Chapter 177: The Moon (Part 2)
When she woke up the next morning, Shiyi Niang found that Xu Lingyi looked very unhappy.
She was going back to her parents' home and decided to stay away from him. She wanted to make sure she left safely and would talk to him when she came back if anything happened.
Nanyong's wife combed her hair into a small peony bun, and she wore a red gold thread-threaded ruby-studded boutonniere, and a knot with kingfisher pearls. She wore a rose purple and gold-engraved knee-length narrow sleeve jacket. Zhenjie combed her hair into a double spiral bun, and wore a silver-gilt southern pearl pearl flower, a white silk jacket inside, and a pink-engraved brocade jacket outside. The two stood side by side, like a pair of sisters.
"I will go directly to Gongxian Hutong after I resign." Eleventh Lady bent her knees to greet Xu Lingyi, looking at his expression carefully.
Xu Lingyi had an indifferent expression, and just like yesterday, he was leaning on the large pillow at the head of the bed, reading a book.
Hearing Shiyi Niang bidding him farewell, he raised his eyelids and glanced at her, then took out a small red lacquer and gold-painted box from under his pillow and handed it to her: "Take it!"
He didn't say what it was, nor who it was for... But no matter what, it was a gift from his heart. Eleventh Lady decided to flatter him, took it with a cheerful look, and opened the box: "What is it?"
There were more than twenty silver ingots of eight or nine cents each, and a dozen silver notes of fifty or one hundred taels each.
She was stunned.
Xu Lingyi had already lowered his head and was flipping through a book: "I have asked Manager Bai to prepare things for you to take back to your mother's house. Take these back as a reward - after all, this is the first time that my aunt has come here, and there is also a new sister-in-law... His expression was indifferent.
Shiyi Niang thought about Xu Lingyi asking Bai Zongguan to come see him yesterday...it must be about this matter. Thinking of her complaints yesterday, she became a little uneasy: "Mr. Hou..."
Xu Lingyi didn't even raise his head, but waved his hand, signaling her to leave quickly.
Do you want to say something to him?
Eleventh Lady pondered over it. She was also afraid that she would be late. She was going back alone, and if she was late again, she didn't know what people would say about her... She was in a dilemma. After thinking about it, she decided to go back to her parents' home first and apologize to him when she got back.
She knelt down and saluted Xu Lingyi: "My Lord, I will go to Gongxian Hutong first!"
Xu Lingyi's attention seemed to be entirely focused on the book, and he nodded absentmindedly.
What book are you reading that makes you look so absorbed? I think you were reading this book yesterday.
Eleventh Lady couldn't help but stretch her neck to take a look at the title page.
It is Zuo Zhuan. Is it really that good?
She couldn't help but mutter a little in her heart, and then she went out with Zhen Jie'er.
Naturally, he didn't notice the sly smile in the eyes of the man reading Zuo Zhuan.
…
After leaving the yard, Zhen Jieer looked at Shiyi Niang with great concern: "Mother and father..."
The children have grown up, and they can sense when the atmosphere at home is not good. Instead of hiding it, it is better to be honest with Zhen Jieer. Children are usually more mature than adults think.
"Your father and I have a small disagreement." Eleventh Lady smiled helplessly, "I'm in a hurry to go back to my parents' home. I can only talk to your father about it when I get back."
Zhen Jie'er nodded. She thought of what the lady had said to Madam Du about her stepmother in private, and couldn't help but hesitate, "Is it because of Daddy's resignation?" She added, "I heard that the emperor kept Daddy like this to test him and see if he would really resign. If Daddy resigns, the emperor will really be at ease with him. If Daddy doesn't resign, I'm afraid the emperor will not let him go. But if Daddy really resigns, our family will not be as prosperous as it is now..." As she spoke, she stopped and looked at Eleventh Lady seriously, "Mother, as the saying goes, 'As long as you have the green mountains, you will have firewood to burn.' "Dad is the Marquis of Yongping, the head of the family and the pillar of this mansion. As long as we can save Dad, we will have a chance to make a comeback. Mother, please don't be angry with Dad. Even if our family will not be as glorious as it is now, it is a blessing for our family to live a quiet life."
Eleventh Lady was stunned.
Sister Zhen was actually persuading her.
I didn't expect that she was so young, not only kind-hearted, but also so knowledgeable. I couldn't help but smile brightly: "Zhen Jie'er, you are right." As long as there is green mountains, there is no fear of running out of firewood. "As long as your father is safe, our family will be fine."
Sister Zhen felt a little embarrassed when she heard this: "I said something outrageous, but my mother was very generous and didn't bother with me."
"Our Zhen Jie is really insightful." Eleventh Lady praised her with a smile, and then explained to her, "However, we are not arguing about these things. We have differences on some small details in life. For example, I like to eat fish, and your father likes meat... so we need to adjust to each other."
Zhen Jie nodded and whispered, "It takes a hundred years to be together. Mother and I are destined to be together. So don't bother with Dad about these trivial matters."
Looking at Zhen Jie'er like this, let alone the misunderstanding between her and Xu Lingyi on this matter, even if he was wrong, Shiyi Niang would not bother with him.
"Sister Zhen is right." She smiled and took Sister Zhen's hand. "Since we are a family, we should be more tolerant of each other."
After hearing this, Zhen Jie'er breathed a sigh of relief, and went to the lady's place while chatting and laughing with Shiyi Niang.
When Zhe Ge knew that Zhen Jie'er and Shiyi Niang were going to visit relatives, he also wanted to go.
Eleventh Lady did not dare to take him with her, fearing that he might bump into something or get into trouble, so she said with a smile, "We girls will go visit relatives, and you boys will stay at home with your grandmother."
Zhe Ge looked at Xu Sijian who was smiling beside him, then looked at Zhen Jie'er, and his head drooped.
Eleventh Lady looked at him and couldn't help but smile, touched his head and said, "I will take you to visit relatives during the Chinese New Year." On the second day of the Chinese New Year, we will visit our uncle, and on the third day, we will visit our father-in-law. Then, we will definitely take Brother Zhe to the Luo family.
When Zhege heard this, his eyes lit up, but he did not forget Xu Sijian, so he pulled him and said, "Take our third brother with you too!"
"I'm not a woman, thinking about visiting relatives." Xu Sijian looked disapproving, but his eyes revealed some yearning, "I won't go."
Xu Siqin and Xu Siyu were older, and they had already heard that Shiyi Niang was fooling her brother, and they laughed at the side. Xu Siqin even personally drew the curtain for Shiyi Niang: "Auntie Si, don't pay attention to them, they are two fools."
Eleventh Lady smiled and went into the house with Zhen Jie'er.
The lady was sitting on the big kang by the window and talking. When she saw Shiyi Niang and Zhen Jie'er come in, she asked them carefully whether they had brought gifts, which maids were with the carriage, and when they would be back.
Eleventh Lady answered all the questions one by one, and the lady dowager gave them a few more words of advice, such as "be careful on the road", and then let Mother Du send them out.
…
When they arrived at Luo's residence in Gongxian Hutong, the eldest grandmother personally greeted them in front of the hanging flower gate.
Seeing Zhen Jie'er behind Shiyi Niang, she was surprised, but she remained polite and greeted Zhen Jie'er with a smile: "...I heard the eldest lady's piano playing in Shaohua Court last time, and I was amazed by her beauty."
Zhen Jie'er bowed to the grandmother respectfully and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Aunt."
Eleventh Lady was very surprised.
Logically speaking, the eldest master brought everyone in the family to Yanjing, which could be considered a family reunion, and he specially invited these married girls to their parents' home for dinner, so it should be a lively and joyful occasion. Why did the faces of these maids and old women look so tense, and the eldest lady's smile was also a little forced.
The thought flashed through her mind, and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly pulled her grandmother's hand and asked, "Sister-in-law, what happened at home?"
The grandmother glanced at Sister Zhen and seemed to be about to say something but stopped herself.
Zhen Jie'er was very good at reading people's expressions, but this was the Luo family, and there was no place for her to hide even if she wanted to. She had no choice but to lower her head.
But Eleventh Lady had no intention of hiding it from her.
After all, she and Zhen Jie'er were mother and daughter, so there was nothing they couldn't talk about. Moreover, Zhen Jie'er was a very sensible and considerate child.
"Sister-in-law, just tell me what you want to say!" She was worried that it was the Fifth Aunt.
Seeing that she was asking anxiously, the grandmother thought that they would have to meet soon...she smiled bitterly and said, "Mom's condition has worsened again!"
"How could this happen?" Eleventh Lady was somewhat stunned. "A few days ago, I sent someone to ask about it and they said that it was almost healed and he could get out of bed during the Chinese New Year. How come it suddenly got worse again!"
Just as the eldest grandmother was about to say something, a horse-drawn carriage came with a clatter. It was the fourth sister-in-law Yu Yiqing and the fourth sister. She smiled apologetically at the eleventh sister and hurried to greet them.
After everyone exchanged greetings, Yu Yiqing hurriedly went to Luo Zhenxing's room because Zhen Jie'er was present. The fourth aunt took Zhen Jie'er's hand and praised her, and then everyone went to the main house together.
The Sixth Aunt and the Twelfth Aunt came up to greet them.
Twelve Niang is taller than when she was in Yuhang. She has gradually lost her childishness and has the beauty of a young girl.
"Eleventh Aunt." Sixth Aunt greeted Eleventh Lady warmly, and then instructed Twelfth Lady, "Why don't you pay your respects to your sister?"
Twelve Lady stepped forward shyly and bowed to Eleven Lady.
Eleventh Lady took out a jade pendant and gave it to her as a gift, and also handed her the lady's South Pearl flower: "This is a token of the lady's heart."
"Oh! How can this be so embarrassing." Sixth Aunt took Twelfth Madam and knelt before Eleventh Madam and said, "And let the Madam spend money!"
"It's just a small gift, not a token of respect." Eleventh Lady was polite.
The Sixth Aunt brought the Twelfth Aunt to pay respects to the Fourth Aunt.
Si Niang gave Twelve Niang a string of glass bracelets as a meeting gift.
Eleventh Lady introduced Zhen Jie'er to Twelve Lady.
One has the gentleness and beauty of a girl from the south of the Yangtze River, the other has the generosity and composure of a girl from the north. When they stand together, they are like autumn chrysanthemums and spring orchids, each with its own merits.
The two girls saluted each other, and both saw admiration in each other's eyes. When the Sixth Aunt knew that Zhen Jie'er was the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Yongping, she smiled even more affectionately than before, and gave Zhen Jie'er a string of enamel bracelets as a gift.
Sister Zhen thanked him respectfully.
The group went to the eldest wife's inner room.
Eleventh Lady immediately spotted the Fifth Aunt standing in front of the First Lady's bed with a tea tray.
Time seemed to have a special fondness for her. Although I hadn't seen her for two years, not only had her appearance not changed, but her demeanor had also changed from her previous timidity to a calm and indifferent demeanor, making her look elegant and more beautiful than before.
The fifth aunt also saw her daughter.
She was dressed gorgeously, her face was rosy and shiny, and there was no longer the cautiousness she had when she was at the Luo family. Instead, she was calm and confident. It was as if she had just blinked her eyes and her daughter had grown up.
The Fifth Aunt's tears suddenly welled up: "Eleventh Lady..."
"Aunt!" Eleventh Lady's eyelashes were also filled with tears.
Suddenly, a hoarse cry like that of a crow came from the room.
Eleventh Lady was shocked.
Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw the eldest wife leaning on a large pillow at the head of the bed.
She was staring at her with her big eyes, looking sternly.