Chapter 3 Chapter 3 I am just trying to coax her, but my own face is...
The next morning, Chen Jinshi came to pay his respects before going to school. Chen Ying was having breakfast in the yard.
The morning dew had not yet dried, and the pomegranates in the corner of the yard were in full bloom, their bright red flowers reflecting against the bluestone ground.
Chen Jinyun was also there, an eight-year-old girl with two round buns tied with red silk ribbons, and wearing a light red jacket.
Chen Ying had personally done her hair today, and now she was sitting next to her while they ate together. Chen Jinyun was very affectionate towards her, calling her "Amu" sweetly.
Chen Ying was also happy not to have the wet nurses around and to take care of her meals herself.
"Eat more, Am. Hey, that annoying second brother is here."
Chen Jinshi glared at her and bowed to Shen Ying, "Good morning, Mom. I'm going to school."
After saying this, he puffed out his chest, with a smile on his face and a hint of pride, clearly waiting to be praised.
He talked so much with Am last night, and the way she looked at him was different.
Chen Ying didn't even raise her head, she was peeling pine nuts for Chen Jinyun.
"Okay, got it. Don't cause trouble in school and listen to the teacher."
Chen Jinshi gritted his teeth and nodded: "Yes."
As I turned to leave, another voice came from behind me: "Come back soon."
"knew."
Chen Ying peeled a handful of pine nuts for Chen Jinyun, put them in her hand and told her to eat them slowly one by one.
Chen Jinyun put it to her mouth: "Eat it too, Mom."
She turned her head slightly to avoid it: "Emu doesn't eat it, you eat it."
Chen Jinyun's eyes drooped, with a hint of pleading. Chen Ying had no choice but to pick one up and put it in her mouth: "Amu, eat it."
Children's hands are the dirtiest. They like to touch things everywhere, and their hands are easily stained with saliva when they eat. Chen Ying is not very willing to eat what she feeds.
By the morning, things were back on track in the mansion. After meeting Chen Xing and his wife and hearing what they had to say about the counter and the inner courtyard, Chen Jinxing came over.
It's nothing more than continuing to discuss the affairs of the Eighth Prince's Palace.
Although Chen Ying heard Chen Jinshi explain the root cause of the matter last night, she did not intend to continue to interfere. Since Chen Jinxing must also know how to do things, Chen Ying planned to withdraw directly and pretend that she had not heard what Chen Jinshi said.
She was about to say, "You handle the affairs of the Eighth Prince's Mansion yourself, I won't ask about them," when she heard Chen Jinxing say, "Mom, I have something to tell you."
"What's up?"
Chen Ying sat in a chair and made tea. She had never thought that she would hear what happened last night from him again.
"Ah, the reason the Eighth Prince's Mansion specifically sought out our eldest wife for treatment was because of her unique secret recipe, 'Nine Treasures Pills.'"
Chen Ying shuddered as she poured the tea, and she wanted to hold her forehead and sigh.
She remained silent, only listening to Chen Jinshi continue his rambling: "Although my father was a martial artist, when the family was divided, in order to be fair, he gave all the secret recipes and shops that should have been given to the eldest wife, including one of the secret recipes handed down from our ancestors, the 'Nine Treasures Pills'."
"I think the Eighth Prince's illness, although complicated, is best treated with the Nine Treasures Pill. The Eighth Prince must have gotten some information from somewhere and specifically invited me over."
Chen Ying sipped her tea and wanted to cover her ears. Before she could say anything, the two men, one in front and one behind, told her all the family assets like pouring beans.
"Jinxing, why are you telling me all this? Since you know how to heal that person, just go and do it yourself."
Chen Jinxing's lips curled up slightly, his laughter carrying a hint of restraint and elegance. He spoke in a gentle voice, "There's nothing to hide from Am. Now that Am knows, let's work together to concoct this 'Nine Treasures Pill'."
Before he could finish his words, and before Chen Ying could refuse, he had already taken out the secret recipe from his sleeve and spread it in front of her. Even if she wanted to close her eyes, it was too late.
"I've told my father about it and taken it from the storehouse. There's nothing I can't see."
Chen Ying was helpless. Since she had already seen it, it would be hypocritical to refuse it.
The recipe clearly states that the preparation, combination, and final product of Jiuzhen Pills all require rigorous attention. A single misstep in the heat or timing will negate the essence of the medicinal effect. Naturally, the finished product is a priceless treasure.
The two of them gathered together and discussed in detail for a long time, going over everything from the selection of medicinal materials to the preparation steps.
He also sent someone to the Eighth Prince's Palace to deliver a message, saying that the medicine would take three months to prepare and asked them to wait patiently.
The Eighth Prince's Palace had already made this preparation, and upon receiving the news, they sent a deposit of one hundred taels.
As soon as Chen Jinxing left, Chen Ying's good friend, Su Lanzhou, the owner of Anhetang, came looking for her.
Su Lanzhou is over 20 years old and has never married. She took over her parents' clinic. The two of them get along very well and have been friends for two years.
Chen Ying mentioned this to her vaguely, and Su Lanzhou said, "I also thought you shouldn't know about this. You worry enough about the Chen family. Why bother? If the time comes, the Chen family may not remember your kindness. Instead, they may think you are trying to gain something."
Chen Ying said, "You mean Jin Xing and Shi Ge'er? They don't know how to do it."
Su Lanzhou didn't mention the two "sons" and simply said, "You should think more about yourself. Chen Jinshi is grown up now and doesn't need your attention anymore. Why don't you start opening a clinic sooner? Build up your own shop first so that you don't have to worry about anything that happens to the Chen family's business."
Chen Ying felt her friend's words made sense. Once Chen Jinxing married, and Chen Jinshi and Chen Jinyun had sisters-in-law, it would be time for her to leave the Chen family. Although she was reluctant to leave the general, she couldn't stay in the Chen family forever. These past few years of companionship had already made her content.
"I'll think about it. Lan Zhou, thank you very much. I'll have to ask you to help me find a suitable shop in the next few days. I can't ask the Chen family for help."
Su Lanzhou smiled and said, "Leave it to me, don't worry."
When Chen Jinshi returned from school, Chen Ying was chatting with Chen Jichuan in the garden. Chen Jinyun and Chen Jinxing were also sitting nearby.
In the past few years, Chen Ying and Chen Jichuan have become close friends regardless of age difference. From border scenery to grassland stories, from battlefield battles to daily household chores, they always have endless things to talk about, sometimes laughing, sometimes sighing.
"General, speaking of this, I have another interesting story..."
Chen Ying looked at the man in front of her and never regretted leaving the grassland and coming to Jinling with him.
Chen Jinshi came in carrying a book box and saw this scene.
He felt a little sad. In this family, he had never been the closest to her.
Chen Jinxing was submissive in her presence, Chen Jinyun was often held on her lap, clung to her and kissed her, and her father and her had endless conversations. He alone was always treated like a child. At his age, neither young nor old, she neither chatted with him nor treated him with the same tolerance and affection she had when they were children.
He really hated her a little.
Seeing him coming back, Chen Ying waved to him, "Brother Shi, come here. We'll have dinner in the garden tonight, so you can sit here and do your homework."
As she spoke, she pointed to a small table nearby and asked him to come and sit down.
The whole family was here, so Chen Jinshi couldn't just walk away. He could only put on a sullen face and said in a muffled voice:
"Keep your voices down and don't disturb me while I'm reading."
Chen Ying glanced at him, and Chen Jichuan snorted and laughed: "I understand, Mr. Scholar."
Chen Jinshi covered his ears, glared at his father, his face flushed red.
Seeing his expression, Chen Ying couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Chen Jinshi glared at her again, but she turned her eyes away and ignored him.
Everyone was quiet for a while, some were drinking tea, some were having snacks.
The only sound in the garden was the swish of Chen Jinshi flipping through the pages of a book.
After a while, Chen Jichuan suddenly remembered something, leaned towards Chen Ying, and chatted with her softly for a while.
Chen Ying giggled as she covered her lips, her face full of the expression of a little girl. In front of the person she admired, she always acted like this, her smile as soft as honey.
Although she had lived in Jinling for three years, she still had the habit of braiding her hair into two or three strands, stringing them with red agate and turquoise, and bending them in front of her forehead and wrapping them behind her ears.
Chen Jinshi was about to glare at her and accuse her, but when he saw her like this, he was stunned for a moment and felt lost. After all this time, she was only a "female demon" in front of him, and was extremely ferocious.
He glared at her for a few seconds, then lowered his head and flipped the pages of the book even harder.
Everyone could hear the swishing sound. Chen Ying glanced at Chen Jichuan and signaled him to stop talking. The whole family followed the "scholar master" and fell silent.
Chen Jichuan snorted lightly and thought to himself: This kid is acting so arrogantly. If he fails to pass the exam, he will definitely beat his butt swollen.
After a while, Chen Xing's wife came to report: "Miss Chen, the shopkeeper of Yunjin Pavilion has delivered the custom-made summer hat."
In the summer, people tend to crave cool air. It's fine for other parts of the body, but the head must be protected from the wind. Therefore, Chen Ying custom-made summer hats for the whole family.
"Tell her to bring it here, and I'll give her two taels of silver as a reward."
Five hats were presented on a tray, all woven from thin bamboo strips and covered with colorful gauze. Chen Jichuan smiled and said, "You are so thoughtful. Every year you think of making hats for your family."
Apart from two cloth hats that are obviously women's in pattern and one uniform hat with a slightly old-fashioned pattern, there are two left, one for each brother.
Chen Ying glanced at Chen Jinshi, then shifted her gaze to Chen Jinxing. Chen Jinxing met her gaze, shook his head slightly, and nodded his chin in Chen Jinshi's direction.
Chen Ying looked at Chen Jinshi again, but the man did not look up, as if he was so absorbed in reading the books of sages that he did not hear anything about his surroundings.
She called him twice.
"Brother Shi, take a look at which color you want."
Chen Jinshi looked annoyed, raised his head, and said impatiently: "Can you please stop interrupting me when I'm reading?"
The awkwardness that is unique to fourteen-year-old boys is both annoying and funny to watch.
Chen Ying didn't get angry with him, pointing at the two hats and saying, "Give this one to Jinxing, and leave this one for you."
Chen Jinshi took a closer look and saw that the two hats had different patterns and colors, and he could tell the superiority and inferiority at a glance.
His Am's taste is sometimes really a headache. Not to mention that he doesn't want to wear this melon-shaped hat at all, but he can't have an ugly one.
Chen Ying was about to hand the one she thought was a little uglier to Chen Jinxing, but Chen Jinxing put down his pen and said, "No, I want this one."
Chen Ying said calmly: "No, this one has already been given to Jin Xing, you can only take the other one."
Chen Jinxing glanced at his brother and smiled, "Amu, let your brother choose first. I'm fine with either."
Chen Jinshi glared at him: "You don't need to pretend to be a good person."
As she said that, she reached out and took the ugly one and put it on. It was the same color as an old rag. Am also said it was called Xiangyunsha and it looked very beautiful.
After he put on his hat, he went back to reading in a huff.
Chen Ying was helpless. Although she said that, Chen Jinshi was the first one to wear the hat she made.
Chen Jinxing seemed obedient and respectful to her, and she had never seen him wear the hat she made.
She once asked him why he didn't wear it, and Chen Jinxing just said that he hadn't found the opportunity to wear it, and he would definitely wear it in the future, but he never did.
Chen Jinshi said, "Mom, the hat you made is so ugly. I'm embarrassed to wear it to school. Please don't blame me." While wearing the hat, he waved it in front of her.
She was secretly wondering if her vision was really that bad. Seeing her expression, Chen Jichuan tugged at her arm, picked up the hat that looked even more old-fashioned, put it on, and coaxed her, "Look, does this look good on me, General?"
Chen Ying stared at him for a long while, then slowly revealed an expression that was hard to describe: "General, you are old."
Although Chen Jichuan is in his forties, he is still a refined and handsome middle-aged man with a handsome appearance and a straight physique.
Chen Ying couldn't tell whether the hat was ugly or the person was ugly.
Chen Jichuan touched his nose and looked away: "The meal is here, let's eat first."
Chen Jinshi returned to his room at night, took off the hat on his head and threw it away, still sulking.
Chen Ying is always like this, always giving the better things to Chen Jinxing and leaving the worse things for him.
He was too lazy to argue today. He took the hat as she wished and wore it in front of her every day to make her feel guilty! To make her regret it! To make her want to hold him in her arms and coax him: "Shi'er, it's my fault. If I had known that you were the only one who cherished it so much, I would have left the better one for you. I regret it so much..."
As he thought about it, he hugged the soft pillow, imagining that it was Am's chest, and fell asleep with drooling like when he was a child.
The next morning, he went to pay his respects to her wearing the hat.
He was full of energy again, with his chest puffed out, and his whole body was saying, "Em, Em, praise me, Em, praise me quickly."
Chen Ying glanced at the hat on his head and smiled slightly: "Go to school, and walk slowly on the way."
Not hearing what he wanted to hear from her, Chen Jinshi took off his hat and said unhappily with a crooked mouth: "Mom, don't blame me for being cruel. Before going to the academy, I have to take off this hat first. You know the reason."
Chen Ying then raised her head and looked directly at him, suppressing a smile and saying, "Whatever you want."
Her tone was cold, and she was always like this, so whenever Chen Jinshi tried to act like a spoiled brat in front of her to get something, he would always come back empty-handed.
He sighed, "If my mom gave me the nice one, I would definitely wear it to school so all my classmates could see it. Unlike my brother, he never wears it even if he gets it."
Chen Ying realized something was wrong and blinked slowly, saying, "Brother Shi, the one on your head is the best and most expensive. Am personally chose the pattern."
Chen Jinshi was stunned: "Emu thinks mine looks the best?"
"Yeah, what's wrong? You don't like it?"
Chen Ying asked him seriously, and her expression made him feel that if he said one more word that he didn't like her, this woman would be sad.
Eminem actually loves him the most.
His temper softened: "Emu, I like it."
As he said this, he gritted his teeth and put the hat on his head.
He didn't take off his hat until he left his house and was approaching the academy.
To coax her is to coax her, and to save your own face is to save your own face, and they cannot be confused.
He would always remember the blue crocheted shorts she had made for him, and the sight of his classmates seeing him using the restroom at school...
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