Chapter 73 Chapter 73
She had seen Zhou Lingguang when she was a child. He was extremely handsome and the young ladies of the Yan family had even fought over him. Later, something happened to his family and Zhou Lingguang lived with her. She no longer had any impression of him.
My brother's reminder was correct, but what if Zhou Lingguang came to Beijing now? Even if he entered the government, it would be very difficult to compete with the Shen family, which was full of officials.
What could she do? Shen Linfeng had never mentioned Zhou Lingguang to her. It would be bad for her to ask him so bluntly. Her brother only told her and not the Shen family. He wanted her to be on guard and warn Shen Linfeng.
"Grandma, Madam said that she wants to prepare things for the ancestor worship and asked me to invite you over." Ze Lan, who was beside Madam Shen, came over to pass on the message.
Yao Niang stood up and said with a smile, "I see. Why did Madam send you, Sister Zelan, to tell me whether you would like to have a cup of tea with me?"
Zelan said, "Grandma loves you so much that I shouldn't refuse, but the Madam is waiting for you to come over."
Gradually, Yao Niang could actually feel some of Madam Shen's pulse. Her mother-in-law was naive to a certain extent. She was not as cunning as her own Zhen, and even less patient and able to take advantage of the situation than her mother. She might have been the youngest daughter at home since she was a child, and her husband was a few years older than her, and he was also well-mannered and polite because he respected her very much.
Such people are, to some extent, of a different temperament. They do everything based on their own preferences, and do not really consider the pros and cons.
For example, now Madam Shen asked her to come over to teach her some things for sacrificial ceremonies, not because of her honor of entering the palace to paint, nor because she was the wife of Shen Linfeng, but it was very likely because she visited him every morning and evening which made her feel that she was honest.
Yao Niang followed Ze Lan over, and Madam Shen said, "It's almost the Little New Year. We must check the sacrificial utensils and offerings repeatedly the day before and on the day of the sacrifice. We cannot use unclean utensils and food for offerings. Our ancestral home is in Wuxing, but Linfeng's father and his second uncle have been officials in Beijing in recent years, and some of our clansmen are also here, so we all worship our ancestors here."
"Madam, what kind of food should we prepare for the ancestor worship?" Yao Niang usually followed Xie to the main room during the New Year, so Zhen would certainly not be so kind as to tell her.
As for Xie, although she was in charge of the family, the head of the Yan family was Yan Yingqi. His father always brought his brothers with him to offer sacrifices, and it was usually Zhen who took care of the affairs. Yao Niang only had a vague understanding of sacrifices, which was why she was so docile in front of Madam Shen.
Firstly, it was the bride's fault, and secondly, she was too young when she got married and knew nothing about the Shen family. How could she hear more information than from Mrs. Shen?
When Madam Shen heard Yao Niang asking about it, she continued, "We in the Shen family still adhere to Wu Xing's ancestor worship practices. We usually use freshly beaten polished rice and glutinous rice. Remember, they must be fresh."
"My daughter-in-law understands." Yao Niang nodded obediently.
Mrs. Shen really teaches. She said, "Steamed dumplings and rice balls are a must for sacrifices. When our chefs were in Huzhou, they knew that Shangruo Township and Xiaruo Township in Changxing would bring back bamboo leaves from the Ruo River to steam dumplings. This way, the dumplings would have a light aroma of bamboo leaves, which is very pleasant."
"Madam, let me write it down with a pen. I'm afraid my memory is not good." Yao Niang pretended that she couldn't remember.
Mrs. Shen nodded, thinking that her daughter-in-law's attitude was still correct, and continued, "Before these dumplings are taken out of the pot, there is another process. Cooked and cooled vegetable oil is applied to the surface of the couch. The oil will flow into the gaps between the bamboo leaves and the dumplings, and they will not stick. This is especially true for green dumplings that have been coated with vegetable oil. This is the famous jade dumpling. There is also yellow rice dumplings. I don't need to say more about this. You know, they are made of yellow rice." [1]
Yao Niang nodded: "When I went to my grandparents' house, I often ate yellow rice cakes."
"There is also a kind of wine called the Three Whites Before the Lantern Festival. It is made by counting from the day of the winter solstice, Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding... until the third day of the Shu Festival, which is La. If it snows before the La Festival, this kind of wine made from snow is very delicious. We usually use the Three Whites Before the Lantern Festival to worship our ancestors."
Three whites before wax? Yao Niang secretly noted it down.
Mrs. Shen also said, "Qingming flower cakes are not only used during the Qingming Festival, but are also an indispensable offering for various activities of worshipping and ancestor worship. We make a total of eight kinds of flower cakes at home, and they all have molds for each of them. You can take a closer look when they are served to you."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Madam, since you are managing the family like this, why don't your daughter-in-law draw a picture of you preparing Qingming flower cakes for you? Although it is cold now, I think if it is passed down, my descendants and future generations will see it and know how good you are, Madam."
"You have such a sweet mouth, but Lin Feng is not good at speaking." Mrs. Shen said meaningfully.
Yao Niang knew that Madam Shen was scolding her for being slippery in disguise, but so what? What you learn is the real skill. Shen Linfeng and his friends were scolded like grandsons by the president of the Hanlin Academy. Who would remember these things when they became high-ranking officials in the future?
Therefore, she only said: "Since ancient times, silence is golden. Noble people talk little. On the contrary, we talk a lot. We have to hope that Madam Xu will not dislike us."
Mrs. Shen actually thought that Yao Niang was sincerely praising Shen Linfeng, and said how smart, clever, and good at talking and doing things Shen Linfeng was. Although Yao Niang might not agree with all of this in her heart, she nodded along with it.
After a busy day today, Yao Niang gained a lot. In the evening, Shen Linfeng was massaging Yao Niang's legs. While massaging, he found that Yao Niang had fallen asleep. He looked at Yao Niang with heartache, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, but was afraid of desecrating her, so he tiptoed to put her into the quilt.
The couple slept until dawn. Shen Linfeng was on a rest period at this time, so he wanted to sleep a little longer. However, Yao Niang woke up before him and pushed him, saying, "We have been busy worshipping our ancestors these days. You are the eldest son, so you are the one who is in charge of the worship."
A large family like the Shen family had a lot of red tape, even more than the Yan family. Not only did they have to summon the officiants of each branch temple, but the eldest son also had to set up an account and arrange the duties of each person during the sacrifice. At night, they also had to send people to live in the ancestral temple. Even the ceremonial staff during the sacrifice process were selected from young scholars, called "Zhu Sheng". They had to practice various etiquette and postures in the ancestral temple a few days before the sacrifice so that they could use them proficiently during the sacrifice. [2]
The sacrificial utensils had to be arranged by a special person, and the music, slaughtering, and incense burning stove had to be fully prepared. Yao Niang heard Mrs. Shen mention that the sacrifice should be made with wine warm in the stove, soup boiling in the pot, and rice fragrant in the basket.
After burning incense, one must offer wine and invite the ancestors. After the three offerings, it is the food offering ceremony. After tea is ordered and everything is done, the food is removed and distributed to everyone.
This is the end.
Even though Mrs. Shen has prepared so much, women are not allowed to enter the ancestral hall and can only kowtow outside it.
Shen Linfeng stretched out his finger and said, "Let me sleep for another cup of tea. Just one cup of tea. We will go our separate ways soon."
It is an indisputable fact that they are both busy with their own things. They are not ordinary couples, but the son and wife of the clan. Yao Niang complained: "You only care about your own sleep and don't care about me. Now that you have married me, you are like a different person. I was thinking about you coming back so that we can have breakfast together."
When Shen Linfeng heard the words "he becomes a different person after marrying her", he quickly sat up from the bed. He had just woken up, and his skin became even smoother than jade.
Yao Niang's heart seemed to have skipped a beat when she saw this, but Shen Linfeng didn't know it yet. He said, "My lady, don't worry. I'll get up right away and have someone tell mother about it."
In fact, Yao Niang also knew that he usually felt like his life depended on getting up early, so when he finally got a chance to rest, he naturally wanted to sleep more. However, there were many things to do during the New Year holidays, so he definitely wouldn't do that.
"Yeah." Yao Niang sat on the edge of the bed, just looking at him.
Shen Linfeng quickly covered his face and said, "I'll go wash up now." He had just gotten up and was not in good shape, so he had to wash up first. He couldn't let Yao Niang see him in such an ugly state.
Yao Niang pulled him back, leaned over and kissed him. Seeing that he was stunned, she smiled and asked, "What are you doing? Are you in a daze like this since you woke up this morning?"
"You did what I wanted to do but didn't dare to do." Shen Linfeng whispered.
Yao Niang didn't know what was going on, but every time she saw him, she wanted to bully him.
She also said that Madam Shen was dressing up. Usually Yao Niang would have arrived at this time, but today Shen Linfeng's maid Xianhong came over and said, "Madam, the eldest master said that he and the eldest lady would come here to pay their respects today. After paying their respects, he would go to the ancestral temple, so he ate at home before coming here."
"I understand." Mrs. Shen said.
In fact, men don't really care about what's going on in the rear house, and it's normal for daughters-in-law to visit their parents every morning and evening. Even she, who was already middle-aged at that time, still paid her respects to her mother-in-law.
Who doesn't know this trick? She believed that Yao Niang was cunning and her son was honest, so she was afraid that he would be bullied.
But it is natural for a daughter-in-law to serve her son. Mrs. Shen can certainly use filial piety to force her daughter-in-law to come and serve, but that is what a street woman would do, not something someone of her status would do. If it gets out, others will inevitably say that she deliberately prevents her daughter-in-law and son from getting close.
When Yao Niang came back, it was almost an hour. After paying his respects, Shen Linfeng went to the ancestral temple. Yao Niang continued to learn from Madam Shen about matters related to ancestor worship. Naturally, Madam Shen didn't explain it in as much detail today as she did yesterday. She was probably punishing her for not coming to serve her today.
But Yao Niang is not a soft persimmon. Even if she needs help from others, she will not let others know that she needs help from others.
There are very few mothers-in-law like Xie who do not make things difficult for others. Even so, Guan, the daughter-in-law, would still be very dissatisfied. It is almost impossible for a daughter-in-law to be completely equal to her mother-in-law.
所以其中的關系，既不能真的太軟，讓人覺得你是個任人搓圓搓扁的，也不能太硬，沒有回轉的餘地。
今日沈夫人這裏有人送了金銀锞子過來，這是打好了準備過年賞人的，這些窈娘倒是知道，她家裏就是過年打這些送人，無非是牡丹富貴，并蒂蓮花，狀元及第還有海棠式樣的玉堂富貴這些。
沈夫人就道：“這牡丹海棠送給婦人們姑娘們都好，并蒂蓮送給新婚夫妻，狀元及第就送給年輕的讀書人。”
“是。”窈娘點頭。
沈夫人又說了不少家務事，窈娘不由得問道：“妹妹今日過來嗎？”
“這麽冷的天讓她過來做什麽。”沈夫人看了看外面雪那麽深，還讓周媽媽送些參湯過去。
窈娘心想我的年紀比你女兒還小，為何我就得冒着風雪過來呢？但這種抱怨也只能放在心中，跟沈臨風也不能多說，沈臨風自己都身不由己，他還想成日睡懶覺呢，都無法多睡一會兒。
周媽媽都覺得此話不妥，再看窈娘臉上未露出一絲一毫不悅，心中也是服氣這位大奶奶。她和大奶奶接觸過，她絕對不是聽不懂話，甚至來說這位大奶奶年紀不大，卻是個非常機靈的人，越是隐忍不發，日後恐怕反撲就更厲害。
而窈娘現在自然不會發洩什麽，她在顏家這十幾年不是白過的，等及笄之後把身體調理好，若是之後能生得一男半女，這才是有了依傍。有了依傍之後，再管家也就順理成章了。
如今還是先消弭顏寧馨帶來的不好的影響。
又說倩娘身邊的白鷺過來報喜，說倩娘已經有了身孕，窈娘言明又讓人套車去探望二姐，還帶了幾樣補品過來。
文家和沈家不同，沈家都是吳興人，宅子多以精美為主，慣于在細節上做文章，文家宅子開朗疏闊，房梁特別高。
窈娘繞過右手邊的回廊，走到前面過了一道影壁，又見一間小小的院子，三間小小的正房，東側又是走廊，西側有廂房。中間倒是花草修建的很好，冬日開着碩大的茶花，看起來很是喜慶。
姊妹二人見面，窈娘見倩娘看起來消瘦許多，忙道：“我的好姐姐，原本妹妹該祝賀你的，可你也該把身子顧好啊。”
倩娘如今在京親近之人也只有窈娘和顏景昭了，她和李氏完全不熟悉，又見窈娘一身橘紅色的襖裙，氣色極好，又羨慕道：“妹妹，你可比我好多了。父親丁憂後，我又是小兒媳婦，什麽都要聽上頭嫂嫂們的指派，哪點不對就被她們說嘴。”
“二姐姐，你現在有孕是好事，把身體保重比什麽都強。我的日子也不好過，晨昏定省，婆婆只有我一個兒媳婦，舉凡家務請安都沒別人可替代。”還有顏寧馨逃婚帶來的一系列的反應她都不好說了。
倩娘笑道：“妹妹，其實沈家已經很好了，妹婿已然是官身。以前咱們在家時，還覺得人多，到文家我才知曉什麽叫人丁興旺之家，你瞧那兒。”
窈娘看過去，見是一個黑木大匣子，又問：“這是什麽？”
“這些都是給家中那些侄兒們的壓歲錢，這些都是你姐夫置辦的，這些錢不值當什麽。只這些大伯子嫂子們還有小姑子們的生辰，樣樣都要留心，稍微送的不對，閑言碎語滿天飛。偏我那婆婆又愛拉這個打那個，前些日子病了一場，我們輪番侍疾，若不然我也不會暈倒，才發現自己有了身孕。”倩娘這些事情也只能跟窈娘說說了。
窈娘攤手：“天底下做婆婆的，怎麽都這樣呢？”
倩娘撫着肚子，歉意道：“你好容易來，我和你說這些做什麽，我們文家有道燴羊肉，小廚房做的極好，你今日就在我這裏嘗嘗。”
窈娘卻搖頭：“我倒是想留，可馬上就要祭祀，若是回去晚了，怕我婆家怪罪。”
別看倩娘抱怨文家抱怨的厲害，若她真的說了沈家的不是，到時候就會被人拿着話頭奚落一輩子。
姐妹之間關系很微妙，有那種親密無間互相扶持的，但倩娘和她并不是那種關系，窈娘還是要以自己的事情為主，倩娘雖然有些失望，但也能理解。
等窈娘走了之後，她才和白鷺道：“都說大哥哥像我爹，我看不盡然，三妹妹的性子其實最像我爹。”
白鷺有些不明白。
倩娘心想他爹丁憂回家去了，臨走之前直接推舉杜學士，完全就是為了讓他自己日後能夠再回京做官。杜學士根基不深，聽聞在禮部尚書位置上受到多方掣肘，到時候杜尚書必定再次推舉父親。
而龔次輔現在屢次被文首輔針對，威風已經不似當年。
父親這樣做絲毫不顧及大哥哥在京中如何，只管自己的官位，甚至把三妹妹嫁進沈家，也是暫且讓沈家對顏家不要下手，可謂一舉兩得。
三妹妹也是如此，她和自己并沒有深情厚誼，如此上門也是為了她自己的名聲，還有告訴沈家她和文首輔家關系匪淺，但多半還是要以她自己的利益為主，瞧，現在就趕緊回去學祭祀了。
窈娘去的很快，回來的也很快，回來之後，她褪去披風還是在沈夫人這裏伺候，對宗婦之責了解的七七八八了。
到了祭祀這一日，族內男女老少都齊聚一處，沈夫人讓人把祭祀用品送過去，才和沈家族中的婦人們一起說話。
大抵是因為窈娘的那幾包治臉上藓的藥，江二奶奶對窈娘很有好感，主動和窈娘道：“我舅舅家裏送了些早春茶來，聽說你一貫愛吃茶，不知道你吃過這個沒有？”
“以前在家中吃過，這早春茶葉肉肥厚滋味鮮爽，最讓人印象深刻的是芳香撲鼻，我吃着倒是好。”窈娘笑道。
江二奶奶喜道：“既然如此，我送些給你。”
窈娘歪着頭道：“謝謝二嫂嫂。”
江二奶奶則道：“快別這麽說，我們日後且要多往來，正好正月初八是我的生辰，我也不打算大辦，到時候大奶奶你可要來。”
“二嫂嫂說哪裏的話，我自當過去。”窈娘欣然。
她二人正說着話，王氏卻覺得自己被孤立了，她年輕氣盛，身份又高，偏偏進門之後，前有顏氏不弱于她，三房的兩位妯娌似乎也孤立她，幾乎都不和她往來。
實際上她不知曉，三房的兩位雖然身份沒她高，但也是官家女，人家并不靠她什麽，自然也就沒必要上杆子了，甚至一開始連窈娘也是沒人理會的，只是慢慢才熟識。
這是窈娘在沈家過的第一個年，除夕夜用完飯，她們還去看煙花炮竹，煙花璀璨，讓人驚覺時光易逝。
接着整個就是無休止的走親訪友，初二原準備回娘家，但哥嫂要去李家，初五去靖海侯府，到了初八就是江二奶奶的生辰了。
江二奶奶爹娘不在京裏，她舅家打發人送了一擔銀絲面，送了六盤壽桃，兩只燒鴨，兩匹蜀錦、兩匹浣花錦。窈娘聽說江二奶奶的舅子就是她母親供出來的，因此對江二奶奶這個外甥女視若親女，這樁親事就是她舅舅家作主許配給沈巡撫的次子。
窈娘不知道別人送什麽，她自選了兩方銷金汗巾，兩盒上等的棉胭脂，兩匹彩緞。
這些彩緞是原本顏寧馨陪嫁裏的，雖然過了些時日，但保存的不錯，算得上光鮮極了，江二奶奶見了也十分歡喜。
一桌子上還有江二奶奶的表姐妹親眷，她們妯娌坐在一處，獨不見王氏。
“江二嫂嫂，怎麽不見二郎媳婦？”窈娘不解。
江二奶奶道：“我去請了她了，只那日又是信寧侯府的戲酒，她就家去了。”
原來是回娘家了，窈娘和王氏關系一般，倒也沒多提醒，又和江二奶奶她們一起說笑。酒過三巡，江二奶奶又私下喊窈娘進去道：“我這臉啊，大夫也要我吃清淡的，偏今日高興，還吃了酒，還請弟妹再包一些薔薇硝給我。”
窈娘自然笑着應下。
卻不料江二奶奶看了窈娘一眼，又問了個很奇怪的問題：“弟妹，你知道韓家表姑娘許了人家了嗎？”
“應該沒有吧，她年紀也不大。”窈娘道。
江二奶奶強笑幾聲：“我總覺得男大當婚女大當嫁。”
其實韓若華時沈夫人的姨甥女，她嫁不嫁的和自家也沒什麽關系，但江二奶奶這般在意，窈娘揣測該不會是她想做媒吧。
還想再問些什麽，江二奶奶卻避開這個話題，說道：“這開年啊，我公公他們回京述職，那續弦聽聞比我們年紀還小，也不知道什麽名堂。”
說起盧扇兒，窈娘原本想回娘家問問關氏之前的那個貼身丫頭喜鵲，如今她已經是顏景昭的房裏人，只是初二沒有回家，再者李氏看起來有些患得患失，自己若去找前大嫂的丫頭，怕她誤會什麽，也就耽擱了。
However, it was obvious that no matter how she married Shen Xunfu, her road would be very difficult. With her stepson who was as ferocious as a wolf and her sisters-in-law who were much older than her, she was in dire straits.
As the saying goes, a deer rises on the left but does not blink. Her first goal was to learn almost all the duties of the clan woman. She also won over some people in the house with her homemade spices. As for the rest, she would have to wait until she reached the age of 15 to realize them slowly and finally take control of the entire Shen family.
Just set this goal. People like Lu Shaner and Zhou Lingguang are not what she should consider now.
Putting all these behind her, she still felt a little bloated after returning from Second Madam Jiang's birthday party, so she simply stood up and talked to Shen Linfeng, who was lying on the couch with his eyes closed.
"Why did the second sister-in-law mention cousin Han? It doesn't seem like she was trying to be a matchmaker for her?" Yao Niang asked.
Shen Linfeng opened his eyes and looked at Yao Niang: "Don't you know?"
Yao Niang was puzzled: "How can I know?"
This girl has no clue at all. The Yan family did teach her a lot of other things, but most of them were about the good and the bad. She seemed to know nothing about these private matters.
Shen Linfeng whispered, "Brother Jiang and cousin Han are having some ambiguity."
"What? No, I heard that Second Brother Jiang and Second Sister-in-law Jiang have a very good relationship, and Madam is always teasing them." Yao Niang was surprised.
Shen Linfeng said unhappily, "My dear sister, Jiang Er's sister-in-law's uncle is the Dali Temple Minister, Jiang Er Ge has no official title now, and his third uncle has many sons, so he naturally wants to have a good relationship with Jiang Er's sister-in-law. But love doesn't consider status or anything else. In his heart, he still likes girls like Han Cousin, not someone like Jiang Er's sister-in-law who is too straightforward and illiterate."
"No, I didn't even know about it in the inner palace. You are in the Hanlin Academy every day, how did you know?" Yao Niang shook him and asked.
Shen Linfeng smiled: "Do I even need to ask this? If a man in this world likes someone, how can he hide it? Just like I like you, I will marry you no matter what."
Although she should be happy that Shen Linfeng confessed his love to her, she felt a little uncomfortable for a moment when she thought of Jiang Er's sister-in-law. Then she thought of her father's words and cheered up immediately.
Shen Linfeng was surprised: "You were so gloomy just now, but now you are full of energy so quickly."
"My father said that it is a good thing to understand other people's difficulties, but we should not carry other people's coffins to our own home and cry." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Shen Linfeng thought that his father-in-law was quite good at teaching children.