearable to see them watch her get married. It was a lie to say that one's heart wouldn't feel uncomfortable. But she still responded calmly: "Alright, I understand."

  "An Nuan, from now on you'll be going to the Marquis's residence, take good care of yourself. If anyone bullies you, come find me, don't hide by yourself and cry."

  Qin Lang still remembered that when Anuan was five or six years old, she was very timid. Once he played a trick on her by putting a frog from the pond into her embroidered shoe, scaring her half to death. Afterwards, she would take a detour whenever she saw him, and it took him a long time to coax her back.

  He didn't want Ah Nuan to be bullied again, not even by himself. However, he knew his identity and that this life was not destined for him to marry her, yet he had always wanted to protect her for a lifetime. But now she was about to go into another man's arms, and who knows if that man could protect Ah Nuan...

  Qin Miao knew Qin Lang wouldn't really ignore her, so she forced a smile and said: "Who can bully me? I haven't bullied others, that's not bad. You can rest assured."

  This was her last New Year's Eve, and she spent the whole night setting off fireworks with her childhood playmates. The dark sky was illuminated time and again by the fireworks, transforming into various shapes and warmly reflected on their faces. The boy was gentle, the girl was bright, and it seemed as if the world had narrowed down to just each other, and a beam of light in their eyes.

  After the spring festival, Qin Lang left. Qin Miao also started to get busy, in two months she would officially become an adult. The rules and etiquette taught by Kang Yiniang were almost mastered, every day she would set aside half a time unit to practice and consolidate, the rest of the time was spent accompanying her family and practicing calligraphy.

  The masters of the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting classes had all been dismissed because Qin Miao really didn't have the talent to be a talented woman. If she said she was slightly interested, it was only in calligraphy. However, the cursive script that women often practiced in their boudoirs, although Qin Miao practiced well, always seemed too dignified, and instead let Qin Yu find a model of running script to practice.

  Time flies like water, and the full moon of my nephew has passed. The hairpinning ceremony on March 15th was also completed amidst the tears and snot of our ancestors.

  Finally, Qin Jia An Nuan is getting married!