Chapter 28
It was Zhu Ping's mother's birthday. He asked the shopkeeper for a day off, bought his mother some of her favorite Ruyi cakes, got some snacks for his father to go with his wine, and also bought his sister candy and silk flowers.
When he returned home, his mother, Madam Hua, was killing a chicken in the yard when she saw Zhu Ping come back.
She happily shoved the chicken into her husband Zhu Qiu's hands, then walked a few steps to Zhu Ping and took the chicken from his hands.
"Mother, after waiting for so many days, my Ping'er has finally returned."
Upon hearing her brother's voice, Zhu Ping's younger sister, Juanjuan, immediately jumped out of the room.
"Brother, you're back. Did you bring me anything?"
Zhu Ping smiled and said, "Yes, come in with me."
The three of them entered the house together, while Zhu Qiu, who was in the courtyard, smiled.
Juanjuan jumped for joy after receiving the candy and silk flowers.
Madam Hua scolded, "You're already a twelve-year-old girl. In three or four years, you'll be getting married. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you? You're still thinking about eating candy all day long."
"What am I afraid of? My brother bought it for me."
"Not to mention now, even after I get married, I still want to eat candy and have my husband buy it for me."
Hua Shi listened to her without any restraint, and was both amused and exasperated. "See? She's just spoiled by you and your father."
"She doesn't look like a girl at all."
Madam Hua then turned her gaze to her son, "Ping'er, tell your mother quickly, did you give the jade hairpin to Miss Fu'er on the Shangsi Festival?"
Juanjuan also looked excited.
Zhu Ping nodded, his cheeks slightly flushed. Thinking of Fu'er's attitude towards him, he couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
“Mother, Fu’er said she only sees me as her younger brother.”
Hua laughed and said, "Who cares what she thinks of you? As long as she's willing to let you get close, and as long as she's not married yet, you have a chance."
“I have been married to your father for more than ten years. Sometimes I treat him as my father, sometimes as my farmhand, and sometimes as my enemy.”
"Anyway, I never saw him as a lover. So many years have passed, and we're both doing just fine."
"Fu'er is beautiful and kind-hearted. I like her very much."
As Hua took out some snacks that Zhu Ping liked, she comforted him, saying, "However, one's fate is hard to predict."
“Fu’er is a beautiful girl, she won’t have trouble finding a good family. If she really has no feelings for you, don’t force it.”
"Xiuxiu is good too, that girl is capable."
"If she marries into our family, she'll definitely have a good life."
Zhu Ping was somewhat displeased when he heard that Madam Hua also wanted him to marry Xiu Xiu. "Mother, I don't want to marry Xiu Xiu."
"Please don't make things difficult for the child."
Juanjuan, with candy in her mouth, mumbled as she continued, "I still think Sister Fu'er is better; the spices she makes smell wonderful."
"It's almost used up, and I'm too embarrassed to ask her for more."
“If she becomes my sister-in-law, I will have an inexhaustible supply of spices.”
Hua looked at the brother and sister and smiled helplessly.
Since her son rarely came home, Ms. Hua didn't want to have a falling out with him over this matter.
After chatting for a few minutes, they went to the kitchen to cook.
The cutting board contained not only chicken, but also fish and pork.
The Zhu family's life was considered relatively good in the area.
We can eat meat almost every day.
The couple sells pork at the Causeway Lane market.
Their family is honest in business, never shortchanges customers, and their business is quite good.
Zhu Ping started attending a private school at the age of seven. He excelled in his studies, and his parents and the school teacher all had high hopes for him.
Unexpectedly, when he was twelve years old, he insisted on not studying anymore.
They say the court is incompetent, but for commoners like them with no background, even if they pass the imperial examinations, they have no chance of advancement.
It's better to figure out a way out as soon as possible.
And so, without the couple's knowledge, he went to work as a waiter at the Ning residence.
In the end, it was the teacher who came to find him, and the two of them learned that he had not gone to the private school.
Despite Hua's earnest and earnest persuasion, Zhu Ping remained unmoved.
Later, I saw him working as a clerk in the accounting office of a wealthy family, which was an easy job.
The two then had no choice but to give up.
Before noon, Ms. Hua worked quickly and efficiently, with the help of her two children, and soon prepared a large table of delicious food.
Zhu Qiu then invited two close neighboring families over, and a large group of people sat together in a lively atmosphere.
That evening, during a casual chat between father and son, the topic of Zhu Ping continuing his studies came up again.
"Ping'er, your father and mother still hope that you will continue to participate in the imperial examinations."
When Zhu Ping dropped out of school at the age of twelve, he had already passed the preliminary examination for the imperial examination.
If he continues his studies, given his talent, he will surely achieve high honors one day.
Zhu Ping was well-versed in court affairs and did not want to explain further to her father, so she changed the subject, saying, "Father, I forgot to tell you, the boss promoted me to manager, and my monthly salary has also increased."
Zhu Qiu was stunned for a moment. Although disappointed, Zhu Ping was unwilling to continue down the path of studying.
That's certainly good news. He asked with a smile, "Your employer is really good to you. How much of a raise did you get?"
"It has increased by four taels."
When Zhu Ping worked as a shop assistant in the head accountant's office, he earned six taels of silver a month.
Zhu Qiu slammed his welding pipe on the ground, patted Zhu Ping on the shoulder, and said happily, "Good, good, my son is promising."
"Earns more than your parents."
"You can get an easy meal anywhere."
When Ms. Hua and her daughter Juanjuan came out after cleaning up the kitchen, they heard the good news.
Everyone was happy for Zhu Ping.
“I came back this month to give my monthly allowance to my mother.”
Madam Hua smiled broadly, "No need to bring it back to Mother, Mother knows you won't waste money."
"Keep it for yourself, and give it to your wife after you get married."
Zhu Ping nodded in agreement.
*
Ever since the shops on Qingyu Street opened, Fu'er has locked herself in the incense-making room whenever she has free time.
Several times he was so engrossed in his work that he forgot to go to Wenxuan Pavilion to serve Ning Shiyu his meal.
In the end, it was Mu Li who called it.
A few days later, Ning Shiyu also noticed something was wrong.
He usually dozes off when talking to someone or while eating.
When Ning Shiyu came out of the bathroom at night, he saw her looking through books on incense making.
He then snatched the book from her face, asking, "Did you promise to make incense for someone else again?"
"I've been staying in your next room all day."
"Even busier than usual in the accounting department."
Fu'er was secretly annoyed that she had disturbed her.
Looking up and seeing his displeased expression, she hugged his waist and said shamelessly, "Granny Yu doesn't assign me any chores anymore, and I have nothing to do all day."
"My hands can't stay idle; they have to do something."
Ning Shiyu sighed softly, his fingertip touching the dark circles under her eyes, a look of heartache welling up in his eyes, "Although I agreed to let you make incense, you can't overwork yourself, your health is also important."
Fu'er smiled gently, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his chin.
She lost her balance, and her red lips touched Ning Shiyu's Adam's apple again.
This also triggered a switch in Ning Shiyu's body.
He gasped for breath, his deep eyes dark and unfathomable, like a bottomless whirlpool.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his gaze, like a hook tempered by fire, moved toward Fu'er's red lips.
His eyes were terribly red, and he stared intently at Fu'er, making no attempt to hide his longing for her.
If it weren't for hearing Mu Li still serving tea in the outer room...
Knowing that Fu'er was shy, Ning Shiyu wished he could just take Fu'er right there on the desk and punish her on the spot.
As soon as Mu Li left the room, Ning Shiyu immediately grabbed Fu'er's nape with his other hand, suppressing his hot breath.
Fu'er knew what he was going to do, and pressed against his chest, "I forgot to tell you, I got my period."
Ning Shiyu lowered his head and buried it in Fu'er's shoulder, letting out a muffled groan, "Isn't there still two days left?"
"It's ahead of schedule."
"You naughty girl." He said in a resentful tone, with a hint of doting affection.
While resting, Ning Shiyu suddenly thought of a problem: Fu'er's menstrual cycle was always very regular.
Could it be related to their frequent sexual activity recently?
My heart tightened involuntarily.
Before leaving the next day, he worriedly instructed Granny Yu to make sure Doctor Wu examined Fu'er.
As the weather gets warmer day by day, people are taking off their heavy winter clothes.
I changed into a lighter spring outfit.
The fruit trees and flowers in each courtyard of Ning Residence also bloomed in profusion.
This is also the busiest time for Fu'er, as she needs to pick these flower petals to make spices.
She worked tirelessly all day long.
Granny Yu and Xiang'er had nothing else to do, so they didn't have many opportunities to help Fu'er.
Ning Shiyu knew she couldn't stop her, so she ordered Granny Yu to arrange a maid for Fu'er to help her pick the fruit.
This girl is called Cuiya. She used to be in charge of cleaning the courtyard. She is three years younger than Fu'er. She is honest and a bit silly.
She came to pick flowers for Fu'er every day. No one bullied her, and she could eat well. It was a wonderful job for her.
She's even more proactive than Fu'er.
This time of year is also when people in the household distribute spring clothes.
The maids of the manor passed by them one after another.
Hearing them chattering away, Cuiya couldn't resist her curiosity and peeked out.
Today, Fu'er wore a peach-colored vest and stood under the peach tree.
Caiwei, who was passing by in her spring dress, glanced at her and mistook her for a peach blossom monster that had come to life.
Hearing Cuiya, who was beside Fu'er, call her name, she trembled in fright.
"Sister Caiwei, do our spring clothes still have the color of yesterday's?"
The girls all love to look pretty, so every year they wear light blue short shirts and cotton skirts.
Everyone hopes that next year they can get a brighter color.
Caiwei is different; she is a first-class maid in the household and has three sets of clothes.
Moreover, the colors and materials were different from those of their rough-working maids.
Only Cuiya, that simple-minded girl, would ask her if she couldn't figure these things out.
Because of her master's actions, Caiwei harbored a deep hostility towards Fu'er after her previous attempt to frame Fu'er regarding the spices failed.
She was also very cold towards Cuiya, who was beside her.
"Whether it's last year's color or not, you don't know to go and see for yourself."
"He was dark-skinned and skinny, like a stick of firewood, and he looked the same no matter what he wore."
"By following her around, the two of you have picked all the flowers in the Ning residence bare."
"I heard that a few fruits were planted last year, but I'm afraid there won't be any this year."
Cuiya was never very brave, but today she was in a good mood and mustered up the courage to say a few words to Caiwei.
I don't want to get scolded by her.
Her eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she secretly wiped them away, not daring to argue back.
Fu'er never liked arguing with people, but she couldn't stand Caiwei saying such things to Cuiya. "Can't you just say something nice? Why do you have to say it so rudely?"
"I was going to pick these flowers. If you don't like them, go find the old woman."
"Why take it out on Cuiya?"
Caiwei was separated from the two by a stone path.
Hearing Fu'er talk about herself, she took a few steps closer and argued, "You even dared to take down Master's Wenxuan Pavilion, how could I dare to go to Granny?"
"Don't think that just because your master and the nanny are protecting you, you really consider yourself the master."
"Next time, will you be picking them at our Wenchun Garden?"
Fearing that she would be punished for making a big fuss, Cuiya quickly stopped Fu'er, "Sisters, it's all Cuiya's fault, please stop arguing, okay?"
Fu'er didn't want to make things difficult for Cuiya, so she nodded and said, "Don't cry, I won't say anything more."
Seeing that Fu'er ignored her, Caiwei snorted and turned to leave.
When he glanced at Fu'er out of the corner of his eye, he was stunned for a moment.
As if to confirm, he came back and kept his eyes fixed on Fu'er's neck.
Fu'er realized why Caiwei was only looking at her neck, blushed, and immediately turned around to fasten the buttons on her vest.
Caiwei stood there stunned for a moment before leaving.
Back at Wenchun Garden, she couldn't wait to tell Yunyou about it, "Auntie, I just saw a mark on Fu'er's neck in the courtyard... that kind of mark."
Yun You was holding a book of poems in her hand. Tomorrow, she would be accompanying Ning Shiyu to the spring banquet of the eldest son of the Wei family.
I'm afraid that, like on the Shangsi Festival, some kind of trickery involving poetry will become popular again.
After returning from Chang'an, she found that Ning Shiyu had neglected her quite a bit, rarely allowing her to visit his courtyard.
She hadn't been able to see him for several days, so she couldn't test his feelings for Fu'er.
Therefore, she also wanted to make a good impression at tomorrow's spring banquet and impress Ning Shiyu.
Just as she was getting to the crucial moment, Caiwei interrupted her hesitantly, her tone somewhat displeased, "The flowers have been blooming so profusely these days, attracting quite a few insects. She's been under that tree every day, getting bitten and then scratching, leaving marks. That's perfectly normal."
"Why are you making such a fuss?"
Caiwei leaned closer and said with conviction, "But that mark is huge, right in the crook of her neck. Insects don't have mouths that big."
“I’ve heard people say that these are purplish marks that appear after a man and a woman have been intimate.”
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