"Yes, yes! With Aunt by my side, I'm not afraid of anything!" Qiao Mei said.
"Your Uncle Liu Yang keeps urging me every day to bring him to look for you. He wants to check on your constitution so that he knows which are the most suitable traditional Chinese medicines to nourish your essence and vitality during confinement. I haven't allowed him to go yet. Who knows if his intention is just to ask you for a ginseng!" Xia Fang said jokingly.
"Liu Yang only knows how to do academic research. He can go and check on other people. There's no need to check on our Qiao Mei!" Xu Lan covered her face as she said with a smile.
Qiao Mei was so amused that she laughed out loud. So what if Liu Yang was only after the ginseng? In the end, he was still concerned about her health. As long as it was a person who was really concerned about her, she could not thank him enough!
As they chatted, it was soon time for Xia Fang to go back to work again. Xu Lan went home with the two younger women. It had not been easy for her to convince Qiao Mei to stay at her place for the night. She could not miss such a good opportunity!
"Mei Mei, I found a necklace at the antique market two days ago. It suits you a lot. Come and take a look!" As soon as Xu Lan entered the house, she ran to get the gift for Qiao Mei.
It was a gold necklace with a ruby the size of a fingernail hanging in the middle. It was obvious that it was worth a lot of money. The purity and cut were both top-grade!
Even if Qiao Mei did not know anything about jewelry, she was also shocked by what she saw. This could even become a family heirloom in the future!
"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Xia He said enviously.
"I've had my eye on it for a long time! Previously, this shopkeeper refused to sell this necklace as he said he wanted to keep him as part of the dowry for his daughter's wedding. Then he suddenly put it up for sale. Later on, I asked around and found out that the groom-to-be was a heartless man! That's why the wedding was canceled. So I quickly bought the necklace!" Xu Lan said excitedly.
Qiao Mei did not care for taboos and did not dwell on the auspiciousness of such a nice item. No matter what, it was a token of Xu Lan's feelings for her!
"I like it very much! Thank you, Mother!" Qiao Mei happily accepted the gift.
Xia He pouted and said, "What about mine? You only know how to dote on your daughter-in-law, but not on your own daughter!"
Back then, she did not even have any dowry! Xu Lan was so piqued that she almost did not attend Xia He's wedding. Xia Wen had to persuade Xu Lan for three days and three nights before he managed to convince her. Otherwise, Xia He would definitely have already cut ties with Xu Lan!
Actually, Xu Lan had already prepared Xia He's dowry. Although it was not as grand as those rich families' dowry in ancient times, it would still be enough for Xia He to gain a foothold in her in-laws' family.
Xia He was actually quite glad that she had quarreled with Xu Lan and did not bring a single cent with her to the Kong family. Otherwise, her dowry would have been taken by Old Madam Kong!
"You! I'll definitely give it to you when you get married! Don't worry!" Xu Lan said disdainfully.
"Hmph! I'll marry if I have to! Who's afraid of you!" Xia He said stubbornly.
"Hehe, Elder Sister has many suitors~ And there's this handsome young man! Two days ago, he even sent Elder Sister home!" Qiao Mei whispered into Xu Lan's ear.
Xia He immediately blushed and pointed at Qiao Mei angrily. "Qiao Mei! Why are you such a snitch! The two of us are colleagues! Don't spread rumors!"
"What colleagues? Qiao Mei, tell me quickly!" Xu Lan's interest for gossip was immediately piqued. She knew all those kids from the art troupe very well, but she never knew that there was anyone who was fond of Xia He.
"I can't say. If I say it, Elder Sister will get angry," Qiao Mei said as she looked at Xia He with a grin.
Xu Lan did not continue asking about it. At the end of the day, Deng Fan was the only person there who knew Xia He and had been colleagues with her from the beginning.
She was definitely very satisfied with Deng Fan. Although he was not very talented, he was diligent and did not slack off even after so many years. If not for the fact that she was no longer a key personnel in the troupe, Deng Fan would probably be the principal dancer by now. It was a pity that the previous troupe leader had been suppressing Deng Fan because he did not have a prominent background.
"Alright, let's go and eat. Let your elder sister continue to feel shy here!" Xu Lan held Qiao Mei's hand and brought her to the dining table. Qiao Mei put the necklace into her bag for the time being, scared that she might lose it if she was too careless with it.