Chapter 221 Filial Piety
Family disgrace should not be made public, and disgusting things in one's own room should not be told to others. However, Bai Jingyu told her about this matter, obviously treating her as a close sister. What he said made Meimei laugh and cry:
"I was originally a very strong-willed person, but I am not as weak as my eldest sister-in-law, who came from a scholarly family. She was so ruthless that she refused to have a wife or concubine, and finally fought for peace and comfort, and a happy family reunion. Look at Rulan, she has the protection of the Third Master, and she doesn't want the concubines hired by the Madam. The couple is happy and happy, and their children are all hers, so she can love them as much as she wants... Why can't I? I was blind before and didn't recognize the goodness of my eldest sister-in-law. From now on, I will only watch and listen to my eldest sister-in-law's actions and words, and I dare not be biased or alienated... It is only a matter of time before we separate the mansion and the family. There will always be such a day for Rulan and I, but the three of us are all legitimate daughters-in-law of the Xu Mansion after all. I must also be like my eldest sister-in-law, with one heart and one mind, and protect each other honestly. We don't care what the men do outside, and when we return to the inner courtyard of the mansion, we women will make arrangements. What you and Rulan can do, I must do too - from now on, don't even think about having a concubine for the Second Master!"
In Bai Jingyu's eyes, she had become a jealous woman who controlled her husband, urged him to stop dividing his house, and refused to allow concubines to take in a house. Although Bai Jingyu did not blame her but took her as a role model, this was too untrue, wasn't it? Apart from not being able to tolerate men having multiple wives, she hadn't done anything else. She was blamed for no reason, and it was hard not to be hated. If she had known that it was not easy to be the wife of Weiyuan Marquis and the eldest grandmother of the Xu Mansion, Xu Junying would not let her go. Did he like her? Damn it, it was simply a frame-up!
The baby boy born by Xiangxue lived for only one day. Bai Jingyu signaled the maidservant around Xiangrui to reveal the truth. The second master and the second wife were furious and tried to investigate the matter. There were witnesses and evidences, but Xiangrui still argued in every possible way. Xu Junlang hated her so much that he kicked Xiangrui several times and waved his hand to let the maidservant drag her away and lock her up in the side yard. Xiangrui was like crazy, scratching the closed heavy wooden door all day long and crying "Second Master" and "Weier". She died of hunger for six days. Xiangxue lay on the bed crying. The second wife asked the maidservants to watch over her and not allow Xu Junlang to enter her room to avoid being contaminated by evil spirits. Bai Jingyu went to see Xiangxue on behalf of the second master, bringing many supplements, silk and jewelry, and comforting her for a long time. Who knew that Xiangxue would not eat or drink after that, and died half a month later. The two maids of the Xiang generation who came with the dowry, one was smart and pretty, the other gentle and beautiful, but when they died, they were both haggard and emaciated, with only skin and bones left. Xu Junlang could not bear to watch it, so he let Bai Jingyu spend some silver to buy two thin coffins for them, and had them carried to a mass grave outside the city for a shallow burial.
The maids had brought trouble upon themselves. Bai Jingyu finally got rid of the two thorns in his flesh, but Xu Junlang became much quieter. He left home early and returned late every day, fully busy with the affairs of the government office. When he returned to the mansion, except for going to Jinhua Hall to pay respects to the old lady and greet his parents, he stayed in Huifang Courtyard. Bai Jingyu took in Wei'er, and the eldest sister had her younger brother to accompany her. There were more childish laughter in the courtyard. Bai Jingyu asked Huang Mama to gather all the maids and servants in Huifang Courtyard to reprimand and warn them that Wei'er was the second grandmother's biological son. From now on, anyone who dared to mention the two concubines would be beaten to death! Bai Jingyu herself never mentioned the past in front of Xu Junlang, treated Wei'er well, and served her husband tenderly and wholeheartedly. The couple seemed to have returned to the harmony and happiness of their first marriage.
Bai Jingyu was the head wife in the West Mansion, in charge of the household affairs, and she and Xu Junlang were reunited and loving, and their daily life was nourishing and sweet. Meimei in the East Mansion, on the other hand, was in high spirits to sort out the affairs of the Mansion. From the initial reluctance, she gradually became a housewife again. After all, many things were simple and clear after the division of the mansions, and they were much easier to handle. For example, she no longer had to consider the second house. Although the eldest house was the master in the past, everything had to take the feelings of the second house into consideration, otherwise the old lady would definitely not pass the test. There were too many constraints and unreasonable conventions. The eldest house was in power, but the second house benefited the most secretly. The old lady spoiled her youngest son too much. She was not considered a member of the Xu Mansion at that time and felt depressed and aggrieved.
Xu Junying of the First Mansion did something for Meimei first. He asked Ning Rulan, who was in charge of the assignment of slaves, to secretly take all the old stewards who had followed the old lady for half her life to the West Mansion. Later, the old lady asked to replace some of the people she was used to with back to the Hou Mansion. Xu Junying said on the surface that he would listen to his grandmother, but secretly told Xu Youde, the chief steward of the Hou Mansion, to make arrangements for these people first, and there was no need to wait for the young lady to come back to deal with them personally. Meimei knew what to do after being reminded by the chief steward. All the lines laid by the old lady were tied to the trees. It was impossible to restrain her. It was time to retire and enjoy her life. Why bother with so many trivial matters!
The Yu, Ma, Lin, and Lu who had watched her climb out of the coffin were still there, and they were still her best friends. They took over as the new supervisors of the inner courtyard. Unfortunately, the kitchen lady Cai was taken away by the West Mansion. I wondered if I could change her back. I guess that was intentional by Bai Jingyu and Ning Rulan, and they were unwilling to return her. Who wouldn't appreciate the delicious dishes made by Cai? Ning Rulan was fine. Bai Jingyu was very particular about food and drink. Forget it, and let Cui Xi use the recipe to train a super chef.
Mrs. Xu's recovery was not very good. Meimei had returned to the Hou Mansion for more than half a month, but she was still the same. She often lay on the couch with her eyes wide open, her eyeballs motionless, sometimes moving slowly. She seemed happier when she saw Heng'er. Meimei found that Mrs. Xu's legs and feet seemed more flexible than her arms, so she asked Chunyue and Dongmei. Chunyue said that she and Dongmei usually did full body massage for the lady at the same time. Dongmei was responsible for the legs and feet, and Chunyue was responsible for the upper body. Chunyue was in charge of more things and often walked away halfway through. She wondered if it was because she didn't massage the arms enough.
Meimei told them not to underestimate this massage method and to do it every day without stopping and on time. Worried that Chunyue had missed a step, she demonstrated it again along Mrs. Zheng's shoulders and asked Chunyue to watch carefully. Chunyue nodded repeatedly. Xu Xiaojuan, who was standing next to her, suddenly said:
"Since you know how to do it, why don't you do it for mother every day? The maids are clumsy, how can they learn to do it so delicately!"
Meimei looked at Xu Xiaojuan and said slowly, "I was also very stupid before, but I learned it anyway. I heard that my eldest aunt is smart and clever, so why not learn it? Give your mother a massage at home. When you return to Jiangyuan Mansion, if your mother-in-law has any pain, I can help her relieve the discomfort. You can also massage the old lady at Jinhua Hall - the old lady likes it very much. It's a pity that I have too many things to do now and can't do it for her!"
Xu Xiaojuan said, "I still have Xu'er with me... How can girls from families like ours learn this? If my sister-in-law is too busy with the affairs in the mansion, I can help. I also helped my mother with the housework in the Hou Mansion before. In the past few years in Jiang Yuan's house, I often shared the housework with my mother-in-law. The inner house is basically the same!"
Meimei smiled, "What's wrong with a girl like this learning this? Is it bad for one's manners to relieve the pain of one's parents and show filial piety? What's the point of standing in front of the sickbed with neat clothes and graceful posture and watching one's parents suffer from illness? The Jiangyuan Li family is a famous family. My eldest aunt married into the family and became the eldest grandson's wife. Of course, she has to take charge of the household affairs. Have you ever seen my eldest aunt go back to her parents' home to help take care of the affairs? I'm not so stupid and lazy that I dare not trouble my eldest aunt!"
Xu Xiaojuan's face flushed, and she said angrily, "What are you talking about, sister-in-law? How many people can stay by my mother's bedside for two months like me? I serve her every day with soup and water, but you...you contradicted the old lady, but you used the excuse of being sick to escape to another courtyard to live a leisurely life, and you still say this to me!"
Meimei watched Heng'er sitting on the couch and playing with Madam Zheng. He stuffed a small colored ball into Madam Zheng's hand. Madam Zheng couldn't grasp it, so the ball rolled away. Heng'er caught it and gave it to her again until Madam Zheng's fingers moved. Meimei pointed to Xu Xiaojuan with her chin:
"What's the point of saying that? She's the mother who gave birth to you and raised you. Does it have anything to do with me whether you do it or not? Look at Heng'er. His wife has raised him for several months. He knows that this is his closest relative. Even if he doesn't say a word, he is willing to play with her for a while. He doesn't care if anyone sees it. He just wants to give his grandmother the things he likes to make her happy. This is filial piety!"
Xu Xiaojuan snorted, her eyes contemptuous. Meimei was secretly annoyed. This eldest aunt went to Jinhua Hall every day to chat with the old lady. Her attitude showed her position. She stood on the opposite side of Meimei and completely implemented the old lady's intention. She looked down on the eldest sister-in-law. There was no need to be polite to her:
"Xia Lian, we have been here for quite some time. Let's take Heng back to Tsinghua Courtyard. Here, there is a virtuous aunt to serve you. Madam, I will also go back to cool off!"
When Xia Lian picked up Heng'er, Madam Zheng started to make unhappy noises. Xia Lian only glanced at Meimei, then walked away with Heng'er in her arms. Meimei bowed to Madam Zheng and said, "Madam, please take a rest. Heng'er will come to see you again tomorrow!"
After saying that, she took Cui Xi away. Xu Xiaojuan stared at her back, her eyes full of resentment.
Mother He came out from the back hall behind the partition and hurried over to comfort Madam Xu with Chunyue, while advising Xu Xiaojuan: "She is just a young lady. It is very good that the young lady can treat Madam like this..."
Xu Xiaojuan glared at her angrily, "No wonder mother was bullied, it's because you slaves are blind and have no conscience! She gave you a monthly salary and rewarded you with some small favors, is that good? Didn't mother treat you well when she was not sick? You grew up with mother since childhood, and you were married to the Hou Mansion as a dowry, and you were allowed to marry a manager in the mansion. Although the man died later, you still have a son and a daughter. Did Qin give you all this? And you speak for her! How good is she to my mother? My mother lost her seventh brother, and her heart is miserable. She is also afraid that her brother will treat her indifferently in the future, so she wants to raise Heng'er by her side, so that there will be a mother and son and a grandson. "She used this to coerce my mother to let her go and let her manage the household, and exchanged her son for the household supplies. She is a good mother! Speaking of filial piety, she has such a high-quality ginseng, which was also brought back by my brother. She should honor my mother, even if it is just one. But she refused to give it to me and took all of it to please the old lady, just to let the old lady speak for her and force my mother to hand over the housekeeping power... Her greedy and selfish intentions are obvious, and my brother still dotes on her so much, which shows how deep her mind is and how clever her methods are! Even if I skin you alive and eat you, you will definitely still think she deserves it!"
Mother He was speechless after being scolded by her. This girl was loved by the Marquis since childhood and spoiled by the Madam. Mother He looked after her and learned the rules well. She looked calm and gentle, but her temperament was really not commendable. Compared with the Madam, the daughter was far worse. She had not changed after being married and becoming a mother for several years. She was unwilling to think for herself about everything, and would explode if someone fanned the flames at the slightest spark. There was no benefit in provoking her, so let her be. A married girl would eventually go back home, and there was no need to make it so clear. The Marquis and the Madam did not like to put on a show, and they really cared for the Madam. The servants were relieved when watching her, and did not feel that the Madam had been wronged or pitiful.
Xu Xiaojuan was very angry when she saw that Mother He and Chunyue were busy taking care of Madam Zheng and ignoring her. The old lady was right: Qin was a goblin. Not only did she bewitch her brother Xu Junying and make him lose his original intention, but she also corrupted everyone in the Hou Mansion!
As soon as she returned to the Hou Mansion, she saw her mother lying sick in bed, and there was no daughter-in-law waiting by her bedside. She was so angry that she cursed. Mother He told her that the eldest grandmother was also sick and went to another courtyard to recuperate. Because the wife did not like to see the concubine's son and his wife, the eldest grandmother did not let them wait by her bedside. She was skeptical. This was indeed like her mother's style. She never let the concubine and the concubine's son enter the house. But after she went to Jinhua Hall to pay a visit to the old lady, the old lady's words made her angry again. Qin relied on her brother's favor, was arrogant and domineering, and had no respect for the elders. In order to achieve her own goals, she took advantage of her mother's loss of her seventh brother and her trance to seize her mother's power. She was disrespectful and unfilial to her mother, and forced her cousin away, causing her cousin to die of depression after returning home. This made her mother sick... It was so hateful. How could such a bad woman be allowed to enjoy a carefree life in the Hou Mansion? Think about it, before I got married, I was the most noble eldest daughter in the Hou Mansion, and no one dared to contradict what I said. Even though I am married, I am still the eldest aunt when I return home. I don’t believe that I can’t deal with her!
When Xu Junying was at home, Xu Xiaojuan thought about it again and again. She did not discuss it with her brother, but mustered up the courage to tell the old lady. The old lady glared at her and scolded her:
"What is there to discuss? If you get married, will you no longer be my daughter of the Xu family? The Hou family is rich and powerful, and they can't support your family? Not to mention coming to Beijing to study for two years to prepare for the imperial examination, even if you come back to live here for the rest of your life, who would dare to say anything? You dare to spend money to buy another house! How can people look at your brother and the people of the Xu family? You go and choose, whichever yard in the Hou family is the best, and you can live there! Just ask your grandson-in-law Li Zhao to study hard, and don't let him worry about other things. All expenses will be paid according to the quota of each room in the family - I'm the one who makes the decision on this matter!"
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