Chapter 53 The sound of firecrackers echoed through the streets and alleys. Unbeknownst to them, ...
The sound of firecrackers echoed through the streets and alleys.
Before we knew it, it was already the eighteenth day of the first lunar month.
Yinghong was still immersed in the festive atmosphere of the New Year and had no heart for work. Instead, she took Su Zhihan's arm and said in a coquettish voice, "Sister Han, let's go, let's go together. If we don't go today, the lanterns will be taken down tomorrow."
The Lantern Festival these days continues until the 18th day of the first lunar month. It's not until the 19th that the government offices take down the lanterns that fill the streets, and the lantern festival comes to an end.
"We arrived late yesterday."
"I didn't even get to see many of the lights before I came back."
Yesterday, there was also a banquet and lantern festival at the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, and the servants in the main kitchen and various courtyards were all busy. Only after the banquet at the residence came to an end were the servants able to go out and see the lanterns.
Although there was no curfew during the Lantern Festival and all the entertainment vendors revelled all night, as servants of the mansion, they could not neglect their duties and could only take a short stroll before returning home to rest early.
Yinghong only picked up a few things to eat before returning. Now, she still regrets it: "I saw a ring toss game. Ten coins for eight rings, twenty coins for twenty rings. The grand prize was a silver bracelet, which was really beautiful."
"A silver bracelet? Isn't that just something to fool people?"
“The silver bracelet is placed far away, so it’s hard to throw it, but there are many other rewards, such as candy, dried tofu, sausages, and vouchers for roast chicken and roast goose!” Yinghong pouted and counted on her fingers as she spoke. “There are also face cream and makeup brushes, earrings and belts, oh, and soap boots too.”
"Really?" Cao Daya's eyes widened.
"Really! I saw someone get one yesterday, and they traded it for Zhou Ji's brand pigeon!" Yinghong's face turned bright red; she couldn't be more excited.
Su Zhihan blinked as she listened to the ring toss game; it seemed to be her own stall. Different market stalls were under different jurisdictions, and the jurisdiction where her own stall was located required each vendor to come up with some activities, such as solving riddles, hanging lanterns, or hiring people to play polo, cuju (ancient Chinese football), or perform various entertainments—in short, to attract customers.
Su Zhihan had to work in the mansion and didn't have any free time, and Grandma Chen's family of three were also too busy. They didn't want to spend a lot of money to hire an actor to perform acrobatics, so they ended up putting together a ring toss game.
Originally, I just wanted to make do, but I didn't expect that although the ring toss activity was not cheap, people were happy to spend money during the holidays, and the rewards were dazzling, so the number of participants was endless.
Yinghong explained to Cao Daya for a while, then turned back to urge Su Zhihan: "Sister Han, go, go."
Su Zhihan was so pestered that she had no choice but to say, "Okay, okay, okay."
She had barely finished speaking when a commotion erupted outside, with screams and cries filling the air.
Just as everyone was puzzled and about to send someone out to check, a servant stumbled and scrambled into the main kitchen. Before he could even stand still, he burst into tears, crying out, "Sanlang is gone—!"
For a moment, time seemed to stand still in the large kitchen. Everyone was silent, except for the bubbling soup in the pot.
After a long silence, everyone rushed out of the large kitchen.
As the sun was setting, the clouds on the horizon were dyed a deep red in the afterglow of the sunset, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and go home to change your clothes!" Cook Xu put on a serious expression and herded the kitchen staff out like ducks, telling them to change into mourning clothes and then gather in the main kitchen.
Su Zhihan jogged home, but Jiang Zhenniang arrived a step earlier. She put on the hempen clothes that had been prepared beforehand, then took off all the gold bracelets and hairpins from her hair and put them in a box. Finally, she combed her hair into a bun and covered it with white hemp cloth as well.
"Han'er is back?" After Jiang Zhenniang finished dressing, she turned around and glanced at Su Zhihan: "Your clothes are all over the side, go and change quickly, and I'll wrap your hair up too."
Su Zhihan responded and soon finished preparing. She jogged back to the main kitchen, knowing that the main kitchen would be busy again, let alone going out to play in the market that evening.
In fact, most people in the manor, from top to bottom, knew that the death of the Third Prince was inevitable, and only after it happened did they all feel a sense of unreality.
The old lady was the same. She had been calmly entertaining the guests, but on the day of the funeral, she couldn't control her emotions and threw herself onto the coffin, crying uncontrollably.
It was only after Erlangjun instructed Changge'er and his cousins to step forward and take turns persuading the old lady that she let go of her hand and allowed her grandchildren to support her as she followed the funeral procession out.
After the funeral was over, Third Sister Zhou had lost a lot of weight, becoming as thin as a willow leaf, making people worry that a gust of wind could sweep her away.
From then on, Zhou Shi kept a low profile and rarely appeared in public. Even Su Zhihan only occasionally heard news from Jiang Zhenniang, such as Zhou Shi dismissing the two maids in the house, giving each of them a hundred strings of cash as dowry, and telling them to find other ways to make a living.
Third Sister Zhou seems to still be here, yet she also seems to be gone.
As the mourning clothes were removed and the peach blossoms bloomed, the gossip about the third son's family in the Marquis's mansion gradually faded away. The servants seemed to have forgotten about the third son, and everyone held the second son in high esteem, with countless people wanting to enter his room to serve him.
Soon, the old lady handed over the management of the household to the second daughter-in-law. Compared to her previous recklessness, the second daughter-in-law, Xu, who had learned her lesson, became more thoughtful and meticulous in her work. She always consulted the opinions of the eldest daughter-in-law and the old lady first. Even the cook, Xu, who had previously offended her in front of the old lady and the eldest daughter-in-law, did not receive a bad look from her. On the contrary, she received a few words of praise and several rewards.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's residence seems to have changed, yet it also seems unchanged.
More than three months passed after that. After the 100th day memorial for the Third Young Master, news spread throughout the mansion that Third Madam Zhou was likely to return to the Zhou family.
Half a month later, Zhou's elder brother and younger brother traveled a long distance to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence. After obtaining the old lady's permission, they took the widowed Zhou, her two children, her maids and dowry back to the Zhou family.
As for the people in the Third Prince's courtyard, apart from the servants who served the young master, who were able to leave together, all the other servants who had contracts with him remained in the mansion, including Jiang Zhenniang.
On the day Zhou was to leave home, the two children of the third son were reluctant to part with the old lady at the main gate of the Hou Mansion, while many servants were also embracing and weeping at the back gate.
Zheng's mother was still able to control her emotions, while Xu's mother had already burst into tears and was hugging Jiang Zhenniang.
"Godmother..."
“Zhenniang…”
With the gold and pearls tucked in one hand and tears streaming down her face with the other, Jiang Zhenniang choked out, "From now on, I will definitely come to see you."
Madam Xu understood what Jiang Zhenniang meant. She wiped away her tears with her handkerchief and sighed, "Silly daughter, our home is quite a distance from the capital... When Fourth Miss grows up, I will accompany her back, and then we will meet again."
Jiang Zhenniang nodded emphatically: "Okay!"
The time left for the group to catch up was limited. As the coachman called, Mama Xu took the meowing Jinzhu and boarded the carriage with Mama Zheng. She leaned out of the window and waved to Jiang Zhenniang.
Jiang Zhenniang waved her handkerchief, exchanged a few more words with the other acquaintances, and then watched the group of carriages and horses depart, gradually disappearing at the end of the road.
"I don't know when we'll meet again."
"Madam Jiang, are you alright?" Granny Xu saw Jiang Zhenniang seeing Xu Mama and the others off and then returning with tears in her eyes, so she quickly went up to ask her how she was doing.
Granny Xu was also one of the victims of this turmoil. Her son, Ershun, used to serve Sanlangjun and had a lot of face.
As Sanlangjun fell seriously ill, the status of the managers in the courtyard plummeted, not to mention Ershun, who was just a gofer.
Xu's mother spent a lot of her family's money to find Er Shun a job as a errand boy in the mansion, but his life was far from what it used to be, and she didn't know when he would have a chance to get back on track.
Thinking about her son and daughter-in-law secretly sighing when they got home, she felt even more empathetic: "My Ershun is the same, he hasn't been able to eat or drink these past two days... We really have it so tough."
Ever since the news spread that Third Sister was going back to her parents' home, the servants in the Third Household Courtyard who clung to their last hope were like headless flies, begging for help to find jobs.
Even the laundry room, which was once looked down upon by everyone, has become a hot commodity. The manager of the laundry room received so many gifts in his life that he was almost overwhelmed with choices.
After all, everyone knows that the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion doesn't employ people for free; if there are no tasks, there is no monthly salary.
As time went on, the master forgot that you even existed, and in the end you were reduced to scavenging for scraps in the kitchen to survive, and life became increasingly difficult.
Granny Xu felt bitter inside. She took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and comforted her, "If you're really feeling bad, we can have a good cry in secret and go home to rest... With Madam Su here, Jiang Zhenniang, you don't need to worry about where to go."
"Besides, I heard from Madam Su that you sent someone to the frontier to look for your eldest son? I think it's about time, and your family may be reunited soon!"
"...Yes." Jiang Zhenniang forced a smile. She and her daughter had discussed this and secretly leaked the news to pave the way for what was to come.
After all, she had explained a lot to the steward last year in order to enter the mansion. For example, she mentioned that the Su family was heartless and that her eldest son had been in the army for three years without any news. These things moved the steward to pity and allowed the mother and daughter to stay.
But now, the two of them have to cover up these things. For example, Jiang Zhenniang went to the government office and learned that most of the people in Sujia Village had indeed died or were injured. The few survivors either moved elsewhere or went to live with relatives.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Zhenniang wiped away her tears and returned home. She told people that the Su family had hidden the letters her eldest son had sent her. Only now did she realize that Su Dalang actually often sent money back, but the Su family had taken it all before.
Since there was a letter in the mail, there was a corresponding letter to communicate with the recipient.
Although Jiang Zhenniang had spread the word that she was trying to contact her eldest son, when she heard Granny Xu casually mention her missing son, her face showed joy and anticipation, but her heart was filled with sorrow.
Jiang Zhenniang wanted to build a cenotaph for her son so she could burn some paper money, but she was afraid of being seen by others since he was still in the mansion.
She thought about it again and decided to postpone the matter. She planned to wait until she and her daughter were redeemed from their servitude and left the mansion before going to the temple outside the city to set up a memorial tablet for her son, burn some paper money, and teach him to be a wealthy ghost in the afterlife. She also hoped that she could invite Ox-Head and Horse-Face to give all those wicked people from the Su family a good beating.
Jiang Zhenniang was lost in thought. After exchanging a few words with Granny Xu, she went home.
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