Talk therapy
"Really? I knew that big brother is a generous person. Then I will follow brother and sister-in-law to Yinjianju now. Let's go and come back quickly. Big brother is working hard on night duty. We must not disturb his rest." Zou Shuangtong was not polite at all. She turned around and was about to pull Cang Yi to change the jewelry.
Cang Yi looked a little aggrieved, but she didn't dare disobey her husband's order. She was about to say goodbye to Taishi Zheng, but Zheng grabbed her other arm.
Zou Shuangtong looked at Taishi Zheng in confusion, "What is Sister-in-law Taishi doing?"
Tai Shi Zheng was too lazy to pay attention.
She turned to look at Cang Yi and whispered, "Sister-in-law, you don't want to change, right?"
Zou Shuangtong, who was sitting across from me, happened to hear this and started scolding Taishi Zheng for meddling in other people's affairs. She started angrily, "Eh? Taishi Sister-in-law, what you said is inappropriate. It's because I couldn't make the decision myself that I asked Big Brother. Big Brother already agreed, and now you're asking my cousin's wife again, as if I'm forcing her to do something."
"Come, cousin, tell Taishi's sister-in-law, will you listen to your elder brother—"
Tai Shi Zheng ignored Zou Shuangtong and continued to talk to Cang Yi, "Sister-in-law, this thing belongs to us. Whether you want to exchange it or not is your own business. Even though Big Brother is your husband, he has no right to interfere. I only need your word. Are you willing or not?"
Cang Yi looked at Zheng. It was really rare that someone was willing to care about her feelings.
How could she disappoint people?
So, for the first time, Cang Yi used her weak voice to say something powerful to Zou Shuangtong, "Yes, cousin's wife, I don't want to exchange with you..."
This was also the first time that Cang Yi expressed his dissatisfaction in this family.
Zheng smiled. She liked Cang Yi like this. This was the power she should have. She didn't owe anyone anything, and no one should mistreat her because of her weakness and kindness.
"Brother, did you hear that? My sister-in-law said she doesn't want to change."
Taishi Zheng deliberately pulled away Zou Shuangtong's arm from holding Cang Yi, then walked out of Cangyun Pavilion with her head held high. Her sharp gaze directed directly at Cui Zhijian, causing Cui Zhijian to raise his weary eyes and look at her. He thought that this Zhijun daughter-in-law had not the slightest bit of the humility and gentleness that a woman should have.
Tao Fengqin once taught him that he should be tolerant in everything, and that only by enduring humiliation could he survive in the uncle's mansion.
Cui Zhijian taught Cang Yi everything he had learned since childhood. But now this newcomer dared to instigate his wife to fight and be unkind to others, breaking the inherent rules of his cognition.
Cui Zhijian was naturally not very happy.
Could Taishi Zheng's actions really cause the Bo Mansion to rebel? Could it really upset the original balance of the Bo Mansion?
Cui Zhijian didn't believe it.
He knew that nothing would change. His mother was still a lowly concubine, and his situation was still that of a useless and rebellious man in his father's eyes. Even though he was the only son in the family and had become a fifth-rank official through his own efforts, it did not make a difference.
Therefore, he still stubbornly said: "It is normal for relatives and friends to help each other."
"As the eldest sister-in-law, Second Mother should be humble and not argue with the younger generation. It's just an exchange of jewelry, why make such a fuss?"
"Making a mountain out of a molehill?"
Tai Shi Zheng was indignant. She looked at the domineering and arbitrary man in front of her and was extremely angry.
"A person defending their own rights and interests, without hurting anyone else, is called making a mountain out of a molehill just because they refuse someone else's unreasonable request? I, my sister-in-law, really don't agree with this idea, big brother."
Zheng saw that she had to have a good talk with him today. "Yes, in Big Brother's understanding, perhaps the idea of a married woman obeying her husband is the true virtue of a woman. As someone's wife, you must obey his orders - but Big Sister-in-law became Big Sister-in-law because she married Big Brother."
"She didn't have to swallow her anger like this, going against her own wishes and making wedding dresses for others. Big brother, remember, it's because of you that Big Sister-in-law has become like this."
"But my sister-in-law feels that I, as the eldest sister-in-law, have done a very good job. In the past few days since she married into our family, I have seen that she is attentive to everything, from serving the elders to caring for the younger ones. I dare say that there is no other daughter-in-law in this mansion who can compare to her."
"But even so, my sister-in-law still hasn't been treated fairly and attentively by you. Even now, you can still be so openly generous to others and not care about my sister-in-law's feelings."
"I feel sorry for my sister-in-law." Tai Shi Zheng cursed her elder brother for being conscienceless, ungrateful, and heartless.
Cui Zhijian felt like he had a thorn in his throat after being criticized.
Cang Yi and Zou Shuangtong were even more stunned when they heard what they heard in the pavilion. This woman was really bold... and what she said seemed to make sense.
Cang Yi didn't care about her husband who was being scolded. She just felt that the goose pear should be eaten by Zheng to moisten her throat.
But seeing that Cui Zhijian hadn't even finished his words, Tai Shi Zheng launched into another attack, "Brother, let's not talk about anything else and be honest. If someone were to exchange your beloved things with your sister-in-law today without asking why, would you obey? I think you probably wouldn't, and you might even be angry. But your sister-in-law didn't."
"This is the respect that my sister-in-law gives you."
"So, big brother, since you've married your eldest sister-in-law, your younger sister-in-law hopes you can treat her with the respect she deserves. Please also take good care of her and give her support. You should be her backbone, not a nuisance."
Tai Shi Zheng was so excited that she patted her eldest brother's shoulder. "Brother, I believe you must have gained a lot of insights after hearing what my sister-in-law has said. So, what do you think now? Should we change our jewelry or not?"
Cui Zhijian was stunned by her sudden change.
But Zheng was such a cheerful person, she didn't want to make the atmosphere too awkward, some things should be left at the right time. No one was stupid.
Seeing that he remained silent, Taishi Zheng patted Cui Zhijian's shoulder again, narrowed his eyes and said again: "Brother, answer me, do you want to change or not?"
What was this inexplicable infectious force? Although I didn't want to admit it or agree with it, why did I feel so compelled to answer? Cui Zhichou stared at the person in front of him, and unexpectedly responded, "No... change."
"Oh, that's right."
After getting the answer he wanted, Taishi Zheng smiled broadly, "Wife Uematsu, did you hear that? My eldest brother and his wife both said they don't want to change—"
Zou Shuangtong was angry when he heard this but dared not say anything.
When Taishi Zheng slowly lowered her arm, she breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to look at Cang Yi in the pavilion, Zheng secretly raised her thumb to indicate that the task was completed.
Cang Yi nodded, expressing his deep gratitude.
But while the matter of her eldest brother had come to an end, Taishi Zheng was still restless. She shifted her gaze towards Zou Shuangtong, who was pondering her own thoughts in the pavilion. This troublemaker shouldn't think of getting away easily; her crimes were truly heinous.
Tai Shi Zheng didn't know what new idea she had come up with. As long as Zou Shuangtong was willing to take the bait, she would have a way to control her.
"Sister-in-law, big brother, it's getting late, so you two should go back and have dinner and rest. As for Mrs. Uematsu—seeing how much you want to change into a different set of jewelry, I can't let you go empty-handed. Just come with me back to Yinzhu Yatang. I have a lot of good things there."
Who would have thought that this "fish" was so greedy that it would follow the bait and take advantage of it.
Zou Shuangtong thought, "This is such a good thing. Isn't it just right to not have to do that with Cang Yi?" Tai Shi Zheng brought quite a few good things as a dowry. She said she hadn't checked the almanac before going out today, so how could she be so lucky to actually reap the benefits?
"Ah? That's great, that's great. Since my cousin's wife doesn't want to exchange with me, I won't force her. Sister-in-law Taishi, I'll go with you—"
Tai Shi Zheng carried the fish he was going to catch and turned around to say goodbye to Cui Zhijian.
Before leaving, Zheng felt deeply sorry, but she didn't care whether the person in front of her was willing to forgive her or not. She just expressed her feelings for the sake of justice.
"Brother, please forgive me for any offense I may have caused you today. I was just speaking objectively and felt sorry for you. If you have nothing else to do, I will take my leave."
Cui Zhijian said nothing more.
Afterwards, Cang Yi returned to his side, seeming to have more confidence, and she was no longer as humble as before.
Cang Yi said boldly: "Go back."
But Cui Zhijian stared at Taishi Zheng's departing figure for a long time. He sighed, thinking that this Bo Mansion might really need a change...
-
Zou Shuangtong followed Taishi Zheng to Yinzhu Yatang. She was only thinking about how to get some good things from Taishi Zheng.
In her view, Taishi Zheng was just a foolish, wealthy, and aristocratic girl. She was good at talking, but completely devoid of guile, so she wasn't anything to be feared. Yet, it was precisely this carelessness that often gave others an opportunity to exploit her.
"Madam, the second young lady of the second house?"
Fu Yuanzi and Aunt Wu were just about to go to the kitchen to get lunch, but before they even left the house, they ran into the two cousins entering the yard.
Such a combination is rare.
Aunt Wu had seen a lot of worldly affairs. She asked Fu Yuanzi to stay and say hello, then turned around and slipped out of the yard.
Taishi Zheng walked straight towards Fu Yuanzi and asked, "Yuanzi, where is my husband?"
Fu Yuanzi replied, "My dear husband is in the west room."
Tai Shi Zheng nodded, "Then you can take the Second Young Master's wife to the east room to sit, and then come to the storeroom to find me to get my things."
"good."
Fu Yuanzi received his instructions and led Zou Shuangtong to the east room. Tai Shizheng walked alone to the storeroom. He waited for Fu Yuanzi to settle Zou Shuangtong and then pushed the storeroom door open.
Upon entering, he saw the storeroom had been turned upside down by the people in front of him. Fu Yuanzi couldn't help but complain, "Second Young Madam of the First House, I just cleaned up the storeroom this time, and you messed it up again, what are you doing? And what is the Second Young Madam of the Second House doing here? She's not an easy person to deal with. I heard that the Second House of the Bo Mansion is full of talented people, so you should stay away from her. Why did you bring her back?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. Our Yinzhu Yatang is so small, are you afraid that people can't hear you?" Tai Shi Zheng turned around and reminded him after hearing this.
Fu Yuanzi hurried over with his head lowered. "What on earth are you looking for?"
"At that time, my tenth brother had a sudden inspiration to learn craftsmanship from the palace craftsmen, and cut branches from the old pear tree in the imperial garden, and made three each for the saint, the young empress, me and my elder sister. As a result, we were punished by the government to plant trees in the imperial garden. These are the pear wood hairpins! I remember bringing them with me? Why can't I find them?" Zheng said without stopping the movements of her hands.
Fu Yuanzi sighed, walked slowly past her, leaned over and took out the three pear wood hairpins inlaid with jade from the bottom of the cabinet, stuffed them into Zheng's busy hands, and muttered, "Madam, if you need anything in the future, can you ask me?"
Zheng scratched her head, looked at the mess and said embarrassedly: "I'm wrong Yuanzi, I'll clean up here myself today."
Fu Yuanzi really couldn't do anything with her, she smiled and shook her head.
Taishi Zheng picked up a pearwood hairpin and said mysteriously to Fu Yuanzi, "Yuanzi, later on, put this pearwood hairpin in a wooden box that looks extremely expensive. The more gorgeous the better. Then I tell you, you will..."
After hearing this whispered instruction, Fu Yuanzi understood and responded tacitly, "Okay, I understand. Madam, go ahead and leave this to me."
-
At the other end of the east room, Zou Shuangtong had been looking around dishonestly since she sat down. She saw that there were a lot of furnishings in the room, and she was curious about this and that. She stood up and walked around and just picked up the rouge on the dressing table when Tai Shi Zheng came in.
Zou Shuangtong put down the powder box in panic, but heard a bang, and the powder box accidentally fell to the ground.
The two looked at each other, feeling a little awkward.
Tai Shi Zheng finally understood why Qi Yijun was so unwilling to interact with the people in the mansion. The actions of these people were really hard to evaluate.
With a hint of helplessness, Zheng said, "Mrs. Uematsu, do you like this color? How about giving it to you?"
"No, no, I'm just taking a look."
Zou Shuangtong quickly leaned over and put the powder box back in its place. She was still thinking about getting something good out of Taishi Zheng, but these small profits were nothing compared to those precious artifacts. She could still pull this off.
Seeing this, Tai Shi Zheng didn't say anything more and invited everyone to sit back at the table.
The two sat opposite each other in silence. Zou Shuangtong, without shying away from the stranger, flattered Taishi Zheng. "What my sister-in-law said at Cangyun Pavilion today was truly resounding and truly enlightening! I felt, as you do, that my sister-in-law has been working so hard, and that I think you should show her more care and concern—"
Tai Shi Zheng just wanted to sneer when she heard this. She really didn't know how much paint was on the face of the person in front of her, so she didn't answer.
As they were talking, Fu Yuanzi came in carrying a number of exquisite wooden boxes. As soon as she put the things on the table, Zou Shuangtong could no longer take his eyes off the table.
Tai Shi Zheng turned around and glanced at Fu Yuanzi. As soon as the master and servant exchanged glances, Fu Yuanzi hurriedly and secretly moved the gorgeous wooden box containing the pear wood hairpin to the side closer to Zou Shuangtong.
But the wooden box stood out among all the boxes.
Zou Shuangtong was attracted and was about to reach out to take it, but Fu Yuanzi, who had seized the opportunity, snatched it away and said in a pretentious manner: "Oh, my, I am so foolish. How could I take such a valuable thing? Madam, please spare me, please spare me. I will put the thing back now, and I hope you will not blame me..."
Zou Shuangtong's greed was aroused when she heard this. She had to find out what it was, so she begged Taishi Zheng, "Sister-in-law, what is this good thing? Look, it's already here. Can you leave it for me to open my eyes?"
Great, the fish is biting.
Tai Shi Zheng took the wooden box from Fu Yuanzi's hand, and as if he was embarrassed and reluctant, he said to Zou Shuangtong, "Ah? Then let's make a deal, we just... take a look——"
Zou Shuangtong nodded expectantly, but she was a mean person and her words were not counted. It all depended on her mood.
However, when the wooden box slowly opened before her eyes and the jewelry inside was completely revealed, Zou Shuangtong tilted her head and was shocked.
What? This is just an ordinary, ordinary...
A wooden hairpin inlaid with jade...
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