Chapter 116 It’s time to send New Year gifts again (two chapters in one, 4000 words)
The drawings revealed corruption and led to the arrest of several Liaoxia spies. Zhao Lan was so young and had achieved such results right after taking over. Before the annual holiday, the emperor summoned the Prince of Jin and his son, and the old emperor praised Zhao Lan a lot.
"I remember that Zijin was weak and sickly since childhood, but I didn't expect that he would be so vigorous and resolute in doing things. He really pleases me!"
The Prince of Jin was afraid that his son could not bear the praise, so he quickly said modestly on his son's behalf, "Every time this child is weak, His Majesty either sympathizes with him or rewards him with the best tonic. Now it is my duty to do something small for His Majesty."
The old emperor Chengxi nodded, "Come here——"
The old eunuch quickly came to the emperor's side and said, "Your servant is here..."
"reward."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Back at the Jin Palace, the Jin prince, who had always supported his youngest son, was not very happy. The Jin princess, who had always complained that her son had taken on such a low-profile job, was very happy. She surrounded her son and called him her darling, "Lan'er is really capable."
King Jin raised his eyelids and looked at his old wife, "You..."
"What do you mean by "I"? My son is capable and it's a great honor for him as a mother. What's the big deal?" The usually dignified and steady Princess Jin wanted to show off her son's ability to everyone at this moment. She was rewarded by the emperor for working at such a young age.
King Jin shook his head and glanced at his son.
Zhao Lan glanced back.
The father and son seemed to have communicated and understood each other.
King Jin nodded, "Just keep it in mind."
This year, not only did the Fan Mansion return a generous gift, but even the Jin Palace also returned a gift, and it was personally delivered by the housekeeper who served the princess. "Our princess said that she thanked Dr. Su for his teaching, and thanked the Su family for the delicious food that whetted the little prince's appetite. Next spring, there will be a flower show at the palace, and please bring the children to appreciate the flowers."
Are you moving now?
For the Su couple, who are so socially anxious that they wish they could just close the door and live their lives in seclusion, although they know what the olive branch thrown by the palace means, their nervousness and uneasiness are also real.
Su Ruojin was the calmest. She explained to her parents, "Dad's future in the Imperial College and our family's business both need someone to protect us. The Princess of Jin let us into the palace, which is a clear statement. We are protected by the Jin Palace. You don't have to socialize. When the time comes, we just go and greet like everyone else, then hide among the many guests. It will be over in half a day at most."
"that's all?"
"Yes, there were many guests that day. If the Jin Wangfei and her husband were to receive a couple of minor officials like my parents, they would be exhausted to death."
Cheng Yingzhen threatened her daughter, "It's New Year's Day, don't say anything nonsense."
Su Ruojin grinned, "Anyway, don't worry. Even if someone comes to chat with you, Sanlang and I will help you deal with it."
Children are just making a lot of noise and most of the day is gone.
Su Yanli and his wife were finally calmed down by their daughter's persuasion.
Suddenly, Cheng Yingzhen started to ask again, "What about the annual gift from the Bo's Mansion?"
"Then Uncle Shutong will deliver them. If they want to accept them, they can accept them. If they don't want to accept them, they can ask Uncle Shutong to take them back."
Su Yanli pondered for a moment, "Let me go with Shu Tong, and you don't have to go, Zhen. I can find an excuse and say it's inconvenient for you."
"What if they give you a hard time?"
"No matter how difficult it is, I am now the teacher of the young prince. They should give face to the Buddha instead of the monk."
Hey! It seems that the little prince is indeed the great god of the Su family. It seems that I should show more respect to the great god in the future.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Su Yanli took Shu Tong to his father-in-law's house to deliver festival gifts. They arrived early, and by then, the other sons-in-law had not arrived yet. Cheng Zhaolin did not act like the arrogant father-in-law he always did, and ignored the sons-in-law who had not gained any benefits.
This year he stared at this son-in-law, a young Beijing official, with a complicated expression. Was it really him who asked Prince Wei to break Baotai's legs?
Knowing that his father-in-law's gaze could kill people, Su Yanli still looked magnanimous. When his eyes met Cheng Zhaolin's, he nodded, acting nonchalant. Even if you asked Cheng Baotai about his leg, he would never admit it.
Of course, he really didn't know why Prince Wei broke Cheng Baotai's leg.
It was not until several sons-in-law arrived and distracted Cheng Zhaolin that Su Yanli found an opportunity to return home.
After he left, Cheng Wan gritted her teeth and said, "Didn't you say you were going to break his legs? Are you going to let him go just like that?"
Whether his legs were broken or not is another matter, but Cheng Zhaolin did want to beat him up. However, this eighth-rank son-in-law came up and said that the gifts he brought this year included a return gift from the Prince of Jin's Mansion. He also hinted that they would visit the Prince of Jin's Mansion after the New Year. If he broke his legs, the Prince of Jin's Mansion would ask his father to kick him out of the Earl's Mansion.
"Is this all I have to do?"
"What if he doesn't swallow it?" Cheng Zhaolin asked, "Is your son useful, or is there a son-in-law who can suppress him?"
Cheng Wanshi: "Yinglan's son-in-law is a deputy minister of the Ministry of War, a fifth-rank official, so why can't he be superior to her?"
Cheng Zhaolin looked at his young son-in-law who was about the same age as him. If this oily old man could stand up for his son, he would have done it long ago. Why did he wait until today?
"Then go find him."
Cheng Wanshi really went to look for him, but just when she was about to ask the maid to call someone over, the old son-in-law put down his teacup and said goodbye: "The gift from the Minister of War has not been delivered yet, I have to go and deliver the gift. If there is any mistake in the annual gift, I may not be able to wear the hat of the fifth-rank official next year."
Cheng Wanshi: ...I almost vomited blood.
Cheng Yuzhu sat aside, watching coldly as people left and the tea got cold.
Su Yanli returned home as if he had survived a catastrophe. The whole family, young and old, immediately surrounded him, "Sir, how is it?"
He was really scared, but Su Yanli was the man of the family. Even if he was nervous and scared, he didn't show it on his face. He said calmly, "My father-in-law probably knows that my brother-in-law's leg is related to us. His eyes really looked like he wanted to kill me."
Su Ruojin frowned: "The descendants of the Bo family can't be so ignorant, they actually want to break the legs of an official appointed by the court, don't they want to get married?"
"The Dayin Dynasty values filial piety. If he can suppress it with the word filial piety, this kind of thing is not impossible."
"You really dare?" Su Ruojin was speechless.
Su Yanli saw his daughter's worried look and smiled, "Fortunately, I listened to you and used the return gift from Prince Jin's Mansion and the Chunhua Club to calm their minds."
"If only there was some way to escape this abnormal relationship."
"Your mother is indeed his daughter, there is no way to change that."
So it has to be like this forever? Doesn't that mean we have to cling to the great master's thighs all the time, or else we'll be bitten back by the Cheng family if we're not careful?
Although the affairs of the Cheng family are upsetting, life must go on as usual.
The Chinese New Year was approaching and the business of Su's shop had come to a halt. The Feng family took the money they earned and returned to their hometown to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Su Ruojin asked Mother Dong and Xianggui to move back to the Su family to celebrate the Chinese New Year together.
He also invited Hua Ping to come over and clean up the utility room at the edge of the kitchen. "Uncle Hua, you don't mind, do you?"
Hua Ping glanced at the young lady and said, "When you move to a bigger yard in the future, you must reserve a separate room for me."
Su Ruojin quickly assured, "Of course, of course."
Life was easy and there were many servants in the house. During the New Year, the Su family would set up two large tables every day, with all kinds of dishes filling the tables, and it was very lively.
During the first month of the year, Su Yanli had to visit Lord Fan, the chief priest, and the secretary to wish them a happy new year, and he also had to interact with his colleagues, so he was quite busy.
This year, when Su Yanli went to Lord Fan's house, he brought his wife and children with him. This was what Lord Fan had asked him to do when he sent the New Year gifts last year, that he must bring the children along.
On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the Su family dressed up and went to the Fan family together.
Lord Fan and his wife received the Su family in the main hall.
Wealth nourishes people. The Su family has gone from being impoverished and lifeless to being prosperous and glorious now. When they stand in front of people, at first glance, they really look like they were raised in a royal and aristocratic family.
There is no need to talk about Su Yanli. He was appreciated by Lord Fan just because of his good looks and talent. He wore a jade hairpin on his head, a brocade robe, deerskin boots, and bowed his hands in greeting. He was as graceful as jade and walked as graceful as the moon. He was really pleasing to the eyes.
Mrs. Fan thought to herself, he is really attractive. If I had a daughter, I would also like to have him as my son-in-law.
Mrs. Fan glanced at his wife Cheng Yingzhen. She heard that she came from the Bo's Mansion, so why was she so timid and petty? Fortunately, her dress and appearance were acceptable. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Dr. Su.
When her eyes suddenly jumped to Su Dalang, Su Ruojin and other children, Mrs. Fan's brows moved. These children all looked like they had walked out of the New Year pictures. They were all fair and tender, with chubby little faces. It was obvious that they were pampered and raised in luxury.
"Ajin, come to your aunt."
Uh... haven't we met twice! Mrs. Fan's familiar and intimate tone made Su Ruojin a little uncomfortable, but she smiled sweetly, walked up to Mrs. Fan and bowed, "Ajin greets Madam, I wish Madam a healthy and happy new year."
"Oh, look at this little mouth that can really talk." Mrs. Fan reached out and took the little jade baby into her arms. "How did Dr. Su raise it? It looks just like the dolls in the New Year pictures."
How to raise a child? Just one word: "love". If a child gets enough love from parents, even an ordinary-looking person can be raised to be beautiful. This has been tested by experts. If a couple loves each other, they can also nourish each other to become kind and beautiful.
How does that saying come about? Appearance is determined by the heart. And how does the heart get nourishment? It is given by all kinds of love around.
The husband and wife love each other, the parents love their children, and the Su family is harmonious, forming a loving feng shui love. Aren’t they all beautiful and lovable?
Mrs. Fan loves Su Ruojin.
Master Fan was interested in Su Dalang, so he called him over and asked him a few questions. Su Dalang answered smoothly and calmly, which made Master Fan smile and nod, "Yuzhi taught you well!"
"Your Excellency, you are too kind." Su Yanli said modestly.
"What do you consider for the eldest son?"
"We plan to send it to Dongshan Academy after the first month of the lunar year."
Lord Fan said, "How about I write a letter of recommendation and let him enter the Imperial College directly."
Su Dalang first raised his hands and declined politely, "Thank you, sir. I want to experience the life in the academy, interact with different people, and then pass the entrance examination to the Imperial College from the academy with my own ability."
Lord Fan nodded in appreciation: "Not bad, not bad, you have ambition." Then he glanced at his youngest son who was sitting on the side entertaining guests.
Fan Yanjia: ...When you sit on the sidelines, the pressure comes from your father’s eyes.
Mrs. Fan did not ignore Mrs. Su and deliberately found a topic to talk about. As a result, Mrs. Su was not as good as her daughter. She answered each question and was very frugal with her words.
Mrs. Fan: ...Are these smart children all trained by Dr. Su?
Su Ruojin quickly explained to her mother, "Although my mother is not good at speaking, she likes reading very much. If we don't understand something, we always ask her for help."
It turns out that she is a talented person. Such people are more stable. Mrs. Fan praised Mrs. Su with a smile.
Actually, Cheng Yingzhen didn't like reading very much, but she listened to her husband in everything. Her husband asked her to read, so she would flip through a few pages every day. However, she was definitely not like her daughter who said that she became knowledgeable and well-mannered by reading books.
she:……
One is appreciation, the other is respect.
The two families got along quite harmoniously, and the Fan family even prepared a sumptuous lunch as a treat. Su Ruojin thought that most officials probably didn't get such treatment when they came here, and that her father and Lord Fan seemed to get along quite well.
After all, Lord Fan was a third-rank official and many people visited him. Not long after lunch, Su Yanli left the Fan Mansion with his wife and children.
Mrs. Fan praised him in front of Lord Fan, "I didn't expect that Dr. Su was so good at raising his wife and children. He raised them to be delicate but not spoiled. If I didn't know them well, I would have thought they came from a wealthy family."
Lord Fan was happy, "That's right, I'm always right in judging people."
Mrs. Fan glanced at him and started to show off again.
Fan Yanjia looked excited, "I just told Ah Jin that I will go to their house in a couple of days and she will make delicious food for me."
Mrs. Fan: ...
She thought her son went to Dr. Su's house to ask for advice, but ended up going there to eat and have fun. She was sure that the Su family would raise their child, but now she began to doubt, wondering if she would lead her son to become a foodie and never come back.
Mr. Fan’s family is kind and friendly, and the Su family is also happy to go home.
Su Sanlang chirped, "Dad, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there will be a lantern festival. Master Fan invited us to his lantern shed to enjoy the lanterns."
After the Chinese New Year, Su Sanlang was five years old and could go to the lantern festival with his parents. He was very excited.
"Well, I'll take you with me then." Su Yanli said with a smile, "Ah Zhen, let's bring Xiao Silang with us this year, and go to see the lanterns together as a family."
Of course Cheng Yingzhen also wanted to go, "With so many people in our family, will it be troublesome?"
Su Yanli said, "It doesn't matter. We are mainly here to visit the Lantern Festival. We will just sit for a while until we get tired."
"oh."
Fan Yanxi and Zhao Lan came to Su Yan on the morning of the fourth day of the New Year to pray for the New Year, but they left after just a short while.
On the tenth day, the two of them came together, and it was obvious that they were here to eat for free.
We have long been tired of eating big fish and meat during the Chinese New Year, so Su Ruojin cooked Huaiyang cuisine, which is full of soups, light and appetizing. There are steamed lion head, boiled dried shredded pork, minced meat and whitebait soup, Wensi tofu, squirrel mandarin fish, etc. The main theme is light. At the end, have a bowl of Yangzhou fried rice, which is full and not greasy.
It really suits the taste of the two young boys.
Zhao Lan particularly likes the lion's head wrapped in glutinous rice. Shuangrui even privately finds Su Ruojin and asks if she has any left, so he can take some back home to steam.
Su Ruojin nodded and gave Shuangrui the recipe for the dish. This was a dish that the great god liked, so of course she had to serve it to him quickly.
(End of this chapter)
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