Chapter 058 Chapter 58
Because of all the fuss, Yao Niang and others' meals were decent, and Yu didn't dare to use the excuse that the place was remote and difficult to buy. Ying Niang came over once and was filled with indignation. After a while of teasing her, Yao Niang said: "She is pregnant now and she is sister-in-law. We just have to achieve our goal."
Anyway, Yu is not living with them, so why should she care?
Ying Niang curled her lips: "If you hadn't told me, I would still be kept in the dark."
"It's nothing. You will marry into the Xu family and become the mistress in the future, and you will be the eldest daughter-in-law. Xu's brother-in-law also has younger brothers and sisters. Things like this will only increase, not decrease. He uses public money to do favors for himself, and he targets you in everything he does, but he appears to be very nice to you on the surface." Yao Niang looked at her and said.
Yingniang said, "No one in the world is as bad as you say. I think everyone around me is a good person. Third sister, you just can't stand seeing others do well."
Yao Niang knew that Ying Niang had a high opinion of herself, and she was too lazy to really argue with her. She could just let such a person go out and suffer the loss. As for other things, she was too lazy to comment.
It is the tenth day of August. Although it is still very hot, we have to cover ourselves with blankets at night.
Also because it was Mid-Autumn Festival, Yao Niang and the others had to go back. Yu patted her belly and breathed a sigh of relief. She found that Qian Niang and Ying Niang were easier to fool. Qian Niang was not likely to say it out loud and often kept it to herself, while Ying Niang could not discover it. Only Yao Niang was really not easy to fool.
But fortunately, she is not as stubborn as Guan, who sticks to one path to the end.
Even when the ladies at home questioned her, she could say that she was young, had just arrived, and didn't know the area around.
When she returned home again, Mrs. Xie saw that her daughter's skin had become much whiter, but her chin had become more pointed. She asked distressedly, "Why are you getting thinner?"
"It's okay, Mom. I wish I could be thinner. When I was at home, you always let me eat so many delicious dishes. It would be strange if I didn't gain weight." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Seeing that Yao Niang didn't say anything, Xie and the other five called Gu Mama over, and Gu Mama didn't dare to hide it: "Our sister was kind-hearted when she was young, and we didn't want to say anything to her because she was pregnant. But she didn't act like a sister-in-law. She gave all her money to the servants, bought things blindly, and didn't behave well. She only served the people sent by the eldest lady. You can imagine that she only gave so much money in total, which was originally intended for the girls' expenses, but she used it all to manage them. She really knows how to behave. If our girl hadn't found out about her like this, I'm afraid she would have to eat those farm dishes on the farm."
Xie snorted coldly, "She has high aspirations but a fragile life. When I was still in Jinling, I heard that my second brother didn't necessarily want to marry her, but her family often came to our house and persuaded our old lady. It's not that I'm mean. If she had nothing to do with my daughter, I would naturally not say anything. But if she made my daughter suffer, I would not let her go."
"Don't worry, Madam. The meals will be almost the same as at home," said Mother Gu.
Xie shook her head and said, "Don't think too much. Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. This year, the two families will celebrate together. Let the girl come here tomorrow. Her brother will be on leave tomorrow. Let's go out and inspect the teahouse together. It's a good opportunity to take her to a restaurant."
Mother Gu said yes repeatedly.
Not all mothers and daughters in the world are like Xie and Yao Niang. Mother Gu wondered why the servants in the third room rarely had infighting. It was because Xie, Yao Niang and Yan Jingzhao all had a good relationship, so few servants tried to please both sides.
Ying Niang quickly said indifferently, "I never thought that the second sister-in-law was such a master at winning people's hearts. Do you know what she gave us to eat those days? Chicken soup with vermicelli, or a few plates of fried fatty meat, and four plates of vegetables. She said that the conditions on the farm were like that. But she gave more rewards to the servants, like a boy who gave money away. Everyone praised her and criticized us."
"Of course it's wrong for her to do this, but Yingniang, you might as well learn from her. This is the way to win people's hearts." Zhen understood as soon as she heard it. Although she thought about giving Yu a lesson later, she also felt that Yu's move was quite clever. No one from top to bottom had said anything bad about her.
Yingniang frowned: "Why should I learn from her? Didn't Third Sister see through all her tricks immediately?"
Zhen shook her head: "This is because your second sister-in-law is still immature. If she gives your third sister and your cousin Zhen one thing, and secretly gives you and your second sister another, then your third sister will be unable to handle it alone? Even if she knows the truth, what can she do? She can't say anything about her suffering, and who will testify for her?"
Yingniang was horrified when she thought about it carefully. Her mother did not say that Yu was wrong. She said that Yu's approach was too rough.
**
Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xie asked Yan Jingzhao to go to the Li family to deliver a gift. She was a generous person and gave a generous gift. She also instructed: "This is your first visit after the engagement, so we should be courteous and considerate."
"My son knows." Yan Jingzhao didn't care much in his heart. She was the second wife and her wife was not beautiful or talented. But like his mother said, she had to be polite and considerate. Even if this person was not a very good person, since they were engaged, she would be his future wife.
Xie smiled and said, "In fact, life is not entirely based on appearance. A person's character is also very important. I think Miss Li is an honest and kind girl. If you treat her sincerely, she will definitely go through fire and water with you."
It is hard to predict the ups and downs of officialdom. No one will be successful. If there is a confidant by your side in the future, it will be better than anything else.
Yan Jingzhao thought Xie was making a big deal out of nothing, so he just said perfunctorily, "Okay, don't worry."
Seeing her brother was about to go out, Yao Niang said, "Brother, I just bought two boxes of rouge yesterday. They look pretty good. I have packed them just now. You can take one box to give to my sister-in-law."
"I don't want it." Yan Jingzhao resisted a little.
Yao Niang covered her mouth and laughed: "Brother, my sister-in-law will definitely like the gift you gave her."
After hearing what his mother and sister said, Yan Jingzhao accepted it reluctantly and went out to harness the horses to go to Li's house.
After Yan Jingzhao left, Xie looked at Yaoniang and said, "Your brother is actually very traditional at heart, but he just looks quite rebellious."
"Yes, the last time my brother went to get his hairpins inserted, it seemed that he was still very good at pleasing girls." Yao Niang said.
Xie shook her head: "If a man is a little handsome, there will be many people who like him. If he is a little polite, he will look good. It's not that your brother is so good at pleasing girls. But we women are different. If we are too beautiful, our parents-in-law will make groundless speculations, and we have to act virtuous."
After she finished speaking, she saw her daughter was in a daze, and continued, "Your father said that you were all children before, but now everyone has a marriage, and this time all three sons-in-law are coming to visit. They really didn't want to come, but now they all came at once."
Yao Niang smiled again after hearing this.
My sister-in-law is going to marry into the family at the end of this year, and my second sister is getting married at the same age.
The two were chatting when they heard Mother Song come over and say that the second aunt from the main house had come. Mother Song also said, "The first lady originally wanted our eldest master to come and receive them, but I heard that our eldest master has already gone to the Li family, so she asked the second and third masters to go and talk to Aunt Wen."
Xie explained, "This Wen Qilang was chosen by your father. He said he is a very sensible person. No wonder he came the earliest and was so sincere."
"Mom, if that's the case, why didn't Fourth Sister ask Dad to help look for it?" Yao Niang asked.
Xie shook her head: "I don't know about that."
Yao Niang thought that her second sister actually married well because she was good at getting along with everyone. Everyone at home could see that the first wife and their third wife were not getting along, but Qian Niang was able to navigate between them and maintain a good relationship with them. This was not something that ordinary people could do. The old chief minister of the Wen family had married three wives and had seven sons. When the second sister came into the family, there were so many sisters-in-law that it might be difficult for others to handle such a relationship, but Qian Niang could do it easily.
The family that Yingniang married into had been officials through the imperial examinations, and this had only been going on for two generations. It was said that although Minister Xu was the Minister of Justice, he did not like to argue with others and was a smooth person. But Mr. Xu was a son of a government official, and if he was easily persuaded by soft words, then Yingniang's life would be difficult.
Wen Qilang was talking to Jing Zhang and Jing Wen. He had only had a brief contact with them, but he had a rough idea of their personalities. The second son of the Yan family was a flatterer without any ambitions. Although the third son of the Yan family was young, he was better than his brother. However, if there was anyone who was truly talented in the Yan family, it would be Yan Jingzhao.
But unexpectedly, Yan Jingzhang and Yan Jingwen both had a good impression of Wen Qilang, and Qianniang was also very satisfied with Wen Qilang.
The two of them met briefly. Wen Qilang was a very respectable man. Seeing Qianniang's elegant temperament and gentle and virtuous personality, he felt a special liking for her. As a child of a noble family, he also had people serving him, but the meaning of a legal wife was different.
The most important thing is that Yan Yingqi was successful at a young age and became a high-ranking official in middle age. He had to wait for a title from his father, and he had six brothers ahead of him. If he married a powerful Yue family, his career would be smooth in the future.
Naturally, now that his father is the head, the Yan family is inferior to the Wen family.
Qianniang said to him, "My father likes to drink calamus powder, and my mother likes to eat snacks from West Street fructose. Remember this later."
"Okay, I'll make a note of that."
"Then I'll leave first. You be careful." Qianniang said and left.
Wen Qilang pursed his lips and smiled, then left.
Here, Yao Niang was having some snacks at Xie's place. They said that these were new snacks from the teahouse. Xie's teahouse also employed many women, who washed dishes and did odd jobs, and even worked as pastry chefs.
Xie often said that life is not easy for women. If they can earn some money at home, they will have a higher status at home.
But when she heard that Shen Linfeng was coming, Yao Niang immediately stood up and tried to avoid him, because Xie had always been very strict with her and often told girls to be careful about their chastity, especially since she was pretty and it was easy for people to gossip about her.
But today, Xie said, "Please sit down. Since you are engaged, you are an engaged couple. Although men and women should be separated, it is human nature that cannot be defied." She was also used to it. It was very normal for men and women to fall in love with each other.
Even though Yan Yingqi is not a good guy, there is real love between them.
When Shen Linfeng came in today, wearing a purple robe and a golden crown, Yao Niang was even more impressed by his humble but brilliant achievements. After Shen Linfeng came in, he said to Xie respectfully, "I, your son-in-law, pay my respects to Madam Yan."
Xie asked him to sit down and asked someone to serve tea.
After Shen Linfeng sat down, he looked at Yao Niang sitting opposite him. She was wearing a pink shirt and a white skirt, and she wore a lotus-shaped headdress, looking like a blooming flower. He thought that when she got married, he would personally help her choose clothes, and she would definitely look better than now.
"Mrs. Yan, this time, in addition to the mooncakes and other holiday gifts, I also sent some crabs. They are all the freshest and shipped from Zhejiang."
Xie smiled so hard that she couldn't close her mouth: "You are really thoughtful."
Yao Niang looked at Xie and said, "Mother, I want to eat crab roe buns."
Xie looked at Shen Linfeng embarrassedly and said, "My daughter is ignorant."
"No, as long as Sister Yan likes to eat it." Shen Linfeng's eyes sparkled.
Yao Niang tilted her head slightly, revealing a beautiful pink neck. She heard Xie asking Shen Linfeng what he was busy with recently. Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "I have been mostly editing books these days. I even stayed overnight in the Hanlin Academy yesterday."
"Are you so tired? I heard from my brother that the food in the Hanlin Academy is not good. Where do you eat, Brother Shen?" Yao Niang interrupted.
Hearing Yao Niang's concern for him, Shen Linfeng smiled brightly: "It's not that bad, I often go out to eat with my colleagues." After that, he asked again: "Why don't I see Brother Boying?"
Yao Niang joked, "My brother went to the Li family. What's the matter? You met each other every day in the Hanlin Academy. Now you are at my house and you are still thinking about meeting each other."
Xie quickly tried to smooth things over: "Yao Niang just loves to joke."
Yao Niang? Shen Linfeng thought that the name really suited her. A gentleman would love to marry a lady like Yao Niang. Was the little girl jealous just now? He was allergic to cats and dogs. He would feel uncomfortable around cat or dog hair. But when he saw people teasing cats and dogs, it seemed that they were just watching their reactions. Now he realized that Yao Niang looked very pretty when she was jealous.
Fortunately, Shen Linfeng was afraid that Yao Niang would be embarrassed, so he immediately handed over the gift: "Sister, you are joking. I came here specially to give you a holiday gift. I also thought that you like to eat shrimps and crabs, so I sent it here specially. Although it is not a good thing, please accept it."
"The thought is more important than anything else. Last time when we were at the manor, we owed a lot to your family, and we haven't had the chance to thank you yet." Yao Niang also quickly stood up and bowed.
Shen Linfeng also immediately returned the gift.
Xie still wanted to keep Shen Linfeng for dinner, but Shen Linfeng quickly said goodbye, and Xie said, "Yao Niang, please see Linfeng off."
This also allowed the couple to be alone. Shen Linfeng did not expect that there would be an unexpected surprise. As soon as he came out, he tilted his head and looked at Yao Niang: "It's been a long time since we last met, Sister Yan, how are you?"
"It's okay. It's just that last time I went to the farm, my hair was bitten by a bug. I scratched it and it bled a lot. The medicine I brought back was not easy to apply." Yao Niang complained in a low voice.
She originally thought that Shen Linfeng might dislike it, but unexpectedly, Shen Linfeng asked: "Where is it? Do you want me to take a look?"
"Forget it. It's not convenient to watch now. I'll try my best to prevent them from touching it." Yao Niang shook her head.
Shen Linfeng saw that the people around him also felt that it was inconvenient, and he was very worried: "We still need to ask a doctor to take a look. We can't leave it like this. The screen window must be pasted properly."
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say." Yao Niang said with a smile.
When they were almost at the second gate, she said, "We'll make crab meat buns in a few days, and then I'll have my brother bring them over for you to try. By the way, would you be allergic to these?"
Shen Linfeng shook his head quickly: "I am from Wuxing, and I used to eat it often at home. How could I have an allergic reaction?"
"Then it's settled." Yao Niang said with a smile.
When Shen Linfeng was leaving, he was still a little reluctant. He didn't know why, every time he met her, he felt that there was no gap between them, they always had topics to talk about, and he was very happy.
After seeing Shen Linfeng off, the Mid-Autumn Festival soon arrived. Yao Niang happily went to admire the moon and showed everyone her painting of the Twelve Flower Gods.
Seeing that the brothers and sisters were all getting along well, Yan Yingqi couldn't help but sigh: "It is rare in life to have a happy family reunion, and now our family has achieved it."
Zhen smiled and said, "That's right, old man."
Xie also said, "This year our family is going to hold two weddings. My second sister's wedding is also on the agenda. This is also the last time that the sisters will spend the Mid-Autumn Festival at their parents' home."
The crabs sent by the Shen family were eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Xie said to Yan Yingqi, "Shen's brother was thoughtful and sent crabs. I found them very good. I thought you liked crab roe, so I asked someone to make crab roe soup dumplings."
Yan Yingqi enjoyed it very much: "If you ask someone to make it, I will eat more."
When he likes to eat something, he really eats a lot, but Zhen was there, so she quickly advised him, "Crab roe is cold in nature, so you should eat less."
Is there really a woman who is not jealous at all? That's impossible.
In the past, Yan Yingqi would not, at least on the surface, favor Xie. But now, as they have been living together, the tacit understanding between Yan Yingqi and Xie makes her feel hurt without knowing it.
She even had an idea as to why Yan Yingqi disliked her, which was because she was not willing to listen to the truth, while Xie was always at his mercy.
Ke Jie was speechless. She could eat half a basket of crab roe buns by herself, let alone Yan Yingqi, a grown man.
Besides, Yan Yingqi is an adult, not a child, and it is rare for him to be happy in life. But when Zhen said this, Xie would not respond sharply.
Yan Yingqi didn't care when he heard what Zhen said: "It's okay, I have loved eating crabs since I was a child. When I was a child, my mother even asked someone to make crab sauce in the morning."
When the adults were talking in a rather delicate way, the children were silent. Yan Jingzhao cracked another crab and ate the crab roe as if no one was around. Everyone looked at him, but he ignored them and said to Yao Niang, "My dear sister, thank you for this marriage. I heard that someone in the Shen family is engaged in river and sea transportation business. If you want to eat anything, just ask and you will get it."
"Brother, what are you saying?" Yao Niang thought that Zhen's face might really be twisted with anger at this moment. She heard that Yan Jingzhao had scolded Yan Jingzhang as a piece of rotten mud before. Now Zhen advised her father not to eat the crab roe buns made by her mother, and her brother directly smashed the crabs. He was really crazy enough.
Yan Jingzhao changed the subject again: "Father, I heard that the Zhou family has been rehabilitated. Can Lingguang come to Beijing?"
Yan Yingqi nodded: "That's right, the emperor suddenly brought it up and asked Commander Liu to investigate. Now that the chief priest has passed away, all the grudges have vanished."
"That's great. He hasn't wasted a single day of his efforts in these years. He will definitely achieve great things in the future." Yan Jingzhao was a man of great loyalty and he always kept his friend Zhou Lingguang in his heart.
Yan Yingqi said, "If he comes to the capital, you will arrange for him to stay there."
"Yes, son, I will obey you."
Yao Niang, however, heard something unusual in what he said, because her father said that he would let her brother arrange it. Could it be that her father was not in Beijing? Now her father had been the Minister of Personnel for three years. When the imperial examination was about to begin, her father wanted to strive for the position of Minister of Rites, which was a backup before entering the imperial court. Otherwise, if her father transferred to another ministry or was promoted to Minister of Personnel, it would be difficult for him to enter the imperial court in the future.
My father is definitely not someone who gives up easily. What happened?
Yao Niang thought so, but when she saw Yan Yingqi talking and laughing, she felt that she was overthinking.
Zhen also heard these slight differences and wondered if her husband would not be promoted this time. It was not impossible.
Although Gong Ci-fu needs help now, Qingliu now feels that Gong Ci-fu is actually governing the country by proxy. The officials do not know who is behind this, and rumors are rife.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yan Jingzhao went to the Hanlin Academy early in the morning. When he saw Shen Linfeng, he handed him a food box directly: "Brother Gongding, this is crab roe buns. My family asked me to bring it to you."
"Really?" Shen Linfeng had been looking forward to it for a long time.
Seeing his expression, Yan Jingzhao couldn't help but say, "Brother Shen, you are so lucky. My sister can't cook at all, and she said she would be ready to cook in a few days."
When Shen Linfeng heard that Yao Niang was going to cook, he hurriedly said, "Don't let her hurt her hands. She really doesn't know how to cook. Last time on the boat, she didn't even recognize an eggplant. She said she had only eaten eggplant but had never seen what it looked like."
Yan Jingzhao thought, if I didn't ask today, I wouldn't know that you guys have been hiding many things from me.
But he felt good seeing how much Shen Linfeng cared for his sister, so he smiled and said, "My mother doesn't let her go to the kitchen, she has to do it herself."
"Tell her to stop cooking. We are all from Jiangnan and we eat the same thing. There are many cooks in my family, so there is no need to trouble her." Shen Linfeng opened the food box and saw a small basket of crab roe buns with a flower sticker on it, which read: "The dew is deep and the flowers are cold, the frost makes the crab roe fat."
Even though the crab roe bun was only warm and a little cold, he still ate it happily.
However, Yan Jingzhao also said: "Brother Shen, do you know Zhou Lingguang? I heard that he was as famous as you in the capital."
Shen Linfeng's eyes darkened, then returned to normal: "Of course I know him, but I haven't seen him since then, which is a pity."
Yan Jingzhao smiled and said, "He is staying at my house. He might come to the capital in a few days. Although he has not participated in the imperial examinations in recent years, I have read his essays when he wrote to me. He is getting better and better. I will introduce him to you when the time comes."
"Okay, then thank you very much, Boying." Shen Linfeng said.
Yan Jingzhao patted his shoulder and said, "You are my future brother-in-law. Besides, we are in the same class and on the same list. Isn't this the way it should be? I can guarantee that my friend is definitely a talented person. When the time comes, we can recruit him from both families to prevent him from falling into the hands of others."
Shen Linfeng just smiled and said nothing.
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