Chapter 089 Chapter 89
After coming out of the bathroom, Shen Linfeng held her all the way. His arms were indeed very strong. Yao Niang felt like she was on a boat. He slowly put her on the bed, and his breath pressed against her. His lips immediately kissed her cherry lips. Yao Niang felt like she was suffocating. He chuckled and said, "I'll help you breathe."
After the passionate kiss, Yao Niang suddenly felt very hot and numb, unable to get up. She was still hot even though there were four or five ice basins in the house. At this time, Shen Linfeng was very considerate and took off her clothes for her. His eyes were burning, and Yao Niang was so embarrassed that she stepped away.
Yao Niang had only seen cervical entanglement in embroidery, but his head was kissing her cheek and his warm breath was spraying on her fair neck. She couldn't help but hug him.
Shen Linfeng also felt that he seemed to have completely lost control of himself. After taking off the emerald dress, he was completely unable to control himself.
But he cherished her so much that he was not afraid of hurting her at all, so he treated her like a treasure.
The gauze curtains were let down, blocking out the spring scene on the bed.
…
It was not until noon the next day that Yao Niang woke up. Gu Mama and others came in with smiles on their faces to serve her. Now that the old man and the mistress had returned to their hometown, their grandmother, who was not feeling well, could also rest.
After drinking the nourishing chicken soup in the morning, Yao Niang couldn't help but say, "This is too much. I'm not that weak."
Yesterday's sex didn't seem to be as painful as the adults said. I was even quite happy at one point. When I woke up in the morning, I felt a little uncomfortable down there, but that was okay.
Mother Gu smiled and said, "It was the eldest master who ordered it. When he got up in the morning, he specifically told the kitchen to do it."
After having physical contact with each other, Yao Niang's feelings for Shen Linfeng seemed to have deepened. He was usually very polite to her and never said a dirty word to her, which made Yao Niang feel very respected. Yesterday, she also discovered that he was in very good health.
She lowered her head and drank the whole bowl of soup, then asked several managers to take chips to the cashier's office to withdraw money and settle the accounts. Yesterday was her coming-of-age ceremony, the opera troupe's entertainment, and the food expenses, all of which needed to be paid, and she didn't want to owe money.
After finishing the housework, she went out for a walk in the garden. It was very inconvenient for the three families to live together before, but now it was so pleasant to walk around the garden alone.
The peonies in the garden are blooming beautifully, it's a pity that my mother is not here, otherwise I could invite her to come and enjoy the flowers with me.
"This pavilion has great lighting, and it's perfect for me to paint flowers here." Yao Niang suddenly felt like painting.
The servants set up a cool mat outside the pavilion. Qingdai and others brought her drawing board and paints over. After Yao Niang mixed the colors with clean water, she began to sit there and paint.
Even the servants who passed by could not help but praise her: "Our great grandmother is indeed from a family of poetry, literature, rituals and music. She is talented in writing, well connected, and has a good family background. A few days ago, I had eczema on my face, which kept getting red and itchy. The great grandmother saw me on the road and gave me medicine, which is much better than the silver saltpeter sold outside."
"Yes, it was a good idea for the eldest master to marry our eldest grandmother. If she gives birth to a young master in the future, our young master will be very smart."
Compared to Yao Niang's comfortable life, the third room's life was a mess, with only one stove, but each doing their own thing. No one was willing to take the lead, and in the end Lu Shaner hired someone to restore the stove, but there were problems with hiring a cook.
Lu Shan'er was a native of the capital, and wanted to hire a chef from Shandong or the capital. Grandma Qing, who was originally from Shandong, agreed, but Shao and Han Ruohua were from the south, and since Shao was pregnant, she had more requirements.
It just so happened that Grandma Qing's aunt had come to Beijing. Her aunt Feng had always been opinionated and couldn't help but say, "You are the eldest daughter-in-law. If the people below you want to make trouble, let them make trouble. The most urgent thing is your belly."
Grandma Qing said anxiously, "Aunt, how could I not know this? But whether or not she is pregnant is not something I can decide."
Feng gave her a prescription: "You are my niece, I treat you as my own daughter. I give you this prescription, keep it secret. If you get pregnant in the future, it will be better than anything else. Do you want to be oppressed by a concubine for the rest of your life? You are the eldest daughter-in-law of the governor, giving birth to a grandson as soon as possible will be better than anything else."
"Eldest grandson, that's impossible? My sister-in-law has been pregnant for several months." Grandma Qing certainly knew the importance of the eldest grandson, especially since there were six brothers in the third room. When she saw the ruthlessness of this division of the family, they were all one family before, and they immediately separated the stoves and didn't even give them a meal.
Everything is fake, except what you get is real.
Feng smiled and said, "You are just too honest. Tell me about your family situation first."
Grandma Qing got the recipe for having a child and kept it well. She also told me everything that happened in the past few days. She said, "The one from the first house is the granddaughter of the Minister of Works and the daughter of the former Vice Minister of Personnel. My aunt saw that she was the daughter of a rich family, her child was as pretty as Chang'e, she could read a few words, and she was both talented and pretty. She thought she was elegant and peaceful, and had no idea of her character. I didn't expect that she would have a quarrel with my aunt after she came into the house. A few days ago, she tied up my second brother's wife and slapped her in the face. She is just like a thief."
Feng looked at her, and Grandma Qing suddenly understood what she meant.
In the evening, Yao Niang heard brisk footsteps outside and knew it was Shen Linfeng. She couldn't help but smile.
"Ma'am, look what I brought you?"
As soon as he came in, he gave Yao Niang another gift. Yesterday he had given her a headpiece with a phoenix spreading its wings, and today he gave her a long peony hairpin. The peony silk in particular looked expensive and beautiful.
"Oh, it's so beautiful." Yao Niang couldn't let it go and asked Shen Linfeng to help her insert it.
Shen Linfeng carefully inserted it for her, then sat down and looked at her happily: "My lady, how are you?"
Yao Niang blushed and nodded again: "Okay, much better."
"I've been thinking about you, but I'm afraid you'll be embarrassed." Shen Linfeng looked at his wife with infinite love. Yesterday, she and he were truly in perfect harmony.
Yao Niang looked at him and said, "Why do I feel that you are much more slick now?"
Of course Shen Linfeng also had something to do. He was sent to Jiangxi Provincial Examination as the chief examiner, so he told Yao Niang about it.
"I'm not home. If you have any questions, just wait until I come back."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "What can it be? I am here to wish my husband to accept more disciples. Jiangxi has always been a strong province in imperial examinations. You must do a good job in cultivating talents for the country."
Shen Linfeng nodded.
That night, Shen Linfeng took Yao Niang's health into consideration, and the two of them did not make any noise. Instead, they held her in their arms and rested quietly.
This is why Yao Niang likes Shen Linfeng very much. He really loves her from the bottom of his heart, and he is not the kind of person who doesn't care about men and women and only thinks about men and women. So no matter what others say, since they got married for more than half a year, she has recognized her husband's character and talents.
Most of the Hanlin Academy members are honest and upright, so they can go on official business as provincial examination examiners and earn extra income. Naturally, for Shen Linfeng, this is mainly a good thing as it can broaden his horizons.
Yao Niang reminded him, "You are a generous person, but when you go out, you should not show off your wealth. There are too many unpredictable people around you."
"Okay, actually, my lady, I really want you to go with me." This is Shen Linfeng's truest thought. With his lady by his side, he is not afraid of anything.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "I would like to go, but you are on a business trip, how can I go? Besides, if you go to Jiangxi, you will be in the examination hall, I am afraid you can't say a word to me."
Shen Linfeng just said this, he also knew it was impossible to achieve.
It was just that they were newlyweds, and he was reluctant to leave. Seeing this, Yao Niang couldn't help but say, "The provincial examination will be in September at least, and it's only the end of June now. Even if you leave, it will be the end of next month. We still have so many days to spend together, what are you afraid of?"
After being comfortable like this, Shen Linfeng became happy again.
On June 30th, Shen Linfeng's uncle came to Beijing and, as usual, brought him a lot of crabs, lobsters, and oysters. Ever since the Shen family said that Yao Niang loved to eat them, they always asked his uncle to prepare them for her every year.
Yao Niang then asked the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous meal. The uncle of the Shen family had a single name, Xin, and was about thirty years old. He was dressed in a long robe and a scholar's cap. It was obvious that he was a scholar.
It's just that this time his news was delayed. The Shen family divided up too quickly and had not yet informed their relatives. Maybe Mr. Shen and his wife haven't left Hebei yet, so Shen's letter was delivered directly to the kitchen of the eldest house as usual.
So Yao Niang divided the things into three parts, and sent the remaining two parts to the second and third rooms.
Shen Linfeng also told Shen Xin about the quick method of making boats by Rui Long. Shen Xin was overjoyed. After meeting Rui Long, he spent 1,000 taels to buy the blueprints. Rui Long was so happy to get the 1,000 taels.
The Shen family also had a pretty maid named Li'er. Someone told her that she was originally prepared by Madam Shen for Shen Linfeng. After Madam Shen left, many people started to complain to Yao Niang. But Yao Niang saw that Li'er was very pretty and gentle, so she naturally would not make things difficult for her. Now, thinking of Li Long's character, she called Li'er over and pointed out a way out for her.
"Master Luo is a friend of the master. He is a man of great talent. I heard that he once had a wife, but she died of illness and he never remarried for many years. Are you willing to go over and serve him?" Yao Niang asked.
Li Er's beauty naturally attracted countless admirers. The eldest grandmother told her directly that many people complained to her, and Li Er was afraid that she would be sent to a kiln or sold quietly. She didn't expect that the eldest grandmother would let her get married. Now she was forced to marry the second steward's son, who was a gambler. Now she could marry Luo Long immediately, so she was naturally willing.
"I will follow all arrangements made by Grandma," said Li'er.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "I won't let you go in vain. I will buy you a few dowries, and you can regard the Shen family as your own family in the future. If you have a boy or a girl in the future, you will have someone to rely on in the future."
Li'er was happy again.
Thinking that Li Er would have a good life after marrying into the family since he was now a wealthy man, Yao Niang used her own savings to buy eight loads of dowry for Li Er, hired a sedan chair, and carried her away. Seeing that Li Er was beautiful, peaceful, and good at managing the household, Li Er was overjoyed and was even more grateful to Shen Linfeng and his wife.
So, Shen Linfeng and Yao Niang also took out 12,000 taels of private money to invest in Shen Xin's shipping company. Yao Niang was not as smart as Shen Linfeng in business. She heard that the second wife of Shen had used most of her money to buy land and build houses to earn some rent. Shen Linfeng seemed to think that the money came too slowly, and said that they would discuss the money-making plan after he returned from Jiangxi, so Yao Niang didn't care.
But now, because Shen Linfeng and his wife have invested in the company, Shen Xin, as a businessman, although seemingly treating the three houses equally, is privately more partial to Shen Linfeng and his wife, and specially sent a lot of crabs over.
Yao Niang and Shen Linfeng naturally couldn't finish the crabs, so they sent a few baskets to her mother's home, Marquis Jinghai's residence, the Du family, the Li family and other places. She asked people to make crab sauce with the rest, steam it, or make crab roe buns.
Naturally, when she saw the oysters, she remembered that Shen Linfeng had once told her that he liked oyster pancakes the most, so she planned to secretly go to the kitchen to learn how to cook while he was at the yamen.
She used to think cooking was difficult, but she was very hardworking in learning anything. For example, to make oyster pancakes, she first had to fry cleaned oysters with wine, vegetables and eggs.
"Mother Gu, please ask Brother Xiaoqing to go to the Fuzhou Guild Hall, or a famous Fuzhou restaurant in Beijing, to get me some oyster pancakes. I want to see how mine differs from theirs."
It was delivered at noon, and she found that each restaurant made it differently. The chef in the kitchen taught her to use the same ingredients and make it very thick. But the one delivered by Fuzhou Guild Hall that Yao Niang ate today was different. They also added seaweed, peanut crumbs, sesame seeds and garlic leaves, which tasted very fragrant.
Huiquanlou fries the oysters directly, and puts meat inside the oysters, but the outside is crispy and the inside is tender. The oyster meat is even tender and juicy.
"Which of these oyster cakes do you think is the best?" asked Yao Niang.
Mother Gu pointed to the one with crushed peanuts and said, "This one is good."
"I think so too. At worst I can just make a few more kinds." Yao Niang was not sure what Shen Linfeng liked to eat.
While Yao Niang was learning how to make oyster cakes, Second Madam Shen also started to socialize. Her husband used to be just the Dean of the Imperial College, but now he is the Chief Academician of the Imperial College and the most noble family in the Shen family. Therefore, she started to move around everywhere, which was completely different from before.
Even Wang said to Lu's mother beside her: "When the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king."
Mother Lu was terrified: "Grandma, please don't tell anyone. It would be bad if someone heard it."
"That's right. I originally thought that this mother-in-law was very good, but I didn't expect that was only the case when the first lady was around. Now that we have separated, the expenses are not as good as before. Now that the eldest sister-in-law is the housekeeper, I still have to follow the rules." Wang was of course not convinced.
Mother Lu said, "After all, your future will be different now that your eldest master has passed the imperial examination. Don't worry. When your second master passes the imperial examination, you will be the wife of an official."
Wang pouted, "I don't have that hope. When I went to my eldest sister-in-law's place yesterday, you knew that our eldest brother is now an editor of the Imperial Academy, and he still reads in the study room when he comes home at night. This year, the man from our family came to my house during the New Year. He didn't say anything at my house, but on the way back, he complained about my family's military origins."
Mother Lu knew that her husband and wife did not get along well. If she were a truly amiable mother-in-law, she would have naturally tried to mediate the situation, but Second Madam Shen did not care.
However, Wang said, "My eldest sister-in-law gave the pear away, but I can't just give someone away casually. But she is too jealous. My eldest brother doesn't even have anyone by his side."
Among all the daughters-in-law of the Shen family, Yan was the most fortunate. Not long after she entered the family, her parents-in-law left. Her husband was loyal and she managed the whole family by herself, which gave her more freedom than the others. Moreover, because Shen Linfeng was an official, she did not need to go out to socialize deliberately. She only interacted with the families of scholars in the Hanlin Academy.
As they were talking, lunch was served, and it was fish and shrimp again. Wang didn't like seafood, and thought it smelled fishy, and she couldn't get used to it. But Wu Xing, a member of the Shen family, loved to eat these. She loved noodles and dumplings, but Shen Bangyan didn't like noodles.
Listening to Wang's complaints, Chunluo smiled and said, "Grandma, you don't like to eat this, but some people want to eat it but can't."
"Who?" Wang asked.
Chunluo said, "It's Second Madam Jiang. The first house gave us the same amount as the second and third houses, but we have a small family and the third house has many people, so how much can we get from Second Madam Jiang?"
Wang curled her lips and said, "It would be fine if the eldest aunt was here, but now the eldest sister-in-law is in charge, and she would offend the eldest sister-in-law, so she should go out and buy it herself."
"The food we buy outside is not as good as the one delivered by our family. It is kept fresh with ice along the way. The food outside tastes different." Chunluo said with a smile.
Shao was indeed fond of fish and shrimp, so Lu Shaner hired two chefs, one from Shandong and the other from Zhejiang. Lu Shaner asked the chefs to prepare small meals for Shao, after all, she was pregnant.
But there was only so much food to begin with, how could she eat enough?
Shen Linjiang had someone buy it from outside, but she thought it wasn't fresh enough and didn't have that sweet taste.
It was Nan Gu who came back from outside to ask: "I heard that Shen Xin secretly sent a lot to the eldest wife this time, and the eldest wife couldn't finish it, but it's not easy to ask for it now."
"Forget it, I'd rather not eat than ask the first wife for it." Shao was not stupid. Last time, she and her servants went to the first wife's house to make trouble, and the other wives were all laughing at her. No one helped her. Then, the first wife invited so many distinguished guests, and she had no idea who they were. She wanted to use something to win over these sisters-in-law, but these people were just pretending to be nice to her to isolate Yan.
Nan Gu poured a glass of water for Shao and said, "In fact, when the eldest lady was here, she would always invite us to have a crab feast at this time. It was so nice for everyone back then."
Shao nodded: "Who said it wasn't true? But now the head of the family has changed and we have separated. Why are you still bringing this up?"
In fact, Shaw was also bullied by Yao Niang once, and she didn't dare to stroke his beard again.
The expenses of the third branch were actually very large, and Lu Shaner was also worried. The third branch of the Shen family was certainly not poor. When Shen patrolled the province, the third branch got the same amount as the second branch when the family was divided. But the third branch had many sons, and when summer came, the amount of ice used was really scary.
Lu Shaner couldn't help but ask, "Although ice is not expensive nowadays, why do you use it so much? The daily expenditure is too high..."
She was born in a poor family and always felt that the family was too extravagant and wasteful. She had heard Guan mention before that her sister-in-law, now the wife of Shen Linfeng, kept changing the mats at home, which was also extravagant. She didn't expect that the Shen family was the same.
When summer came, the women had to pay thirty taels to make summer clothes, and the men had to pay the same. If they asked the cook to build the stove, the hundred taels would be gone.
"Third Madam, it's Second Madam's birthday soon, and we still have to prepare for the birthday ceremony."
Well, it’s time to give gifts again.
Lu Shaner even asked someone to go to the dock to wait for the ice bed and buy some fish and shrimp for Shao. She had no choice but to start managing the household. If she didn't manage the household well, Shen Xunfu would not trust her. She was like this. She had to do everything well. If Shen Xunfu treated her well, she would repay him.
"Did I hear that Grandma Qing's aunt has left Beijing?" Lu Shaner looked at the bundles of local products in front of her and remembered that they were sent by Feng.
"Yes, she has already left the capital. She originally came to the capital to pay homage to the eldest princess. She is the eldest princess's granddaughter."
"She's a nice person, but it's a pity we don't have the chance to invite her back."
…
For about a month, Shen Linfeng always felt that Yao Niang was hiding something from him, but when he asked her, Yao Niang became mysterious again.
It just so happened that this was his first time as the chief examiner, and the Hanlin Academy also asked him to learn more about how to evaluate essays, otherwise he would be laughed at by the old scholars. Shen Linfeng was not an ordinary person. He was born in the imperial examination and passed the imperial examination at the age of 20. There were countless people waiting to find fault with him, so he wrote essays for concubines and imperial edicts during the day to earn some extra pocket money, and lit a lamp to read at night.
He had made progress without realizing it, and now it was the end of July, and he was about to set off for Jiangxi.
Yao Niang stood on tiptoe, covered his eyes and said, "This morning I made your favorite snack, which you once told me about. I have worked hard for a month. If it doesn't taste good, please bear with me."
"No, it can't be oyster pancakes?" Shen Linfeng said in surprise.
Yao Niang let go and clapped her hands, and soon someone brought over several kinds of oyster cakes.
Shen Linfeng had never thought that he would be able to eat the oyster pancakes he had eaten before. He smiled like a child: "I love this the most."
He first cut the cake into small pieces. It tasted fresh from the oysters, slightly spicy, and especially crispy. Before he knew it, he had finished a small piece and gobbled up the rest in no time.
Yao Niang patted him on the back and said, "You, be careful."
"My wife, you are so good to me." Shen Linfeng felt that he was tongue-tied and couldn't say much to please his wife.
Yao Niang laughed and said, "Why? You always give me money every day, and you support me in everything I do, so why shouldn't I be nice to you? Do you know? At first I added five-spice powder, but I always felt that the taste still didn't match the oyster pancake you described to me, so I added some chili powder. And I saw that you don't like sticky pancakes when you eat pancakes, you like crispy ones, so I fried them in one piece."
"Delicious." Shen Linfeng took another bite.
Seeing that there was also seaweed and peanuts on the side, he took a piece and tasted it: "Oh, there is also this flavor."
Yao Niang helped him pour soy milk and said, "There are many kinds. I don't know which one you like, so I learned all of them."
"My wife, this is delicious too." Shen Linfeng didn't want to waste Yao Niang's kindness. Even though he was full, he still wanted to eat one more piece. He was a little embarrassed: "My wife clearly asked me to teach you. We learned together. Now my wife is making it for me. I don't know how to repay her."
Yao Niang pulled his hand and said, "You gave me the money for writing every day, and you massaged my feet for fear that I would feel pain when walking. You are so kind to me. I just wish I could go to Jiangxi with you, my husband."
Shen Linfeng leaned on Yao Niang's shoulder and said, "My dear, I can't bear to leave you either."
Yao Niang's heart was so tender that it melted into a pool of water, and she only wished to love him forever.
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