Chapter 218 Wooden Bowl
218 wooden bowl
The old lady left in the sedan chair because she had to take a nap. The granddaughter-in-law and the girls didn't have to go to Jinhua Hall with her. The second wife asked the wet nurse to hold Wei'er and also got on the sedan chair to go back to the west courtyard. When she left, she glanced at Bai Jingyu, but Bai Jingyu had no intention of going back with her. Ning Rulan also had to wait for Xu Junya to come back to pick her up, so the second wife had to leave by herself.
Meimei asked the maids to hold umbrellas and send the girls back to the courtyard to rest. Although they had separated into different residences, the unmarried girls of the Xu residence did not need to move. They would still live in their original courtyards in the Hou residence. They did not need to walk too far. They could hold umbrellas under the sun. There were flower stands and tree shades along the way, as well as corridors everywhere. They did not need to take a sedan chair and could just walk back home.
The three girls left one after another. Xu Xiaojuan was still coaxing her son. For some reason, Li Xu kept crying and making a fuss, and didn't want the wet nurse or the maid to coax him. Xu Xiaojuan had no choice but to hold him and walk around the hall.
Meimei didn't know why Xu Xiaojuan had that attitude towards her, and naturally didn't want to take the initiative to talk to this aunt. She walked over to see Heng'er, who had already finished his meal and was sitting in his high wooden armchair, holding a silver spoon in one hand and a bowl in the other, playing by himself. He just refused to let Xia Lian take the bowl away. Meimei touched his little head and said with a smile:
"My dear son, you are really capable. After you have finished your meal, why don't you give the bowl to Sister Xia Lian to wash?"
Xia Lian looked at Xu Xiaojuan uneasily, then at Meimei, seeming to want to say something but stopping herself.
In the hall, except for Rulan who was pregnant but had not given birth, the rest of Bai Jingyu, Fang, and Gan were taking care of their own children and had no time to care about others. Their children were all noisy, and they did not notice that Xu Xiaojuan's child was always making noise. Ning Rulan looked at the eldest sister and Shen Ge'er for a while, then walked over to Heng'er and found that the golden wooden bowl in his hand was very special, so she smiled and said:
"Heng'er, this golden bowl is so beautiful. Would you like to show it to Third Aunt?"
Heng'er held the golden wooden bowl tightly with both hands and shook his head unhappily. Meimei said, "Show it to Third Aunt. It's not yours, so be generous, okay?"
After hearing this, Heng'er lowered his eyes and remained silent. After a while, he slowly handed the small wooden bowl to Ning Rulan. Just as Ning Rulan was about to reach out to take it, Heng'er retracted his hand and held the bowl in his arms again.
Meimei raised her eyebrows, Ning Rulan smiled and said: "Hey, kid, just show him, he has done it, it's okay"
Xu Xiaojuan came over holding Li Xu and said, "Sisters-in-law, do you all teach your children like this? No wonder, when has our Xu family ever had such a petty child? When my brothers and sisters were young, our father told us about Kong Rong giving up his pears, and taught us to be friendly and modest to each other, to share delicious and fun things with everyone, and not to hide everything... Heng'er, you have taught me a bad lesson..."
The sisters-in-law in the hall couldn't help but stare blankly: Did I hear it right? The eldest aunt actually came back to her parents' home to accuse her sister-in-law of not raising her children properly.
Meimei glanced at Xia Lian, who lowered her head and whispered, "Xu Ge'er insisted on having the small wooden bowl in Heng Ge'er's hand, otherwise he wouldn't eat and kept crying. The eldest aunt tried to persuade him but he didn't listen. The servants also tried to coax Heng Ge'er to give the bowl to Xu Ge'er, but Heng Ge'er just refused... Xu Ge'er has been making a fuss until now."
Meimei understood, and said to Xu Xiaojuan with a smile: "There are indeed no petty children in the Xu Mansion. My eldest aunt was born in the Xu Mansion, so she is also a child of the Xu family, right? Now she says such petty words. I think it is because she has been married for many years. This word is the first time I hear it. The Hou Mansion is in charge of me. There is such a big family here. Brothers and sisters live together. What is there to hide? What does Xu brother want? The silver bowl and copper bowl are all here. If you don’t like them, just tell us. We have a golden bowl and ask the steward to go to the storehouse to get it. Is my eldest aunt satisfied? My eldest aunt said that I taught Henger bad things. What did she teach him? Why didn’t she give my cousin the wooden bowl she was used to? Henger did the right thing. Kong Rong gave up his pears, and he at least had one pear. If Henger gave the wooden bowl in his hand to his cousin, he would have nothing. I wonder if my cousin from the Li family can do it without skipping words.
Xu Xiaojuan looked at her with more resentment in her eyes: "You are the only one who treats me as a sister-in-law and a mother. I am also the eldest grandson's wife in the Li family. There are also married aunts who come back to live in their parents' home. How dare I treat you like this? Whatever the aunt says is what it is. It is the same as when I was at home. My nephew is the most valued. I would rather wrong my own child than look down on my nephew."
Meimei was stunned for a moment. Is there such a rule? Thinking back to when she returned to the Qin Mansion, she seemed to be quite respected, and Heng'er was indeed treated like a treasure. Could it be that she was really wrong? Did she treat her aunt and nephew with contempt?
Looking back at the sisters-in-law, Fang and Gan were concubines' wives, so they didn't dare to argue with the eldest aunt who was born of a legitimate wife. They just lowered their heads and played with their children. Ning Rulan frowned slightly as if thinking about something. Bai Jingyu smiled slightly and said to Xu Xiaojuan:
"It is said that now that the mansion has been divided, the eldest sister-in-law is in charge of the Hou Mansion. I, the second sister-in-law, cannot say much, but I am also your mother's sister-in-law after all, so I can at least give you some advice, right? It has been a while since the eldest aunt came back. She originally came to visit the eldest wife and show filial piety at her bedside. The eldest sister-in-law is sick and recuperating in the other courtyard. The mansion is in the process of dividing the family, and there is some chaos, but she has never treated the eldest aunt badly, right? As for me and your third sister-in-law, have we ever forgotten you and your wife and your son? The eldest brother is busy with official duties, and the eldest sister-in-law is ill and can't go out, but she always sends people back to remind us to take good care of you. According to the family of my great aunt, my great uncle went back to Jiangyuan a few days ago for some business. Your eldest brother, your second brother and your third brother also personally sent him to the river outside the city and arranged for the crew to send him home... Isn't my great aunt as pampered as she was before she got married in her natal family? Even when my great aunt was sick, my great aunt didn't visit her, but my eldest brother never said anything, so who could have any complaints? Now you are only angry because a child snatched a toy-like wooden bowl, but it is meaningless. If you tell others that your natal sister-in-law gave you a gold bowl or a silver bowl but was not happy, and insisted on having your nephew's wooden bowl, it would make people laugh."
Xu Xiaojuan was very angry. It was right to spoil her son, but how could she really care about a mere wooden bowl?
She was the eldest daughter of the Hou family. Although she was married, she still had to maintain her distinguished status as the eldest daughter of the Hou family. She had been extremely doted on by her parents since she was a child. No one could replace her. She had the final say in the Hou family. She had returned to her parents' home before her two children were born. At that time, her mother was in good health and in charge of the Hou family. She was still the distinguished eldest aunt and the apple of the eye of the Hou family. This time, her mother was seriously ill and her eldest sister-in-law was elusive. She couldn't figure it out, but she was determined not to let the sister-in-law, who disliked the old lady and was protected by her eldest brother, look down on her.
Li Xu was still humming and refusing to stop crying. Meimei looked down at the wooden bowl in Heng'er's hand. It was no wonder that the kids liked it. They had to snatch the wooden bowl when they had a silver bowl to eat. It was Xu Junying's fault for being nosy. Heng'er had just learned to eat by himself, so Meimei asked Baoju to make him a wooden bowl, hoping that it would be light and durable. However, Xu Junying thought that ordinary wood was not good, so he took the trouble to get a piece of golden rosewood and asked a craftsman to make a wooden bowl for him. He also carved the bowl with great care, and engraved lifelike flowers, birds and auspicious animals on the edge of the bowl. Which kid wouldn't be jealous? Even Heng'er knew how to protect treasures, so it would be strange if two-year-old Li Xu didn't snatch it.
But there was only one of this item, what to do? Xu Junying was not at home, where could he find the same one for his nephew to satisfy this great aunt?
Suddenly I remembered that Bai Zhan was still at home. Why not ask him to find out where it was made? At least get one that is similar, so that people won't accuse me of mistreating a married woman. As I am also a woman and I was not mistreated when I returned to the Qin Mansion, I should just follow the rules she said and treat her better to the best of my ability. We are not going to live together for a long time. When I go back to my parents' home, I will only stay for a month or so at most.
Then he said to Bai Jingyu, "It was really inconvenient for me to go back home recently. I entrusted everything to Second Madam, Third Madam, and Fourth Madam, and you all had to work hard. I'm really sorry for Eldest Aunt and me. I couldn't take care of her during my illness, and it's not convenient for her to come out to see me with Xu'er. Let's just forget about it. This wooden bowl was made for Heng'er by a craftsman hired by the Houye. Since the children like it, I'll ask Bai Zhan to find out where he made it. If he can find out, make a few identical ones and bring one for each child. Then no one will want to snatch it away."
Bai Jingyu nodded: "That's great, our eldest sister also likes it. Lian'er, do you want a wooden bowl like Heng'er's?"
Xu Meilian replied crisply: "I like wooden bowls."
Li Xu stopped making trouble. Xu Xiaojuan looked up at Meimei and her expression softened. Ning Rulan smiled and said, "I want one too."
Meimei chuckled: "You really are..."
Ning Rulan said: "I will use it myself, and when he comes out and grows up and can eat by himself, I will give it to him."
The maids and women nearby listened and smiled: If you didn't know, you would think they were fighting over something. The wooden bowls that were only used by poor families are so popular in rich families. They have become a hot commodity.
Xu Xiaojuan took the children and left first, returning to Qiuhua Courtyard. The children were a little sleepy, so they asked the nurse and maids to take them back for a nap. Gan and Fang also left, leaving Meimei, Bai Jingyu and Ning Rulan sitting in the flower hall. The sun was blazing, but there was a breeze. The shadows of the flowers in the garden were lush, and the scenery of the summer afternoon made people feel lazy. The three of them rarely got together to talk, so they cheered up and changed the tea, which was a light and refreshing herbal tea. Meimei pointed at Ning Rulan and said to Cuixi, "Change a cup of boiled water for the third grandmother, and drink less tea."
Ning Rulan asked: "Why?"
Meimei couldn't explain: "I don't know, the doctor said that pregnant women should drink less tea."
Actually, I heard this from my seniors who had experienced pregnancy and childbirth when I was working. I forgot the reason, but whatever the doctor said, it should be correct.
Fortunately, Ning Rulan didn't ask too many questions, and she just drank boiled water when she was given it.
The three of them first talked about the affairs of the Hou Mansion. Xu Junying also mentioned to Meimei that there was a general manager in charge of the affairs of the Hou Mansion, but there were always some urgent matters that required the master to make a decision. When Meimei refused to go back, Xu Junying asked Bai Jingyu and Ning Rulan to temporarily manage the Hou Mansion. He only knew that Meimei was good friends with Ning Rulan at first, but later she got along with Bai Jingyu, who didn't get along well with her at first. He was not very clear. In short, when Meimei ran away from the Xu Mansion, she entrusted all the affairs of the mansion to Bai Jingyu, and asked her to take care of the first wife. Bai Jingyu also did his best and did everything according to Meimei's specifications. Xu Junying also understood that the two sisters-in-law should have reached some kind of consensus. Meimei trusted Bai Jingyu, so he would follow her way and only find Bai Jingyu and Ning Rulan.
At that moment, Bai Jingyu and Ning Rulan handed over the affairs of the Hou Mansion to Meimei. They trusted each other and it was nothing big, so they just talked about it and it didn't take much time.
It is made by】.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
