Chapter 16 Questioning and blaming him for inaction
Xie Yunshuo remembered that two years ago, when he was sixteen years old, he had a dispute with Jiang Si.
It was the Lantern Festival that year. My third sister and mother went to the Yongding Marquis' Mansion for a banquet at the invitation of Mrs. Huang.
Xie Qinghan couldn't go to the lantern festival, so she asked him to bring her a swimming duck lantern.
What she wanted was a lifelike duck lantern that could be held in her hand, with wings that could flap and webbed feet that could move with the movement.
During the entire lantern festival, Xie Yunshuo only found the one she wanted.
But when he found the duck lantern, Jiang Si was in front of the lantern festival, having already paid money and was guessing lantern riddles.
At that time, she was not yet of marriageable age, had a pair of buns on her head, and was talking with two or three good friends in front of a lamp stand.
The riddle was "petals guarding the phoenix, beads and ribbons surrounding it in all colors, a wise and virtuous woman with a red heart, bamboo frame and brocade containing the universe", and the answer was "embroidery", and they had guessed the answer.
Just listen to Jiang Si talking.
"Why do women take pride in being clever and skillful? What good is it to embroider well? What good is there in being praised for being virtuous? If it were truly good, why wouldn't men learn and be virtuous?"
Xie Yunshuo didn't believe that she could say such rebellious words when she was thirteen years old. But now that she was sixteen, she was becoming more and more regressive and had become a well-behaved person.
She said this just to reassure her mother.
In fact, she and his third sister are the same, women who are unwilling to be imprisoned in the inner room. They have broad vision and minds and are not bound by the traditional concept of raising daughters to be virtuous.
Such people are considered heretics by most people.
Xie Yunshuo was just thinking about it when Xia Rongyi waved her hand and sent the guest away.
"I have some household chores to attend to at noon, so you can all go back to your respective courtyards. Yun Shuo and Si Er are newlyweds, so you can come and pay your respects every day. The rest of the time, you can stay at Xian Yi Residence. It's a beautiful time for newlyweds, so you should treat each other well."
Xia Rongyi's words were almost like urging them to have a baby soon. Jiang Si accepted her advice with an open mind and said yes, but in fact, it went in one ear and out the other.
It's not easy for her and Xie Yunshuo to live in peace with each other, so let's not think about those unrealistic things for now.
The couple said goodbye to their parents. Their second brother and third sister didn't need to leave in a hurry because they still lived in the main courtyard.
After his elder brother and sister-in-law left, Xie Yunling stretched the corners of his mouth with a hint of displeasure.
"Third sister, you're not even familiar with each other yet, why are you talking so much to your eldest sister-in-law? If she thinks differently from you, won't she laugh at you and your mother?"
Xie Qinghan was originally in a good mood, but after hearing what he said, the smile on her face immediately faded.
"Second brother, this is not right. If she was laughing at me, why would she say so much to me? The one who is laughing at me is probably not my eldest sister-in-law, but you."
Seeing that the two children were about to argue again, Xia Rongyi stopped them with a cold face.
"Okay, let's see what you look like."
Educating children is like Pan Yue climbing a mountain and walking through thorny bushes. General Xie and Xia Rongyi often have headaches when it comes to their own children.
Especially the second son and the third daughter, this pair of siblings have been at odds since childhood.
In other families, there may be disputes and disagreements between brothers, especially between the eldest son and the other sons.
But because Xie Qinghan was born with a masculine temperament, she had to be confined at home to receive a daughter's education. She was different from her two brothers, and she felt unfair.
The brothers and sisters were all impatient and would not give in to each other when they got angry. Unfortunately, General Xie and Xia Rongyi were not people who had strict family education and were not harsh in their words.
The children were not causing any serious trouble.
So in the Xie family, between parents and children, and between siblings, they all have a bit of everything, neither too much nor too little.
The same goes for the relationship between children, which can be said to be neither good nor bad.
The children seem well-behaved and sensible when viewed individually. However, if they were not kept close together, outsiders would not know that there is a lot of friction and quarreling beneath the harmonious appearance.
This is the problem that every family has its own difficulties.
Even a lady of a high-class family like Xia Rongyi, who is always trying to save face and do everything well, can be negligent in managing the household's children.
All these things happened during the time it took to eat breakfast, and Jiang Si saw through them and gained a deeper understanding of the situation of the Xie family's eldest son.
On the way back to Xian Yi Ju, she kept thinking about Xie Qinghan.
After talking for a while, it can be seen that Xie Qinghan is also a straightforward and sincere girl. She says what she thinks and means what she means.
Also, because she usually suppresses some of her nature, she becomes somewhat uncontrollable when talking about things she likes, and becomes eager and active, losing restraint.
The person Xia Rongyi brought up was only dignified and calm on the surface.
At this moment, Jiang Si was not thinking about how to win her over, but was more concerned about her feelings.
Unexpectedly, the general's only daughter was like a caged bird. General Xie, a key minister, had not taken responsibility for his children's education, leaving it entirely to Xia Rongyi.
Xia Rongyi and General Xie might be compatible, but Xie Qinghan's personality is not suitable for the way ordinary families raise their daughters to follow the rules.
Also, because Xie Qinghan is not a stubborn and domineering person, she listened to her mother's teachings and tried to be obedient, which is why she became what she is now.
This was a situation that Jiang Si had never thought of before she married into the family.
She was thinking about something silently and was quiet all the way, which surprised Xie Yunshuo.
He couldn't help but wonder if it was because her uncle, aunt, brother and sister-in-law weren't enthusiastic when they met people today that made her feel aggrieved.
Thinking this way, he would also feel a little guilty.
Because this marriage was requested by the Xie family, these experiences were not what she should have to endure.
Xie Yunshuo stopped and looked back at Jiang Si, but before he could say a word to comfort her, he heard Jiang Si scolding him.
"Your third sister is outgoing by nature, and she's been confined at home all day. She lives a life of such restraint and grievance. As her brother, why have you never done anything to help her?"
Xie Yunshuo was confused by the question and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.
He was helpless: "How can I manage it? Mother is the mistress of the inner house. Besides, there is nothing wrong with mother's teachings. Learning poetry, literature, etiquette, and the four virtues is the way to cultivate oneself. All noble ladies do this."
Xie Yunshuo didn't know what to say, this was all he could say.
He knew what his third sister liked and had wanted to take her to the grassland to ride horses and hunt, galloping across the green of spring and yellow of autumn, not wanting to waste her precious talent.
But my mother said that daughters should be pampered, swaying like willows in the wind, speaking softly, smiling without showing their teeth, and moving without fluttering their skirts. Which noblewoman in the capital was out in the open all day? If her skin was as tanned as a man's and her figure was not slender, how could she find a good husband in the future?
After his mother said so, Xie Yunshuo, as the eldest brother, was not in a position to intervene. He could only bring her some external things, such as a sharp sword or dagger, and do some small things for her.
Jiang Si's questioning was filled with dissatisfaction, but he was really powerless and had done something before.
She had wronged him.
Even the most broad-minded person would feel aggrieved if he was wronged, not to mention that Xie Yunshuo didn't like being wronged in the first place.
Just now I wanted to show some concern for her, talk to her about my uncle and aunt's indifferent attitude, and say a few words of apology to her on their behalf. Now, all my guilt has disappeared.
Jiang Si also felt that he was unreasonable.
"Who says that every family raises their daughters this way? Does that mean it's right just because everyone else does it? At least my parents raised me to be benevolent, righteous, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, to be gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest, and then to obey Yuan Chun."
Her words left Xie Yunshuo speechless.
He knew that she was right, but Xia Rongyi had never done anything wrong in her upbringing of Xie Qinghan.
She educated her child carefully and set an example herself, but her mistake was that Xie Qinghan was very different from a woman like her mother.
She is a lively and active girl. If she was born on the prairie and raised by a foreign race, she would definitely be a good horse rider, archer and hunter. She would be better than many men if she could swim freely in the vast sea and sky.
But she was living in a mansion, with a mother who was a well-behaved noble lady. With her words and deeds, she could only suppress her nature.
From the time Xie Qinghan was one year old to now when she is ten years old, no one has ever said that Xia Rongyi was improperly brought up.
But Jiang Si did not blame her mother-in-law. She just blamed her brother for being unkind and inactive.
Xie Yunshuo not only felt that he was wronged, but what really shocked him at that moment was that he subconsciously felt that Jiang Si was right.
He could find no fault with her, and her words were so deafening to him, as if something had broken through the air, exposing the dark and dull things that had been hidden.
Xie Yunshuo is not very old, but he is a lieutenant in the army and has dozens or even hundreds of soldiers under his command.
He was a general who valued talent and made use of capable people. If he found a talented person, he would carefully cultivate him and train him hard.
Xie Yunshuo is well aware of the rarity and preciousness of talent, and he treats those gifted soldiers like a mentor.
Everyone says that he has the talent of a great general and the demeanor of an important official. But right next to him, his third sister can pull a bow of one bucket and shoot arrows without missing at the age of five. But he has never thought of cherishing her talent. How can he be called a great general?
When this thought came to his mind for the first time, Xie Yunshuo was shocked and almost overwhelmed by the surging guilt.
But on the other hand, he also knew that his mother was right.
In today's prosperous times, the best life for Xie Qinghan is to marry into a powerful and noble family, just like the hundreds of thousands of noble ladies in the capital.
To be able to marry a good husband, be loved by parents-in-law, be close to the whole family, have children, and continue the prosperity of the family.
A prosperous life, without illness or disaster, without troubles or waves.
With his mind full of chaotic thoughts, Xie Yunshuo's emotions fluctuated greatly, and his face was full of frowns.
Jiang Si thought he was annoyed by her preaching and was too lazy to argue with him, so she turned around and walked forward, leaving him far behind.
You Lu hurriedly advised her, "Madam, please don't quarrel with your son-in-law over this matter."
You Lu said this with a bold heart. After all, this was the Xie family's affair, and it was also a matter between Jiang Si's aunt and mother-in-law. It had nothing to do with her.
If she had a conflict with Xie Yunshuo because of this matter, it would be her fault for being unreasonable and overreaching.
But Jiang Si was so angry that she couldn't let it go for a while.
She cursed him with hatred and gnashed her teeth.
"A heartless fool is playing the lute to a cow!"
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