Chapter 81 She Really Doesn't Need to Spend Money to Buy It
When it was time for dinner, bursts of fragrance came from the kitchen of Zhu's house.
Mr. Zhu was sitting at the very top, talking to Pei Yue beside him.
After a while, Du Lanfang brought Zhu Chao over. Zhu Hongming was not there as he had been out for the past few days.
Xiao Zhu Chao has grown a little taller, with a small bun on her head and a pair of big, smart eyes.
"Grandfather, Grandfather, look at what Chaoer just caught in the yard!"
Xiao Zhu Chao skipped to Zhu Yuanou's side, respectfully said "Hello, auntie" to Pei Yue beside him, then carefully spread out his palm, which contained a grasshopper.
Zhu Yuanou was smiling lovingly when he saw Zhu Chao, but when he saw the grasshopper, the smile on his face disappeared immediately.
Du Lanfang saw that Mr. Zhu looked unhappy, so he quickly pulled Zhu Chao over and scolded him:
"What's going on? I've told you so many times that learning is endless and you can't slack off even if you've finished your homework!
With the time you spend catching grasshoppers, can't you recite a couple more poems?"
While scolding, he secretly observed Mr. Zhu's expression.
Upon hearing that Zhu Chao had finished his homework, Zhu Yuanou's expression looked a little better.
"I hope Chaoer can be as successful as his elder sister when he grows up." Zhu Yuanou said casually, and then asked everyone to eat.
Du Lanfang agreed verbally but rolled his eyes secretly.
Didn't Sister Lan just pass the examination and become a student last year?
This is such a great achievement that the old man talks about it all day long as if it were a treasure.
That girl is so stupid and dumb, but she was able to pass the exam. Then when she grows up, won’t it be easy for her to become the top scholar?
After having a good meal and a few drinks, we always have to chat for a while.
Du Lanfang wiped his mouth gently with a handkerchief, took out a small gadget that looked like a square tube, unscrewed one end, and rotated it twice.
A piece of red stuff was spun out, and Du Lanfang smeared it on her lips. The lips that had had the color rubbed off during the meal became tender and juicy again.
She applied the paint slowly, even a little exaggeratedly, deliberately revealing the pattern of the double jade bracelets on the square tube.
Zhu Yuanou looked at it curiously and asked her what it was.
Du Lanfen had been waiting for this and quickly explained that this was the latest lipstick launched by Xianglaier.
"Lip balm?" Zhu Yuanou looked confused.
Although he didn't know much about the things women used, he knew that lip balm was in the form of paper-like sheets and had to be patted with the lips when used.
This is the first time I’ve seen it grow like this. It looks like a small stick.
"This is the most popular thing in Jiangzhou City now. Look, isn't it very convenient to carry this little thing with you?"
Du Lanfang glanced at Pei Yue as if to show off, but found that the other party was drinking soup with a calm expression.
Zhu Yuanou said "Oh" and nodded, thinking that he was really getting old and couldn't keep up with the times.
Du Lanfang smiled and said, "Ah, Hongming loves me. He waited in line for a long time at Xianglaier that day before buying this for me."
"Sister-in-law, I'm afraid you haven't used it yet? Well, my eldest brother has been gone for so many years...
Let’s put it this way. If my sister-in-law doesn’t mind, I will give this one to her when the new color of Chanel comes out in a few days.
Women, be nice to yourself."
Pei Yue raised her calm eyes and said with a polite smile: "Thank you, but you're welcome."
She is the largest shareholder of Xianglaier, and even the deed to the shop belongs to her.
What's so special about the things in your shop?
Du Lanfang thought Pei Yue was being stubborn and trying to save face, so he said "considerately":
"Don't be embarrassed, sister-in-law. This lipstick is not expensive, only one or two taels of silver."
Zhu Yuanou put down his chopsticks heavily.
"One tael of silver, isn't that expensive? Haha, Hongming is really generous to you. I thought Chao'er was not doing his job properly, and it turned out that the upper beam was not straight and the lower beam was crooked!"
Du Lanfang didn't expect that his words would annoy Zhu Yuanou. He was anxious and didn't know how to explain.
Unexpectedly, Pei Yue actually spoke up to help her out.
"Dad, don't be angry. My sister-in-law's lip balm has already been upgraded. I bought the old one, which only cost three hundred coins."
Du Lanfang: ???
Three hundred coins?
Zhu Hongming came back and told her that he had spent one or two taels of silver!
When he heard that it was only three hundred coins, Zhu Yuanou's anger subsided a little. Then he asked Pei Yue if she knew so much about it and often bought Xianglaier's things?
Pei Yue shook her head.
She really doesn't have to spend money on it.
"Alas." Zhu Yuanou sighed, "Don't blame Dad for being harsh on you. You know the current situation of our family. Save as much as you can."
Then he turned to Pei Yue, "By the way, isn't it time to start preparing for Lan'er's coming-of-age ceremony?"
"No rush, there are still two months left." Pei Yue said.
Zhu Yuanou's tone was somewhat reproachful, "As a mother, you should stop being so vague all the time and pay more attention to your daughter's affairs."
Pei Yue nodded in agreement.
"The coming-of-age ceremony is a big event, so we should prepare for it as soon as possible. As for the expenses..."
Zhu Yuanou frowned and thought for a long time before continuing, "It's almost time to collect rent for the few acres of land outside the city. Go and collect as much as you can in the next few days.
Lan'er is the hope of our Zhu family. No matter how difficult it is, this coming-of-age ceremony must be held in a grand manner!"
Du Lanfang felt very uncomfortable when he heard this.
Now that Zhu Lan has regained the favor of Mr. Zhu, his position as the second wife is in jeopardy.
If Pei Yue is allowed to handle the coming-of-age ceremony, wouldn't the old man be so happy that he would let her take charge of the entire Zhu family's finances in the future?
Wouldn't that mean there would be no chance for my family to turn things around?
…
Jiangzhou City, Chen Mansion.
The Chen family is well-known in Jiangzhou City. They are a family of scholars and have abundant wealth.
Mr. Chen and his wife have two sons. The eldest son is an official, and the second son is Chen Ziming.
This time when he went home, Chen Ziming finally put down his chopsticks and said softly, "I heard my mother talking about my marriage again.
"Mother, my son actually, actually... already has someone he loves."
"Oh?" Mrs. Chen was a little surprised. "Whose girl is she?"
"Her surname is Zhu and her name is Qingyan. She is my junior sister at Longchang Academy. Her father died early, and now she lives in Jiangzhou City with her mother Su."
Mrs. Chen said "Oh" and then asked about her character, appearance and family background.
"He has a gentle temperament, good looks, and a family background..." Chen Ziming thought for a moment and whispered, "He is not from an official or wealthy family."
Madam Chen nodded. "Your brother is already engaged to the daughter of the Qingzhou prefect. If you marry someone powerful, I'm afraid it will be difficult to control her. Even if her family is poor, as long as she is obedient, our Chen family is rich and powerful, and we can afford to support her."
"Mother is right." Chen Ziming said filially.
Mrs. Chen also suggested finding a day for Chen Ziming to bring Zhu Qingyan home to meet him.
Chen Ziming looked embarrassed, after all, Zhu Qingyan still had more than half a year to go before she reached the age of marriage.
"As long as she is a girl from an honest family, she can come to the mansion first to learn the rules, and then the coming-of-age ceremony and engagement banquet will be held together."
"Yes, it's all up to my mother."
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