Chapter 79 Deceiving Second Aunt

Second Aunt was very dissatisfied with her husband's stubborn temper. If it weren't for her husband, the general and his brothers would have died of illness and starvation long ago. So now that she had come to give her some instructions, Ning should have respectfully agreed and done so. Instead, she kept making excuses, which was as annoying as ever.

She had never liked Ning Shi. Unlike Wei Shi and Ma Shi, who were respectful and flattering when they needed to, this woman was different.

But Ning Shi never knew how to flatter her, and always acted timid and subservient, completely unworthy of the status of the General's wife. Humph! If she hadn't been lucky enough to marry the General, she wouldn't have the right to put on airs in front of her.

Therefore, she looked down on this woman completely.

Seeing the disdain on her second aunt's face, Old Madam Ning frowned. This woman was not as easy to talk to as her second uncle. Over the years, her second uncle had become increasingly insightful and rarely interfered in clan affairs, let alone the affairs of the General's Mansion. Therefore, she and the General respected her second uncle very much.

If her second great-uncle were to come and discuss this matter today, she might still be in a difficult position.

As for the second aunt, just listen to her daughter-in-law and show respect; don't take it too seriously. Besides, everyone in the clan knows that this second aunt always likes to boss people around in front of the younger generation and frequently interferes in the affairs of various families in the clan, relying on her status.

A few years ago, this person even did the disgraceful thing of sending his own relative's daughter to his home to become a concubine for the general.

Fortunately, the general had no such intention and personally went to see his second uncle. The second uncle reprimanded his wife and ordered someone to safely send the woman back, thus calming the matter down.

However, this offended her second aunt, who blamed her for the incident. Over the years, whenever the two met, her second aunt would give her a cold shoulder and spread rumors about her in front of and behind her back, saying that she was jealous and unworthy to be the mistress of the general's mansion.

Even with her good nature, Madam Ning no longer wanted to indulge her.

My second aunt also thought of this matter and brought up what happened back then:

"Back then, I was concerned that the General had few children, so I took the initiative to send my brother's granddaughter to him as a concubine. Wasn't I hoping that the child could carry on the General's lineage after entering the family? But you, with a bitter face, kept making excuses and ruined this good thing."

If you had been more virtuous back then, and had taken more concubines for your husband and given birth to more sons, things wouldn't be like this now.

"In the end, it all comes down to you, a short-sighted and jealous woman."

Second Auntie continued to lecture Old Madam Ning for a long time, until her mouth was dry, but Old Madam Ning didn't say a word, which made her even angrier.

Seeing this, Yu Qingci quickly called a maid to serve tea, and took the opportunity to whisper something in the maid's ear. The maid understood and turned to leave.

Yu Qingci personally poured a full cup of tea for the old lady, and then poured another cup for Madam Ning, signaling her to calm down.

Yu Qingci said softly, "These are all old stories, so let's not talk about them. Second Aunt, have a cup of tea and rest. This is top-quality Pu'er tea, which is most suitable for the elderly."

Second Aunt picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp. Yu Qingci quickly poured her another cup and handed it to her, saying gently:

"Second Aunt misunderstood Mother. The reason Mother was reluctant to choose an heir was simply because she wanted to select several candidates. After all, once a son is adopted into Mother's family, he will inherit the position of Grand General. He must be worthy of the court above and bear the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the Lu family below."

I've heard that my seventh uncle's cousins ​​are all highly learned, possessing exceptional literary and martial talents.

The seventh uncle that Yu Qingci mentioned was the eldest grandson of her second aunt. Usually, her second aunt doted on her as her capable grandson.

Seeing that the old lady still looked puzzled and didn't understand, Yu Qingci simply became more direct:

“My mother said that if we are going to adopt a son, we must choose carefully. She will consider any young talents in our Lu family. Why don’t we invite a few of my cousins ​​to visit my mother in a few days so that she can see if there is a better mother-son relationship?”

"You mean..."

The old lady finally understood, and her eyes lit up. This young woman meant that her own bloodline members might also become heirs of the General's mansion and inherit the General's mantle?

Yu Qingci nodded firmly, but inwardly she found it amusing; the old lady was actually quite easy to fool.

Second Aunt's expression became even more excited. If her child became the future head of the General's Mansion, who would care who Lu Yunzhang was?

Madam Wei, who was standing nearby, understood what was happening and hurriedly objected, startled:

"How can that be? Yunzhang is my elder brother's own nephew. How can we not choose our own nephew but choose someone else's child? Do you think just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can become a general? I don't agree!"

Auntie was displeased and put down her teacup, yelling, "Who are you calling a nobody? Shut your stinking mouth! If it weren't for our old man, your brothers would have starved to death on the streets long ago. How could you be so arrogant here?"

Madam Wei hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant. I meant that our Yunzhang is the most suitable heir. Second Auntie promised us that..."

Second Aunt: "Nonsense! What did I promise you?"

Don't you even look at your Yunzhang? He's not good at studying, and he's wasted his martial arts skills. Now he's stuck in this limbo, saying he has a job outside, but everyone knows he's just a steward in the general's mansion. Do you really think your son is something special?

"I'm not bragging, but every one of my kids is better than Lu Yunzhang."

Auntie Er spoke with increasing force and conviction, almost spitting on Wei's face, forcing Wei to back away so she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

After her second aunt finished scolding, Yu Qingci directed the maid who brought in tea and snacks to place them on the table, and then she went up to her second aunt and said:

"These are some new desserts that the kitchen has made recently. Would you like to try them and see how they taste?"

Upon hearing this, Auntie Er felt her mouth go dry again. She casually picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp. Then she picked up a chestnut pastry from the plate and put it in her mouth, nodding as she ate.

"Hmm, it tastes really good, both fresh and soft. Well, your second uncle has bad teeth, so he likes to eat this kind of food that doesn't hurt his teeth."

Yu Qingci said in a friendly manner, "Since Second Uncle likes them too, I'll have the maids bring you two packs when Second Aunt goes back later. Oh, and the kitchen also made cloud cakes and plum blossom cakes. I'll pack some of each for you to try."

Auntie was so pleased with herself that she ate two more pieces.

Wei was seething with anger, and at this moment she said in a sarcastic tone:

"Your niece-in-law is too stingy. You're just trying to fool your elders with a few pastries? Every time my second uncle and aunt came to our house, we always treated them with great hospitality."

I remember my second aunt's favorite dishes were braised duck wings with bird's nest, steamed sea bass, and braised pork hock with ham. Oh, and pickled goose feet too. Since it's a rare occasion for her to come over, my sister-in-law should quickly tell someone to prepare them and bring them up.