The golden wind was blowing, and it was crab season. In previous years, Minglan would have been waiting with a vinegar cup in hand for the chrysanthemum crabs to be caught. However, she was pregnant, so naturally, she was forbidden to eat them. Mother Cui said sternly, "Crabs are cold in nature. Madam, please don't eat them."
Minglan was not without sorrow: "...In this world, everything delicious is either cold or hot, or dry or wet. Anything that my mother could eat without worry is like chewing wax. It seems that God created things specifically to make things difficult for us."
Mother Cui coaxed her patiently: "You are such a greedy boy. Tell the baby in your belly carefully, or he will blame you later!" Unlike Gu Tingye, she was sure from the beginning that Minglan was pregnant with a boy.
How could it be so easy! --Thinking of the rich, yellow, fragrant crab paste, Minglan felt like a cat was scratching at her stomach. It reminded her of when she was pregnant with her fat son, and Old White Flower was staring at her covetously. She didn't dare to eat anything casually, and she was terrified day and night, but she didn't feel uncomfortable.
Seeing that she was upset, Gu Tingye simply ordered that no one in the mansion was allowed to eat crabs. He also said that if the lady smelled even a little bit and her craving for crabs was aroused, he would carefully ask the Marquis to tie her hands and feet and steam her in a steamer.
Minglan laughed so hard that she rolled over on the kang. Tuan'er found it very interesting to see his mother rolling around, so he opened his chubby little hands and tried to pounce on her. Halfway through, he asked his father to lift him up onto his back, and then let go. The fat boy had no choice but to practice climbing with great difficulty.
Gu Tingye had just said, "How about we eat some crab claw meat?" when Mother Cui, who had just brought in a stew pot, heard him. He quickly coughed and said, "Of course, it's best not to eat it."
Seeing the man's behavior, Minglan was overjoyed and thought it was cute. When no one was around, she hugged his neck and kissed him hard twice. The fat boy followed suit and threw himself into his father's arms, smearing half of his father's face with saliva.
Gu Tingye wiped his face and cursed: "Silly boy, you don't even know this!"
He pulled his son over and kissed him twice on the cheek as a demonstration; unfortunately the fat boy didn't get the point and just used a little more foolish strength, trying to use his little white teeth to make a few bumpy teeth marks on his father's face, then clapped his hands and smiled at his parents.
Minglan couldn't hold it in any longer and lay on the edge of the kang, laughing uncontrollably.
Gu Tingye was both angry and amused. He patted his son's butt a few times and glared at him, saying, "All you can do is laugh! You're a mother too, can't you say a few words?" Minglan laughed, "This kid, why are you so stupid?" Gu Tingye was unhappy again, "Can't you say something nice?"
Minglan immediately said, "Your son has good teeth." Even such a rough and rough old father could chew it.
…
The weather was getting cooler, and although Minglan couldn't eat crabs, her life was finally getting more comfortable. The clear and crisp autumn weather was a good time for tourists to travel. In early October, Tingye and his wife sent off their fifth uncle.
The Fifth Elder was full of vigor and enthusiasm, imitating the ancients in composing a poem and even pouring half a jar of wine into the soil. He was determined to make a name for himself at the academy, but the Fifth Elder Lady was listless, with red and puffy eyes.
Later, Madam Xuan told Minglan that her daughter's wet nurse had heard from her third son, his sister-in-law, who worked for the Fifth House, that the Fifth Old Lady had initially refused to leave the capital, but her Fifth Uncle had absolutely refused. The Fifth Old Lady had thrown a tantrum, saying she didn't want to live, which in turn infuriated her Fifth Uncle: "Even if you have to carry a coffin, you have to go!"
Since Gu Tingyang's death, the Tingdi couple have been extremely dissatisfied with the Fifth Old Lady. Minglan suspects that they were the ones who secretly spread the news.
The farewell scene was joyous, especially the fourth old lady, whose face was beaming. She was very kind and caring to Minglan, and even invited her to her home for tea. Minglan couldn't refuse, and thinking that it was on the way home, she followed her.
In front of Minglan, the Fourth Old Lady ordered Aunt Liu to serve tea and water, fan her and towel her, looking very proud. Madam Xuan smiled bitterly beside her, but had no intention of stopping her.
Concubine Liu was no longer the graceful and elegant lady she once was. Her age was evident. She had just begun to complain when the Fourth Old Lady said, "If you don't want to serve here, why don't you go to the northwest? Tingbing will be alone and someone will be able to take care of him."
Aunt Liu thought that no matter how difficult it was to serve the mistress, it was still better than the bitter cold of the northwest. She valued her old life and did not want to suffer there, so she did not dare to talk back to the fourth old lady, but kept begging Minglan to ask Gu Tingye to take better care of her son.
Minglan curled the corners of her mouth and really wanted to invite her to a three-day tour to Yu Yanhong's grave - don't cuckold someone easily.
By mid-month, the Ministry of Personnel had released all official performance evaluations, appointments, and dismissals. As expected, Uncle Wang was reassigned to a post in Jiangnan, and the entire family left Beijing first. Sheng Hong and Changbai went to see them off. Hualan had initially wanted to drag Rulan along, but Rulan persuaded her, as never before.
"What did mother say? Grandmother would rather take her to court to protect my aunt! Humph, it's obviously my aunt who is vicious. She not only harmed the old lady, but also framed my mother. Grandmother still wants to let her go? It's polite for father and brother to go. We are descendants of a family. Why should we go?! Grandmother can't distinguish right from wrong and has no regard for the reputation of the Sheng family. We still go to An Tai Grandmother with a smile on our faces. Mother is too wronged! We really make people think we have no temper at all!"
Hualan was angry when she thought about her mother's family, which had been doing well before, but was now separated from her family. Although her grandmother was her elder, Wang was her biological mother, and she had already started serving her sentence. Therefore, in the end, neither of the two sisters went.
However, the most surprising thing about this day was that Molan was gone.
The old lady suddenly fell ill, and Wang returned to her hometown to pray for her mother-in-law's longevity. This may have fooled outsiders, but Molan knew Wang's character very well and immediately felt that this was extremely unusual. In addition, when she heard that Changbai would take the old lady to take up his new post, she immediately knew that something had happened in her mother's family.
No one could explain the reason. Changfeng was clueless (he really didn't know the inside story), Liu was even more slippery, and the sisters didn't even need to be asked.
Molan was so anxious that she scratched her head and had to ask the people around her to bribe the servants of the Sheng Mansion with silver to tell her some information. After nearly a month of haggling, she only found out that on the day the old lady suddenly fell ill, Minglan's soldiers surrounded the Sheng mansion and arrested and tortured some people (Changfeng heard screams but didn't know who they were). In the end, it was said that Qian Mama, who was by Wang's side, colluded with outsiders and tried to steal the master's property, which frightened the old lady and made her sick. Sheng Hong and Minglan were furious, so they sealed the mansion and investigated.
In addition, Aunt Kang has also been seriously ill recently and was sent to a farm to recuperate, but there is no way of knowing which farm it is. Most of her confidants were also sent there to serve her, and both the master and the servants disappeared silently.
To sum up, Molan knew that there was something fishy, but she stopped there and could not find out more.
After seeing off the Wang family that day, Molan still hadn't gotten any information out of Aunt Wang. Helplessly, she had no choice but to accompany her father back home, even to the study, where she asked him questions indirectly.
"...Father, I heard from the servants that on the day Grandmother fell ill, Sixth Sister suddenly ordered the guards of the Marquisate to surround the house. What happened?"
Sheng Hong sighed and automatically uttered the standard answer, "There's a traitor in the family, colluding with outside thieves to steal, which scared the old lady terribly. Fearing the thieves would destroy the evidence and escape, they simply surrounded the house."
Molan was so stifled that she vomited blood—it turned out to be the same answer. She bit her lip and said, "I also heard that Sixth Sister's men were torturing and interrogating me at home. This..."
"Alas, it may offend some people, but for the sake of investigating the thief and reassuring the old lady, I can't care less."
Molan made several attempts to investigate, but all came back empty-handed. She said anxiously, "Daddy, we're just catching a thief. There's no need to mobilize the guards from the Marquis' Mansion. We have enough servants. Sixth sister's actions are really... and Aunt Kang..."
Sheng Hong suddenly became alert, his cold gaze piercing over. "What do you want to ask? The house was robbed, and it scared the old lady. Your sister and I were so anxious that we had to find the culprit, so we acted a little inappropriately. What do you want to know?"
Molan flinched at the sight of her father, but mustered up her courage and said tearfully, "Dad, there's clearly something behind this. Even if outsiders don't know, how could I not know? Now all my sisters know, except me. No one in the family is willing to tell me. Isn't my last name Sheng? Isn't I your own flesh and blood? Why must you be so defensive and secretive..."
As she spoke, she sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face. "When I found out about my marriage, Daddy was unhappy, but after all, we're related by blood, and I'm worried about Grandma and Daddy. Now that something's happened at home, I've been worried all day, unable to eat or drink. My brothers and sisters all know, so why can't I know too? Am I really that unbearable..."
Seeing her crying so sadly, Sheng Hong couldn't help but feel soft-hearted. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered his eldest son's words - 'The more people know about this, the more risks there are. People's hearts are unpredictable, and most women in the inner house don't understand the overall situation and don't know the importance of things. Hualan and Rulan are for their biological mother's reputation. Sixth sister has made many inappropriate actions in this matter, but they won't say a word. But it's hard to say for others...'
Although Changbai did not mention anyone, Sheng Hong knew in his heart that except for a few core people with vested interests, even the closest relatives should not be informed of the inside story, especially those from the Lin family; if the reputation of the Sheng family was damaged due to some petty thoughts, it would be too late to regret it.
"There's nothing really going on here. You're just overthinking it." Sheng Hong said coldly, "You keep talking about your sisters, but you never consider that among all of you sisters, you're the only one without any children."
Molan was crying her heart out when the sudden cry hit her sore spot. She stared blankly with tears in her eyes: "Daddy... why are you..."
"I have three sons and four daughters, and except for the youngest, Changdong, they've all grown up and borne children. Your brother, sister-in-law, and several of your uncles-in-law are all loving couples. Only you have family unrest every other day. You've been married for years and haven't had any children. No matter how many concubines your fourth uncle has, no one can say anything if you're indignant?!"
Molan's face was covered with tears, and she screamed, "Dad...!"
"Your eldest sister is virtuous and kind, your eldest brother-in-law loves her dearly, the fifth daughter and her husband are also very harmonious, not to mention that Marquis Gu is extremely obedient to the sixth daughter. As children of the same father, why don't you compete with your sisters in terms of supporting your husband and raising your children? It's not polite to gossip about others all day long!"
After all, Sheng Hong had been in the officialdom for many years. If he really meant to, every word he wrote could be as sharp as a sword, every word as sharp as a knife, leaving his opponents helpless. "Your family is in such a mess, and you still have time to care about your mother's family? You're missing the point and pursuing trivial matters. You don't know what you're talking about!"
Molan had never thought that just asking a few questions would lead to such a severe scolding from her father. She was humiliated and ashamed beyond words, and her heart was filled with anger that felt like it was about to explode. She covered her face and ran out of the door crying. After taking a few steps, she thought of the embarrassment of being seen by the servants, so she had to hold back her tears, wiped away her tears, and walked away with her head down.
Because of this incident, she did not come to see Changbai off when he left three days later.
Chang Feng smiled awkwardly and said apologetically, "My sister said that there's something going on at home in the Liang Mansion, so she can't leave..."
Old Madam Sheng looked unhappy, Sheng Hong clapped his hands and sighed, not daring to look at his stepmother, but Changbai remained calm.
"Oh, it's okay. Fourth sister is having trouble, and who wouldn't understand?" Hua Lan turned and said, "Fifth sister really surprised me. I thought you couldn't come today. I heard that your husband is away on a mission far away. Why haven't you left yet?"
Rulan had been waiting for this question for a long time, and immediately supported the old lady lovingly, "Who said it wasn't? We should have left a few days ago, but my husband said that the old lady is leaving today. As the younger generation, we would rather hurry up on the road and leave a few days later, but we still have to see grandma off. This is filial piety."
Sheng Hong's face was very long, and he sighed with a smile: "My son-in-law is right."
Old Madam Sheng also laughed out loud and pinched Rulan's nose. "My son-in-law is a good son-in-law, but you, girl, are abominable! You dare leave before my son-in-law tells you?"
Rulan groaned and twisted her body to act coquettishly: "Grandma, you are so mean. You have to twist my good intentions!"
Everyone laughed.
Before she left, Mrs. Sheng saw Minglan standing there with a naive smile, and she felt uneasy. She took her granddaughter by the ear and hid aside, admonishing her, "Silly girl, grandma is leaving soon. You should listen more and observe more, be humble and self-reflective, and don't be so heartless that you don't even know you've been deceived!"
Minglan said happily, "I know, I know." Ask Aunt Kang, she doesn't know who is deceiving whom.
"What do you know?" The old lady was angry and pulled her ear. "I heard that recently because you can't eat crabs, your son-in-law forbids everyone in the mansion from eating crabs? But your widowed sister-in-law still has a niece. She is now devoted to observing her chastity and never goes out. You can't neglect her food. If anyone knows about this, you two will blame your husband and wife for treating your widowed sister-in-law harshly!"
Minglan covered her ears, silently cursing Madam Cui for being a gossip girl again. She whimpered, "How could my granddaughter be so unreasonable? I've already sent you several baskets of green-shell crabs, each one as big as your red sandalwood fish!"
"What a sin! You deserve a slap in the face, you little bastard! You're comparing meat and fish to Buddhist instruments. Aren't you afraid that the Buddha will strike you to death?"
Minglan originally wanted to say, "It is the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning who are responsible for striking people. The gods each have their own duties. Buddha does not care about this matter." However, her earlobe was pulled and it hurt, so she had to chant the Buddha's name to make amends.
Old Madam Sheng let go of her hand, heaved a long sigh and said, "People's words are scary. You must be careful in everything and don't let people talk about you." Then she went on to give instructions on a lot of daily matters. Minglan almost nodded like a woodpecker.
They parted, still talking non-stop. Changbai urged them three times before the women and children finally boarded the carriages, followed by the luggage and the accompanying people, more than a dozen carriages in total. Looking at the old lady's smiling face as she boarded the carriages, Minglan knew that her grandmother was delighted. After a lifetime of being trapped under the roof, she was now free and unfettered. How could she not be happy?
After watching his mother and eldest son leave, the Sheng Mansion suddenly felt half empty. Sheng Hong couldn't help but feel lonely again (last time it was Wang Shi). Chang Feng saw his father sighing and suggested that the brothers and sisters have a meal together. Hua Lan immediately responded, clapping her hands and laughing: "The sons-in-law have to work. As long as Daddy doesn't mind that we are maids, I will accompany Daddy for a few glasses of wine!"
Minglan smiled and said, "That's great. Although I can't drink, I'm willing to keep you company. My fifth brother-in-law will be leaving in a few days, and my fifth sister will be busy packing up and preparing for the next few days. I don't know when we'll be able to get together for a drink. Why not take advantage of today?"
Rulan hurriedly waved her hand and said, "You can drink, and even if you get drunk, I'll carry you back home. But please don't write poetry!"
Sheng Hong couldn't help but smile, stroking his beard and laughing: "Okay, okay."
Seeing this, Liu smiled and went down to make arrangements.
She first asked the maid to place a long table with a high phoenix head at the head of the side hall, with four small square tables on both sides, and then she took out several food boxes, soup bowls, and rice baskets. The flower patterns on each table were different. The table at the head had the largest table utensils, and the rest were smaller.
A housekeeper saw this and said with a smile, "Grandma, are you going to have a feast and set up the lily of the valley table?"
Liu smiled. She wasn't Changfeng, who was always happy and carefree. She thought that although they were fathers, brothers, sisters, and blood relatives, they still had to drink and toast at the table, so it was better to avoid it. Sure enough, after Sheng Hong arrived at the table, he saw the spacious hall, the children neatly arranged on both sides and below, and it was both grand and lively. He was very happy and praised Changfeng, "Your wife is a virtuous woman. You must not be naughty and mischievous."
This message was passed along by the attendant daughter-in-law. Liu Shi heard it in the room, but just smiled and told the maid to give the daughter-in-law who delivered the message a handful of copper coins. The wet nurse beside her was delighted and said, "Grandma, you've worked so hard all day and still haven't had a bite to eat."
Liu sat down on the kang wearily. "What can I do? If my husband had the ability of my elder brother and could arrange everything properly, I would also like to learn from my elder sister-in-law and be calm. Why would I worry about this?"
The wet nurse sighed, "My son-in-law is a good man, but he is a little bit naughty and doesn't know how difficult the family finances are."
Liu picked up the rice bowl on the kang table and scrambled the rice grains. "In a matter as serious as this, Big Brother is so powerful and influential that he's been able to control everyone from the old lady of the Wang family to our master, the elders. Just wait and see. From now on, all of Grandmother's silver, antiques, shops, and farms will belong to Big Brother's family for a hundred years."
The wet nurse scooped up some soup with a spoon and said hesitantly, "...Old lady, you wouldn't be so partial, would you?"
"If I were her, I'd be partial too," Liu said with a wry smile. "We're not related in the first place. At least my eldest brother raised me for a while, and he's the eldest son and grandson. And now he's so sincere and filial, so why can't he give me everything? There's also my wife's personal belongings, my eldest sister-in-law's dowry, and my eldest brother's room... No matter how much my parents give me, it's still nothing compared to what I get."
"Grandma, have some soup first. This is made with the best angelica and pigeon." The wet nurse handed the bowl of soup to Liu and couldn't help but say, "Alas, after all, she is a concubine's daughter, so she can't compare with the master. However, the master likes the son-in-law more."
Liu took a few sips and put it down. "That's all I can do. A penny can't kill a hero. I just hope Master will see that Big Brother is well-off and we're struggling, and give us more in the future... But, there's still Brother Dong."
The wet nurse had nothing to say to persuade him. After a while, she finally said, "I think the old man and the old lady are both kind-hearted. They won't treat my half-brother harshly in the future."
Liu chuckled softly, pausing her chopsticks in the bowl. "To be honest, none of the ladies in this family are mean or stingy...except for my own sister-in-law!" Then she sighed, "I'm not greedy either. I don't care about anything that's not mine. God has mercy on me, and, considering my marriage is not easy, he told my husband to study hard so that we can build our own family in the future."
The wet nurse also laughed: "Yes, yes, that's the truth. Didn't our master say before that those noble families that appear glorious on the surface are mostly filthy and complicated inside? Grandma suffered in vain and couldn't even complain. The Sheng family has a clean family tradition and simple rules. The children and grandchildren are mostly well-mannered and promising, so the daughter-in-law will have an easier time. But..."
Her expression suddenly darkened, and she whispered, "Son-in-law is not calculating, but you have to be on guard. I've noticed recently that Wan'er seems to be pregnant, and grandma only has one daughter now. Should we..."
Liu remained calm and said calmly, "I already know. There's no need for us to do anything... This time, let that restless bitch see if having more meat in her belly can make her reach the sky!"
Seeing that she had made plans, the wet nurse was relieved. Just as she was about to persuade her to eat a few more mouthfuls, a maid suddenly rushed in from outside the door, knelt down, and reported, "Madam...just now the doorman came to say that someone from Sixth Aunt's house has come and said...said that Sixth Uncle sent someone to tell her and the master quickly that Fourth Aunt's father-in-law, he, he...is gone..."
Rao Liu was clever, but she was also confused by the bunch of uncles and aunts. After thinking for a moment, she said, "But is it the relative of the Liang Mansion, the Marquis of Yongchang?"
The little maid was a little dumbfounded. After a moment of distraction, she quickly nodded.
Liu was stunned and murmured, "This time, Fourth Sister is really in trouble at home..."
【Author has something to say】
Note 1: Everyone must have seen a food-sharing banquet, which is similar to the time when Granny Liu visited the Grand View Garden in Dream of the Red Chamber. Grandmother Jia sat at the top, and a group of girls sat in two rows, each with a small square table. On the table were delicate and small tableware such as food boxes. Because it looked like a lily of the valley when viewed from above, it was also called the lily of the valley table.
Note 2: There are many ways to arrange tables at ancient banquets. There is even a pear blossom banquet, which is also very exciting. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a detailed description.
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