Chapter 283 Anxiety
After the Su family had discussed it, they began to prepare to return to Beijing to hold the engagement ceremony.
While the Su family was busy, Shangguan Yu also returned to the private school. What he didn't expect was that Miss Zhong, who came back with the Su family, came to him every day to practice calligraphy.
This puzzled him. After living in the farmhouse for a while, he learned that Miss Zhong was the niece of General Ning and the eldest daughter of the Zhong family, the Minister of Rites.
Normally, a young lady from a family like this should stay in the boudoir and should not show her face in public. However, after seeing young ladies like Su Ruojin and Ningning traveling and doing things like men, Shangguan Yu was not pedantic and gladly arranged for the young ladies to attend a private school. However, the young ladies refused and insisted on staying in his teaching office, sitting at his desk and practicing calligraphy.
The young lady's behavior not only confused Shangguan Yu, but also confused the maids and nannies who followed her. Could it be that the young lady was not pestering Madam Su Er, but her real purpose was for Mr. Shangguan?
The housekeeper realized that something was wrong and sent a servant back to the capital to report the situation after the eldest daughter stepped into the Weizhou private school again.
Miss Zhong went to the private school happily every day and came back happily.
Su Ruojin couldn't bear to watch, but she still had to say what she had to say: "I'm going back to the capital, Aunt Pang, pack up, and we'll go back to the capital together tomorrow."
The words were spoken to the nanny, but this time the young lady seemed to be no longer autistic. She immediately shook her head at Su Ruojin, "I... I won't go back."
"You're not clinging to me anymore?"
The young lady lowered her head when Su Ruojin asked her back, and scratched her hands habitually.
The simpler a person is, the more persistent they are about the things they believe in, because they cannot think about whether the thing itself is good or bad, or whether it will cause trouble to others. Anyway, as long as they are determined to achieve their goal, it's fine.
Of course Su Ruojin knew, but she had to ask, because living in her house was her responsibility.
"Mammy, tomorrow morning we will go together..."
Before Su Ruojin could finish her words, the young lady screamed as if she was stimulated and ran outside.
"Hui Niang...Hui Niang..."
Nanny Pang hurriedly caught up.
The eldest maid Qiao Qiao bowed and said, "Madam Su Er, I'm sorry, I will go after my wife first."
Then, two guards followed.
The maids and old women staying in the Su family looked at each other, and for a moment, they were at a loss. They knew that the mistress of the house meant to let Hui Niang marry into the Su family and become a daughter-in-law of the Su family because the Su family was nice.
After school, Shangguan Yu returned to the small courtyard he bought. In addition to Qiushan, there was also an old woman named Lu who was in charge of cooking and housework. When he arrived home, dinner was already cooked and was waiting for the host to come back and serve it to the living room.
There is also a dog and a cat in the yard. When the two little guys see their owner coming back, they all stick to his legs to please him. Shangguan Yu will share the leftover bones or half a steamed bun from lunch with them.
The two little guys continued eating, wagging their tails and enjoying themselves.
Mrs. Lu smiled and said, "Sir, the weather is getting cold. Come and eat quickly, or the food will get cold."
She brought warm water and asked her master to wash.
Shangguan Yu reached out to take the towel basin, put it on the washstand, washed up slowly, and sat down at the table.
Tonight's dinner was placed on the small eight-immortals table: a small bowl of rice, a plate of mapo tofu, a plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers, a plate of stir-fried beans, and a bowl of winter melon, black fungus and pork ribs soup.
Three dishes and one soup, including meat and vegetables, soup and water.
"It's too rich." Shangguan Yu said, "Keep it simple next time. One soup and one dish will be enough."
Mrs. Lu laughed and said, "That won't do. Madam Su said that you are weak and must have both meat and vegetables, soup and water for every meal, otherwise you will suffer when you get old."
Shangguan Yu laughed and shook his head. Wandering in a foreign land and being cared for by others is also a kind of happiness!
He picked up chopsticks and prepared to eat.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the courtyard door.
Akiyama, who was also preparing to eat, called out in dissatisfaction, "Who is it?" It was already evening and time for dinner, so why did someone come? He went to open the door angrily.
As soon as the door opened, he was pushed aside by a force. Just as he was about to reach out to push someone out, he realized it was Miss Zhong.
"Hey... Hey... What are you doing here so late at night? How did you know that the young master lives here?"
Shangguan Yu liked quietness. Although he was gentle and approachable, all the children in the private school liked him. He also liked children, but it was rare for him to bring them home.
Unexpectedly, a young lady from a wealthy family rushed in and quickly chased after him.
Shangguan Yu had not expected that Miss Zhong would find his home. He was just wondering how the young lady found his home when a servant from the private school said helplessly, "The young lady insisted on knowing, and was very fierce, so..."
Seeing Master Shangguan's face darken, the servant turned around and quickly slipped away.
When Zhong Wanhui saw Shangguan Yu, she instantly became quiet, as if the person who was running and making noise hysterically just now was not just one person.
She saw that Shangguan Yu didn't say anything, just lowered his head and picked his hands, his eyes drifting to the fragrant food from time to time.
Shangguan Yu was obviously angry when his peace was broken, but he knew that this young lady was different from ordinary people. Her intelligence was only that of a six or seven-year-old child. She was not a real young lady at all.
When Madam Pang saw Mr. Shangguan standing at the entrance hall with a sullen face and not greeting her daughter Hui Niang, she suddenly relaxed her guard. Her daughter had gone on a hunger strike in order to get close to Second Madam Su and almost lost her life. Now it seems that she was not trying to get close to Second Madam Su, but clearly liked Mr. Shangguan!
Do you like Mr. Shangguan?
Realizing what she was thinking, Aunt Pang's heart started beating fast with fear. How could a young master with such low intelligence know how to like a man?
The evening breeze blows and the autumn air becomes cooler.
When Su Ruojin found Shangguanyu's courtyard, the oil lamp had already been lit.
For fear that the dinner would get cold due to the wind, both the courtyard door and the living room door were closed.
When Qiu Shan opened the door to the living room, Shangguan Yu and Zhong Wanhui were sitting face to face at the eight-immortals table, eating dinner.
Quiet and gentle.
Just like a family.
When Zhong Wanhui saw Su Ruojin, she panicked and immediately dropped her chopsticks. She stood next to Shangguan Yu and used his body to shield herself.
This action is so familiar! Isn't this the action she always used to stick to me and avoid Zhong Ning's two families?
Suddenly, Su Ruojin understood that she was Zhong Wanhui's tool, and her ultimate goal was to stand by Shangguan Yu's side.
Shangguan Yu shook his head helplessly, "Ajin..." He didn't know what to say.
Su Ruojin didn't know what to say, so she sighed, "Master Shangguan, I'm going back to the capital tomorrow, and I'm going to..."
"I'm not going back."
The answer was crisp and clear, not at all like a mentally retarded and autistic young lady.
Su Ruojin breathed a sigh of relief again.
To be honest, Shangguan Yu is very similar to her father Su Yanli in many ways: appearance, personality, character, and the romantic temperament of being indifferent to fame and wealth. Standing here, she looks like a poetic otaku.
She is the ideal type for most women. Even if she is not very intelligent, she can still find the man of her dreams through instinct.
But after experiencing the vicissitudes of life, does Shangguan Yu still have the ability to love?
She doesn't know.
Su Ruojin spread her hands and said, "Master Shangguan, don't worry. I'll ask the Zhong family to pick us up when we get back to the capital."
"I won't go back, even if I die." The young lady suddenly went crazy and pushed her wet nurse, Nanny Pang, out, and even the maid Qiao Qiao and the two guards were not spared.
It was so hysterical that all the neighbors came out with lights to see what was going on.
Su Ruojin waved her hands and said, "It's okay... It's okay... I'm not familiar with the dog in my husband's house, it will bite me when it sees me."
The neighbor laughed and said, "The sir's dog is very fierce." After that, he stopped laughing at the joke of the county magistrate's daughter.
They couldn't wait to admire such a good county magistrate, and they certainly didn't want to bear to watch him make a fool of himself.
After making a fuss for a while, Zhong Wanhui finally calmed down until Shangguan Yu came over to comfort her. She even finished her half-finished dinner.
"Mr. Shangguan, look..."
Shangguan Yu waved his hand tiredly, "You go back first."
The two looked at each other.
Su Ruojin understood that this was to wait for her to go to the capital to call the young lady's family and ask them to take the young lady back.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
After the matchmaking is successful, the man chooses an auspicious time to give the woman the betrothal gifts, which is the engagement. When the engagement is made, a large notice is posted, which contains the marriage certificate and the gift money list. When the engagement is made, the man first gives half of the gift money on the gift list, and then pays the remaining half on the wedding day.
On the day of engagement, both parties will invite relatives and friends to dinner, but no gifts are required, the purpose is just to send blessings to the newlyweds.
On the second day, Cheng Yingzhen and her friends returned to Beijing first, leaving only Cheng Yanli to work in the county government office.
After a day and a half of trekking, the Su family returned to their new home in Beijing.
"I've been back to the capital several times this year."
My uncle got married in March, Zhao Lan had his coming-of-age ceremony in June, and now the engagement ceremony is in September.
Quite a few times indeed.
Engagement is not marriage, so the Su family doesn’t have much to prepare now.
Su Ruojin is still four years away from getting married, so she has written a list of her dowry, but she is not in a hurry to prepare it all. There is plenty of time, so she can just prepare it slowly.
Su Yanli doesn't have many relatives, friends, or colleagues, so there aren't many banquets at the Su family, but Cheng Yingzhen is still nervous.
"It would be great if Madam Yang was here. With her help, I might not be so nervous."
When Su Ruojin heard this for the first time, she was still in a daze, as if it was just yesterday that she was neighbors with Madam Yang, Lord Xue and others, but in the blink of an eye, everything and everyone has changed.
Su Ruojin sighed, "I wonder how Aunt Yang and Si Niang are doing?"
In order to avoid Yang Jingzi, Mrs. Yang and her family have changed their identities and they don't know if they will ever meet again in this life.
"Mother..." Su Ruojin hugged her mother, "It's the same as having Madam Fan to help."
Mrs. Fan is now the wife of the Shangshu, so Cheng Yingzhen was really scared, but her daughter comforted her, so she had no choice but to be strong.
On the second day, my uncle Su Yanzu was the first to come to the door, "Sister-in-law, Jin, please let me handle the affairs of my brother's colleagues and friends."
"Thanks a lot, uncle." Cheng Yingzhen thanked him.
The second person to come was Lord Xue.
"Mrs. Su, Ah Jin, please leave the matter of the old neighbors to me."
Seeing Lord Xue, Su Ruojin was quite friendly, "Thank you very much, Uncle Xue."
"Ajin, don't be polite to me."
Because of his good relationship with the Su family, Xue Changcheng took advantage of Su Yanli and was taken care of by Lord Fan once or twice. Don't underestimate these one or two times, because of this, he is now a Langzhong of the Ministry of Works (fifth rank), which means he has joined the ranks of high-ranking officials in the capital.
"Uncle Xue, you guys have moved, right?"
"Thanks to Ajin, my family moved to this alley, just across the street."
Su Ruojin gave a thumbs up, "Uncle Xue is awesome."
Xue Changcheng smiled proudly, "I can't help it, it's just because I got lucky!"
When they lived in the same alley before, Su Yanli said that his daughter was a lucky star. He heard this and felt proud too. In fact, because of his young lady, Xue Changcheng was not only good at general affairs, but also had a sense of presence in front of Zhao Lan. Therefore, after the new emperor ascended the throne, he finally seized the opportunity for promotion in the Ministry of Works, and he finally became a doctor in the Ministry of Works - a fifth-rank official.
This is four levels higher than Su Yanli, a seventh-rank county official.
But he knew that Su Yanli was not only the brother of the Prince Consort, but also had a son-in-law who was a young prince. As long as he wanted and his political achievements were good enough, it was only a matter of time for him to rise to a high position. Therefore, his relationship with the Su family would only get better and better.
There is a saying that goes: Those who are blessed don’t have to worry, while those who are unblessed have to work themselves to death.
It seems that Su Yanli and his wife were born to enjoy happiness.
Their daughter was clearly engaged and Su Yanli was busy with his job, so Cheng Yingzhen was panicking and didn't know where to start. Then Mrs. Fan arrived, bringing her second daughter-in-law with her. She taught her hand-in-hand for three days and got things sorted out.
With the process in place, Cheng Yingzhen doesn't have to be busy. Her good son-in-law provides her with manpower to do everything neatly.
Then the mistress of the house, Cheng Yingzhen, sat there and listened to the housekeeper nanny coming to report. It was called a report, but in fact it was a disguised way of telling the mistress of the house that the ingredients, cooks, servants, drinks... and so on for the banquet were all taken care of.
Cheng Yingzhen: Is it that simple?
Su Ruojin smiled and hugged her mother, "Mom, it's easier to get things done with money."
Cheng Yingzhen glared at her daughter, "Can you hire Madam Fan if you have money?"
"That can't be helped. Minister Fan admires my father. If he didn't have so many sons, he would probably have adopted him as his adopted son."
"You are just talking nonsense, kid."
"Hehe." Su Ruojin smiled playfully, "Mom, you are not anxious now, right?"
“Hey!”
What is there to worry about? She has the money and connections, and even the Shangshu's wife is willing to teach her. She really doesn't need to worry.
After thinking about it, I felt something was wrong, "How are we going to repay Mrs. Fan's favor in the future?"
"We will be together for a long time in the future, and there will always be a time to repay you." Su Ruojin didn't care.
Cheng Yingzhen was enlightened by her daughter and said, "That's right."
After Su Ruojin finished chatting with her mother, she left the main courtyard and prepared to return to her own courtyard. Mao Ya stood there without moving, pointing at Su Yanli's study.
"Uncle is looking for me?"
"Prince Su will be back in the afternoon."
Su Ruojin's eyebrows twitched and she hurried over.
Zhao Lan heard footsteps, put down the book, stood up and opened his arms.
The young lady flew into his arms like a swallow, "Brother Jin, why are you here?"
Zhao Lan hugged the young lady. It had only been a short time, but it seemed like years. He missed her very much. "Ajin, how are you? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, it's fine."
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