Chen Caozhi took his two lovely wives, Lu and Xie, home to honor his ancestors. His uncles Chen Xian and Chen Man, his fifth aunt from the East Tower, his sister-in-law Ding Youwei and her two children, and Chen Chang, Chen Tan, and the other Chen clansmen all returned to Chen Family Cove together. The wedding guests from Kuaiji and Wu Commandery had originally intended to travel back with them, but there were simply too many people, making lodging along the road inconvenient, so they agreed to leave the capital a few days later. Only Ding Yi and his son, along with Feng Lingbo and her younger brother, accompanied Chen Caozhi back to Qiantang. Xu Miao, Xie Xuan, Zhang Xuan, and the others returned to Jingzhou, while Ran Sheng and Lai De returned to Gushu, each going back to his duties.
Of the hundred and twenty servants who had accompanied Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun as part of their dowries, eighty followed them back to Chen Family Cove this time. The Chen Residence beside the Qinhuai River had no need for so many idle servants, whereas Chen Family Cove needed hands. Raising silkworms, weaving cloth, picking tea, planting trees-there was plenty to do...
The autumn sky was high and the air crisp, and their journey went smoothly. On the twenty-third day of the eighth month, they reached the Jinling Gu Clan's manor. After resting there overnight, they boarded boats east of Taihu Lake just as they had on their previous journey, arriving at its northwestern shore the following evening. They then changed to black-awning boats and followed the White Dragon River toward the seat of Wu Commandery. Around midnight, they entered Wu County through Pan Gate and stayed at the Lu Residence. All along the way, Lu Clan manor retainers