Chapter 71
This was not the first time Liu Ji had spoken to Shen Linfeng. He looked at the young man in front of him and it was no wonder that his wife thought that this was a truly handsome man with excellent manners.
He then explained his purpose: "Your wife is indispensable for this matter. I was inspired by her investigation of the Kaifeng case. I never thought that someone could draw a person out of thin air. Such talent should not be underestimated."
Liu Ji had seen a lot of people, and most men were afraid of women showing off. He didn't know what Mr. Shen would think. Would he agree to the proposal or would he make a decision to decline the proposal? If he agreed, he would confirm it. If he declined, Liu Ji would tell Miss Yan San about it. It was obvious that she was a very opinionated person.
Unexpectedly, Shen Linfeng said: "Has my wife agreed? As long as she agrees, I have no objection."
Liu Ji breathed a sigh of relief: "Of course she has no objection, she's just afraid that you won't agree."
Shen Linfeng confirmed again and again whether painting this picture would bring Yao Niang a fatal disaster, and then bowed: "That's good, that's good."
In his opinion, it would be better for Yao Niang to go out and do things than to stay at home and waste time.
When Yao Niang saw Shen Linfeng coming to pick her up at the Marquis of Jinghai's mansion, she immediately ran over with great joy. Shen Linfeng saw that she was like a little deer, ignoring the worldly looks around him, and immediately grinned and stretched out his hands to take her in.
"Are you really coming to pick me up?" Yao Niang's mother couldn't go out before, and every time she went out with Zhen, she felt like an outsider. She was particularly looking forward to someone coming to pick her up.
"Did you have fun today?" Shen Linfeng helped her tidy up her messy hair.
Yao Niang nodded: "Happy."
Madam Liu was just sending Princess Jianing out and happened to see this scene. In fact, Shen Linfeng usually behaved in a carefree and generous manner, but such men often did not have that fatal attraction. However, when he stood next to Yao Niang, it seemed that the two of them had a sense of fate and bond, and Shen Linfeng became even more graceful.
But she saw that Yao Niang seemed to be still a virgin, and looked at Shen Linfeng in surprise.
On the way back, Yao Niang told her about Liu Ji's visit: "Please help me think about it. I want you to go with me when the time comes."
"Go ahead if you want to. I support you." Shen Linfeng had no grudges.
Yao Niang was a little surprised: "Really? Then you must accompany me." She also wanted Shen Linfeng to see this side of her talent. The rest of the making of balms and powders were just trifles.
Shen Linfeng scratched her nose and said, "Of course, I will support our Yao Niang's affairs, and I don't need to let you be trapped in the inner house all day long."
"Oh, I really married a very good husband, but before this matter is finalized, let's not tell my family. If by some chance they don't need me, wouldn't it just be a laughing stock?" Yao Niang said.
Shen Linfeng also agreed.
After attending the flower banquet at the Marquis of Jinghai Mansion, Madam Shen began to prepare for the Laba porridge. She had been a clan for many years, and she handled everything very well. She had someone cook it last night. is very dense when eaten.
"Madam, our Laba porridge is really delicious. Can I send some to my parents' and sister's home?" Yao Niang asked.
Even though Mrs. Shen was angry with Yao Niang, she only had this daughter-in-law. She still had to teach Yao Niang about her responsibilities as a clan wife. After all, Yao Niang would have to perform sacrifices in the future.
So, when Yao Niang suggested sending Laba porridge to her parents' home, how could she not approve of this little favor?
"Of course you can. Just ask the kitchen to pack more."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"We are a family and this is what we should do. After Laba, it will be Chinese New Year and our family will be busy. You should follow me and pay more attention." Mrs. Shen urged.
Yao Niang responded with a smile. She seldom contradicted Mrs. Shen in front of her.
It is also said that Yao Niang sent Gu Mama and two maids out to deliver Laba porridge. After they came back, the Yan family and the Wen family also sent people to deliver things. The Yan family also sent back a portion of Laba porridge and Laba garlic, while the Wen family sent a box of white jade steamed buns.
The Yan family's white porridge is dyed with persimmons and chestnuts to create shapes of flowers and birds, which is very beautiful. The Wen family's white jade steamed buns are filled with beans of various colors, both of which are unique.
Even the Marquis of Jinghai Mansion sent Yao Niang a portion of porridge, and the one in the Marquis of Jinghai Mansion contained milk, which was particularly fragrant.
During lunch, Shen Mo and Han Ruhua came over to talk to Mrs. Shen while waiting for the meal.
Then someone outside sent a letter to Yao Niang: "Grandma, this is a letter from Princess Jianing's mansion, inviting you to watch an opera."
"Okay, I got it. You go and reward the person who delivered the letter." Yao Niang knew very well that this was a letter given by Princess Jianing for the sake of Madam Liu.
In the past, Shen Mo would often go out with Shen Linfeng and Madam Shen. Now that Shen Linfeng has started his work, Madam Shen is not in good health and is afraid of the cold, so she rarely goes out.
It takes energy and spirit to socialize with these four people. Besides, there are differences between civil officials and nobles. If it weren't for the last time when the Gong family invited Madam Liu to be the wife of Quanfu, Yao Niang would not have been able to maintain the relationship, and she would not have been able to get in touch with these marquises, princesses and queens.
"Sister-in-law, I also have rashes on my face. Do you still have Xiaofeng Yurong Powder and Rose Saltpeter?" Han Ruohua was not used to the climate in Beijing. Because it was too dry, she applied too thick facial cream on her face, which caused rashes on her face. After taking the medicine, her face became uneven and almost all of it was covered with rashes when viewed against the light.
Yao Niang looked at her face carefully and said, "Oh, you'd better get up early and treat it early. Remember to use Xiaofeng Yurong Powder mainly on the bridge of your nose, forehead and chin. Don't scrub your cheeks too hard."
Han Ruohua responded with a smile. Actually, this Han girl was a standard beauty. She was young and enthusiastic, and Yao Niang had a good impression of her.
After the maids had served the meal and Yao Niang had waited on Madam Shen, she prepared to leave for her room to eat. She was not actually very hungry, as she had eaten too much Laba porridge in the morning and her stomach was still a little bloated.
But she didn't expect to run into Wang on the way back. Wang was also like her, she had just returned after serving Mrs. Shen. A month after Wang came into the family, she began to show some of her true nature, so she said to Yao Niang: "Sister-in-law, I heard that you went to the Marquis of Jinghai's mansion yesterday?"
"Yes, the wife of Marquis Jinghai was the full-time wife when my master and I got married, and we both got along well, so she sent me an invitation." Yao Niang did not have much ill will towards Wang now, because she knew that Wang was not in the same room with her, and she also had her own way to be better.
However, Wang was not convinced. In her opinion, although the Yan family was also a high-ranking family, her status as the daughter of Marquis Xinning was even higher. But Yan deliberately showed off her in front of the relatives and made a big splash. In Wang's view, Yan was climbing up by stepping on her, which made them grudge against each other.
But Yan was not a decent person. Last time, she saw with her own eyes that her uncle actually carried her into the house. It was really immoral. She acted as if other people didn't have a husband. This deepened her dislike for Yan.
Now that she heard that Yao Niang and the Liu family were connected, she felt even worse. Although Xinning Marquis was also a marquisate and an old noble family, and her uncle was even a meritorious official, Jinghai Marquis was now in power, and Liu Ji was a close minister to the emperor.
She vaguely felt that Yao Niang seemed no weaker than her, which increased her anxiety even more.
In the Marquis' Mansion, everyone flatters her. In the Shen family, she is the younger daughter-in-law. Her cousin's wife who came in at the same time is better than her, more popular than her, and her husband is more promising. Yet, she has become the contrast?
"Sister-in-law is a civil servant. How could she associate with these military officers and nobles?" Wang said in a high-sounding manner.
Yao Niang narrowed her eyes and said, "What are you talking about, sister-in-law? Aren't your family also noble? You can still marry Erlang?"
In Wang's impression, she rarely saw Yao Niang get angry, and she was even quite humble. Although she was her sister-in-law, she was a few years younger than her. She didn't expect her to be so eloquent and she fought back directly, leaving her face blue and white.
Qingdai, who was standing next to Yao Niang, saw it clearly that their daughter was not really a humble person. She began to manage her superiors slowly and deliberately blocked her mother-in-law so that she could not say anything. How could she, who had never lost an argument with the fourth daughter at home, be afraid of a sister-in-law?
Even if they were noble, so what? The Yan family was not a family of idleness.
Back in the room, Shen Linfeng saw her coming back and said with a smile, "We can have dinner now."
"How about we use our meal money to play a little game?" Yao Niang was very happy to see Shen Linfeng. After all, in this house, Shen Linfeng had the closest relationship with her.
Shen Linfeng was also happy to play with her, and he also showed his childishness: "What game? I'm good at playing pot toss and double six."
"No, you went to the inner room, and then I pretended to push the door open, like a fairy coming to the mortal world for the first time. I wanted to see how you would react~" Yao Niang shook his hand.
In fact, Shen Linfeng had never played like this before. Sometimes he admired Yao Niang's creative ideas and nodded with a smile.
After he entered the inner room, there was no one there. They didn't want anyone else to be around when they were together, which was why the servants felt more comfortable working for them.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around and saw Yao Niang looking confused. His heart melted. She rushed into his arms. Before Shen Linfeng could react, he heard Yao Niang say, "I wanted to rush into your arms like this yesterday, but there were too many people around."
Shen Linfeng hugged her tightly, put his hands on her back, and felt very satisfied just by caring her like that.
The two of them were hugging each other quietly when they heard the maid outside calling, "Master, Madam, lunch is ready."
This voice seemed to have just awakened the two of them. Yao Niang came out of his arms, hugged his arm again and said, "Let's go have dinner together."
In fact, Yao Niang has always heard others say that Shen Linfeng used to be talkative and cheerful, but he doesn't seem to be that kind of person now. However, she always feels that his current personality is the real Shen Linfeng's character.
In fact, he was very shy and didn't like to talk that much. He showed off his handsome appearance as a young master from a noble family to others. But no matter what he was like, he was really good to her now. They slept in the same room and never overstepped the line.
She didn't like people who didn't respect her and always went against her. Shen Linfeng had a good personality, respected her a lot, and was a first-rate person. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't moved at all.
In fact, Shen Linfeng spent most of his life either studying for imperial examinations or in officialdom. His life was dull, and at most he would get together with a few friends to drink and listen to operas. It was only after he had Yao Niang that he had a concern in his heart.
"Eel tail? Don't serve this dish next time." Shen Linfeng frowned.
Yao Niang was still confused: "What's wrong? Isn't this delicious?"
Shen Linfeng had a hard time speaking out his feelings. Eel tail has the effect of strengthening sperm and kidney, which is of course very good for men, but for someone like him who already sleeps next to a beauty every day, exhausting himself and suppressing himself, and has to change several pairs of underwear every night, if he eats this, he will be exhausted.
Fortunately, Yao Niang was a person who never forced herself. Seeing that Shen Linfeng didn't like it, she said, "If you don't want to eat it, then don't eat it. Actually, I don't like leeks either. It's not that I don't like them, but every time I eat leeks, I feel that the smell is particularly strong after drinking wine."
Shen Linfeng thought that this was a very considerate little girl. If she knew that he coveted her, how would she feel about him? So, he personally served her a bowl of pigeon soup: "Drink more soup in winter to nourish your body."
"Thank you." Yao Niang took it.
At the table, she brought up Wang's words again: "She said I shouldn't associate with nobles, but Princess Jianing invited me to the theater for Madam Liu's sake. If I don't go, how can Madam Liu save face?"
Shen Linfeng saw brothers being friendly and respectful, mothers-in-law being kind and daughters-in-law being filial, and Yao Niang rarely told her about who was treating her badly at home. Today, she could tell him, and he was actually very happy, so he said: "Don't worry about what others say, you can go out to listen to opera and have some fun, it's better than staying at home."
"I knew you were the best to me. To be honest, sometimes I think that if someone as open-minded as you were to meditate and gain enlightenment, you would definitely gain greater wisdom." Yao Niang covered her mouth again after she finished speaking, "You are wrong. My husband wants to be with me until we grow old together. He is not allowed to meditate and gain enlightenment."
"You are always like this child." Shen Linfeng didn't know how to respond.
"After dinner, I'll play a piece of music. I can play whatever you want to hear," Yao Niang asked.
Shen Linfeng didn't sleep well last night, so he said, "As long as I can rest for a while, it's fine."
Now they are relaxed. At first, Yao Niang had to wait for him to go out to the toilet those days. Both of them tried their best to show their best side to each other, but now they do it in front of each other even when washing feet and going to bed.
Yao Niang was not unhappy at all: "I will play some Buddhist music later. It will help you calm down and relax."
Shen Linfeng smiled like a puppy: "Okay."
On the other side, Wang was also having a meal. Actually, she was not used to the Shen family's food. She had lived in Beijing since she was a child. Although she usually ate other dishes to change the taste, she was tired of eating rice every day.
Her maid Chunluo saw that Wang used very little and asked, "Young lady, do you think these dishes are not tasty?"
"It's too bland, really too bland." Wang didn't like Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, and even their noodles were sweet, which was even more difficult for her to swallow.
Chunluo said, "I think you enjoyed the papaya shreds that Grandma sent you last time. There's still a small jar. How about I bring it over?"
Wang looked at Chunluo and said, "Forget it. I don't want to eat the side dishes she sent. You can share them."
The two older maids, Chunluo and Qiuping, were specially placed by Lady Xinning Marquis by Wang's side. If she wanted to get married in the future, she would choose between them. Chunluo was always loyal and had no such idea, but Qiuping treated Shen Bangyan as her own husband the first time she saw him.
Wang saw it clearly, so she usually only let Chunluo serve by her side.
She put down her chopsticks and said to Chunluo, "I heard that the eldest master doesn't even have a concubine or maid by his side, is that true?"
Chunluo nodded: "How dare we ask about the affairs of the eldest house? But our two houses live close to each other, and I have never seen the concubines around the eldest master."
"Then she is really lucky." Wang always felt that she was worse off after getting married than before.
She was just about to do some needlework to pass the time when she heard the sound of a piano coming from next door. Wang was naturally a person who studied and learned to be well-behaved, but her family did not allow her to read poems or books that were too unrestrained, let alone play the piano, which was truly an emotional thing.
Even to Wang, playing various musical instruments and singing were things that only the prostitutes kept in their house could learn, so she looked down on Yao Niang even more.
Under the instruction of Yan Yingqi since childhood, Yao Niang was very good at not only the Four Books and Five Classics, but also various schools of thought, poetry, songs, and the zither. She even believed that sometimes people could not communicate with each other through language, but could still share music.
Shen Linfeng lay beside her, listening to the soothing tune, and fell into a sound sleep. Yao Niang finished singing, tucked in the quilt for him, and sat beside him to do needlework.
Of course, sleeping in the morning is not a good thing for scholars. In the Analects of Confucius, Gongye Chang, it is said that "Zai Yu slept in the morning. Confucius said: 'Rotten wood cannot be carved, and a wall of dung cannot be plastered! What can I do about it?'"
What I mean is that Zaizhi, who sleeps during the day, is like a rotten tree that cannot be carved.
"Grandma, Miss Han Biao is here."
Well, Yao Niang still had to cover for Shen Linfeng. She smiled and said, "Please invite Miss Han to the back room for tea. I'll be there soon."
Han Ruohua came here to get rose saltpeter and Yurong powder, but she still had basic etiquette. She was a guest here and naturally could not compare with Shen Mo, so she had to be polite and considerate.
But the layout here is completely different from that of Madam Shen's place. Madam Shen's place is very heavy, with brocade carpets filling up the place, giving off an air of wealth. But the place where my cousin's wife is is completely different. The pillows are light green, and the tea cups are also glazed with a beautiful color.
The tea leaves were fresh, exactly the Enshi Yu Lu that she loved to drink.
Just after taking a sip, Han Ruhua saw her cousin's wife coming over, and she quickly stood up.
"Come sit down and have some tea. We are about the same age, so why should we be so formal?" Yao Niang smiled and asked her to sit down with her. She added, "Originally, I had packed everything. I was going to give it to you when I went to the mistress later, or I would send a maid to deliver it. I didn't know you would come here in person."
Han Ruohua smiled and said, "My aunt and sister-in-law both pity me, but I can't be ignorant of etiquette and take away the good things from my sister-in-law."
"It's not worth anything and it's not a good thing. Qingdai, please give it to your cousin." Yao Niang said.
Then I heard Han Ruohua say, "Cousin, I seemed to hear the sound of a zither just now. You and your cousin are playing in harmony. That's great."
Yao Niang said, "It's just a temporary trick. Now your cousin is reviewing his lessons, so I'll do some needlework or something."
"My cousin is really hardworking." Han Ruohua praised and left tactfully.
After Han Ruohua left, Yao Niang went back to see Shen Linfeng sleeping soundly. She couldn't help but said, "You, you still need me to cover up for you in the daytime."
Shen Linfeng slept soundly. When he woke up, he found Yao Niang sewing clothes with her head down. Her appearance made him feel at ease: "Sister Goddess."
"Are you awake? Don't you want to sleep a little longer?" Yao Niang looked at him lovingly.
Shen Linfeng looked at her emotionally: "Have you been sitting next to me all this time?"
Yao Niang nodded: "Of course, you sleep at home during the day, so I must cover it up for you. Besides, I saw you put your hands on your chest when you sleep, and I was afraid you would have a nightmare."
"No, with you by my side, I have sweet dreams every day." Shen Linfeng gently leaned his head on Yao Niang's shoulder with a smile on his face.
Yao Niang touched his head.
Before dinner, the couple came to sleep. Madam Shen said, "I have something to tell you. Your uncle is going to remarry soon. Your marriage is still thanks to your uncle. If possible, we will send a gift in the spring."
Shen Xunfu is getting married?
Yao Niang was familiar with Kaifeng, so she asked, "Madam, I wonder which family Uncle San married? I have been in Henan for some time, maybe I know her."
Madam Shen thought for a moment and said, "She is the daughter of a local teacher. It is just a continuation of a marriage, not a marriage to the original wife. As long as her social status is acceptable, it will be fine."
Teacher? Yao Niang asked casually, "Is it the teacher named Lu?"
Among the women she had met in Kaifeng Prefecture, Sister Ye was the granddaughter of the governor. If she married Shen Xunfu, their status would be a good match. Her personality was more indifferent, but in terms of beauty, Miss Lu was indeed a beauty and very lively.
It seems that Teacher Lu and her former sister-in-law's father, Scholar Guan, are brothers-in-law. Mrs. Guan has always wanted her brother to marry Scholar Guan's niece, and that girl has come to their house several times, but her mother has never agreed, and her brother has no intention of doing so either.
So Mrs. Guan later stopped associating with their family. According to her brother and mother, Scholar Guan was not as kind to him as before. Who knows how the official selection will go next year?
"Yes, it's Lu. She seems to be about the same age as you. Your uncle will bring her to meet us when he goes to the capital to report on his work next year." Mrs. Shen was quite happy. She couldn't handle taking care of all six sons and daughters-in-law in her brother-in-law's family. It was time for someone to take care of the third room.
It was really Lu Shaner. Yao Niang’s right eyelid twitched.
Shen Linfeng was a little surprised: "My uncle is already forty years old, and this girl is only fourteen. Isn't the difference too big? Isn't this an old cow eating young grass?"
Mrs. Shen coughed a few times and said, "Child, stop talking nonsense."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
