Chapter 098 Chapter 98
Fireworks are prohibited during the Cold Food Festival and only cold food is eaten. Yao Niang had prepared a lot of cakes a day in advance. After Shen Linfeng offered sacrifices to their ancestors, the whole family went for an outing by the Quchi River.
Shen Linfeng, who had slept well, was indeed extraordinary. As soon as he arrived at Quchi, he met someone pulling him to play Cuju. Shen Linfeng naturally said firmly: "You guys go and play, I want to accompany my wife."
Yao Niang said somewhat embarrassedly: "You go play Cuju, I'll just walk around here by myself."
"Hey, I can usually come out whenever I want, but my wife can't come out for a long time. Let me accompany you." Shen Linfeng used to be a very strong man, but now he is being tortured in the attic every day. The first thing he wants to do when he returns home every day is to lie down.
Now that he finally has some free time, he would rather spend time with his wife.
Since he was willing to accompany her, Yao Niang didn't bother to be polite. The two of them held hands and walked in the place where flowers, plants and trees were lush, with breeze blowing and feeling extremely comfortable.
There were many flower sellers nearby, an old lady selling fish soup on a boat, and hawkers selling cold food on baskets. In short, there was everything you could expect.
Many people looked sad, obviously after worshiping their ancestors. Yao Niang was tired from walking, so she found a place selling cold noodles and sat down to eat with Shen Linfeng.
Just as she was about to sit down, Shen Linfeng suddenly said, "Wait a moment." After that, he took out a silk handkerchief from his pocket and spread it on the stool, then made a gesture for Yao Niang to sit down.
Yao Niang sat down with a smile, she was always moved by Shen Linfeng's attentiveness. In fact, Shen Linfeng was afraid that Yao Niang would think that she was suffering by following him, so he worked even harder.
While she was eating, she also took out money for the servants to fill their stomachs, and then went back to the front to gather half an hour later. This was also a way for the couple to be alone together.
After eating the cold noodles, Shen Linfeng held Yao Niang's hand, and Yao Niang also hugged his arm: "You have to protect me well, I'm afraid I'll get lost, my father said there are many kidnappers."
"Okay." Shen Linfeng also discovered that if his wife went out without wearing a veil, people from all over the country would stop to look at her. It was really exaggerated. Thinking of this, he also began to appreciate his wife's beauty.
Shen Linfeng kept looking at her. Yao Niang suppressed her shyness, but she was quite interested in the people and things outside, just like now she actually saw an acquaintance.
Zhou Lingguang...
He was actually standing side by side with a woman, looking very smiling. Zhou Lingguang's appearance was naturally very outstanding. Even though his face had become a little fatter now, he was still a handsome man.
"Zhou Lingguang."
"Fan Ruhui."
Yao Niang and Shen Linfeng both blurted out the question. She looked at Shen Linfeng in surprise: "Do you know that woman?"
In fact, Yao Niang just wanted to know who the woman was, but Shen Linfeng misunderstood Yao Niang and thought that he and Fan Ruhui had some affair, so he quickly said, "It's not that I know her, but it's not good to spread rumors about her. Now her father is the Zuodu Yushi."
"Oh no, what's wrong?" Yao Niang was curious.
Shen Linfeng obviously didn't pay much attention to a woman. He said, "Fan Jia and my father used to work together in the Dali Temple. I heard that she had a bad temper before. She was once engaged, but she beat her future mother-in-law, so both parties broke off the engagement. Later, I heard that she loved Cao Shou, the son of Commander Cao. When she saw that Cao Jia returned to Jinling and Cao Shou was an official in the Nanjing Guard, she took people south to pursue him, but Cao Shou was already married, so Fan Jia brought people to find her back."
"We don't have to make a preconceived decision. What if it's because her in-laws treat her badly? Besides, she's a weak woman who dares to chase after the man she loves, which shows that she's a woman of passion." Yao Niang didn't feel too much resentment after hearing this.
But after she finished speaking, she could understand Shen Linfeng's feelings. Shen Linfeng had been broken off in public, so he was naturally full of resentment. He was not ashamed of the woman who eloped despite such a noisy and unhappy life. If she were in his shoes, she would also consider his feelings, so Yao Niang said: "But I would never do that, because I would have chosen the person in advance. Whoever can make my husband pass my three tests, I will have regard you as mine long ago."
Shen Linfeng pursed his lips and smiled: "My wife, don't say such embarrassing things outside, otherwise, others will definitely say something about us if they hear it."
"I know, it's my fault." Yao Niang said.
Seeing that Yao Niang admitted her mistake with a good attitude, Shen Linfeng wanted to find an open space to play stacking again. The two of them had long forgotten about Zhou Lingguang.
However, Yao Niang had seen other people perform acrobatics before, and she knew all kinds of acrobatics by heart, but she didn't expect Shen Linfeng to be so good at the tiered tricks. He was afraid that if he ran too fast he wouldn't be able to see Yao Niang, so he only gave her a brief demonstration.
"How amazing." Yao Niang was surprised that he didn't sweat at all. No wonder her husband was in such good health.
Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "These little tricks are nothing, but you really impressed me in every way."
Not far away, Zhou Lingguang was talking to Fan Ruhui. He was eloquent and had a distinguished temperament. Although he was in a bad state for the time being, Fan Ruhui could see that if this boy succeeded in the future, he would surely soar to great heights.
Yao Niang had a great time on the Cold Food Festival. She came back and fell asleep immediately. For the first time, she experienced Shen Linfeng's feelings.
Mrs. Shen Er was not in the mood. When she had sex with her husband again, she couldn't help but ask Mr. Shen Er: "Did she say when she would paint with me?"
"When you ask someone to do something for you, they have the final say." Elder Shen couldn't help but say. He also said to his wife, "You don't have to worry too much. Bangxing has been dead for many years. We don't want to see his death. Instead of always thinking about the old friend, it's better to live a good life now. Bangyan didn't pass the provincial examination last year, and I was worried about his future."
Madam Shen was quick to admit her fault: "It's all my fault. I didn't teach him well."
Elder Shen Er pondered, "What worries me most is his future. No matter how handsome a man is, how elegant his speech is, or how good his family background is, if he has no career path, he is no different from a useless person."
Mrs. Shen was blushing at what her husband said, but the Bi family came to ask for money. She ignored them and the Bi family's aunt turned around and went to Yao Niang again.
In fact, Mrs. Shen had already given the Bi family fifty taels of silver during the Chinese New Year, but they did not produce anything and lived entirely on charity, so naturally the money was all used up in a few months.
Aunt Bi also complained: "She is getting more and more stingy. The houses along the street are all hers, but she didn't even bother to let us live in them. She just watched us suffer. We did a lot for her in the past. Would she be where she is today without us?"
"Okay, sister-in-law, stop talking. I see that their grandmother is such a rich and generous person. She even took the initiative to say hello to me when we were having a drink and opera last time." said Aunt Bi Er.
The two of them came over and asked to see Yao Niang. Yao Niang was about to let them send her away, but when she thought of the suspicious points about Mrs. Shen, she couldn't help but say, "Please ask the two aunts to come over and serve tea."
Mother Gu said, "Those two are just trying to get money. Why should Grandma care about them?"
"They are all relatives. It would not be nice for them to come to our house to ask for favors. We should just invite them in." Yao Niang did not want to explain everything. She actually kept her grandfather's words in her heart.
When the two aunts from the Bi family came over, Yao Niang was handing the account book to Zhou Wang's family. She was an expert in finding information, and it would be a pity to let her do anything else, so she let Zhou Wang's family take charge of the tea room.
"Grandma, I'm here at the wrong time." Aunt Bi smiled.
Yao Niang quickly stood up to greet them: "The two elders have come to visit us specially. I have to entertain them no matter how busy I am."
The servants brought over some tea. Aunt Bi, who was a picky eater, said as soon as she drank it, "This is sparrow tongue."
"Yes, it's best to drink Queshe at this time."
Aunt Bi put down the teacup and said, "The Shen family is very wealthy and powerful. We used to drink this kind of tea, but now we can't afford it."
"Yes, our family is in financial difficulty. My daughter-in-law gave birth to a child, and now we can't even afford eggs." Aunt Bi also said.
These two were used to singing the same tune. Yao Niang secretly complained that although the Bi family was poor, they had many children and had to support a scholar. Almost all of their income came from begging and they did not produce anything. How could they not have a difficult family life?
Yao Niang said, "We are all relatives. Your family is in financial difficulty, and we can't just stand by and watch."
The two aunts of the Bi family were delighted to hear this, but then they heard Yao Niang say, "Please don't be so formal with me, aunts."
My aunt said, "Grandma is so kind to us, why should we be so reserved? People outside say you have a kind heart, and I've seen it for real."
"You are my elder, so I don't deserve your words. But my second aunt wants me to paint a picture for my cousin Bangxing, saying that she wants to warn his spirit. I wonder if you two have ever seen him?" Yao Niang asked.
When talking about Shen Bangxing, the two aunts of the Bi family suddenly fell silent, and after a long while they just kept saying how pitiful he was.
"How pitiful! I heard that he died of illness. I wonder what disease he had?" Yao Niang asked concernedly.
Bi's aunt blurted out, "He died of a high fever."
"Didn't you call a doctor?" Yao Niang asked suspiciously.
Just like when Shao's son was not feeling well, they invited several doctors to see him. The Shen family was not a family that could not afford to hire doctors. The child was already that old, not a baby anymore, so how could it not work?
When she asked this question, her aunt said, "We don't know about these things."
"That's true, but when did cousin Bangxing die?" Yao Niang did not continue to ask, but she felt that the two aunts from the Bi family must know something about the inside story.
My aunt remembered it very clearly and told it out immediately.
Yao Niang's heart sank, but she smiled and said, "Aunt Gu, I still have 20 taels of silver for buying tea. Let the accountant pay it to the two aunts first."
The two of them did not dare to reject her, after all, Yao Niang was not their real relative.
As soon as the two of them left, Yao Niang speculated as a woman in the inner house that if her son died of a high fever, would he be jealous of Shen Linyi, the eldest son of the eldest house, who was about to take the imperial examination at the age of thirteen. Just like Qingda's grandmother, she would be jealous of Shao because she didn't have a son, and even wanted to harm the baby in someone else's belly. Shen Linyi was still so young, but very smart. It was too risky to poison or hire someone to do it, and she might not have the ability to do it. But the two concubines chosen by Madam Shen were both maids she picked herself. It was said that they were very honest. Shen Linyi was young and probably precocious in such things. If the two could be played with, especially if they had a cold and then had a seizure, the Shen family would be afraid that such a death would be spread, and they would not investigate it.
These are just Yao Niang's guesses. We need to investigate further to find out the details.
When Shen Linfeng came back, Yao Niang told him her guess, "Do you know how Shen Bangxing died?"
Shen Linfeng, however, had no recollection of it at all: "I only heard that she died of illness. Actually, your guess is not unreasonable. Bangxing and my brother had a very good relationship. He liked my mother very much. I was jealous of her."
"You mean Shen Bangxing likes your mother very much?" Yao Niang felt that she understood something.
Shen Linfeng nodded: "Madam, I know my mother makes you behave and is picky about you, but when we were young, we all liked my mother. Because my mother likes to buy toys for us and is very generous. When she was young, she was also very lively and often took us to play. She was also very good at jumping rope. Every time we had a meal, there were always the most people at our house. Second Aunt was very respectful to my mother. To be honest, when we were young, we all thought that Second Aunt was like a housekeeper."
"What about you? Although you were fat at that time, were you smart?" Yao Niang continued to ask.
Shen Linfeng shook his head: "Actually, I have learned all those things, but you know, I love to eat and sleep, and I look fat, so people think I have no future."
"Where is Shen Bangyan?" Yao Niang felt that she already knew the answer.
"He, he is a very smart type. He could learn anything when he was a child. He could master it after memorizing it once. But I feel that he has a hard time calming down. However, he was prettier than me when he was a child. All the relatives and grandmother liked him." Shen Linfeng was not stupid. He understood what he meant.
Yao Niang said, "Her son died, and she was unhappy. If your brother had died too, and you looked incompetent, her son would have stood out. To be honest, Shen Bangyan is more talented than those in the third room."
Shen Linfeng nodded: "Your analysis is completely correct, then the focus is on those two maids. This is what you told me. Testing is useless."
"Don't we still have the Bi family now? The Bi family is short of money, and now you can turn stones into gold." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Shen Linfeng held Yao Niang's shoulders and said, "Okay, I'll find someone to test the Bi family."
He really likes his wife, and she always takes his affairs to heart.
Mrs. Shen Er didn't know that Shen Linfeng was suspicious of her. She was now the wife of the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, and many people took the initiative to come to her to make friends with her for the sake of their son's future.
In the past, with the help of Madam Shen, Yao Niang felt that Madam Shen II seemed more talented. But now, she feels that Madam Shen is at least not a bad person, while Madam Shen II is a jackal.
But evidence must be found for everything, because the treatment of the second wife must be handled by the elders of the first house.
Now that she had a clue about these things, she could slowly work them out. Now she had other urgent things to do, because she had just received a letter from Jinling, saying that her mother had given birth to a baby boy last year.
It turned out that on the way to the funeral, Xie found out that she was pregnant. It is said that Yan Yingqi was ecstatic and wanted to tell everyone, but Xie was afraid that if he told others so happily, it would ruin his good fortune, so she insisted not to tell anyone and wait until the child was really born safely.
Furthermore, Xie was also afraid that although she was going home to attend a funeral, her husband would be too excited and be attacked by someone on the way and die.
Yao Niang was very happy and went to tell her grandfather Yan Mai the good news: "Congratulations, grandfather, you have another grandson. Now that you have both a great-grandson and a grandson, I don't know how happy our family is."
"The child is almost one year old now." Yan Mai was also overwhelmed by this joy.
Yao Niang said, "This child was born on the eighth day of the sixth lunar month. My brother was born on the eighteenth day of the sixth lunar month, and I was born on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth lunar month. All of us brothers and sisters were born in June. It is destined by heaven that we will become a family."
Yan Maixing said excitedly: "I will have to prepare some gifts for my little grandson by then."
In Yan Mai's eyes, Xie was the daughter-in-law of their third wife, and the children she gave birth to belonged to the third wife.
"That's perfect. His cousin Gongding will come to Beijing on Dragon Boat Festival. If grandfather has any letters or gifts, we can ask him to take them over for us." Yao Niang never thought that she had a younger brother.
Compared to the Yan family's normal reactions, Shen Linfeng's first words were: "Old Taishan is really old but still strong, worthy of our respect." Moreover, he couldn't help but ask: "Madam, isn't Old Taishan over 40 years old?"
"Yes, my mother was 36 when she was pregnant with my brother. My father must have been around 41 years old at that time." Yao Niang quickly calculated the age.
Shen Linfeng smiled: "My dear, can we be intimate until we are fifty?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm going to hit you." Yao Niang said angrily.
Shen Linfeng was lying on the table, tilting his head to look at Yao Niang: "My wife, I love you so much."
"Did you make a mistake?" Yao Niang narrowed her eyes.
"No, I just want to wait until your birthday in June, and then we can prepare to have a child. This way, when I'm not at home, at least you will have a child to accompany you." Shen Linfeng said.
Before, he thought that his wife had just reached the age of marriage, so he naturally respected her choice and was afraid that she was too young. This year, Yao Niang has been married for two years. If Yao Niang has not given birth in the third year, how will the Shen family look at her? They are not an ordinary couple, but the eldest son and the eldest daughter of the clan.
Furthermore, if Yao Niang gave birth to a legitimate heir, no one would dare to covet him.
He was also afraid that his wife would be shy and would not dare to tell him that she wanted a child, so he took the initiative to propose.
Yao Niang snuggled into his arms and said, "I just want you to accompany me."
"Okay, then let's keep it the same as before." Shen Linfeng was afraid that she was afraid of having a baby, so he gave in.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "No, what I mean is that even if we have a child, we are still the most important people to each other."
Shen Linfeng pulled her to sit on his lap: "Of course, my lady."
Before the Dragon Boat Festival, Yao Niang specially wrote a letter to Xie and drew a portrait of herself and Shen Linfeng. In the letter, she naturally said a lot of good things about Shen Linfeng. She also mentioned that they were now separated and she was in charge of the house alone. Shen Linfeng knew that she was young and was waiting for her health to recover before getting pregnant.
He also made two bellybands, two pairs of tiger-head shoes, and twenty pairs of Fu Lu Shou gold and silver ingots, each weighing one tael, six jade pendants, five rolls of eight-thread satin, five rolls of Tang silk, ten rolls of large curly yarn, and rare supplements. Shen Linfeng also asked a jeweler to make a set of longevity locks, bracelets, and anklets, and also gave away the red sandalwood treasure ship inlaid with gems from his private store.
Not to mention that Yao Niang also made a cloth tiger and cloth puppets for her father and mother.
The goods were fully loaded and carried along by the cousin's uncle. Last year, when the cousin went to the capital, he got a license to operate a ship. The speed at which he transports goods is unmatched by others. Therefore, many people choose their shipping company to transport goods, and the business has increased several times. Last year, Yao Niang and Shen Linfeng took out 10,000 taels to invest in the company.
This year he came to distribute dividends, and he distributed two thousand taels of dividends in one year. Shen Xin also asked Shen Linfeng: "I heard that you are now on duty in the inner cabinet?"
Shen Linfeng said modestly: "It's just a coincidence."
"This is not a coincidence. You work with the elders every day, and all the military and national affairs have passed through your hands." Shen Xin was quite knowledgeable. He felt from the beginning that Shen Linfeng was a very capable person.
Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "Uncle Xin, don't worry, as long as we do business honestly, I will definitely help you."
Shen Xin nodded.
Shen Xin's ship arrived in Jinling on the eighth day. He was entrusted by Shen Linfeng and knew that the Yan family had a special status in Jinling. He had a large business, and if he had the Yan family's protection in Jinling, wouldn't it be an extra layer of protection?
Xie was looking after the child at this time. She felt shy for giving birth to a child at such an old age. Everyone teased her that it was an old clam that gave birth to a pearl. She was heartbroken when Jing Zhao was demoted, but she always felt that her eldest son was the eagle and her daughter was the most caring. However, her daughter got married after all. Fortunately, she had this little one to accompany her and was very cheerful.
The husband was like an old man acting out the youthful spirit, clumsily carrying the child, and now he came in in broad daylight with a rattle.
"Why are you here at this time?"
"Let me take a look at you and Jingci. This kid is almost one year old and looks really big." Yan Yingqi held him in his arms and weighed him.
Xie smiled and said, "I am now looking forward to our Yao Niang getting pregnant as soon as possible, and giving birth to a healthy baby like me, right Jingci? If your sister were here, she would definitely tease you."
As the couple was talking, they heard that someone from the Shen family had delivered a note saying that it was something Shen Linfeng and Yao Niang had asked him to bring personally to them. Xie was delighted and asked the wet nurse to hold the child while she and Yan Yingqi went out to welcome Shen Xin in.
After a few greetings, Yan Yingqi learned that his son-in-law had taken over the inner cabinet, and his daughter had become famous in the capital for her painting, and had become a guest of honor in Zhao Cifu's home, which made him very happy. Yan Yingqi asked someone to invite Shen Xin to the guest room.
The couple also read the letter written by Yao Niang in person. Her letter talked about many things about the Shen family, about how they were investigating the cause of Shen Linyi's death, etc. There were also two paintings drawn by Yao Niang herself. One was a painting of Yao Niang and Shen Linfeng. In the painting, one of them was playing the flute and the other was playing the konghou, which could be considered a harmonious relationship. The other picture was actually of Yan Yingqi and her, when they were both very young. Yan Yingqi was riding on a horse in a white robe, and she picked up the kite and suddenly raised her head to look at Yan Yingqi.
"Although the picture is beautiful, didn't we get to know each other after we got married?" Xie said stupidly.
Yan Yingqi pointed at Xie and said, "Please learn from your daughter. What a beautiful painting. Others paint that fate brings people together even after thousands of miles of travel. The kite symbolizes fate. But you ruin the scenery."
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