Chapter 16 Cousin Ying
Shen Mansion
After dinner, Zhou went for a walk in the garden with Shen Huazheng as usual.
"Zheng'er, look at my waist and see if it has gotten thicker."
Zhou rubbed her stomach in annoyance. She ate too much again today.
She didn't intend to finish the whole portion of osmanthus glutinous rice and lotus root. After all, she had already eaten the clay pot rice and osmanthus spareribs, and she would feel full if she ate too much.
But the glutinous rice lotus root with osmanthus is so delicious.
Who would have thought that osmanthus, glutinous rice and lotus root, three seemingly unrelated things, could be combined to make such a delicious dish.
The lotus root slices stuffed with glutinous rice taste soft and sticky, with a strong aroma of osmanthus, which instantly whets your appetite and makes you want to eat to your heart's content.
Moreover, this dish was specially made for her by her daughter.
When she thought of her husband and sons gone, Zhou suddenly felt the sweetness mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus, which seemed to flow from the tip of her tongue to her heart all at once, and she felt sweet and warm all over.
The soft, sweet fragrance of glutinous rice lotus root spreads from the mouth to the heart, with all kinds of sweetness intertwined.
Under Shen Huazheng's expectant gaze, Zhou ate one piece after another and couldn't stop at all.
Chen Huazheng looked at Zhou, who had a slender and even figure, "Mom, your waist is not thick at all. Although you have eaten a lot recently, didn't you practice Ba Duan Jin and Wu Qin Xi with me? Don't worry, you are still so young and beautiful."
She often practiced Ba Duan Jin and Wu Qin Xi with her grandfather since she was a child, and she did not waste her time after coming into this world.
Zhou found it interesting, and after hearing Shen Huazheng say that it could strengthen the body, she started practicing as well.
"You kid, you're making fun of your mother."
Zhou scolded Shen Huazheng with a smile, but she felt relieved in her heart.
It’s good if it’s not thick. It’s good if it’s not thick.
As if she had thought of something, Zhou suppressed her smile and said, "By the way, you and your mother should go back to your maternal grandparents' home in a couple of days."
Shen Huazheng didn't think much about it and nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll go back with my mother."
Although it is not appropriate for a woman to always return to her parents' home after getting married, Shen Zhaonian loves Zhou and the two residences are not far away, so Zhou will return to her parents' home every once in a while.
If Shen Zhaonian happens to be free, he will personally accompany Zhou back to stay for two days.
"Do you still remember your cousin Ying? She loved you the most when you were little. She watched you wherever you went, fearing that you would be bullied. Last time you were sick, although she didn't come, she sent someone to send you something."
Shen Huazheng: "Of course I remember."
In the original owner's memory, her maternal grandparents, from her maternal grandfather to her uncles, all treated her very well. Her cousins also loved her very much, especially her younger uncle's cousin Ying.
After Shen Huazheng woke up, the original owner's grandfather, grandmother, eldest uncle's family and younger uncle all came to visit her at the Shen Mansion and brought her many gifts.
Zhou sighed, "Your cousin Ying has returned to her parents' home. She is not in good condition. Let's go see her."
Chen Huazheng was stunned, "Cousin Ying? What happened to her?"
Zhou showed disgust on her face and told Shen Huazheng the whole story.
"A few days ago, Song Zhichen went out on a business trip. When he returned to Beijing, he brought back a prostitute and wanted to take her as a concubine. Your cousin Ying disagreed and made a big scene at the Song family..."
**********
Zhou Ying married Song Zhichen, the eldest son of Duke Weiguo, and they had a son.
Back then, Zhou and the Zhou family were quite optimistic about the marriage between Zhou Ying and Song Zhichen.
Song Zhichen was born in the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion. He was gentle, studious and ambitious.
It was precisely because of this that the Zhou family agreed to this marriage when the Duke of Weiguo came to propose marriage.
At the beginning, Song Zhichen and Zhou Ying were in love with each other.
Unexpectedly, this kind of life lasted less than two years, and Song Zhichen began to take concubines one after another.
Zhou Ying cried and made a fuss.
But every time Song Zhichen behaved himself for a while, he would start to revert to his old ways.
When Zhou Ying was pregnant, a maid from the Duke's Mansion came to her and made a scene. Zhou Ying then realized that she was pregnant with her husband's child, but he was having an affair with the maid in the mansion.
When the Duke of Weiguo found out, he was very angry. Not only did he punish Song Zhichen according to the family rules, he also immediately had the maid sold.
But Zhou Ying was still so angry that she almost gave birth prematurely, and she didn't take good care of herself during the confinement period, which left her with a lot of illnesses.
I don't know whether it was to give an explanation to the Zhou family, or the Duke of Weiguo was disgusted by the chaos in Song Zhichen's backyard, but he never asked for the title of crown prince for Song Zhichen.
When Zhou Ying's son Song Ye was three years old, Duke Weiguo directly bypassed Song Zhichen and submitted a memorial requesting that Song Ye be named the crown prince.
Fortunately, Song Ye also worked hard. He was smart since he was young. He was only nine years old this year, but he took the top spot in the child examination and became the youngest scholar in the history of Daliang.
For the sake of her son's future, Zhou Ying remained silent.
If Song Zhichen hadn't gone too far this time, she wouldn't have gone back to her parents' home.
Shen Huazheng was silent for a moment and said nothing.
Shen Zhaonian was a man of integrity and devoted to Zhou, and the brothers Shen Keheng did not have any concubines around them.
After staying in the Shen family for a long time, Shen Huazheng almost forgot that this was an era when men could have three wives and four concubines.
Zhou was still talking to herself, "The doctor has diagnosed that Ying'er is depressed. Your uncle is worried every day, and your grandmother regrets marrying her granddaughter to Song Zhichen without fully understanding his character."
"But who could have thought? In everyone's eyes, Song Zhichen, as the eldest son of the Duke's Mansion, was gentle and courteous, and he didn't have the bad habits of those noble sons. Who would have thought that he would become a different person as soon as he got married?"
Zhou looked at her beautiful daughter and felt a little emotional. "Alas, since ancient times, women's marriage is like gambling. Whether they can marry well or not depends entirely on fate."
If the parents' home is close, it's fine. If it's far away, it's out of reach. You have to endure any suffering.
Zhou was so distressed by her niece's suffering in her husband's house that she wanted to rush over and beat up Song Zhichen. If her own precious daughter had been wronged, she would probably have taken a knife and fought to the death.
Zhou had an idea and thought that it would be better for her daughter not to get married and she could just find a son-in-law when the time comes.
This way I can keep an eye on her at all times and prevent her from being bullied.
The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her. Zheng'er could not marry outside her family and could only find a son-in-law.
Even if she and her husband are gone in the future, there are still several brothers to protect Zheng'er.
She would discuss it with her husband later and decide that they should treat it as if they had given birth to four sons and give Zheng'er a share when the family property was divided in the future.
Chen Huazheng saw that Zhou looked a little unhappy, so she took her hand and comforted her, "Mom, don't be sad. We will go to my grandparents' house this time to see if there is anything we can do to help, and persuade cousin Ying to let her see things more clearly."
Zhou Ying is only in her twenties now. She was traumatized when she was pregnant, and she didn’t take good care of herself during the confinement period. She has been depressed all these years.
There is still a long way to go, and we can't let her go on like this.
[The mistletoe I got a few days ago is of good quality. I can make some tonic food for my cousin. 】
Zhou's heart softened. Her daughter was the most well-behaved and kindest child in the world.
[I have to bring osmanthus honey too. I haven’t made the osmanthus tofu pudding I promised my mother last time yet. It’s a good opportunity to let my grandparents have a taste of it. Oh, and don’t forget the salted duck eggs. ]
Shen Huazheng was still chattering in her heart, and Zhou hugged her in her arms. "Oh, my mother's little darling."
"Mom, what's wrong with you?" Shen Huazheng blushed, but did not break free from Zhou's arms.
"Nothing, Mom just suddenly wanted to hug our Zheng'er."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
