Chapter 25: Yanjing (Part 2)

When the eldest wife heard that her daughter wanted to see her, she quickly replied, "No need to wait until another day. Go and tell Yuanniang that I will be there tomorrow afternoon."

Mother Tao said "yes", called the maidservant to come in, and presented the gift from Luo Yuanniang: "Some medicinal herbs, Master, Madam, to help you recover."

The eldest wife smiled and asked Mother Xu to take it.

Shanhu had already brought the golden stool: "Mother Tao, please take a seat."

Mother Tao repeatedly said "I dare not" and postponed, saying: "The first wife is tired from the journey, and my wife is waiting for my reply. I will go back first and come to pick up the first wife tomorrow."

The first wife thought for a moment and said, "There is a long time to come. Go back and tell Yuanniang the news, so that she can rest assured."

After hearing this, Mother Tao stood up and said goodbye, and Mother Xu personally saw her out.

The eldest master stood up and said, "Everyone go and have a rest. We will have dinner together later."

Everyone in the room responded with a respectful "yes". Mother Xu, Shanhu and others stayed to help the eldest wife with her hairdressing and dressing, while Luo Zhenxing and the eldest grandmother led the others out of the house in a mere merriment.

A plump woman was standing under the eaves, waiting with a smile on her face. When she saw them come out, she stepped forward to greet Luo Zhenxing and reported to the grandmother, "Grandma, the ladies' quarters have been cleaned up, and the first mistress's boxes have been unloaded. The number is correct, but I don't know which ones belong to which room..."

The woman's surname was Hang. She was the grandmother's companion and also her capable mother.

After hearing this, the eldest grandmother smiled at Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang and said, "Yanjing is very expensive, not like Yuhang. The house is a little small. Dad and mom live in the main house, and you are placed in the back room. I hope you two sisters don't mind and stay here for now."

Her smile was friendly and her words were gentle, which made Shiyi Niang secretly praise her in her heart.

Gu was worthy of her family background in a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River. Although she knew that the eldest wife was sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside towards these concubines, she still behaved in a gentle and generous manner, without losing the demeanor of a girl from an aristocratic family.

Eleventh Lady smiled and thanked Grandma: "Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Wu Niang pulled the grandmother's hand and said, "Look at what my sister-in-law said. Are we all people who don't know the importance of things? This house is so small. Father and mother live in the main house, we live in the back house, and my eldest brother and sister-in-law will live in the back house. The back house faces south, it's cold in winter and hot in summer, and it's close to the outer courtyard, which is noisy... My eldest brother has to go to school..." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, "What my sister-in-law said makes us feel ashamed."

The grandmother was quite moved after hearing this.

It's amazing that Wu Niang knows how good she is. She even points out her painstaking efforts in front of her husband Luo Zhenxing... No wonder everyone says that Wu Niang is smart and clever, and is really likable.

There was a more intimate look in her smile: "Sister, please stop talking like that. You are ladies from the imperial family, unlike us, who can live next to the outer courtyard!"

After hearing what Wu Niang said, Luo Zhenxing's face relaxed and a smile appeared in his eyes: "Well, the sisters have been tormented on the road for more than a month, and the eleventh sister is still seasick. You should take them to rest!"

The eldest grandmother replied respectfully, "Yes", and the tenth and eleventh aunts bowed to Luo Zhenxing, greeted the sixth concubine, and followed the eldest grandmother to the back room. Afterwards, Luo Zhenxing also went out of the hanging flower gate and returned to the back room where he lived.

Mother Jiang called Ziwei from Wu Niang's room and Amber from Shiyi Niang's room to follow Mother Hang to divide the boxes and cages.

The main house in the back wing is the same as the main house in the main courtyard, with five rooms, each with an ear room, and the east and west side rooms have three rooms, each with an ear room, but there is no fish tank or flower stand in the courtyard like in the main house, and the locust tree in front of the steps has been replaced by a weeping willow.

Grandma smiled and said, "Just pick whichever place you like!"

Wu Niang said hurriedly, "Sister, you choose first! It doesn't matter where I live!"

Eleventh Lady said without further ado, "Sis is older, so I'll live in the west room!"

"How can that be possible?" Wu Niang said with a smile, "You are still weak, so you should live in the east room!"

"I'll just need to take care of myself after I get off the boat. It's not a big deal!" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "Sister, you should stay in the east room, and I'll stay in the west room!"

Wu Niang was still trying to push it away. The eldest grandmother smiled and said, "You don't have to push it away. I think, just like what the eleventh sister said, she is the younger sister, so she should live in the west room, and you are the older sister, so you should live in the east room!"

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Let's do as my eldest sister-in-law said!" As she spoke, she was already panting and looked like she was struggling.

The grandmother took the opportunity to say goodbye: "You guys take a break! I'm leaving first. I still have to prepare dinner."

The two of them saw the grandmother off: "Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law."

"I am a sister-in-law, how can I worry about hard work?" She smiled and went out, and Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang returned to the house. Shiyi Niang smiled bitterly at Wu Niang: "Sister, I want to take a rest..."

"Go ahead!" Wu Niang smiled and turned to go to the east room without even a polite greeting.

Ziyuan hurriedly followed Wu Niang into the house.

Eleventh Lady looked at Fifth Lady's back and smiled helplessly.

Ever since she revealed her interest in Luo Yuanniang, Wu Niang had been vaguely hostile to her. If she really wanted to compete with her for something... I'm afraid she would hate her to the core!

"Miss, Fifth Miss..." Dong Qing also saw something, "You have to find a chance to explain it to her. Otherwise, this misunderstanding will only get worse!"

"I know what's going on." Eleventh Lady didn't want to talk about this anymore.

The situation is unclear now, so it’s better not to act rashly!

She was helped back to the house by Holly.

There was a big kang next to the window in the west room, with small tables on the left and right, covered with scarlet felt, and four armchairs on each side, making it a banqueting place. There was a desk next to the window in the last room, a bookshelf on the left, a small eight-step bed in the middle of the room, and a small warm room at the back.

Eleventh Lady looked very satisfied.

It would be even more perfect if Wu Niang didn’t live next door!

She pondered in her heart.

Dongqing and Binju were amazed. "What kind of arrangement is this? There's a small room behind the bed, and there's no brazier, but it's warm." They reached out to touch the big kang by the window, "It's warm too."

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "The south is different from the north. The south is humid, so people live upstairs. The north is cold, so people sleep on a heated kang."

"How did you know, Miss?" Qiuju sat on the bed in the warm room with a smile on her face.

"You know it from reading books!" The introverted Zhu Xiang seemed very excited and talked more than usual. "Miss, you have read so many books, of course you know everything!"

Of course, she didn’t learn this from books, but from what she had seen and experienced in person when she traveled far and wide…

Eleventh Lady smiled but did not answer. A little maidservant who was unfamiliar to her came in and said, "Eleventh Lady, Sixth Lady is here."

Everyone was stunned.

The Sixth Aunt had already lifted the curtain and entered.

"Miss Eleven!" She greeted Eleventh Lady with a smile.

Dongqing quickly put away his smile and stood aside solemnly.

"Why are you here, Auntie?" Eleventh Lady replied with a smile, "Come in and have a cup of tea!"

Qiuju hurriedly brought a stool to Sixth Aunt, and Dongqing found a wooden barrel with warm water in the corner of the side room and made tea for Sixth Aunt.

The Sixth Aunt smiled and waved her hands: "I won't sit down anymore. I still have to help the First Madam rest later. I came here just to ask," she hesitated for a moment, and the smile on her face became a little bitter, "I just want to ask the Twelfth Miss, is she okay?"

Eleventh Lady sighed secretly in her heart.

A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles. When she left, Fifth Aunt cried her heart out. Similarly, Sixth Aunt must be in a state of confusion thinking about the young Twelve Niang.

"Very good!" Eleventh Lady always thought that Sixth Aunt was a very smart person. "Some time ago, I stayed at home every day to embroider screens. Fifth Sister and Tenth Lady often came to mother to show their filial piety. Twelfth Sister would sometimes come to mother to chat and laugh with her sisters. Twelfth Sister also made silk flowers with silk yarn for mother, and mother couldn't tell the real from the fake... She is very skillful."

The Sixth Aunt heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Then I won't bother Miss Eleven. After all, the Fifth Aunt and I have lived in the same house for five or six years. If you have any problems, just come to me."

"Thank you, aunt." Eleventh Lady didn't know whether the eldest wife knew that Sixth Lady had come to her place, and she was afraid that Fifth Lady would see it, so she naturally didn't dare to keep her. She made the excuse that she was dizzy and asked Dongqing to send Sixth Lady out.

The Sixth Aunt had just left and came back to get the amber from the box.

Dongqing first opened the box containing bedding, then made the bed in the warm attic, fetched some water to help Shiyi Niang wash up and go to bed, and asked Zhuxiang to look after her. Then he and Amber took Binju and Qiuju to open the box and pack up the things.

Eleventh Lady took a nap and got up refreshed.

She looked at her face carefully in the mirror and asked, "Have I gained weight again?"

"Your face has become so thin that it's only the size of a palm," Dong Qing was inserting two pomegranate flowers the size of a fingernail into Shiyi Niang's hair, "Do you still want to lose weight?"

Eleventh Lady smiled with her lips pursed.

Amber urged Eleventh Lady to hurry up: "I saw that Fifth Miss has already left for the First Madam."

Eleventh Lady didn't dare look in the mirror again. She put on a rose-red sable fur cloak and hurried towards the First Lady. Finally, she caught up with Fifth Lady before she entered the house, and they entered the house one after the other.

The two stood in front of the door curtain, with the maid helping them to take off their cloaks. Wu Niang looked at Shiyi Niang with a half-smile: "I can't believe that my sister's hands and feet are so fast even though she is sick!"

Eleventh Lady looked at Fifth Lady with a smile and said angrily, "It's all my fault that you left without even calling me!"

Wu Niang smiled coldly and was about to say something, but the curtain was already drawn aside and Shan Hu came out and said with a smile, "The eldest lady is waiting for the two young ladies!"

The two stopped talking and went into the house one after the other.

In the banquet area of ​​the back room, there was a black lacquered square table and eight black lacquered rose chairs with scarlet red cushions, with chopsticks and plates already laid out. Several maids stood under the curtain, while Mama Xu, Luo Zhuo, Daimao and others gathered in front of the big kang by the window - Brother Hao's cheerful laughter could be heard from there from time to time.

"Madam, Miss Five and Miss Eleven are here!" Shanhu reported with a smile. The crowd dispersed, and Eleventh Lady saw the eldest master and the eldest lady sitting on the big kang, one on each side. The kang table in the middle had been moved to somewhere long ago, and Brother Xiu was doing somersaults on it. The eldest grandmother was afraid that the child would fall, so she stood in front of the kang with her arms outstretched to protect him.

"Okay, okay." The eldest master smiled and hugged Brother Xiu, "Let's go eat!"

Brother Xiu looked as if he was not satisfied yet, twisting his body and trying to do somersaults.

Luo Zhenxing, who was standing nearby, frowned and said, "Stand still."

After hearing this, Brother Xiu really didn't dare to make trouble anymore. He just lay obediently on the big boss and didn't dare to move.

The eldest wife, while Du Wei was helping her put on her shoes, said with a smile, "You're not afraid of scaring the child!"

After hearing this, Brother Xiu immediately raised his head from the eldest master's arms and looked at the eldest wife pitifully.

The eldest wife reached out and hugged Brother Xiu in her arms: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, grandma is here!"

Luo Zhenxing looked at his mother with a somewhat amusing look, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

The grandmother looked at them and quickly turned her gaze away: "Dad, Mom, please take a seat! I'm sure the two sisters are hungry too!"

Everyone's attention was indeed diverted, and the eldest wife even complained, "Why did you come now?"

Wu Niang smiled and said, "Waiting for my sister!"

Eleventh Lady blushed: "I slept late!"

The first wife laughed and said, "He is an honest man!"

Eleventh Lady blushed and lowered her head, causing everyone to laugh.

(Since Zhizhi is so hardworking, please give her more support...)