The room became quiet and the noises around it became amplified. After an incense stick of time, they heard slow footsteps coming from the stairwell.
"Go and have a look." Eleventh Lady, who was tying her silk brocade with her head down, suddenly looked up and ordered Dong Qing, "Go and see what Tenth Sister is doing!"
Dong Qing had been thinking about the arrival of the aunt, and she didn't know what to say when Shiyi Niang didn't make any move. Now that Shiyi Niang asked her to go and get the news, she was immediately delighted, smiled and said "yes", and walked out quietly.
After a while, she came back: "Miss Eleven, it's the eldest aunt - she just left."
Eleventh Lady paused as she tied her silk brocade net and asked, "What was the expression on the eldest aunt's face when she left?"
Dong Qing groaned and said, "It's the same as usual. I can't tell anything different!"
He is indeed a master.
Eleventh Lady pondered secretly in her heart.
There were light footsteps coming from the stairwell again.
The two looked at each other.
Eleventh Lady whispered, "Go and have a look!"
Dong Qing immediately responded and went away, but soon returned: "Miss Eleven, it's Miss Ten. Accompanied by Zhu Tao, she came downstairs wearing a gray crane-colored brocade cape."
Eleventh Lady looked thoughtful.
When Shi Niang went up and down the stairs, she would always make a loud "dong dong dong" sound on the floor. Why was her footsteps so gentle today, contrary to her usual practice? Also, since she was going out, why did she bring the little maid Zhu Tao with her instead of Bai Zhi and Jiu Xiang? Or maybe it was related to the arrival of the eldest aunt!
As the thought flashed through her mind, Eleventh Lady said, "Go and see where Miss Ten is going!"
Holly nodded and walked out quietly.
Dongqing came back only after Eleventh Lady had finished hitting a bat.
"Miss Eleven, Miss Ten went to the Fourth Aunt's place." Her expression was a little solemn. "I wanted to follow them and listen to what the Fourth Aunt and Miss Ten said, but the maidservant beside the Fourth Aunt was guarding outside the house, so I didn't dare to get close..."
Three years ago, Shi Niang pushed Shiyi Niang to the ground. In front of people outside, the first wife said that "the ground was slippery and Shiyi Niang accidentally fell down", but in front of the first master, she lost her temper. She said that the first master indulged concubines, and the young ladies not only developed arrogant and domineering personalities, but also had no feelings of sisterhood, let alone the demeanor of young ladies. The first master did not dare to refute.
The fourth concubine Yang was given by the eldest master when he was a councilor in Shaanxi. When the eldest wife knew about this person, the fourth concubine was not only pregnant, but also managed the eldest master's salary and the personal money sent by the family. The eldest wife thought about it and sent the most beautiful maid Lu to her. The eldest master liked her as soon as he saw her. Lu soon became pregnant. Before the child was born, the eldest wife promoted Lu to be the fifth concubine. Who knew that although the fifth concubine was beautiful, she was a cowardly person. After a few encounters, she was suppressed by the fourth concubine. When the eldest wife saw her, she found the young and beautiful Lu from the maids and sent her to the eldest master, and gave birth to the twelfth concubine. At that time, the eldest master had already served as the governor of Fujian, and the three of them grew up with their father in office. Because of this incident, they were placed in the Lujun Tower, and the eldest wife sent the capable maids around them to personally discipline them. The fourth concubine Yang, who did not teach her daughter well, was punished by the first wife to kneel in the ancestral hall.
The weather was cold, and after kneeling on the blue brick ground in front of the ancestral hall for a whole night, Fourth Aunt fell ill and was moved to a two-room wing next to Shuangxing Courtyard to recuperate.
This raising process will take three years.
During these three years, the number of times Shi Niang visited the Fourth Aunt could be counted on one hand. Unexpectedly, after the First Aunt left, she would actually go to the Fourth Aunt.
If you say this is a coincidence, Eleventh Lady would never believe it.
What's more, the fourth concubine even asked the maid to guard outside the door while the two were talking...
Her fingers flew quickly: "Go find a flat square box and put the two strings I made in it later."
Dong Qing was slightly startled: "You are going to personally deliver silk cords to the first and second aunts?"
Eleventh Lady answered irrelevantly: "I was going to pay my respects to the First Madam, and I just wanted to give her this silk cord."
*
When Eleventh Lady arrived, there was already laughter and joy in the First Lady's room.
Ziwei and Ziyuan stood in front of the eldest wife holding a painting. Wu Niang sat beside the eldest wife and pointed at the painting: "... Look, isn't this calligraphy beautiful? It's my imitation of ancient seal script. And this one is an imitation of Wang Xizhi's cursive script..."
The eldest wife smiled and nodded, nodding continuously, as if she was very satisfied with the work in front of her.
Seeing Eleventh Lady walking in, the eldest wife waved at her and said, "Come, take a look at this longevity painting your sister drew."
It was written so quickly!
Eleventh Lady was secretly surprised. She greeted the First Lady with a smile and then greeted Fifth Lady: "Is this for making embroidery patterns? Sister is so fast!"
Wu Niang returned the gift to Shiyi Niang and said with a smile, "I was thinking of sending a birthday gift to my eldest sister's family, so I rushed to write this. I was afraid that if I didn't write well, it would affect my younger sister's embroidery."
"I don't see anything wrong with it." Eleventh Lady smiled and looked at the words written by Fifth Lady.
On a six-foot square piece of rice paper, there were regular script, official script, seal script, running script, cursive script... all in different sizes, so dazzling that she couldn't help but be secretly surprised.
Regardless of the quality of the writing, the effort alone is admirable.
Unexpectedly, Wu Niang's calligraphy has reached this level.
The eldest wife also laughed: "I think it's well written too!"
"Thank you for the compliment, mother." Wu Niang smiled modestly.
The eldest wife asked Ziwei and Ziyuan to give the calligraphy and painting to Shiyi Niang: "Just embroider it according to this!"
Eleventh Lady bent her knees and replied "yes", and Amber hurried forward to collect the calligraphy and painting.
The first wife pointed at the box in Amber's hand and said, "This is..."
Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "That's the silk cord I made for Brother Xiu."
The eldest wife's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she said, "Bring it here for me to see."
Amber listened, quickly opened the box and handed it over.
Two colorful silk coins representing the five elements of white, blue, black, red and yellow lay quietly in the red velvet box. When you look closely, you will find that the two silk coins are woven into a heart-shaped plum blossom net, with five jujube-sized bats in the middle.
"It's really exquisite." The eldest wife praised while holding it in her hand. "Let alone other things, just based on these two cords, Eleventh Lady's needlework is one of the best in Hangzhou Prefecture."
Wu Niang's eyes flashed when she heard this.
Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "My daughter can make such a thread because mother invited a master from Hangzhou Prefecture to come to us."
The eldest wife listened, and a look of relief appeared in her eyes: "Go and send it to the two concubines! Before it gets too late!"
Eleventh Lady agreed with a smile and was about to kneel down to bow and leave when a little maid came to report that Tenth Lady had arrived.
Everyone showed surprise, even the eldest wife raised her eyebrows.
Ever since she caught a cold and developed asthma while kneeling in the ancestral hall with Fourth Aunt three years ago, the eldest wife would exempt her from the morning and evening visits every winter.
When Eleventh Lady thought about what happened before she came here, she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. She always felt that Tenth Lady's sudden arrival was not such a simple matter.
"Let her in quickly, otherwise she will be blown by the cold wind and start panting again!" The eldest wife ordered the little maid, but her tone was full of contempt.
Everyone in the room looked around and pretended not to hear.
Soon, the little maid led in a person wearing a gray crane-colored brocade cloak.
Eleventh Lady was slightly stunned.
She came directly from the Fourth Aunt's place to the First Madam's place without even changing her clothes...
The maidservant carefully helped her untie her cloak, revealing a half-new, grass-green silk jacket with a persimmon-calyx pattern.
"Daughter greets mother." She knelt down in front of the eldest wife as light as a willow.
The eldest wife accepted her full courtesy and raised her hand: "Why are you here in such cold weather? How can I feel at ease if you get frozen?" Then she told Madam Xu beside her, "Prepare a cup of ginger soup for Miss Ten. She is weak, not like Fifth Lady, who is a monkey that jumped out of a crack in a rock and is not afraid of wind and rain. She is also not like Eleventh Lady, who has put on her cotton coat and skirt before the north wind blows. I don't need to worry about her."
She was smiling when she spoke, and her tone was full of concern, but to Eleventh Lady, it sounded strange.
Wu Niang listened and pulled the eldest wife's sleeve to act coquettishly: "My daughter has grown up now, and mother still scolds her with these words. My daughter will not agree - how come I jumped out of the cracks of the stone? You hold the tenth sister in your palm, and you don't have to worry about the eleventh sister."
"Look, it's shaking and making me dizzy. If it's not a monkey, what is it?" The eldest wife smiled and held her forehead.
Everyone laughed in response.
Eleventh Lady stepped forward and greeted Tenth Lady.
There was a hint of smile on Shi Niang's usually tense face, making her beautiful eyebrows bloom like summer flowers, with a breathtaking beauty.
Eleventh Lady’s heart tightened as she watched.
I thought of the first time I met Fourth Aunt.
It was also winter at that time. The fourth concubine was wearing a bright grass green silk jacket with a persimmon-calyx pattern, and a scarlet red and white sable cloak on the outside. She walked towards them leisurely with a royal blue painted enamel hand warmer with flowers and birds in her hand.
She had just woken up, and in her daze, she thought she was confused and dreamed that the beauty in the ancient painting of ladies walked down. It was not until the warm and tender hand of the fourth aunt gently touched her forehead that she felt the reality.
Eleventh Lady still remembered that her face was full of pity at that time: "Poor child, it's all our Tenth Lady's fault. I will let her come to apologize to you later."
When she said this, Fourth Aunt's willow-leaf dark eyebrows slightly frowned, as if she was very worried.
However, before Fourth Aunt left her courtyard, Mother Xu called her to the First Madam's room. Since then, she has never seen Fourth Aunt again... and she doesn't know what she looks like now.
The thought flashed through her mind and she shuddered.
The dress that Shi Niang was wearing was the same dress that Fourth Auntie had worn back then, but it was already old...
Eleventh Lady didn't dare to think too much, Tenth Lady had already greeted her: "Sister is here too!"
"I'm just about to go to Aunt Duan and Aunt Yuan." In front of the eldest wife, Eleventh Lady never called Duan the eldest aunt.
Shi Niang smiled and nodded.
Eleventh Lady had taken the opportunity to say goodbye to the eldest wife: "Mother, the child will go to my aunt's place."
The eldest wife's attention was completely attracted by Shi Niang, and she nodded absentmindedly.
Eleventh Lady felt relieved and quickly retreated with Amber.
When the door curtain was lowered, she heard Shi Niang laugh and say, "...My daughter thought it was cold and didn't know how mother was doing, so she came to check on her."
She couldn't help but quicken her pace.
Amber didn't say anything, and hurriedly left the first lady's place with Shiyi Niang. Then she called Shiyi Niang: "Miss, you should put on your cloak!"
Only then did Eleventh Lady slow down her pace and go to the two concubines.
(Sorry, the power is out...⊙﹏⊙b sweat!)