Chapter 41 Chapter 41 One thing conquers another

Chapter 41 Chapter 41 One thing conquers another

Cheng Yian was immediately amused when he saw Lu Xusheng's embarrassed look.

"How about you give it a try tomorrow, so I can see your cooking skills?"

Lu Xusheng said angrily, "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen."

Cheng Yian said quietly, "Are you a gentleman?"

Lu Xusheng was speechless.

The stove in the Cheng family was always burning. It was a busy year-end, and the master might come back at any time and be provided with hot water and hot meals. When Lu Xusheng came, the maid from Yiningyuan immediately went to serve the meal, and soon seven or eight delicacies were placed in front of Lu Xusheng.

Lu Xusheng had dinner while Cheng Yian ate triangle cake. The couple looked at each other from across the table.

Cheng Yian's face was flushed as he ate, but Lu Xusheng felt uncomfortable swallowing the food.

When he was reborn and determined to keep Cheng Yi'an, he made up his mind to let her live a good life. He thought that he would do his best to make Cheng Yi'an the most prestigious wife in the capital. With the experience of his previous life, he could also manage the back house properly. Unexpectedly, He still overestimated himself.

To be precise, I underestimated Cheng Mingyu.

We can't let him follow Cheng Mingyu around for the rest of his life.

I wonder how the other sons-in-law of the eldest son are doing?

With this thought in mind, Lu Xusheng finished his dinner without tasting the food.

They were about to leave after the meal, but Cheng Yian was unwilling to do it and stared at him with a fierce face.

Seeing this, Lu Xusheng put down his clothes and came over with interest, "What's wrong?"

Cheng Yian grabbed his sleeve again. She found that Lu Xusheng was very fond of this. "I need a human stove."

Hey...

Just these one sentence made Lu Xusheng's mood change from gloomy to bright.

"Then I'll stay tonight?" he asked reluctantly.

Cheng Yian pushed him and said, "You don't have to stay."

Cheng Yian had been lying in bed all day with a bloated stomach, so Lu Xusheng helped her digest the food in the room. Cheng Yian staggered with every step, and in the end she almost leaned on his arm. Lu Xusheng held her waist with one hand and held her arm with the other, and walked around the room.

It’s just a girl’s boudoir, which is comparable to the entire mansion of an ordinary small family. It has a front hall and a back bedroom, and there is a circle of podium rooms where the servants live. The servants of other families are crowded into one room and open a bunkhouse. Here in the Cheng family, The slightly more respectable girls have a separate room and are dressed as well as other girls.

In Lu Xusheng's eyes: too extravagant.

Cheng Yian was used to sleeping with him in her arms, and she would still snuggle into his arms at night.

Lu Xusheng was having a hard time. The room was already hot and he only had one piece of clothing on. He was expected to hold such a warm and soft beauty in his arms. Soon Cheng Yian felt that something was poking her. Lu Xusheng moved away awkwardly and stayed away from her.

After a day and a night, the effect of the medicine was no longer as strong, and Cheng Yian felt much better, so he gently pushed him and asked, "Do you want it?"

Lu Xu was so angry that he didn't want to talk. He glared at her and said, "How dare you say that? After taking that medicine, do you dare to have a child these days?"

Cheng Yian's expression froze, and she got up quickly, the color drained from her face. Although it was a tonic, she didn't know if it would do any harm. For the sake of the child's safety, she had to postpone it for a while. If she did, she might miss the child from her previous life. She blamed herself for being so focused on her father that she forgot about the upcoming child. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was filled with remorse.

Lu Xusheng originally blamed her, but when he saw her crying like this, he felt distressed again. He quickly wrapped the quilt around her and held her tightly.

"The child was aborted in the previous life. Maybe it was not healthy to begin with. Don't think too much about it. The child will come back after recovery."

Cheng Yian lowered his head and said nothing.

Lu Xusheng had no choice but to take her back into his arms and soothe her to sleep.

"There are gains and losses, so take it easy."

At night, the Cheng family's maid washed and dried Lu Xusheng's official robe, poured boiling water into a basket, and helped him iron it flat. Before dawn the next day, Lu Xusheng changed into a clean official robe and went out again.

Cheng Yiyan waited for a long time at the gate but did not see Lu Xusheng, so he had to go out first. Later, at Zhengyang Gate, he ran into Lu Xusheng talking to an official from the Governor's Office. He waited for him to be alone and then walked past with a smile.

"Didn't Shenzhi stay at your house last night? How come I didn't see you leave after waiting for a long time?"

He suspected that Lu Xusheng had escaped by climbing over the wall.

It's really embarrassing to have to climb over the wall to leave my father-in-law's house.

Lu Xusheng would never admit it, "Brother Yan Ning must have remembered it wrongly. I stayed with An An until she fell asleep and then left yesterday."

Cheng Yiyan's mouth twitched, "Really? Then I have to strengthen the Cheng family's defense, in case someone climbs over the wall and sneaks into the house one day."

Lu Xusheng smiled and stepped forward, arrogantly putting his arm around his brother-in-law's shoulder, "Your family's guards can't stop me."

"The Cheng family's door is open, but you insist on taking the usual route."

"Then why don't you post the invitation?"

People were coming and going in the government office area, although everyone didn't know what the two said.

What? But I can tell that the relationship between this uncle and the husband is not very harmonious.

*

Cheng Yian woke up that day feeling much more energetic. Cheng Yiqiao was not at home and she was bored. She remembered that she had not been able to meet Cheng Yike last time, so she sent invitations to Tao Qin and Cheng Yike to invite them to come and visit.

The maid from the eldest house went to pick her up in person. Tao Qin's mother was so happy that she wished her daughter could marry Cheng Yian and could not wait to push her daughter out the door.

Cheng Yike’s situation is difficult here.

The eldest lady of the eighth room did not allow her to go out, and she wanted to send the nanny back on the pretext that she was not at home. The nanny was not so easy to fool, and said with a smile,

"I clearly saw Miss Ke'er yesterday. Why is she not here now?"

The first wife changed her words again, "She was actually ill, and we were afraid that she would pass on her illness to An An."

The maid smiled more gracefully, "Then I must go and take a look, otherwise our aunt will be worried."

The eighth wife knew she couldn't stop him anymore, so she ordered someone to bring Cheng Yike out. She glared at her secretly, warned her not to talk nonsense, and then let her go.

Cheng Yike and Tao Qin were taken to pay respects to the ancestors before going to Yining Garden together.

Cheng Yian had received the news long ago, so he dressed neatly and sat on the Luohan bed waiting. After waiting for a while, the curtain was opened, and Tao Qin came in with a tall and thin girl. Cheng Yian couldn't remember how long it had been since he last saw Cheng Yike, so he didn't recognize her at first glance. He only saw that she was wrapped in a lake blue shawl, her eyes were dark and bright, her cheeks were so thin that they were sunken, and her cheekbones were a little prominent.

"Ke'er, why are you so thin?"

Tao Qin hurriedly pulled Cheng Yike forward and pushed her in front of Cheng Yian.

"Yes, it's only been a few days and I've lost weight again."

Cheng Yian was unable to move, so he asked someone to move the stove over for them to lean against.

Cheng Yike looked embarrassed, and her eyes turned red when she looked at Cheng Yian.

"An An, I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much. The last time you posted, I was busy and couldn't find time. I apologize for that."

Seeing that she was still trying to keep everything in place, Tao Qin couldn't help but stand up for her.

"An An, you don't know, her stepmother almost didn't let her go out just now."

Cheng Yian leaned forward and held her hand. Seeing that her wrist was as thin as a bamboo pole, he said distressedly, "Tell me quickly, what's going on?"

Cheng Yike tucked his eyes in his pockets and shook his head, sighing, "What can I do? The day before yesterday, my brother was gambling outside and was beaten with 20 boards by the Discipline Court. His skin was torn and his flesh was torn. It was very horrible. My father and mother cried and wailed, but they didn't dare to blame the head of the family, so they naturally took their anger out on me."

"Ever since you were adopted by the eldest son of the family, my stepmother has been keeping me from leaving the house, fearing that I would complain to the head of the family about you and embarrass them. If it weren't for the amazing Madam Gui, I would have been fooled by her today."

Cheng Yian and Cheng Yike grew up together, and she is well aware of the mess in the eighth room.

Without being busy talking, he asked the maid to serve tea to the two of them.

When Cheng Yike took the tea, an old jacket was revealed underneath. Then Cheng Yian found it even more strange that she was wearing a lake blue hoodie that was too big and not the color of a young girl.

"This cloak is not yours, is it?"

Without waiting for Cheng Yike to speak, Tao Qin said angrily, "That's right. Knowing that she was coming to the eldest house today, her stepmother deliberately gave her a new cloak to show off to the ancestors."

Cheng Yian couldn't bear to listen any more, and said to Cheng Yike, "It's snowing these days, and your stepmother is so cruel that she didn't even make you a robe? Where's your dividend?"

Cheng Yike smiled bitterly and said, "The dividends that the master gave to our eight families all went to my father and mother. I thought it was winter and planned to make a robe for the New Year, but they refused on the grounds that they needed to prepare a betrothal gift for my brother."

Cheng Yian looked at the frail Cheng Yike and immediately frowned.

Cheng Yike's elder brother is Cheng Yike, the only son of the eighth master. He is treated like the apple of the eye by the family, but he is idle and does not work properly, and often causes trouble outside.

"This year, our room got less because my brother made a mistake, so my share was wiped out by them."

Cheng Mingyu once made it clear that the girls would have a share of the dividends, which could be used for dowry or food and clothing, and that he must not be stingy.

But Cheng Yike had nothing. Her biological mother died early, and she was raised by her stepmother. Since she was born, her parents taught her to give in to her brother in everything. She had to sell the flowers she embroidered to earn money to give to her brother. There were many girls in the Cheng family seeking marriage, and her parents were very picky about her marriage. The implication was that they had to find a rich family so that she could subsidize her brother in the future. Even her name was given by her parents as "Ke", which was based on her brother's name "Ke".

She is the girl with the least presence in the Cheng family.

Cheng Yian looked at the weak Cheng Yike and remained silent for a long time.

In her previous life, she went to Yizhou and often corresponded with Cheng Yike. In the third year after she went to Yizhou, she cut off contact with Cheng Yike. Cheng Yike had a problem. He always kept things in his heart and would only report good news and not sorrow. Later, when the old woman from the Cheng family sent her a share of the allowance, she told her that Cheng Yike was dead.

Because Cheng Yike did not live up to her expectations and refused to change despite repeated teachings, she was expelled from the Cheng family. Her family returned to Hongnong and lived in poverty. In order to support their son, her stepmother and father wanted to sell her to a wealthy family as a second wife. Cheng Yike came from a noble family and could not bear to bring down the Cheng family's reputation, so she refused and was locked up in the woodshed by her stepmother.

Cheng Yike escaped later. She finally fled to a small mountain village and lay in a cornfield. She was so hungry that she picked corn to eat. The corn was too hard for her to chew, so she swallowed it and was eventually strangled to death.

A girl who was not well fed and clothed on a daily basis was eventually starved to death.

How ironic!

Cheng Yian's eyes became sore when he thought about it, and he turned his face away and took a deep breath.

Cheng Yike and Tao Qin were both panicked when they saw this.

Just now the old ancestor said that Cheng Yian was sick and asked them to come and comfort her. Now, instead of comforting her, they made her cry. Isn't this a sin?

Cheng Yike stood up anxiously and held her shoulders, "An An, don't be sad. Although I don't have new clothes, I still have old ones. Didn't you give me a lot of robes before? I still keep them."

Before getting married, Cheng Yian gave all her old clothes to Cheng Yike.

Although she had no parents to love her at that time, Cheng Mingyu secretly looked after her, and she had the best food, clothing and other necessities.

The more Cheng Yian was persuaded, the more he couldn't stop crying. He turned his head and glared at her, "Then you should stand up for me and don't let them bully you. The Cheng family has a discipline house. If you get the chance, go and complain. My father and brother will come forward to deal with your parents for you."

Why didn't Cheng Yian stand up for her? After all, she couldn't follow Cheng Yike for the rest of her life. People had to rely on themselves. Others' help was only temporary. As long as Cheng Yike had the idea of ​​resisting, the road ahead would become easier and easier.

Cheng Yike was stunned. "As the sage said, a son should not criticize his father's mistakes."

"That's because he's like a father."

Cheng Yike couldn't accept it for a while, "Can I...? I'm afraid of a falling out, and my stepmother will make trouble for my marriage."

"Even though you haven't torn your relationship apart, they are still making trouble for your marriage." Cheng Yian encouraged her, "Ke'er, some people are bullies and afraid of the strong. Why is she afraid of you coming today? It's because she's afraid that you will complain. You have to control her and not let her bully you."

"Yes!" Tao Qin also supported her. "Your Cheng family is big and powerful, and you have a place to speak out. Others have grievances but can't complain. I think you should just go to the Discipline Institute to file a complaint and get your share of the dividend back. Instead of letting your brother lose it all in gambling, you can hold your dowry money in your hands and have someone to rely on in the future."

"That's it." Cheng Yian said.

Cheng Yike sat down on the brocade stool.

Confusion, courage, concern, and longing for the future were deeply intertwined in her eyes and lingered for a long time.

It was almost noon, and Cheng Yian had someone prepare a very rich meal. During the meal, she kept picking up food for Cheng Yike.

Cheng Yike was so embarrassed that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "An An, I've eaten a lot."

"Then wrap it up and take it home to eat later."

He also told Rulan to pack some clothes, "You don't want my new clothes, so if you don't mind, you can wear my old ones."

After all, Cheng Yian couldn't hide these actions from the ancestor. Although the Cheng family had strict rules, there were many people and many gossips. Cheng Mingyu couldn't possibly go into other people's houses to take care of things. There were always places he couldn't take care of, but since he had run into the ancestor today, he couldn't just ignore it.

The old ancestor summoned Cheng Yike's mother to the main room, sat at the top and scolded her.

"The girls in our Cheng family are all very noble, and we don't care about the legitimate and illegitimate children. You only have one son, and she is the only daughter in your family. Why don't you take good care of her and only think about how to bully and use her? I tell you, you are smart and you have a good life ahead of you. If you are not a decent person and bring down the integrity of our Cheng family, then you don't have to stay in Nanfu. Go back to your hometown in Hongnong and farm the land as soon as possible."

The wife of the eighth room knelt on the ground and cried, "What our ancestors blamed us for is...

My niece-in-law has learned a lesson."

When the general dragged Cheng Yike back, although he felt a little resentful in his heart, he did not dare to be harsh to him on the surface.

After lunch, the old doctor came and said that she wanted to give Cheng Yian acupuncture to remove the poison. Cheng Yian had all ten fingers acupunctured and lay on the couch, unable to move. He fell asleep unknowingly. When he woke up, he felt refreshed. Looking at the sky outside, the winter sun broke through the clouds, spreading warmth all over the ground. Cheng Yian felt bored, so he dressed and planned to go to the old ancestor's yard to pay his respects to her.

The maid said she wanted to get her a sedan chair, but Cheng Yian declined, "I'm not that delicate."

She was carried upstairs by three maids.

The servants of the Cheng family were also very romantic. There was snow everywhere in the yard, but they did not dare to destroy the scenery. They only cleared the snow on the corridor and the stone path and transported it to the back mountain. Along the way, Cheng Yian saw clusters of snow on the flowers. The snow covered the flower beds like mushrooms. The thick layer was really attractive. Cheng Yian was in a playful mood and was ready to move. She had a needle inserted in her finger and was protected by a warm hand so she dared not show it. She lifted her foot and stepped on the side of the road. She left a deep boot print on the flower bed. She was really naughty.

The view has already been ruined, why not give it another go?

As he was holding the maid's arm and lifting a pair of deerskin boots, a sharp shout suddenly came from the end of the corridor.

"What are you doing again!"

Cheng Yian was startled, and when he turned around, he saw his second sister Cheng Yiqiao, wearing a peacock feather cloak, striding towards him.

Cheng Yian smiled at her, "Second sister, you're back."

"I'll come back and settle the score with you!" Cheng Yiqiao walked to the corridor in front of her unhappily, stood on the steps and showed her sister's money.

"How are you? Is your waist or back sore? You still don't have enough, do you want to have more? If the name of 'Golden Goose Break' gets out, you will become a laughing stock."

Cheng Yian couldn't say that she did it to save her father's life. She was an older sister in her previous life, and now that she was a younger sister, she could better understand her sister's sadness. Even if she was scolded, she still felt that her sister's face was extremely kind.

So he just put on a smiling face and let Cheng Yiqiao scold him.

Cheng Yiqiao became even angrier when he saw how heartless she was. "Are you still feeling proud? Seeing that daddy agreed to you, you feel fearless, right? I'm telling you, next time you want to challenge daddy, call me along, and we'll each hold one of his legs, and daddy won't be able to walk. Why bother using such a hard-hearted trick? Today you're lucky, nothing will happen, but tomorrow, if something goes wrong, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"As a girl, you can't take those medicines casually..."

Cheng Yiqiao was looking very proud when another person came to the end of the corridor. He was wearing a silver-red fox fur cape, holding a warm stove in his hands, and had his hair in a bun with eight-treasure pearls. He walked towards them with a dignified look.

"Cheng Yiqiao, why are you scolding your sister?"

When Cheng Yiqiao heard this voice, his back suddenly tensed up, like a mouse meeting a cat. His arrogance suddenly disappeared and he turned around with a strange look on his face.

The result was that he was met with Cheng Yixin's cold eyes.

"I didn't scold her, I taught her a lesson..." she denied it flatly.

Cheng Yixin glanced at her dimly, "Is there any difference between teaching her a lesson and scolding her?"

Cheng Yiqiao was helpless and pointed at Cheng Yian who was still standing on the stone path, "Sister, don't you know what she did? She actually..."

"I know!" Cheng Yixin stood still gracefully, not giving Cheng Yiqiao a chance to refute.

"She is young, and as her elder sister, you can advise her and speak to her in a nice way. Who is so noisy like you? Did I treat you like this when you were a child? Do you bully others by taking advantage of your power when I am not around?"

"Look, my sister is so scared by you that she dares not speak!"

"I..." Cheng Yiqiao is usually quite good at talking, but he is completely at a disadvantage in front of Cheng Yixin.

Today is different from the past. In the past, she was just a younger sister, but now she is also a older sister. As an older sister, she has to save face, so she stiffened her neck and argued with Cheng Yixin.

Cheng Yian hasn't seen Cheng Yixin for many years. In his impression, she is the eldest sister of all the girls in the Cheng family. No one disobeys or respects her. He heard that she is capable and straightforward and open-minded.

The girls of the eldest house are considered dignified, polite and highly prestigious in the eyes of everyone.

Who knew they would have such a good time bickering in private?

Not far away, Cheng Yiyan was waving at her. Cheng Yian walked slowly along the path to the corridor and pointed at the two sisters who were quarreling fiercely in front of her.

"Second brother, are the elder sister and the second sister always at odds with each other like this?"

Cheng Yiyan was not surprised.

"They're always at loggerheads. Just get used to it."

Seeing that he was only interested in watching the excitement, Cheng Yian asked, "Is that how you watch, second brother?"

Cheng Yiyan spread his hands, "Who should I help?"

Several children have been motherless since they were young, and Cheng Mingyu has educated them well, so the children will not feel unfamiliar with each other because they have different biological mothers.

In Cheng Yiyan's eyes, he loves all his sisters, so he doesn't help anyone...he just watches the fun.

With this opportunity, the two sisters in front finally calmed down.

Cheng Yian glanced over and saw Cheng Yiqiao puffing up his face, obviously he was the loser.

Cheng Yixin turned around and looked for Cheng Yian, standing straight and upright without even moving a muscle.

"Third sister..." She smiled at Cheng Yian.

Cheng Yian knelt down before her and said, "I've met my elder sister."

In terms of status, Cheng Yian is a leader among the ladies of high rank, ranking above Cheng Yixin. In terms of family etiquette, Cheng Yian is the younger sister, so she should pay respects to the elder sister.

Cheng Yixin accepted her gift, walked over, took her arm, and looked her up and down.

"When I was young, I thought you were beautiful. Whenever I saw you, I couldn't help but look at you a few more times. I wanted to take you as my sister. It turns out that you are really my sister. Blood is thicker than water. Now, I have a beautiful sister again."

Just with this one word "again", Cheng Yiqiao, whose face was puffed up with gills, was calmed down without any change in expression.

This is exaggerating her as well.

Cheng Yian glanced at Cheng Yiqiao and said softly, "Eldest sister is joking."

"I just came from grandma's room. I heard that you were not feeling well, so I came to visit. I heard that my relatives were talking to grandma when I came to He's house. You are not feeling well, so you don't need to go over. It's windy outside, so you'd better take good care of yourself. Don't act recklessly just because you are young." Cheng Yixin's last sentence was a double entendre.

Cheng Yian understood what he said and bowed obediently, "Thank you for your advice, sister."

Cheng Yixin gave a few gentle instructions and walked back with Cheng Yian, "I'll go to your yard and take a look. Those old women are arrogant and might take advantage of your youth and make it difficult for you to serve them."

Cheng Yian suddenly felt what it meant for an elder sister to be like a mother.

Cheng Yixin took a few steps and didn't see Cheng Yiqiao following her. She stopped and looked back, only to see Cheng Yiqiao still standing at the corner where she had turned.

"What are you standing there for? Why don't you come over here?"

The eldest sister is the eldest sister. No one dares to disobey Cheng Yiqiao, even if she is as unruly as Cheng Yixin. In a place where Cheng Yixin couldn't see, Cheng Yiqiao secretly gave Cheng Yian an unconvinced look and followed him resignedly.

Cheng Yian held back his laughter.

Cheng Yiyan sent his older sister to the backyard and then returned to the front yard.

Cheng Yixin and her family returned to Beijing early. The old ancestor was afraid that she had not settled down yet, so she let her live in the Cheng family first. Not only Cheng Yixin and the child, but also her aunt He Qingyun came. Cheng Yiyan thought that since the eldest brother-in-law was here, he could not let the younger brother-in-law go to waste, so he sent someone to tell Lu Xusheng to come to the Cheng family for dinner.

I was thinking of settling Cheng Yiqiao's marriage by the end of the year. By then, the three brothers-in-law would gather at the Cheng family's house, and it would be lively.