A qualified wife 1
Xu Lingwan was so tired last night that it was already noon when she woke up.
Seeing the bright sunlight outside, she felt anxious and lifted the bed curtains and called out, "Hongyue, Luyun, come and help me wash up. My... mother is waiting for me to pay my respects."
Unexpectedly, the person who should have come in did not come in, but instead, Master Shen, dressed in a moon-white straight-laced robe, was sitting on the armchair, reading a book in a very steady manner.
He put down the book only after hearing Xu Lingwan's voice. Last night, he thought she was young and wanted to do it just once.
He didn't want her to be too flirtatious, but he couldn't help himself, so he asked for it twice and teased her several times. Later, when he saw that she fell asleep from exhaustion while bathing her, he held her in his arms and fell asleep together.
Chen Yuanyuan was extremely angry at this moment. If he hadn't tormented her several times last night, would she be unable to wake up in the morning?
Perhaps because of the intimacy they had last night or because she had already tacitly accepted that she had won over Mr. Shen, Ling Wan unconsciously started to act like a spoiled brat. She didn't even look at Chen Cong, and just sat in front of the dressing table wearing her silk clogs.
Master Shen knew that she must be afraid that the people in the mansion would say that the bride didn't know the etiquette, so he didn't dare to tease her. He said, "Mother sent someone to come this morning to say that she was exhausted yesterday, so there's no need to pay respects today."
Chen Yuanyuan rolled her eyes inwardly as she listened. She could forget about paying her respects, but what wife would sleep in until noon?
As a qualified second wife, being cautious is the key. You don't seek praise from your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, but only seek their approval and avoid obstacles.
She's only been married for a few days, and she's already using her privileges. Even if the mother-in-law is happy to see her son and daughter-in-law loving and harmonious, wouldn't the sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law whose marital relationships are unclear be slapped in the face?
Master Shen saw from the bronze mirror with precious flower patterns that her face was puffed up with anger, like two little buns. He walked over and hugged her from behind, not forgetting to steal a kiss on her lips while hugging her. Seeing Xu Lingwan raised her hand to hit him, he grabbed her hand and whispered, "I know what you are thinking. Don't worry, there is no need to greet my sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law today."
"Oh, really?" Chen Yuanyuan's face lit up when she heard it.
However, when she saw Mr. Shen's teasing raised eyebrows, Chen Yuanyuan put away her happy expression, took a deep breath, and replaced it with a grateful expression. She said, "My husband, mother must have felt sorry for her daughters-in-law who were tired yesterday, so she specially let them rest more today. Mother is really a good mother."
Master Shen looked at Xu Lingwan, whose expression changed in an instant, and said in a serious and stern manner: "A mother who doesn't exempt her daughters-in-law from paying their respects is naturally a good mother."
"Yes, yes, it's Ling Wan who said something out of turn. Whatever happens to my mother is fine." Ling Wan pretended to say something out of turn and apologized repeatedly.
One person pretends to be vicious, the other pretends to be stupid, it's really a case of one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten.
Then, the two smiled at each other without any awkwardness or restraint.
When Chen Yuanyuan was in school, she read Zou Yang's "Letter to King Liang from Prison", in which he wrote: "My white hair is as new as ever, and my friendship is as old as ever."
At that time, she thought the ancients were talking nonsense, saying there was no such thing as "feeling like old friends at first sight". But now, looking back, she felt that the ancients were right, and she and Shen Cong were basically like old friends.
(But many years later, Chen Yuanyuan analyzed it carefully and felt that the sudden intimacy between her and Shen Cong was mainly due to her flirting for more than half a year).
Hongyue Lvyun, who was waiting outside the door, heard that there was no movement in the house, and then she directed a group of maids to enter one after another.
Some held water, some twisted their handkerchiefs, washed their hands, wiped their faces, and rinsed their mouths, all in one smooth, seamless motion.
Chen Yuanyuan, busy painting her eyebrows, briefly reviewed her to-do list for the day: first, her aunt's visit to the mistress; second, her concubines' arrival to pay their respects; and third, the reorganization of the Yanxi Residence's staff. She shook her head when she saw Lu Yun choose a long, gilded, three-strand hairpin with beads and tassels for her.
Today she had her hair combed into a bun, and if she wore a long tasseled hairpin, her movements would make her hair look like clouds and flowers, and she would be charming and graceful, but it would not be suitable for her current identity.
She is the legal wife who was married to him through a formal ceremony. Is she trying to compete with the concubines by dressing like this?
The image of my eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Lu, who was stern and solemn, emerged in my mind. Well, that was the dignity and graciousness that the mistress of the house should have.
She signaled Luyun with her eyes to take the pair of hollow hairpins with interlaced branches and green jade flowers, and then took a white embroidered skirt and a jacket with a moon-white background and magnolia flower pattern and aquamarine piping.
After washing up, Chen Yuanyuan stood before the bronze mirror, looking at herself again and again, still unsatisfied. For the first time, she felt that being young wasn't such a blessing. If she were a few years older, even without the pretense of age, she could still command the scene like the eldest sister-in-law.
Afterwards, the small kitchen set out breakfast. Ling Wan didn't like noodles, so she served silver silk white jade rolls, jujube and yam cakes, three-fresh vegetarian buns, shredded chicken and fragrant rice porridge, and four refreshing side dishes. It was refreshing and delicious.
Because Xu Lingwan got up late, Mr. Shen had already eaten, so he watched her eat.
Chen Yuanyuan felt that Mr. Shen seemed to particularly like looking at her today.
Since he got up in the morning till now, he has been sitting on the armchair with a book, occasionally glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She thought there was something dirty on his face, so while she was washing up, she deliberately looked at herself in the mirror several times. Her face was clean, and she didn't know what he was looking at.
When they were getting along earlier, Chen Yuanyuan had already figured out a way to get along with the second master of the Shen family.
Knowing that he came from an aristocratic family and held a high position at such a young age, he had long since cultivated the ability to conceal his emotions. Not to mention that he had been exposed to the inner world of an aristocratic family since childhood, to be able to navigate the court and rise to the level of a central government minister, he must have possessed both high IQ and EQ.
Therefore, Chen Yuanyuan knew very well that in front of this tall and powerful husband, any little thoughts she had would be of no use at all, so it would be best for her to be frank with him and not beat around the bush; and she should not try to figure out his thoughts, because after all, she could not figure it out, so she should just let him be.
Just as the meal was being cleared away, Chen Yuanyuan heard the maid outside announce that the three concubines had arrived. Seeing that they were still not leaving, she nodded to Master Shen, who had been watching her, and told him to sit somewhere else.
If he were here, how could she observe the true temperaments of the concubines? A qualified wife must know how to manage the concubines, maintain peace in the harem, and be wary of people like Concubine Lei Xi ascending to power.
I heard Mrs. Shen briefly mention these three concubines yesterday.
The three concubines were all brought up by the late Madam Wang. Wang knew that her poor health would prevent her from bearing more children, so she chose three new wives to marry into the family in order to expand the family line for the second branch.
The three concubines were of humble origins, but “they behaved themselves, so you can just meet them tomorrow,” said Old Lady Shen.
Chen Yuanyuan sat on a round stool, waiting for the three concubines to come and pay their respects.
The three of them entered with their heads bowed, each one bowing to Xu Lingwan. One of them, dressed in Yang Fei's color, was bolder and tried to sneak a peek at her as she entered, but when she raised her eyes, she was frightened back by the look of Yu Mama beside her.
Chen Yuanyuan pretended not to notice anything. Seeing this, one knew it was impossible to use modern thinking to get along with these women.
If you take advantage of an inch, you will be tempted to take further action. If I am weak, I am afraid that there will be no peace in this backyard in the future.
So he picked up the teacup and used the tea lid to slowly move the floating leaves on the water.
Speaking of drinking tea, Chen Yuanyuan was reminded of a scene in "Dream of Red Mansions" where Daiyu first entered the Grand View Garden.
Lin Ruhai had once taught his daughter to cherish food and maintain good health, saying, "After a meal, make sure you swallow all the rice and wait a while before drinking tea to avoid damaging your spleen and stomach." But Daiyu, at the Jia residence, was taught differently from her own upbringing and the rules, so she had no choice but to follow the Jia residence's rules and drink tea immediately after meals.
It turns out that when living under someone else's roof, people have to change in order to survive. Isn't that exactly how she feels now?
After the three concubines paid their respects, the mistress did not give them a seat for a while, and they were unsure of her thoughts. The concubine who had just tried to gauge her mood was even more anxious. She lowered her head and bowed, completely lacking the graceful demeanor she had when she first entered.
"Everyone, get up." Xu Lingwan took a sip of tea and spoke slowly.
The one wearing the lilac jacket is Aunt Qiu, Qiu Niang, the oldest of the three and Chen Tang's biological mother.
She was originally the maid that Old Madam Shen was going to give to Second Master Shen. She had been with Second Master Shen for the longest time, and it was obvious that Shen Tang looked about 70% like her.
The second is Aunt Zhao Xuemei, who is wearing the Yang Fei color dress with plum branch pattern. She is the daughter of a merchant in Yangzhou. Because she gave birth to the illegitimate son Shen Huaian, her treatment in the mansion is naturally higher.
The youngest is Aunt Ding Xiu Lian, the daughter of a Sima in Qingzhou. She is twenty-five years old and has no children yet.
The three of them were all shocked when they looked at her. It was Aunt Zhao who reacted first and said with a smile, "Madam, you are so beautiful! I am completely mesmerized by you."
As expected, she is the daughter of a merchant family, eloquent. Judging from her speech and behavior, she seems to be a low-profile version of Wang Xifeng.
"My name is Qiu Niang, and I pay my respects to Madam. I was also staring blankly just now, and I'm sorry to have embarrassed Madam." Aunt Qiu covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled softly.
Well, judging from her background and the way she speaks, she should be considered Xiren's kind.
Aunt Ding, who was standing at the end, had an indifferent expression. She waited until the two of them finished speaking before she stepped forward and bowed, saying briefly, "My concubine Ding, pays her respects to the madam." There was a certain loftiness in her words.
Uh, this should be the one that Qingwen died.
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