Chapter 3 The Sloppy Puppy: "Sitting on wealth" sounds nice, but frankly, it means only the bride gets to do all the work. To put it nicely, it's called letting the new bride...
"Sitting on wealth" sounds nice, but frankly, it means letting the bride have all the power and influence. To put it nicely, it's about letting the bride keep the wealth; to put it bluntly, it's about giving the bride a hard time and making her behave properly after she enters the family.
But for someone like Shen Wanqing, this was utterly pointless and unnecessary. If she were truly honest, she would remain obedient even if she were to face a mountain of knives and a sea of fire. And if she were dishonest, even if she were given a fortune, she would still remain dishonest.
Shen Wanqing knew she wasn't an honest person, so once the room was empty and there was no noise outside, she immediately jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed) and carefully examined her new room, which was now exclusively hers.
The room wasn't small, but it was divided into an inner and outer section by a gauze curtain. The outer section was larger, with a kang (a heated brick bed) against the south wall by the window, where daily life took place. The inner section was smaller, containing only a large red and gold satin curtain surrounding an old mahogany canopy bed, and a dressing table and round stool that were even smaller than those in the outer section.
The canopy was embroidered with endless gourd vines, the quilts were made of bright red satin, the pillows were adorned with mandarin ducks, and even the paper-cut window decorations featured dragons and phoenixes symbolizing good fortune. The entire room resembled a scene from a high-budget television drama, exuding exquisite detail and realism.
This made Shen Wanqing, who had been somewhat detached, feel her heart sink. A voice in her mind told her that she probably really couldn't go back.
Even though she was in a terrible mood, Shen Wanqing still secretly reached out and touched the glass pane in the window when she sat back down on the kang (a heated brick bed). Shen Wanqing knew that glass existed in the Qing Dynasty, but she didn't expect that the Hesheli family had one.
However, it wasn't a single piece. Only the large central pane, made up of four small sections, was made of glass; the rest of the window was covered with Korean paper.
But that's good enough. When people arrive in an unfamiliar environment, they instinctively try to find things they are familiar with: familiar dialects, similar tastes, or even a small piece of glass that looks a bit cloudy.
The bride must sit cross-legged all night until dawn. Shen Wanqing didn't know that every bride was so obedient and compliant, sitting upright until dawn, but she herself would absolutely never be so well-behaved.
The phoenix crown dared not be removed, for once it was removed, it could not be put back on. The outer robe could be taken off, and there was a clothes rack in the room, which looked much more exquisite than the clothes racks of later generations.
Shen Wanqing quietly took off her clothes and hung them up. She then pulled out two pillows and placed them behind her back. She originally planned to get through the night by going through the mess of memories in her mind. However, the girl in her memories was not even five years old yet, and Shen Wanqing fell asleep sitting up.
She couldn't sleep well at home, but now she was sleeping soundly while sitting up. When she woke up again, Shen Wanqing was gently woken up by someone whispering in her ear.
"Girl, girl, wake up! Why did you take off your wedding dress? Wake up!"
"Don't rush, the wedding dress is hanging there, I'll put it on right away."
The one who came was Chunxian, the original owner's head maid, who had followed the original owner since childhood.
How did Shen Wanqing fall asleep? She first rummaged through her memories of her closest relatives and servants. As she thought about them, she wanted to see how the original owner interacted with them when she was a child. It was like watching a movie in her mind, and she fell asleep in no time.
Even without opening her eyes, Shen Wanqing knew who it was. "Chunxian, what time is it? Is it dawn?"
"It'll be ready soon. I'll go to the kitchen and get a plate of steamed buns and a bowl of porridge. Miss, have something to eat first. We have a lot to do today, and we can't go without eating."
While it's forbidden to touch the money, there's always a way to overcome difficulties. The groom's family wants to give the new bride a hard time, so the bride's family members who came along also need to find ways to show their affection for their daughter.
If the groom's family really just watches the bride sit up all night without even offering her a sip of water, they'll know that the girl is probably not that important to her family.
It was late July and the weather was already past the end of summer. Although it was still early in the day, it wasn't hot at all. In fact, because she was too tired from yesterday's activities and hadn't eaten much, Shen Wanqing felt a little cold at this moment.
Sitting up straight and putting the pillow back in its original position, Shen Wanqing quickly ate the entire plate of steamed buns.
The steamed buns were filled with red bean paste and milk custard, and they must have been freshly made and were still warm. They filled her empty stomach, and for a moment, Shen Wanqing even felt like crying. She remembered that she hadn't eaten any takeout before she came here, which was such a pity.
"Don't cry, young lady. I asked Granny Feng, and she said that everything will be fine after today."
"What's so good about it? There's never a good time."
The original owner had an older sister and an older brother, and a younger brother and a younger sister. As the child sandwiched in the middle, it wasn't that the family disliked her, but they always found it difficult to get any attention from her.
The young girl also loves to dress up, but most of the time she follows her older sister to buy clothes and jewelry. Even daughters of officials' families sometimes get angry and unhappy, but their mothers are busy managing the household, running shops and estates, and arranging for their older sisters to get married and their brothers to get married. So when they get angry, it is usually the older sisters who come to comfort their younger sisters.
In short, Shen Wanqing, the legitimate daughter, never suffered any grievances at home, but she was always mild-mannered and never caused any major trouble, nor was she ever the most favored one.
At this moment, she was gritting her teeth in a fit of anger, but Chunqian was only stunned for a moment. She thought that the girl was exhausted from staying up all night and did not notice anything unusual.
Shen Wanqing regretted her words as soon as she said them. The original owner of this body was not a sharp and outspoken person. On the contrary, she was gentle and reserved. Even when she cried, she would shed tears silently without making a sound.
Such a person wouldn't always say such things, so Shen Wanqing immediately suppressed her emotions and sipped the porridge Chunxian brought her, asking, "Have all our people been settled? Where did you sleep last night?"
"Don't worry about us, Miss. It's a mansion left behind by the Minister, so it's very big. There's a whole row of back rooms in our courtyard. Qiuwen and I will share a room, and we've each been given a cabinet to put our things in. There's enough room."
Having enough room to live in means the living conditions aren't very good. Having a kang cabinet means there's only one kang cabinet; there probably isn't even an extra stool or table. The two families who separated are now living under the same roof again, and who knows what kind of mess this family is in.
"I'll make do for now, and go take a look when I have some free time. We'll see then."
"Okay, whatever you say, miss."
Chunxian didn't say anything more about whether it was good or bad. At this moment, whether it was good or bad was secondary. Chunxian helped Shen Wanqing up and put her wedding dress back on. She then tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ear back in. By the time she had smoothed out the bedding and made sure nothing was wrong, it was already dawn.
Chunxian quietly took the empty bowls and plates out, and soon after, the matchmaker, who had been prepared in advance, came in from outside. Both sides were aware of each other's intentions, but neither of them said it aloud.
Shen Wanqing, lacking experience, still sat cross-legged with her back ramrod straight, as if she had been sitting like that all night. Little did she know that in the eyes of the middle-aged women, this posture was nothing short of an admission of guilt.
Following behind several matchmakers was Yu Lang. Last night, while Shen Wanqing was secretly sleeping in her room, Yu Lang was greeting guests in the front yard.
On such a joyous occasion, the groom couldn't afford not to get drunk. Even with several friends and his subordinates helping him fend off the drinks, Yu Lang was still somewhat drowsy and looked like a disheveled little dog, still hungover.
The puppy, seeing the radiant Shen Wanqing, couldn't help but glare at her, hoping she would bend her straight back a little. Unfortunately, having only met once and shared a drink, their acquaintance wasn't enough for Shen Wanqing to understand Yu Lang's meaning.
"Who are you glaring at, you brat?" Shen Wanqing rolled her eyes back without giving an inch, then straightened her back even more, making Yu Lang's already throbbing temples ache even more. He simply plopped down to the side, too lazy to say a word.
"This clothing..."
"The clothes are fine as they are. The old lady is still waiting up ahead, so please hurry, ladies."
Manchu robes and jackets are mostly loose-fitting, and the fabric used for wedding dresses is heavily embroidered and embroidered, looking neat and stiff. They look grand and beautiful when first worn, but if you take them off and put them back on, it's impossible not to leave any marks.
Shen Wanqing only had time to smooth out the wrinkles she could see, but in the eyes of the matchmakers, this Shen family girl's fortune was not really good.
But whether it's good or bad isn't up to them to say. Yu Lang, who was sitting silently to the side, interrupted them in time.
After a whole night of fussing, can't we at least get a nap? Anyway, once the face is opened and the hair is combed again, we'll have to change out of the wedding dress. As long as the old lady and mother can't see it, what's the point of saying anything more?
Thinking to himself, Yu Lang took out a few silver notes from his sleeve and had Chang Shun hand them to the men one by one. The meaning was clear: once they left this door, they should not mention this morning's incident again.
Having been through the corporate world herself, Shen Wanqing was no fool if she didn't understand the meaning behind the matchmakers' hesitant stammering. She immediately changed her attitude, adopting a gentle and demure demeanor like a little white rabbit.
Several people used fine threads to clean the fine hairs from the sides of her face, then removed her phoenix crown, recombed her hair, put on her hair ornaments, and finally changed into a dark blue auspicious robe and a bright red pleated skirt, with a moon-white silk handkerchief tied around her waist. She was dressed like a newlywed woman before following Yulang out of the bridal chamber.
Stepping out of the new house, Shen Wanqing finally saw clearly the place where she would be living from now on: a small, square courtyard.
The main building has five rooms. The main hall is used for entertaining guests and dining. The side room on the east side is used as a bedroom. I haven't seen the side room on the west side and the corner rooms on the left and right sides yet, but I imagine they were used as tea rooms or small storerooms.
The east and west wing rooms were also very well-arranged, clearly the residence built when Shuai Yanbao was still alive. Shen Wanqing followed Yu Lang towards the main courtyard along the central axis, looking around as she went, until they were halfway there before she asked in a low voice.
"You..." He started to speak, but then the rules that the nanny the Shen family had hired for the original owner to teach him in the past two years suddenly popped into his mind, and he immediately changed his words: "How much silver did the master just give me?"
Yu Lang never expected that his newlywed wife's first words to him would be this. For a moment, his mind was blank. "What?"
"How much did you give those wedding attendants just now?" Shen Wanqing was afraid he didn't understand, so she gestured behind her with her eyes. If she had to pay money to keep quiet about something that wasn't a big deal, how much money would she have to spend in the future?
"Ten taels?"
Ten taels per person, forty taels for four people. Shen Wanqing nodded without speaking, but Yu Lang subconsciously raised his hand to touch the back of his neck, feeling a cool sensation somewhere, something felt off.
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