Chapter 150 The Residence of Vice Minister Qiao

Although it wasn't snowing that day, as the saying goes, it's not cold when it snows but it's cold when the snow melts. Even though Yu Qingyun was wearing thick brocade clothes and a fox fur coat, he was sitting on his horse with no shelter from the cold and quickly started shivering all over.

Glancing sadly at her father, who stood beside her with a stern face and eyes fixed ahead, Yu Qingyun swallowed hard but ultimately didn't dare to suggest that he dismount and get into the carriage.

After enduring the journey, Yu Qingyun finally arrived at her maternal grandmother's house. She shuffled her nearly frozen body up the steps to her maternal grandfather's house.

Lady Ruan, the eldest daughter-in-law of Vice Minister Qiao, had been waiting with a group of servants for a long time. When she saw the father and son dismount, she hurriedly went forward to greet them.

"Brother-in-law is here, please come in. Oh dear, look at Qingyun, he's frozen. Quickly, lead the young master in to get into the sedan chair, and give him my hand warmer."

Yu Jingsheng nodded solemnly to Madam Ruan in response, stopping the maid from handing the hand warmer to Yu Qingyun, then glanced back at his son and said:

"Why is a grown man riding in a sedan chair? If he can't even stand this little bit of cold, what can we expect from him in the future? Come in with me."

Yu Jingsheng stood on the steps, glanced at his son who was shivering and covered himself up tightly, and felt another wave of disappointment.

Having worked away from home for many years, I was unable to personally teach my eldest son. As a result, the child, spoiled by his grandmother and Mrs. Qiao, grew up to be weak and frail, showing no sign of masculinity whatsoever. He was nothing like me back then.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but picture my youngest son, Yu Qingbai, standing tall and proud, bouncing around in the snow, building a snowman for both his mother and himself. His lively and endearing appearance made me feel even more sorry for him.

With the comparison in mind, Yu Jingsheng felt even more disappointed in his eldest son.

Madam Qiao hurriedly instructed the steward to lead the two inside, while she and her servants continued to wait.

Qiao's carriage and that of her two daughters also arrived.

The car stopped, and the three women, including the Qiao family, dressed in fox fur coats and adorned with jewels, got out one after another.

Ruan stepped forward quickly and said in a gentle voice, "Mother has been thinking about my sister since early morning, and finally she and her nephew and niece have arrived. It's freezing outside, please come in quickly."

Qiao steadied herself, glanced haughtily at her sister-in-law, and said indifferently:

"Thank you for waiting for us here, sister-in-law. Qingyan and Qingying, come and greet your aunt."

Yu Qingyan and Yu Qingying followed their mother's example and bowed to Madam Ruan, their attitude cold and arrogant with a hint of disdain.

The eldest maternal aunt's father was only a fifth-rank official, so Ruan was considered to have married up.

As the mistress of the Vice Minister's household, she had been disliked by her mother-in-law, Madam Wen, for many years. Under her mother-in-law's pressure, she was always submissive and lacked any demeanor of a mistress.

Facing her married sister-in-law, Qiao, and her children, Qiao always had to be subservient and try to please them, never daring to put on any airs of being the eldest sister-in-law.

Qiao led her daughter towards the gate first, while Ruan followed behind with her maids and servants, unsurprised by the sight.

Upon entering the main gate and passing the nine-foot-high marble screen wall in front of you, you will find several sedan chairs waiting there.

Qiao and the others got back into the sedan chair with the foot warmer and walked for about fifteen minutes before arriving at the main courtyard where Vice Minister Qiao and Lady Wen lived.

Minister Qiao was nearly sixty years old, but he was always in good spirits because he took good care of himself. He had more than a dozen children, including legitimate sons and daughters, as well as illegitimate sons and daughters. His wife, Lady Wen, only gave birth to one legitimate eldest son and two daughters.

The eldest daughter married the family of the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Master Cheng, and the youngest daughter was Lady Qiao.

The eldest son had been serving as an official away from home for many years, leaving his first wife, Ruan, at home to take care of his parents and manage the household affairs.

The family entered the main hall, where Minister Qiao and Madam Wen were already waiting. After exchanging greetings, Yu Jingsheng and Minister Qiao, the father-in-law and son-in-law, went to the study to talk.

Wen then pulled her daughter Qiao and her nephew and niece to sit down and chat.

The main hall was decorated with flowers and had a warm atmosphere. The tables were filled with exquisite tea snacks and fruits, and everyone sat around, laughing and chatting happily.

With a gentle smile, Madam Ruan stood beside Madam Wen, serving her, while her daughter Qiao Ning sat below her, keeping her company.

Although Madam Ruan was the eldest sister-in-law and several years older than Madam Qiao, she had children late, and her only daughter was a few months younger than her little niece Yu Qingying. So, it is true that the direct line of the Qiao family has few offspring.

Because the Qiao family mother and daughter had always looked down on the Ruan family, the Yu Qingyan sisters also rarely paid attention to their cousin Qiao Ning. Therefore, they rarely visited their maternal grandparents' home unless they came back with the other three children of their maternal uncle who was an official in another city, in which case they would stay at their maternal grandparents' home for a few days.

At this moment, they were all chatting and laughing around their grandmother, while not even glancing at their cousin standing to the side.

After talking for a while, Madam Qiao asked about her eldest brother.

“I heard that my eldest brother’s term of office is about to expire. I wonder if he can be transferred back to Beijing this time? That way, our family won’t be separated for so long. I haven’t seen my eldest brother in so long.”

Upon hearing her daughter mention her eldest son, Madam Wen smiled and said:

“I spoke to your father about this the other day. Your brother has been serving as an official in another province for many years and should have been transferred back long ago. Now that his term is up, if your father doesn’t find a way to transfer him back, humph! I won’t let him off the hook.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Ruan smiled and comforted her, "Mother, you are overthinking it. Father is naturally looking forward to the return of my brother and sister-in-law Yuexiu. Once they return, our family can be reunited."

My eldest brother wrote last time saying that my nephew Hongwen's wife is pregnant, and I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but regardless, as his great-aunt, I've already prepared a gift for the occasion.

Speaking of her great-grandson whom she had never met, Madam Wen was overjoyed: "He was born two months ago, and he's a boy. Your father and I have now become great-grandparents. We just received the letter a few days ago, and we were so happy that we forgot to tell you."

"Really? That's great!"

Mrs. Qiao was initially delighted, but then feigned displeasure and said:

"Now that Mother has a great-grandchild, she has forgotten all about her daughter."

Wen said, "You're talking nonsense in front of the children. I'll tear your mouth apart."

The mother and daughter's words drew another burst of laughter.

Yu Qingying said carefree, "My older cousin already has a child. That's great! Now we have another younger cousin."

Yu Qingying's childish words made Wen and Qiao even happier. Wen tapped Yu Qingying's forehead with her finger, while Qiao smiled and playfully scolded:

"Silly girl, how can your cousin's child be your cousin's brother? He's your cousin's nephew. Now that you're an aunt, you need to be more mature."

Yu Qingying then realized that she had spoken too quickly and said the wrong thing, but she was easygoing by nature and didn't take it seriously, just joining in the banter with everyone.

As the group chatted happily, Madam Ruan, seemingly unaware that their conversation concerned her husband, remained expressionless and showed no interest in interjecting. However, her hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, were clenched so tightly they turned white.