"Even you can't stand their old-fashioned etiquette, let alone a high-ranking official lady."
Huang Wanzhen: "Then I'm on the right track. Before long, they might ask you to write me a letter of divorce."
"Let me be frank. We've already divorced and are no longer husband and wife. You can't write a divorce letter anymore."
At this point, Huang Wanzhen felt a little worried. You know, there's a world of difference between a divorce and being divorced.
Only if a woman committed one of the seven grounds for divorce would her husband's family divorce her. If a woman was divorced like that, she would be drowned in the spit of the world and would not be able to take her dowry with her. That miserable situation would be comparable to hell. She couldn't let herself fall into that situation.
"Let's find a chance some other day and go get a few witnesses to sign the divorce papers."
Zheng Yusang was choked by her words. "You have a nice idea. Do you know someone prestigious, or do I?"
Huang Wanzhen pondered for a long while before saying, "You really need to go out more often. If you stay cooped up in the house all the time, how can you meet prestigious people?"
After saying this, she began to think to herself.
Zheng Yusang smiled sarcastically, no longer paying attention to her wild thoughts, pulled the quilt over his head and went to sleep.
Huang Wanzhen pondered for a while, gaining a deeper understanding of her situation. She sighed deeply, thinking, "Isn't it just groveling? If others can do it, why can't she?!"
After a few days, Huang Wanzhen thought Zheng Liu had calmed down a little, so she begged Zheng Yusang to take her to the front hall for dinner.
"Have you prepared this in advance?" Zheng Yusang, wearing a thick green robe and holding a jade flute in his hand, pointed at the bird's nest on the tray.
Huang Wanzhen urged Zheng Yusang, "If we keep going on like this, when will we ever get over it? The more we meet, the more chances we have..."
Having said that, she raised her eyebrows and gave Zheng Yusang a look that said "you know".
Zheng Yusang looked at her making such funny movements with such a beautiful face. She couldn't help but put her fist to her mouth and coughed softly, "Ahem - well, let's go."
The two of them timed their meeting perfectly. Dishes were being served in the front hall. Huang Wanzhen came in, took the bird's nest, and apologized to Zheng Liushi, "Mother, I shouldn't have contradicted you a few days ago. I know I was wrong now, and I won't do it again."
Zheng Liu rolled her eyes at the ceiling and wiped her mouth gently with a handkerchief pinched between her fingers. She was putting on a great show, but just as she was about to speak, her eldest daughter spoke first, "Second sister-in-law, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you have such poor manners. It seems the Huang family isn't good at educating their daughters. You should learn some manners from us."
Zheng Yumei stretched out her finger, said something, and tapped Huang Wanzhen.
Huang Wanzhen nodded seriously, "Big sister is right."
Zheng Liu-shi glanced at her and opened her mouth to lecture her when she heard her second daughter's voice, "Thank goodness our parents are kind. If it were an ordinary family, my sister-in-law would be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for being so ignorant of etiquette."
Huang Wanzhen nodded with a serious face, "Sister is right."
"Okay, okay, Brother Sang's wife, put the bird's nest on the table for me and let's eat!" Zheng Liu waved her hands impatiently and asked everyone to sit down and eat.
At night, before going to bed, Zheng Ruqing chatted with his wife, "Teach Sangge's wife more. I think she can make the clothes for the spring."
Zheng Liushi was worried. "She doesn't look like someone who can manage a household. The clothes on the servants are the face of the family. As an official, you can't lose this face."
Zheng Ruqing took a puff of his pipe and said more clearly, "You can let her make the clothes on you and Brother Sang."
"Serving her husband and being filial to her parents-in-law are the responsibilities of a daughter-in-law. She is still young. If you start teaching her now, she can change for the better."
Madam Zheng Liu slapped the edge of the kang and said, "Master is right. Brother Sang and I have plenty of clothes. She just doesn't make them well. At worst, we can just not wear them."
Early the next morning, Mother Li brought a little girl and two pieces of cloth to Shuxiangyuan.
"Madam, this is what Madam asked me to give you. It's getting warmer every day since the New Year. It's time to prepare your spring clothes."
"You are a virtuous man, and I leave the clothes of the lady and the young master in your care."
Huang Wanzhen looked at Xiulan in confusion, not knowing what was going on.
Xiulan thought the young lady was asking for help, so she hurriedly said, "Mother Li, we can't do needlework during the first month of the lunar year. My young lady can't break the rules."
Mother Li: "Yes, yes, Miss Xiulan is right. It's not too late to do it after the Dragon Rises on the Second Day of the Second Month. The Madam and the Young Master will still have clothes to wear."
After Mama Li left, Huang Wanzhen pouted and asked, "Xiu Lan, what will happen if you sew in the first month of the year?"
Xiulan put the cloth into the cupboard. "That would be terrible. Not only would it offend my mother-in-law, but it would also cause me to give birth to ten daughters."
"Miss, think about it, a woman has to give birth to ten daughters before she can give birth to a son. How miserable that would be."
Huang Wanzhen objected, "What does this have to do with whether it's a boy or a girl? So many old-fashioned families have girls. It can't all be caused by sewing during the first month of the lunar year, right?"
Hearing her say this, Xiulan stopped tidying the cabinet and turned back to look at her, "Then maybe they really did tamper with the needlework. They tampered with the needlework behind people's backs, and we don't know, but the gods know."
"The gods are omniscient. As long as you have a thought, the gods will definitely punish you."
Huang Wanzhen: “…”
"I just happen to like girls and not boys. How come I found a way to do something so good? Hurry up and get the cloth. I'll do it now."
Xiulan: “…”
"Miss, stop joking. This is a matter of great importance to your entire life."
Huang Wanzhen didn't really get angry with her. She waved her hand and said, "Take it out. I plan to go to Teacher Shen's class after the first month of the lunar year. By then, I'll have to write manuscripts. How can I have time to make clothes?"
"While we are not busy now, let's make one for the Madam and the Young Master first."
Xiulan frowned and shook her head uncomfortably, "Don't worry so much. If the lady doesn't have time, I can do it."
Huang Wanzhen looked her up and down and suddenly laughed, "I didn't expect that our Xiulan wanted to have a son."
Xiulan suddenly felt her face getting hot. "No way, miss, we are talking about serious matters."
Huang Wanzhen sighed, "Okay, stop being shy and take it out. I'll do a little bit every day. If I can't finish it in ten days, I can definitely finish it in half a month."
The reason why she was so slow was because she still needed to practice first. The original owner was good at needlework, but she was not. Although she had her memories, she also needed to familiarize herself with it.
As a result, Huang Wanzhen became even busier. Fortunately, the Zheng family installed electric lights. If it were at Huang's house, lighting candles at night would be very tiring for the eyes, whether reading or doing needlework.
"Hey! Why are you still doing needlework so late at night? I've never seen you so diligent before." Zheng Yusang looked at the light on the ceiling and said dissatisfiedly.
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