Chapter 39 Today is Different from the Past
Madam Xu bowed to the old lady. Since Cheng had reminded her, the old lady had recognized the newcomer. She remembered that Madam Xu had a daughter. It seemed that when Heng'er won the first place in the imperial examination, he had visited the mansion.
The old lady smiled and nodded, saying, "Madam Xu, how are you? I still remember you bringing your daughter to visit us that year. It's been so many years since we last met, and you're still as charming as ever."
Madam Xu said, "You are so kind, old lady. Now that the children are grown up and getting older, how can we talk about their elegance? It is a pleasant surprise to see you here."
"Speaking of children, I want to congratulate the old lady as well!" Madam Xu said, glancing at Cheng beside her and saying, "Not only did your family produce a top scholar, but your daughter is also talented and brilliant. She's truly well-educated!"
"Mrs. Xu, what are you talking about? Who here isn't a daughter of a wealthy family with both talent and talent? Let's not be polite."
Mrs. Xu nodded in agreement, exchanged a few words with the old lady, and then turned to greet Mrs. Cheng and Mrs. Rong separately.
Rong had always been intelligent. When she saw Mrs. Xu's look just now, she knew that she seemed to have something to talk to her sister-in-law Cheng. After paying her respects, she said goodbye quietly and retreated to the old lady's side.
Mrs. Xu just nodded slightly towards a corner of the dining hall, and Cheng understood what she meant.
"You must be heartbroken after Lord Du left, but why did you really stay indoors for three whole years?"
Mrs. Xu sighed, and Cheng couldn't help but feel tears in her eyes.
Seeing Cheng's eyes redden, Madam Xu patted her hands and said, "Blame me, blame me. I didn't mean to bring up sad things. I'm just really happy to see you today."
Cheng wiped her tears with a handkerchief and glanced at her mother-in-law. Fortunately, her mother-in-law was whispering with Rong and did not notice them.
"Is your brother Heng going to die next year? My master still praises his writings highly. He even said a few days ago that if there hadn't been a family bereavement, Brother Heng would have already been admitted to the Imperial Academy."
When my husband was alive, Lord Xu was my husband's superior, and the two families occasionally visited each other. It was not until three years ago that they lost contact. Now that Mrs. Xu mentioned Heng'er again, Cheng Shi already knew what was going on.
Although the two families never explicitly stated their differences, Mrs. Xu would always bring up Du Heng whenever they met. She had previously feigned ignorance, believing her son had a promising future and, with his master's support, there was no need to arrange a marriage for him too soon. She simply wanted to carefully select a family with a strong family background.
But now, the master is gone. Although Heng'er will definitely be on the list in a year, without the support behind him, his career will definitely not be smooth.
Cheng was completely lost, with no better path to choose. She immediately took over Madam Xu's words, saying, "Thank you, Master Xu, for still thinking of our Heng. He has studied diligently for the past three years, hoping to bring honor to our family by passing the imperial examination next spring. Although we have nothing to rely on at home right now, fortunately, the children are all obedient and sensible."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu was pleased and continued, "Now that the mourning period is over, your Wanyi has been selected. If I remember correctly, she should be the same age as my Wenqing. Isn't it time to consider looking for someone else?"
Cheng had already made up her mind, and she didn't try to hide it. She replied, "She just turned fourteen, and I'm interested in meeting her. I wonder if Madam Xu has the same idea?"
Madam Xu said with a hint of meaning, "It's much the same as you think. We do need to meet each other, but we have to take our time. My master wants to wait until after the Spring Imperial Examination. By then, the child will be of marriageable age, so it's neither too early nor too late."
Cheng understood Madam Xu's implication. Times were different now. If her husband were still alive, a simple nod from her would likely have sealed the deal. But now, if Heng'er didn't achieve a respectable rank in the Spring Examination, she'd likely have to consider whether he was worth it.
A feeling of bitterness surged into Cheng's heart, and she felt a tightness in her chest.
Indeed, the Du family currently did not have any leverage to guarantee victory. She reluctantly agreed, "You're right. We can't rush things."
Mrs. Xu was also shrewd. Seeing Cheng's softness, she offered her a sweet treat: "Three years isn't long, but it's not short either. Officials have already changed hands. Now that you're out, you should get out and about more often. After the New Year holidays, I'll send you invitations and introduce you to some families. This will be helpful to Wanyi in the future."
This was indeed a great benefit. After hearing this, Cheng no longer felt the chill she had felt earlier. She bowed slightly to Madam Xu and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Madam Xu."
"Why are you being so polite? Oh, by the way, how come there's another child named Su in your family?"
Once the Bodhi Temple master sent the invitation, the names and residences of the seven women were known to all the imperial wives in the capital. As they all lived in the capital, they all knew each other to some extent. However, Su Ying's name was quite unfamiliar, and yet she came from the Du Mansion, which inevitably aroused curiosity.
Cheng Shi didn't think there was anything wrong with it and said frankly, "Ying'er is my sister-in-law's niece. Her grandfather was a Hanlin editor, and her father is a tea merchant."
A simple statement explained Su Ying's identity, and Mrs. Xu understood a little. She had thought she was the daughter of a local official, but she was actually the daughter of a merchant. It was clear that they were hoping to use the Du family's reputation and her maternal grandfather's long-standing reputation to find her a respectable marriage. Mrs. Xu's interest waned, and she stopped asking questions.
Not long after, the seven girls who were selected to offer scriptures returned to the dining hall one after another, and each of them had a string of agarwood incense beads on their wrist.
The Buddhist temple is a pure place and noise is not allowed. After each family received their daughters, they left the dining hall one after another.
It was not until they reached the mountain gate that Cheng was able to bring Wanyi to meet Madam Xu and her daughter.
Mrs. Xu saw Wanyi and Wenqing exchange greetings and behave in a graceful manner. She couldn't help but sigh, "Girls really change a lot when they grow up. Who would have thought that these two sisters, when they were young, had cried so much over a little silk figurine?"
"Mother."
Wenqing felt shy after hearing this, and hurriedly tugged at Mrs. Xu's dress, not wanting her to continue.
When she presented the sutra just now, Wanyi felt that this Miss Xu seemed familiar, but because her manners were graceful and her temperament was different from before, she was not sure. It was not until Mrs. Xu's teasing that she was sure that this Wenqing in front of her was the unreasonable daughter of the Shangshu family back then.
While the Xu and Du families weren't old acquaintances, they did interact frequently when Lord Xu was their superior. Wanyi remembered that whenever she was with Wenqing, she was always the one who suffered the loss. Even though Wenqing had transformed herself, she was reluctant to speak to her.
Fortunately, the two ladies were not interested in Wanyi at this time. Cheng said to Madam Xu, "To be honest, Madam Xu, Heng Ge'er is here today too."
Madam Xu and Wenqing followed the direction pointed by Cheng and saw a man standing at the front of the carriage outside the mountain gate, waiting quietly. Behind him were several tall, straight pine and cypress trees. At first glance, the man's tall and straight figure made the pines and cypress trees look a bit inferior.
Unfortunately, outside the mountain gate was not the place for her daughter to meet Du Heng. Madam Xu's eyes narrowed slightly, but she finally suppressed her thoughts and nodded, saying, "There's a long way to go. We'll meet again after the New Year."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
