Uncle Shen sent a letter home before he left for Kyoto.
The person who came to the dock to pick someone up from the Shen family was Uncle Shen’s half-brother.
The closer they got to Bo's Mansion, the more nervous Shen Qing became.
After being away from home for many years, it is inevitable to feel homesick.
Shen Qing was so nervous that she didn't notice Wan Jinlan lifted a small corner of the car curtain and looked out secretly.
The streets of Yangzhou are even busier than the outer city of Kyoto. The river is in the city, and there are bridges across the river at regular intervals.
The pedestrians looked calm, the streets were bustling but not noisy, and there was a sense of peace and prosperity.
The carriage stopped outside the gate of the Earl's Mansion. As soon as he got off the carriage, he saw two old ladies with gray hair and well-dressed rich and respectable clothes and an old man standing inside the gate, looking forward to seeing him.
When Earl Yongchang and his wife saw their daughter and granddaughter get off the carriage, they approached with tears in their eyes.
Shen Qing took a few quick steps and hugged the old lady together, and they both cried bitterly.
Yongchang Bo wiped his eyes and patted his wife's shoulder. "Okay, if you have anything to say, let's talk about it when we get home."
Then he looked at Wan Jinlan and said kindly, "This is Lan Niang, right?"
Wan Jinlan nodded with a smile, then performed the salute as a junior, and called him "Grandfather" respectfully but affectionately.
Yongchang Bo smiled and nodded, "Come into the mansion. You've been traveling so long, and lunch has been prepared."
The Shen family's house is a standard Jiangnan garden, with lush vegetation, pavilions, waterside terraces, winding corridors, and a new scene at every step, it is extremely beautiful and elegant.
Wan Jinlan was amazed. This house would cost a lot of money just to build, not to mention the daily maintenance.
The mansion of the duke in the eastern suburbs of Kyoto was built in imitation of the gardens of Jiangnan, but when I came here, I realized how small it was compared to a big one.
The population of the Bo's Mansion is relatively simple. The old uncle has two sons and two daughters. The eldest son is the legitimate son and inherited the family business. The second daughter is the concubine of the Guangling Palace. The third daughter is the wife of the first-rank Duke Zhenguo. The fourth son is the illegitimate son and helps the eldest son to manage the family business together.
The Shen family had been engaged in business for generations, and their family was large and prosperous. Since ancient times, merchants who wanted to run a stable business had to find a backer. Old Madam Shen's family was an official, and although they were not high-ranking officials, they were still a well-known family in Yangzhou City. As for Wan Jinlan's aunt, she also came from an official family.
Wan Jinlan was so full from the whole meal.
Famous Huaiyang dishes such as dried bean curd with chicken sauce, lion's head with crab meat, Wensi tofu, old goose with salt water, stir-fried shredded fish, etc., have a unique flavor.
There are restaurants in Beijing that serve Huaiyang cuisine, but the taste is far inferior to the one at the Shen family's table.
If the long fish is not handled properly or the craftsmanship is not up to par, it will have an earthy smell, but today she did not taste any earthy smell, only crispy, tender and fresh taste.
Seeing that she liked to eat long fish, her grandmother asked the maid to put the long fish in front of her.
Finally, two more pieces of thousand-layer oil cakes with layers of oil and sugar are served, and the lunch is over.
It was a rare opportunity for Shen Qing to return to her parents' home, so she naturally had endless things to talk about with her father and mother.
Why did Shen Qing bring Wan Jinlan back? In addition to the reasons mentioned before, she also wanted her father and mother to see her child.
She gave birth to two sons and one daughter. The eldest son was in the southwest, and the second son had to take the imperial examination, so she had to bring the youngest daughter back.
Wan Jinlan got a lot of good things from the old lady and his two aunts, and he smiled with a smile.
Shen Xingyu, who was sitting nearby, said, "Grandma, Mother, Sister Lan is new here, why don't I take her around the city?"
Wan Jinlan's eyes suddenly lit up.
It was exactly what she wanted!
This Sister Shen is really good at doing things, she likes it.
The aunt looked at Wan Jinlan's expectant eyes and said with a smile, "You must come back before dinner."
Shen Xingyu took her sisters out of the house.
"We have to go back for dinner today. It's a shame that we can't stay out long. Tomorrow, we'll ask Mother for permission to bring a few more servants with us. Tell her that we won't be back for dinner that evening. I'll take you to see Yanbo Lake."
"Although the weather has cooled down, Yanbo Lake is still as bustling as ever. There's also Yueming Lake. I'll take you there someday."
When Wan Jinlan heard this, he was extremely excited and wished he could grow wings and fly to Yanbo Lake and Yueming Lake to take a look when it got dark.
Shen Xingyu's sister-in-law had just given birth and was still in confinement, so Wan Jinlan didn't see her today.
Shen Xingyu and Shen Qiongzhi are the daughters of my eldest aunt, and Shen Hui is the legitimate daughter of my fourth uncle.
A group of four girls, along with their servant, were strolling through the streets of Yangzhou, having a great time.
The grain shops, cloth stores, restaurants, gold shops, rouge shops, and red houses, along with the peddlers and hawkers roaming the streets, looked no different from those in Kyoto's outer city. But this was a place Wan Jinlan had never been to before, so naturally, she found it novel and particularly down-to-earth. She felt that the customs here were more simple than those in Kyoto.
Wan Jinlan also witnessed the wealth of the Shen family. There were more than twenty shops belonging to the Shen family on East Street.
"Sister Jinlan, feel free to take whatever you like. I'll consider it a gift to you."
Wan Jinlan had some banknotes and didn't lack anything, but the sisters became familiar with each other through their interactions.
"Thank you, Sister Shen. You lead the way another day and I will treat you to the best restaurant in Yangzhou."
Wan Jinlan casually picked up two bottles of Gula water, which tasted pretty good, and a box of exquisitely shaped rouge, the total cost of which was only twenty taels of silver.
Although the Shen family is rich, a girl like Shen Xingyu who is engaged but not yet married still has to get a monthly allowance from her family. Even if Shen Xingyu has money, it probably won't be a lot.
The banknotes on Wan Jinlan's body were given to her privately by Shen Qing. Generally speaking, her expenses were not that high, because her food and drink were all taken care of at home, and her clothes and jewelry were also paid for by the public.
"Hey, Shen Xingyu, you're quite arrogant. You can take whatever you want. You're from the Shen family, so generous indeed."
Wan Jinlan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl who was a head shorter than her, looked plump, and dressed very luxuriously but also looked a bit wealthy walking in from outside the store.
That’s right, he looks plump. Although he is very young, he has a double chin. His face looks blessed.
When Shen Xingyu saw that it was Xiao Mingyi from Guangling Palace, she brought her sisters to pay her respects.
"Meet the Princess"
Xiao Mingyi: "Whose family is this girl from? Why have I never seen her in Yangzhou City?"
Shen Xingyu said, "This is my third aunt's sister. My third aunt is back to visit her parents, and this is also Sister Jinlan's first time in Yangzhou City."
Xiao Mingyi looked Wan Jinlan up and down, and saw that she was a head taller than her, and most importantly, thinner. She snorted, and then ignored them and went inside.
After leaving the rouge shop, Wan Jinlan asked, "From the Guangling Palace?"
Shen Xingyu nodded, "She is the legitimate daughter of the princess, but she is the daughter of the concubine."
Shen Xingyu lowered her voice a bit, "Because I'm fat and too plump, I haven't decided on a marriage yet."
To sum up, the person Xiao Mingyi likes doesn't want to marry her, and the person she doesn't like is even less likely to be considered for marriage.
In Yangzhou, thinness is considered beautiful. For someone like Xiao Mingyi, even though she comes from a good family, she is very picky, and her appearance and figure are not considered good in the eyes of others, so she has not yet found a marriage.
Shen Xingyu's aunt was the concubine of Prince Guangling and had a son and a daughter. It was inevitable that there would be some disputes and conflicts between legitimate and illegitimate children. Whenever Xiao Mingyi saw Shen Xingyu, she would be sarcastic. She was used to it.
After hearing these things from Shen Xingyu, Wan Jinlan nodded in understanding.
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