Chapter 260 Visiting Zhong Wanhui
Cheng Yingzhen smiled sheepishly, "Women are all like this after having many children." It's a journey that every woman has to go through, and she didn't take it seriously, "Now I've learned a lot, and when you get married, I'll definitely be able to handle it with ease."
Su Ruojin helped her sit on the bed with concern, rubbing her waist and back, "Mom, we still have several years before we get married, don't be in a hurry."
Cheng Yingzhen smiled and said, "This is an opportunity."
Speaking of this, Su Ruojin reminded, "Mother, when you went to visit the Prince Consort's Mansion this time, did you notice that several ladies from the Duke of Ning's Mansion came to greet you? Do you remember?"
"Of course I remember." Because her daughter will marry into Prince Jin's Mansion in the future, she will benefit from it. This time when she attended her brother-in-law's wedding, many people came to greet her. From being flustered in the beginning to responding appropriately now, she finally became as dignified and calm as those ladies in charge that she once envied.
Mother had been immersed in the social experience. Su Ruojin was both relieved and helpless. She reminded her again, "Mother, there was an aunt from the Ning family who brought the young lady to chat with you for a long time. You have an impression, right?"
"More than just an impression, I remember it very clearly. The lady was kind and the young lady was gentle. If your brother were to marry such a young lady in the future, I would wake up laughing in my dreams."
Cheng Yingzhen has a gentle personality, so it is natural for her to hope that her future daughter-in-law will also be gentle. However, Su Ruojin hopes that her future sister-in-law will have a stronger personality. After all, she is the eldest daughter-in-law and will be the head of the family. It is not good for her to be too weak.
Seeing that her daughter didn't say anything, Cheng Yingzhen turned around and asked, "Ajin, don't you like this kind of girl?"
"Who doesn't like being gentle and dignified?" Su Ruojin smiled and hugged her mother, "Mom, in this age of matchmaking, you and my dad fell in love at first sight and lived a happy life after marriage. I hope my brother can also marry someone he likes."
Although Cheng Yingzhen now looks like the mistress of the house, she has a husband who supports the family and a daughter who earns money to support the family. She has never been oppressed by worldly fame and social status. She just wants to live a stable life like now. Therefore, she has only one subconscious hope for her future daughter-in-law - that she will be gentle and chaste, and marry into the Su family and live an ordinary and warm life like them.
Su Ruojin has been the head of the family since she was six years old. She certainly knows what this family lacks and what kind of eldest daughter-in-law it needs. The young lady following behind the Ning family's aunt is too docile. She might be okay to be the second daughter-in-law, but she feels it is not appropriate to be her eldest sister-in-law.
So after chatting with her mother, Cheng Yingzhen did not realize why the mother and daughter came to talk to her for a long time. In fact, they just wanted her to take a look at each other first. If the mistress of the house was knowledgeable, she would probably have figured out what the mother and daughter meant. She might be discussing at home whether as the man, she should find an acquaintance to find out whether the young lady has an in-law, and if not, whether she should ask someone to help.
Obviously, Cheng Yingzhen hadn't thought of this at all.
Su Ruojin didn't plan to remind her mother. If her mother remembered, she would stop her tactfully. If her mother didn't remember, then she would just let the matter go.
However, this matter doesn't seem to be so easy to get over.
On the second day, Su Yanli went to visit Minister Fan. Whenever he returned to Beijing, he would visit his benefactor, Lord Fan, and he would habitually bring his eldest son with him.
Su Sanlang and Su Silang were not brought along, as they would have liked to go because the wealthy families were all subject to rules and etiquette.
Su Ruojin laughed. If her younger brothers wanted to go and their father refused to take them, she would help them. Now these two boys were different from their older brother. They had no interest in studying and were very happy when they heard that the Ning Palace invited them to play.
"Haha, at the banquet a few days ago, Brother Qi invited us to his house to play, and sure enough, he posted a message asking us to go. What a brother."
Su Ruojin: ...These two brats, Ning Qilang is much older than them, so why would he look down on these two young boys?
The maid who came to invite the guests from Ningguo Mansion was a well-known maid. She smiled and said, "We know that Madam is going back to Weizhou County with Lord Su, so our old lady specially asked an old servant to bring a carriage to take Madam and your son and daughter there to play for a day."
In the past, Cheng Yingzhen would have instinctively refused, but now, she would deal with it. Since they had brought the carriage here, she had to invite them over.
She glanced at her daughter.
Su Ruojin nodded almost imperceptibly.
She had an idea in mind, and now her daughter confirmed it. Cheng Yingzhen smiled and said, "We are sorry to trouble you, old lady. We will not hesitate to bother you."
"Madam, you are so polite. I will wait outside."
"good."
Cheng Yingzhen and the children packed up and picked out five gifts to take with them.
The grandeur of the Ningguo Mansion was comparable to that of the Prince of Jin's Mansion, which made the mother and son of the Su family secretly gasp in amazement. Fortunately, they had been to more prestigious places such as the Prince of Jin's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion, otherwise they would most likely lose their composure.
Cheng Yingzhen almost couldn't wait, but fortunately she had been in charge for some time and she managed to deal with it calmly. She bowed to Madam Ning, sat down in the guest seat, with a faint smile on her face, looking dignified and elegant.
Old Madam Ning nodded secretly. Although the Cheng Bo Mansion had declined, the Su family was on the rise. She was willing to marry into the family.
She smiled kindly at her seventh grandson who was waiting here and said, "Ahua, take the young men out for a walk."
"Yes, grandma." Ning Hua didn't mind that Su Sanlang and Su Silang were young and was willing to take them out to play.
The old lady smiled and said to Su Ruojin, "Wait a minute, the young ladies at home will come over to play with Ah Jin, don't be anxious."
While the elders were talking, Su Ruojin stood up and bowed, "Old Madam, Ajin is not in a hurry."
Seeing that the young lady was dignified, polite and generous, the old lady smiled and nodded, "Okay."
As they were talking, the young lady's loud laughter came from the doorway, "Grandma, Ning'er is here to greet you."
Ningning was accompanied by several women, some in their twenties or thirties, and some in their thirties or forties. They came in one after another and paid their respects to the old lady according to their seniority.
General Ning had nine children, seven boys and two girls. The first one was a daughter, the eighth was a daughter, and the remaining seven were sons. However, three of the seven sons are no longer alive, having died on the battlefield.
Three of the women were dressed rather plainly, probably the widows of those who died on the battlefield. After paying their respects, they sat quietly aside. The one who kept the atmosphere lively was a woman in her thirties, who was in the middle age among the group of women.
The old lady specially invited them, mother and son, to come over. Su Ruojin immediately thought of what the Ning Mansion was thinking. Just now on the way, she heard from Hua Ping about some of the descendants of the Ningguo Mansion.
General Ning married two wives. His first wife gave birth to four children and later died of illness. His second wife gave birth to five children. Ning Qilang and Ning Balang were both born to his second wife.
In ancient times, there was a very interesting situation. After the wife died, the husband would marry a younger sister, cousin, or the like as the successor. On the surface, it was for the sake of the younger sister's (cousin's) children so that the relatives could treat the children well. In fact, it was just to prevent the good resources from overflowing and letting others get them, especially for a family like the Ningguo Mansion, which the Yue family did not want to hold tightly in their hands.
So General Ning’s second wife was the cousin of his first wife.
Of the three sons who died in the battle, two were born to the first wife and the other was born to the second wife. Regardless of whether it was the first wife or the second wife, their first legitimate sons all died in the battle. In ancient times, the eldest legitimate son had to establish a household, inherit and carry forward the family business.
The mistress of the house now is the second son born to the second wife, who in order of rank is Ning Liulang's wife Yu, and the sister-in-law who is married to the Su family is of course the eldest daughter of the main wife - Zhong Ning.
Mrs. Zhong Ning is about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, and her daughter looks to be fourteen or fifteen years old. Logically speaking, the Ningguo Mansion is so prominent, and as a granddaughter, there should be many people who come to propose marriage. Why would she take the initiative to look for the son of a seventh-rank official?
Su Ruojin had been feeling strange. She looked at the group of women calmly. They were talking to each other, and the huge reception hall was very lively.
The old lady's eyes calmly moved from Madam Su to Second Lady Su, and then from Second Lady Su to Little Sister Su. The three of them, mother and daughter, were all gentle and quiet. The mother was not as weak and incompetent as she had been rumored to be, and the Second Lady, who was rumored to be very capable, did not have the slightest aura of being shrewd and capable. She even looked as quiet and well-behaved as Wanhui. Could it be that Qilang and Ba Niang also lied to her?
But although the brother and sister Qilang and Ba Niang seem easy-going and unpretentious, they are very good at judging people. Ordinary people are simply not in their eyes. The reason why they go to Weizhou County to play with her again is that this girl must have something extraordinary. She cannot be fooled by her appearance.
Seeing that the granddaughters-in-law had stopped making so much noise, the old lady finally spoke slowly, "Alan——"
"grandmother--"
"Don't keep the children under house arrest. Let Aning take the girls out to get some fresh air and have some fun."
"Grandma is right." Zhong Ning smiled and asked her younger sister to take the young ladies out to play.
Ningning reached out and held Su Ruojin's hand. In fact, she didn't want to go out at all. She was worried about her mother facing a group of people alone and was afraid that she wouldn't be able to handle it. But she couldn't show it, so she had to follow out reluctantly.
Ning Ning didn't care about her nieces, she dragged Su Ruojin to the racecourse, "Watch my brother and your two brothers race horses."
Su Ruojin: ...Su Sanlang is only eleven, and Su Silang is nine. What kind of horse race is this? She was scared to death. They ran faster than Ningning.
Ningning: ...
The ladies behind: ...
As expected of a great general guarding the country, the place for horse racing training at school was really huge, like a football field. I ran to the sidelines and looked at the horses.
The first thing he looked for was Su Silang, and then he discovered that Zhao Lan had also come at some point, and Su Silang was sitting in his arms, being protected by him.
"I'm really going to be scared to death by the Ning brother and sister." He looked at Su Sanlang again. This guy has been practicing since he was a child and is very talented. Although he is only eleven years old, he is following closely behind Ning Qillang and is not inferior to him. In time, he may become a general.
Feeling relieved, Su Ruojin looked at the young ladies who followed behind her. Zhong Ning's daughter, Zhong Huiwan, kept her head down most of the time and didn't look at anyone. At her uncle's wedding, she thought she was shy. She was the same just now in the old lady's reception hall, and she still seems to be the same now.
Su Ruojin's heart skipped a beat. This guy is too introverted. How could he have the nerve to...
Su Ruojin calmly looked away and looked at Ning Qiniang who was chasing after her, "Ajin, do you want us to compete too?"
"No." Su Ruojin is a bit skilled and can ride a horse, but she doesn't like it. It's rare for her to ride and it hurts her legs, so she's unhappy. She only knows how to ride when she has to deal with an emergency.
That's such a bummer.
Ning Ning looked at her unhappily, "I finally found a skilled young lady, why can't you play with me?"
Su Ruojin shook her head again, "Not interested."
"You..." Ning Ning stamped her feet in anger, "Su Ruojin..."
Just shout, she just doesn't want to ride.
Ning Ning pouted, "I'm really mad at you."
Su Ruojin smiled.
Ningning had no choice but to go horseback riding with her nephews and nieces.
After a while, only three or four young ladies were left sitting on the rocks beside the training ground. Three of them sat together, whispering to the gentlemen on the field. Su Ruojin guessed that they were probably peeking at the handsome young man.
She smiled, no matter what time it was, a girl's heart was always full of spring.
The young lady who was lowering her head was standing alone on the side, not knowing how to sit down. There was no one around her, but she dared to look up and smiled at the people racing horses on the field.
Her smile is very innocent, just like Su Xiaomei's.
Su Xiaomei is seven years old this year.
This feeling...
She moved quietly to the young lady's side and turned to smile at her first.
When the young lady saw someone approaching her, she panicked at first, but when she saw that she was smiling all the time on her face, she unconsciously lowered her guard and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.
Su Ruojin seized the opportunity and asked, "What's your name?" Her smile was so bright and friendly that it made people let down their guard unconsciously.
"My name... is... Wanhui."
"How old are you?" Su Ruojin asked in the tone of a kindergarten kid.
"Ten...five years old."
It’s actually the same size as Ningning.
Zhong Huiwan was a little shy when asked. She lowered her head, but couldn't help but sneak a peek at Su Ruojin. She looked so cute. If it was Su Xiaomei, but on a fifteen-year-old girl, no matter how you look at it...
Su Ruojin wanted to find out why this child was like this, but she knew that both the Ningguo Mansion and the Ministry of Rites' Zhong family would keep their mouths shut and would not be able to find out anything.
She secretly sighed, took out a few beautiful fruit candies from her purse, and asked with a smile, "How many do you want, Hui?"
Fruits made with colored vegetable juice, no matter what color, are crystal clear and beautiful, and no one dislikes them.
The girl shyly stretched out a hand and spread out five fingers.
"Ahui wants 5?"
The young lady nodded.
Su Ruojin grabbed a handful and stuffed it into her hand, "How many are here?"
The girl was stunned, her big watery eyes full of confusion.
"How about you count them?"
The young lady looked down at the candies for a long time. Just when Su Ruojin was about to give up, she started counting them and stuffed the candies she had counted into Su Ruojin's hands, one... two...
"Twelve." The young lady seemed unsure and spoke in a low voice.
Su Ruojin took out three more from her purse and gave them to her. "How many in total?"
The young lady thought for a long time and didn't reply to Su Ruojin.
She left quietly, feeling regretful.
"Fifteen."
Suddenly, a soft reply came from the young lady behind me.
Su Ruojin turned around, gave her a thumbs up and smiled.
He really has the intelligence of a seven-year-old, just like Su Xiaomei. Maybe he will be like this for the rest of his life.
Seeing such a young lady, she felt pity for her, but if she told her eldest brother about it, she would not agree.
I'm sorry, lady!
The young lady was happily eating fruit candies, one after another, enjoying herself.
Su Ruojin's mood became increasingly heavy.
Move under a big tree and watch the horse racing.
Zhao Lan rode his horse while looking at his young lady. He saw that her mind was not on him at all, which made his performance in vain. After turning a few circles, he reined in his horse and stopped in front of her, "Ajin——"
Su Silang also shouted excitedly, "Sister, Brother Jin is so awesome and handsome."
The little guy learned the word "handsome" from his sister and knows how to use it to praise a man.
Zhao Lan had never heard of it and looked down at his brother-in-law.
The brother-in-law looked up and said, "It means you are good-looking, you are good at riding a horse, and everything about you is good-looking."
Zhao Lan: ...It’s better not to ask.
He jumped off the horse and picked up his brother-in-law.
Su Silang's legs were so weak from the swing of the horse that he couldn't stand at all. Zhao Lan had no choice but to hold his brother-in-law and stand in front of the young lady. He glanced at the young lady eating candy not far away and asked, "What's going on?"
Su Ruojin looked back at him.
Zhao Lan also understood. He curled his lips and said, "Don't worry, I'm here."
I hope the Ning Mansion will not force us.
Su Silang was held in the arms of his future brother-in-law. He looked smug and made faces at his third brother.
Su Sanlang tapped his face and said, "Aren't you ashamed? You're already nine years old and you still want someone to hold you."
"What's it to you?" Anyway, this kid is just proud.
In March, spring comes and flowers bloom.
Zhao Lan had no idea that when he first met Su Ruojin, she was being held by Su Yanli. At that time, he never thought that one day, he would continue Su Yanli's behavior and hold his son, his brother-in-law.
Su Sanlang was a little envious, but he was already a grown-up boy, and his brother-in-law would not hug him, so he pouted.
Su Ruojin was not in the mood, so she didn't notice her two younger brothers arguing with each other, and left the racecourse with Zhao Lan.
As the host, Ning Qilang brought Ning Baniang to accompany them, and everyone returned to the courtyard together.
When the ladies saw the otherworldly man holding a child, pink bubbles appeared in their eyes. He was definitely the ideal husband of their dreams!
Unfortunately, all the young ladies in the capital knew that this handsome man was picked by his teacher's daughter. They were all jealous, but there was nothing they could do.
The mother and son of the Su family had lunch at the Ning family. The old lady wanted to invite them to dinner, but Cheng Yingzhen declined. "Although the official position is not high, he is also the parent official of the county. He has been away for several days and will definitely rush back tomorrow. Ah Zhen thanks the old lady for her hospitality."
The old lady had no choice but to send her away. "Then I'll trouble you, young prince, to send Madam Su back for me."
"You are too polite, old lady. This is what the younger generation should do."
Zhao Lan took the Su family mother and son away from the Ning family.
Ning Ning was reluctant to leave and wanted to ask Su Ruojin out, "I will go to Wei County to visit you in a few days."
Su Ruojin thought to herself, Miss, please don't be so shy. She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll be waiting for Miss Ning to come at any time."
The young lady clasped her fists like a man, Ningning was delighted and hugged back, "Thank you for your patience."
In the old lady's inner room, Zhong Ning asked anxiously, "Grandma, how is Hui'er's case?"
The old lady shook her head and sighed, "Madam Su didn't answer my question."
"Didn't mother tell us that if the Su family marries Hui'er, we will not only give them a dowry of 108 pieces, but we will also ensure that Lord Su will have a successful career."
The old lady's face turned cold when she heard this. "Su Yanli has the Prince of Jin's Mansion in front of him and Minister Fan in the back. He doesn't need my Duke of Ning's Mansion."
"Then...what about my Hui'er?"
The old lady shook her head. Her eldest granddaughter had lost her mother when she was young, and she felt sorry for her. She heard that Lord Su loved his wife and daughter and was a good husband, so she wanted to marry her brain-burned daughter to the Su family. But that would take some chances!
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