After dinner, Xu Gao sat in his room for a while, thinking it over and over. Finally, he stood up and went to Ning's courtyard with one of his head maids.
The young master did not rest in Ning's courtyard tonight, but went to the neighboring courtyard to rest at the residence of his concubine. The young master Xu Wei has two concubines, both of whom were originally maids. After Ning married into the family, she took it upon herself to promote them to concubines. However, neither of them are good concubines; they have only been promoted in rank. The indentures are still in Ning's hands.
Upon seeing Xu Gao arrive, Ning quickly invited her to sit down on the kang (heated brick bed) by the window and instructed Li Mama to bring a plate of tangerines.
Ning looked at her eldest daughter, Xu Gao, who was already sixteen years old. She was graceful and had the best features of both herself and the young master. Although she was not a stunning beauty, she was still quite outstanding in the circle of young ladies in the capital.
Madam Ning asked, "How is the embroidery of the dowry coming along? Don't always lock yourself in your room, you should come out and walk around. For the shoes for the family reunion, just make the ones for the Dowager Madam and the Earl and Madam. Let the servants make the rest. Do they care whether you made the shoes yourself?"
On the second day after the wedding, the new bride meets her husband's family. The gift for meeting them is usually shoes. If the family is poor, they will make a few pairs for their parents-in-law, aunts and uncles. If the family is wealthy, they will usually make two pairs for the main elders in the family. The servants will have to make the others. With so many people in the husband's family, if they really had to make a pair for each person, how many would they have to make?
Xu Gao nodded. Seeing Xu Gao's expression, Ning asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Xu Gao looked up, looking very embarrassed, and said, "Mother, is there something wrong with my dowry?"
Ning said, "No, there's nothing wrong with your dowry. Why would you ask your mother like that?" After Ning finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something, and her face turned pale. She grabbed Xu Gao's hand and asked anxiously, "Gao'er, have you heard something?"
Xu Gao's face was also pale. He said, "Mother, I don't want you to suffer." As he said this, Xu Gao lowered his head, and tears streamed down his face.
When Ning saw her daughter's appearance, she immediately hugged Xu Gao and said, "Good child, your mother is not suffering. Your mother just feels that the old lady's things should only be given to that illegitimate son and not to you. You are the legitimate granddaughter of this mansion. You have been well-behaved and clever since you were a child, and you have married well."
Xu Gao held his mother's hand and said, "Mother, I don't need those things. Really, I just want you and my father to be well, and for my younger brother and sister to be well in the future. Once I get married, I won't be able to be by your side all the time. Mother, I can't bear to leave you."
Upon hearing her daughter's words, Ning burst into tears. The mother and daughter embraced and cried for a long time before Li Mama brought them hot water and helped them wash up again. Only then did they sit down and talk properly.
Ning smiled wryly and said, "I was thinking too much. I thought they were all descendants of the Marquis's family, so why couldn't the old lady treat them all equally? Later I realized that people's hearts are naturally biased. Although they are illegitimate sons in the mansion, the Zhang family has a special relationship with the old lady. Most importantly, they are hardworking and ambitious."
Xu Gao said, “Mother, they are all our relatives, all relatives from the same household. If they prosper, our household will benefit, and we married daughters will also rise in status. Mother, everything in this household will belong to you and Father in the future, so why are you in such a hurry?”
Ning said, "But I don't want you to be ridiculed because of your meager dowry. Our Yongning Marquis's Mansion has been glorious for so many years. You are the first girl in this generation of the mansion to get married. Neither the old lady nor the Marquis's wife have given any special thanks. I am not convinced."
Xu Gao said, “Look at you, you’ve really thought it through. The old lady has so many great-granddaughters waiting to become nuns. If she gives me things, what will happen to my younger sisters? And what about my grandmother? She has always cared about my aunt. I don’t think I have any intention of arguing with my aunt, nor do I want to be ridiculed by her because of this.”
Upon hearing this, Ning said resentfully, "Your grandmother, I don't know what kind of bewitching potion she drank, actually instigated your great-aunt to help your great-aunt's child find a match. Putting aside the fact that your great-aunt's child is surnamed Zhao, just look at the Yongping Marquis's mansion. They have the Grand Madam, the Old Madam, and at the very least, the Heir Apparent of Zhao. How can our mansion be in charge of arranging the marriage of their eldest grandson?"
Xu Gao smiled and said, "Auntie is grasping at straws in her desperation. Mother, you've gone to so much trouble for my marriage. I'm very satisfied with the dowry you prepared."
Ning gently poked Xu Gao's forehead with her index finger and said, "Where do you find a girl like you who talks about her dowry like that?"
Xu Gao leaned gently against Ning Shi's chest and said, "Mother, I really want to thank you. With so many things to do at home, you still managed my dowry so well. You really went to a lot of trouble."
Ning sighed and said, "We parents are all doing this for our children. Alright, I know what you came here for. Now that we've talked it out, I won't go to see the old lady anymore. You're right, this manor will belong to your father and me from now on. There's no need for me to be in such a hurry now. It's not worth losing face over such a small thing."
Xu Gao nodded and said, "Then I'll send a headband to my grandmother tomorrow. I embroidered it especially for her."
Ning had been in charge of the household for many years, but she only went to the old lady's courtyard and did such a shameful thing because she was indignant. After thinking about it, she felt quite embarrassed. Hearing her daughter say this, she nodded and said, "This matter was probably suggested to you by the old lady. That old lady is always like this."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
