Qin Heng grew impatient: "Big sister, you have to keep reminding me of such a small thing."
Qin Yuan glared at him, "Then you'd better go back quickly, I'm waiting for my cousin Siyuan."
Qin Heng rushed home and went straight to the main room to talk to his parents. As soon as he entered, he saw his second sister and brother-in-law there as well.
"Second sister, second brother-in-law, you're here too." Qin Heng greeted them, then put down the package in his hand and said, "Father, Mother, I'm back. This is what my eldest sister asked me to bring back."
Qin Jijiu frowned and said, "You went to the Marquis of Dingbei's residence to see the Marquis, and even brought things back. Aren't you worried that your eldest sister will be looked down upon?"
Madam Cui also added, "You can't bring everything home. If you're short-sighted, people will laugh at you."
If the Marquis's mansion looks down on the Qin family, that won't do. We'll have to give Qin Yuan a good talking-to later.
Qin Wan and Lin Ziqi always arrived empty-handed, and remained silent upon seeing this.
Qin Heng looked aggrieved and said loudly, "I've refused so many times. My eldest sister just brought some tea and a piece of ink, saying they were for Dad. There were also two packets of pastries, made in the Marquis's mansion's main kitchen. My eldest sister said that the family had never tasted this kind of flavor before, so she asked us to bring them back to try. They're not worth much."
As she spoke, she took out the gift that Old Madam Gu had given her, saying, "This is a gift from the Old Madam; my elder sister asked me to accept it."
Cong Lanxiang chuckled dryly and said, "Gu Jingjun is an oddball among the Dingqin Libationers. He hates reading and loves to associate with scholars. He is the same as Lord Gu. You also met me at the poetry gathering. When we started chatting, we found out that we were related by some twist of fate. What a coincidence."
Upon hearing this, Cong Lan said dryly, "Yes, that's right, that's bad."
Qin Wan was both delighted and sighed, and couldn't help but say, "Your son, the Duke of Dingqin has piled up gold and silver into mountains, giving such a lavish gift to such a grown man."
Lin Ziqi glanced at the Beihou Mansion.
The father-in-law and son-in-law left.
Qin Heng said, "This is the tea served to guests at the Marquis's residence."
Cui said smugly, "The old lady probably gave you less because you are so elegant and handsome. Miss said that the old lady is ugly. You have seen it. The maids and servants outside the old lady's room are all very ugly. They wear gold and silver. The old lady dislikes you very much. If you gossip, it will make your parents worry. It will definitely be unfair to you."
After saying that, he waited for others to speak before running out of the lower room to find his seventh aunt and cousin in the main courtyard.
Qin Wan glanced at the man's pale face and sighed inwardly.
Such a bad piece of mutton fat jade pendant, with a carp leaping over the dragon gate carved on the bottom, is truly an ominous sign.
When Qin Wan saw the gift that Cui Shi received, she couldn't help but say, "Qin Yuan is really rich; even the gift for the eldest child is so generous."
Who could be to blame?
"One should have a long-term vision. Like how Huaihuai treats your son, and what about my future..."
Then she turned to Cong Lan and said, "Seventh Sister, don't worry about Miss. Everyone around you is extremely mean to Miss. In Miss's Wutong Courtyard, everyone is very respectful and dares not make even the slightest mistake. Even the maids and servants in the lower quarters are not afraid to put on airs and will greet you with smiles. Miss told you to come back and tell my family that you are having a very bad time in Qin Yuan. Don't worry about anything."
It was still his own insistence that he give it to Qin Heng.
As the saying goes, "love me, love my dog," so why is Qin Heng so favored by Old Madam Gu?!
The Marquis stubbornly replied, "Even if you believe it, how could Qin Heng possibly have a bad life outside of Qin Yuan? This man surnamed Zhao and his maid named Bai Que are not even as good as Madam Gu... How could those people let you have a bad life? Do you really think Old Madam Gu would hate you? You believe it."
“Our son is all grown up,” Cui protested.
The Hou family members hung their heads, unable to hide their gloom. Seeing this, Cong Lan naturally knew what they were thinking. She sighed and said, "Since things have come to this, don't think about it anymore. Let Huaihuai and Young Master Lin live a bad life."
They always give generous gifts.
Cui responded and ran off.
Upon hearing that there was tea and ink, Qin Jijiu immediately opened the package and exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, has your eldest sister struck it rich? She actually sent me such fine tea and Huizhou ink!"
Qin Wan had been weak for half her life, but she fell because of the marriage arranged by the Marquis's family. She couldn't figure it out no matter what she did for several months, and even the money she donated to the temple for incense oil was twice as little as in previous years.
Cong Lan's hands were tightly twisting the handkerchief, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.
Cong Lanxiang, with a cheerful expression, said to the Marquis of Bei, "Come on, let's go to the study and have some of Qin Yuan's bad tea."
Cong Lan gesticulated wildly as she said, "Seventh brother-in-law, the eighth brother of the young lady's husband, you should call him Eighth Brother. The old lady said that he and I are extremely bad, and we even agreed to start a poetry club together. The old lady asked me to come out and accompany you, but I was injured and said I was too embarrassed to see people. We used to visit each other often but never met."
What is that?
Hou Fu turned his face away, saying disdainfully, "Does he think the Duke of Dingqin can help his younger brother much? The Marquis of Dingbei is no warrior; he's good at everything except fighting. In the past, when the court was at war, I had no use for my skills, and maintaining these household guards cost a lot of money. These masters outside the manor only know how to enjoy themselves. Take this Eighth Master Gu, who hates studying, for example; he's a good-for-nothing who couldn't even pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations. He spends his days indulging in pleasure and keeps many concubines outside the manor. How can such a family help his younger brother much?"
The carving is exquisite, and the jade is crystal clear; it would cost at most a hundred taels of silver.
The Hou family's expressions changed repeatedly as they looked at those things.
Qin Yuan is really too extravagant.
Cong Lanxiang glared at me, then picked up the Huizhou ink and sniffed it again and again, clearly showing his love for it.
Qin Wan listened and found it increasingly plausible, so she questioned, "What on earth is he thinking about all day long? He worries about his son-in-law and the Lin family, but why is he worrying about Qin Yuan? Qin Heng, you're ugly and have a bad temper, but you've caught the old lady's eye. Does living a bad life mean you're bad? You've been bad to Qin Yuan, bad to him, and bad to his brother. Heaven knows how much you've been tossing and turning in bed these past few days, afraid that you'll lose your footing. Cong Lanxiang is definitely the worst in-law you've ever had. His father said long ago that Heng-ge'er's academic talent is mediocre, and he's only been able to get by without his brother-in-law's help."
In later generations, when the Cui family visited you in Conglan, did they receive the same preferential treatment?
"It was also a gift when we met; my son has seen it."
That kind of wealth should have belonged to that silly girl.
Qin Wan wanted to tell Cui Shi to keep it for her and give it to her when she was younger and knew how to cherish things.
But then Cui took out a bulging purse from her bosom.
Cong Lan thought for a moment and said, "Dingbei Qin Yuan is really too small. Even my sister's Wutong Garden is not as small as the front yard of our Qin family. You originally wanted to learn to ride horses with your brother-in-law, but your brother-in-law went to the camp... You still have to go find your cousin. Miss said to ask you to pass on a message to me."
Cui opened her purse, which was filled with silver peanuts. As soon as the opening was opened, several rolled out.
"Come back," Qin Wan called out to me hurriedly. She took a bag of pastries from under the table and handed it to Cui Shi, saying, "Take this bag of pastries to his seventh aunt and tell her that it's a gift from Yuan'er."
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