Chapter 5: Mutual Greetings
The next day, when Rong brought Su Ying into the old lady's main courtyard, the harmonious laughter of the old and the young could be heard from the main hall.
"Grandma, my mother asked me to embroider a purse, and you asked me to read 'A Thousand Poems.' Today is my birthday after all, so please be kind and talk to my mother later so that your granddaughter can have some free time today, okay?"
The voice was so playful and pleasant that even Su Ying felt that the other party must be a likable girl.
"Your mother thinks you're not good at needlework, and you haven't mastered the knowledge I've given you. You should at least have one of these two qualities. Otherwise, how can your mother and I find you a partner in the future?"
When Su Ying heard this, she couldn't help but smile. Her grandmother had said exactly the same thing as the old lady.
She had never been good at needlework, so she devoted herself to poetry and prose. She often eavesdropped on my grandfather's lectures. Sometimes, engrossed, she'd forget she was crouching under the window, and in a fit of excitement, she'd stand up and bump into him, making a loud noise that drew the students' peeks in. I remember one time, someone joked, "The teacher's family is sure to produce a top scholar someday!"
After the maid reported, Rong led Su Ying into the house.
Mindful of her status as a guest, Su Ying entered the room with her head lowered. Her grandmother had mentioned to her that the capital's winters were dry and cold, and that families of established families often laid a brocade quilt or carpet on the blue brick floor in the center of the main hall. Upon entering, Su Ying noticed a dark blue wool felt covering the old lady's main seat and desk. A closer look revealed the edges of the felt to be a bit worn, but the texture was excellent. The felt was firm, though slightly sagging, indicating its age.
She didn't really understand much of it; it just so happened that her grandmother also had a felt blanket on her couch. Jiangnan winters were extremely cold, and she remembered as a child, loving to sit on her grandmother's couch on winter afternoons, rubbing her hands over the blanket, which felt so warm and soft. Her grandmother had put a lot of effort into caring for it, and the old lady's blanket was much larger than her grandmother's, showing how diligently she tended to it.
"Mother, this is Su Ying, the only daughter of my elder sister, whom I mentioned to you the other day."
The sudden sound of her aunt's voice startled Su Ying, who was lost in thought while looking at the wool felt. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and quickly knelt down to kowtow to the old lady, saying, "Su Ying greets the old lady."
Su Ying's voice was soft and gentle, and she was very polite. Madam Du's eyebrows softened a little when she saw her.
"Oh, listen to that sound, it's like a yellow oriole singing in a valley. Hurry up and let me take a good look."
Su Ying stood up obediently and looked up, only to see the old lady sitting in the main seat with a kind look on her face. Beside the seat stood a bright-looking girl, also looking at her curiously.
She smiled back, then lowered her eyes again.
Such quiet, elegant and graceful demeanor inevitably made the old lady happy.
Old Madam Shen had already heard Rong mention Su Ying's affairs, so she had some preconceptions in her mind. She felt that the child, upon learning of her stepmother's intentions, had immediately sent for help from her maternal grandfather, and she considered her to be more intelligent and resolute than the average woman.
Now that I see her in person, I didn't expect her to be so delicate and weak. If I hadn't heard about her past in her hometown, I would often misjudge her and mistakenly think that she is a weak and easily manipulated child.
But then again, how could a child raised by the Rong family disappoint? Otherwise, why would she and the old man have sent a letter all the way across the country, and why would they still insist on fulfilling their old promise even after the Rong family retired? It was just that her second son was simply too unlucky.
The old lady regained her composure and gestured for Rong to bring Su Ying closer. After examining her for a moment, she couldn't help but sigh, "Looking at you this way, I can see a bit of what you looked like back then!"
Rong Shi wasn't one to be melancholic about the passing of time, but the year she spent with her husband was simply too wonderful. The old lady's words, "back then," struck a chord with her most vulnerable spot, and for a moment, her nose ached and she was speechless.
The old lady seemed to sense the inappropriateness of her words, so she sighed, reached out and pulled Rong over, letting her sit to the lower left of the main seat. Then, she changed the subject and, waving toward the latticework wooden screen on one side of the main hall, said, "Brother Heng, come and pay your respects to your second aunt!"
Then he turned to the girl standing beside him and said, "Wanyi, you too."
Seeing this, Su Ying consciously retreated to the side behind Rong's seat. When she raised her eyes, she happened to see a man coming out from the lattice wooden screen on the opposite side.
The man was wearing a jade crown on his head, a dark blue robe, and a dark black fur coat, dressed like a scholar from a wealthy family.
I guess this is the Du Heng that my aunt mentioned who has high hopes for him.
Because her aunt had told her yesterday to stay away from the eldest grandson of the Du family, she couldn't help but feel a little curious. It was reasonable to give extra attention to any family member who participated in the imperial examinations, no matter who they were. However, her aunt's words seemed a bit too pampering to the future lord of the Du family.
Now it seems that Du Heng is no different from those students of my grandparents' family. If we have to pick out a good thing to say about him, it is that he is indeed self-disciplined and polite. Even in his own house, he will not easily take off his fur coat in front of female relatives to show respect.
Du Heng and his sister Du Wanyi bowed to Rong together. Rong asked them to stand up, then took Du Wanyi's wrist, took off the pair of jade bracelets on her hand, and put them on Du Wanyi's wrist.
"I just heard you acting like a spoiled brat outside the house. Here, this pair of jade bracelets have been with me for many years. Although they are old, they are in excellent condition. If you like them, consider them a birthday gift from Second Aunt!"
"How can Second Aunt's things be good?" Du Wanyi's mouth was as sweet as honey, and she bowed to Rong Shi again and said happily, "Brother just got the 'Strategy Reading Explanation' you gave me the other day. You said it has annotations by famous scholars of the previous dynasty and it is extremely precious. Now I have also got Second Aunt's good things. Finally, I don't have to be inferior to my brother. Wanyi is so happy, how could I not like it?"
Su Ying was taken aback upon hearing this. To ordinary people, this "Ce Du Jing Jie" was neither poetry nor prose. But for students preparing for the imperial examinations, it was an extremely rare find. The book contained annotations by the previous top scholar, whose essays were praised by the previous emperor as "unconventional and insightful." It was said that anyone who possessed this annotated copy of "Ce Du Jing Jie" would benefit greatly from thoroughly understanding even a single passage, even without reading the entire book. Su Ying had heard her grandmother mention this book before, having originally been in her maternal grandmother's possession, using it to teach students. Unexpectedly, this classic, which her aunt had given as a dowry, would actually be given to Du Heng.
Su Ying couldn't help but wonder, was he truly as talented as her aunt had said, that the top three prizes were a sure thing for him? She couldn't believe it; even her grandfather's best student wouldn't dare boast like that. However, due to the gender distinction, she never looked at him.
While she was thinking, she heard Du Wanyi continue, "Second Aunt, should I call this Miss Su, sister or younger sister?"
Rong smiled and pulled Su Ying, who was standing behind her, to her front, facing Du Wanyi. She said, "Ying'er is the same age as you, born in June, a few months older than you."
Then he said to Su Ying, "Ying'er, this is Sister Wanyi."
Two girls of the same age greeted each other. One was lively and pretty, the other was quiet and graceful, which made people feel pleasing to the eye.
Afterwards, Rong also took Su Ying to greet Du Heng: "Come, this is Wan Yi's brother, his name is Du Heng, you..."
Rong suddenly paused, not knowing how to let Su Ying address Du Heng. If she called him familiarly, Cheng would think too much, but if she called him distantly, it would seem strange. So Rong looked at her mother-in-law, Mrs. Du, Shen.
The old lady had just watched Wanyi and Su Ying flirt with each other like sisters, and her heart was filled with joy. Seeing Rong hesitate, she smiled and said, "Ying'er, just follow Wanyi and call Heng'er 'brother.'"
Unexpectedly, just as the old lady finished speaking, Du Heng bowed his head and bowed to Su Ying, saying, "Cousin Su Ying."
Su Ying felt that this address was somewhat amusing, but she didn't have time to think about it. She just followed Du Heng's lead and bowed, "Cousin Du Heng."
After the two of them exchanged greetings, they looked into each other's eyes.
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