Chapter 45 Revenge on Granny Wei
Shanhe ultimately did not wear that nightgown, because Liang Ye said, "Let's wait until we get to the capital." Shanhe naturally agreed.
On June 27th, Liang Ye led Cheng Min, Cheng An, and others ashore first. As for where they went, Shan He didn't know and didn't ask.
Cai Xiang and Cai Ping cheerfully helped Shan He get up and do her makeup, drawing her eyebrows and applying lipstick, styling her hair and putting on her clothes. After all that, Shan He looked graceful and elegant, like a fairy descended from heaven. As Cai Ping was putting a veil on Shan He and carefully gathering the stray hairs at her temples, Cai Xiang came over with a bulging purse, smiling, "Before the master left, he specially sent Huai Song to deliver this silver, so that you, my lady, can buy some things that suit your taste."
Shanhe glanced at her indifferently, and was about to nod when Granny Wei had already stepped outside the threshold, clasped her hands in front of her abdomen, and said in a solemn tone: "This old servant is ordered by the master to accompany the lady to go ashore for a stroll." She glanced at Caiping: "Miss Caiping, you can stay on the boat today."
Caiping was indignant and was about to retort when she heard Caixiang say to Granny Wei with a smile, "Granny, I'm not feeling well today and I'm afraid I can't walk far. Why don't you let Caiping take my place and let me take a half-day off to rest? Would you please agree?"
Granny Wei looked her up and down before saying, "Very well. I'll feel more at ease leaving you here."
These words made Caiping raise her eyebrows in disapproval, but Shanhe pulled her back and shook her head.
Shanhe and Granny Wei were not on good terms, and they knew that. Shanhe disliked Granny Wei, and Granny Wei looked down on Shanhe. Logically, Shanhe shouldn't have stopped Caiping from saying something sarcastic to Granny Wei. Besides, she never interfered in the affairs of the eldest son's family. She accepted the master's rewards, and she endured Granny Wei's open and subtle sarcastic remarks. Even back when she was still in the Liang family, she had always kept a clear line between herself and the eldest son's family. But today, she was unusually proactive in stopping Caiping.
A voice on the screen asked doubtfully, "My lady, you..."
Shanhe interrupted her, saying, "Caixiang, you should put these away. I'll take a closer look when I get back tonight."
Cai Xiang asked, puzzled, "Wife, this is for you, Master—"
Shanhe smiled and said in front of Granny Wei, "I know it's jewelry for me. But I'm already all dressed up, and adding more jewelry would just seem ostentatious and shameless. Just put it in the dressing box, and I'll look at it again tonight."
Cai Xiang, unaware of Shan He's meaning, still obediently placed the purse into the makeup box. Cai Ping blinked, stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood Shan He's intention. She leaned close to Shan He's ear and whispered with a smile, "Wife, you can rest assured and leave it to me. Watch me give this old hag a good bloodletting!"
Shanhe held Caiping's hand and gently hummed in agreement: "Let's go."
The three disembarked from the boat, where Huaisong and Huaifeng had already rented a two-horse carriage with a blue silk curtain and were waiting on the shore. Shanhe, with Caiping's hand in hers, entered the carriage first and sat down, followed by Granny Wei and Caiping. The felt curtain fell, covering them completely, and Huaisong and Huaifeng leaped onto the carriage floor, cracking their whips to urge the horses on.
Huai Song called out, "Where does my wife want to go?"
Shanhe replied, "I'm unfamiliar with Connecticut, and I don't know what's fun here. Why don't we just wander around?"
Huaisong hesitated and said, "What's the point? At least give me some directions, for example, if you want to buy hairpins, jewelry and clothes, Huaifeng and I will drive the carriage to the silk shop and jewelry store. Or, for example, if you want to try the local cuisine, we can ask for directions."
Upon hearing this, Shanhe said, "Then let's go to the clothing shop first."
Huaisong smiled and said "Alright!" The whip cracked, and the carriage rumbled along. Unfamiliar with the route, Huaisong and Huaifeng got out twice to inquire, taking several incense sticks' worth of time before finally bringing the carriage to a smooth stop in front of "Ruishang," the most famous clothing shop in Kangzhou. Shanhe helped Caiping out of the carriage and led Wei Mama inside. Huaisong and Huaifeng sat on the carriage floor, each buying a cricket to play with and pass the time.
As soon as Shanhe and his companions entered the shop, two well-dressed shop assistants immediately greeted them with beaming smiles and bows, leading the way: "Honorable guests, please come in!" Shanhe followed them inside and saw three brightly lit storefronts. In the center of the storefront stood a row of pear wood display cabinets, each about ten feet tall. Inside, layers upon layers of silks and satins were stacked, a dazzling display of a thousand colors. Along the east and west sides hung various ready-made garments in colors such as pomegranate red, turquoise, moon white, goose yellow, and bud green, as well as various styles of jackets, cloud-patterned skirts, wide-sleeved robes, and cloaks. At first glance, the dazzling array of goods was overwhelming.
In the center of the shop stood two enormous, long tables made of nanmu wood, polished to a gleaming shine. Two shop assistants were carefully laying out a bolt of shimmering satin, its sapphire blue background shimmering with iridescent light. Beside the table, a woman in a crimson-red, gold-embroidered long-sleeved blouse exclaimed in admiration, "What a beautiful and lustrous fabric!" The shop assistants quickly smiled and said, "Madam Zhao has a discerning eye! This peacock brocade is a new product from Sichuan, its weaving technique exquisite. Even the ladies of the palace love to use it to make their clothes!" The woman smiled and said, "Excellent! This fabric will be perfect for my son's engagement banquet next month." With that, she immediately inquired about the price and ordered her maid to pay.
Shanhe and Caiping's eyes were already gleaming with excitement. Even the usually stern-faced Granny Wei's expression softened slightly as she stood before a lake-blue jacket embroidered with lotus scrolls, her gaze almost glued to the fine stitches. Shanhe and Caiping exchanged a glance, then casually strolled over. Caiping picked up the jacket and examined it closely, quite surprised: "Oh, this jacket is quite a rare find."
Shanhe also leaned closer to examine it, the two of them discreetly sandwiching Granny Wei between them. Shanhe pursed her lips: "The pattern is exquisite, and the fabric is of superior quality, but..." She frowned slightly, looking at Caiping, "This jacket, in both its pattern and style, is too dignified and solemn. You are young, and I'm afraid you can't carry off this composure." After speaking, her gaze seemed to casually sweep over Granny Wei's face. Shanhe then imitated Granny Wei's usual manner of appraising people, giving her a quick look from head to toe. Shanhe said, "It's Granny Wei, with her experience and age, who would suit her best in this."
Upon hearing this, Caiping deliberately furrowed her delicate brows: "What fine jacket and clothes I can't even wear, but Granny Wei can!" As she spoke, she held up the lake-blue jacket in front of Granny Wei, then suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" with an exaggerated tone: "Madam's eye is truly sharp! I didn't notice it when I looked at it alone, but now that I've put it in front of Granny Wei, wow! Doesn't the demeanor of this steward's wife immediately become apparent!"
As the two women praised the jacket in unison, saying how valuable it was and how well it suited their status, Granny Wei felt a surge of pride welling up inside her, but she forced a smile and pressed it down hard. When Caiping uttered the words "housekeeper's wife," Granny Wei was so embarrassed that her face burned. She muttered under her breath, "You little hussy, spouting nonsense!" and turned to leave.
Shanhe and Caiping exchanged a furtive glance behind her, Caiping barely suppressing her laughter. Shanhe remained calm, gesturing for her to be quiet, then tugged at Wei Mama's sleeve, saying, "Mama, why are you leaving? Since you're here to have fun, why don't you try it on? It won't hurt. If it fits, buy it and wear it back home. If you like it, Master will be pleased." She paused, then continued, "Besides, this jacket is evenly woven and finely crafted. When we go to the capital, Mama will inevitably be helping Master with welcoming and sending off guests at social events. If you don't have a few presentable outfits, wouldn't that be a disgrace to Master?"
Only then did Granny Wei turn around, a smirk playing on her lips: "It's kind of you, Madam, to think of things on behalf of Master today."
Shanhe sneered: "I'm thinking of things carefully for myself and Qingyue."
Without saying anything more, Granny Wei took the jacket and went to the small changing room.
After the curtain of the cubicle fell, Shanhe turned to Caiping and said, "Don't just sit there. Pick out a set that you, Caixiang, and Heniang each like. I'll also go find two sets for Qingyue and me."
When Granny Wei came out wearing her new jacket, her joy was already evident in her eyes and brows as she looked at herself in the full-length bronze mirror. Shanhe stood behind her, scrutinizing her for a moment, then shook her head slightly: "It's beautiful, but it's a pity it's not a matching set. It's a shame it's all alone." She beckoned to the shop assistant: "Could you please find a suitable undershirt and skirt for my Granny Wei?" So, Shanhe and Caiping coaxed and persuaded the still-satisfied Granny Wei into the next room.
As soon as the curtain closed, Shanhe immediately said to the shop assistant, "Wrap up all the outfits I just picked out, including the one Wei Mama tried on." She pointed to the cubicle where Wei Mama was, her smile gentle, "Thank you so much. Wei Mama has all the money with her; just ask her for it when she comes out. I'm going to browse the jewelry shop across the street now. Tell Wei Mama to come find us as soon as she pays." Seeing that Shanhe was dressed smartly and didn't seem like a swindler, the shop assistant was overjoyed and quickly wrapped up the seven or eight new outfits. Shanhe then summoned Huaisong and Huaifeng, ordering them to carry the bundle back into the carriage. She then took Caiping with her and walked briskly into a quiet teahouse next door. The two sat by the window on the second floor, waiting for Granny Wei to come out. Caiping couldn't help but clutch her stomach and laugh wildly: "That old hag, serves her right! My lady, you don't know, in the few days she's been here, even Caixiang has been taken advantage of by her several times!"
Shanhe felt a pang of unease: "Seven or eight sets of clothes, that's at least a hundred taels of silver. What if she can't come up with that?" She said this, but she had no intention of going down to help Granny Wei out of this predicament. The thought of Granny Wei being publicly humiliated later truly satisfied her anger. When Granny Wei used Qingyue's life to help her establish her authority in the main house, did she ever consider that those ten strokes of the cane might ruin Qingyue's life? Qingyue was still lying in bed crying in pain; why was Granny Wei perfectly fine? And Liang Ye… Unfortunately, she couldn't seek revenge on Liang Ye now. Even her audacity in scheming against Granny Wei today was based on the fact that Liang Ye had treated her well these past few days. Everything she had was in Liang Ye's hands; only by pleasing him could she think about anything beyond survival. Shanhe slowly lowered her eyes, concealing the desolation within them.
Cai Ping looked up and couldn't help but chuckle: "Why are you worried about her? It's not like she can't afford it."
"With expenses of nearly a hundred taels, it will take you a long time to save up for it."
Caiping downed her cup of tea in one gulp: "She's different from us. Before the old master dismissed the servants from the Shi family who served the eldest and second masters, he gave them a lot of compensation money—ah, that's how the old master is, he spends more money on others than on himself. When he was young, how much money did he spend on running free schools, and how many people came back to take care of him in the end? Besides, this Granny Wei's son and grandson are both quite capable, one passed the county-level exam and the other passed the provincial-level exam, and they both became officials. Furthermore, the eldest master must have given her some benefits in private when he invited her here, and the rewards will certainly not be small. To put it another way, now that the master has let her temporarily manage the inner quarters of the eldest branch, she will definitely try to seize control of our eldest branch's finances, how could she not have money?"
Upon hearing this, Shanhe couldn't help but praise, "I've never seen you care much about these things before, but I didn't expect you to speak so earnestly and thoughtfully now." She paused, then continued, "What do you mean by 'seizing over'? Isn't the eldest son's financial power in the master's hands?"
Cai Ping curled her lips: "It wasn't me, how could I have thought of so much! At most I know some secret things, all of which Cai Xiang analyzed for me." She continued: "Master doesn't have that much time to deal with these mundane matters, he used to leave them to Cheng Min."
Upon hearing the name Cheng Min, Shan He slowly bit her lower lip. She was just as despicable and hateful as Granny Wei, perhaps even worse.
Meanwhile, in the small fitting room, Wei Mama was attentively served by the shop assistants of "Ruishang," who dressed her in a lake-blue jacket paired with a newly chosen jade-colored Hangzhou silk blouse and a light pink skirt with subtle patterns, making her look perfectly dressed. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw that the fabrics were gleaming, the cuts were perfect, and the lotus scroll pattern was dignified and elegant, adding to her refined and graceful air. Wei Mama's sense of pride, like the summer heat, rose up uncontrollably. She smoothed her collar and cuffs, straightened her hair, and then lifted the curtain to step out.
The shop, which had been bustling with activity and elegantly dressed just moments before, was now mostly deserted. Most importantly, Shanhe and Caiping, who had been waiting at the door of the private room, were gone. Only the two quick-witted shop assistants remained, smiling broadly as they stood outside, holding neatly folded pieces of gold-flecked red paper. Granny Wei's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm: "Where is the lady who came with me?"
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