Chapter 69 [VIP]
On the day Yuanbao turned one month old, Li Cheng unexpectedly came with both of his sons.
Upon seeing his maternal uncle, Chen Qingyan was quite surprised. Although the two families had agreed to visit each other in the future, Tianyang was so far from Qingshui Town that it was very inconvenient to travel there. He had thought they would at most send some gifts as a token of their appreciation, but he hadn't expected them to make the trip in person.
"Greetings, eldest uncle, eldest cousin, and second cousin."
"No need for formalities." Li Cheng helped Chen Qingyan up. He had come to see his sister after receiving a letter from his nephew, and also to check on how she had been living all these years.
He was angry back then and didn't even attend Li Shu's wedding. He only heard from others that the Chen family was quite well-off, and that he shouldn't have to suffer after marrying into the family.
After walking around the courtyard, it looked spacious, but it was still a small household with furnishings and decorations that were not up to standard. There wasn't even a screen wall at the main entrance. No wonder my father used to call my brother-in-law a peasant.
Passing through the front yard to the central courtyard, we arrived at the banquet hall where the banquet would be held today. Servants had already set up the tables and chairs. Some of these tables and chairs belonged to the family, while others were rented from the restaurant and would have to be returned after use.
Chen Qingyan led his maternal uncle and two cousins straight into the hall.
Li was entertaining guests when she saw her elder brother and was taken aback. Then she greeted him with delight, "Brother, what brings you here?"
When the other guests saw that a distinguished guest had arrived, they all got up and went outside to chat.
Li Bingwen laughed and said, "Hearing that my cousin is going to hold a full-month celebration for his child, of course we have to come and join in the fun."
"Please sit down. Qiuyue, go and bring some tea. You must be tired from traveling such a long way."
Li Cheng hadn't spoken to his sister like this in a long time, and his voice was slightly reserved. "It's alright, the weather is warm and we walk slowly, so it's not too tiring."
In the warm spring of March, the weather is at its best. The wind is gentle and the sun is shining. Even if it rains, it's just a light drizzle that doesn't affect your journey.
After Li inquired about the family matters, the brother and sister fell silent.
Li Bingwen, who was standing nearby, was eloquent and asked Chen Qingyan, "I heard that your brother-in-law had a boy. Has he named him yet?"
Chen Qingyan said, "It's been given. My teacher helped me choose it. It's a single character, Ze."
The Li family are all cultured people, so they are inevitably a bit picky about names. "When was he born? Isn't it too simple?"
Chen Qingyan told Li Cheng the child's birth date and time, and after thinking for a while, Li Cheng thought that the character "Ze" was really good.
It's a good name—neither too grandiose nor too shallow, and it also carries the meaning of blessing all things. You can tell that the teacher put a lot of thought into it.
Li Cheng and his group actually had another purpose for coming this time; he planned to take his two nephews to Tianyang to study.
Tianyang is, after all, a county town, and its teaching is much better than that of towns. In addition, he himself is a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, and his two sons are also scholars. If they are taught well for a few years, perhaps Qingyan and Qingsong can achieve even greater things.
However, the one-month celebration is more important right now. We'll discuss it with them after this is over.
Around 7:00 AM, guests began to arrive, and the courtyard became lively.
We're all usually busy with our own families, so we rarely get together like this. Today, we're here to catch up and reminisce while we're running errands.
Among them was Madam Lu. When Madam Li saw her, she quickly stepped forward to greet her, "Sister-in-law Lu, you're here. It's been so long since I've seen you."
Madam Lu gave an awkward smile. "I've been busy with family matters lately and haven't had time to come out."
"Please come in and sit down. The other ladies are over there."
Madam Lu looked in the direction she pointed and indeed saw several familiar faces. She hurried over.
The reason she was so uneasy was because she had something on her mind.
Last year, my son met a scholar surnamed Zhang, and the two became close friends. My son was almost completely charmed by the scholar.
Later, upon hearing that Zhang Xiucai's leg had been broken by the Chen family's boy, in order to avenge his friend, he gathered a few scholars to go to the entrance of the Chen family's shop and spread rumors about Chen Qingyan.
Regardless of whether the county exam cheating was true or not, the two families had a fairly good relationship. Even if it was true, she shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter. How could she continue to associate with Madam Chen?
When Mr. Lu learned that his son had done such a thing, he was so angry that he gave him a severe beating and made him come to apologize.
Lu Chang'an was not a bright person to begin with, and his stubborn personality made him unwilling to apologize to Chen Qingyan.
Later, it was said that the scholar Zhang had kidnapped Chen's husband and poisoned his own parents, and was arrested and beheaded at the county office. Lu Chang'an was so frightened that he fell seriously ill and never mentioned the Chen family again, so the matter was left unresolved.
Today, Madam Lu came not only to celebrate the birth of her child, but also to apologize on behalf of her son, hoping to gain Madam Chen's forgiveness. Even if they could not continue their relationship, they hoped to avoid becoming enemies.
Around 9:00 AM, Wang Ying came over from the backyard carrying her baby. The baby, who was a month old, was much fatter than when he was born, and his skin was as fair and rosy as Wang Ying's.
She wore a crimson riding jacket over a soft, light white cotton coat, a tiger-head hat, and tiger-head shoes. Her aunt had made the whole outfit for her, and it fit her perfectly and looked beautiful.
As soon as everyone saw the child, they all gathered around, praising him for his handsome appearance and the fact that his ears were higher than his eyebrows, indicating that he was a promising student.
Liang Boqing stood to the side, nodding and agreeing with the praise with a smile on his face, as if he were praising his own grandson.
According to local custom, relatives are expected to give money as a full-month gift for the child. Normally, they would give a few dozen coins as a token, but some families with limited means might give a basket of eggs.
When it came to Madam Lu, she actually gave her a pair of silver bracelets for children, which looked to weigh two or three ounces.
"This is too valuable." Madam Li quickly picked it up to return it.
Madam Lu pressed her hand down and said, "Take it. I'll talk to you about something after dinner."
Li didn't know what she wanted to say, but she couldn't refuse, so she had to accept it. She was thinking about when her daughter-in-law would have another child, so she would have to give a decent gift.
After the outsiders finished delivering their gifts, it was the turn of their own relatives. Chen Rong took out a red cloth bag from her bosom and placed it in front of Yuanbao.
Inside was a silver necklace. The necklace wasn't too heavy, but it was exquisitely crafted, with auspicious cloud patterns engraved on it. Wang Ying took it out and put it on her son, who then raised his two little hands and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Grandma."
Lin Qiu was the second to give a gift. The gift he prepared was a piece of fine Xiangyun yarn that Cao Kun had bought on his way from Beijing.
"This fabric is perfect for making clothes for children in the summer. It's cool and doesn't stick to the body when you sweat."
Not only is Xiangyun yarn expensive, but it's also hard to buy. Even in the capital, it's difficult to acquire without proper status. Cao Kun had to ask a good person for help and spent a lot of money to buy two bolts. He kept one for himself and gave the other to Wang Ying.
Having seen the world, Madam Li could tell at a glance that this piece of cloth was not cheap, and quickly said, "Keep this fine cloth for yourself."
“This is for my little nephew, Auntie can’t refuse it. Besides, didn’t you give me two bolts of cashmere cloth in the winter?”
Li patted his arm, saying, "This child is really something, he's so endearing."
When it came to Lin Sui, she was young and didn't have much money. Rather than buying a gift casually, she thought it would be more sincere to make one herself, so she sewed an exquisite cloth tiger for her little nephew.
This is Yuanbao's favorite thing. He can't let go of it once he sees its colorful appearance, and he holds it in his arms, licking it until his face is covered in drool.
After my third aunt finished delivering the gifts, my eldest uncle, Li Cheng, came over. He brought two books, and these were no ordinary books.
One book, the Thousand Character Classic, was left by my great-grandfather, who passed the imperial examination and served as the governor of Fanyang. The other book is a commentary on the Four Books by Qian Shucheng, a prime minister of the previous dynasty.
This book is now a unique copy. He has two copies at home, and the original is treasured by the Kyoto National Academy. There are no other copies.
Standing to the side, Liang Boqing glanced at the book and knew it was good. He planned to borrow it from his apprentice when he had some free time to study it.
My eldest and second cousins gave me writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—all of the finest quality, especially the Chengni inkstone. This vermilion-red inkstone was worth several dozen strings of cash; it was a gift from Li Bingwen's colleague, and he had never used it himself, so giving it as a gift didn't seem stingy.
Chen Qingyan sincerely thanked her two cousins.
Qinghuai gave the child a piece of calligraphy he had written himself, which was a copy of Liu Gong's calligraphy.
Finally, it was a gift exchange among family members. Qingyun gave her nephew a garment she had made herself. The garment was almost entirely embroidered, and the young girl had spent four months embroidering it to finish.
Wang Ying picked it up and examined it carefully. It had auspicious patterns of peace, joy, and longevity on it. "I wonder how many needle pricks your fingers must have gone through to make this dress for you," she said.
Qingyun reached out and took Yuanbao from his arms, holding him close and saying, "I'd be willing to get as many needle pricks as you want, right, little Yuanbao?"
Yuanbao recognized her voice. She opened her toothless mouth, squinted her eyes, and gave a simple, honest smile.
Li couldn't help but laugh and said, "Little Yuanbao loves his aunt. He always smiles when Qingyun holds him."
Chen Qingsong, who had been waiting anxiously to the side, said, "Quickly, look at my gift."
He gave his nephew a small wooden carriage, which he had commissioned from a carpenter at a "high price." When Yuanbao gets a little older, he can sit on it and pull it around to play.
Wang Ying said, "That's right, you'll be in charge of pulling him then."
Qingsong readily agreed, "Sure, sure!"
Chen Qingyan tapped her younger brother on the head, "You don't focus on your studies and only think about playing all day. What will you do if you don't pass the imperial examination next year?"
Li's approach to her grandson was much simpler and more direct; she took thirty strings of cash from her dowry and gave it to him to use for his future education.
Finally, there was Liang Boqing, who wrote a poem for the child:
The children laugh and chatter happily, like buds breaking through the soil in the spring.
Diligent work should not waste the midnight moon; hard study should cherish every moment.
The poem doesn't use overly ornate language, but every line is sincere, carrying the loving kindness of a grandfather. It's clear that after spending time together, he has come to regard Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan as his own nephews and nieces.
At first, Li Cheng did not take the old man seriously. After all, the poem was conventional and not particularly outstanding, but he could write it anyway.
You can see that his expression was not calm when he wrote the inscription: Liang Liufang presented it to his nephew Chen Ze in the third month of the Dingchou year.
Is Liang Liufang the one he knew who was the top of the Ten Great Talents of Jiangnan?!
A note from the author:
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