Chapter 190: Long time no see, No. 1 Scholar
Li Jixian accompanied Shen Qingchi back to the Marquis' Mansion, and that afternoon Shen Jinhua came to the new house to find Chunxi.
"This is great news! Chi'er has been promoted to wife. The Imperial Tutor's Mansion has provided the betrothal gifts. Li Jixian even knelt down and apologized to your father-in-law. When Yuan'er is on leave, he will host a banquet for us. As the eldest brother and sister-in-law, you must make sure to support Chi'er."
Shen Qingchi prepared gifts for everyone in the family, and Shen Jinhua's attitude changed drastically. She no longer scolded her like a little bitch.
Chunxi had met Shen Qingchi at the Princess's Mansion and already knew that she had been promoted to the position of wife. She wasn't surprised, but she asked cautiously, "Didn't the Imperial Tutor's Mansion ask for a dowry after paying the betrothal gifts?"
"Of course not," Shen Jinhua laughed from ear to ear. "Li Jixian cheated on Chi'er with her body and then sent people to humiliate her. He was already in the wrong. Now they are in love, and Chi'er is pregnant with his child. How can he have the nerve to ask for a dowry?"
Shen Jinhua reacted and rolled her eyes at Chunxi. "Are you worried about having to pay Chi'er's dowry? Chi'er is now the legitimate wife of the Fourth Young Master of the Taifu Mansion. How could she covet something from a sister-in-law like you?"
Shen Jinhua's tone was filled with disdain, and she felt that Chunxi's stinginess was really unpresentable.
Chunxi didn't care.
The mouth is on someone else's body, and they can say whatever they want, as long as she doesn't suffer any loss.
When Shen Qingyuan was on leave, the two of them went to the Taifu Mansion with the people from the Marquis' Mansion.
Everyone in the mansion bought new clothes, and the materials looked very good. All the Shen family members were there. Shen Qingyu, who was recuperating at home, also dressed up and walked out of the mansion. Shen Jinhua even brought her two children.
There were not enough carriages in the Marquis' Mansion, so Shen Jinhua and Chunxi squeezed into one carriage, and Shen Qingyuan rode a horse alone.
On the way, Shen Jinhua kept praising the in-laws from the Taifu Mansion. Not only did they not look down on the Shen family, they also valued them very much. The new clothes they were wearing were made of the cloth sent by the Taifu Mansion.
Two sets per person, including shoes and socks.
Finally, Shen Jinhua sighed, "Luckily, Chi'er had foresight and didn't listen to her mother and marry some lousy rich businessman. Instead, she chose to join the Imperial Tutor's Mansion. Otherwise, we wouldn't have the good life we have now."
Shen Jinhua's words were full of envy and pride. She no longer considered losing her virginity out of wedlock and becoming a concubine a shameful stain, and she didn't care that her daughter was sitting beside her listening to her words with relish.
Not long after, the carriage stopped at the gate of the Taifu Mansion.
Li Jixian personally led people to greet him at the door: "Father-in-law, please come in."
Today is a family dinner, and men and women are not seated separately. In the front hall, the old lady of the Taifu Mansion has already taken everyone to their seats.
Originally, Shen Jinhua thought that everyone from the Marquis' Mansion came to the banquet, which was quite a lot of people. But when she saw so many people from the Grand Tutor's Mansion, she immediately felt restrained.
Although they were wearing new clothes, they had not lived a rich life in recent years. They did not have the pampered air of the people in the Taifu Mansion. When they stood together, they were immediately at a disadvantage. Even the Marquis of Qingyuan, who was once awarded the title of marquis for his military exploits, now had no aura at all.
However, the Taifu Mansion had already accepted this relative and showed no surprise, inviting them to sit down with great courtesy.
The seats were arranged according to seniority. Mrs. Wu and the wife of the Grand Tutor sat at the main seat at the main table, Marquis Qingyuan also sat at the main table with Li Jixian's father and mother, and Chunxi and Shen Qingyuan were assigned to the same table with Li Jixian and the others.
I don’t know if it was a deliberate arrangement, but Shen Qingyue and Shen Qingyu were assigned to other tables and not with them.
After sitting down, Li Jixian kept talking to Shen Qingyuan about the envoys. Chunxi listened quietly without interrupting. After a while, Shen Qingchi's voice came to her ears: "Brother, sister-in-law."
Turning his head, Shen Qingchi was standing there in a scarlet long dress.
It had only been a few days since the flower-viewing banquet at the princess's residence. When they met again, Shen Qingchi had completely changed. She was no longer filled with melancholy, and she no longer looked at people with timidity. Her eyes were full of calmness and gentleness, and she had the air of a wife.
However, no matter how much Shen Qingchi has changed, it is not as eye-catching as the woman next to her.
The woman was very beautiful. Unlike the delicate beauty of a young girl, the woman's beauty was full of charm, which made people unforgettable and couldn't help wanting to get close to her and know more about her.
Shen Qingyuan stopped talking, glanced at Shen Qingchi, and nodded slightly in response.
Shen Qingchi immediately pulled the woman over and introduced her: "Brother and sister-in-law, this is Fifth Aunt. Fifth Aunt just came back from Wengzhou and treated me very well."
Yun Wantang curved her eyes and said, "Top Scholar, long time no see."
She still called Shen Qingyuan "Top Scholar", showing that they knew each other before and had a good relationship.
"Long time no see," Shen Qingyuan said calmly, then looked at Chunxi and introduced, "This is my wife."
“Mrs. Shen is very beautiful.”
Yun Wantang praised her and sat down next to Chunxi with Shen Qingchi.
Shen Qingchi was very curious and asked Yun Wantang in a low voice: "Fifth Aunt knows my eldest brother?"
"I know him. Your eldest brother was very talented at a young age. My father admired him very much and gave him guidance several times."
Yun Wantang answered casually, but out of the corner of his eye he was paying close attention to Chunxi's situation.
Chunxi was not very interested in the conversation between her and Shen Qingchi, and did not listen attentively. Instead, she stared at the dishes that were placed on the table one after another with interest.
Yun Wantang called the maid and placed a dish containing sea cucumber, fish balls, fish maw, shiitake mushrooms and other ingredients in front of Chunxi.
"This is the famous dish of Wengzhou, Braised Three Fresh Vegetables. It was made by the chef in the church after I came back. Madam Shen can try it."
Servants served dishes at each table. Yun Wantang's voice was not loud and did not attract other people's attention, but it was obvious that he was taking special care of Chunxi.
Chunxi couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Princess Hengyang was right, the fifth lady of the Taifu Mansion was indeed very likable.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Mrs. Shen, you don't have to be so polite. We are a family now. I heard from Chi'er that you are a good cook. After having a child, I also like to research new dishes. In the future, Mrs. Shen can teach me more about cooking, and I can also pass on some experience in raising children to you."
Yun Wantang's words were very practical. It didn't seem like he was just being polite. He really wanted to make friends with Chunxi.
Logically, Chunxi shouldn't refuse, but thinking of Princess Hengyang drinking alone at the flower viewing banquet, Chunxi said, "My lady, you're too kind. I only know a few home-cooked dishes, and I don't know as many as the chefs in the mansion. I really don't have much to teach you. Besides, my lady has finally returned to Hanjing, and I think she has a lot of things to do. I don't want to bother you too much."
Chunxi said it tactfully, but his refusal was obvious.
Yun Wantang was secretly surprised.
Over the years, there are very few people who can reject her advances at the first meeting. This Cao Chunxi is indeed interesting.
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