Chapter 209 Old Lady Arena
Old Madam Shen also sighed: "It's really good now. When I was young, unmarried girls were not allowed to go out casually, but now they can all become officials."
“It will get better and better in the future!”
On the third day after returning, Shen Yuan was in Shen Xi's yard trying on her wedding dress with her when she heard the nanny come in and say that there were guests at home and the old lady asked them to go out and meet them.
Shen Yuan didn't think much about it and was about to go over, but was stopped by the nanny, "Fourth Miss, the old lady asked you and Third Miss to dress nicely."
Hearing this, Shen Yuan looked down at herself. She was wearing a light pink skirt that was neither new nor old. Since she was at home and not going out, she wore it casually. Although it was not formal, it was not rude to meet guests.
Shen Yuan was a little confused, "What kind of guest requires us to change clothes? Wouldn't that make the guest wait impatiently?"
The nanny's expression suddenly became a little subtle, and she said softly: "Um...it's the old lady of the Fang family."
Shen Yuan understood instantly. No wonder... The old lady of the Fang family was the same age as my grandmother, and they both got married in the same year. Both old ladies were competitive. In the past, the old lady of the Fang family always boasted in front of my grandmother that she had given birth to five sons and two daughters.
The Shen family had only two sons, who gave birth to only two grandsons, while the Fang family was very prosperous, with five sons, who gave birth to more than a dozen grandsons for Old Madam Fang.
After Shen Yuan and Shen Xi had a sly laugh, they followed their grandmother's instructions and changed into better-looking clothes, and even put on a few more pieces of jewelry.
After changing their clothes, Shen Yuan and Shen Xi went to the front to meet the guests. Shen Yuan asked in confusion, "Why did Madam Fang come all the way to my house when she is not getting along with my grandmother?"
Shen Xi thought about it and told Shen Yuan, "I think, rather than being at odds, they are more like happy enemies. When we came back from the capital, Madam Fang came the next day. She and Grandma quarreled as soon as they met, and she stayed for a whole day before leaving."
"How interesting." Their grandmother asked them to go over, surely to show off to Old Madam Fang.
"Manman, Xixi, come and see the old lady."
Old Madam Shen was very proud when she looked at her two graceful granddaughters. So what if they had more children than her, they were not as pretty as hers.
"I've seen the old lady."
"I haven't seen you for a few years. You have grown so big. If I saw you outside, I wouldn't recognize you."
"I have Manman at home. She is one of the most beautiful girls in the capital."
Shen Yuan smiled awkwardly. She didn't dare to listen to what her grandmother said, and she didn't know if the capital city her grandmother was talking about was the same as the capital city where she lived.
Madam Fang said, "I think she looks exactly like her mother. She and Yan Niang when she was young are cut from the same mold."
In other words, the child's good looks have nothing to do with your son.
"My brother Kang is also good-looking, just like his father. But it's a pity that he is very busy in the Ministry of Personnel, so he can't come to Xixi's wedding this time."
"Your brother Kang is busy with official business, so there is nothing we can do about it. But I heard that brother Yu will come back, right? You must hurry up and tell him about my family. How can the eldest brother not be engaged when all his brothers and sisters are married? If you tell others, people will say that you, as a grandmother, are biased."
Shen Yuan and Shen Xi sat on one side, unable to say a word, and could only listen to the two old ladies arguing.
"My brother Yu built his career first and then started a family. We are all brothers and sisters, so why would we care about that? I heard that your brother Shun took the exam again this year? These three years and three years have really not been easy."
The provincial examination was held on August 9th, and it just happened to be over not long ago.
Old Lady Fang was not one to admit defeat. "We have a big family and a lot of wealth, so it doesn't matter if you don't pass the exam. Our Shun brother's wife gave me a pair of great-grandchildren last month. It's a blessing. If your family can't find a suitable family, I can help your Yu brother to find a partner. I have so many grandchildren in my family, and I arranged all their wives for them."
These two old ladies know everything about each other's family. I'm afraid they care about it every day in private.
Therefore, the whole afternoon had passed without a winner. Old Madam Fang did not stay for dinner. She got up and left when she saw that it was almost time. It seemed that she came to the Shen family today just to have a fight with Old Madam Shen.
Although Madam Shen did not lose today, she felt that she had already surpassed Madam Fang by a lot. If she didn't win, she would have lost!
Where did you fail?
"No! When Brother Yu comes back this time, I have to find him a wife!"
Shen Yuan was worried about her cousin who was far away. "Grandma, there's no need for you to do this just to get angry with Madam Fang, right?"
"How is this considered arrogance? That old woman was right. You brothers and sisters are getting married or engaged, but it's really unacceptable that Brother Yu is older than you and still doesn't have a wife. It's said that it's hard for girls to get married when they get older, and it's the same for boys, isn't it?"
The more Mrs. Shen thought about it, the more worried she became! Her grandson was getting older, and there were a few girls his age who were still unmarried. It was not good to marry a younger one, and it would be difficult for the two to get along well if the age difference was too big.
"No, I have to go and look for other girls of the right age in this city."
The old lady did what she said. She stood up and walked away, and one could even say that she walked "as fast as the wind".
Shen Duan worked as an official in a remote county in Qianzhou. There was no official road leading there, and the roads were dangerous and mountainous, making it difficult for horses to pass through. Instead, a mule was more suitable. When he first arrived, he was not used to it, but now he can ride a mule on the road very easily.
He had been traveling for several days and just wanted to get home to reunite with his family. He was thinking about going home and had no idea that his grandmother was trying to find a wife for him.
Shen Duan has been concentrating on his official duties these years and has no time to think about love. He knows very well that he lacks talent, so he has to make up for it with diligence.
Moreover, he was now living in the mountains. If he married a wife, would he let her accompany him to ride mules, or leave her at home and not see her for the whole year? When he was young, he saw his mother crying in the middle of the night because she missed her father. He did not want to be like his father...
——Jinling, Zhong family.
"Mother, I heard that Manman is back. After all, he is Yanniang's child. Let's meet him."
The eldest son of the Zhong family had read a letter from his daughter, saying that Manman looked very similar to Yanniang. Zhong Yanming had wanted to meet his niece at that time... After all, she was his sister's child. Whether it was hatred or regret, it had been more than ten years, and they had to move on.
The old lady paused as she twirled her Buddhist beads, and spoke after a long while, "Then... meet him."
When her daughter gave birth to a concubine, she was happier than anyone else. The little concubine was also like this when Yan Niang was born. She would remember that day all her life.