Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Worship
Because it was a family dinner, and considering that by this time next year, Huailin from the first wife and Chen Tang from the second wife would not be at home (one of them followed his father and brother into the army, and the other married far away and followed her husband to take up his post), after asking her mother-in-law, Lu changed the separate seating for the dinner to a lily of the valley table.
During the banquet, several sons and daughters-in-law brought their children to toast the old lady.
Old Madam Shen was not a person who liked crowds. After receiving the gifts from her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, and symbolically drinking a glass of wine, she was supported by Mrs. Lu and returned to Rong'an Hall to rest, just like in previous years.
Ling Wan was a little surprised. The old woman had gone back to her room to let her children and grandchildren relax, so why did the eldest sister-in-law also take this opportunity to leave the banquet?
Seeing Ling Wan staring blankly at the maids carrying the screen into the hall, she glanced over and saw that Yao had also left the table. She immediately brought wine over and whispered to her affectionately, "Mother doesn't like noise, but sister-in-law is upset because uncle and the eldest master are away, and the sight of them can't help but make her feel nostalgic."
Yes, every festive season brings a yearning for family. On such a reunion day, with the sisters-in-law all accompanied by their husbands and children, it's only natural for the eldest sister-in-law to feel sad.
"Then my eldest sister-in-law..." Ling Wan was about to say "I'll go accompany her too" when Tao suddenly handed her a glass of wine.
Mrs. Tao stared at her face motionlessly, her eyes shining and her cheeks flushed. While she said this was the best jade flower dew, she couldn't help but blurt out: "Second sister-in-law, you are so beautiful..."
Ling Wan:...If you don’t know, you would think that the youngest daughter of the Cheng’en Marquis is an amazing womanizer.
A drunk man is the most rude.
Under Tao's half persuasion and half threat, Ling Wan had no choice but to drink half a cup. After drinking, she signaled Tao's wet nurse, Mother Lin, to go next door to ask Mr. Shen Liu to take the drunk woman away.
Tao leaned softly against Ling Wan's shoulder, her eyes wandering and her expression intoxicated, letting Ling Wan pat her back gently to relieve her breathing and stop her hiccups.
After a long while, Chen Yuanyuan suddenly felt a dampness on her shoulder. Before she could react, she heard Tao's voice on her shoulder, saying, "Second sister-in-law, please don't look at me. I look terrible right now. I'll be fine in a while."
After he finished speaking, he began to sob almost inaudibly and his body began to tremble slightly.
Chen Yuanyuan was silent.
Some time ago, I heard from Mrs. Lu that Mr. Shen Liu's concubine was pregnant and wanted to make her his concubine, but Mrs. Tao refused. The matter was even brought to the attention of Mrs. Shen.
The concubine was said to be named Fangying. She was a maid who had taken care of Mr. Shen Liu since he was a child. She was also the concubine prepared by Old Madam Shen for him after he came of age.
Old Madam Shen has always loved Mrs. Tao, but she cannot do whatever she wants with regard to the issue of offspring.
After being repeatedly wronged by her husband and mother-in-law, Mrs. Tao became so angry that she even wanted to go back to her parents' home. Fortunately, her trusted maid came to inform Mrs. Lu, thus preventing the marital problem from being escalated into a question of the woman's morality.
When Mrs. Lu talked about this, she felt quite disappointed: "She's just a concubine. Even if she gives birth to a boy, Zhang Yi is still his legal mother. She got angry with mother and Shi Heng over this and hurt their relationship. Where has her usual cleverness gone?"
Ling Wan knew that Mrs. Lu said this because she really treated her and Mrs. Tao as her own sisters.
A man can still escape from his love, but a woman cannot escape from her love. When it comes to love, there is no room for others.
Tao's mentality, in the final analysis, is just like those two popular online memes: "Between a man and a woman, whoever falls in love first loses first; whoever falls in love more deeply loses even more miserably."
There's nothing wrong with that.
"As women, we have to be open-minded. If all our joys and sorrows are dependent on a man, it would be too unfair to the morning sun and evening shadows, and the beautiful scenery of the four seasons." After Tao slowly stopped sobbing, Ling Wan hugged her shoulders and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Beyond the screen, the men were toasting each other, chatting and laughing.
Who would care about the weeping and sighing of a woman behind the screen? And who would give up the privileges granted to men in this feudal era for the weeping and sighing of a woman?
In modern terms, Chen Yuanyuan was actually seven or eight years older than Tao. Years of social stigma had long since conditioned her to maintain a certain level of rationality in relationships: no matter the situation, herself and her feelings always came first.
If you can't change the rules of this era, then just go with the flow and find the best solution.
Upon hearing this, Tao was stunned and said nothing.
Until Sixth Master Shen came to take her away, Ling Wan wondered if she, under her tipsy state, had understood the plain words beneath her flowery words: "Being hurt over a man? How foolish. The most important thing is to be happy yourself!"
After Old Lady Shen left, Chen Yuanyuan let Tang Jie'er, Huai'an, and Huai Yin go off to play on their own. Now that Mrs. Tao had left, Ling Wan was the only one left among the women.
How boring. Ling Wan sighed, took a big gulp of wine, and stood up to go back to the house.
Seeing this, Mother Yu walked forward and said that Tang Jie'er had returned to the house, Huai'an had gone to Fangfei Pavilion, and after Huai Yin returned to the courtyard, he suddenly remembered that he had not said auspicious words for the Mid-Autumn Festival to her today, so he put on his clothes again half an hour ago and came back. Now he was playing in the flower hall while waiting for her.
Huai Yin was precocious, patient, and sensitive. Ling Wan only thought that during this Mid-Autumn Festival, he was sad because he didn't have his biological mother's love in this mansion, so he hurried to the flower hall.
Unexpectedly, Huai Yin was waiting for her with a rabbit lantern, and said shyly, "Second aunt, happy Mid-Autumn Festival."
This was the first time Ling Wan received holiday gifts from her nephews and nieces since this era, and she couldn't help but pause.
Mrs. Chu, thinking Ling Wan was puzzled, quickly added with a smile, "Reporting to the Second Madam, the Sixth Young Master has been thinking about what Mid-Autumn Festival gift to give you a few days ago."
"I heard that in my hometown, sending a rabbit lantern means that the person receiving the lantern will have their wishes made to the goddess Chang'e come true this year, so I made one myself. I wish you all the best."
Perhaps because she had just drunk half a glass of wine, it took Ling Wan a while to recover from her shock. Her eyes curved as she took the lantern and examined it carefully for a moment. Then, she knelt down and said to Xiao Dou Miao sincerely, "Thank you, Huai Yin. Second Aunt loves it."
After saying that, she held the lantern in one hand and held his hand with the other and walked towards the back garden.
"Worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a custom in my second aunt's family."
"It is said that Guanghan Palace is cold, and Goddess Chang'e loves bustle and beauty, so she must worship the moon in a garden full of flowers and speak her wishes out loud for them to be fulfilled."
"Now Second Aunt wants to go to the back garden to make a wish. Could Huaiyin help her then? Let's say Second Aunt's wish loudly to the moon so that Lady Chang'e can hear it, okay?"
The sound is bright and unrestrained, like jade beads falling on a plate.
When Ling Wan took his hand, Shen Huaiyin was initially a little timid and reluctant. Years of oppression and abuse had almost robbed him of the playfulness, playfulness, and genuine curiosity that a child should have.
But as his second aunt pulled him along in the quiet courtyard, her pace became faster and faster, and he listened to her mysterious words, he couldn't help but feel a rare sense of anticipation and excitement in his heart, and his eyes gradually lit up with an innocent look.
In the back garden, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus is rich, and golden chrysanthemums, lotus and autumn begonias are competing for beauty.
Amidst the clusters of flowers and under the bright moon, Ling Wan and Huai Yin clasped their hands together and knelt down to worship the moon.
"Empress Chang'e is above—" Xu Lingwan said.
"Empress Chang'e is above—" Huai Yin shouted loudly, fearing that his second aunt's wish would not be heard by the Moon Goddess.
"May we be blessed with good health, happiness and freedom from worries!"
"May we--" Chen Huaiyin suddenly paused, and when he came to his senses and looked at Ling Wan, he couldn't help but feel a lump in his nose.
Ling Wan's eyes curved, and she scratched Xiao Dou Miao's nose with her fingers, urging her softly, "Hurry up and speak. Second Aunt's voice is soft. Huai Yin needs to help her call Moon Goddess so she can hear it."
The wish that Second Auntie wanted to fulfill was actually about him. Shen Huaiyin's eyes turned red, and he couldn't hold back, tears falling down in big drops.
"Huaiyin, you, don't cry." But the next moment, he was gently embraced by his fairy-like second aunt.
A warm and gentle fragrance lingered at his nose, exactly like the mother in his dream.
"Huai Yin, be good, don't cry when you make a wish." Second Aunt held him close to her, comforting him softly. Then she held his small hand in her big hand, clasped her hands together, and asked the maids and servants behind her to help him shout a wish to the Moon Goddess:
"May we, Huaiyin (Sixth Prince), live a healthy and happy life without worries!"
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