Chapter 057 Chapter 57
Yao Niang understood the ways of the world better, and she certainly didn't want to be treated specially. No mother-in-law in the world wanted to see her son grovelling for her daughter-in-law, so she said, "It doesn't matter where you put it."
Shen Linfeng looked at her bun, and after a long while, he finally inserted it into her bun, but he was afraid of poking her scalp, so he was a little cautious. Madam Shen and Shen Mo, who were standing by, felt very sad, because Shen Linfeng had never done this before.
"Okay, it's done." After Shen Linfeng finished, he looked at Yao Niang's beautiful face and his heart moved.
After inserting the gold hairpin, both parties will order a cup of tea for the other party's elder to indicate that the ceremony is complete.
I heard that Yan Ningxin didn't know how to order tea, and it was her maid Jin Gou who did it for her. Seeing the Yan family's behavior, the Shen family also asked their maid to order tea for them.
But now Yao Niang came, and she also brought her favorite tea set from home, obviously to prepare tea for herself. The Shen family also asked Shen Linfeng to prepare it.
It took a long time to make tea, and people from the Yan family and the Shen family also started to exchange pleasantries.
The person who came to the Shen family was Shen Bangyan, the cousin of Shen Linfeng. He was also a young talent, about the same age as Shen Linfeng, and was now studying at the Imperial College. Yan Jingzhao was talking to the men of the Shen family. He was the most prominent figure in the Yan family, and he was good at talking and laughing. Even Mrs. Shen was very happy to see Yan Jingzhao.
Although Xie was not as social as Zhen and was not very familiar with Mrs. Shen and the others, she spoke less and only talked about safe topics.
Madam Shen also asked Xie: "I heard that the wedding date of your eldest son has been set?"
"Yes, in the last month."
"I don't know which one to order."
"She is the daughter of Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue."
Shen Mo, who was standing by, was somewhat disdainful when he heard Xie mention Li Ruomei. Li Ruomei was normal in every way. The Yan family didn't like her, but they actually liked the Li family. However, Xie didn't look down on Xie. She knew that Shen Mo liked Prince Qi. Since she had someone in her heart, how could she break up someone else?
Everyone in the Shen family was also watching quietly. It was no wonder they were like that. It was mainly because Yan Ningxin had come here before and now everyone was looking at her with a scrutinizing eye, fearing that this was just another illusion.
But among the people who came from the Yan family this time, the second wife, Mrs. Xie, had a gentle temperament and good character. The girl's brother was already a Hanlin, with a graceful demeanor, outstanding talents, and even a straightforward personality.
Not to mention this Miss Yan San. When she ordered tea, her posture was graceful and her behavior was elegant. She had the demeanor of a woman from the forest. This was the kind of girl that was raised in the Yan family.
Amid the aroma of tea, Yao Niang personally brought a tray to Mrs. Shen and said, "Have some tea, please."
In this situation, unless Mrs. Shen didn't want this marriage, she wouldn't deliberately make it difficult. Mrs. Shen took a sip of tea and said hello, and Yao Niang beside her also breathed a sigh of relief.
However, when Mrs. Shen put down the teacup in her hand, she revealed her thoughts in a hurry. Yao Niang then realized that she was not the only one who was nervous, but even Mrs. Shen was nervous. She felt better when she thought about it.
"What does the eldest lady like to eat?" Mrs. Shen asked, holding Yao Niang's hand.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "I don't have too many dietary restrictions on weekdays. At this time of year, we often eat lobsters and crabs at home. My grandparents live in Dongshan and often send us a lot of them."
She mentioned Dongshan on purpose because Dongshan and Wu Xing were very close.
Sure enough, Mrs. Shen couldn't help but ask, "Is your maternal grandfather from Dongshan?"
"Yes, when I was a child, I always took a boat from Jinling to visit my grandparents." She knew that Mrs. Shen's family was the Han family in Jinling and her husband's family was in Wuxing. In fact, their situations were quite similar, but it would not be nice if you said it directly.
Madam Shen said to Mrs. Xie: "Speaking of which, our Wuxing and Dongshan are close to each other. This is really a fate."
Xie looked at her daughter and said, "I didn't think of that either. It's not so bad in the capital, but the fish, shrimp and crabs are not as convenient as in Nanjing."
Mrs. Shen smiled and said, "It's not difficult. We have a relative who does business not only on the sea but also on the river. I'll ask them to send some over when the time comes."
"How can I do this?" Xie waved her hands quickly.
Shen Mo was surprised to see Yao Niang easily start a conversation. She rarely met Yao Niang in the past. She often saw Yan Er and Yan Si, and didn't have much contact with her. Now she realized that this third girl was very smart.
You have to know that Yan Ningxin was really pretending to be shy that time, and the two sides almost parted ways after having tea.
Mrs. Shen said warmly, "We are all family, so please don't talk about our differences."
Yao Niang sat there without looking around, not even once at Shen Linfeng, but just listened carefully to what the elders said, which made Mrs. Shen like her even more.
To be honest, unless there is a deep hatred between people, as long as you do your best and don't be overly sensitive, you can live like a fish in water anywhere.
Although Shen Linfeng sat beside them without saying a word, he couldn't help but lower his head and curl his lips when he saw the two sides talking happily.
Xie said that the weather was too hot, and that Yaoniang and her sisters would go to the manor to escape the heat in a few days, which was another way to elevate their status: "In our family, their father dotes on his daughters very much. When it's not so hot on weekdays, they can go swimming in the lake and enjoy the breeze. Now it's too hot, and we put too much ice in the house, and we're afraid they will catch a cold."
What Mrs. Shen heard was that the girl from my Yan family is very delicate and she must not be treated lightly when she visits your home in the future.
She would have to say a few more words, but she couldn't ruin the relationship.
The elders were talking to each other, while Shen Linfeng quietly came over to Yao Niang while refilling his tea and asked, "Are you going to the farm?"
"It's on the farm in Xiaotang Mountain. I heard it's cool there, so we plan to go there. Otherwise, we might get too hot." Yao Niang is very afraid of getting prickly heat.
Shen Linfeng glanced at her and asked concernedly, "Are you afraid of the heat?"
"Well, a little bit." Yao Niang said this with a little embarrassment.
Shen Linfeng said "Oh" and understood what was going on. Yao Niang didn't want to talk to her any more and turned away. Only then did Shen Linfeng return to his seat.
The two of them thought they had fooled everyone present with these little tricks, but they didn't know that even Yan Jingzhao felt that Shen Linfeng was too cunning and that this boy had too many clever eyes.
As a brother, I still feel a little uncomfortable when I see this.
Xie was quite satisfied. It is a good thing for a man to be caring. Some men are good to everyone, and being his wife may not be happy. Some men may not be good to outsiders, but as long as they are good to their wives and children, it is better than anything else.
The Yan family and the Shen family held a small engagement ceremony, and it was unexpected that Zhen and the Xu family also chose a date and arranged a marriage in a hurry. Therefore, the three sisters arranged their marriages on the way to the manor.
"We haven't been to the manor yet. We don't know if the manor is like the Peach Blossom Spring." Qianniang smiled, full of anticipation.
Yao Niang said, "Where in the world is there a paradise? Even if there is, it is for avoiding disasters. I will be very happy if we can have a good sleep."
Yingniang leaned on Yaoniang's shoulder and fell asleep: "Third sister, don't say such spoiling words. Second sister is preparing to prepare poems, and you said this."
"Okay, okay, it's all my fault, okay?" Yao Niang said unhappily.
All three of them knew that this would be the last time they spent as young girls, and Lian Qianniang thought so too.
Although she once thought that she was nothing in the Yan family, she later realized that the family was actually very good. At least she was a young lady and could do whatever she wanted. Although Zhen was partial, she never treated her harshly.
Yao Niang thought, but her mother didn't come. She had to take care of her brother's marriage, which was a big event in the family. Also, she had to collect bills in the second half of the year. The mistresses always had endless things to do.
Accompanying them were Yan Jingzhang and his wife. The second brother did not have any talent for the imperial examinations. Although he had barely passed the examination for becoming a student, he was not interested in studying.
In fact, the three sisters would often discuss this when they got together. Qianniang used to keep to herself and not say a word, but now she unexpectedly said, "Second sister-in-law is angry again."
"What's wrong?" Yao Niang just saw that Yu was fine and said that she looked good.
Qianniang said: "It's because you think that Second Brother is not good at studying and that he has no ambition."
At this time, Yingniang couldn't help herself: "What is she complaining about? Second brother will just be the one to take care of her in the future. Her father is even begging Dad to give them an official position."
Qianniang also thought so in her heart, but Yu was her biological sister-in-law, so she had to say: "All women hope that their husbands will be successful. This is also human nature."
"She is pregnant now, why does she have to think so much? Besides, the second brother is not that old. Not everyone becomes famous at a young age. She worries too much." Yao Niang said.
Yingniang even said, "Why didn't she marry a scholar instead of marrying into our family? Second brother wasn't famous for his literary talent before."
This was a bit too much. Yao Niang pushed her and said, "Second sister-in-law is in the carriage in front. Be careful that she doesn't hear it."
Lian Da, who was hurrying outside, heard everything and just pretended to be deaf. The girls of the Yan family were spoiled by their family. Minister Yan was a tough official. He was a high-ranking official. The sons of the family were scolded harshly, but the daughters were spoiled to the sky. Although they would not do evil, they were all bad-tempered and not easy to get along with.
Nowadays, everyone marries someone of higher status and becomes more and more arrogant.
Yu had just gotten pregnant and was feeling very hot all the time. Her family asked her to come over to recuperate, but she was filled with worries.
"Second Madam, please have a grape to whet your appetite." Shuanghuan was worried that she would feel uncomfortable sitting in the carriage.
Yu rubbed her chest and said, "How can I still eat? Look, this year's Grand Master is being promoted. I heard that my third brother is confident. But what about my husband? I tried to persuade him with good intentions, but he not only didn't listen, but also hung out with the maids in the study."
Shuanghuan was always loyal, so he could not help but advise: "You also beat that girl and drove her out, so don't think too much about it. Now that we are at the manor, the weather is cooler, and maybe the second master will study."
Yu just felt sad: "It would be great if he could think so. I have really committed a sin. No one in the family listens to me. I always thought I was better than my sister-in-law Guan, but now it seems that there is no difference between us."
"Second Madam, why do you think so much? I see that our old master is a high-ranking official. Could it be possible that our second master will be a bad person in the future?" Shuanghuan felt that Yu was simply worrying about nothing.
Yu held her head up, feeling heavy: "My family was not worse than the Yan family, but my brothers were not promising, and my father was a mediocre official. Look at the eldest brother of the third house, he married a rich or noble wife, and he is superior to others in every aspect, because he was a young scholar and very talented."
It’s hard to say what the double rings are like. Some things can’t be obtained even if you envy them.
"Let's not talk about this. This time, the second house asked me to bring these three sisters-in-law and a cousin out. At home, the first and second wives are taking care of them. Now I am the one taking care of them. I am afraid I can't control them." This is also what Yu is worried about.
These sisters-in-law of hers were indeed not as unruly and willful as other people's. In fact, they were all educated and could be considered well-educated and well-mannered. But the more they were like this, the more difficult it was to deal with them.
Shuanghuan smiled and said, "They are all engaged, so they must be more concerned than you are. Why are you so worried?"
Yu thought about it and it was indeed true.
"Our second daughter is going to marry the prime minister's daughter-in-law, the third daughter will also marry the daughter-in-law of the first-rank Zuodu Yushi, and the fourth daughter will marry into the family of the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice. Speaking of which, they are much better off than I was at that time. They can still live so comfortably now." Yu remembered that when she was going to marry into the Yan family, her family was afraid of losing face, so they made her study this and that in a very uneasy manner.
But these girls from the Yan family don't seem to be afraid at all and are not nervous at all about getting married. This is probably because they have a good family background.
If you get married in the future, even if you are extremely smart and clever, what does it matter? You will still be under the control of your husband's family.
Shuanghuan didn't respond. The relationships in the Yan family were very complicated, but it was rare that Minister Yan could coordinate them, which was not easy enough.
The head of Xiaotang Mountain had been waiting there for a long time. Yan Jingzhang talked to him and arranged everything. Yao Niang and her sister each brought four large boxes, and this time the three of them lived together in the back room.
Yao Niang said to Gu Mama and Qingdai Hongxiu, "When we live together, there will be friction. When we went to the capital together as children, we had the elders to look after us. Now my second sister-in-law is a deaf-mute. She won't care if we don't make a fuss. We should stop arguing with others and enjoy ourselves. Gu Mama, you are my nanny, so you have to take care of my room for me."
"Yes." All three said in unison.
It was the first day I came here. The conditions here were naturally not as good as those in Beijing, but it was indeed cool. Before, at home I wanted to take off my long jacket and wore only gauze skirts, but here it was very comfortable. They made the bed, and Yao Niang fell asleep on the bed.
After they rested, Mrs. Yu still had to be busy, asking her family to arrange meals, and worry about her husband, so she couldn't stop for a moment.
Being someone's daughter-in-law may mean you are born to suffer.
Yao Niang finally woke up during dinner. Gu Mama even had someone bring a few dishes over, saying, "These are farm-style dishes from the farm. I'm sorry, young lady."
"Why should I feel wronged? I'm not that delicate. It's good enough that I can sleep coolly. But, I want to play on the swing tomorrow. Please ask someone to make one for me. Swinging is the most comfortable in this weather." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Mother Gu agreed and said, "I'll go and give the order now."
"Thank you for your help, Mom." said Yao Niang.
In her room, Wang Mama was destined not to stay long. She didn't need to tell her many confidential matters on weekdays. She could just let her come over when she was combing her hair, and let Qingdai learn her skills in private. Gu Mama was her nanny, Xiaoqing was her nanny brother, and Qingdai and Hongxiu were her trusted maids. The others were not very useful and had to be managed well.
After she finished her dinner, she walked around in the yard again. She saw Yingniang coming over and Yaoniang invited her in again.
"Third sister, what are you eating today? It's really hard to swallow."
"Don't say that. This was arranged by my second sister-in-law. Besides, this is the only condition on the farm. I brought the shrimp sauce made by my mother. Do you want to try it?" Yao Niang said with a smile.
Yingniang was curious for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
In fact, sometimes when I was alone with Yingniang, I felt that she was not as calculating as Zhenshi, and she was a person who said what she thought. After the engagement, Yaoniang could feel that Yingniang seemed to have something to say to her.
When the shrimp sauce was brought to her, she took a few bites and put it down.
In the end, Yingniang didn't say anything. She and Yaoniang were not in a close relationship. She actually had some good things in her mind towards Shen Linfeng. But after the matter was done, she was not really sad. It was really strange.
But she and Xu Sijia had seen each other regularly, and he seemed to be very indifferent to her. She also wore a gold hairpin, but he did not have that kind of enthusiasm. It was not like she wanted to be close to him or fall in love at first sight. The key point was that he did not even have that kind of decent behavior.
She followed Yan Jingzhao to help Li insert the gold hairpin. Li was also an average-looking girl. Even an arrogant man like her eldest brother inserted the hairpin with a smile. It seemed that he was a little considerate to the girl. Not to mention the third sister. It was said that Shen Linfeng even helped her hold the mirror.
Is this marriage too hasty? But my mother said that the mistress of the house cares about the position of the principal wife, and love affairs are all jokes.
She didn't know whether this was right or not, nor how to say it. But she felt embarrassed to tell Yao Niang.
After a few days at the farm, Yao Niang played on the big swing in the small woods at the back during the day. There was also an orchard behind the farm, and she would carry a basket and pick fruits herself.
Zhen Li stayed in the yard and could not come out, while Qianniang wrote poetry or did needlework, neither of them dared to do anything too out of line.
I just didn't expect that it would start raining after I arrived at the manor. It rarely rains in the city, but I didn't expect it to rain heavily for two days.
Yu was still feeling sick and couldn't take care of the housework. Although there were people from the farm to serve, there were no people from the Lord. The housework was also a mess. Yingniang and Yaoniang complained for a long time. Yaoniang said, "We can only wait until the rain stops and the weather is dry before we go back. Otherwise, would you dare to go out in a rainstorm? Since the farmhands have sent us food, we shouldn't be so picky."
It's not that Yao Niang couldn't stand it, but after such a long journey, she had actually gotten used to it and wasn't so squeamish anymore. She could accept any conditions, which was how she could adapt to any environment, and besides, it wasn't that bad.
In the morning, there were still drops of water hanging under the eaves. Yao Niang was about to go to visit Yu, but on the road she saw an old woman hurrying along, who seemed to want to break through the puddles on the ground as she walked.
Yao Niang stopped her and said, "Mrs. He, what are you doing in such a hurry? It's not proper to be so anxious."
"Oh, it's Miss Three. Don't you know that the kitchen is leaking, and the building behind is also leaking." Mrs. He said anxiously.
A leaky kitchen can make it difficult to cook, and that's a big problem.
Yao Niang didn't understand: "If it's leaking, just find someone to fix it. Isn't there even a bricklayer in this manor? Why are you in such a hurry? If it disturbs my sister-in-law, do you think it's a good idea?"
Mrs. He was a little embarrassed and asked, "Don't we still need the Second Madam's instructions for these?"
"What do you mean, please give me some advice, Second Madam? Before we came to this manor, didn't they fix the leak? It's getting weirder and weirder. It's still morning now. If we wait until noon, wouldn't everyone have no food to eat?" Yao Niang felt that these people were really looking for trouble.
Mrs. He said, "My dear girl, the rain has just stopped, are you afraid of falling down?"
In fact, he was asking for reward in secret. Yao Niang understood it quickly, "Then you shouldn't run away like this. Go and talk to your second sister-in-law."
Why did she deliberately act so anxious? Yu was a strange person. She didn't even try to improve the food for her sisters, but she was very generous in rewarding the servants. All the money from the public treasury was used to buy her own reputation. These beautiful women saw it clearly.
Yu was lazy. Repairing the house was originally the job of the bricklayer, but she just let it go and gave away twenty taels of silver.
Yao Niang also knew that she had to be considerate of her servants, but this was too much. A bricklayer in the market would charge one tael of silver to repair a tile, and five taels would be enough to prevent slipping after a heavy rain. The tiles were even from her own home. Twenty taels would be enough for these ordinary farmers to live for a year.
But the eldest lady let Yu manage the money, so Yao Niang couldn't say anything, but she did spread some rumors. Zhen Li heard it, but said to the maid beside her: "This is the Yan family's business, we don't care."
"The third girl kept silent before, and the fourth girl complained at the time, and everyone said she was coquettish. I think this third girl knows how to grasp the key points."
Zhen Li used to think that there was nothing wrong with the Yan family's inner house, but now it seems that she thought too simply, and she didn't even think about this level.
The conflict was soon resolved when the Shen family sent two baskets of prawns. When everyone gathered together for dinner, they cooked prawns today. Yu was also very happy to eat, after all, eating fish and shrimps was good for pregnant women.
"This is all thanks to my third sister." Yu said with a smile.
Yao Niang said, "Sister-in-law, if you want to eat, we can afford it. To be honest, we have been here for half a month, and we are tired of eating the food in the farm all day long. Don't you like it too? Why don't you send someone out to buy it?"
Yu said in embarrassment: "Sister, this is the manor. If we want to buy something, where else can we go? The capital is too far away."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law is from a rich family. She doesn't know why people from all over the place gather here. If the servants are trying to shirk their responsibilities, then sister-in-law should set the rules."
Yu understood what Yaoniang meant, and Yingniang also chimed in: "Yes, second sister-in-law, mother asked you to take care of us, but you let us eat the same few dishes every day? It's not like you came here without money."
Yu thought to herself, what a great Third Miss, she is really amazing. No wonder the two of them didn't get along well when Guan was alive. I hope you can meet an amazing sister-in-law when you go to your husband's family in the future.
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