After that day's uproar, everyone from the ladies to the maids and servants in the mansion redoubled their respect for Madam Kong's training class, daring no one to show the slightest disrespect. Especially Molan, who practically kept her tail between her legs. After Madam Kong's advice on future prospects, Sheng Hong's rationality temporarily overcame his emotions. He slept in Wang's room for two weeks straight, allowing Concubine Lin and her daughter to clear their heads. Wang's face was filled with joy, nearly setting off firecrackers. This time, Sheng Hong had made up his mind, at least to put on a good show for Madam Kong, and he stubbornly refused any requests from Concubine Lin to see him.
When Aunt Lin saw that something was not right, she finally resorted to a trick. She asked her son Changfeng to hand over a piece of soft blue silk to Sheng Hong while he was taking a test on his academic performance. On the silk was written a sad love poem with bright cinnabar, which said something like 'Every morning I miss you so much that my heart is about to break, and every evening I cry blood and tears like rain'. After reading it, Sheng Hong was immediately filled with tenderness. One night, he finally couldn't hold back and went to see Aunt Lin.
When Wang Shi found out, she was furious and said, "I'm just afraid that my concubine is educated!"
However, after this incident, Sheng Hong realized that he couldn't be too indulgent with Concubine Lin. Concubine Lin also subdued herself and Molan also became more obedient. In this good learning atmosphere, Madam Kong continued to teach her for more than half a month. After the results of the Changbai County Examination were announced, Madam Kong said goodbye and left. Sheng Hong gave Madam Kong many boxes as a stipend. Madam Kong kept half and returned the rest: "You are half dead, and you brought so many things. You thought I was here to rob you."
During the last few days, Wang tactfully expressed her hope that Madam Kong would write to her old friends in the capital, praising her daughter and setting a good example for Hualan's future. Unexpectedly, Madam Kong declined with a smile: "Eldest sister isn't going on a visit. She's going to live in the capital for a long time. Over time, she'll have to build her own reputation. If I praise her to the skies, then the Zhongqin Marquis's family will have too high expectations, which would be bad."
Translated into Martian, this means: Don't set your expectations too high; too high will easily lead to disappointment. Lower expectations will actually allow Hualan to shine. I don't know if Wang understood, but she could hardly conceal her disappointment. So Madam Kong added, "The eldest daughter will be a living signboard. Once she has children and is established, if I'm still able to, I can help cheer for the rest of the daughters." Wang thought of Rulan and thanked her with a smile.
After Madam Kong left, the girls returned to their own private lives. Old Madam Sheng brought Minglan back to school to learn to read and write, and added a new subject: needlework. Madam Fang temporarily became her instructor. Madam Fang had been a maid who had come with her as a dowry, known as the mansion's foremost needlework expert. She was a master of weaving, sewing, embroidery, shoemaking, knitting, and patchwork. Though her age and poor eyesight meant she couldn't handle delicate work, she was more than capable of teaching a novice like Minglan.
Based on the two living examples of Old Lady Sheng and Aunt Lin, when Mama Fang saw that Minglan could learn characters and read books very quickly, she was worried that Minglan would only love poetry and prose and not needlework. Unexpectedly, Minglan was very cooperative from the beginning, and showed a more enthusiastic attitude towards learning than reading and learning characters. Mama Fang was surprised and happy, and immediately used all her skills to train Minglan. So Minglan followed Old Lady Sheng to study in the morning, and followed Mama Fang to learn needlework in the afternoon, and the old lady watched happily from the side.
First, let Minglan practice needlework on a small piece of cloth. She had to sew the lines first. The straight ones had to be straight, the round ones had to be round, the stitches had to be fine and dense like those from a sewing machine, and the intervals had to be even and completely consistent. This was the basic skill. It took Minglan a whole month just to practice this. A month later, Fang's mother picked a good afternoon to give Minglan an exam, and she barely gave her a passing grade.
Mother Fang was a little puzzled: "Sister, you study so hard, why can't you learn needlework as quickly and well as you do reading and writing?"
Minglan thought silently in her heart: There is a natural difference between those who cheated and those who started from scratch.
Old Madam Sheng was also very surprised: "Do you like needlework so much? You are more serious and diligent in it than studying."
Minglan shed tears silently: "Only a fool would love needlework! She didn't even do cross-stitch before, okay?"
Examination-oriented education has a major characteristic. For example, learning Olympiad mathematics, piano or painting is for extra points, studying hard is for getting into XX University, and getting into XX University is for finding a good job and making a lot of money. To put it nicely, this is about clear goals and direct actions, but to put it bluntly, it is highly utilitarian. As someone who came from there, Minglan began to think about a question after learning "Thousand Character Classic".
As a woman of seclusion, what good was it to be proficient in poetry, song, qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting? She couldn't make a living from studying, as she couldn't pass the imperial examinations. Was she just trying to gain a reputation as a talented woman among the aristocratic children?
As the legitimate daughter, Mrs. Sheng would of course say: Cultivate your temperament, soothe your mind and improve your character, and fill the capital with splendor, which is the glory of the family.
But Minglan is not a legitimate daughter, and the Sheng family is not a marquisate, so she can't enter the top aristocratic social circle at all.
Aunt Lin would probably say: Poetry, songs, calligraphy, chess, and painting have been of great help to me on my road to success.
But Minglan doesn't want to be a concubine either.
Until one day, after Fang Mama casually said that a medium-quality embroidery from Ruyizhai could be sold for two or three taels of silver, Minglan suddenly found the best direction to work towards - whether being too good at studying or too good at financial management might be criticized by this society, only needlework was safe and secure, and could not only gain a good reputation, but also have a skill to rely on in the future in case of an emergency.
Minglan polished her idea a bit and replied to her grandmother: "Needlework is good. I can make a warm hat for grandma, shoes for father, embroider sachets for mother and sister, and sew handkerchiefs for brothers."
Old Madam Sheng was so moved that her eyes were filled with tears. She held Minglan in her arms and rubbed her for a long time: "Good child, thank you for your hard work!"
Minglan was confused. Old Lady Sheng's understanding was that studying only benefits oneself, but needlework benefits the family. Her granddaughter knew how to care about her family at such a young age.
In order to increase the interest of learning, Mrs. Sheng drew a few simple plum blossoms for Minglan to embroider. Minglan embroidered very hard. Just when she finished embroidering half of one flower, the spring plum blossoms had all fallen and the peach blossoms were just beginning to bloom. Mrs. Fang sighed and simply added a few strokes to the flower pattern and asked Minglan to embroider it into peach blossoms.
"Plum blossoms and peach blossoms are different, how can they be switched?" Minglan protested in a low voice.
"It's okay, there won't be much difference in your embroidery." Old Mrs. Sheng comforted her.
Minglan: ...
In April, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, a letter came from the residence of the Earl of Zhongqin in the capital saying that Yuan Wenshao would set out to pick up his bride at the end of the month, and counting the days, he would arrive in Dengzhou in a few days; on this side, Sheng Hong's eldest cousin Sheng Wei had also arrived; originally, the uncle should have been present at Hualan's wedding, but Wang Yan was also an official now and could not leave his post at will, only Sheng Wei was in charge of business and could move freely; this time he brought his second son Changwu to congratulate, and later he would accompany Changbai to escort Hualan's bride to the capital.
When Sheng Wei followed Sheng Hong to Shou'an Hall to pay a visit, Minglan was sitting beside the kang and reciting "On the Love of Lotus": "There are many lovely flowers on land and in water... I only love the lotus that grows out of the mud but remains unstained, washes in the clear water but remains uncoquettish, is straight inside and out, has no vines or branches, its fragrance becomes clearer as it spreads further, and it stands tall and clean..." The little girl recited aloud in a childish voice, shaking her head and looking naive. Old Lady Sheng sat upright on the kang, listening with a smile on her face, her eyes full of warm joy.
Sheng Wei's heart moved, and he saw that Old Madam Sheng was in high spirits and had a rosy complexion. She looked even more vigorous than when he saw her two years ago. He glanced at Minglan and saw that she had a pair of black pupils as bright and clear as ink. When she saw him coming, she immediately climbed down from the kang and stood obediently aside. Seeing that she was so polite and sensible, Sheng Wei liked her very much and understood more clearly.
After paying his respects to Old Madam Sheng, Sheng Wei smiled and took Minglan in his arms, saying, "You are the sixth girl, right? I have met all your sisters, but you were always sick every time I came to your house. Now you are better." He had a square face with a weathered look. Although he was only a few years older than Sheng Hong, he looked like he was ten years older. However, his expression was very kind.
Minglan held up a pair of chubby little fists, came up to salute politely, and said hello in a formal manner: "My niece is fine, thank you for your concern, uncle. Hello, uncle, you have come from afar, it must be hard work."
She had a crisp childish voice, but spoke in a serious tone like a little adult. The adults in the room laughed, and Sheng Wei laughed especially hard, hugging little Minglan and shaking her. Minglan's face turned red from laughing, and she said indignantly in her heart, she was obviously following the rules, why was she laughing? Be serious!
Sheng Wei felt around in his arms and pulled out something wrapped in red silk. He handed it to Minglan and said, "This was given to you by your great-aunt. All your sisters have one, but you are the only one missing." Minglan looked up at her grandmother and father, and only accepted it when she saw them nod slightly. She opened the red silk and saw a brilliant golden light before her eyes.
It was a heavy red gold Ruyi lock. She quickly showed it to Old Madam Sheng. The old lady smiled and put the thin chain on the gold lock around Minglan's neck. Minglan immediately felt her neck sink, as if it was several taels heavy. She quickly twisted her chubby body and bowed obediently to Sheng Wei, saying as she bowed, "Thank you, my great aunt, and thank you, uncle."
At this time, Cuiping came in carrying a small red lacquer tea tray carved with lotus leaves and lotus roots. Seeing Minglan coming, she habitually held the tea tray in front of Minglan. Minglan reached out to take one of the tea bowls and walked over to it. Sheng Hong had thought that Minglan would carry the tea bowls to him as usual, but Minglan's short legs turned halfway, lowered her head, held the tea bowl, and served the tea directly to Sheng Wei, and then brought the second bowl to himself. Next, he saw Minglan tiptoeing to take the plate of fresh Shandong dates off the kang table and diligently brought it to Sheng Wei's tea table. Sheng Hong secretly laughed and couldn't help but scolding with a smile: "This sixth girl, you just accepted a gift, and you are serving tea and dates like this. Have you forgotten your own father?"
Minglan looked embarrassed, her face flushed red. She stopped moving her squirrel-like body, her hands and feet awkwardly moving around, feeling helpless. She said sheepishly, "Well... no, I guess... I owe it to someone."
Old Madam Sheng and the two brothers Sheng Wei and Sheng Hong burst into laughter. Sheng Wei pulled Minglan into his arms and hugged her. Seeing her innocent and timid face, he found it so adorable. He then took out an exquisite brocade bag from his pocket, placed it in Minglan's hand, and said jokingly, "Uncle, you are so grateful for what you have. Here are ninety-nine newly caught small fish. I'm giving them all to you! My dear, your food is a bit too expensive!"
The old lady almost laughed to tears, pointing and cursing as she laughed, "You little monkeys!" The maids and servants around her also secretly covered their mouths. Minglan hurriedly picked out a dozen large, plump dates from the fruit plate and handed them to Sheng Hong, saying with a silly, ingratiating smile, "Father, eat this, Father, eat this, this date is fat..."
Sheng Hong smiled and pulled Minglan over, stroking his little girl's soft hair. Then he opened the brocade embroidered bag in Minglan's hand and took out a small, golden fish-shaped gold ingot. He placed it in Minglan's chubby little palm and said, "It looks good, doesn't it? Have fun with it."
Minglan was really embarrassed to have received so much gold suddenly. Her face blushed as she bowed to Sheng Wei again. At this time, Wang came with several children except Hualan. Minglan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to pay her respects to Wang.
Wang shi greeted the old lady and Sheng Wei, then had her children do the same. Seeing the large, glittering gold locket on Minglan's chest, Rulan pouted, while Molan lowered her brows and looked submissive, expressionless. After being taught by Madam Kong, they had become much more docile. Sheng Wei exchanged a few pleasantries with his niece. Rulan was delicate and reserved, while Molan was polite and refined, neither of them saying much. Sheng Hong also had little to say, but Wang shi smiled widely and said, "Sister-in-law, you are so polite. I feel so sorry for making your uncle come all this way for Hualan, and bring so many things." Then she turned and said, "And yours. My brother's things are in the master's study, and my sister's are in Weiruixuan. Go get them later."
The children immediately thanked Sheng Wei. After a few more words, Rulan excitedly went to see the gifts. Old Madam Sheng smiled and let her granddaughters go first. After the three girls left, the atmosphere in the room immediately quieted down. Sheng Wei said to Changbai, who was standing opposite him, with a serious face, "I heard that Brother Bai has passed the provincial examination. My sister-in-law is so lucky."
Changbai bowed and said, "Uncle, thank you for your compliment. I am ignorant and need to study more."
Wang, feeling proud, replied, "He still needs to take the final exam to be considered a scholar. Uncle, don't rush to praise him yet. People say Wu Ge'er is also studying, so they can take the exam together later."
Sheng Wei shook his head and laughed, "That won't do. I wasn't as good at studying as my second brother back then. Your eldest nephew is just like me, only interested in account books. He gets dizzy when he sees those things. Your second nephew can read a few books, but he's still far behind Brother Bo. I think he prefers practicing martial arts. After sending my eldest niece to the capital to get married, I plan to have Brother Wu meet the head coach Lu Kuilu and try his hand at martial arts."
Sheng Hong smiled and said, "That's great. Lu Gangzi's martial arts and character are both first-rate. When he was taking the martial arts exam, he often drank with me. We've been in touch over the years. I'll write him a letter and ask Wu Ge'er to take it with him so he can take care of him."
Sheng Wei was overjoyed: "Thank you so much, second brother. Wu'er, why don't you kowtow to your uncle and thank him!"
Chang Wu, who was standing beside him, looked about the same age as Chang Bai, but he was sturdier, with a broad face and a square mouth. He was cheerful and energetic. He kowtowed to Sheng Hong happily. Sheng Hong hurriedly helped him up and said, "Brother, you are talking about these two families again. It will be a blessing for us if Brother Wu has a bright future. With brothers in the officialdom looking after each other, our family will prosper, right?"
Sheng Wei turned to look at Chang Feng again and said with a smile, "See, your cousin Wu is useless. He can only become a warrior. It seems that you two brothers have to take the exam together. I heard that Brother Feng is very good at poetry and prose. He is quite talented at a young age. He will definitely be the top scorer in the exam in the future."
Chang Feng had been standing by with a smile on his face. Only then did he bow and say, "I'm ashamed. I only hope to be half as knowledgeable as you, big brother. In the past, Zhang Taiyue was a student at the age of nine. I'm not as talented as you, but I plan to try my hand at that next year."
Old Lady Sheng said seriously, "Although poetry and prose are important, the imperial examination does not only test poetry and prose. You should also spend more time on writing. Even your grandfather, who was a famous poet and writer in the medical field, learned writing first. You can study with your elder brother in the future." Chang Feng smiled and answered yes.
After talking for a while, Mrs. Sheng let the three boys go and play by themselves while the adults chatted for a while.
After they left, Sheng Wei respectfully said to Old Madam Sheng, "Your niece-in-law was going to come this time, but she was tied up with family matters and couldn't spare any time. I kowtowed to Second Aunt on her behalf to congratulate her."
"Why have you come all this way? Your niece-in-law is in charge of how such a large family gets around. We two families don't need all this unnecessary effort. How is your mother? Is she healthy?" Old Lady Sheng said with a smile.
Sheng Wei's expression darkened. "Everything is fine at home, except that my mother has become increasingly lazy lately. She's not as strong as before, and she's always thinking about you, Second Aunt. I've been thinking about waiting for you to be free and come stay at my house for a while. But I'm afraid I'll tire you out, so Mother won't let me mention it."
Old Madam Sheng sighed and said, "Why are you tired? Your mother and I are sisters-in-law, and we get along very well. There's nothing wrong with your sister-in-law going to see the old sister-in-law. Alas... I have great respect for the old sister-in-law. She's a weak woman who has endured so many years and has finally made it. But it's a pity that she has developed a lot of illnesses from exhaustion."
Sheng Wei sincerely said: "It was thanks to your aunt's support for my mother and me that my nephew and my family are where they are today. It's really..."
Old Madam Sheng waved her hands repeatedly to stop him from continuing: "Don't mention it anymore."
Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Sheng Hong wanted to find a light topic. He glanced at Wang Shi, who got the signal and immediately understood. So she smiled and said, "I haven't been back to Jinling for a long time. I wonder how Brother Song's wife is doing? The last letter she received said she was pregnant."
Sheng Wei's expression grew gloomier: "What a pity, Xiaoyue suddenly passed away the other day."
There was a moment of depression, and the atmosphere became even heavier. Sheng Hong glared at Wang Shi with dissatisfaction. Wang Shi felt wronged, but she didn't know it.
Well, livening up the atmosphere takes talent, and Wang Shi clearly needs some practice. After Sheng Hong finished complaining to Wang Shi, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He said with a smile, "I wonder how the family we mentioned last time is doing? Big brother, please find out. If they're good, I, as your uncle, will have to start preparing gifts."
Sheng Wei's face was as black as the bottom of a pot: "Oh, let's not talk about it, that girl eloped with the groom!"
The atmosphere in the house is more...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
