It wasn't that Second Madam Feng was unwilling to pay more; the key point was that she didn't have much money, and she couldn't give it to a daughter who married out. Second Madam Feng also hoped that Feng Guanjing could understand the difficulties her family faced. It was impossible for Feng Guanjing and her husband to rely on the Feng family without visiting the Marquis of Jingning's mansion.
"How could there be such a deep hatred between father and son?" Madam Feng said, "Now that you've returned to the capital, you should visit the Marquis of Jingning's residence. That way, people won't think you're unfilial. Isn't it almost New Year's Day? It's a good time to go over there when you're delivering your New Year gifts."
Madam Feng had already found an excuse for her daughter. They would personally deliver the gifts when the time came. They had come back all the way from the northwest, so the people from the Jingning Marquis' Mansion had to meet them.
"Go in two days." Feng Guanjing thought that they might not be able to enter the Marquis' Mansion.
The people at the Jingning Marquis' Mansion had already said that they didn't need to pay any tribute.
Feng Guanjing thought that if they had known the Liu family's eldest wife would be so well-off, they wouldn't have thought of giving less and wouldn't have gone to such lengths. But they hadn't known that at the time. They just thought they were so poor that sixty wen could buy twelve pounds of meat, while some families might not even be able to afford meat once a month.
At that time, they were afraid that they would not have enough money to spend, so they had to be more frugal.
"You have to go," said Madam Feng. "If they were willing to take care of you a little longer, you wouldn't have to work so hard."
Madam Feng was still thinking that her family was just trying to get Feng Guanjing closer to the people of the Jingning Marquisate, as the Jingning Marquisate was currently enjoying the emperor's favor. Liu Yanjing was Princess Zhaoyang's consort, and Liu Yulian was the director of the research institute—what a glorious thing!
If Feng Guanjing could get closer to Princess Zhaoyang or Liu Yulian, that would also be beneficial.
"It would be great if you could also follow the research institute," said Mrs. Feng Er.
Lately, many people have been eyeing the research institute. They all think it's a good opportunity, a lucrative opportunity, and they all want to take advantage of Liu Yulian. Perhaps they think Liu Yulian is young and easy to fool.
It's normal for everyone to want to take advantage of some connections, as these people are very good at taking advantage of relationships.
"..." Feng Guanjing was helpless. It was still a question whether they could enter the Jingning Marquis Mansion, let alone enter the research institute.
Feng Guanjing didn't think Liu Yulian would help them. Liu Yulian wasn't a fool. They didn't have a very good relationship with Liu Yulian. Men and women don't interact much. When Liu Yanyuan was in Jingning Marquis's mansion, he was mostly in the outer courtyard, while Liu Yulian was in the inner courtyard.
Liu Yanyuan was a concubine's son, and Liu Yulian was a legitimate daughter, so the chances of these two interacting were even smaller. Moreover, Liu Yulian was the youngest, and Liu Yanyuan himself had a younger sister from the same mother, so how could these people possibly be kind to Liu Yulian?
The people in front are all thinking about other things and are fighting.
In the northwest, Liu Fang learned that Liu Yanqing's family had received the gifts sent from the capital, but she had not. Liu Fang was of course very unhappy and she was still cursing.
"Now that my daughter is married, does that mean it's not that important anymore?" Liu Fang was angry. She suspected that the eldest wife did it on purpose.
She was obviously pregnant and would give birth to a child, so why didn't the first wife send her those things? Even if she didn't care about those things, the first wife should be nicer to her.
"Stop making trouble, be careful of the baby in your belly." Zhen Wen Ze was helpless when he saw Liu Fang was so angry.
"Didn't you write to tell them that I was pregnant?" Liu Fang asked.
"I've written it." Zhen Wenzhe said.
Regardless of the Liu family's eldest wife's attitude towards him, Zhen Wenze still wrote those letters very seriously. He didn't know whether the Liu family's eldest wife would read the letters, but he was sure to write them. Zhen Wenze even sent someone to send New Year gifts.
Before, the Liu family lived in the town. Zhen Wenzhe sent some things over there, but the people from the Liu family's main branch refused to take them.
Zhen Wen Ze thought that since they were sending people from the northwest to the capital, it would be hard to abandon the people from the Liu family's eldest branch.
"Don't worry. Maybe they haven't read the letter yet, so they don't know you are pregnant." Zhen Wen Ze said.
"I think they know it, they're just pretending to be stupid." Liu Fang gritted her teeth, "They just don't want to send me anything, they just don't want me to take advantage of them. Am I taking advantage of them? When I got married, they only gave me a small amount."
Liu Fang said these words in front of Zhen Wen Ze, and she was not afraid that Zhen Wen Ze would be dissatisfied with her. Anyway, this was her personality, and she would not tolerate it.
"They gave so much to an outsider." Liu Fang felt that Lin Xiaowan was an outsider.
"..." Zhen Wen Ze was speechless. The child born by Lin Xiaowan was surnamed Liu, and the child born by Liu Fang was surnamed Zhen. They were completely different.
If we talk about outsiders, it’s Liu Fang.
Zhen Wenze didn't know why Liu Fang would think that way. Liu Fang's train of thought was always like this. If it weren't for the fact that she was the daughter of a concubine from a marquis's family, who would be willing to marry someone like Liu Fang?
Liu Fang was blabbering away, blabbering about the Liu family's eldest wife's shortcomings. With so many members of the Liu family having moved back to the capital, Liu Fang didn't have many people to rely on in the northwest, and she didn't know how to hold herself back.
Zhen Wen Ze looked at Liu Fang's belly and told himself to be patient for a while and wait until Liu Fang gave birth to the baby.
In Shiyuan Village, Liu Yanqing had never considered making decisions for Liu Fang. Each branch had already separated. The relationship between Liu Fang and Liu Yanqing was ordinary, and Liu Yanqing naturally wanted to live a good life for himself rather than help Liu Fang.
Liu Yanqing was not surprised to learn that Liu Fang hadn't received the items sent from the capital. Those people treated the people from the first wife as scapegoats, and Liu Yanqing thought to himself that he was also treating the people from the first wife as scapegoats, but they should also do a better job.
They haven't done well themselves, but they expect others to always be thinking about them. How is that possible?
"They sent so many things this time, it's worth our sending them." Liu Yanqing peeled a roasted sweet potato for Lin Xiaowan. Lin Xiaowan suddenly wanted to eat roasted sweet potatoes, so Liu Yanqing made a few.
"You're taking advantage, right?" Lin Xiaowan knew Liu Yanqing's love, and her husband just liked to take advantage.
"I think so." Liu Yanqing said, "The Zhen family also sent things to the capital. Do they think that if they send them all the way there, the people in the first house will accept them? Didn't Concubine Chai and the others also go to the capital? The people in the first house can just refuse those things and send them directly to the third house."
Liu Yanqing believed that the people from the first house could really do that. There was no need for them to take those things. If they took those things, who knew what Zhen Wenze would do in the future?
"Why do you care so much?" Lin Xiaowan said. They were in the northwest, so how could they care about what was happening in the capital?
"No, I just wanted to talk about it." Liu Yanqing said, "Why, can't I just talk about it?"
"Speak, speak!" Lin Xiaowan did not stop Liu Yanqing from speaking.
Widow Zhang and her family in the village lived a good life. They made a lot of money managing Princess Rongning's farm. They also cultivated their own land well, harvested a lot of grain, and sold a lot of things.
After Miss Lin was forced by her family to marry the widower, her life was not easy. She was always locked up at home by her widower husband, and he would only let her out when he felt she was more obedient.
After a period of tossing and turning, the widower noticed that Miss Lin had calmed down considerably. Miss Lin didn't dare to rummage through the widower's money, nor did she dare to yell at her stepson. She was just like a servant over there.
When Miss Lin finally got out, she went to her parents' home. Her family didn't care about her well-being; they just said the widower must have plenty of money and that Miss Lin was probably doing well.
Miss Lin's eyes were red, she was not having a good time at all.
"You've gained weight." Lin's mother also said, "Look, your brother is so thin."
"..." Miss Lin thought to herself that she had to work hard too. She had to wash clothes, bathe the children, and serve her husband. It was just that she couldn't bring anything back to her parents' home, and the widower didn't lack food for her, so she could gain a little weight.
"If you really care about your brother, you should bring him some food." Lin's mother said, "And your sister-in-law, she will be pregnant and have a baby soon, so she needs to be taken care of."
In short, what Lin's mother meant was that Miss Lin should not come back empty-handed, and should bring back more things.
Miss Lin was feeling depressed because she didn't bring anything back, so her mother and father didn't let her have lunch at home. Miss Lin simply went to the next village to look for Miss Lin San. Miss Lin was just like that; she always liked to look for these sisters.
Miss Lin Er was a concubine in the town, and concubines were not allowed to leave the house at will. The family did not like Miss Lin Er to have much contact with the Lin family. Miss Lin Da wanted to see her second sister, but it was not so easy.
This also led to the fact that Miss Lin Da always liked to come to Miss Lin San, even if Miss Lin San was unwilling to pay any attention to her.
"Why is my life so miserable?" Miss Lin said that she had not eaten yet when she returned to her parents' home, and she also talked about how badly her current husband treated her.
"You have a hard life, but don't others have hard lives?" Miss Lin San used to envy Miss Lin Da, who got married early and her in-laws were from a good family.
It's a pity that Miss Lin doesn't know how to cherish at all. Maybe Miss Lin thinks that since she gave birth to a boy, she can do whatever she wants.
Miss Lin San felt that Miss Lin Da had ruined her good life. Who could she blame? She should blame Miss Lin Da for not knowing the limits. Miss Lin Da always wanted to give so many things to her parents' home. If her husband's family didn't give them anything, Miss Lin Da would steal things from her husband's family and send them back to her parents' home.
Miss Lin San would never do such a thing. Of course, she wants to live a better life. She must also care about her own children instead of thinking about her nephews and nieces who have no shadow.
"You're not unlucky at all. The clothes you're wearing are new, aren't they?" Miss Lin said. "I don't even have clothes this new."
"Why, you want me to take off my clothes? Who are you giving my clothes to? My little brother can't wear them, so are they for my sister-in-law?" Miss Lin San said, "That's your sister-in-law, not mine. I was sold, so don't always say these things in front of me."
Miss Lin San didn't like Miss Lin Da's behavior, but every time Miss Lin Da came, Miss Lin San would still make a few sarcastic remarks. Miss Lin San hoped that Miss Lin Da would understand, but it was not that easy. Miss Lin Da didn't even think about being nice to her.
People like Miss Lin would rather live a hard life themselves than give things to her younger brother.
"If you're hungry, go back to your in-laws' house." Miss Lin San said, "I don't have anything to eat for you."
"How stingy." Miss Lin Da didn't think her parents were stingy towards her. She didn't bring anything back to her parents' home, and she didn't have the face to eat at her parents' home. But she felt that Miss Lin San was not good to her. Miss Lin San lived so well in the Zhang family, but Miss Lin San didn't send more things to her parents' home, and didn't even give her, the eldest sister, a single bite to eat.
Miss Lin San didn't bother to pay attention to Miss Lin Da, and it didn't matter what Miss Lin did.
In the capital, Liu Yulian was in a good mood when she heard that the vegetable seeds in the greenhouse had sprouted.
Liu Yulian planned to go and take a look in person. Liu Jia happened to have no classes today, so Liu Jia insisted on going with Liu Yulian.
"Auntie, please hold the cat again." Liu Jia said. She liked the cat raised by her aunt very much.
Liu Jia originally wanted to raise a cat of her own, but when she saw those cats, she always felt that they were not as cute as her aunt's cat. She still liked to come to her aunt's place to look at the cats her aunt raised.
"Then hold it." Liu Yulian said, "But you have to be careful and don't let it run away. If it runs away and you can't find it, you can't hold it anymore."
"Okay, I'll hold it obediently." Liu Jia nodded. She really liked this cat.
Liu Yulian took Liu Jia on a carriage to the farm. Liu Yulian not only had people plant vegetables and fruits on the ground, but also had people build racks and make some pots to fill with soil. These pots were placed on the racks. She also got running water, which was fed to the racks when needed and turned off when not needed.
The only difference is that the water pipes are not that good, they are all made of bamboo. These water pipes are not that convenient to use, they are bulky and more troublesome.
Liu Yulian was waiting for those people to go out and find rubber trees. Once they found the rubber trees, they would plant them in large quantities, and then they could use the rubber to make many things.
When they arrived at the farm, Liu Jia was still holding the cat.
When in the greenhouse, the cat jumped onto the shelf, sniffed the tender green teeth, licked it, and said, "Pooh, it's not tasty." The kitten disliked the tender leaves and didn't chew them.
The kitten just loved walking on the shelf, and Liu Yulian didn't ask anyone to take it down. As long as the kitten didn't damage the tender buds, it would be fine. Even if the kitten damaged one or two tender buds, it didn't matter.
"Green." Liu Jia was surprised.
"Yes." Liu Yulian nodded, "We'll have something to eat after a while."
"Then I'll eat more." Liu Jia said.
"Okay." Liu Yulian touched her niece's head.
When Liu Yulian and Liu Jia came back from the manor, they happened to see the wife of the second young master Mei coming over.
Mrs. Mei's eyes were red from crying, and there was a slap mark on her face. That slap mark was from the second young master Mei. When the two of them were arguing, the second young master Mei was so angry that he hit Mrs. Mei's face directly.
How could Madam Mei Ershao endure this? She ran to the Marquis' Mansion. She didn't go to the Su family to find Concubine Qing but came to the Marquis' Mansion because she knew that the Marquis' Mansion was more powerful. If she went to find Concubine Qing, she would not be able to make a decision for her.
"Sister-in-law, look, he is so cruel that he hit my face like this." Mrs. Mei Ershao was very angry and her face was a little swollen.
Princess Zhaoyang saw how the second young master Mei's wife was. She knew that it was impossible for the second young master Mei to divorce the second young master, so the second young master Mei had no choice but to ask her family to make the decision for her.
"Fight back." Princess Zhaoyang said.
"I can't beat him." Mrs. Mei Ershao certainly fought back, but she couldn't win.
"Then let the people around you fight along." Princess Zhaoyang thought this was not a problem.
"That's the Mei family. Those people may not all listen to me." Mrs. Mei Ershao had something else to say.
"..." Princess Zhaoyang was speechless, "Don't you have any confidants in the Mei family?"
"Who could be my confidant? Before, the Marquis's Mansion was ransacked, and they even sold the maidservant around me." said the wife of the second young master Mei.
Princess Zhaoyang wondered why Mrs. Mei insisted on staying in the Mei family, as the Mei family had gone too far. Mrs. Mei still missed the Mei family and wanted to stay there.
"If you continue to stay there, just bear with it," Princess Zhaoyang said. "At most, my family will send someone to say a few words."
If the Second Young Master Mei's wife refused to divorce, what else could the Marquisate do? The most they could do was have someone criticize the Second Young Master Mei. They were afraid that even if they did, it would be useless. When a man starts beating a woman, who knows if he will do it again in the future?
"Can't you think of other ways?" Mrs. Mei Ershao became dissatisfied when she saw Princess Zhaoyang was so amiable.
Liu Yulian stood outside the house, wondering whether she should send Liu Jia in. However, she still sent Liu Jia in, "Sister-in-law, Jia Jie'er is back."
"Hurry up and sit down," Princess Zhaoyang said hurriedly. "It's cold outside. Are you cold?"
Mrs. Mei Ershao saw how kind Princess Zhaoyang was to Liu Yulian, but she wasn't as enthusiastic towards herself. This made Mrs. Mei Ershao feel very complicated. Was it because she wasn't a legitimate daughter, or because she wasn't the director of the academy, or a princess, that Princess Zhaoyang wasn't as kind to her?
"She's wearing so many clothes, how could she be cold?" Mrs. Mei said, "She also has sweaters and down jackets. I think my little sister is fine, there's no way she's cold."
When Princess Zhaoyang heard what Madam Mei Ershao said, she thought that Madam Mei Ershao was not good at speaking. Regardless of whether Liu Yulian was cold or not, sometimes she would just say a few polite words, but Madam Mei Ershao actually made such a big deal out of it.
"My second sister seems to be doing well," Liu Yulian deliberately exclaimed, "Oh, why is her face swollen? What's wrong? Hasn't the swelling gone down? But it's okay. There's no wound. It will be fine after a while."
There was no way Liu Yulian would go and make the decision for the second young master's wife. She knew without thinking that the second young master's wife had been beaten, and the person who beat the second young master's wife must be from the Mei family.
In the original novel, the Mei family is not a very good family. The second young master Mei later beat his wife. After so many times, his wife could not bear it anymore. So she divorced the second young master Mei under Su Qiuya's persuasion.
"If that doesn't work, just roll it in an egg." Liu Yulian said, "Second sister must think the same thing. Once the swelling goes down, there won't be any marks."
People can't see any traces on Mrs. Mei's face, so Mrs. Mei can continue to stay in the Mei family as if everything is fine.
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