Closeness
"In summer, we have to hang lotus lanterns."
On the third day after Jiang Yu'e returned home, Zhao Mingyan started to arrange for the replacement of the lanterns in the Tan Mansion.
She had the lantern maker from Mingyuezhai come to the mansion, remove the dusty lanterns, and replace them with brand new flower and bird lanterns. She also explained to Fan Wenlan beside her, "Grandma, lanterns aren't just for festivals; they can be replaced year-round. There are different types of lanterns: palace lanterns, gauze lanterns, chandeliers, depicting flowers, birds, fish, insects, figures, landscapes, and revolving lanterns. Different types are used in different seasons."
"In my family, we hang brightly colored and intricately shaped palace lanterns in winter, and in spring we hang lanterns depicting figures and landscapes. In summer, we choose to suit the season, such as lotus lanterns, fish lanterns, or gauze lanterns."
"The custom of changing lanterns with the seasons started with my great-grandfather. He said he learned it from the capital, where the nobles and aristocrats did the same. The lanterns in their mansions were not just decorations, but also a symbol of elegance."
"Grandma, look..."
As she spoke, she took Fan Wenlan's arm, tilted her head to lean against her shoulder, pointed at the surrounding pavilions and waterside terraces, and said with a smile: "Our Tan Mansion is luxurious and elegant, and with the lanterns that suit the occasion, it is the icing on the cake."
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Fan Wenlanci smiled and patted her hand, "From now on, you will be responsible for arranging the lanterns in the mansion."
Zhao Mingyan smiled and lowered his head, accompanying her as she strolled through the courtyard and watched the lampmaker change the lamps.
As they passed the West Courtyard, she pretended to be casual and said, "I've also prepared some lanterns and asked Nanny Fang to deliver them to the West Courtyard. If the servants in the West Courtyard need a lantern maker to help replace the lanterns, just let me know and I'll arrange it."
Fan Wenlan's eyes moved, but he didn't respond.
Zhao Mingyan glanced at her quickly out of the corner of her eye and continued, "I'm sure my stepmother has gotten used to the quietness of life over the years, so I won't bother her any more. In addition to the lanterns, I've also prepared some snacks and brocade, and asked Nanny Fang to deliver them to her."
"Yan'er, you are thoughtful." Fan Wenlan smiled.
call……
Seeing that she finally showed a satisfied smile from the bottom of her heart, Zhao Mingyan breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
The resentment that my grandmother had towards me a few days ago should have been resolved, right?
Once the influence of the menstrual period wore off, Zhao Mingyan began to feel scared about her reckless behavior that day.
Just as her mother said, she was not yet the head lady of the Tan family. She was just a granddaughter-in-law who had not yet given birth to a child. Trust was hard to come by, but dissatisfaction was easy to generate.
Compared to her husband Tan Linshuang, Fan Wenlan, who is like a mother-in-law, needs her to treat with more caution.
"It's not easy for a daughter-in-law to become a mother-in-law!" she sighed again.
After returning to the room, she collapsed on the bed and didn't want to move at all.
"Miss, you haven't been to the Chastity Hall for a while."
Xiaozhu came over with the washed fruit and said something casually.
Zhao Mingyan has not yet told Xiaozhu that Aunt Zhuang and Tan Moxiang have teamed up to use her, so she is not yet aware of the entanglement between them.
After kicking off his shoes, Zhao Mingyan simply took off his clothes and lay down, ready to take a nap.
"The weaving room is running smoothly now. I don't need to keep an eye on it all the time. I'll go there when the next delivery is due."
She covered herself with the quilt, still not planning to tell her about these troubles, as it would only confuse her.
Besides, she still didn't want to believe that Aunt Zhuang really took advantage of her.
Maybe Tan Moxiang has been using her, but Aunt Zhuang... forget it!
She lifted the quilt, revealing her head, and nodded towards the fruit in Xiaozhu's hand, "Feed me an apricot."
Xiaozhu smiled as she sat down beside the bed and picked out an apricot with the largest flesh and fed it to her.
A few days ago, Zhao Mingyan was feeling very weak and had a poor appetite because of her period. She only ate two bowls of rice at each meal, which made her very anxious. She had never encountered such a thing before.
No matter how uncomfortable I feel, I will eat the same amount, at most I just don’t want to move.
Now, seeing that her young lady seemed to have regained her appetite, she was genuinely happy.
"Everyone says 'plums are golden and apricots are plump'. Miss, don't just focus on the apricots, try the plums too."
She picked out a plum and fed it to Zhao Mingyan.
Zhao Mingyan sniffed it hard and asked, "Is it sour?"
Xiaozhu shook her head, "I've tasted them all for you, none of them are sour."
Zhao Mingyan finally took a bite and said, "Hmm...it's definitely not sour."
The only way to relieve worries is to eat delicious food.
After eating several apricots and plums in a row, Zhao Mingyan's annoyance finally dissipated. She opened her mouth to take the fruit handed to her by Xiaozhu and chatted with her.
"What's going on in the West Courtyard?"
Chatting about the affairs of the mansion was Xiaozhu's favorite. She sat up straight and glanced back at the door to confirm that it was tightly closed. Then she lowered her voice and said, "I heard from Ah Tao that besides the old lady, there is also a maid who has returned from the villa. She serves as her personal attendant and is her only servant. She lights the fire, cooks, and does all the rough work. It is said that apart from a few elderly servants, there are no other maids or servants in the villa."
"It shows how difficult Madam Shu's life was at the villa."
Zhao Mingyan disagrees. "At least I'm free."
"But after she came back, the old lady didn't put her under house arrest. She just didn't want to go out." Xiaozhu said.
Zhao Mingyan smiled meaningfully, "If it's so difficult to move forward, it's better to stay where you are."
Jiang Yu'e didn't want to go out, so Fan Wenlan went to visit her, always bringing all kinds of food and daily necessities, showing the attitude of a mistress.
"No matter what, the old lady and the concubine's old lady are cousins, and they are family."
The servants all praised Fan Wenlan, but Nanny Qiu exaggerated the matter and deliberately acted sarcastic in front of Tan Moxiang.
"No matter how others try to sow discord, blood is thicker than water and cannot be dissolved."
Tan Moxiang just smiled and said nothing.
She returned to her bedroom and took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from under the box. After unfolding the corner of the handkerchief, something that looked like old ginger appeared before her.
Afterwards, she found Aunt Qiu and handed the item to her. "Although I have no blood relationship with Second Aunt, as a junior, it is not convenient for me to visit her. I can only offer a small gift. I hope you can pass it on to her."
"What is this?"
Aunt Qiu spread out her handkerchief, lowered her head and sniffed it. "Medicine?"
Tan Moxiang smiled and explained, "This is Chuanwu, which can dispel wind and dampness, drive away cold and relieve pain. The village is so humid, I'm sure that even if Second Aunt is in good health, it will be difficult for her to avoid being affected by the wind evil."
"oh."
Nanny Qiu understood and felt that Tan Moxiang was indeed thoughtful. In recent days, she had sent a lot of things to the West Courtyard, but most of them were food and clothing, but there was no tonic soup or medicinal food.
Although Jiang Yu'e seemed to be in good health, as Tan Moxiang said, how could she be free of illness and pain after living in a villa next to a cemetery for ten years?
"Miss, you are so thoughtful." Nanny Qiu said sincerely.
Tan Moxiang didn't say anything. After she put the things away, her face changed and she solemnly reminded: "Madam Qiu, all medicines are toxic, and the same is true for Chuanwu. If you take too much, you might get poisoned."
"Poisoned?"
Aunt Qiu's hand trembled, and she felt the Chuanwu that she had just put into her sleeve was burning her skin.
Seeing the fear on her face, Tan Moxiang smiled and said, "Don't even mention Chuanwu. Even other herbs can cause poisoning if taken in excess."
"Oh." Aunt Qiu nodded.
Tan Moxiang walked up to her and instructed her word by word, "Please tell Second Auntie not to overdose, otherwise she will experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing."
"It looks like the plague."
She spoke the last sentence very softly and slowly, but every word was very clear.
The next day, Nanny Qiu handed the Chuanwu wrapped in a handkerchief to Jiang Yu'e, and at the same time conveyed all of Tan Moxiang's instructions to her.
She just followed the instructions. It was not easy for her to write down the long list of symptoms, and she had no extra energy to pay attention to the changes in Jiang Yu'e's expression.
After she left, Jiang Yu'e's hands holding the Chuanwu could not stop shaking, and tears flowed down her face, which made the maid Xiao Ma beside her look pale.
"Ma'am, what's wrong with you?"
She quickly supported her and looked around, "Let's go back to the house first, don't let others see you like this."
Except for her, almost all the people in the West Courtyard are Fan Wenlan's spies.
"Madam, are you sleepy? Then I'll help you back to your room to rest."
She pretended to be calm and hugged Jiang Yu'e, covering her face skillfully, and walked slowly but carefully.
Fortunately, Jiang Yu'e's abnormal behavior was not noticed by the servants. As soon as the door was closed, she took out the Chuanwu that she was holding in her hand and sniffed it in front of her nose.
"What's wrong with this Chuanwu?" She looked at Jiang Yu'e, who was crying, in confusion, and didn't smell any strange smell.
Jiang Yu'e sniffed, and as if she had exhausted all her strength, she uttered a hoarse voice: "There's nothing wrong with Chuanwu, but with people."
"Ah? Is there something wrong with the young lady?" Nanny Xiao was stunned.
Jiang Yu'e shook her head. She stretched out her hand and asked Madam Xiao to help her sit down on the bed. She smoothed her chest, which was feeling stuffy. Her tears stopped flowing, but her eyes were blurred, as if covered by a layer of haze.
"I'm confused..."
After a long time, she spoke in a hoarse voice, her voice filled with endless sadness, regret, and hatred.
Nanny Xiao didn't rush her. She poured her a cup of warm tea and sat down to help her massage her back.
The warm tea moistened Jiang Yu'e's dry throat and awakened her long-dormant memories.
"Before their deaths, Jun'er and Yu'er both experienced nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Ultimately, they both died of suffocation."
Madam Xiao was startled, and suddenly recalled what Madam Qiu had just said. As her mind suddenly opened up, a chill suddenly ran down her spine, quickly spreading to every part of her body...
"Madam, this is a letter from the concierge."
In the evening, Ayun handed a letter to Zhao Mingyan.
"Who wrote the letter to you?" Tan Linshuang leaned over curiously.
Zhao Mingyan glanced at him, put the letter into his sleeve, and took it out when he returned to the bedroom and opened it. He saw that it was written by Aunt Zhuang.
Although she wrote the letter, its content represented all the virtuous women, and a piece of brocade woven by them was also attached.
The general content was to ask her why she hadn't been to the Chastity Hall recently, and to worry whether she was sick or had encountered some trouble. At the same time, he also briefly explained everyone's recent situation.
[We put on our colorful summer clothes. Although we can only admire them by ourselves, looking at our restored faces in the mirror is a delight to the eyes and the heart.]
[We also asked Hall Master Gu to help us buy a lot of new furniture to give the Chastity Hall a brand new look. You're right, we are chaste women, not monks. We want to eat delicious food and use nice things. After all, we earned all our money ourselves.]
My daughter-in-law is pregnant again, and we're about to have another baby. I asked Master Gu to bring back a tael of silver to buy some food and daily necessities for my daughter-in-law. Master Gu came back and told me about it. When my daughter-in-law saw the tael of silver, her face fell on the spot.
"You can't tame an ungrateful person. I don't want to be their cash cow anymore. I still have many years to live, so I need to take good care of myself."
After reading the letter, Zhao Mingyan felt relieved, sad, and mixed emotions.
"Does Aunt Zhuang really treat me like a sworn sister?"
Due to her complicated mood, she only ate one bowl of rice tonight, and even Fan Wenlan noticed something.
"Yan'er, are you having indigestion again? Do you want to ask a doctor to come and see you?"
Could she be pregnant?
She pondered to herself.
Tan Linshuang quickly replied, "She wants to leave some space for a midnight snack!"
"A lot of fruits have been ripe recently, and her mouth has been busy."
"Most fruits are cold in nature and should not be eaten too much." It affects pregnancy.
Fan Wenlan was a little disappointed, but he did not forget to point it out.
Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Tan Linshuang deliberately left a candle on, lifted the quilt and hugged Zhao Mingyan.
"Hmm...my lady seems to be a little less tired."
He patted Zhao Mingyan's belly and gently pinched her snow-capped breasts.
Zhao Mingyan didn't react at all, closed her eyes and ignored him.
You advance, I retreat; you retreat, I advance.
Looking at her face that looked like a sleeping Buddha, Tan Linshuang's heart started to itch again. He couldn't forget the "crane intercourse" that stopped halfway that night, so he reached into the quilt and made love with her for a while.
"My dear, your menstrual period has ended. I calculated with my fingers that tonight is the right time for conception."
Hearing this, Zhao Mingyan suddenly opened his eyes, then stretched out a hand and counted on his fingers.
Tan Linshuang almost laughed out loud, and couldn't help but suspect that his role was just to help her embrace the sun and the moon.
"bring it on."
Zhao Mingyan lifted the quilt and hooked her finger at Tan Linshuang.
"Yes, sir."
Tan Linshuang hurriedly undressed and buried her head in his embrace.
The red gauze curtains swayed back and forth with the swinging bed, and the entangled figures of the two people were reflected on the inner wall by the faint firelight, like mandarin ducks dancing neck to neck, inseparable and lingering.
After the two of them entered a state of bliss at the same time, and their hearts were filled with the rain and dew, Tan Linshuang turned over and hugged Zhao Mingyan, who was still lustful, and whispered in her ear, "My lady, is there something on your mind?"
Zhao Mingyan was stunned for a moment, then nodded hesitantly, "The letter was from Aunt Zhuang, asking me why I hadn't been to the Chastity Hall recently."
"Go ahead, if you have any problems, resolve them in person." Tan Linshuang encouraged.
"At the same time, make your position clear." He added solemnly.
"position?"
Zhao Mingyan had not yet completely recovered from the previous passion and still felt like she was in the clouds.
Tan Linshuang gently stroked her face with the back of his hand and said patiently, "At first, they thought you were representing my grandmother and our Tan family. Later, you were honest with them, and they put aside their grudges and worked with you to get the weaving room up and running again. But at that time, what was your position?"
"Their sister? My aunt's niece? Or my aunt's confidant? My aunt's knife?"
When he said the last sentence, Tan Linshuang emphasized his tone.
"You accepted this job not to make friends, but to prove your ability to my grandmother and gain entry into the business."
"Now that you've achieved your goal, what's your stance in front of them? Have you thought about it carefully?"
"First, see yourself clearly, then sort out your relationship with others."
Zhao Mingyan blinked, still a little confused.
Seeing this, Tan Linshuang kissed her on the cheek and covered the two of them with the quilt. "Go to sleep. When you wake up, have a good sleep and eat two more bowls of rice. Maybe you will come to your senses."
Listening to your words is worth more than reading for ten years. After eating three bowls of rice at breakfast the next day, Zhao Mingyan was completely enlightened.
She felt that what Tan Linshuang said was right. Perhaps Aunt Zhuang's original intention was not to use her, but the attitude she showed made the other party mistakenly think that she was the knife in Tan Moxiang's hand.
So she asked Li Si to prepare the horse and go to the Chastity Hall to confess her heart to Aunt Zhuang.
She is not Tan Moxiang's knife, but that does not affect her becoming sworn brothers with them.
"Oh no! Something happened..."
Just as she and Xiaozhu got into the carriage, she heard a commotion behind them.
Xiaozhu quickly opened the window and saw Tan Mozhu riding out of the gate and disappearing in front of them.
"What happened? Where is the Second Master going?" she hurriedly asked the servant who had chased after her.
The servant said, "The Second Master went to find a doctor. The old lady...suddenly fainted and is unconscious!"
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