neighborhood
Taishi Zheng didn't quite understand what Song Mingyu meant, so she ignored him. She casually grabbed a handful of balanzi from the bamboo basket and handed it to Fu Yuanzi, who was drooling with greed. Zheng narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Alright, Yuanzi, this is all your business. Go play."
"Well, all right!" Fu Yuanzi was wearing a crimson peach blossom long gown today, with her hair styled in a high, long-tail bun. The butterflies on her bun trembled as she bowed her head in response. "Then, Madam, Madam Eldest Young Master, Madam Third Young Master, I will take my leave now."
Zheng glanced at her. She remembered that these clothes had been made some time ago when her father went to the morning market at Xiangguo Temple and bought two bolts of cloth for each of them. She hadn't expected this girl to wear them before the Lunar New Year. She was really impatient.
Zheng looked at Fu Yuanzi, her eyes full of love that was about to overflow.
She couldn't help but yell, "Yuanzi——"
"Eh? What's the matter? Is there anything else for my wife?" Fu Yuanzi stopped in the yard and looked back.
Zheng sneered, "Your bun looks really nice today."
"I know~" Fu Yuanzi smiled and reached out to move the butterfly on his bun.
After he finished speaking, he ran out of the yard.
Cang Yi looked at her brisk figure and sighed, "Zheng, your girl is truly free and carefree. She's so adorable. Just like you."
Zheng peeled off Ba Lanzi's clothes and glanced back outside the courtyard, saying frankly, "It's natural. We grew up together, doing everything together, and we've never been tired of each other. Back in the palace, she often took the blame for me and received punishments from the Palace Master. Now that there's no one to supervise her, it doesn't matter whether I have someone to serve me or not. I'm happy that she can be freer."
Cang Yi nodded in agreement.
She looked around the several courtyards of the main house. Aside from the Ginkgo House, where a few maids and servants were still working, the rest were quiet and peaceful. Unlike the second house, where the mansion was already small, and the maids and servants were crammed in. They really didn't mind the noise.
Zheng raised her hand and divided the peeled balanzi fairly among the sisters-in-law in front of her.
Song Mingyue took the Balanzi handed to her by Zheng, pulled the blanket over her body, and joined the conversation between her two sisters-in-law.
She said, "Second sister-in-law, sometimes I really envy you. Not only do you have such a wonderful girl, but you also have so many close friends. Look at them, they speak so softly and are beautiful. They are also elegant and generous! Of course, it is because of your excellence that you can have such good friends."
"Look at me again? I've been with my brothers my whole life, a bunch of stinky boys who surrounded me and fought all day long. They made the house a mess. It was so annoying. My biggest dream as a child was to have a quiet chat and drink tea with my sisters like we do now. But now that I've met my sisters-in-law, I think this marriage that my father forced on me at the cost of his reputation is not bad at all."
"I am content with that."
Song Mingyue said this sincerely.
Because of Taishi Zheng, her impression of the pampered ladies from aristocratic families had indeed changed a lot. However, being able to make friends with Cang Yi and Taishi Zheng was the second greatest blessing after marrying into the Bo Mansion. Although before Taishi Zheng married into the family, she had always had a biased impression of her.
Zheng narrowed her eyes.
Are they gentle and kind in their speech? Are they graceful and generous in their behavior?
Who are you talking about? It has nothing to do with those two people named Qi and Yi.
Zheng shook her head and didn't think too much about it.
Seeing her gently grasping Song Mingyue's fingertips, her eyes sincere, having long since cast aside past grudges, Zheng said, "Don't worry, Sixth Brother, you don't have to be envious. You have so many brothers who love you, so wouldn't the rabbit meat be yours first? Besides, it's not too late for you to get to know me and my sister-in-law now. As long as you treat me to good tea and good food, I can come every day."
"Right, sister-in-law?" Zheng raised her eyebrows.
Cang Yi pursed his lips and smiled.
Song Mingyue lowered her eyes and looked at him, deeply moved. "Second sister-in-law, you really know how to comfort people."
Zheng gently patted the back of Song Mingyue's hand and said nothing more. But when she saw the old lady rushing back and forth to prepare the offerings, she turned her head and said loudly, "Excuse me, old lady, could you please add some coriander to the pot before I serve it? Thank you very much—"
Without waiting for the old lady to speak.
Song Mingyue angrily slammed Taishi Zheng's hand away and immediately shouted, "What? Second sister-in-law, you actually eat something like coriander!?"
Zheng was stunned by Song Mingyue's reaction. "This kind of thing? What's wrong with eating coriander?"
What's wrong?
How can there be someone in this world who loves coriander...
It's simply unreasonable!
The deep affection between the sisters-in-law instantly dissipated, and Song Mingyue's feelings were diluted by the word "coriander". The two of them really were "incompatible". She decided to take back what she had just said. Seeing Song Mingyue's indignation when she opened her mouth, she shouted at Tai Shi Zheng, "Second sister-in-law, if you eat coriander! Leave my Ginkgo Pavilion now--"
-
It was mid-afternoon, around noon. Pregnant women tend to sleep more, and Song Mingyue started yawning and wanted to sleep right after finishing her meal.
Seeing this, Taishi Zheng and Cang Yi did not bother him any more and said goodbye to him and left Ginkgo Pavilion.
After leaving the house, the two sisters-in-law walked along the path. Zheng touched her belly, which was filled with delicious food, and smiled contentedly. She thought that the Boxia Gong was really delicious, and she would take Erlang to try it next time. Suddenly turning her head, Zheng asked Cang Yi: "Sister-in-law, do you have anything to do this afternoon? If not, can you come with me somewhere?"
Cang Yi thought for a moment, "Nothing serious, but where are you going, Zheng?"
"I want to go to Fuyuanfang where Sister-in-law Baonian lives to see her and talk to her about opening a store. It will also make her feel at ease. I think she hasn't heard any good news in the past few months. What do you think, sister-in-law?" Zheng put her hands behind her back, thinking that it was time to get down to business.
Cang Yi exclaimed, "This treasure is actually thinking of Fuyuanfang?"
Zheng was confused, but soon she understood the reason, "What about Fuyuanfang? Ah - I remember, I remember, I said that the place sounded so familiar the last time I went there, it turned out to be where my sister-in-law grew up. What a coincidence. Since we are so destined, sister-in-law will accompany me there~"
Zheng pulled Cang Yi and acted coquettishly.
How could Cang Yi's smile spoil her fun? She kept saying, "Okay, okay."
-
The carriage stopped at Fuyuanfang just as the neighbors were setting up their stalls. A single glance at Cangyi's carriage and calls of greetings erupted, non-stop for a long moment. Zheng followed Cangyi obediently, as if she were a royal family outing, being courted by everyone.
Zheng looked up and saw that Cang Yi had finally arrived at the world that belonged to her.
Leisurely and unhurried.
"Yi girl—I haven't seen you in a while. How come you're free to come back today? Are you here to see your Aunt Sun and Sister Li again?" The uncle selling fennel beans on the east side said as he served a portion of freshly roasted fennel beans and walked out of the stall, enthusiastically offering them to Cang Yi. "Come here, have some of my freshly roasted fennel beans."
Cang Yi hurriedly declined, "Uncle Liang, Uncle Liang. Thank you for your kindness. No need, no need. We have already eaten."
But the uncle was still persistent. "Yi girl, take it, take it. You finally came here, why don't you let your uncle show his appreciation? Try it, and you'll get a taste for me. You've been helping me a lot in the past."
Unexpectedly, Cang Yi was even more stubborn and refused to accept it. So, during the shoving and pushing, the uncle took advantage of her unpreparedness and threw the beans into Zheng's arms.
The uncle said, "If you don't want to eat it, I'll give it to the lady behind me."
It was the first time that Zheng had seen such a scene. She looked around while holding Qidou, and then looked at Cangyi at a loss, with a bewildered look on her face.
Zheng shouted: "Sister-in-law...Sister-in-law, it wasn't me, I didn't take it..."
Cang Yi was amused by Zheng and laughed. Since that was the case, she no longer refused. "Alright, alright. Uncle Liang, I'll accept the gift. But next time, don't do this. Please hurry up and get busy. The guests are coming soon. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
The uncle agreed, and Cang Yi nodded and said goodbye. Zheng hurriedly hugged Qidou and bowed to express her gratitude.
Following Cang Yi, the two of them went to the far west.
"Yi girl, it's really Yi girl!"
"Yi girl, the ginseng you helped me find last time really saved my old man's life. But you refused to even take the money. I don't know how I can thank you enough." The old woman selling pickled papayas to the west saw Cang Yi, recalled her helplessness that day, and wiped away tears of emotion. The old woman scooped out a portion of freshly pickled papayas from the pot and held it in front of her. "Old woman, don't be disgusted by these skills, Yi girl."
When Zheng went to see again, she thought Cang Yi would refuse.
Unexpectedly, she guessed wrong.
Cang Yi actually took the water papaya from the old woman's hand with a smile on her face. She said, "How could I dislike it! The water papayas from the Liu family are the best in Bianjing City. I miss them often when I'm at the Bo's Mansion, but I can't get away to go back. Thank you, old woman. I will enjoy them to the fullest."
"Zheng, come and try it."
Cang Yi turned around and called Taishi Zheng, but Zheng just stood there in a daze without responding.
Fuyuanfang, noisy and chaotic.
Occasionally there was dust flying everywhere, and the stone bricks on the ground were not as clean and bright as those in front of the Imperial Street.
Zheng was standing at the entrance of a busy alley, looking inexplicably at Cang Yi who was standing against the light.
In a trance, Zheng suddenly realized that it was probably one of these afternoons when her elder brother, exhausted from the day, didn't want to go home, and was aimless, so he sat dejectedly on the street corner. Suddenly, a gentle and kind woman appeared in the crowd, sweeping away his day's fatigue and making him feel that the day wasn't as bad as he had imagined, and everything seemed to still have hope.
So, it wasn't Cui Zhijian who saved Cangyi.
It must be Cang Yi who saved Cui Zhijian.
Cangyi means hope.
Zheng felt that this was the way the story should be. Anyone who could escape such an experience must be incredibly strong. Cang Yi hadn't forgotten her roots, nor did she have the proud demeanor of a young lady from the Bo Mansion. No matter how many years passed, she would still be a girl raised by her neighbors.
She is a very nice person.
"Zheng? What are you thinking about?" Cang Yi walked towards Taishi Zheng, holding a sour papaya.
Zheng finally came to her senses and smiled, "I wasn't thinking anything!"
"Try it quickly..." Cang Yi wanted to hand over the wooden stick, but Zheng didn't take it. She picked up a piece of papaya with her bare hands and put it in her mouth, saying, "It's delicious~"
Cang Yi smiled, laughing at how adorable she still was. Turning around and leading everyone back to the stall, Cang Yi said to the old lady, "Grandma Liu, please pack a few extra for us to take away. I'll give them to others to try, to show off your excellent cooking skills."
"Okay, okay."
Granny Liu went over to pack some papayas and handed them over. Cang Yi asked Zheng to take the items and reached for the money, but Granny Liu refused to take it. Knowing this, Cang Yi forced the money into the front pocket of Granny Liu's skirt.
She said, "Grandma Liu, it's not easy for everyone to run a stall and do business. If it weren't for a living, who would be willing to work so hard? Just take what you deserve, Grandma. That way I'll feel at ease. Just think of this as a gesture of kindness from a younger generation. If there are any difficulties at home in the future, remember to come to the uncle's house to find me. Without the neighbors, where would I be? Yi girl - I just hope that the neighbors are all well."
The old lady's rough hands stroked Cang Yi's palms.
She choked and didn't know how to answer.
Cang Yi gently patted the back of the old woman's hand, and before leaving, he quietly put a silver ingot in her palm. As he left, Cang Yi's determination was reflected in the old woman's tearful eyes. Zheng took two quick steps and walked side by side with her, praising her, "Sister-in-law, you are so kind."
"Brother, you are so lucky to marry me."
Cang Yi smiled and declined, saying "No, no". The two sisters-in-law left the familiar neighborhood and stopped in front of the small courtyard.
Cang Yi asked, "Zheng, is this the house?"
Zheng nodded.
Cang Yi said, "This used to be the yard of Qu the blacksmith. A few years ago, he became prosperous and moved out of Fuyuanfang. I didn't expect that his house would end up being rented by Erlang to Bao Nian. It's really a kind of fate."
Zheng listened to Cang Yi's narration while knocking on the courtyard door. No one answered once, twice, three times, four times, and still no one. Zheng was puzzled and began to doubt herself, "Huh? Why isn't Sister Bao Nian at home? If I remember correctly, it's here?"
"Don't worry, let's find someone to ask—" Cang Yi glanced around slowly after hearing this. But just as she glanced to the alley to the south, she heard the sound of a bucket breaking and the voice of a man scolding a woman, alternating.
The two sisters-in-law looked at each other, confused.
Zheng asked tentatively, "Sister-in-law, shall we go over and take a look?"
Unexpectedly, Cang Yi raised his head and responded in a rare voice: "Let's go and take a look——"
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