Seeing her son regain his former liveliness, Eleventh Lady felt relieved and started to get busy with New Year preparations.

She offered sacrifices to the Kitchen God, swept the house, replaced the peach charms with new ones, and took out the images of her ancestors for worship. On the night of New Year's Eve, she set off firecrackers and had the New Year's Eve dinner. She and Xu Lingyi visited various families and attended spring banquets. It was not until the twelfth day of the first lunar month that things finally calmed down a bit.

Shi Niang's adopted son, Wang Chengzu, Duke of Mao, suddenly came to visit her.

Eleventh Lady felt a little strange.

The second year after the death of the first wife, Mrs. Wang died of illness. Shi Niang invited a maid to help her with household affairs and the visits of relatives to weddings and funerals. She kept her door closed and led Wang Chengzu to live a widowhood life that was almost isolated from the world. Except for the New Year when the maid who helped her with household affairs accompanied Wang Chengzu to visit relatives, she usually kept Wang Chengzu at home to read and write. It is said that because of this matter, Wang Chengzu's biological father and mother came to argue with Shi Niang several times, saying that Shi Niang had taught a good child to be stupid and stupid, and he didn't even recognize his relatives, let alone be proficient in the ways of the world. He also said that Shi Niang was not raising a child, but a puppet.

Shi Niang didn't say a word, and directly ordered the servants and the maids to drive the man away. She still detained Wang Chengzu at home.

The New Year hasn't even ended yet, what is Wang Chengzu doing here? And in previous years, when Wang Chengzu came, he just greeted Xu Lingyi in the outer courtyard and left. He never asked to see her.

"Let him in!"

As Eleventh Lady spoke, the pretty face of Wang Chengzu as a child emerged in her mind.

He is the same age as Zhun Ge'er. Seven years have passed, and he should have grown into a young man. I wonder if his appearance has changed at all.

While she was thinking, she saw Amber walk in with a tall young man wearing a scarlet silk robe.

The lively eyes and fair skin soon overlapped with the image of the child in Shiyi Niang's memory.

"Duke Mao?"

"I don't deserve to be called aunt." Wang Chengzu bowed respectfully to Shiyi Niang, "I should have come to greet you a long time ago. But my mother is a widow, so it's not convenient for me to come often. I hope you can understand."

Is this the so-called dull-witted person who doesn't understand the ways of the world?

In her opinion, Wang Chengzu was better at speaking and acting than Xu Sizun, who was taught by someone personally.

"Is your mother okay?" Eleventh Lady asked Amber to bring a throne for Wang Chengzu to sit on.

"Mother has been ill these years." Wang Chengzu's young face showed a sadness that was not in line with his age, but his eyes were a little excited, which made his sadness less sincere. "I am young and can't help much. I can only burn incense and pray for my mother in front of the Bodhisattva on the first and fifteenth day of every month, asking the Bodhisattva to bless my mother to be safe and peaceful as soon as possible!" After saying that, he asked about Jing'er, "I saw him once when I greeted my uncle in the hall during the Chinese New Year last year. Sixth cousin should have grown taller, right? The Chinese New Year is not over yet, and the master should have returned to his hometown and hasn't come back yet, right? Why can't I see sixth cousin?"

Eleventh Lady doesn't like Wang Chengzu. She thinks this kid is smart but not sincere enough.

"Your sixth cousin is practicing martial arts in the martial arts hall!" She simply replied and immediately changed the subject, "Is there anything important that brought you here today?"

"It's not a big deal!" Wang Chengzu blushed and said, "My mother set the wedding date for me on the 28th of the first lunar month, and I came here specially to give my aunt the wedding invitation."

Eleventh Lady was stunned and it took her a while to come back to her senses.

How can you send wedding invitations to yourself?

And it was delivered directly to her.

No matter how poor the Duke Mao's Mansion is, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and the rules should still be followed...

"Aunt! I know this is a bit rude. But I haven't seen you for a few years. I'm afraid that you will be estranged from me, so I shamelessly come to see you!" Wang Chengzu said uneasily, "My mother originally had instructions for this matter. Just let the old housekeeper deliver the invitation. But I thought that my mother and aunt don't get along very often, and the wedding date is set in the first month of the year, which is a busy time at home. If she can't attend the wedding because of something important, I don't know how sad she will be!" As he spoke, his eyes turned red, "I didn't want to say it originally... Mother, mother, she started coughing up blood in the autumn... Otherwise, she wouldn't have set a wedding date for me so early..."

Eleventh Lady was shocked: "Your mother is coughing up blood? Have you asked a doctor to see her? What did the doctor say? How is she now?"

Wang Chengzu's expression relaxed slightly when he saw her talking one sentence after another. He said, "I have already asked a doctor. He said that this is an old illness and I can only take care of it slowly. Now my condition is sometimes better and sometimes worse. The weather was cold a few days ago, and I couldn't sleep all night because of coughing. The weather has been warmer these days, and I am much better."

Eleventh Lady was silent for a long time, and asked Amber to get him two bottles of Chuanbei loquat paste: "Take it back to your mother. It can also moisten your throat when you cough badly!"

Wang Chengzu thanked her profusely, talked to Shiyi Niang for a while, and then stood up to say goodbye.

When Xu Lingyi came back, Shiyi Niang told him about this matter: "Have you received the wedding invitation from Duke Mao's Mansion? Didn't they say that the child should be kept at home to study and write? Why do I think this child is more capable than those housekeepers in our family who travel around the world?"

"No!" Xu Lingyi laughed, "This kid has always been quite clever, and I've never heard of him causing any trouble outside. He must be born that way!" He added, "Do you know whose daughter he married?"

I was so focused on thinking about Shi Niang that I actually forgot about this matter.

But maybe it’s because she never took it to heart!

"I didn't ask in detail." Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Mother Song will go with you to give the gifts in a few days. I will ask her to help find out then."

Xu Lingyi probably just asked casually, chatted with her for a few words, and then stopped talking about it.

A few days later, Mother Song returned from giving gifts to Duke Mao’s mansion.

"I heard that the bride is a relative of Duke Mao's biological mother." Mother Song said, "Aunt Ten wanted to find a wife for Duke Mao, and they immediately sent this person over. Aunt Ten didn't even think about it and immediately agreed! I heard that because of this incident, Duke Mao's biological mother and father are now much more energetic!"

She knew that Wang Chengzu's biological father and mother were plotting against her, but she didn't care. Was it the courage of going to the tiger mountain even though she knew there was a tiger there? Or was it the calmness of the ignorant and fearless?

Eleventh Lady didn't know what to say.

"How is her illness?"

"I can't see it!" Mother Song told the truth, "When I went to greet Aunt Ten, she was sitting in front of the big kang by the window copying the Ksitigarbha Sutra. It was so quiet and there was nothing wrong with it!"

Shi Niang has always been strong-willed. Even if she feels uncomfortable in some way, she will not let others easily see her flaws.

"Got it! You can go down and have some rest!" Eleventh Lady brought tea.

Mother Song hesitated for a moment and said, "I heard that it was Duke Mao who personally sent out the wedding invitations to Fourth Aunt," and then she retreated.

Shi Niang didn't want to disturb any of them, but Wang Chengzu was afraid that others would not go... Duke Mao's Mansion had been peaceful and quiet for so many years, but suddenly there was a sense of turmoil!

However, this is Shi Niang's life after all, and others can't say anything.

On the 28th, Eleventh Lady went to the wedding.

There were not many guests at the Wang family, except for the Wang family's side branches and Shi Niang's relatives. Wang Lin only sent gifts but no one came. Shi Niang used the excuse of being a widow and did not show up. Yin Ping was busy with all the internal and external affairs.

When she saw Eleventh Lady, her eyes reddened and she invited Eleventh Lady to sit down in the hall.

Wu Niang took her children to Dengzhou for the New Year and had not returned yet. Si Niang and Luo San's grandmother had arrived earlier. Luo San's grandmother was a little easier to talk to, but Si Niang was a little embarrassed to see her. Everyone greeted each other, and Wang Chengzu, who had heard the news, rushed over.

"Eleventh Aunt, you're here!" he said, and scolded Yinping, "Why did you let Eleventh Aunt sit here? Why didn't you go and inform mother?" As he said that, he was about to help Eleventh Aunt to see Tenth Aunt.

Yin Ping looked embarrassed: "Duke, the Madam said she won't see guests..."

"Is the Eleventh Aunt a guest?" Before Yinping could finish her words, Wang Chengzu said unhappily, "Mother doesn't see others, so will she not see the Eleventh Aunt even if she comes? You can just go and report it..."

"Duke..." Yinping stood there, looking at a loss.

"No need!" Eleventh Lady didn't want to embarrass herself, "Your mother likes quietness, just sit here!"

Wang Chengzu did not force her, and sat down with Eleventh Lady, talking to them with a smile. Sometimes he asked Eleventh Lady when Xu Sizhun would get married; sometimes he asked Fourth Lady's second son Yu Li whether he would take the examination for the scholar this year; sometimes he asked about the business of Grandma Luo San and Master Luo San. Master Luo San had failed the examination several times in a row, and the last time, he fainted in the examination room. The Second Master and the Second Mistress saw that this was not a good thing, so they had to give up the idea of ​​letting him pursue a career in government, and helped Master San to open a shop and start a business of writing and painting. He never neglected anyone, and was very attentive, so much so that one of the Wang family relatives sitting nearby laughed and said, "Grandpa has an uncle, and mother has an uncle. You don't want your aunt because you have an aunt!"

Wang Chengzu was not angry either, and smiled and said, "I was raised by my mother, so naturally I love her dearly!"

It seemed that she was trying her best to mend the relationship between Shi Niang and the Luo family. Si Niang and Shiyi Niang were easy to deal with, and Luo San's grandmother was very open-minded. After the bride came in, she stayed at Wang's house to play cards with Wang's relatives, while Shiyi Niang and Si Niang went back home and went to give the meeting gifts for the second time.

Wang Chengzu and Mr. Luo Sanye gradually became close.

A few days later, Grandma Luo San brought a box of Hui ink to see Shiyi Niang: "They are all things from our shop, so please don't despise them, Auntie."

"Why would I dislike it? It's exactly what I need." Eleventh Lady asked Amber to take it and invited Luo San's wife to the banquet hall for tea. "Why do you have time to come here today? Is the business in the shop good?"

"Very good!" Master Luo San had never spoken straight at home, so even Grandma Luo San was a little dull. She nodded and said, "I came here today because our Third Master asked me to discuss something with Grandma Luo."

Eleventh Lady pretended to listen.

Grandma Luo said, "What our Third Master meant is that Duke Mao is married now, and Tenth Aunt is a widow, so it would be inconvenient to take care of things at home. It would be better to leave the family to Duke Mao! In this way, Tenth Aunt can worship Buddha with peace of mind!"

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I don’t know why, it’s so difficult to write!

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