Chapter 97 Pillow Talk After the Dragon Boat Festival, Cheng Yexing set off as promised, and went...
After the Dragon Boat Festival, Cheng Yexing set off as promised. Before leaving, he made a special trip to the garden to kowtow to Yinreng and see Cheng Qianyue one last time. After seeing her brother off, Cheng Qianyue was in a bad mood.
Yinreng couldn't help but sigh to her, "I was thinking of giving him a good future to make you happy, but it backfired." He took a breath and explained to her little by little, "At that time, I was also undecided between the Fujian navy and the Qinghai garrison. Later, your brother volunteered to go to Qinghai."
The Fujian navy was mainly responsible for defending Taiwan and dealing with some maritime pirates; the Qinghai garrison was responsible for defending the Dzungar Khanate in the northwest and various tribes in Tibet. Comparing the two, Qinghai had a better chance of making contributions, but it was also more dangerous because the northwest and Tibet were not far apart but far from the capital, and the two sides could easily unite. In recent years, the area has not been very peaceful.
Yinreng continued, "But don't worry, although he's only a fifth-rank garrison commander, he has the backing of the Crown Prince, so no one dares to underestimate him. Besides, if war really breaks out, there will be generals leading the troops to meet the enemy. He only needs to ensure the transport of supplies, and he should be fine." Although there's always the possibility of encountering the enemy while transporting supplies, the enemy's offensive is always less intense than on the battlefield. If Cheng Yexing can't even handle this much, then all the years he's spent by his side have been wasted.
Cheng Qianyue replied, "I'm not worried about that. I'm just a little sad because my family is going far away and I don't know when I'll see them again."
Yinreng chuckled, "It'll only be a few years at most. Can't you even wait that long? You're so too sentimental." He suddenly remembered the letters she had sent him years ago; she wanted to write down every little detail, down to the smallest nuance. Such a personality was only good because she married him. If she had married elsewhere, and had to be separated from her husband for several years, she might have become melancholic. Thinking about it this way, it was better to stay with him. From beginning to end, he had never let her go too far or for too long.
Cheng Qianyue: ......
She thought, "What kind of tenderness is this? Why don't you just call it affectation? Humph! You know absolutely nothing about my thoughts or your future."
However, Cheng Qianyue gradually calmed herself down.
Firstly, her brother is ambitious; serving as an official in a remote area is his dream, and as his sister, she should be happy for him. Secondly, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Everyone is born alone and dies alone. As for who one meets in life and how long one stays with them, it all depends on fate. Therefore, whether it's family or friends, those who can walk together for a lifetime are very few and far between; one must be open-minded.
Having figured all this out, Cheng Qianyue wasn't so upset about her brother's transfer to another post.
A few days later, the gatekeeper suddenly sent word that Lady Xitala and her sister-in-law Yulu had come to pay their respects.
Cheng Qianyue hurriedly said, "Quickly, have someone bring them in."
Her mother didn't come often. Even when she sent someone to invite her, she would make excuses eight out of ten times. Of course, she would tell the person sent that she was busy and would come over after she finished her work, but Cheng Qianyue always had to wait a long time.
Cheng Qianyue had asked her before, "Why are there so many things at home that require Xitala's concern?"
Hitara counted on her fingers, telling her one by one: "The rent from the family's fields, the additions to the yard, the affairs of the neighbors, and having to deal with those classmates with your father, how can you be idle?" Finally, she muttered, "Besides, who would bother the master's garden every few days? Our family has already produced you and your brother, which is already rare enough. We can't be so irresponsible."
She lowered her voice and continued, "Don't be too ambitious. It wouldn't be good if you displeased the master above." After all, Cheng Qianyue was just a Crown Princess; there was still the Crown Princess above her. She had heard that the Crown Princess's family rarely sent people to pay their respects. If the Cheng family came frequently, wouldn't that make them seem spineless and always trying to curry favor? The Cheng family didn't have much of a background to begin with, and they couldn't afford to tarnish Cheng Qianyue's reputation any further.
Cheng Qianyue said at the time that she was being too cautious, and that neither the Crown Prince nor the Crown Princess were the kind of people who were petty.
Hitara poked her head with her fingertip in annoyance: "Anyway, don't have someone call me every month. I'll come to see you once a year in spring and autumn when I have time."
Xitala hadn't visited before. Cheng Qianyue hurriedly asked someone to prepare tea and snacks, and thinking that this was the first time she was meeting her sister-in-law, who was pregnant, she added, "Brew another pot of the prenatal tea I drank when I was pregnant."
After a while, Xitala and Yulu were brought in from outside. Before they could kowtow, Cheng Qianyue said, "We're family, no need for formalities." But Xitala still led Yulu to kneel down and kowtow before getting up.
Cheng Qianyue went down and took Xitala's hand, leading her to sit on the kang (heated brick bed). Ruoyun also helped Yulu up and invited her to sit on a chair at the round table below.
Yu Lushi, supporting her belly, sat down with trepidation.
This was the first time Cheng Qianyue had met Yu Lushi. She noticed that Yu Lushi had a very pretty face, but her posture was always slender, with her back straight like a student always ready to answer a teacher's question. Cheng Qianyue smiled and looked at her gently, saying, "This is the first time I've met you. Sister-in-law, you are truly beautiful." Then she added, "But sister-in-law is pregnant. Is it alright for you to come all this way?"
Yu Lu hurriedly replied, "Replying to the Crown Princess, it has been three months already, it's alright. I was thinking that I had never come to kowtow to you since I married into the family, so I begged my mother to bring me here."
These words are spoken so eloquently; one wonders how long Yu Lushi practiced them in private.
Cheng Qianyue gestured towards the teapot on the round table and said, "There is tea on the table. It's the kind of tea I drank when I was pregnant with Hongyan. Sister-in-law, you can try some."
Yu Lu sighed, picked up the teacup and took a sip. Then, without putting it down, she drank it down in one sip after another.
Here, Lady Xitala chatted with Cheng Qianyue about Cheng Yexing. Cheng Qianyue told her the news she had heard from Yinreng, which included how far Qinghai was from here, what official positions were held in the military camps there, and what Cheng Yexing did there.
After hearing this, Lady Xitala said, "The Crown Prince is very kind." Then she looked at Lady Yulu and said, "Your husband has gone to make great achievements, so you can rest assured."
Cheng Qianyue had been wondering what Yulu was doing here. Given Xitala's personality, there was no way she would bring a pregnant woman here. Now, hearing what Xitala said, she understood. Yulu was probably afraid that Cheng Yexing would have an affair, so she begged Xitala to bring her here, hoping to build a relationship with her and find a backer.
Cheng Qianyue looked at Yu Lushi and said in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. My brother is too busy with military affairs to do anything else. Besides, the military has strict discipline, and those who patronize prostitutes in private will be punished with beatings. Furthermore, if he really does such a thing, not only will I not forgive him, but the Crown Prince will not let him off the hook. He didn't let him go out to do whatever he wants."
Upon hearing this, Yu Lu's eyes immediately welled up with tears. She then tried to get up to express her gratitude, but Cheng Qian Yue stopped her immediately: "Sit down quickly. You're pregnant, so don't keep kneeling."
Ruoyun, who had been supporting Yu Lushi since she got up, gently pressed her back down after hearing Cheng Qianyue's words.
Cheng Qianyue reached out and opened the cabinet at one end of the kang (heated brick bed), taking out a small box from it: "I made two pairs of bracelets a few days ago. I gave one pair to Mo Yaqi, and I was thinking of giving this pair to my little niece. She's about the same age as Mo Yaqi. If there's a chance in the future, sister-in-law, you should bring your little niece over. Mo Yaqi is missing a playmate of similar age."
This time, Yu Lushi learned her lesson and did not get up to bow, but said with a grateful expression, "Yes, I thank the Crown Princess on behalf of Niu Niu."
Then, Xitala started talking to Cheng Qianyue about other things. She took out a small booklet from her bundle, which recorded the people who had visited Cheng Qianyue's father, Cheng Shifu, in the past few months. Xitala said that most of these people who came up to her were just trying to take advantage of Cheng Qianyue.
Hmph, even their own family members wouldn't dare trouble her with anything, let alone others.
However, Shi Tala was also afraid of outsiders spreading rumors. Whenever someone came to her house or invited Cheng Shifu to look at paintings and calligraphy, she did not stop them. But there were two things she did: first, she repeatedly told Cheng Shifu not to do such things; second, she made a note of all these people, so that she would at least know who was who.
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself that her mother was truly a woman of great wisdom and intelligence, and said softly, "As long as Mother knows what she's doing, that's fine."
Hitara couldn't help but sigh. With her daughter's personality, what else could she do but put in extra effort and take care of everything for her?
After chatting, it was time to eat. Just as Cheng Qianyue was about to speak, she noticed that Yu Lushi below seemed a little restless. She immediately understood and said to Ruoyun, "It's almost time to eat. Help your sister-in-law out to change her clothes."
Ruoyun agreed and helped Yulu up. When they got to the outer room, she handed Yulu over to a young palace maid.
After the person left, Lady Hitara said, "I told her everything before she came, but I just watched her drink several cups of the prenatal tea." The palace maids would refill her cup whenever it was empty, and Lady Yulu would drink whenever there was water in it. How could she not drink too much?
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but laugh out loud. After laughing, she said, "What are you afraid of? It's my own courtyard. Do you think I wouldn't let you relieve yourself here?"
Hitara grinned, but quickly rolled her eyes at her.
Cheng Qianyue was completely baffled by her mother's gaze.
While Xitala didn't act like a mother to Cheng Qianyue in front of Yulu, now that Yulu wasn't around, Xitala became more direct, saying, "I already told you I'd come see you when I had time. I had planned to come in the middle of this month, but someone from the garden came to urge me yesterday."
Cheng Qianyue: Hmm? That's not right. She only sent someone to deliver a message in March, and then nothing. Who sent that person to deliver the message?
Hitara frowned: "Wasn't it you who whispered in the Crown Prince's ear? Then why did the servant who serves the Crown Prince come to our house yesterday, saying that he missed us?"
Cheng Qianyue was stunned.
Xitala was also stunned to see Cheng Qianyue like this. The mother and daughter looked at each other for a moment.
After a while, Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but let out a strange smile. She was still angry with Yinreng, but she didn't expect him to try to appease her by inviting her mother into the garden.
Seeing Cheng Qianyue's expression, Lady Xitala was puzzled. Was she smiling or not? But then she thought that the Crown Prince sending someone to summon her to the garden was a favor, showing that the Crown Prince hadn't grown tired of their daughter all these years. However, Lady Xitala soon became worried again. She thought Cheng Qianyue had made some progress! Bah, she knew her daughter hadn't mastered the art of whispering sweet nothings in someone's ear.
As evening approached, Yinreng came over from the front. As soon as he entered, he saw Cheng Qianyue looking at him with a half-smile, unlike her previous stern face. Yinreng was quite pleased and asked her with a smile, "How are you? Are you happier than before?" He knew that calling the Cheng family over would definitely work.
Cheng Qianyue let out a breath and said, "It's alright." She wasn't as impulsive as before. After all, there was nothing she could do about getting vaccinated; she could only do her best and leave the rest to fate.
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