Chapter 24 Didn't you say that money was for the children...?
After finishing breakfast, Lu Lin went out. Shen Rong also had her own things to do. She took out some of the things she had brought yesterday and prepared to send them to Jiang Yufen.
"Go and see if the second young master is in the room?" she instructed Chuntao.
If Lu You is there, we'll go later.
Chun Tao smiled and said, "Young Madam, please go ahead. Second Young Master will also be going out with Master."
"Alright, let's go to Madam's first, and then go there after we get back."
Lu's mother was handling household affairs, and her two concubines were also there.
Shen Rong greeted them.
The second concubine's surname was Huang. She was Lu You's biological mother. It is said that she was Lu's father's maid before.
The third concubine's surname was Fei, and she also gave birth to a son who is currently studying abroad.
"Madam, we'll head down now." Aunt Huang was perceptive, knowing that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law definitely had something to say to each other.
Shen Rong called out to them and took out two bottles of perfume: "Please don't find them offensive, my two concubines."
Aunt Fei smiled shyly: "This must be very expensive. I can't accept your expense." It smells much better than a sachet. She had heard that city people liked to use this.
Aunt Huang refused to accept it.
In the end, it was Lu's mother who spoke up, telling them to accept it: "Since it's a token of their respect, you should accept it."
The two then accepted the gift. Aunt Fei was delighted with it, her face beaming with smiles, and she even showed more affection towards Shen Rong.
After they left, Lu's mother asked her how much she had spent, seemingly wanting to subsidize them.
She knew this perfume wasn't cheap.
"It was a gift from my mother. I can't use such strong perfume right now, so I might as well give it to her since everyone has one."
She took out the scent she had chosen for Lu's mother, saying, "I picked out this scent for you. Please smell it and see if you like it."
Her daughter-in-law gave it to her; how could she not like it?
Of course, Shen Rong couldn't give her mother-in-law and concubine the same things. She picked out a leather handbag, two silk scarves, and a fur coat.
She had reason to suspect that this was actually prepared by her mother specifically for her to give to her mother-in-law.
"Your mother has gone to so much trouble." Lu's mother clearly noticed this as well.
This coat isn't a color scheme suitable for someone of Shen Rong's age.
In the end, Shen Rong did not return empty-handed; she obtained many treasured items from Lu's mother.
What others consider outdated and unfashionable is priceless in her eyes.
Lu's mother was also pleased that her daughter knew how to appreciate things, and secretly told her, "All of these dowries of mine will eventually be left to you."
The recipe was very familiar, so Shen Rong didn't take it to heart, and Lu's mother was very happy to be coaxed by her.
After Shen Rong left, the smile on Lu's mother's face remained. Wu's mother stepped forward to help her pack her things and sighed, "Young mistress's personality has really changed a lot."
She would never have lowered herself to please her mother-in-law like this before.
"Yeah, it doesn't really matter if she's not close to me, as long as she gets along well with Tianming. Maybe she wasn't familiar with us before either."
When a young woman marries into a strange family, she will naturally feel resistant and wary.
It's fine as it is now. Tianming is cold-hearted, while Shenrong is good at handling things; they're a perfect match.
"I just heard from other servants that the eldest young mistress took a lot of things to the second house."
Mother Lu smiled and nodded: "A harmonious relationship between brothers and close sisters-in-law is the hallmark of a prosperous family."
The second room was quiet. When Shen Rong entered, he saw Jiang Yufen lying on the chaise longue by the window, smoking a pipe.
Her face changed drastically as she recalled how the woman in her dream also smoked opium.
When Jiang Yufen saw her, she quickly stood up and said, "Sister-in-law."
"Why did you start smoking this?"
Seeing that Shen Rong's tone was off, Jiang Yufen, being a perceptive person, immediately guessed that she had misunderstood.
"Sister-in-law, this is a hookah. The Lu family rules forbid family members from smoking opium. How could I dare to?"
Shen Rong was truly relieved. Getting involved with opium was a fatal mistake that could ruin a person's life.
"Then don't smoke this anymore. You're so young, why are you learning to smoke this stuff from those old ladies?"
Jiang Yufen's face showed a hint of bitterness: "I also have nothing to do, so I'm just killing time."
She prefers quiet and spends most of her time at home, except for occasionally playing cards with her sisters-in-law. Lu You is rarely at home, so she sometimes smokes a few cigarettes when she feels too empty.
Today was my period, and since my hopes were dashed, I took a couple of puffs because I was feeling down.
Shen Rong was somewhat surprised, not expecting that she was so young to be in such a hurry to have a child.
“I think having a child might make me less lonely, and I’ll have things to keep me busy.” Jiang Yufen’s reasoning stunned Shen Rong.
"Sister-in-law, am I doing something wrong? I'm such an old-fashioned woman, I even find myself boring." She lowered her head, looking dejected.
Jiang Yufen felt that Lu You's constant absence from home meant he didn't like her and wanted to avoid being with her.
Shen Rong took her hand and said firmly, "It's not like that. Every girl is lovely and has her own shining points. We are human beings, and human beings are different. We shouldn't be defined by any model. What is old-fashioned and what is new-fashioned? Should we judge them based on their appearance or education?"
Only you can define yourself.
She could see the envy hidden deep in Jiang Yufen's eyes.
She opened the boxes that Chuntao had brought and took out a beautiful dress.
"Wow, it's so beautiful." Lu Xuan walked in from outside the door.
Lu Xuan was wearing the new clothes she had taken from Shen Rong yesterday. She had originally gone to her eldest sister-in-law's place to show them off, but when she learned that she had come to her second sister-in-law's place, she followed her there.
"Is this for Second Sister-in-law? Second Sister-in-law, try it on quickly." Lu Xuan urged Jiang Yufen.
Shen Rong also encouraged her to give it a try: "If you feel that you are an old-fashioned woman who is not liked, then put on new clothes and change yourself."
Jiang Yufen hesitated: "I'd better not, it won't look good on me."
"You're not dressed yet?" Shen Rong pulled her up, pushed her into the inner room, and then asked Lu Xuan to go in and help her.
After a while, Jiang Yufen covered her chest and walked out with a hunched back.
Shen Rong patted her shoulder: "Stand up straight."
Jiang Yufen has very fair skin, which makes her look even more like a pearl in this blue dress.
"The real Snow White!"
And it was especially delicious; Shen Rong was drooling over it. Lu You was so lucky to be eating so well!
"Second sister-in-law, you look so beautiful! I'm going to get something and fix my hair; it'll make me look even better." She hurriedly ran out.
Jiang Yufen looked in the mirror and asked timidly, "Isn't it strange?"
Shen Rong chuckled softly, "You're just like a little white rabbit right now."
Jiang Yufen's face was flushed as she kept looking at herself in the mirror and Chen Rong beside her.
It's still different. Even though I changed into a pretty dress, I still didn't have the same aura as my sister-in-law.
She always seemed so confident and energetic, as if nothing else mattered to her—something I could never do.
"Sister-in-law, what do you usually do for entertainment?"
Shen Rong suddenly understood what she meant by asking the question.
She smiled and said, "I've been reading books, newspapers, and magazines lately."
Jiang Yufen lowered her head: "I've read books too, but they're dry and hard to understand, I can't get through them."
Shen Rong smiled mischievously: "Who reads those classical Chinese texts? I read novels. There are many good novels in newspapers and magazines that are written in a very straightforward way, which is especially suitable for us. You can also learn other things and find some hobbies and interests of your own, as long as you like them."
"Sister-in-law, can I borrow those novels to read?" Jiang Yufen asked, intrigued.
Shen Rong nodded: "I'll have someone get it. You can order it if you like. If you can't order it here, I can order it and send it to you, but it will be a little late."
Jiang Yufen nodded: "Thank you, sister-in-law. It's alright, I can wait."
"I even said I'd write novels before, but I'm not cut out for it, so I gave up," Shen Rong said, recalling her embarrassing attempt to make money back then.
Jiang Yufen was stunned: "Is writing novels very profitable?"
Lu Xuan returned as well, and upon hearing this, she quickly replied, "It's very lucrative! Those famous writers can earn several hundred yuan for writing a single novel!"
"Who wants to be a great writer?" she asked excitedly.
Shen Rong teased her, "I'm planning to let you become a writer and make money."
Lu Xuan shook her head after thinking about it: "I can't do that, please spare me, I'll just eat less."
Jiang Yufen smiled then.
Lu Xuan curled her hair, and Shen Rong, on a whim, also got a big wavy perm, then changed into a very cool jumpsuit.
"It's a pity we don't have a camera, otherwise we could have taken more photos in the yard."
Lu Xuan jumped up: "Yes! I know who has it."
She looked at Chen Rong: "Big brother has one!"
She treasures it, though; she knows where it is, but she's too afraid to take it. Now it's up to her sister-in-law.
Although it's not good to mess with other people's things, they've been working on this look for a long time, so it would be really inexcusable not to take a picture.
Shen Rong gave Lu Xuan a meaningful look. Damn it! We'll just have to be careful!
Shen Rong was planning to steal it, but Lu Lin returned early and caught her red-handed.
"Why did you suddenly come back?" She pulled her hand behind her back, her voice slightly unsteady.
Lu Xuan, standing guard outside the door, with her fashionable attire and guilty expression, what else could be unclear?
"Do you want to take a picture?" Lu Lin asked.
The tone of voice suggested that things were open to discussion.
Shen Rong's eyes lit up, and she nodded obediently, feigning pitifulness: "We want to take a picture so we can have memories when we're old. When my belly gets bigger, I won't be able to wear these clothes anymore."
"Please, let us use it for a bit. We promise we won't break it. If we do, I'll pay for it!" Now she had the confidence to say that, after all, she had several thousand US dollars.
"Didn't you say that money was for the children's schooling?" Lu Lin deliberately contradicted her.
Shen Rong glanced at her and muttered to herself, "Isn't it because his father is stingy?"
Did he say he wouldn't lend it? They've already pinned all the charges on him.
Do you know how to use this camera?
Shen Rong carefully brought the camera to her front and looked at it: "Then tell me briefly."
It should be similar to later generations, right?
"Are you taking pictures with the little sister? I'll take them for you."
He had thought of rushing back to be with her when he left that morning, but she didn't care at all.
Shen Rong was somewhat tempted; a free photographer.
But that won't work. Jiang Yufen is also there. With her personality, how could she possibly be open and relaxed in front of her brother-in-law?
“Take a group photo of the three of us, and we’ll take care of the rest ourselves.”
Three?
Lu Lin understood and, being sensible, didn't bring it up again.
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