The colorful tent at Grandma Gui's house had been set up long ago. Grandma Ding Er looked at the red scene with envy in her eyes. She came over holding Mi Niang's hand while talking to Grandma Shang Si.
Fourth Madam Shang was very happy for Second Madam Ding. She even pointed at Second Madam Ding and said, "Look, among the people who came today, in addition to people from our clan, there are also prominent figures in the mansion. You usually stay at home, but you still have to make some plans for Mi Niang."
"Planning?" Mrs. Ding couldn't help shaking her head: "She is still too young."
Although she knew that Fourth Grandma Shang meant well and was one of the few people in the Ruan family who had no selfish motives towards her, Second Grandma Ding still didn't want this to happen. When her parents were still alive, the family had hundreds of acres of fertile land and her father was a scholar. But after her father passed away, her mother disappeared and the family's land was divided up by her relatives and uncle.
Even the arranged marriage was snatched away by my cousin. Did the Wu family really not know that my cousin was a fake? In fact, Second Madam Ding knew it very well, but the Wu family just wanted a good reputation and a good daughter-in-law.
Compared to her, an orphan girl, her cousin had a lot of dowry, parents and brothers all alive, not to mention foot binding, and she could even read a few words, which was better than her in every way.
So, there is really no need for this.
When Grandma Shang Si heard her say this, she felt a little disappointed: "You, you refused to bind your child's feet early, and now you refuse to find a marriage for your child. I really don't know what you are thinking."
Mrs. Ding Er apologized, "My dear Fourth Sister-in-law, I know you have always been thinking about me, but Mi Niang refused to bind her feet, and I had no choice. I only have this one daughter, and I can't give her anything good. I have to let her suffer with me, so I always want to make her happy every day."
Mi Niang was deeply moved when she heard this. Her mother was truly a person who had good intentions for her. Nowadays, women, especially those from official families, considered three-inch golden lotus as beautiful and wrapped them like pointed dumplings.
Therefore, some girls from farmhouse families who wanted to marry into a good family also bound their feet. Even the Empress Dowager Nguyen had her feet bound.
Aren't these all tricks used by men who don't like women going out and who want to confine women to the backyard?
But is it really true that one can get married only if one has bound feet? That is not necessarily the case. Mi Niang had heard that Prime Minister Liu Zhao's little daughter was disabled, but many people still wanted to marry her. Why? If one marries Miss Liu, he will be able to rise to the top.
Therefore, things like foot binding and the idea that a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent are all false and hypocritical.
It is really ridiculous that a man hopes his wife is untalented, but is willing to go to other places to be with the ladies, and then complains about his nagging wife at home.
This shows that some men are afraid of being surpassed by their wives, so they deliberately say that small feet are beautiful and that women without talent are virtuous. However, when facing the real rich and powerful, they will not look at small feet or big feet, but only look at the official position of the girl's father and the girl's dowry. These two things are more attractive than small feet.
Thinking of this, Mi Niang had already been sent to Grandma Gui by Second Grandma Ding.
Grandma Gui was very busy today. She was very surprised to see Mi Niang. She thought that the little girl named Zhou Furou was cute enough with her round face, but after seeing Mi Niang, she understood why her own Shiyilang insisted that she be a bed boy.
Most of the time, when Grandma Gui saw Mi Niang, she was held by Grandma Ding, or she was running around with other children of the same age. She was very strong and could lift children of the same height, so that children of the same age did not dare to bully her.
When I saw Mi Niang again today, I felt that this little girl had become much more ladylike. With this outfit, she looked even more outstanding, especially her pair of eyes like black grapes, which would melt anyone's heart.
"Come here quickly, auntie. My dear daughter-in-law of Jiading, our little Mi Niang is so pretty."
Grandma Ding smiled proudly.
Soon after, Mi Niang was sent to the bridal chamber, which had a step-out bed popular in the south of the Yangtze River. It was said that Eleventh Brother's wife was also from a wealthy family, with three shops as a dowry, a mansion in the provincial capital of Wuchang, and a farm in Jiangling, so Grandma Gui also showed her daughter-in-law great respect.
From the layout of the colorful tent outside, the abundance of food and wine, and even the choice of the boy who rolls on the bed, every detail reflects the courtesy shown to the bride.
Peanuts, lotus seeds, etc. were placed on the wedding bed to symbolize the early birth of a baby boy. After a while, another group of people came in, including a young woman leading a little boy.
The young woman's eyes and eyebrows showed arrogance, and Grandma Gui who followed behind her had an expression of flattery. Mi Niang was very surprised. Grandma Gui relied on her good relationship with her family and was still very prestigious in Jingzhou Prefecture. When her mother-in-law celebrated her birthday, the prefect came to congratulate her. Of course, this also looked at the relationship between Duke Bohai and the Empress in the capital.
But I heard Grandma Gui laugh and say, "The son of the inspector's wife is really a delicate and beautiful girl, just like the little golden boy under the seat of Goddess Guanyin."
The wife of the inspector was wearing a very fashionable mud-gold horse-faced skirt, and a long jacket with a side collar and a poppy-sprinkled bright satin border with purple inlays and a light red pattern. Her eyebrows were painted like distant mountains, and the rouge used on her face was so delicate that you could smell the fragrance of flowers if you got close to it.
There was another little maid holding the son of the wife of the inspector on the bed. Grandma Gui was smiling and did not dare to suggest letting the boy next to Mi Niang roll on the bed.
"Mi Niang, you two should get out of bed now."
Mi Niang smiled and was not at all unwilling. After rolling a few times, she was given a big red envelope, not to mention the snacks of brown sugar and red dates from Grandma Gui.
The boy just sat on the bed for a while, and then the inspector, Mrs. Zhang, took the boy away. Grandma Gui thanked her profusely.
Since the boy had received all these benefits, Mi Niang quietly opened the box and took a look. It turned out that this Gui lady was very generous, as there was actually a hundred large sums of money inside.
I also heard the maids guarding the room say with envy: "Mrs. Zhang is so young, and her husband is a Jinshi who passed the imperial examinations and is also a patrol officer. How could she be so arrogant?"
"That's because our master has a lot of face. But then again, why was the boy taken away without even rolling on the bed?"
The maids thought Mi Niang was young, so they didn't shy away from her. Instead, they laughed and said, "It's because they think they are the wives of officials and the daughters of officials. They think being with common maids like us is defilement."
She said she was a commoner, but she was actually looking at Mi Niang. Mi Niang didn't care. As long as her mother's health was good, she didn't care how others looked down on her.
In this rather grand wedding held by the clan, all Mi Niang got was probably brown sugar and a hundred big bucks. These were hers, and of course she would not give them to her grandparents.
After waking up early in the morning, Aunt Ding made a big bowl of brown sugar water and drank it. She was originally going to save it for Mi Niang to eat sweetly on weekdays, but the child said that she heard from outsiders that drinking it would nourish the body and give birth to a little brother in the future, so Aunt Ding was also interested.
She had been suffering from a lack of energy and blood for many years, but she had no money to buy medicine. Of course, even if she had money, it would be stolen. Her uncle's family was smart and had already started doing business in the city. They brought their family over and lived a good life without anyone caring about them. But there was nothing they could do. She didn't even have a son, so she couldn't stand up straight.
What's more, if my husband passes the imperial examination next year, he will become a scholar.
Thinking of this, she made another bowl of red date water and drank it in one gulp.
After finishing the bag of brown sugar and red dates, Aunt Ding's complexion looked much better. She no longer had the pale face she had before. She was always very strict with herself, so after spinning the cloth, she bought herself a jar of brown dates and brown sugar and kept it at home.
Old Master Ruan and the old lady were often not seen at home. In the past, Second Madam Ding had to visit the old lady every morning and evening and was scolded by her mother-in-law. Now, because the marriage of Mi'er's aunt Ruan Ping'er is not yet decided, people in the clan have started to gossip. Moreover, whenever the old lady called Second Madam Ding, Mi's mother would go looking for her mother, and there was a lot of noise. In addition, during the New Year, my father Ruan Jiading asked someone to bring a letter saying that he would be back at the end of the year. The old lady openly beat and scolded her a few times, but she did not dare to go too far.
"Mi Niang, are you deliberately looking for your mother to come back?" At first, Mrs. Ding also thought that her daughter couldn't leave her, but after Mi Niang made a fuss several times, she came to her senses.
Mi Niang wanted to pretend to be a naive child, but now she was in front of her mother, so she stopped pretending and just nodded: "I know grandma is tormenting you."
This mother is the person who knows her children best in the world, especially someone like Second Mistress Ding who is already very considerate. She and Mi Niang are together almost every day.
It was common for her to be bullied by her mother-in-law, but Second Mistress Ding did not take it seriously. After all, her life would be much better once her husband became a scholar.
I didn't expect that my daughter would feel sorry for me.
"Mi Niang, you've grown up and now you feel sorry for your mother." Grandma Ding was very moved.
"Then does mother still blame me?"
"No wonder."
Second Mistress Ding and her husband looked at Mi Niang absentmindedly and said, "As a mother, I will never blame my children, nor will I dislike them."
"Mother, what are you saying?"
"Oh, nothing."
It snowed in Jiangling. In the morning, Mrs. Ding put a hat on Mi Niang and tied the belt. She repeatedly emphasized: "Don't take it off. If it freezes, you will suffer."
"Hehe, I'm not afraid." Mi Niang was going to play with her sisters from the same tribe next door and was in a hurry to go out.
As I get smaller, my heart also seems to become like a child.
Grandma Ding Er smiled and scratched her nose: "Don't play too much. This year the clan gave out fish cakes. If you miss lunch, it will be gone."
"I know." Mi Niang ran to the next door to have a snowball fight. She was so hungry that she hurried home to eat.
But when she reached the door, she saw a young man with a book box on his back standing at the back door of her house. Mi Niang walked up to him and took a look, and felt that he seemed familiar.
"Uncle, who are you looking for?" Mi Niang looked at him.
The young man was shocked. "My fat daughter, you don't even recognize your father."
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