Chapter 178 The child is a good child, just a little dim-witted
On the first day after Xu Jinnian left, Sheng An didn't feel anything was wrong. She had the big bed all to herself that night and could roll around 360 degrees without any problem.
She had only enjoyed this carefree life for three days when she could no longer control her overwhelming longing and began to fall asleep hugging Xu Jinnian's pillow.
However, my sleep quality is very poor, and I often wake up suddenly in the middle of the night.
One time, half asleep, she habitually rolled towards where Xu Jinnian was sleeping, but ended up rolling directly onto the floor. The noise was so loud that it woke up the three elders downstairs.
Fortunately, there were no injuries, and things went on as usual after daybreak.
Soon it was time for Ding Tianci's engagement, and Sheng An, dressed in new clothes, came to the Ding family with congratulatory gifts.
As luck would have it, she ran into Li Xinhui at the door.
Li Xinhui saw her immediately and quickly walked over to greet her: "Sister Sheng, did you come alone?"
Sheng An smiled and said, "Jin Nian and the others went to Jinling with the Master, so I can only come here to offer my congratulations."
Li Xinhui nodded understandingly: "Luckily you're alone, so we can chat and have some tea together later."
Sheng An asked, "Where's Tinglan? Isn't she coming today?"
Li Xinhui sighed: "She's at home preparing for her wedding. She'll only appear at events like this after she gets married."
In the past two years, she has had fewer and fewer friends who are always with her; they are either waiting to get married or are already married.
For unmarried women, it's relatively easy to go out shopping together on weekdays. But for married women, going out is much more complicated; they need permission from their mother-in-law or husband before they can leave the house.
It's considered good if you can get an appointment five out of ten times, especially if you're pregnant or have a child, it's even harder to get an appointment.
Over time, even the deepest friendships can fade.
Sheng An understood, and asked with some concern, "Tinglan is getting married soon, do you have a man you like?"
Li Xinhui rolled her eyes at her, her pretty face full of unhappiness: "Are you deliberately trying to hurt me? Everyone knows I'm in love with your husband."
Sheng An was surprised and carefully examined her head: "It's been more than a year, and you still remember it."
Li Xinhui rolled her eyes again: "Having seen a man like Scholar Xu, ordinary men are no match for me."
After saying that, she looked at Sheng An with envy, jealousy, and hatred, her eyes filled with bitterness: "You're so lucky."
Sheng An retorted, "What kind of pot goes with what kind of lid? How can you say it's cheap for me? It makes it sound like I'm climbing the social ladder."
Li Xinhui glanced at her sideways. Wasn't that right?
Hmph, so what if she's a little prettier, has a better figure, a nicer voice, cooks better, and knows how to get along with people? My family background is much better than hers, so what makes me so inadequate?
This woman is just being hypocritical after getting the benefit!
Sheng An also wanted to roll her eyes, so she pulled Li Xinhui forward and said, "Stop thinking about it. Xu Jinnian and I have a great relationship. It's pointless for you to think about yourself until you become an old maid."
Li Xinhui grumbled, "So what if I'm thinking about it? I'm not going to steal it."
Moreover, she wasn't really thinking about it; it's just that every time a matchmaker came to propose marriage, she couldn't help but compare them in her mind.
Sheng Anxin thought to himself, "The child is a good child, just a little dim-witted."
The Li couple looked at the two people holding hands, and both wore helpless smiles.
Mrs. Li sighed, "Who would have thought that these two, who had a falling out at the Fang family's wedding banquet last year, would become friends with Boss Sheng in the blink of an eye, and would go to Sheng Garden to play every now and then."
Mr. Li stroked his beard and smiled, "Boss Sheng is calm, generous and capable. It's a good thing that Xin Hui is friends with her. Xin Hui has become much more sensible this year."
She no longer thinks about emptying her old father's savings, spending lavishly on cosmetics and jewelry, and even knows how to make money and how to increase income and reduce expenditure.
Although it was all in vain and none of the ideas could be put to use, the effort itself was enough.
Mrs. Li nodded, genuinely admiring Sheng An:
“A year ago, Boss Sheng was to attend the banquet as the wife of a scholar, accompanied by Scholar Xu. Now she can attend in her own name. No wealthy family in Qingzhou would forget to send a wedding invitation to Sheng Garden when they have a happy occasion.”
Such a transformation in just one year is something even a man might not be able to achieve, let alone someone as young as Boss Sheng.
Li Xinhui didn't hear her parents' idle chatter. She was talking to Sheng An about the latest popular storybooks and was trying her best to invite Sheng An to go shopping together.
Of course, Sheng An refused. She didn't like shopping and always made a quick purchase, going straight home afterward. She felt that staying even a second longer was disrespectful to time.
Today, guests came to the Ding family in an endless stream to offer their congratulations. Ding Tianci, beaming with joy, was dressed in fine clothes and greeted the guests at the door. His increasingly round face was adorned with a radiant smile, which showed that he was very satisfied with this marriage.
When he saw Sheng An, he took a few steps forward to greet him, showing great enthusiasm and attentiveness.
The other guests were not surprised at all, knowing that it was Sheng An's excellent cooking skills that cured Ding Tianci's nausea.
If it weren't for Sheng An, Ding Tianci's grave would probably be overgrown with weeds by now.
Upon entering the inner courtyard, Sheng An was once again warmly welcomed by Master Ding, who introduced him to many of his business associates, some of whom had come from out of town.
These are all connections; just because you don't need them now doesn't mean you won't need them in the future.
For today's engagement banquet, Master Ding spent a lot of money to hire famous chefs from Qingzhou, including the chef and owner of Zuixianlou Restaurant.
Actually, Master Ding would prefer to hire Sheng An, but Sheng An was Ding Tianci's benefactor and a distinguished guest of the Ding family. Master Ding was too embarrassed to let her cook and endure the fumes.
Whether it was because Master Ding gave too much or the chefs' skills had improved, every dish at today's banquet was exquisite and delicious.
Not to mention the guests, even Sheng An, who is also a chef, was extremely satisfied with the meal.
Master Ding felt honored and publicly rewarded the chefs with a thousand taels of silver, displaying his wealth and generosity, which made Sheng An extremely envious.
After the guests had eaten and drunk their fill, they left one after another. Sheng An said goodbye to the Ding family and rode away on his own horse.
Seeing that it was still early, she rode her horse to the bamboo weaving workshop.
Zhang Zhaodi is nearly six months pregnant. Her originally slender figure has changed drastically. Her oval face has become a small round face, and her belly has bulged out like half a watermelon.
When Sheng An arrived at the workshop, Zhang Zhaodi was enjoying a bowl of peeled chestnuts, while Zhang Daikui sat beside her, grinning foolishly.
Seeing this, Sheng An smiled and stepped forward to gently touch her best friend's belly: "Is the baby being good? Will it be fussy tonight?"
Zhang Zhaodi's face glowed with maternal tenderness as she looked down at her belly and smiled, "It's a good baby, it should be a girl."
Zhang Daikui nodded repeatedly: "Good girl, good girl. Your parents have no daughter, so they must cherish you like the apple of their eye."
The fact that they didn't have a daughter was a regret for Xu Cuilian and her husband for many years. They hoped that their son's generation would be more productive and give them a few granddaughters.
Therefore, Zhang Zhaodi did not feel pressured to have a boy in this pregnancy.
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