Of course, at this time, Qi Zhenzhen did not expect that she would have so many entanglements with Xu Miaoniang.
After carefully considering how to reply to Gu Sinian, Qi Zhenzhen began to take stock of her belongings.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, she had received many gifts.
There were gifts from the Prince Rui's mansion, from the Duke of Protector's mansion, and from the Qian family. Besides sending New Year's gifts to the Marquis's mansion, these three families had also prepared gifts specifically for her. After inquiring with the Old Madam, Qi Zhenzhen prepared return gifts one by one. They didn't need to be expensive, but they had to be thoughtful.
For the Prince Rui's mansion, she was familiar with Ruining and the Princess Rui, and she knew their preferences, so preparing gifts was effortless.
As for the Duke of Protector's mansion, although the gifts were nominally from the Duke of Protector's mansion, in reality, they were from Madam Qin. However, she couldn't just send a return gift to Madam Qin alone. The Duke, the Duchess, and the Old Madam of the Duke's mansion were the masters of the household, and none of them could be neglected. After much deliberation, Qi Zhenzhen finally selected gifts for everyone in the Duke of Protector's mansion and sent Feixu and Erxi to deliver them.
As for the Qian family, the gifts were the easiest to prepare: several novel recipes, which would surely make Qian Yuanbao jump for joy.
Meanwhile, when Feixu and Erxi went to the Duke of Protector's mansion, after stating their purpose to the gatekeeper, they waited for a while and were directly led to the Yan Nian Courtyard.
The Old Madam, the Duke of Protector, and the Duchess were all present.
The two calmly paid their respects to the masters of the Duke's mansion and presented the gift list.
Xu Miaoniang, who was by the Old Madam's side, took the gift list and handed it to the Old Madam.
The Old Madam glanced at it casually and tossed it onto the table, "Second Miss Qi is thoughtful. For the interactions between the two mansions, why would she need to specially send return gifts?"
Her careless words clearly showed a casual attitude towards Qi Zhenzhen.
"Old Madam, this is still Second Miss Qi's thoughtful gesture," Xu Miaoniang said softly. "It's just that I didn't know Second Miss Qi also had an interest in military strategy. Look, there are military books on the gift list. Second Miss Qi is truly remarkable. What ordinary woman understands military strategy? I imagine she put a lot of thought into it, specifically finding these military books for the Duke of Protector."
Gu Changwei frowned slightly. He wasn't interested in the military books Xu Miaoniang mentioned. He had been reading military books since childhood; it was no exaggeration to say that he had read every military book available in Da Feng. Why would he care about something sent by an unmarried girl trying to please him? Besides, girls have their own duties. Military strategy is not something they should be involved in.
Xu Miaoniang keenly observed Gu Changwei's expression. As expected, the military books didn't strike a chord with Gu Changwei. It wasn't that easy to please the head of the Duke's mansion.
The Old Madam also pouted, "Tell your young lady to stop racking her brains trying to figure out our preferences. With that effort, she should read more 'Nu Ze' and 'Nu Jie,' and memorize what a woman should do. That would be sufficient. Our Duke of Protector's mansion is not some ordinary minor household where one can act as they please."
Erxi, being straightforward, instinctively wanted to defend Qi Zhenzhen upon hearing this.
Feixu quickly pulled her back. The person before them was not someone they, as servants, could casually refute. Their young lady was not yet married, and the Old Madam clearly disliked her. If they spoke up today, their young lady would be blamed for not disciplining her servants properly.
"Your Ladyship's words have been noted by this servant, and I will relay them to my young lady when we return," Feixu said calmly. "Every word."
Madam Qin stood up, "Since Mother does not think highly of the gifts from Zhenzhen, then this daughter-in-law will take them all back to the Lan Zhi Courtyard. I presume Zhenzhen's special return gifts were because this daughter-in-law separately prepared a festival gift for her."