Chapter 012 The Zhen family should not be underestimated
When Yao Niang woke up in the morning, she could only hear the chirping of birds outside the tree. She turned over and wanted to continue sleeping, but then she heard Yan Rubei coming. Gu Mama asked the maid to fetch water to wash her face and comb her hair, and she couldn't help muttering, "What are you doing here so early? Our sister needs to sleep a little longer!"
Yan Rubei came with chess pieces. She saw Yao Niang washing up, so she sat on a spring stool not far away and said, "Yesterday I got a white jade chess set. It feels great in my hands. I'd like to play a game with you."
Yao Niang had forgotten the past and had not yet seen the chess pieces. She only saw a emerald green glazed chess pot placed next to her, which looked like a real treasure.
Living in a big family, the most important thing is sharpness, and Yao Niang happened to be very sharp in this aspect. She turned around and said to Yan Rubei, "How can I play chess? I just play chess every day."
"When I was your age, I couldn't sit down either." Yan Rubai said with a smile.
Apart from anything else, Yan Rubei was indeed a talented person, and when she was teaching Yao Niang how to play chess, she did give a lot of suggestions. When Qian Niang and Xin Wan came over, they found Yan Rubei here and felt a little surprised.
When Yao Niang saw the two of them coming, she asked Hongxiu and Qingdai to make tea and serve snacks. She simply threw away the chess manual, and the four of them gathered together to talk.
"Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. In previous years, everyone was far away from each other, but now we are together again. My great aunt asked us to go to your house to celebrate the festival. Then, we can worship the moon together." Yao Niang said to everyone.
Qianniang was always a bit sloppy with her words, but Xinwan was happy: "It's great that you can come over. Thank you very much. You sent me a lot of gadgets and new books to cheer me up when I was sick."
Yao Niang waved her hands and said, "When I first came back, I was very grateful to you, Sister Xin, for teaching me. This is what I should do. Now that the master has taken a leave, you can come to my place to play when you have nothing to do. I will inevitably feel lonely all by myself."
As they were talking, Suxin came over with a plate of lychees and grapes, saying that Xie knew the two girls were coming and had sent them specially.
The grapes are firm and juicy, the lychees are crystal clear, and they are full of fruity aroma. They all look delicious.
Su Xin smiled and said, "These fruits have been soaked in the well. Madam told the girls to wait a while before using them."
"Okay, Qingdai, pick a small dish and warm it up with hot water, and then give it to Cousin Shen." Yao Niang ordered.
Seeing her daughter being so thoughtful, Su Xin couldn't help but nod in her heart. She added, "Good girl, Madam said that the master will test your knowledge during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so you can consult with your sisters when you are free."
Yao Niang was surprised: "Daddy still wants to test us, but unfortunately I have been lazy these days. I will read a book later."
Xin Wan is a very talented student and wants to be better than others, so she decides to go back to study secretly. Qianniang thinks that her father treats Yaoniang very well. Although they have been separated for several years, their relationship has become deeper and deeper, and the second wife is also gentle and amiable.
After Su Xin left, the sisters played the piano, talked, and did needlework here, and it was quite lively. Unconsciously, Yao Niang found that Yan Rubei was not here, and she asked about Qingdai and the others again.
Qing Dai said, "Miss Bei said she had something to do and went back first so she wouldn't disturb you."
"That's fine. She's been playing chess with me for quite a while and she might be tired," Yao Niang said.
In fact, Yan Rubai naturally wanted to create some chance encounters, but unfortunately, she did not meet Zhou Lingguang and went back feeling embarrassed.
Mrs. Ming Er did not blame her daughter: "You are a rich lady, you must not lose your status. In this case, you should go to Yao Niang's place often. It would be good if you meet her once in ten times."
"Mom, this is not good. Since ancient times, marriages are decided by parents and matchmakers. So what even if I have met him?" Yan Rubei was not stupid. Zhou Lingguang was just a guest of the Yan family, and a guest of the third room. What could they do?
Mrs. Ming leaned back and couldn't help feeling sad: "After all, your father is still just a student of the Imperial College, and your grandfather is just a prefect."
If the second wife was a high-ranking official, there would be no need to do this. There are so many good men in Jinling that she can choose whatever she wants.
But Yan Rubei's bad thing is that she doesn't have a biological brother, which makes her inferior to Zhao Fang. Mrs. Junsan has a good relationship with her husband, and Zhao Fang also has a biological brother, Zhao Xian, who is of similar age to Yan Jingzhao and they interact frequently.
So when Zhao Xian came over to discuss poetry, he suddenly said to Yan Jingzhao and Zhou Lingguang: "Recently, I have an answer. If you two can come up with the answer, I will host a party at Cuiliu Tower."
Zhou Lingguang and Yan Jingzhao were both famous talents. After hearing what he said, they naturally wanted to give it a try.
Zhao Xian pondered for a moment and read out the first verse. The wording was not very strange, but it was interesting.
"Painting the lotus and the monk painting it." [1]
It sounds simple, but this is a palindrome, which means it reads the same from left to right and from right to left.
Yan Jingzhao thought of a second line, "The moon on the wall is illuminated by the monk," but it did not meet the requirements of a palindrome.
Even Zhou Lingguang laughed and said, "The difficulty of this sentence lies in the palindrome."
The two of them couldn't think of a solution for a moment, and asked who wrote it. Zhao Xian couldn't help laughing and said, "It was written by my sister as a joke. My sister and I often write couplets together. I found this couplet difficult to break, so I brought it here to ask you for your advice."
Yan Jingzhao and Zhou Lingguang were both quite surprised.
It turned out to be a work by a girl. Yan Jingzhao knew the situation of the Zhao family. Zhao's father was a man of first-class talent and character, but he was not good enough to be an official. His son Zhao Xian was bold and cheerful, very talented, and especially valued the relationship between brothers. Yan Jingzhao and Zhao Xian had similar personalities and hit it off at first sight, so he also praised the good family tradition of the Zhao family.
Zhao Xian also took the opportunity to invite them to discuss academic matters, and Zhou Lingguang and Yan Jingzhao both readily agreed. Zhou Lingguang went to Zhao Xian's place more often and occasionally met Zhao Fang. Zhao Fang did not have the shyness of a girl and would often discuss a few poems with them.
However, Yan Rubai had never seen Zhou Lingguang at Yao Niang's place, and Yao Niang had never even mentioned Zhou Lingguang. She also gave two rings to the maids around Yao Niang, but got nothing in return. Instead, she discovered that Zhao Fang had robbed her house.
Finally, on the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, she did not come. Yao Niang hurried to play with Xie and complained, "Sister Bei finally did not come to see me. I wanted to come to your place to sleep, but you were too busy."
"Lazy girl, what are you talking about? Yes, the Guan family sent two boxes of fresh flowers. Open them and see if you like them?" Xie said with a smile.
Yao Niang did not open it, but asked first: "Has she sent all the people in the first room?"
Xie nodded: "They were all given away. The first lady also received two boxes."
Yao Niang said unhappily, "Aren't you her future mother-in-law? She should at least give you more. This shows that she totally ignores you."
Xie bit her lip, she knew very well that she had heard that Zhen's porridge distribution in the local area was very effective, so she looked for local gentry to do good deeds and also involved Mrs. Guan.
Zhen's strength should not be underestimated. She is more resourceful than she imagined. Not only did she raise a beautiful Yangzhou skinny horse to share her favor, she also used cunning tactics when she was outside. It can be said that she is an opponent that is difficult to fight back.
When they all get together for the Mid-Autumn Festival, it seems that she is sure to win over Yan Yingqi.