Chapter 14 Banquet It seems that he does not understand you. ...
In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the Chang Mansion's housewarming party.
Song Baoyuan sat in front of the dressing mirror, holding a jewelry box in her hand, choosing earrings for herself.
Behind her, Qiao Yue was tying her hair, and beside her, Jiang Keyu was holding Jiang Suisui and waiting.
Jiang Keyu teased her daughter as she spoke, "My eldest brother isn't very old, but he holds a high position in the family. After their father passed away, the discord among his brothers escalated, and conflicts arose over everything, big and small. He said the family was in turmoil and there was no peace. His mother couldn't stand it anymore, so she proposed a division. It was just an angry remark, but his brothers all agreed, leading to the current situation."
The Chang family was a large and prestigious family rooted in the capital. Their sudden split aroused a lot of suspicion.
"I see." Song Baoyuan responded nonchalantly.
"Now that he has established his own family, there are no elders in the family, and the backyard is ruled by the eldest sister-in-law. You have met the eldest sister-in-law, she is cheerful and easy to talk to."
"Yeah." Song Baoyuan lowered her eyes, carefully picked out a pair of earrings, and handed them to Qiao Yue behind her.
Jiang Keyu couldn't help but look up at her, but she pretended to be casual every time.
The lady was very pretty, but had a soft personality. He couldn't help but feel worried when he thought about her having to face those noble ladies who might be prejudiced against her alone.
Jiang Suisui climbed onto her father's shoulders, staring intently at her mother, and asked expectantly, "Will I be as beautiful as you when I grow up?"
Everyone in the room was amused by her and the atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed.
"Who knows, the little lady will be even more beautiful when she grows up!" Qiao Yue coaxed.
Jiang Suisui couldn't hide her happiness and shyly buried her head in her father's shoulders.
Song Baoyuan stood up, her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, she was wearing a lake blue dress with wide sleeves, she looked calm and gentle, "Let's go."
"Yeah." Jiang Keyu responded softly, picked up Jiang Suisui and walked out. She stepped over the threshold and called out, "Jiang Chengyou! Let's go out!"
“Here I come!”
Jiang Chengyou, who heard the call, responded from somewhere in the corner. As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed in front of the people like a little mouse.
The journey from Jiang Mansion to Chang Mansion was not short, and it took a full half hour on the road. Jiang Suisui also slept in her father's arms for half an hour.
As soon as Liu'an, who was driving the carriage, said "We're here", the carriage stopped and Jiang Chengyou jumped out as if he was being chased.
"Jiang Chengyou!" Jiang Keyu was filled with worry about her increasingly active son. "When you go to someone else's house, don't run around or make noise."
"Chengcheng." Song Baoyuan lifted the car curtain and reminded, "Hold my sister and go together."
Jiang Chengyou had no choice but to take two steps back and stand obediently beside the carriage, waiting. But suddenly, he was picked up and his feet were lifted off the ground.
"Let me see who this is?"
"Uncle Chang!"
"You kid are becoming more and more important." Chang Yunbai held Jiang Chengyou in his hands, weighed him, and sighed.
Jiang Keyu roughly stuffed the gift into his hands, freed his hands to hold his daughter firmly, and helped his wife get out of the carriage.
"Uncle Chang." Jiang Suisui, who had just woken up, said in a baby voice, "Is Sister Yangyang awake yet?"
Chang Yunbai unconsciously raised his voice, "Knowing that Sui Sui is coming, Sister Yangyang has been waiting for her since early morning."
"Are you disgusting?" Jiang Keyu expressed disgust at his tone.
Chang Yunbai rolled his eyes at him, but didn't have time to argue. "I still have to entertain other guests. You guys go in first."
"Okay." Jiang Keyu took his wife and daughter around him, but stopped after a few steps and turned back to ask, "Is Gao Luoshu coming today?"
"It's hard to say, who knows where he's going to fool around again."
*
Guests gradually flocked into the Chang Mansion, most of them walking around and admiring the new courtyard built at great expense.
As the hostess spoke in a loud and smiling voice, everyone's attention was drawn to the door.
"I was wondering why my husband came out to greet us. It turns out that it was Jiang Shaoqing and his sister-in-law who came."
"Sister-in-law."
"Mrs. Lu." Song Baoyuan bowed slightly.
Lu Shuran naturally put his arm around her and said angrily, "Don't you know the relationship between your husband and my husband? I've already called you my sister-in-law, but you're so reserved."
Song Baoyuan's body stiffened slightly, and she subconsciously glanced to the side.
Jiang Keyu smiled and said, "Of course I should call her sister-in-law."
Being stared at by Lu Shuran with expectant eyes, Song Baoyuan felt uncomfortable all over. She also noticed the countless strange eyes around her and became even more nervous. "Sister-in-law."
"That's right!" Lu Shuran patted her hands in satisfaction, then looked up at Jiang Keyu, "The men are on the left, Jiang Shaoqing, please feel free to do as you please. As for your sister-in-law, you can rest assured that I will take good care of her."
"Thank you, sister-in-law."
Lu Shuran ignored him and directly pulled Song Baoyuan inside. "My sister-in-law rarely showed up before, so I have to introduce her to everyone."
"lady!"
Without any warning, Jiang Keyu suddenly raised her voice.
Song Baoyuan and Lu Shuran both stopped and looked back.
Jiang Keyu walked over slowly and put her hand into her sleeve. "I forgot your bracelet."
Song Baoyuan didn't understand why, as she didn't bring the bracelet today.
"I'll be watching over Sui Sui and Jiang Chengyou, so you don't have to worry." Jiang Keyu whispered as she approached them, "If you encounter any difficulties, just come to me."
As Jiang Keyu spoke, under Song Baoyuan's stunned gaze and in front of everyone, she took her hand and put on her a jade bracelet of extremely fine quality, a jade bracelet she had never seen before.
"Didn't you say that Jiang Shaoqing doesn't like his wife who is using her power to repay his kindness?"
Onlookers whispered, "It doesn't look like you don't like it."
Lu Shuran watched them get along, and heard the others' comments. He immediately understood what Jiang Keyu meant. He was about to speak up again to promise that he would never let his sister-in-law suffer any injustice, but someone else beat him to it.
"Sister Song, you're here!" Sheng Qiyin trotted out from the crowd and said enthusiastically, "I promised to introduce friends to Sister Song last time. Everyone is waiting."
"Huh?"
Without waiting for Song Baoyuan's reaction, Lu Shuran stopped Sheng Qiyin's approaching hand and stepped between them. "Xiao Si, you are a guest, why are you stealing the work of the host?"
"Sister-in-law, are you being so formal with me?" Sheng Qiyin smiled sweetly. "Besides, with so many guests today, sister-in-law will definitely be overwhelmed."
Lu Shuran had a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. "How can a distinguished guest leave this to others?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled Song Baoyuan away without waiting for a response.
After walking a distance, Lu Shuran looked back and saw Sheng Qinyin talking to Jiang Keyu. She didn't follow him, so he whispered, "Don't worry, I know you don't like her, so I didn't arrange for you to sit at the same table."
Song Baoyuan was surprised and was still hesitating whether she should refute when she heard her say:
"Who would like a woman who calls her husband a brother?" Lu Shuran sneered. "I don't like it either, but they say that when they first met, she was a man. They've been brothers for several years, and even after she returned to her female body, she still can't treat her as a woman."
Song Baoyuan found it funny.
"The people I've arranged to be with you are all my close friends. They're easy to get along with, and I've already told them they won't make things difficult for you."
Song Baoyuan was suspicious. She had met this Mrs. Lu before, but their relationship was only superficial, and it was hard to say whether they were good or bad. Why was she so enthusiastic towards her today?
Not wanting to ask more, she finally just said, "Thank you."
In the garden, young women and unmarried girls stood in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing, while the older ones sat in the pavilion, drinking tea and chatting.
There was a stage in the center, and musicians invited from Qinxianglou were playing the pipa.
A harmonious scene.
"Let me introduce you."
Lu Shuran brought Song Baoyuan to the three young women.
"This is Madam Song from Jiang Shaoqing's family. Anyone who has been to the Jiang residence before should have seen her."
Song Baoyuan bowed politely.
The three of them looked at each other and bowed to return her greeting.
Lu Shuran turned around and said, "This is the wife of Mr. Zhou from the Hanlin Academy, the wife of Su Zhushi from the Ministry of Works, and the granddaughter-in-law of Mr. Zhang from the Cabinet."
Song Baoyuan discreetly looked them over, first looking at the woman in the middle, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Madam Su's brocade dress is gorgeous yet elegant, and paired with a full set of pearl decorations, it's truly unique and beautiful."
Madam Su's eyes lit up, "Finally someone noticed it!"
She pulled herself aside and stood beside Song Baoyuan, accusing her former companion without any hesitation, "It's been so long since we last met, and I spent two hours getting dressed this morning. You two blind people! None of you noticed!"
"I see." Mrs. Zhou said seriously.
Madam Su narrowed her eyes, full of doubt, "What did you see?"
Madam Zhou didn't even look at her, but stared at Song Baoyuan's ears, "I can see that Madam Song, these earrings are the new works of Master Cui of Linlang Pavilion."
Song Baoyuan touched her ear, smiled and nodded.
"Although their items are beautiful, they are expensive and hard to find. Especially when they're made by that eccentric Master Cui himself. He won't sell them unless he's happy!"
Mrs. Zhou pouted and said, "I've wanted to buy it many times, but even my husband couldn't buy it. Mrs. Song, how did you buy it?"
"Master Cui loves wine," Song Baoyuan said sincerely, "When you go shopping at Linlang Pavilion, be sure to bring two jars of good wine."
Mrs. Zhou opened her eyes wide, "Really?"
Song Baoyuan nodded seriously, her eyes inadvertently falling on Madam Zhang at the edge. "Madam Zhang, where is the quality of your nail polish? It looks so special, very suitable for summer."
Madam Zhang raised her head and hid her smile. "This is something I researched myself. It's not available anywhere else."
"Oh?" Madam Zhou turned around, took Madam Zhang's hand, and looked at it carefully. "You have this skill, which is quite impressive. Can you dye one for me tomorrow?"
"That's easy. Come to my house someday and I'll make sure you're satisfied." Madam Zhang's eyes flickered. "If Madam Song likes it, come too. Although I've met Madam Song once before, we've never spoken. I really believed what people said about you, saying you were a petty, resentful woman. Now I see that's not the case at all."
She covered her face and smiled, "At least, you have a unique vision!"
Song Baoyuan sighed helplessly, "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you ladies, but these past few years were tough. My parents passed away one after another, and all the household affairs suddenly fell on me, someone who knew nothing about anything. Plus, my husband had just started his official career, and he needed to take care of everything, both internally and externally. And then there were the two children, who kept coming here, and couldn't leave me alone as their mother. My husband and I had no elders to help us, and no brothers or sisters to support us. I was really overwhelmed and overwhelmed, so how could I have the time or energy to go out and get to know you all?"
"Ouch." Madam Su pulled her hand, a hint of heartache in her eyes. "This sounds difficult to me. It's really hard for you."
"Thankfully, we've made it through." Song Baoyuan smiled and said lightly, "After a few years of hard work, I'm now able to handle household affairs with ease. I don't have to worry about my husband's career, and the children are grown up, so I finally have some free time."
Madam Zhang came forward and patted her hands. "As women, we still need to leave some time for ourselves. So, when I get back, I'll pick a good day and invite you, and all of you, to come to my house."
Song Baoyuan was flattered. "It's my honor to be invited by Madam Zhang."
She thought for a moment and asked, "I wonder if you ladies like wine. I don't have anything else at home, but I do have some unique recipes for making wine. When the time comes, I can bring you some freshly brewed green plum wine."
"That's great, let's have a few drinks together, it will make the place more interesting!"
"Hey, hey, hey?" Lu Shuran interrupted, "What's wrong with you? You've already arranged the next time while you're still at my house. Do you think I'm not treating you well enough?"
The ladies burst into laughter. Madam Zhang pushed her away and said, "Come on, today is your family's big day. Stop wasting your time with us, or someone will really think you're not a good host."
Lu Shuran looked left, right, and finally at Song Baoyuan.
"Mrs. Song has us to help take care of her, what else do you have to worry about?"
Lu Shuran thought of Jiang Keyu's instructions and couldn't hide his sadness.
"Your husband asked me to look after you. He said his wife was quiet and submissive, not good at socializing, and easily wronged."
She shook her head. "It seems that he doesn't understand you."
Song Baoyuan was stunned and looked down at the unfamiliar bracelet on her wrist.
"Maybe," she said.
*
Gazing from afar, Sheng Qinyin stood alone beside the rockery, watching Song Baoyuan and the ladies living in harmony, chatting and laughing freely, and a sense of panic and crisis arose in her heart for no reason.
The scene before her was completely different from what she had imagined.
How can such a villain who is so cunning and steals people's love, destroys people's marriages, and is both calculating and pretending to be innocent still gain everyone's recognition?
Sheng Qinyin glanced sideways at the woman sitting in the pavilion listening to the pipa.
That was the wife of the Marquis of Weining. When she was pregnant years ago, her husband took a merchant woman as a concubine. The concubine, relying on her favor, acted lawless and even tripped the wife, causing her to fall and lose her beloved son.
To this day, the wife of Marquis Weining has no children and has been criticized.
What she hated most was the merchant women.
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