Chapter 24: Yanjing (Part 2)

When the old lady of the Luo family was an official in Yanjing, she bought a house with four courtyards in Laojuntang Hutong, Huanghuafang, east of the city. Later, the second old man of the Luo family stayed in Beijing as an official, and he lived in this house forever.

Later, the three brothers returned to the Ministry of Personnel in Yanjing to report, and naturally the house could no longer accommodate them.

The third master moved to live in Qiantang Hutong, Renshoufang, Yanjing, because his third wife had a three-story house as a dowry.

In this way, the eldest master will have to live together with the second master.

Not only did the second master and his wife have to give up the main house and move to the back house to live with their daughter, but the third master Luo Zhenda, his wife, and his youngest son also had to give up the outer courtyard to Luo Zhenxing and his wife. It sounded troublesome, not to mention moving. The eldest master thought that his son and his wife had to study in the Imperial College, and if they failed the exam, it would be common for them to live there for five or six years. It would not be a good idea to squeeze in with the second house. So he asked the second master to buy a three-story house in Gongxian Hutong, Baodafang.

Therefore, the eldest lady, after getting off the carriage, looked at the two locust trees in front of the gate of the house, which were as thick as a man's embrace, and her face looked very unhappy.

"How much did this house cost?"

The house of Laojuntang in Huanghuafang is a public property, and everyone has a share. Originally, the second branch was an official in Beijing, so the house was given to them to live in. Now that several branches have gathered in Beijing, the second branch should have vacated the house... Why is it still buying a house outside? Does the second branch think that the house is theirs?

Luo Zhenxing knew what his mother was thinking, so he whispered to her, "Mom, money is just a thing outside of our body. We just need to live comfortably."

The first wife looked at her son and her face brightened up: "Sons and grandchildren don't ask about their parents' land. Brother Xing, this is the behavior of a man who stands tall and proud. With a son like this, money is really nothing to me."

Luo Zhenxing's face was slightly upset: "My son is not as good as my mother said!"

The eldest wife smiled without saying anything, but looked at her son with a hint of pride and let him lead her into the house.

Luo Zhenxing's wife, grandmother Gu, holding her son Xiu Ge, had already led the sixth concubine, maids, daughters-in-law, and old women to wait in front of the hanging flower gate.

Seeing the eldest wife, she hurried over to greet her. Brother Hao immediately opened his arms excitedly and shouted "Grandma, Grandma" loudly.

The smile could no longer be concealed and flowed from the corners of the eldest wife's eyes and eyebrows.

She walked quickly forward, stretched out her hands and held Brother Xiu in her arms: "Good Brother Xiu, do you miss grandma?"

"I thought about it!" The four-year-old Brother Xiu answered in a baby voice, hugged the eldest wife's neck and put his face against her jaw.

"You're so good." The eldest wife patted her grandson's back gently with a smile on her face.

The Sixth Aunt and others came forward to pay their respects to the First Lady. The First Lady responded in a good mood, then carried Brother Xiu in her arms and was about to go into the house.

Grandma quickly reached out to pick up Brother Xiu: "Mom, you must be tired from the journey, let me hold Brother Xiu!"

"I'm not so weak that I can't even hold a child!" The eldest wife hugged Brother Xiu even tighter, as if she was afraid that someone would snatch him away from her arms.

The eldest grandmother stretched out her hand and placed it on the eldest wife's arm: "Daughter-in-law will take you in." After saying this, she and the eldest wife walked into the main courtyard shoulder to shoulder.

Goldfish tanks, flower stands, stone tables and chairs, big trees taller than the eaves, and red window grilles on the windows... Although it is winter, the yard is filled with a warm homely atmosphere.

Looking over there, I saw a man wearing a royal blue floral waistcoat with his hands behind his back standing under the eaves of the main house.

He has black hair, fair skin, bright eyes, and a tall figure. From a distance, he looks imposing, like a man of thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, and is very handsome.

Seeing the first wife, he nodded slightly and greeted her with a smile: "You're here!"

The eldest wife's eyes fixed, she gave Brother Hui to the eldest grandmother, walked slowly to the steps, bent her knees to salute the eldest master, and called him "Master".

This man was none other than Luo Huazhong, the head of the Luo family.

Shiyi Niang still remembers the shock she felt when she first saw him - she thought she would meet an old man with a timid appearance... but who knew that he turned out to be a middle-aged man with excellent temperament.

The eldest master politely asked his wife, "Did you have a safe journey?"

The eldest wife bowed and said "yes" respectfully, smiling, "I took the eldest aunt's business card, and nothing went wrong along the way."

After hearing this, the eldest master hummed softly, as if he was not very willing to talk about this matter. He turned his gaze to the Fifth Lady and the Eleventh Lady behind the First Lady.

The two of them hurried forward to salute the old man.

The eldest master looked at their expressions with a hint of surprise: "How come they have grown so big in the blink of an eye!"

With just these one sentence, Eleventh Lady classified him as an irresponsible playboy.

The eldest wife's eyes turned cold when she heard this. Mother Xu saw this and secretly said "Oh no!" She immediately stepped forward and bowed to the eldest master: "How are you, eldest master!" and turned her attention to herself.

The eldest master looked at Mother Xu and nodded slightly, then said to the eldest wife, "Everyone is tired, let's go in and rest!" Then he turned and went into the house.

So they followed him into the house.

Everyone sat down according to their order of importance, and finally Eleventh Lady had the opportunity to look around the room.

The black lacquer furniture, the green official curtains, the bright yellow forsythia on the tea table, the lovely green trees in the corners, and the porcelain screen with the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea on the wall, all add vitality and interest to the room.

Several maids served tea quietly.

The eldest master suddenly asked, "Why didn't Shi Niang come with us?"

The air in the room stagnated.

The first wife smiled modestly: "Her asthma has recurred, so I didn't bring her here!"

The eldest master frowned slightly: "Didn't we agree on this? Why did you do it again?"

"She has been in and out of health for the past few years. This time I came to Beijing, I was thinking of finding a better doctor for her," the first wife said calmly. "It's not a good idea to keep dragging it on like this. She's already fifteen years old this year, and it's time for her to start looking for a husband. If people knew she had this disease, I'm afraid there would be a lot of trouble."

The elder nodded and stopped talking about Shi Niang. Instead, he asked Wu Niang, "How is your calligraphy going?"

Wu Niang stood up and said respectfully, "Father, mother has been teaching me calligraphy."

The eldest master glanced at the eldest wife and said with a smile, "Your mother studied with your grandfather since she was young, and her Yan style calligraphy is better than mine. You have your mother's guidance, so you must know how to cherish it."

Wu Niang replied respectfully, "Yes."

A smile flashed across the eldest wife's face.

The eldest master asked Eleventh Lady again: "Are you still staying at home doing needlework every day?"

Eleventh Lady stood up like Fifth Lady and replied respectfully, "Yes."

"Why do you look so bad? Are you seasick?" The eldest master looked at Eleventh Lady.

Eleventh Lady nodded: "Yes!"

"Don't worry if you're seasick, you'll be fine once you get off the shore!" The eldest master laughed, "Then make me a pair of shoes some other day, so I can see how good your needlework is!"

Eleventh Lady replied solemnly, "Yes."

The eldest master looked at her and shook his head, then said with a smile, "You are so young, who do you resemble? You are so strict and reserved!"

Eleventh Lady's face flushed and she murmured in silence.

"Okay," the eldest wife came to the rescue, "the children haven't seen you for a long time, and everyone is scolding you. How can anyone let go?"

The eldest master smiled and was about to say something when a maid came in and reported, "The eldest master, the eldest mistress, the eldest master, the eldest mistress, and the eldest aunt have sent someone to pay respects to the eldest master and the eldest mistress!"

Everyone in the room was startled.

The eldest wife arrived first, and the eldest aunt's people followed closely...Did the eldest master send someone to inform the eldest aunt?

Everyone's eyes fell on Luo Zhenxing.

Luo Zhenxing was also surprised and said to the first wife, "Mom, I didn't send anyone to report to my sister."

The eldest wife looked at the eldest master.

The eldest master also shook his head: "I estimate that it will take you four or five days to arrive..."

That is the situation that has been keeping an eye on here!

The eldest wife looked slightly depressed, and hurriedly ordered Mother Xu: "Quick, go and welcome her in!"

Mother Xu left as soon as she was told. The faces of the eldest master, the eldest mistress, the eldest grandfather and the eldest grandmother all looked solemn, without any joy of family reunion. A sense of uneasiness began to spread in the house.

Children are the most sensitive. Being held in his mother's arms, Brother Xiu looked at the eldest grandfather and then at the eldest mistress with a timid expression.

Wu Niang looked at her and smiled softly, "Mother, my elder sister is really filial... She has been looking forward to your coming with all her heart!"

The eldest wife smiled slightly: "She has been clinging to me since she was little!"

"I don't know what my eldest sister looks like now!" Wu Niang said to the eldest wife with a smile, "Come to think of it, I was still young when my eldest sister got married..."

Before she finished her words, Mother Xu came in with a woman wearing a lilac-colored jacket with embroidered patterns.

The woman looked to be no more than thirty-five or thirty-six, with her dark hair neatly tied into a bun, revealing her smooth forehead. She was dignified and capable.

Wu Niang hurriedly stopped talking.

The woman knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "Madam... your servant Tao pays respects to the master and the madam."

The eldest wife let out a soft "Ah" and sat up straight, and said with some excitement, "It turned out to be Mother Tao!"

"It is I!" Mother Tao stood up, knelt on the ground again, and kowtowed three times to the eldest master and the eldest wife, saying, "I kowtow to the eldest master and the eldest wife on behalf of the lady."

When the eldest wife saw this, she actually stood up and walked forward, personally picking up Mother Tao and asked: "How is my Yuanniang?" Before she finished speaking, she was already in tears.

"Okay, okay, okay." Mother Tao's eyes were filled with tears, and she tightly held the hand of the first wife. "Madam, everything is fine! It's just that I haven't seen the first wife for many years, and I miss her very much."

When the eldest wife heard this, tears fell like rain, causing Mother Tao to apologize: "I said something wrong and made the eldest wife sad."

Mother Xu tried to persuade them: "This is a great happy event, why is the first wife crying?"

The eldest grandmother even gave Brother Hui to the wet nurse beside her and took out a handkerchief to wipe the eldest wife's face herself: "You are crying with joy, crying with joy. Although you are happy, you can't scare us like this."

Wu Niang, Shiyi Niang and Liu Yi Niang also stepped forward to persuade her: "Madam, please stop crying!"

The eldest wife took the eldest grandmother's handkerchief with some embarrassment, wiped the corners of her eyes, and said with a smile: "I am old now, and I like to feel sad about the passing of time."

Everyone laughed.

Mother Tao smiled and said, "I have been asked by the Madam to come to your house tomorrow afternoon to give you a talk. I don't know if it is convenient for you? Do you want to change the time?"