The garrison commander's wife's expression softened as she said to Song Liyun, "You live in a remote town, and there are no parents to take care of things at home. Although I am the eldest sister-in-law in my husband's family, I watched Ashi grow up, so I still have to do these things."
“Ah Shi told me that his sister-in-law dotes on him the most, and whenever she argues with her nephew, she always protects him,” Song Liyun said meekly.
Zhao Tinglei sipped his tea beside him: "The matter here is settled. You two sisters-in-law should go back to the inner quarters and chat. We'll hold a proper family banquet tomorrow when our third brother enters the pass."
He had already sent a message by carrier pigeon and received a reply that the Third Young Master was at a rest stop outside the pass and could return immediately.
Upon hearing that Zhao Tingduo was going to enter the pass, the garrison commander's wife said happily, "Third brother loves my mutton soup the most, so I'll have someone prepare it as soon as possible."
Song Liyun was also very happy.
She and Zhao Tingduo had been separated for more than ten days. Although they had been married for half a year, they had never been apart. Now she missed him very much.
Moreover, there are important matters that need to be discussed.
The garrison commander's residence, like the garrison commander's wife, was meticulous in every detail, and there was also a large stone-brick training ground.
For some reason, the maids serving guests in the warm pavilion all lowered their heads and dared not breathe, walking with great deference, which made Song Liyun, who was usually carefree, uneasy.
The rules of the garrison are really strict!
The garrison commander's wife was only in her thirties, but perhaps due to excessive worry, crow's feet were visible at the corners of her eyes when she smiled, and there were vertical lines between her brows. Coupled with her crimson-purple dress, she looked older than Lady Wuya.
Her words sounded even more old-fashioned than those of Lady Uya.
Sitting next to the stern-faced garrison commander's wife, and looking at the trembling concubines around her, Song Liyun even missed Aunt Li a little.
When the garrison commander's wife returned to the capital, it was Concubine Li who took charge of the household affairs.
Aunt Li, thinking that the garrison commander's wife would stay in the capital and not return, became complacent and resorted to tricks and clever schemes to amuse herself.
Since she was in a hurry to enter the city, Song Liyun did not prepare any special gifts, and could only present the pastry gift box she had bought on the streets of Hecheng.
The garrison commander's wife showed no displeasure, simply ordering the food to be taken away and then inviting Song Liyun to sit down in front of her.
First, he looked Song Liyun up and down, then he took her hand and examined her closely.
Song Liyun had already washed and dressed in the guest courtyard. At this moment, she wore a simple woman's bun with a silver hairpin inserted at an angle.
She was wearing a light purple jacket and skirt, with snow-white rabbit fur trimmed on the cuffs and hem.
On her feet were a pair of sheepskin boots, with a jade bead hanging from the toe.
This outfit is quite conventional and is typical of wealthy families.
It's rare that Song Liyun, after such a long journey, didn't look haggard; on the contrary, her eyes were bright and her skin was smooth and radiant.
The garrison commander's wife nodded inwardly. Sure enough, it was the daughters of military families who could withstand the wind and sun. If they were rich girls, they would have fallen ill after such a trip.
Having a healthy body allows her to have children for her husband's family sooner, but it's not good for a woman to be out there working so hard.
After inspecting the goods, the garrison commander's wife patted Song Liyun with satisfaction and said, "Now that you're back in the Wu Dynasty, can you leave someone to serve your third brother?"
Song Liyun smiled and said, "Ashi isn't in the tribe, so he doesn't need anyone to serve him!"
"We should still let one of the maids have her face opened and stay in the tribe, so that when you go out, you won't have to worry about your third brother being left unattended."
"My third brother is a man. How could he possibly be so attentive to adding clothes, heating bedding, or cooking food?" The garrison commander's wife frowned and said in a deep voice.
Song Liyun was surprised; she had never considered that Zhao Tingduo would be cold and hungry after she left.
Before getting married, he lived a perfectly healthy life for twenty years, full of energy and all his limbs were intact. How come after getting married, he suddenly became a mentally challenged person who couldn't live without anyone else?
However, this was my first time meeting this woman, and I didn't want to argue. In any case, I would handle things myself.
She simply nodded: "What my sister-in-law says is true. When we return to the tribe, we will prepare a maid for Ashi."
Seeing that she was obedient and well-behaved, the garrison commander's wife was even more satisfied and said, "You have a mother-in-law, so these are things that I, as the eldest sister-in-law, should not say. But my Zhao family is now a royal family, so we still have to observe the proper etiquette."
I heard that you came to Hecheng today with only a thirteen-year-old servant boy, and not even a maid.
Although this servant is young, keeping him around doesn't affect his reputation, and it doesn't conform to the Zhao family's rules.
Tomorrow I'll pick out the most capable old woman for you at home to serve you and guide you in managing the household."
Song Liyun refused, saying, "It's our first meeting. How can I ask my sister-in-law to go through all that trouble to mediate? My business is small, and two managers are enough for me."
“Wu Dan is a child from the tribe, not a servant. He is smart and quick-witted. I brought him along to broaden his horizons so he can help A Shi in the future.”
The garrison commander's wife nodded: "It's fine if we don't have a matron to manage the household. It's better to bring a maid when we go out; it's more convenient to have her around!"
Only then did she realize that Song Liyun came from a military family. Apart from the dowry she had sent, she probably only had a few acres of land and an ox. She certainly didn't need a stewardess to manage things, but she should still have a personal maid.
In the words of the garrison commander's wife, Song Liyun, who did not bring any maids, was like running naked, and Wu Dan was not even considered a person.
Song Liyun had lost interest in chatting and was only putting on a polite act.
No matter what, she absolutely could not accept maids or servants. It was convenient for her to travel on horseback, and having another person would only be a burden. Even if Yuquan and Langguo could ride horses, she would still find them undesirable.
Seeing that Song Liyun did not want a maid, the garrison commander's wife did not force her anymore, but she was clearly unhappy: "Ayun, you and your third brother have been married for almost half a year, why are you still not pregnant?"
"As a daughter-in-law, having offspring is of utmost importance. There are physicians from the Imperial Hospital in the city; tomorrow I'll have one examine your pulse and treat your health."
Faced with the garrison commander's wife's somewhat overstepping well-intentioned reminder, Song Liyun no longer wanted to go along with her.
She smiled and replied neither too softly nor too harshly, "My mother-in-law said that I've just lived on the grasslands and I'm afraid I won't be used to the food. She also said that if I have morning sickness, it will be bad for the baby. She suggested that I give birth a year later!"
"Lady Uya said you should wait a year before getting pregnant again? How can that be?" The garrison commander's wife was shocked.
Lady Uya only has one son, so why is she in no hurry to have a grandchild and is asking me to wait another year before getting pregnant?
Song Liyun looked completely innocent: "Ashi is the most filial son, and he also said he would listen to his mother-in-law."
I have a proper mother-in-law, and she has a very "irritable" temper.
Song Liyun felt no guilt at all about letting Madam Wuya and Zhao Tingduo take the blame, since no one was going to Karashan to ask anyway.
As expected, the garrison commander's wife had nothing to say, only feeling that this Lady Wuya had been ignorant her whole life.
When my third brother was sixteen, my father-in-law arranged a marriage for him and prepared several maids to be his concubines so that he could understand human affairs.
As a result, Lady Wuya refused to agree to the marriage and even interfered with the maids in the room, causing the third brother to be unable to get married until he was over twenty.
Unexpectedly, now that my third brother has finally found a wife, Madam Wuya won't allow him to get pregnant.
The garrison commander's wife was furious when she thought about how she had wasted four maids she had brought from the capital.
If my father-in-law were still in Yunzhou, he would definitely have another big fight with Madam Wuya.
Seeing that Song Liyun seemed to "know nothing," the garrison commander's wife had no choice but to give up on continuing to teach her and instead inquire about Song Liyun's family background.
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