Chapter 109 Only through comparison can one realize the extent of their suffering: Over the years, the original owner's old boudoir has gradually become a shared space for Shen Wanqing and Yu Lang...
Over the years, the original owner's old boudoir has gradually transformed into a style that is a fusion of the styles of Shen Wanqing and Yu Lang.
When Yulang woke up in the morning, he felt no discomfort at all. He lazily turned over, raised his hand to lift a corner of the curtain to look out, and saw that it was still dark and not fully lit outside the window, so he withdrew his hand and turned back to his side.
Beside him was Shen Wanqing's soft, steady breathing. Shen Wanqing looked much more obedient when she was asleep than when she was awake.
She originally had delicate and elegant features, but when she was awake, her eyes were filled with a bright and flamboyant spirit, as well as an increasingly undisguised ambition and vision, which made everyone who met her think that Grandma Shen was a formidable person.
Having carried a knife and gun for many years, Yu Lang's fingers and palms were inevitably calloused. Holding his breath, he raised his hand and used his fingertips to touch her long, curled eyelashes. His hand was even more steady than when he was holding a long knife, just so as not to wake her up.
Little did anyone know that Yi'an, who was sleeping on the innermost side of the bed, had already woken up sometime earlier. With his big, dark eyes wide open, he was munching on his chubby toes, looking like a little ball of flesh.
The child didn't cry or fuss until he saw his father's movements. Only then did he let go of his wet, chewed feet, clapped his hands, and laughed, wanting a hug.
Yu Lang leaned over to take his son out, but Shen Wanqing, with her eyes closed, hooked her arm around his waist.
"Don't move, let him do what he wants. If you ignore him, everything will be fine."
Did I wake you up?
"They're both awake on either side, how big of a heart do I have to be to stay awake?"
Shen Wanqing kept her eyes closed, not wanting to open them. A smile appeared on her lips, and she tightened her arms, pressing Yu Lang down to lie back down. Then, she rolled over and rolled into Yu Lang's arms, continuing to cling to him like a koala.
"It's still early. I'll go over after my mom has prepared breakfast."
"We came so suddenly last night, will your parents ask about it this morning?"
"No, we're all grown up, everyone has their own things to do. I didn't come back crying and wailing, and I brought you, my good son-in-law, with me, so they won't ask."
As they were talking, Yi'an noticed that his parents were still ignoring him, so he waved his little hands even more vigorously, making "ah ah" noises as he rolled over and climbed up like a little bear with his bottom sticking out. He took a couple of steps on the bed and then fell onto Shen Wanqing with a thud.
Yu Lang then scooped his son up and tucked him under his arm to keep him from moving. Yi An thought his father was playing with him, and he struggled to get out of the room, laughing all the while. The wet nurse and Qiu Wen Ning Xiang outside heard the commotion and came in.
Now that everyone was inside, there was no more time to sleep. Yu Lang carried his son to the wet nurse to go next door to wash up and change clothes. Then he turned around and carried Shen Wanqing, who was still holding the blanket and hadn't moved, down with the thin blanket.
Shen Wanqing was simply reluctant to get out of bed, but after being startled by him, she quickly struggled and jumped off his arms.
"Please don't let me fall, sir."
"How does Grandma swear? You try it, you try it again!"
Last year, Yulang went to war with the army and carried the burden all the way, but he knew in his heart how big the gap was between himself and Akdun and the others.
This year, he not only put in a lot of effort in managing the banner affairs, but also improved his martial arts and horsemanship skills considerably. Last month, the Crown Prince received an imperial decree to go out of the capital to inspect the river works. This time, he was really going to check the river embankment, and he took Yulang with him when he left.
On the way back, they encountered several wandering knights. The Crown Prince's current situation was much better than the history Shen Wanqing knew. Since his situation was not so difficult, he naturally had the leisure to enjoy himself. Seeing that the knights were quite dashing, he took the initiative to suggest that his guards go forward and have a match with them.
The term "wandering knight" actually has another interpretation: the guards of wealthy and official families, the temporary bodyguards of escort agencies, and even caravans and ship convoys could hire wandering knights to provide cover if they felt the journey was unsafe.
Yinreng was determined to compete, so Yulang took out a few silver ingots from his purse and handed them over. The wandering knights happily accepted them, willing to play with the Crown Prince, who, even though he was traveling incognito, still looked like the foolish son of a wealthy landowner.
Most of these people were self-taught. The guards around Yinreng might be very good at martial arts and archery, but they were all selected from aristocratic families by the Upper Three Banners, and most of the guards around Yinreng had never been on the battlefield.
Facing two wandering swordsmen who truly risked their lives and made a living through fighting, they didn't fare well. In the end, it was Yu Lang who drew his sword and stepped forward, taking down three more swordsmen to regain the upper hand.
Afterwards, Yinreng and Yulang remarked that there were truly great people among the common folk. When they got home, Yulang told Shen Wanqing the same story. Shen Wanqing listened to the story without showing any emotion at the time, but later she secretly thought to herself that Emperor Kangxi was truly a perfect ruler in every way.
His personal guards were all taken to various battlefields for training, but the guards around Crown Prince Yinreng only had martial arts skills and had not developed a heart for killing. There was one Yulang who was hard to find, but he had already been transferred away from Yuqing Palace.
He's so wary of his son, the Crown Prince. I wonder what he'll have left to be so suspicious about in the later stages of his life. Even if Yinreng had three heads and six arms, he still couldn't outmaneuver his father.
However, we can't worry about how wary the father and son are of each other right now. Yu Lang has already stepped down from the limelight. Although he hasn't completely retreated, he has steadily improved his skills step by step.
This is a good thing for both Shen Wanqing and the Crown Prince, only the benefits are used in different ways. Shen Wanqing raised her hand and pushed his strong, muscular chest twice, barely managing to push him back a small step.
Shen Wanqing knew how thick-skinned this man was, and she also knew that the two of them hadn't had their fill of fun last night because Yi An was still in the room, so she was determined not to pay him any attention now. If she gave him even the slightest opening, he would pester her endlessly.
Yu Lang wasn't angry when he was pushed away. He turned around, went out, and brought his son, who had already changed his clothes next door, back to the house.
She took the hot towel handed to her by the maid, first wiped her son's face and hands, then held him on her lap and bent down to clean the little brat's drool-covered, sour and smelly toes.
His movements weren't particularly skillful, but Shen Wanqing never stopped him as long as he was willing to do it. He was the father, and the more effort he put into raising the child now, the more genuine love the child would repay him in the future.
Just as the family finished getting ready, Xu's maid came over to invite them to breakfast in the main courtyard.
The Shen family also had a custom of getting up early to pay their respects, and not only did they pay their respects, but the two branches of the family also ate breakfast together in the main courtyard.
The main house of the Shen family was where Shen Wanqing's grandfather, Shen Tieshan, lived alone. He would be turning seventy in two years. Her grandmother had passed away several years ago, and Shen Wanqing had a very faint memory of the old lady of the Shen family in the original owner's memories, so she naturally had even less affection for her.
However, being a widower didn't affect Shen Tieshan much. Shen Tieshan was a very talkative old man, a military officer from Liaodong.
He served as a banner commander in the Han army and also as a physician in the Imperial Workshop. Throughout his life, he not only honed his skills but was also known for his shrewdness and tact. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to raise a son like Shen Hongshi who would inherit his mantle.
The rule he set for his family was that they had to eat breakfast together every morning, and there was no rule about not talking while eating.
In his view, a family should be able to talk freely when they eat together. If they don't talk about it today, they won't talk about it tomorrow. In the long run, they are just roommates living under the same roof, not family.
Yu Lang was not used to it at first, but now he is even more attentive than Shen Wanqing. When they arrived at the main courtyard, he took the initiative to sit next to Shen Tieshan.
"It's rare for your fifth son-in-law to come back. These are fresh milk buns and fresh meat wontons specially made for you by the kitchen. Try them and see if they taste better than what you eat at home."
“Sister-in-law, I dare not say this. If I do, Jiyun will tell Ningxiang. I can tell the difference between a single meal of fragrance and every meal of fragrance.”
Ningxiang's mother worked in the Shen family's kitchen, and she learned all her skills from her mother. Now that Qin Shi was asking this question across the table, Yulang must have been stupid to step into this trap.
The maids around Shen Wanqing are all very bold. They wouldn't dare to do anything too outrageous. If Ningxiang really does something like that, she'll cook fewer wontons for herself tomorrow.
Yu Lang's words made all the men at the table laugh. Shen Tieshan, in particular, found his grandson-in-law very pleasing to the eye. He then spoke to Yu Lang in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, saying that if he ever got upset by Xiao Wu'er at home, he should come back and tell him, and he would definitely have a way to deal with Xiao Wu'er.
Shen Wanqing, who had gone from being Grandma Shen to Little Fifth, pretended not to hear it. The old man was incredibly shrewd, and Shen Wanqing was somewhat afraid of him.
Even though she had been in this world for several years, she was still afraid that Shen Tieshan would see through her.
After all, Xu had told her a couple of years ago that Shen Tieshan, after getting drunk, remarked to Shen Hongshi that the family had been getting better day by day ever since they married off Xiao Wu'er.
Xiao Wu'er was the same. Before getting married, she was quiet and unassuming at home. Who would have thought that after getting married, she would be so decisive and charismatic in handling affairs? She was like a completely different person.
The words were just drunken ramblings, but they sent a chill down Shen Wanqing's spine. Seeing Yu Lang deliberately looking up at her table, she simply picked up Yi An, who was sitting next to her, and put him on the ground, coaxing him to go find his father.
"Go, can you come eat with Father?"
"Um."
Yi'an can understand some things now. For example, he knows that his mother doesn't have time to pay attention to him and he has to cling to his father's leg to get a full meal.
Her chubby little hands stretched out towards Yu Lang, with a section of her arm, like a lotus root, peeking out from her sleeve. It was short and white, and seemed to have a milky fragrance about it.
The little one, with his short legs, wobbled around unsteadily. He stumbled as he walked up to Yulang, but his father caught him and picked him up. The attention of all the uncles, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers at the table was drawn to the little one, and Shen Wanqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Halfway through breakfast, the sunlight streamed fully into the room. Shen Wanqing was discussing with her sister-in-law Qin and cousin-in-law Zhou when to return for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Next door, Yulang was talking to Shen Wenyuan about the military command and the transport of grain to the capital via the Grand Canal.
Shen Wanqing's older brother finally passed the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy. He had to be on duty early, so he hurriedly ate breakfast, bowed to Yulang, and went to work first.
The house was bustling with activity, and outside, the soft footsteps of servants and maids could be heard, along with their hushed conversations. It was an ordinary morning, yet it made Yu Lang feel that most of the unease he had been feeling cooped up at home for the past few days had dissipated.
The Shen family is different from the Hesheli family. This is something Yu Lang discovered the first time he returned with Shen Wanqing.
Everyone says that the Hesheli family is a distinguished and long-established family, as well as the maternal family of the Yuan Empress, and is a truly large and powerful family. But in reality, whether it is the east or west courtyard or the main courtyard, everyone is very proper and orderly in the morning, without any of the warmth and excitement of a large family.
Shen Wanqing once thought that she was independent enough. After work, she would like to find a good restaurant to eat alone in peace and quiet, and then either go home to watch TV series, go out with friends for a drink, or go to the gym to run for an hour.
In short, Shen Wanqing always felt that she could live a good life on her own and did not need to draw energy and emotions from others.
But after arriving at the Hesheli family, I discovered that this is what it means for truly wealthy families to be so cold and distant.
Whether it was the conflict with the West Courtyard when she first entered the family, or the marriage arrangement with Fu Xuan later, or Niohuru Shi's stupidity and lack of any threat as she jumped around and then quickly retreated, or Zhen Xuan's overly worldly worship of the strong and disdain for the weak, all of these gave Shen Wanqing the feeling that 'their emotions are very indifferent'.
They were happy when good things happened, and sad and painful when bad things happened. When Fuxuan couldn't find a good family, Tongjia was anxious. When Heyi had to leave the capital to take up his post, the mother and son hugged each other and cried, reluctant to part.
But these emotions seem to be expressed only briefly; they never have the idea that they would risk everything for something.
The only person in that family that Shen Wanqing truly admired was Shumulu.
Back then, she gritted her teeth and had an abortion just to stay in the capital. From then on, she kept her word and only took care of the affairs of the West Courtyard, devoting all her energy to her two sons, Tu Nan and Hui Zhong.
While in office, He Yi wanted to arrange a marriage for Tu Nan in Fuzhou, but Shumulu refused. "You're in office for who knows how many years it will be before you return to the capital. Now you're throwing your son into this mess by marrying a woman from the southwest coast, a million miles away from the capital. Don't even think about it."
Regardless of whether Shumulu's thinking was limited or whether it was wrong for her to look down on the other party for not being a Manchu family, at least she was determined not to budge an inch once she made up her mind.
For more than half a year, Shumulu and He Yi exchanged insults through letters across a thousand miles. The more Shumulu insulted He Yi, the less confident he became, while Shumulu became more and more adept at it. In the end, Shumulu had no choice but to compromise and allow Shumulu to arrange a marriage between Tu Nan and He Yi in the capital.
It's not that such families are good or bad, but they can easily make people feel like they don't belong. If you're going to live in one all the time, then so be it; you can endure life whether it's good or bad.
Unfortunately, Yu Lang also had Shen Wanqing and had seen how the Shen family lived, which made the Hesheli family seem even colder and more unapproachable.
Shen Wanqing could naturally tell that Yu Lang disliked them. But disliking them was one thing, and the fact that they were Yu Lang's blood relatives was another.
Moreover, even in later generations, the so-called severing of ties is mostly just angry words spoken in a fit of rage. How many people can truly sever all ties completely? Let alone in this world where filial piety is of utmost importance.
So all Shen Wanqing could do was take him out to relax. Otherwise, spending all day with that family would definitely not put her in a good mood.
However, what's yours is yours, and you can't escape it no matter what.
Just after breakfast, Yulang picked up Yi'an and said he would take him to Shen Wenyuan's training ground to watch his uncle practice shooting. Then, the gatekeeper of the Hesheli family came to their door, saying that the old lady was sick and they should go back quickly.
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I'm working overtime today, just for a short while.
I'll try to update twice after I finish working overtime. [Let me see...]
Weekend red envelopes will be given away in the comments section of this chapter! [Orange Heart]
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