Chapter 094 Chapter 94
"Little baby, I am your aunt, you don't recognize me yet?" Yao Niang teased the little nephew in her arms.
When the child was born, his father was not around, his grandfather was dismissed from office, and Li was not in a good mood. Yao Niang occasionally took time to come and see her little nephew, hoping that he would grow up healthily, and she had no other wishes.
Li said, "He hasn't been given a name yet. Grandfather said that the child is too young and if he is given a name too young, the ghost will remember him."
"When I was a child, they were afraid that I wouldn't survive, so they called me by my nickname for several years. Only after I was able to survive did my parents give me a name." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Li always felt that her sister-in-law was lucky. She had sympathized with her sister-in-law for being tortured by her mother-in-law before, but now it seems that her parents-in-law are not a hindrance, and her husband is still by her side. Don't look at the fact that the second aunt Qianniang is the daughter-in-law of the prime minister now. After all, no one is better than you. Wen Shoufu was originally appointed as the prime minister again. Who knows how many years he can last?
Once Wen Shoufu leaves, won't you have to rely on yourself in the future officialdom? Unless you are the crown prince, otherwise, who will care about you when you leave?
Just as she was thinking, she heard outside that Aunt Shen had arrived. Li smiled and said, "Sister, leave the child to the wet nurse. You should go back quickly. Everyone is busy during the New Year holidays."
"I originally thought of coming here today to visit my sister-in-law and nephew, and letting my husband accompany grandfather. But I didn't know that grandfather was not at home. So we have to go back first." Yao Niang said regretfully.
Li said, "Grandfather is very satisfied. He likes Aunt Shen. He says she is good at swordplay and chess. Not to mention her personality, everyone likes her when she takes her out."
Yao Niang was extremely happy to hear others praising Shen Linfeng, but she was still a little embarrassed and said, "Sister-in-law is getting better and better at speaking now."
Speaking of this, she thought of her former sister-in-law, Guan. Ever since she had taken advantage of her brother's misfortune, Guan had not gotten anything good. After Gong Ci Fu left, many things were dug up about him, so he was forced to resign and return to Nanjing.
Of course, she also noticed that Lu Shaner didn't seem to have much contact with the Guan family, but even if she did, so what?
Moreover, she had noticed that Lu Shan'er seemed to be very clear about gratitude and resentment, but in fact she was a sophisticated and selfish person. Unless she was so desperate that she could kick such a person like a dog, she would not do anything for the time being.
After leaving Yan's house, Yao Niang and Shen Linfeng got on the carriage together. Shen Linfeng was wearing a sword in front of people, but after getting on the carriage, he leaned on Yao Niang's shoulder and said, "I'm so tired. I'm really tired today."
"Then how about we ask the kitchen to make beef spine soup today? It will be warm when you drink it." Yao Niang stroked his cheek and thought that he was so handsome, worthy of being her husband. Among all the men she had seen, there was no one more handsome and more lovable than him.
She didn't like people with greasy hair and powdered faces, poor manners, strong accents, and those who were timid and shy in doing things, and who were antagonistic to her. It just so happened that Shen Linfeng perfectly avoided all the shortcomings that she disliked in people.
Shen Linfeng looked up at Yao Niang: "My dear, you are so kind."
"That's right. If I don't treat you well, who will?" Yao Niang held his hand.
This year, each family had to prepare for the New Year. Mrs. Shen used to spend money freely from the account of the main family, but now she was in her own family, she started to be frugal. Whose money didn't come from the wind? On weekdays, she had to support hundreds of servants in the family, entertaining actors and drinking, clothes cutting, eating, drinking, defecating, all of which required money.
Unlike Yao Niang who deposited her money in a bank to earn interest, she probably used the cash to buy many apartments, shops and land. These sound like a lot, but when it comes time to use them, there is not much left.
Lu Shan'er received money from an external account, and sometimes it was not enough. It was said that the Third House had spent a lot of money on the funeral of Shen Xunfu's original wife, and also on the marriage of the Third Brother Shen Linyun. Weddings and funerals were the most expensive.
Therefore, Lu Shaner discussed with Grandma Qing how to spend the New Year, after all, the third room was going to hold a separate opera and banquet this year.
Grandma Qing has started to help Lu Shaner with household chores. As time goes by, her thoughts have changed. She is preparing for childbearing and may have a child soon. If she can take control of the family, she can still communicate with the outside world. Now even Shen Linqing has to ask her for advice through her connections.
Therefore, Grandma Qing was very concerned: "In previous years, I saw that my aunt bought a batch of firewood very early. When the weather is cold, we always need charcoal. It will be expensive to buy it later. In addition, the manor will also send some firewood. We have two manors in Beijing, and the firewood sent in previous years is enough for our family."
The year before last, before Yan came into the family, Mrs. Shen asked her to help her calculate the accounts. "There are about 200 deer, roe deer, pigs and sheep, about 700 chickens, ducks, geese and rabbits, and more than 10,000 kilograms of charcoal..."
When Lu Shaner heard this, she was overjoyed: "So many."
"This is one year's supply. It sounds like a lot, but there isn't much to use." Moreover, Grandma Qing didn't say that all this would be sent to Shen Xunfu.
It looks like a lot, but the three wives only have these two manors.
Lu Shan'er was shocked: "Then there are more in the main house, right?"
Grandma Qing nodded and said, "As far as I know, the first branch has four manors in Wuxing, their hometown, and two in Beijing like us. Originally, I heard from my aunt that they sold two of the manors to hold the funerals of the old lady and the old grandfather. Later, it was Dalang of the first branch who suggested that the first lady buy two better places, and the first lady gave out several hundred acres of land for school use."
"I see that the first house has more servants than our second and third houses." Lu Shaner had also inquired about this before.
"That's because Yan brought a lot of servants as her dowry, several hundred of them. When Yan got married, she gave more than two hundred loads of dowry, and the warehouse was almost full. This was one reason. The second reason was that the eldest wife had a lot of income. She had invested a lot in the caravan, and also owned two pawnshops and a herbal medicine shop. All of these were entrusted to Linfeng to manage." Grandma Qing knew everything.
Lu Shan'er was puzzled: "Isn't he an official? He has to study every day, how can he have the time to do this?"
"We don't know about that. Anyway, he was the one who took care of things when I got married. He is a spendthrift and has a reputation for being extravagant. He is very picky about every little thing and spends a lot of money. You know that Luo Long, he bought a house and married a wife with the help of him, and we can't say anything." Grandma Qing shook her head as she listened.
Although she often bribed people with small favors, the person had to be useful. Shen Linfeng would lend money to others for several years, which was completely throwing money into the water.
Lu Shaner said, "Although the eldest son is undisciplined, I think the Yan family is young but smart. So everyone should live their own lives, and we should just prepare for the New Year's guests now."
It was getting dark, and the first snow of the year had fallen. Unconsciously, Yao Niang had been married for a year, but this year had passed slower than her three years at the boudoir. When she was at the boudoir, she always felt that the days were like flowing water, repeating one day after another. But after getting married, she was the master of her own house. Although she didn't have as much leisure as before, she felt very fulfilled.
Tired of reading the account book, Qingdai brought a pot of hot tea to her. The tea smelled sweet and she took a sip: "It's really delicious."
"You've been busy all day, why don't you take a break?" Qingdai advised.
Yao Niang yawned, "I don't know why. I can learn painting, playing the piano, reciting poems and composing composing poems very quickly. But why are these math problems he gave me so difficult? They are exactly the same problems, but I can't solve them just by saying them differently."
Hong Xiu then said, "I see you are quite good at calculating, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty good at calculating, but the questions he gave me are not something that can be calculated easily. I suspect he is making fun of me on purpose." Yao Niang snorted.
Shen Linfeng, who had just walked outside, heard this and instantly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He immediately came in and said, "I told you not to do it, but you refused to admit defeat, and now you blame me for coming."
"It's all your fault." Yao Niang deliberately ignored him.
Shen Linfeng coaxed her softly, "Okay, it's my fault, isn't that okay?"
Yao Niang was of course not really angry. She said to Shen Linfeng, "Since you are back and came here quietly, do you want to eavesdrop on what I say bad about you?"
Shen Linfeng pretended to be surprised: "Huh? What bad things do you often say about me? Can you tell me?"
This sentence made Yao Niang laugh so hard that she was shaking with laughter. Shen Linfeng saw her like this, looked at her charming face, and the way she swayed in his arms yesterday, and even the anklets on her jade feet, which reminded him of the past and made his eyes darken. It was common for young couples to have a passionate relationship, and the servants withdrew tactfully.
Yao Niang was picked up by him and hit him: "I thought you were a serious person before, but you always think about this kind of thing."
"I'm almost hurting myself internally, and you still blame me. I've already been restrained enough." Shen Linfeng also felt aggrieved.
He felt aggrieved, and as soon as he saw his wife relax, he immediately carried her to the bed and took off her clothes and socks in no time. Yao Niang was too embarrassed to say that she had not bathed, but Shen Linfeng was already ready to go, and the couple made a fool of themselves in the room.
Mother Gu took people to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Qingdai said to Hongxiu, "I heard Jinli, who is beside the eldest girl, say that when our aunt and the eldest girl are together, he either talks to our eldest master or rides a horse. He said that the two of them get along like brothers. But look at how the aunt treats our young lady. His eyes are glued to her. It's really different."
Hong Xiu rebuked, "Don't talk about this. Last time you mentioned the eldest girl, the girl told you to shut up. Don't mention it again in the future. Our girl is a person who won't beat a drowning dog. Since the eldest girl treats her as if she doesn't exist, why should the girl compare herself with such a person?"
Qing Dai repeatedly said yes, and slapped her own lips again: "Thanks to my sister for reminding me, otherwise I would have said something I shouldn't have said, and the girl would be angry with me."
"The young lady has nothing to say to the two of us, but you also know that the young lady has been plotted against several times. Fortunately, she was lucky enough to escape. It would be bad if some things that we think are nothing were used by others to make a fuss." Hongxiu said earnestly.
Qingdai also became alert. How could she have forgotten that her aunt was not at home last time? The matter of Youda might be related to the second house, and the Shen family was not a pure land.
However, it is said that Shen Linfeng and Yao Niang asked for water twice before they ate together.
Yao Niang touched her face and felt very hot. Shen Linfeng saw that her face was flushed, so he said, "I won't ask any questions tomorrow. You should stay at home and don't go out to catch a cold."
"Well, I'll sleep a little longer tomorrow. I get up at noon every day now, and I'm afraid people will say that you married a lazy woman." Yao Niang yawned.
Shen Linfeng pulled her arm over and secretly felt her pulse. He heaved a sigh of relief when his pulse calmed down.
After dinner, Yao Niang felt a little tired again and went to bed earlier than Shen Linfeng today. Shen Linfeng waited until she fell asleep, then thought about his own future. Many people said that they had to wait or endure, but if they did not do something while they were young, they would probably have no interest in a career as they got older.
Moreover, he and Yao Niang thought differently. As for the truth, everyone wanted fairness. It seemed that if a prince broke the law, he would be punished just like a commoner. But why did You Da suddenly hang himself? No one could explain it clearly. One must climb to a high position before there can be so-called fairness.
Just like the servants who came as dowry from the Yan family, now it is the Shen family who pays their monthly salary. Even if they obey the mistress, they still fawn on him. Human hearts are really ugly.
Thinking of this, he personally lit the lamp and went to the bedside to look at Yao Niang's sleeping face. Seeing her breathing evenly through her nose, he couldn't help but think she was very cute. He also thought that there was such a good girl in the world, and the corners of his lips curled up. He was originally moved by her filial piety, attracted by her talent and appearance, but now everything about her attracted him.
"Go to sleep, my dear girl." Shen Linfeng picked up the lamp and put it on the table.
The next day, when Yao Niang woke up, the room was silent. After she rang the bell, the servants came in and helped her wash and dress.
Mother Gu smiled and said, "Grandpa said there won't be any questions today, and that your account is also very well done, so he asked you to rest more these few days. Anyway, there are only two of you at home, so don't work too hard."
"So many people are looking at me, but I can take a two or three days off. I've been busy from morning till night in the past few days, so I've finished my work." Yao Niang stretched lazily.
Mother Gu and the servants were afraid that she might be hungry, so they served her a variety of porridge and vegetables.
After eating, she took a walk in the garden and then stayed at home. Thinking of Shen Linfeng going to the government office in the wind and snow every day, she asked someone to send a bowl of ginseng soup to the Hanlin Academy.
Shen Linfeng, who just received the ginseng soup, was also surprised, because Yao Niang seldom sent him gifts, and he always believed that official business should be done in places where official business is done.
People around were joking, and everyone knew that Shen Linfeng had just gotten married.
Shen Linfeng drank a bowl of ginseng soup and looked at the snow outside: "It seems like this snow is going to keep falling for a long time."
The government office was closed at the end of the year, and Shen Linfeng was rarely free at home. This year, Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen were not there, but the sacrifice was still held in the main room. Although Shen Linfeng had done these etiquettes for many years, he was particularly cautious this year. Lu Shan'er also participated in such a sacrifice for the first time, but women were not allowed to enter the ancestral hall. However, she saw that Yan was not very old, and the piles of cakes used for the sacrifice were all good. After the worship, they took them out and shared them with everyone.
"Aunties, sisters-in-law, and brothers and sisters-in-law, please all try it. This is the first time I'm doing this, and I'm always afraid that I won't do it well." Yao Niang said humbly.
Madam Shen Er saw that the flower cake she was eating had smaller pores and a more even color. She thought that the taste would not be much different from the previous one. She was not the kind of person who would embarrass others in public. This was not her personality, so she took the lead and said, "At your age, you are able to perform sacrifices, which is better than many people."
"Second Aunt, you really flatter me." In fact, Yao Niang could hear that she was saying that although she had not done enough, they could still tolerate it.
Lu Shaner suddenly felt that she had a lot to learn. It was not easy for Yan, who seemed to never leave the kitchen, to lead people to prepare sacrificial offerings.
The whole family sat down, with men and women separated. Madam Shen and Lu Shan'er sat in the hall, while Yao Niang and others sat at another table.
Shao was quite reserved, she only took a few bites and stopped eating, Yao Niang made peace with her on the surface, but she knew that she was still dissatisfied and resentful of her, so she didn't talk much to her. To put it bluntly, Mrs. Shen was too competent as the head of the family before, and now that it has become normal, they are still not used to it.
Grandma Qing has been quite popular lately. She even said to Yao Niang, "I asked my second aunt, and they have prepared seven days of entertainment and banquets. We are planning to hold a few days before the Lantern Festival. I wonder how your eldest house has arranged it?"
"I will go back to my parents' home on the second day of the New Year. My grandfather and his wife are not in Beijing this year, so we will just invite some close relatives and friends to come over. Our eldest grandfather said that the sixth day is an auspicious day, so we decided to hold the sixth day this year." Yao Niang didn't want to hold so many banquets.
Grandma Qing thought that the eldest wife was becoming more and more stingy, but she couldn't say it out loud.
However, Wang was very jealous of Yao Niang because she could be the head of the family and do whatever she wanted. In this respect, she was better than her. Now she had to listen to her mother-in-law in everything.
After the meal, before he finished talking, Shao said, "I'm worried that the children at home won't have enough to eat, so I'm going back first."
She gave birth to a son a few years ago, and Shen Linjiang and she were ecstatic. Now Shao Shi also looked content with having a son. After she left, Qingda's wife was very cunning and did not show it. Han Ruohua had just married and Shen Sanlang still had to study, so the couple did not often stir up the waves of love.
Wang was somewhat envious: "I really envy Second Sister-in-law Jiang. What we women hope for is to support our husbands and raise children, but she has everything now."
Wang drank a few more glasses of wine today, and she was also emotional. Her relationship with Shen Bangyan was ordinary, and they rarely slept together. But she wanted to be a virtuous wife praised by everyone, but how could a virtuous wife not have her own children?
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Of course there will be. After all, children are a matter of fate. Second Auntie always accumulates blessings and does good deeds to help others. You will definitely have both a son and a daughter in the future."
This is very appropriate. Wang said, "Thank you for your kind words, sister-in-law."
"I'm not saying anything auspicious. We just got married at the same time, so we're all the same." Yao Niang is already sixteen years old this year, and she thinks it won't be too late to wait another year before getting pregnant, so she's not in that much of a hurry.
Wang nodded.
After dinner, Mrs. Shen and the others went out and felt the wind and snow. When they were walking from the corner door to the second door, something suddenly fell. Qian Mama picked it up and found it was a jade pendant with a word written on it. Qian Mama didn't know how to read it, so she gave it to Mrs. Shen.
"This jade pendant seems to belong to someone. How did it happen to fall at your feet? I think the color of this jade is really beautiful." Mother Qian had never seen jade with such rich water content.
Madam Shen Er was old, but her eyesight and hearing were not blurry, and her health was much better than that of Madam Shen. She picked up the jade, and there was a word "Yi" written on it. The weaving on it looked weathered, but the weaving technique was very familiar. It was a plum blossom weaving.
After the Bi family fell into poverty, they relied on their mothers to make money by doing needlework.
But after she married into the Shen family, the Shen family became wealthy, and she seldom did those annoying needlework anymore. Every time she made these, she would give them as gifts, as if it was the one she had made back then.
Madam Shen's heart tightened. She saw that there was no one there except the servants following her. She turned back to the west corner gate and saw no footprints near the corner of the wall. She snorted coldly. No matter who was playing tricks, she was not afraid of him if he was alive, let alone dead.
Mother Qian didn't understand and asked, "Second Madam, what is this?"
"It's nothing. I don't know whose child lost the jade pendant." After Mrs. Shen returned home, she put the jade pendant in the box on the table.
Just after cleaning up at night, Yao Niang had already come back to sleep. Shen Linfeng insisted that he keep watch himself and let Yao Niang come back early to rest. He was afraid that she would hurt herself, so he sent her to the main courtyard.
"Baby, have a good rest. I will just keep watch today."
"Just now you went out to see off guests for a long time. They are all family members. Why did you see them off so far as if you were seeing me off?" Yao Niang was afraid that he would freeze.
Shen Linfeng shook his head: "I'm fine."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "You don't have to see me off. I'm fine."
Shen Linfeng, who always went to bed on time, had to keep watch all night. Yao Niang felt very distressed, but there was nothing she could do. Sometimes, even if they were husband and wife, they could not shake the other's insistence.
Because Shen Linfeng was on night watch, Shen Bangyan and several brothers of the Shen family also stayed behind. When he turned back, he heard Shen Bangyan jokingly say, "Brother Feng really loves his sister-in-law. He even sent her back in person before coming back."
"Hey, your sister-in-law married me at a young age, and her parents and brothers are not around. It would be a shame if I don't take good care of her. But you, Erlang, don't be discouraged if you didn't pass the provincial examination this year. You will definitely pass it in two years. At thirty, you are already a Mingjing, and at fifty, you are not bad at all." Shen Linfeng patted Shen Bangyan on the shoulder.
Shen Bangyan didn't expect that Shen Linfeng had hit on his sore spot at once. If he passed the imperial examination and passed it again at the age of 30, he would still have at least another ten years of hard work.
In fact, if Shen Linfeng had not passed the exam, it would not have mattered much for all the children in the Shen family to study. However, Shen Linfeng had already entered the Hanlin Academy, which put him far ahead.
Shen Linjiang sighed: "Why is the imperial examination so difficult?"
"Linfeng continues to win victories." Shen Linqing praised Shen Linfeng.
Shen Linfeng laughed and said, "I am nothing. I can't compare to my elder brother. He didn't need to study so hard at that time. He was born with a photographic memory." Thinking of this, he said with regret, "It's a pity that God is jealous of talents."
Shen Linqing was about the same age as Shen Linyi. He was very jealous of his elder brother Yi at that time. His mother was still alive at that time. She was arrogant and always forced him to study until midnight. Even so, he could not catch up with his elder brother Yi.
Shen Bangyan listened to them talking about Shen Linyi and couldn't help but say, "My mother treated Brother Yi better than I did. No one in the family disliked him."
Shen Linfeng's eyes darkened, and he smiled again: "Second Auntie does love Brother Yi very much, but she loves you, Bangyan, even more."
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