With the two places arranged like this, Shi Qiang took the physical education classes of the Tu brothers in the outer courtyard every day, while Xiao Tao continued to enjoy the good life in the inner courtyard. The girls in Jiaxiju received a lot of filial piety, and thinking that Xiao Tao was kind in daily life and might have great fortune in the future, the previous teasing and jokes gradually disappeared, and they began to speak more well of Shi Xiaodi.
After enjoying the honey ham twice in a row, Xiao Tao's slow heart was finally moved. She decided to express her gratitude. Because she was illiterate, she made two sturdy purses and sent them over.
One continued to give gifts, the other continued to thank, and the trend gradually turned to purely verbal thanks. After a while, the two went from saying less than five words when they met to gradually talking about their ideals in life, the stars and the moon, and the fish they had killed together over the years.
Without needing to resort to gossip, Xiaotao told Minglan a candid account of each encounter. Shi Qiang had traveled extensively with his brother and sister-in-law since childhood, and possessed considerable experience. His discussions of local customs and interesting anecdotes, though often clumsy, were rich in content, earning Xiaotao's admiration. She had only one way to express her admiration for someone: unbridled praise.
Therefore, while Minglan was pleased that they were polite and self-respecting and did not overstep the line, she couldn't help feeling jealous - after all, for the past ten years, Xiaotao had only praised her, saying "you are so smart, so knowledgeable, and so amazing"!
Minglan suddenly had the urge to pick a fight with Brother Shi.
That morning, she took out some inventory books and discussed with Cuiwei. This winter, the family had earned a lot of furs and skins. There were a few people in the family, not to mention the adults, but even the two growing girls had two purple lambskin coats and a big fur hood each. During the New Year, they gave a lot to several relatives, and there was still a lot left.
Seeing that spring was approaching, Minglan was afraid that the accumulated goods would go bad, so she discussed how to store them properly. She built ten large camphorwood boxes and cabinets that were half a person's height, preparing to dry the leather and fur goods in the cool sun before storing them according to the books.
They were busy for half a day until lunch time. Looking at the thick camphorwood box that required two people to carry, Minglan couldn't help but be a little surprised. She wondered why those old ladies and nobles who had lived for a long time had so much money and gave things to the younger generation every few days. If this continued, by the time she got old, she would have accumulated a lot of treasures.
Cuiwei saw Minglan frowning slightly, suggesting she was thinking wrongly, so she smiled and advised, "Madam, don't worry about spoiling these. There are only a few people in our family now. When you give birth to a few more boys and girls, the yard will be full of children. When they all grow up, I'm afraid there won't be enough clothes."
Minglan smiled and told her to go about her business without making any argument. She lay down on the warm kang for a nap. After waking up and washing up, she asked the wet nurse to bring the fat boy over to teach him to speak.
Tuan Ge'er was wearing a short, scarlet velvet jacket with argentémé, embroidered with a pattern of wealth and longevity in gold thread, and a pair of round-toed tiger-head shoes. He was led into the room by his wet nurse. There were still traces of sleep marks on his rosy, white cheeks. When he saw Minglan, he let go of his wet nurse's hand, stumbled over, and without waiting for anyone to hold him, he climbed onto the kang with his hands and feet.
The wet nurse smiled widely: "Big brother is walking more and more steadily. If he had not just woken up today, he would never ask for help when walking." Ever since Minglan became pregnant, she has been very obedient and called Tuan'er "Big Brother".
Minglan said, "I am in poor health now, so I need you to take care of me. When Tuan'er grows up, he will definitely not forget to honor you."
The wet nurse fell to her knees and said repeatedly: "It is my blessing to serve Madam and my elder brother. With such a large family background, I want to serve my elder brother to the utmost, so how can I ask for credit?" Since Tuan'er was weaned, one of the two wet nurses sent by Mrs. Sheng had been released. She was careful and patient every day to take care of the child, and finally won the satisfaction of Mrs. Gu, so she was able to stay in the Marquis's mansion.
Minglan smiled and told her to go downstairs to have some snacks and rest, while she taught Tuan Ge'er the talking game.
Tuan Ge'er has been strong since he was a child, eating and sleeping well, and walking with strength, but his speech is crooked.
Minglan pointed at Shao and asked him to call her "Auntie", and the little fat boy called her "Lame Sheep"; she pointed at Hualan and asked him to call her "Auntie", but he called her "Clothes"; Rongxian and the others taught him "Sister" for a long time, but he could only say "Borrow money".
—You are the one who borrows money! Your whole family borrows money!
After being angry for a long time, she realized that she had also been fooled. Minglan was determined to correct the little fat boy's pronunciation today. After teasing him on the kang for a while, she asked Xiaotao to move a short stool, asked Tuan Ge'er to sit properly, and started teaching.
She pointed to the round table beside her and said in a clear voice, "Table."
The little fat boy said in a baby voice: "...pig."
Minglan suppressed the veins on her forehead and stretched out her voice, "Let's talk about—home."
The little fat boy was very obedient and naive: "——Blind——"
Minglan was furious, "Idiot!"
The little fat boy chuckled and pronounced it with great skill: "Shit—egg."
Minglan couldn't help but feel furious. She wondered if the boy was playing a prank, then blamed Gu Tingye's genes for being strong. Mother Cui came in with a stew pot. Seeing the mother and son staring at each other, she said with a smile, "Madam, why are you so anxious? As long as he can talk, there's nothing to be afraid of. Besides, as the old people say, children who talk later will become more effective when they grow up."
Minglan was suspicious, but she obediently held up the spoon in her hand and started eating. Mother Cui lovingly picked up the little fat boy and fed him the egg custard spoonful by spoonful. Seeing that his mother was eating happily, the little fat boy opened his mouth obediently without struggling.
The mother and son had just finished eating and rinsing their mouths when someone came to report that Xiao Shen was coming to visit.
Minglan hurriedly got off the kang and put on her shoes. She lifted the pearl hairpin that was about to fall from her bun and asked Xia He to tidy up her clothes. She looked at herself in the mirror before going to the outer room to greet them. Not long after, Xiao Shen came in with a little maid and a woman-in-law, smiling.
Minglan muttered "rare guest" in her mouth, holding her bulging belly with one hand, and pulling little Shen to sit in the corner with the other hand, "I thought you would never come out in your life! People outside say that after you became a mother, you suddenly became virtuous and never left the house." As she spoke, she looked at her and saw that her face looked pale, but her complexion was still good. She was not as plump as she was after giving birth, but was thinner than before.
Little Shen was embarrassed and sighed, "I've always been fearless, but now I realize I'm a loser. These past few months, I've had to take care of my daughter, and secondly... well, to be honest, I'm afraid of all the questions people ask. My sister-in-law keeps telling me to be more open-minded, and I think it's okay for others not to see each other, but you and I are so close, so we shouldn't break up too."
Because of the problems she suffered during childbirth, she suffered a lot and had to stay in confinement for the entire two months. In the following months, she only went out once, and that was to go to the temple to burn incense and fulfill a vow. She no longer had the lively energy of wandering around and gossiping and joking.
Minglan sighed inwardly, but smiled as she looked at the swaddling baby in the woman's arms. She saw the tiny, delicate baby girl, with beautiful eyebrows and large eyes, a spitting image of little Shen-shi, though a little weaker, her cries as feeble as a kitten's. Meanwhile, Lvzhi had already brought over a plate, on which, pressed with red silk, were a pair of child-sized gold lockets.
"I have prepared it for your girl a long time ago. I thought if you were determined to be a coward, you could come and kill me after I give birth." Minglan smiled and asked Luzhi to hand it to the old woman.
"Bah, you are the turtle." Little Shen said with a smile, picked up the small gold bracelet and small gold anklet to look at them, and saw that the gold lock piece was very delicate. The whole body was shaped like a half-opened hibiscus bud, which was lifelike. A big round word "Fu" was engraved on the front, and four small words "Peace and Longevity" were engraved on the back. Several tiny lotus seed pendants hung under the lock piece.
"What a novel design! I've never seen it before." Little Shen stroked it and liked it.
Minglan smiled and said, "I thought your family had many elders, so you must have quite a few auspicious cloud lockets. So I drew a pattern myself and had it made by a goldsmith. You don't have to wear them properly, just use them for fun."
Little Shen knew that the gifts Minglan had prepared earlier were not these. She must have known that it would be difficult for her to have children in the future, so she made these beautiful things specifically to make her happy. She was grateful and choked up, saying, "My dear sister, thank you for thinking of me. I, I..."
Minglan was afraid that she would cry, so she quickly asked Mother Cui to bring Tuan Ge'er out from the inner room, pointed at Xiao Shen and asked him to call her "Auntie". The little fat boy shouted "Rope" loudly. Fortunately, the pronunciation was similar, so no one noticed.
Seeing Tuan Ge'er's plump, white, and round face, Little Shen was overjoyed. She held him in her arms and refused to let go, kissing him repeatedly. "I haven't seen you for six months. I didn't expect you to have grown so big." She remembered Tuan Ge'er's birthday and added, "I didn't bring anything nice today. When you turn two, I'll make sure to prepare something nice for you."
After a while of affectionate banter, Little Shen dismissed the maids and servants. Minglan also asked Mother Cui to take Tuan'er away, but left the baby girl to sleep on the warm kang. Little Shen didn't want her daughter to leave her sight, so she took off her shoes and got on the kang with Minglan. She patted her daughter and coaxed her, saying jokingly, "I heard that my sister-in-law recently earned a pair of matchmaker shoes from your Sheng family."
Minglan was stunned for a moment before realizing that the 'sister-in-law' Xiao Shen was referring to was not Madam Zheng, but Zhang. She felt a little surprised, but still smiled and said, "My grandmother wrote back a month ago, saying that the matchmaking was excellent and that no one would refuse. The other day, my third sister-in-law from my mother's family went to propose marriage, saying that we'd get engaged first and the wedding would take place in two years."
Little Shen tutted her words and laughed, "Your old lady is quite forthright and generous. I heard she asked me to bring back a pair of jade bracelets as a betrothal gift. My sister-in-law said that even she rarely sees jade of such fine quality. The crystal clearness, the water content, the emerald color—tut, tut, it doesn't look like something from the Central Plains. It's truly a rare treasure."
Minglan knew that her grandmother was worried that Changdong's betrothal gift was too little, and that he was born out of wedlock, unlike Changbai and Changfeng, one of whom had the Wang family's dowry, and the other had the Lin family's wealth; she was afraid that if there were no valuables in the betrothal gift, her in-laws would look down on her.
She explained with a smile, "That was my grandmother's dowry. I heard it was originally a treasure from the palace of King Xiao. It was captured by the old man of the Xu family during his expedition to southern Yunnan. Later, Emperor Wu awarded it to the Marquis of Yongyi. Alas, the Yunnan border is now sealed off, so there's no such good stuff on the market."
"So there's such a story behind it." Little Shen was listening intently and clapped her hands on her thighs. "You don't know, my uncle Shen and aunt were speechless when they saw it. My sister-in-law said that the old couple are now discussing adding more dowry."
As the new rich of the Shen family, they have no shortage of money and land, but what they lack is this kind of treasure with a history and background.
"Don't worry, don't worry. My grandmother can't come back to Beijing in the past few years, so she gave some gifts to my grandson's wife. Don't make it seem like my family is asking for a dowry. You can go back and tell them that a moderate dowry is enough." Minglan was afraid of any unpleasantness in the future, so she waved her hand quickly.
Little Shen was originally asked to come and inquire about something. After hearing what Minglan said, she felt relieved and smiled as she started talking about the interesting story of the Shen family preparing the dowry.
Minglan listened for a long time, hearing her keep saying "my sister-in-law said this and that", and finally couldn't help but ask tentatively: "You... and your sister-in-law, that... is done?"
Little Shen smiled bitterly and shook her head, saying, "Thinking back, there was clearly no grudge between us. Why bother? Alas, she had it tough, too." She sighed and whispered, "Now that I've suffered, I know what's right and wrong."
Minglan touched her bulging belly, feeling sorry for her. "...What did your sister-in-law say?"
Little Shen looked lovingly at her sleeping daughter, her tone bitter. "My sister-in-law advised me not to be afraid. We are a family with rules. Even if a concubine gave birth to a son, it wouldn't be my fault." As she spoke, a tear fell. She quickly wiped it away and forced a smile, saying, "I'm making fun of you. I'm not the kind of person who gets jealous. When would I stop my husband from having someone in his room?"
She sniffed, raised her head and puffed out her chest, saying, "My sister is the current empress, and my brother is a general in charge of the army. Which seductive woman dares to stand up to me?! I'm just afraid..." Her nose felt sore, and she choked up, "When I'm gone, what will happen to this child without his brothers from her mother's family to support him? Although my eldest sister-in-law's nephews are good, they are cousins after all."
A loving mother's heart is like this. When the empress and the emperor's uncle pass away, those cousins will all start their own families and careers. How many of them will be able to take care of them? Minglan put herself in her shoes and sighed. She didn't know how to persuade her, so she could only sit quietly with her.
After a while, Xiao Shen wiped away her tears and said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry to make you laugh at me. I like to let my thoughts run wild all day long. Actually, there's no need to worry. Not to mention that my husband is far away in Longxi to deliver grain and grass, and... Alas, my father-in-law is really not well, and my mother-in-law is also sick. My sister-in-law is busy around the clock, serving her parents-in-law and taking care of the whole family. How can I just think about myself? I should also help out." Once the father dies, a military general may be able to take away the love, but he can forget about taking a concubine and having children.
Minglan had long known that General Zheng was seriously ill, so she wasn't surprised. She earnestly advised, "Since that's the case, you should take even better care of yourself. There will always be a way out. Maybe that boy will be a man of conscience, filial to his mother and loving to his sister. Or maybe your girl will be blessed with good fortune, like you, and stumble into a family as rich as a honey pot, with a loving husband and kind mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, so why worry so much already?"
Little Shen burst into laughter and said, "If that's the case, I'll kowtow every day and go up the mountain to the Fahua Temple. I'm willing to do that." After laughing for a while, she suddenly thought of something. She looked at Minglan's face and hesitated, "There's something... I don't know if I should tell you."
Minglan rolled her eyes and said angrily, "Nonsense! You always say whatever you want to say, whether you should or not."
Little Shen pondered for a moment and slowly said, "You know, our Zheng family, the Marquis of Zhongjing Mansion, is related to the Han family. A few days ago, the old marquis and his wife came to visit my father-in-law, and several cousins also came. The Crown Prince's wife whispered to my sister-in-law for a long time. Afterwards, my sister-in-law told me..." She looked hesitant, "She said that the Grand Princess Qingchang is going to ask for a second wife for her third master."
Minglan was stunned for a moment, "Ask for a second wife? You mean Xiaoxing?" To take a concubine in her son's room, does the princess need to step in?
"It's not just an ordinary concubine, with a letter and paperwork." Little Shen shook her head. "I heard that girl is actually the daughter of a teacher. Somehow, she caught the princess' eye and she asked her to be her son's concubine."
Minglan was so shocked she was speechless. For her mother-in-law to come forward and marry the second wife in such a grand manner was like a slap in the face. She couldn't help but wonder, "...Isn't Tingcan liked by her husband?"
Little Shen shook her head and lowered her voice, "I heard that your sister-in-law has a bad temper. If she's not careful, she'll show her displeasure to her husband. If your son-in-law says a word to the concubine, she'll be sick for days, crying like a sickly Xi Shi, and even kicking your husband out of the house. At first, your son-in-law tried to comfort her, but after all, he's a man who wants to study and make progress. How can he accompany his wife every day to recite poems and serve her like a servant..."
Minglan listened and smiled bitterly to herself - if you want to emulate Da Qin, you'll need that foolish Gu Yan to support you.
Princess Qingchang endured it for two years, but she couldn't stand it anymore. She didn't want a faceless maid to give birth to a grandson, so she married the daughter of a scholar as her second wife.
"Between you and your wife..." Little Shen couldn't think of the right words, "Well... things aren't going well. My sister-in-law asked me to come and tell you something so you can understand what's going on."
Ever since the fire that broke out on the day Minglan gave birth to Tuan'er, all sorts of vague rumors had been circulating in the capital. People also saw that after the separation of the family, the two branches had almost no contact with each other, so they all had concerns about visiting relatives and friends.
After sending Xiao Shen away, Minglan frowned and thought for a moment, and soon came to a conclusion in her mind. Then she calmed down and supported Xia He and slowly walked to the inner room, only to see Tuan Ge'er lying in a big letter shape and fast asleep.
When Mother Cui saw Minglan come in, she stood up and helped her sit down. She heard her mutter something like, "Sister Shen is so kind. It's a pity that she came to report me..."
Mother Cui asked Xia He to bring hot tea, squatted down to take off Minglan's shoes, and then took off her outer clothes, so that the mother and son were leaning head to head. A rare playful smile appeared on her serious face, "The two ladies of the Zheng family treat you so well, madam. Can't you see the intention behind it?" She had been in the next room just now and heard most of their conversation.
Minglan turned around and asked in surprise, "Intention? What else could it be?"
Mother Cui sat beside Minglan's couch, lovingly brushing her hair away from her face. "My girl, you've been so smart your whole life, yet you didn't hear that. Madam Zheng keeps talking about how much she loves her daughter and how she's worried she'll be left alone in the future... After all, it's not easy. Just find her an honest and kind family who knows her well. I think Madam Zheng probably knows this, too."
As he spoke, he cast his gaze on Minglan, and then on Tuan Ge'er lying on the kang, with a smile on his face.
Minglan opened her mouth wide, looked down at the sleeping little fat boy, and looked up and said, "...No way...?" Although she thought so, the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and she couldn't help feeling a chill in her heart.
"Brother Tuan will inherit the title in the future, so his wife... must be capable." It's not that she dislikes Xiao Shen's daughter, but... she can't say for sure. If it is Madam Zheng's daughter, she will nod immediately.
Huh? Why is her thinking becoming more and more like Baoyu's mother?
Seeing Minglan's gloomy face, Madam Cui secretly laughed. "It doesn't necessarily mean it's Brother Tuan. I don't think Madam Zheng would want her daughter to be the eldest son's legitimate daughter-in-law. Didn't she just ask about Madam's pregnancy and due date?"
Minglan clutched her belly reflexively, feeling uncertain and confused. "...Even if this baby is a boy, he's still smaller than her girl."
Mother Cui smiled and said, "A difference of half a year or a year is no big deal; being a younger daughter-in-law is easier than being an older one."
Minglan was stunned.
She never dreamed that she would have to start considering candidates for a daughter-in-law when her eldest son was less than two years old and her second son had not yet been born.
Mother Cui chuckled, patted Minglan, and soothed her, "Madam, don't worry. I don't think Mrs. Zheng necessarily wants to marry you. No one knows what my son will be like when he grows up, what his character will be like, and whether he will have any future. As a mother, we have to wait and see."
Minglan seemed to be in a dream and it took her a long time to recover. "...So, she and the wife of the Marquis of Weibei have suddenly reconciled. It's not just because she figured it out, I'm afraid there's also this intention behind it."
Zhang's son is half a year older than Xiao Shen's daughter. Not only is he more suitable in age, but he is also a cousin. Zhang is a person of integrity and will not make things difficult for her daughter-in-law.
Mother Cui laughed out loud: "Madam is so smart!"
Hearing these words, Minglan was suddenly filled with sadness.
By the way, Xiaotao hasn't heard any compliments for a long time since she started dating - is that why she has become stupid?
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