Chapter 068 Chapter 68
Three-day return
Yao Niang officially became a wife of the Shen family, and Shen Linfeng also ended his wedding leave and began to work in the government office.
One morning, before Shen Linfeng left, it was still dark. He was reluctant to wake up Yao Niang, so after thinking about it, he squatted beside the bed, carefully pulled aside her hair, and began to apply medicine for her.
It was when Yao Niang woke up that she realized she had chemicals on her hair after hearing what Gu's mother had said.
"He is so considerate. I had forgotten that." Yao Niang felt like she was being cared for.
Mother Gu smiled and said, "Aunt really cares about you. Since ancient times, if you marry a good husband, you will have hope even if you have to eat coarse food."
Yao Niang covered her mouth and said, "I don't want to eat bran or vegetables."
"Yes, yes, you are born with a good life with both blessings and wisdom, how could you possibly eat coarse food? It's all because mom can't speak." Mother Gu joked.
Yao Niang's heart sank. Now everyone was based on her father's status as the Minister of Personnel. So even with Yan Ningxin's influence on her, the Shen family could still restrain themselves. But if her father wanted Ding You soon, then those people would not be polite to her anymore.
After dressing up, Yao Niang went to Madam Shen's place first. Madam Shen often couldn't sleep at night and felt uncomfortable during the day. Even in the coldest days of winter, she would sweat all over if she moved a little. When the servants were dressing her up, they heard that her daughter-in-law was coming.
She had to cheer up and respond: "Why are you here so early? You young people should get more sleep and be more energetic."
Yao Niang could neither say it was good nor bad, she just said, "Let your daughter-in-law help you wash and dress."
Mrs. Shen smiled and said, "My son, please sit down. I have them busy here."
The servants around her said that there was no need to bother the grandmother, so Yao Niang could only sit aside and wait, watching her. Last month, she still watched her sister-in-law standing in a proper manner, but now she didn't have to stand, but she also had to keep calm.
Mrs. Shen was of course also observing her daughter-in-law out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that she was sitting upright and dignified, she couldn't help but nod slightly. No matter what, this daughter-in-law was still quite presentable.
When Madam Shen finished dressing, Yao Niang stood up and followed her. Madam Shen said to her, "Your sister-in-law will be coming in soon. Let's go to the second room after breakfast."
"Yes." Yao Niang smiled.
The meal was already on the table, Yao Niang helped to serve the dishes with chopsticks, and several of her father-in-law's concubines came over, some opening the curtains and some serving the dishes. Madam Shen then said to Yao Niang, "You go down first, and come back after you finish eating."
"Yes." Yao Niang went back to her room to eat. She couldn't eat too slowly. It was said that this was a special favor from her mother-in-law. Yao Niang once heard Xie Shi mention that when she served her mother-in-law, she was often so hungry that she almost fainted. So every morning when she went there, she would eat some snacks in advance.
This is still the case for wealthy families who have countless servants. If it is a small family, it is even worse. They have to sweep, buy groceries, cook, sew, and even give birth to children. Everything has to be checked and approved by the mother-in-law.
These are just housework. If the mother-in-law has backache, the daughter-in-law has to massage her back and waist. Even as long as the mother-in-law doesn't beat or scold her, she is considered a good person.
Sometimes Yao Niang really felt that it was not worth it for women, but everyone, including Xie, told her that she just had to endure it, and after a while, the daughter-in-law would become a mother-in-law.
When Yao Niang finished her breakfast and went over, Shen Mo had already arrived. Madam Shen looked at Shen Mo with a doting look on her face, and Yao Niang hurried over. Shen Mo stood up and saluted: "Sister-in-law."
"Sister." Yao Niang returned the greeting.
They followed Madam Shen to the second room first. Madam Shen was really busy here. The wedding tent was still the same one used when Yao Niang and her friends got married. It was said that the bride would send her dowry over today. Madam Shen said, "There are still four rooms in the Yizi warehouse over there. I have asked someone to pick them out in advance."
No matter how capable and outstanding Second Madam Shen was, Madam Shen was still the head wife in charge of the entire family. Yao Niang also realized something.
Madam Shen Er quickly smiled and said, "My eldest sister-in-law is so considerate, I don't know what to say. Brother Feng's daughter-in-law has married, and Brother Yan's daughter-in-law is about to marry. We both have two sons in total. It would be perfect if they could get along like sisters."
Mrs. Shen also smiled and said yes.
The Second Madam Shen was very good at talking. In between her conversation with Madam Shen, she asked Yao Niang, "My nephew's wife, how does my nephew treat you?"
"Please don't worry, everything is fine." Yao Niang said.
Madam Shen Er said to Madam Shen, "Hello, sister-in-law. You and your daughter-in-law are both from Jinling. You have the same customs and habits. Unlike me, my daughter-in-law is from the north."
Although they were both from Jinling, Yao Niang didn't receive any special treatment, and Madam Shen was indifferent to her. Instead, Shen Mo spoke up for her: "Second Aunt, we southerners now also eat northern dishes, they are all the same. My mother and Aunt are from the same place, but even if they are not from the same place, we are now one family."
"You are so good, Sister Mo, the relationship between a sister and a aunt is truly better than gold." Mrs. Shen joked.
They were in a happy mood for a while. The courtyard of the second son, Shen Bangyan, was next to theirs and seemed to have been renovated. When they went out again, they met two women with a slightly weathered look on their faces.
"What are the names of these two ladies?" Yao Niang asked.
Mrs. Shen introduced them, "These are your two aunts from your second aunt's family."
Yao Niang bowed quickly and said, "Hello, Aunt Bi Da and Aunt Bi Er."
Aunt Bi, who looked to be over fifty, saw that Yao Niang was elegant and graceful, and her breath was as fragrant as orchid, so she couldn't help but say to Mrs. Shen: "This must be the eldest grandmother, she is really a beautiful woman."
"Thank you for your compliment." Yao Niang bowed.
Even to the two aunts from the Bi family who seemed not even worthy of being called Madam, she was still polite and did not show any displeasure, which made Madam Shen look at her with a new eye. It was not that she was snobbish, but she had met the fourth daughter of the Yan family many times. This girl was sweet as honey to them, but she was very angry with others who were not as high-ranking as her. Shen Mo often said that the Yan family treated people differently, but this third daughter was obviously not like that.
The two aunts of the Bi family were also very excited to see Yao Niang perform the rituals of a younger generation. The Bi family had been in decline for several years and had to rely on Mrs. Shen for help, but how much help could others give? Every time they came, they would give them twenty taels and some clothes, like they were treating a beggar, and they also had to consider people's expressions.
This time, taking advantage of Shen Bangyan's marriage, the two aunts came to ask for money again. In order to prevent them from causing trouble, Mrs. Shen gave each of them fifty taels.
But these few dozen taels had to be used to buy winter bedding and clothes as well as New Year gifts. The money was gone before it even got warm. The two of them then stayed at the Shen family hoping to get some financial help from Mrs. Shen in the future when she was in a good mood.
By chance, she met Yao Niang and her group. When Bi's aunt saw that the bride was wearing a lot of gold, she also remembered that her dowry was more than 200 sets, and she couldn't help but sigh. When she married into the Bi family, there were rows of expensive birds under the corridor, and the family had three opera troupes. After her aunt got married, the family fell into decline.
I took over what I could at home, and now I have nothing left. Everything has changed in a moment.
Mrs. Shen obviously didn't want others to see her poor family. She said a few words and let people in to see Shen Bangyan's new house. Yao Niang thought that if she got along well with her brother and sister-in-law, it would be fine, but if not, it would be hard to say.
At lunch, she served Mrs. Shen her meal before returning to her room to eat.
After dinner, just as he was about to take a nap, someone outside said that Grandma Qing had arrived. This Grandma Qing was the eldest daughter-in-law of Shen Xunfu. Shen Linfeng had told her that Shen Xunfu's eldest daughter-in-law was also from the Wang family. She was the granddaughter of the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. Marquis.
"Why is Sister-in-law Qing here? It's me who should visit you." Yao Niang stood up and welcomed her in.
Grandma Qing said, "You are the new bride, so it is only right for me to come and see you. To be honest, I was not used to it when I first got married. Tomorrow, Yan's daughter-in-law will send the dowry over. Before you came in, the aunt asked me to take care of it. Now that you have come in, I think it is your turn to do it. I can't take over."
Yao Niang has seen this kind of thing too many times at home. She has even concluded that retreating is just an attempt to advance and embarrass you.
Therefore, Yao Niang did not respond to this: "Sister-in-law came in before me, so she is not completely in the dark like me. Let sister-in-law come, and I don't need to do it."
Because Shen Linfeng died before getting married, Qingda's grandmother was often called the eldest daughter-in-law of the Shen family, and she also went out to socialize with this identity. Now that Yaoniang has entered the family, she sees that she is still young, cannot consummate the marriage, and the Yan family has a criminal record. Therefore, she has a bit of contempt for her, and she is eager for her to ask for rights, so that she will not lose what she gains.
It took her a long time to realize that Mrs. Shen was someone she could give to, but she couldn't take.
But she didn't expect Yao Niang to not be fooled. Grandma Qing thought she was timid and said earnestly, "Don't be humble. You will be in charge of the entire Shen family in the future. If you don't sort it out now, you will be in a mess in the future. You don't know that everyone in this mansion is snobbish. When I first started, I was bullied a lot. This is what I say from the bottom of my heart. Don't take it lightly."
"What Sister-in-law Qing said makes sense. It's hard for you to think about me. Speaking of the slave bullying the master, I would like to ask you, sister-in-law, how do we usually add dishes to our meals? Do we have to pay the kitchen?"
Sorry, I will make the best use of everyone who comes to me.
…
Grandma Qing originally planned to go to Yao Niang's house to lobby her, but after she came out, she found that she had told her a lot of the rules of the Shen family, and also told her the whole story of how the third room set up a small kitchen, and even told her about Shen Mo's repeated failed marriage proposals.
Just like that, Shen Linfeng came back in the evening and asked Yao Niang what she had done that day.
Yao Niang was like keeping a running account: "When you left in the morning, I went to serve mother dinner. After serving her, I came back to eat and went to see the second room. At noon, I stood for a while to behave myself. Then, Grandma Qing came to visit us and we talked for a while. I thought about making you a single dress to wear in spring, but I forgot to measure your size."
"You took care of my mother's meal in the morning before you ate your own meal? Didn't you say that you would feel dizzy if you didn't eat when you got up in the morning?" Shen Linfeng asked concernedly.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "But this is the rule. I don't want others to criticize you. If I don't behave well, your relatives may say something about you, so no matter how dizzy I am, I have to endure it."
Shen Linfeng scolded: "Nonsense, you should take care of your own body."
"Well, then I will have some snacks before going to your mother's place every day. Don't be angry." Yao Niang coaxed him.
Shen Linfeng said, "I think it would be better to set aside the east room as a small kitchen. It would be cheap if you want to have some noodles or porridge in the morning. I'll talk to mother tomorrow."
Yao Niang held him back and said, "Forget it. Now that my second brother and sister-in-law are coming to live in, there are so many things to do at home. How can I let these things bother the elders? It's better to wait for an appropriate time to bring it up, okay?"
Shen Linfeng thought so too. He was a man who often had to handle official business and was outside all day. The more he valued Yao Niang, the more his mother seemed to dislike her. Seeing Yao Niang like this, he said, "How about this? I tell the kitchen to send breakfast over early and tell them that it's for me to eat. Isn't that all?"
"But you don't get up early, and you have to rush to Hanyuan, that won't work." Yao Niang shook her head.
Shen Linfeng didn't expect that the first obstacle he encountered after his marriage was the problem of his wife's breakfast. He scratched his head and said, "How about this, I'll come back from the government office in the evening and bring back some cakes for you to eat in the morning, okay?"
This is acceptable, and Yao Niang agreed.
Shen Linfeng felt sorry for Yao Niang's obedience. He held Yao Niang's hand and found under the candlelight that her hands were very beautiful, with long, soft and boneless fingers and smooth and tender skin. He put her hands on his lips and kissed them. When he saw Yao Niang wanted to pull back, he held them tightly.
"We are husband and wife," he emphasized.
Yao Niang said embarrassedly: "I know, but other couples don't act like this." Her brother had two wives and was very serious about treating his first wife, and they were not actually husband and wife yet.
Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "Little girl, we are married now, this is as it should be."
Normally he was not interested in women, but after seeing Yao Niang, he even had a urge to see her lying on him. No, that would be a blasphemy to her. He couldn't think like that and had to calm down for a while.
Yao Niang was about to speak when she saw him let go of her hand again. She personally poured him a bowl of soup and said, "Drink slowly. This soup is especially sweet."
"Thank you, Sister Shenfei."
"You said you like to call me Yaoyao, but you still prefer to call me Sister Goddess. Then just call me by my full name." Yao Niang smiled secretly.
Shen Linfeng felt a little embarrassed.
After dinner, Yao Niang wanted to measure his size. She first measured his shoulder width, then bent down to measure his waist. Shen Linfeng lowered his head and saw her head under him. His face flushed instantly and he didn't know what to say.
After Yao Niang finished measuring his size, she saw sweat on his forehead and asked in confusion, "Are you hot?"
"No." Shen Linfeng was afraid that Yao Niang would notice something, so he shook his head quickly.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Originally I was planning to soak my feet with you to relieve my fatigue, but seeing that you are so hot, forget it, I will soak by myself."
She doesn't like the smell of medicinal herbs in foot baths, which can easily stink up the whole room. She usually uses safflower or cassia twigs, which don't have a strong smell.
Shen Linfeng had already come out of the bath and saw the servants taking off Yao Niang's shoes and socks. Her slender ankles, rosy toes, and small and delicate feet were as lovely as lotus petals.
He had never seen such beautiful feet on a woman before. He had no idea what to do with himself and did not turn a page of the book in his hand for a long time.
Yao Niang said to him, "Tomorrow my sister-in-law will send over her dowry, and the day after tomorrow she will be married. I think it was OK if she didn't have a family before, but now that she has one, should we send her a gift privately?"
She needs to see whether Shen Linfeng is really good to her after marriage. Even though a man cares about you and says he loves you, the most important thing is where the money and status are, which are real.
Just like in their family, their father accompanied their mother all year round, cared deeply about their brother's affairs, and finally favored themselves when it came to dowry.
Otherwise, everything else is fake.
But Shen Linfeng didn't react, he just said: "Okay, you decide these."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Then what do you think we should give her? Do you want me to pick one from my wedding dowry?"
"How can I use your dowry? Any man who uses a woman's dowry is a gigolo. Wait a minute, there are a few boxes in our ear room that contain some of my things. It can be regarded as my small warehouse. I'll give you the key now and you can go and choose something tomorrow." Shen Linfeng said.
Yao Niang was satisfied: "Thank you, my rich and handsome husband."
Shen Linfeng was amused by her: "What do you mean by husband is older? You reminded me that my salary is all paid to the government. I usually invest some money in the money exchange shop to buy some money, which is also considered to be some money to spend. Now I don't have much cash on hand. I have two hundred taels in my cabinet. You can use it to manage or make hairpins on weekdays."
It turned out that he usually invested money in the money-making shop to make money. Yao Niang really didn't understand these things. She just put her money in the money shop to get some interest. Therefore, she admired Shen Linfeng very much. Those who can make money are not ordinary people.
However, when she heard him say he would give her the money, Yao Niang declined again: "Forget it, just use the money for yourself."
"What are you talking about? I should have given you the money. I really forgot." Shen Linfeng felt that he was blinded by lust and his mind was full of sexy thoughts. He hated himself for letting Yao Niang think that he was a stingy man and a stingy man. How could he accept this?
When Yao Niang heard him say this, she said even more: "I heard from Madam that my monthly allowance is five taels of silver a month, which is enough for me. Don't worry about me."
Shen Linfeng simply opened the door of the cabinet himself, took out the box containing the loose silver and put it in Yaoniang's arms: "Here you go."
Yao Niang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, as she was actually soaking her feet.
Tonight seemed a little different. After soaking his feet and reading a book, he went to bed at 10:00 p.m. Yao Niang probably knew his sleeping time, so she said, "Go down and turn off the lights."
She and her husband slept in the inner room, so they did not have any maids to keep watch at night. They were only allowed to come in and serve them early in the morning.
But she saw Shen Linfeng turned over and faced her, staring at her. Yao Niang said quickly: "What's wrong with you? Are you worried about leaving the key with me? I'll give it to you."
"No, it's..." Shen Linfeng didn't know why, but his blood started pounding when he thought of her jade feet. He wanted to ask if he could take another look, but he was afraid that Yao Niang would slap him twice and say that there was something wrong with him.
Yao Niang saw him sit up, turn off the light, pull the quilt over his head, and seem a little annoyed. She knew better and stopped asking.
When she woke up the next morning, she found that their pajamas were usually folded together, but Shen Linfeng's underwear was not on the bed. She was suspicious for a while, then went to pay her respects to her mother-in-law.
Xinning Marquis was known for his military achievements and his family was prosperous. He himself served as the governor of the Beijing Camp. Such a military officer and noble family should have intermarried with military personnel for generations. But now the status of civil officials has surpassed that of military officers, and Xinning Marquis had many daughters. It was said that the married Wang Qijie was a legitimate daughter, and her sister married into a noble family.
The dowry also weighed a full 120 pieces, and it was said that there were 10,000 taels of silver hidden in the bottom of the box. The gift list was also specially registered in Shuntian Prefecture.
Everyone congratulated Madam Shen Er. After all, the bride came from a wealthy and noble family, but not your average noble family that was glorious on the outside but shabby on the inside. This young lady's brother had even been crowned the crown prince, so Madam Shen Er was really proud of herself.
Yao Niang also stayed beside Madam Shen with a smile on her face. Madam Shen, however, was thinking that when her son was getting married, Yan Ningxin's status was considered the most outstanding, but later on, such a joke happened.
At this time, after they had finished looking at the dowry, Yao Niang went back to help her mother-in-law. She saw Zhou Mama coming over and saying to Madam Shen, "Madam, the Yan family sent a steward to say that their old lady, Sima Yan, had passed away. Now Minister Yan has reported Ding You, saying that our family is currently holding a wedding and they cannot interfere."
"What?" Mrs. Wang glanced at Yao Niang.
Yao Niang's eyes suddenly turned red. She actually had no feelings for her great-uncle. Although he was her biological grandfather and the Third Old Lady was not, in her heart the Third Old Lady was her biological grandfather.
But she felt sad because her loved ones were gone.
Even though she had known about it for a long time, after Yao Niang asked her mother-in-law to go home, she couldn't help but cry with her mother and sister-in-law. Xie advised Yao Niang, "Your brother and sister-in-law are in the capital. If you have any problems, just go to your sister-in-law."
"My daughter knows."
But Yao Niang was even more worried about Xie. "Mother, my daughter is not with you. The Third Old Lady is a left-wing person. You should be careful in everything."
Xie said in a daze, "Yao Niang, why are you still worried about me? When we left, your brother hadn't been appointed yet, and the Shen family was quite powerful."
Yao Niang patted Xie's hand and said, "There is nothing to be afraid of, mother. I am strong and smart. I will not cheat anyone in the world. I am kind and no one has ever plotted against me. Besides, father recommended Mr. Du to be the Minister of Rites. I am afraid that father will be able to achieve even greater success in the future. Now we are just waiting for the future. There is nothing to be afraid of, daughter."
Xie nodded: "Your father said that Scholar Du was born in a poor family, and his son-in-law is the commander of the Jinyi Guard. The emperor will never allow him to make any real decisions. I am afraid that even if he enters the cabinet, it will be difficult for him to become the prime minister. Now that he has returned home to worry about Ding You and your father has also raised Wang, it may be a good thing. The court is not peaceful now."
"My daughter knows." Yao Niang understood.
Xie touched her daughter's face and thought that the Shen family might be unhappy and her daughter might not be able to cope with it. What's worse, her daughter couldn't consummate the marriage for the time being.
It was indeed the case. Before, Shen Mo got Yao Niang's bracelet and thought that the Yan family's daughter was worthy of her brother. Now Yan Yingqi and his family were all in trouble. She said to Madam Shen: "When you married the first Yan family's daughter, your brother's future was ruined and he became a laughing stock. When you married the second one, the Yan family was in trouble. After three years, who knows if there is still a place for them here? My brother will not be of any help at all."
Madam Shen beat her chest and stamped her feet: "I knew this would happen a long time ago. It's all my fault. I couldn't bear it at the moment and promised your brother..."
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