Chapter 7 It’s not okay to marry cousins!
At this moment, Cheng, having left the old lady's main hall, no longer had the calm demeanor of a matron of the house. She stalked towards the East Courtyard without looking back. Thinking of the little fox Rong had brought with her, she wished she could immediately tear off the disguises of the aunt and nephew, so that her children would wake up and not fall for their tricks!
Su Ying had just followed Cheng out of the main hall when she discovered that Cheng was supported by Xue Yuan, walking faster and faster with a fierce momentum, and soon left her far behind.
She was a little confused, and for a moment she wondered if she was being overly suspicious. After leaving the main courtyard, she simply stopped in the corridor and watched Cheng and the others walk further and further away.
Sure enough, when Cheng and her group reached the end of the corridor, they went straight to the east courtyard. No maid or servant stayed to wait for her.
Although she still didn't understand why Cheng did this, she roughly guessed that she was being singled out in the name of picking a gift to intimidate her!
This wasn't the first time Su Ying had been treated this way. In the two years since she returned home, her stepmother, Lin, had repeatedly given her similar embarrassments. However, she always handled them appropriately, which made Lin extremely angry.
However, this was the Du Mansion, and she couldn't act too recklessly. Furthermore, she still needed to stay there, relying on her aunt to avoid the Lin family's random promise of her. So, she decided to take it one step at a time, wait and see what Cheng had to say, and then make a decision.
With her mind made up, she followed the direction Cheng and the others had just taken and headed towards the East Courtyard alone.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the East Courtyard, she was nearly splashed with a basin of water by a housemaid who was sweeping the floor. Before she could even open her mouth, she heard someone scolding the housemaid, "You ignorant creature! Do you even know where this is?"
The voice sounded familiar. Su Ying looked in the direction it came from. It was Matron Li. She was about to step forward to greet her, but Matron Li turned her head away and said coldly, "Miss Su, please come in quickly. I, an old woman, dare not accept your courtesy again."
When Su Ying heard this, she felt a little strange, but she knew that the good show was still waiting for her, so she didn't pay much attention to it. She just followed the direction pointed by Nanny Li's chin and entered the main hall in the east courtyard.
Cheng's main room indeed resembled her own attire, exuding the grandeur and splendor typical of a wealthy family. In contrast, the old lady's main room was much simpler. Aside from the woolen felt blanket covering the floor, which hinted at the owner's wealth, the only things that revealed her character were the scattered books on the desk and the paintings of the Four Gentlemen: plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum hanging on the wall.
Cheng had already been sitting on a carved chair covered with brocade cushions waiting for Su Ying. She thought she would follow her closely, but after returning to the main hall, she found that the girl was not behind her and had even made her wait for a while. She felt very upset and suffocated for a moment.
Fortunately, the girl came before she lost her patience.
Cheng didn't even want to look at Su Ying, as she felt that her every move was influenced by Rong's shadow and had bad intentions.
Since Cheng didn't invite anyone to sit down, Su Ying stood in the middle of the hall, looking down at her feet.
The ground was also covered with a thick layer of felt, but on top of the felt was a layer of gold-woven brocade mattress. My grandmother once mentioned that there were many officials in the capital, and every family was more or less competitive, so some flashy things were often popular. She looked at the golden and glittering floral patterns under her feet, and she quite agreed with her grandmother's words.
"Miss Su, these are some pieces of jewelry that Madam asked me to bring out. Please take a look."
Su Ying looked up and saw Cheng holding the teacup in one hand and lifting the lid with the other, sipping the tea with her head down, with no intention of communicating with her.
Did the eldest lady feel it was beneath her dignity to speak to herself, and so she let the maid speak to her?
Su Ying understood a little, then turned to look at the plate of ornaments in Xue Yuan's hand.
Xue Yuan, worthy of being the mistress's personal maid, had excellent eyesight. As soon as Su Ying's eyes fell on a pair of gold bracelets, she began to explain their origins: "These are the bracelets that Madam wore when she got married. I wonder if Miss Su saw clearly, but there are also the words 'A Hundred Years of Happiness' engraved on the bracelets!"
"This is a ruby hairpin that Madam acquired a few years ago. I wonder if Miss Su, while in Jiangnan, ever heard of an ancient temple kingdom in the north? The rubies there are not only rich in color but also translucent."
"This golden and kingfisher-inlaid phoenix hairpin is Madam's favorite. She wore it when she entered the palace to receive her imperial decree!"
After hearing these introductions, Su Ying knew clearly that she could not take any of the jewelry on the tray.
First of all, the pair of gold bracelets engraved with "A Hundred Years of Happiness" were clearly for a newlywed bride. How could she, a girl who had just turned fourteen, wear them? Then there were the hairpins and phoenix hairpins, both of which were items only married women could wear. If she chose them, wouldn't it be obvious that she was a woman who didn't know etiquette and was self-righteous?
So she looked away, took a deep breath, and knelt down to Cheng.
After kneeling, she raised her head, but her eyes were still downcast, and said, "Madam's jewelry is too valuable. Su Ying is undecided. Could you please give me some advice?"
I'd heard Rong mention before that this girl had lived in the Rong family for over ten years before returning home. I'd assumed that even if her grandfather had a good reputation, having grown up in the rural south of the Yangtze River, she wouldn't have much experience. I hadn't expected her to be so discerning, and not just pick and choose and leave without any hesitation.
Cheng was still calm in her heart. Since that was the case, she would be frank and let you know the good and the bad.
Cheng put down her tea bowl, looked Su Ying straight in the eyes, and admonished her, "What the capital lacks most is officials, and what every official family lacks most is a cousin."
"Your aunt mentioned to me before that you were in my hometown. But our Du family is different from other families. We don't marry cousins! I hope you will behave yourself in the side courtyard. When Heng'er passes the spring examination, I will ask your aunt to find a good family for you! It will be worth it for your maternal grandparents to go through so much trouble to send you here!"
I see!
No wonder her aunt had asked her to avoid Du Heng. Just now, when the eldest lady entered the room, she was greeting Du Heng. She had been wondering why the mistress of the Du family was behaving so unbecomingly, thinking she was trying to have improper thoughts about the eldest son of the Du family by pretending to be his cousin!
Su Ying was speechless for a moment. No one had ever made her feel so helpless, angry and amused.
She wasn't an ignorant country girl, nor had she never seen what a handsome scholar or a noble young man looked like. If she hadn't had a father without a strong opinion and a stepmother who only wanted to do harm, why would she have traveled thousands of miles alone, living under someone else's roof, just to find a suitable family?
Cheng's words were very insulting, but her grandmother's words of advice were still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't make things difficult for her aunt.
So, she took a deep breath, no longer lowering her eyes, but looking at Cheng without changing her expression, and said, "Madam, you are right. Su Ying has taken note of your advice. Su Ying has never liked going out, and my aunt's side courtyard is enough for her daily life. However, please forgive Su Ying for her rudeness. From now on, Su Ying will not be able to greet you every day."
The words were spoken neither humbly nor arrogantly, but with a sense of distance in them.
For some reason, Cheng knew that the girl in front of her was promising her that she would stay in the side courtyard honestly, but why did she hear other inexplicable meanings?
She is indeed Rong's niece, and everything she says annoys her.
Cheng suppressed her confusion and acted like a mistress, nodding her head and saying, "Since Miss Su has understood, that's all the best. How about this jewelry?"
Unexpectedly, Su Ying interrupted Cheng halfway through her words. She raised her wrist to Cheng and said, "Madam, the old lady just gave this Buddhist beads to Su Ying. Madam, why don't you choose something worthy of this gift for Su Ying, just like the old lady gave you."
Su Ying's words reminded Cheng.
I was in a hurry just now and forgot about the gift from my mother-in-law.
She originally thought that no matter which piece of jewelry the girl took away, she could say that it was the girl's own choice, so as to embarrass the unmarried girl.
However, once this emerald jade Buddhist beads bracelet appeared in front of her, everything changed. No matter which piece of jewelry it was, it would only make her, the mistress of the house, lose face. Isn't it obvious that she does not take her mother-in-law seriously and is using these luxurious things to slap her in the face?
Cheng looked at Su Ying in front of her. She originally wanted to give this girl a good scolding, but she never expected that she accepted the reprimand silently and did not forget to remind her at the end. She couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
"Xue Yuan, go get that little kingfisher hairpin for my cousin."
After Xue Yuan brought it over, Cheng waved to Su Ying, motioning her to come forward.
Cheng personally placed the hairpin on Su Ying's head and said, "Wanyi also has this hairpin, and it's perfect for you little girl. I've taken note of everything you just said. You're young, so your memory is better than mine. Don't let it get to the point where I still remember it, but you forget it later!"
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