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After Genmiao returned, Uncle Man Cang and Aunt Manchong began preparing for his wedding with Hancui. The young helpers who came back with Genmiao managed to build a new house for him next to Uncle Man Cang's home in just half a month. However, Genmiao postponed the wedding date, insisting that Elder Brother Li must return before he could marry. No one opposed this; the villagers learned from the young people how much Elder Brother Li had helped them over the years. He had taught them how to survive on the battlefield and had saved their lives countless times. Genmiao wanted Elder Brother Li to be his witness, and both Uncle Man Cang and Aunt Manchong readily agreed.
As the wedding approached, the entire village became busy. This was the first wedding in Aoyama Village in five years, and everyone took it very seriously, eager to help make the event grand. Elder Brother Li could not decline and sat beside Uncle Man Cang's four elders, accepting the couple's bowing. He gifted the newlyweds large red envelopes, which did not contain money—though he held a high position, he was actually quite poor, even less wealthy than his younger brother and sister—but rather gifts chosen by Hanno that were not valuable in modern times. Genmiao received a lighter, while Hancui was given a hairpin adorned with water diamonds. The gifts dazzled everyone present, and many families with daughters began considering marrying their girls off to Elder Brother Li.
On the second day of the wedding, matchmakers came knocking—local ones, from other villages, from town, and even from the county—one after another. However, they were all turned away by Li Zhoule before they even saw Elder Brother Li himself.
"My brother already has a fiancée."
"What? General Li has a fiancée? Why haven't we heard about this?" one matchmaker asked stubbornly.
Li Zhoule smiled and replied, "Because my brother's fiancée is not from Jingyang County or even Sanchuan Prefecture."
The matchmaker was shocked: "Could she be someone of noble birth from the capital?"
Li Zhoule said, "I’m not sure; I only know her status is extremely respectable."
How could it not be? She had once regarded him as a deity!
The matchmaker's eyes widened: someone of extremely respectable status from the capital?! Not a princess or noblewoman but surely the daughter of a high-ranking official? It made sense; General Li was indeed a general with a prestigious position, so he would naturally marry someone of noble birth. How could he possibly be interested in local peasant girls or merchant daughters? Even if they were daughters of officials, they couldn't compare to noblewomen from the capital!
The matchmakers left in disappointment. Elder Brother Li stepped out of his house: "Have they all gone?"
"They've all left." Li Zhoule plopped down and wiped her sweat; dealing with those matchmakers was exhausting.
"Brother, when will Sister Han come over to our world?" She hoped Hanno would arrive soon to fend off these matchmakers; she didn't want to deal with them anymore. Was this still in the countryside? If such a situation arose in the capital as well, her excuse might not hold up. Sister Han had yet to show herself; others would only think that having a 'fiancée' was just an excuse. If someone with a lower rank than her brother came along or someone with a higher rank tried to pressure him... she couldn't figure out how to handle that.
"Elder Brother Li" smiled and said, "It won't be long now. 'Sister Han' is working hard to enhance the functionality of the 'Porcelain Jar.' It can already display images and sound, can't it? Soon, she should be able to come over from another place."
"Li Zhoule" replied, "Although I don't quite understand, I will pray for 'Sister Han,' wishing that she can reunite with her brother soon."
"Elder Brother Li" chuckled and reached out his hand, finally unable to resist ruffling "Li Zhoule's" hair. "Don't worry about my matters with 'Sister Han.' Come take a look at this dowry list and see if there's anything else we should add."
"Li Zhoule" and "Wen Zixia" had planned to wait until he passed the Scholar exam before getting married, but since "Elder Brother Li" couldn't stay in their hometown for long and had to return to the capital in a month, they decided to marry earlier.
Hearing this, "Li Zhoule" blushed and said, "I won't look at it anymore; you can decide, big brother."
"Li Wei Feng" shoved the dowry list into "Li Zhoule's" hands. "The dowry is related to your life after marriage; how can you not look?"
Reluctantly, "Li Zhoule" lowered her head to read: one hundred acres of fertile land, a courtyard with twelve rooms, a bed surrounded by flowering crabapple trees, a beauty couch, a qin table, a writing desk, various types of tables, an Eight Immortals table, a top box cabinet, a standing cabinet, a bookcase—all made of Blackwood. Four sets of seasonal clothing, hundreds of yards of silk, four sets of various porcelain items, a pair of jade ruyi... The most valuable were the books; "Elder Brother Li" seemed to have emptied all the bookstores in the county. Moreover, "Hanno" had sent items for "Li Zhoule's" dowry as well. Besides a box of her favorite diamond hairpins, "Hanno" prepared another box of pearl necklaces and a trunk full of modern skincare and makeup products.
"I can't accept all this, big brother," "Li Zhoule" hurriedly said.
She calculated that these items were worth over twenty thousand taels. If "Elder Brother Li" had given all his family's wealth as her dowry, what would he and his brother do?
"Elder Brother Li" smiled and said, "You are my sister; only you are qualified to have these things."
He ruffled "Li Zhoule's" hair again. "Don't worry about me and 'Li Yishu' living poorly without money. Just one item sent by 'Sister Han' could make us wealthy."
With tears in her eyes, "Li Zhoule" whispered, "Big brother."
"Brother! Sister!" "Li Yishu" joyfully ran in from outside. As she reached them, she suddenly stopped and asked in confusion, "Second sister, why are you crying?"
"I didn't cry," Li Zhoule quickly wiped away her tears. "I-I just had some sand in my eyes."
Li Yishu shot her a sideways glance. "Sister, I'm not a fool."
His gaze landed on the dowry list in Li Zhoule's hands, and he understood. "Oh, so Sister is moved? How is it? Are you satisfied with the dowry?"
"Very satisfied, very satisfied," Li Zhoule nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Li Yishu. Thank you, Elder Brother."
Elder Brother Li smiled. "We're siblings by blood; there's no need for thanks."
Li Yishu nodded in agreement. "That's right, Sister. You don't need to be so polite. Money is just material wealth; both Elder Brother and I can earn more if we spend it all. Besides, the most precious thing in our family is the Porcelain Jar, but that doesn't include your share."
Li Zhoule laughed. "And it doesn't include yours either. The Porcelain Jar belongs to Elder Brother."
Li Yishu chuckled. "Of course! I wouldn't want my sister-in-law to come looking for me in the middle of the night."
Elder Brother Li gave Li Yishu a light tap on the head. "Are you comparing your sister-in-law to a ghost?"
Li Yishu hugged his head and fled, shouting loudly, "I didn't mean it like that! It's your fault, Elder Brother! I'm going to tell Sister-in-law!"
The three siblings laughed and joked together, and the unease and guilt in Li Zhoule's heart were laughed away as she prepared to be a bride. The bridal gown had to be embroidered by her own hands. Hanno had sent her many beautiful pictures of ancient bridal gowns online, and after reviewing them all, Li Zhoule designed a stunning gown that suited her perfectly and was currently working hard to finish it.
Li Yishu and Wen Zixia's engagement date was set for the Ninth Day of the Ninth Month, symbolizing long-lasting love. Moreover, according to the lunar calendar, this was one of the most auspicious days for marriage that year. Before their wedding date arrived, August Fifteenth came first. The New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival were two of the most important festivals for ancient people; August Fifteenth was a day for family reunions. No matter how far away one was or how important other matters were, people generally returned home to celebrate with their families during this time. In previous years, the Li siblings had avoided celebrating August Fifteenth to spare themselves heartache. This year, however, Li Zhoule began preparations early to have the most wonderful Mid-Autumn Festival with her brother and younger brother.
This world also had the custom of eating mooncakes; it was unclear when or where this tradition began, but it certainly wasn't the same mooncake tradition known in Hanno's world that originated from Liu Bowen's time. Li Zhoule prepared mooncakes in advance, but due to limited conditions, all of them were steamed rather than baked, which naturally made them less delicious. Everyone at home loved the mooncakes sent over by Hanno; of course, both Li Zhoule and Wen Zixia preferred those mooncakes over what Li Zhoule made herself, which were all reserved for gifting.
Hanno sent over the mooncakes she made by hand. There were plenty of sellers on Taobao offering molds for the ingredients, and following the tutorials online, Hanno and Mom Han quickly produced a large batch of mooncakes, most of which were Snow Skin Mooncakes. Their translucent appearance resembled the full moon on the fifteenth day, making them particularly appealing to Wen Zixia and Li Zhoule. Li Zhoule even asked Hanno for tips on making Snow Skin Mooncakes and ended up making a few himself, all of which he gave to Wen Zixia, prompting Elder Brother Li to sigh, "Girls are so outgoing!"
"Can the Porcelain Jar connect to other worlds?" Elder Brother Li asked in astonishment.
"Yes. It seems that during festivals, it can randomly link to other worlds. I've tried it several times; if you put something in the Porcelain Jar during a festival, it definitely won't be sent to your world but will disappear without a trace," Hanno explained.
Elder Brother Li responded, "So the Porcelain Jar really is a dimensional trading device? Will we establish connections with other worlds in the future?"
Hanno replied, "It's possible, but only if the other party also has a similar Porcelain Jar."
Elder Brother Li nodded, "I'll try putting something in the Porcelain Jar to see if it gets sent somewhere else."
Hanno laughed, "It definitely won't come back to me. By the way, how many worlds can your Porcelain Jar connect to?"
Elder Brother Li said, "Perhaps it can truly connect to Three Thousand Worlds."
The term "Three Thousand Worlds" here does not refer to a specific number but signifies many worlds.
Hanno said longingly, "Do you think there might be worlds we've traveled through before? Once the full potential of the Porcelain Jar is unlocked, will we have a chance to revisit those worlds?"
Elder Brother Li gently replied, "There should be. When that time comes, we can go back and meet old friends!"
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