As steep as a solitary rock, as majestic as a cold pine
The Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner has always been hosted by the eldest sister-in-law who is in charge of the family, so it is naturally not Ling Wan and Tao's turn to worry about it.
Chen Cong's eldest son, Shen Huaijin, returned the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
At that time, Ling Wanzheng, her eldest sister-in-law, and Mrs. Tao were playing mahjong in Mrs. Shen's Rong'an Hall. When they heard the maid come and report that "the Fourth Young Master is back", the old lady threw away the mahjong and took them straight to the main hall.
Soon, a graceful figure came in. Before I could take a closer look, I heard a clear, jade-like voice fall: "Grandson, I'm late. Please forgive me, Grandmother."
Old Madam Shen stepped forward and hugged the handsome young man in front of her, tears in her eyes: "You're back, I'm glad you're back."
The old lady has always been kind and gentle in front of everyone, unmoved by anything. It is rare to see her with such a sad expression.
However, Mrs. Tao, who was standing by, seemed to have noticed her doubts. She pulled her sleeve and whispered, "Huai Jin was raised by her mother, so naturally, others can't compare to her."
Oh, no wonder.
However, Mrs. Tao also has a son. Although the Sixth Master is a concubine's son, he has been raised by Old Madam Shen since childhood. Huaicheng is also the grandson of the old lady. Why doesn't Mrs. Tao show any resentment or jealousy?
"Second sister-in-law, I'm not envious. A child will naturally be close to whoever raised him."
"If my eldest sister-in-law's eldest son Huaiyu comes back, the same will apply to mother." Tao seemed to have eyes from the side and saw what Ling Wan was thinking.
Ling Wan: ······
Shen Huaijin didn't expect that there were other uncles and aunts behind the old lady. He quickly reacted and greeted Lu and Tao one by one.
But when his eyes fell on Xu Lingwan, his expression froze and his eyes were filled with horror.
But it only took a moment before Shen Huaijin lowered his eyes and concealed his expression.
Chen Yuanyuan felt as if she had misread the shocked look just now.
"Huai Jin, this is your mother." Old Madam Shen saw her grandson's face turn cold, and she took his hand and smiled at him, "When your father was assassinated before, it was your mother who risked her life to block the sword for your father."
The implication is that one has to call "mother" no matter what.
Although his grandmother loved him, she would never let him do anything wrong in terms of clan laws and etiquette.
"Mother." Shen Huaijin lowered his eyes and called out indifferently.
"You must have had a hard time on the journey. Come have dinner with me tonight." Seeing her grandson was well-behaved and sensible, the old lady patted his head lovingly. "I appreciate you caring about an old woman like me. You couldn't wait to change your clothes and come to pay your respects to me."
Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Tao knew that the grandfather and grandson were going to talk about some personal matters next, so they took Xu Lingwan and bowed to take their leave.
At that time, Ling Wan was behind the old lady and did not look closely. She just felt that Chen Cong, the eldest son, gave her the feeling of being the noble young master of aristocratic family in novels.
The next time I saw Shen Huaijin was the next day, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Shen Huaijin came to pay his respects.
Chen Yuanyuan has always had difficulty getting up, and it was still the same after arriving here.
Except for the three-day stay at Rong'an Hall, she could sleep as long as she wanted at other times, and Chen Cong did not restrict her and let her sleep.
So, early in the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xu Lingwan was almost half asleep when Yu Mama helped her get up and put on her makeup. She heard Yu Mama say, "Madam, the Fourth Young Master has already had half a cup of tea outside, waiting to pay his respects to the Second Master and you."
It was early in the morning during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and no one knew where her father had gone. Now she was the only master of Yan Xiju, and she couldn't hide even if she wanted to.
Chen Yuanyuan cursed Chen Cong a thousand times in her heart. After quickly washing and dressing up, she asked Yu Mama to lead her to the side hall to meet the eldest son who "disturbed her sleep".
The grumpiness he had when he woke up disappeared the moment he saw his eldest son.
He is as steep as a solitary rock, as majestic as a cold pine, and he is unique in his beauty and gentleness.
Today, Shen Huaijin was wearing a moon-white straight-laced gown, with an upright posture, like a crane and a pine tree. Just standing there, the whole room seemed to light up.
Chen Yuanyuan felt that this was what the ancients meant by "a humble home filled with glory."
She suddenly understood why, when Mrs. Tao mentioned Shen Huaijin, she would whisper and tease her, "Second sister-in-law, your eldest son is the 'dream lover' of many noble ladies in the capital."
With such character and appearance, he is truly worthy of the role of "the lover in a girl's dream".
When Shen Huaijin saw Ling Wan coming out, he didn't call her, but just bowed his head with an indifferent expression.
No child would be able to accept that their stepmother is almost the same age as themselves.
Feeling the eldest son's naked indifference, Chen Yuanyuan didn't care and shook her head secretly.
"No need to be so polite." Ling Wan pursed her lips slightly, looking kind and gentle.
She was just a second wife, and she wasn't the type of person who had to make all of her husband's children like her, so no matter how Shen Huaijin treated her, she felt it didn't matter.
But Shen Huaijin was not a child like Shen Huaian and Shen Huaiyin, so Ling Wan could not find topics to talk about with this noble eldest son.
The eldest son did not seem to have any intention of leaving. After sitting down, he continued to drink tea calmly and elegantly, as if waiting for Ling Wan to speak first.
The scene was a bit awkward for a moment.
Could it be that I have to use "What did you eat this morning" as a breakthrough point, just like when I asked Huai'an?
Still pretending to be concerned, he asked, "Huaijin, you're back from Songshan Academy. Are you tired from the journey?"
My God, she doesn’t even know where Songshan Academy is, so who knows if she’s tired after coming back.
Shen Huaijin has been paying silent attention to Xu Lingwan.
This strikingly beautiful cousin of the Lu family seemed to no longer recognize him. The two times she looked at him, her eyes were open and clear.
Shen Huaijin took a sip of tea lightly, without making any expression.
Or perhaps, she knew him? But in her eyes, he was just like all the other people she had met before, and she didn't feel any difference?
He himself didn't notice that his right index finger and thumb couldn't help but clench slightly, which was his usual action when thinking.
But he soon realized something was wrong with him. A wave of fear welled up in his heart. Just because this cousin didn't recognize him, he felt ignored and offended?
She is now his stepmother, no longer the cousin he met in the back garden of Lu Lian's study.
"Your father went out early in the morning." Ling Wan didn't know how to address the eldest son.
He named her "Huai Jin" because he was afraid that his eldest son would not accept her.
Calling him "Fourth Young Master"? It made Ling Wan seem a little too weak.
But the two of them couldn't just sit there and stare at each other, so Ling Wan put down her teacup and spoke softly, "If you want to look for him, I'll send someone to talk to you when he comes back."
"It's okay, I just came to pay my respects to father and... you." Shen Huaijin paused for a moment. Obviously, he couldn't call her "mother" freely.
Ling Wan's sudden voice just now startled him slightly, but he never showed his displeasure, so his face remained expressionless, and no movement could be seen.
Seeing Shen Huaijin stand up and about to leave, Chen Yuanyuan realized that what she had just said seemed like she was trying to drive him away.
It's not a good idea to leave such an impression on the eldest son.
"Well, I'm not very good at chatting." So when the eldest son left, Chen Yuanyuan explained sincerely in a low voice.
I don’t know if Shen Huaijin heard it or not, he said nothing and left.
This made Chen Yuanyuan a little depressed.
Naturally, I can't take a nap today. The concubines will come to pay their respects during the festival, and after breakfast, I will take the two children to the old lady.
Huai'an and Huai Yin happened to come during breakfast. Ling Wan felt bored eating alone, so she asked them to have breakfast together.
Huaiyin and Huai'an hadn't eaten yet. It was the first time Huaiyin had a meal with Lingwan. He was a little surprised to see Lingwan talking and laughing during the meal, unlike the others who were silent during the meal.
But he was soon infected by the relaxed atmosphere, and the corners of his mouth kept curling up. He couldn't help but take two more pieces of the crystal bean paste cake.
Halfway through the meal, Hongyue, the maidservant beside Lingwan, came to report that the three concubines had arrived.
When Chen Huaiyin saw this, Huaian's expression darkened.
When the mistress is having dinner, if the concubine comes to pay her respects, she will naturally come in and serve the dishes.
"Seventh brother, you wouldn't want to see your biological mother standing around like a maid," Shen Huaiyin thought silently.
But after hearing this, Second Aunt wiped her mouth, turned around and told Hongyue, "Tell the ladies to go to the side hall and wait, I'll be there in a while."
Shen Huaiyin saw that Huai'an was obviously relieved.
Because the concubines had arrived and they had almost finished eating, Ling Wan took the two little bean sprouts to the side hall after a while.
In the side hall, the three concubines stood up and saluted when they saw Ling Wan.
These days, Chen Tang's affairs, Huai'an's affairs, and Mr. Shen's warnings made the two concubines, who were usually lively and funny, tacitly lower their heads respectfully. When Ling Wan led Huai Yin in, it was Ding, who had always been indifferent, who secretly looked at Huai Yin several times.
Ling Wan glanced at the few people and saw that Concubines Zhao and Qiu had lost a lot of weight in the past few days. She felt a complicated feeling in her heart.
Chen Yuanyuan admits that she is not a kind-hearted person. As for Mr. Shen's harem, she has always adhered to the principle of "If no one offends me, I will not offend anyone; if someone offends me, I will definitely offend him." However, as a woman, she still can't help but feel a bit sad.
A wife is the head of her family, a mother is the head of her son. In this feudal environment, the only space for women at the bottom of society to survive seems to be submission and forbearance.
What if Xu Lingwan is not Chen Cong’s legal wife and the third daughter of the Jiangning Xu family?
Who would cherish the beauty of a maidservant, or admire the talent of an actor? Was she, like most women, living by the favor of her master and queen?
Here, birth and class determine much of one's life, especially for women. Although Chen Yuanyuan disagreed, she had to acknowledge and appreciate the bloody and cruel reality.
So when faced with the restless words of Zhao and Qiu, secretly expressing their loyalty, Xu Lingwan kept responding indifferently. It was not until Chen Tang came to pay his respects and went to Rong'an Hall together that he put down his teacup and softened his heart. He said to Aunt Zhao and Aunt Qiu, "You two concubines don't look very well. You don't need to serve me today. Go back and rest."
"I'll let Tang Jie'er and Huai'an go to Fangfei Pavilion later."
Although she knew that this was against etiquette, she also understood that the close relationship between the illegitimate son and the concubine was a taboo for her, the mistress, to live a peaceful life in the harem.
But Chen Yuanyuan still couldn't help but remain indifferent to the looks of the two mothers.
She had no intention of snatching the son or daughter away, and she only wanted to do things with a clear conscience.
When Huai'an heard his stepmother say this, his eyes lit up immediately. But Huai Yin beside him gently tugged at the corner of his clothes, so he closed his eyelids silently again.
Ling Wan touched the two children's heads, pretending not to see anything, and took her three children to pay their respects to Old Madam Shen as usual.
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