"Hmph! What's so great about that! I'm just lucky! If I had taken the emperor as my teacher, maybe I would have been crowned a princess now." The Seventh Aunt couldn't help but complain.
The seventh concubine Niu Cui is only nineteen years old this year. Her family runs a tofu shop. Because of her beauty, hot temper and sharp tongue, she was favored by the head of the Wei family, who spent five hundred taels of silver and a house to marry her off as the seventh concubine.
Cao smiled and agreed, "That's right. Anyone who becomes the emperor's apprentice will be given the title of a county lady or a county princess, but she has taken the lead after all."
Niu Cui glanced at Cao and turned back to her room.
She was indeed resentful and jealous of Yingbao, who was about her age, who was lucky enough to marry the young and strong Seventh Young Master and have such a noble status. But she was not stupid, and she could see that Cao was trying to sow discord.
Humph! You want to use her as a gun? No way!
Everyone in the Wei family knows that Wei Qillang will inherit the family business in the future. She is still so young, and if the old man dies, she will still be counting on Wei Qillang to support her for the rest of her life.
The Jiqing Courtyard was decorated with lights and lanterns. Mrs. Wang pulled Yingbao to sit on the big kang. She played with Chu Wuyang while looking at her daughter-in-law's belly.
She really wanted to ask why the two had been married for so long and were so in love, but had not gotten pregnant.
But today is a holiday, so I don't want to ask such disappointing questions.
After the Chinese New Year, I will go to the pharmacy and invite a famous gynecologist to come and take my daughter-in-law's pulse to see if she needs some treatment.
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard the maid come to report: "Madam, the kitchen said that the food is ready. Do you want to set up the banquet now?"
Mrs. Wang looked at the sky outside and nodded, "Let them set up the table." Having a meal early would also allow her son and daughter-in-law to go home and rest earlier.
The old woman responded and left.
Mrs. Wang asked her maid to place the banquet table in the front hall, and she went to the banquet with her son and daughter-in-law.
Of course, Chu Wuyang also let An Rou hold the baby and take him along.
Because it was a family dinner, there were no separate tables for men and women. The head of the Wei family, his wife, Wei Zhan and his wife, and several of their married sons sat at the same table.
The five concubines and a dozen underage illegitimate sons and daughters were having a banquet in the side room, while the daughters-in-law, grandchildren, etc. had another table in the main hall.
The eldest and second aunts did not come because they were meditating in a nunnery in Luzhou and had not appeared in public for a long time.
During the meal, several adult illegitimate sons toasted Wei Zhan and Ying Bao.
Among them, Wei Wulang was only two years older than Wei Zhan, and they played together when they were young, so he was closer to Wei Zhan than his other brothers.
Just because he was weak in character, not good at socializing, and his aunt was not favored, the head of the Wei family did not like him very much.
Yingbao glanced at everyone at the table.
Of Wei Zhan's six older brothers, only four are left, and two of them died early.
The only ones sitting at the table were Wei Dalang Wei Wenbo, Wei Erlang Wei Wensong, Wei Sanlang Wei Wenlin, and Wei Wulang Wei Wenzheng.
After the meal, several children, led by their mothers, came to kowtow to the head and wife of the Wei family, as well as Wei Zhan and Ying Bao, asking for New Year's money.
Yingbao asked Mudan to take out the red envelopes that had been prepared long ago and give them the red envelopes one by one.
These children are all the children of the Wei family's illegitimate son. They are not very old. One of them is only a few months older than Chu Wuyang, and seems to be a little over one year old. He can speak and, under the guidance of his mother, calls Yingbao "Seventh Aunt".
Yingbao found it very interesting to see such a small child sticking his butt out and kowtow to her, so she touched his head and asked, "What's your name?"
"Fanzhi, my name is Fanzhi." The little baby answered word by word.
Yingbao smiled and said, "Fanzhi, what a good name."
Chu Wuyang, who was sitting next to her, stretched his head to look at Fan Zhi, nodded in a serious manner, and mumbled something to himself, but no one knew what he was saying.
When Fan Zhi saw the little baby, he ran over, held the innocent little hand and smiled at him. His movements were gentle, not as rough as other boys.
Yingbao looked at it for a while and felt a slight movement in her heart.
Chu Wuyang is growing up and will definitely need a playmate. It would be better to ask Fan Zhi to come over more often and keep him company.
Mrs. Wang also saw it and laughed, "They are playing together."
Turning to the fifth daughter-in-law, he said, "Mrs. Yang, why don't you let Fanzhi come and live with Wuyang?"
Although she didn't know Chu Wuyang's identity, seeing that Yingbao valued him very much, she also paid more attention to this child.
Yang smiled and said, "That's great. I'm also worried that Fanzhi has no one to play with."
Cao, who was standing nearby, secretly rolled her eyes.
This Yang seemed like a taciturn person, but now she became shrewd. In order to curry favor with Qilang's family, she actually let her son play with a servant's child, which really lowered her status.
The head of the Wei family said with a smile: "It would be too lonely for a little guy like Jian Fan. He can't even walk steadily. Why not ask two older ones to take them out to play."
Then he turned to look at the eldest daughter-in-law Cao and the second daughter-in-law Yu: "Da Lang's Shunan and Er Lang's Moyu are just the right age, they are four or five years old, why not let them go over and play with Wuyang."
Before Yingbao could say anything, Cao said, "Dad, you are joking. My son Shunan has a wild temper and I am afraid he will not be able to play with children."
Yu also said, "Dad, Moyu will soon start to learn, so he won't have time to play."
The head of the Wei family frowned, but because today was New Year's Day, he did not get angry.
I just cursed in my heart: You don’t know what’s good for you!
Yingbao smiled slightly and said, "Dad, Fanzhi is enough."
Even if the eldest and second sisters-in-law agree, I still have to think twice. The one who can stay with Wuyang must be gentle, smart and sensible. Those children who push and hit others must not be kept.
After giving out the New Year's money, Fanzhi actually started playing with Wuyang.
The two children sat on the kang, chattering in words that the adults couldn't understand. Occasionally, Fan Zhi even taught Wu Yang how to call people. For example, he said to Wu Yang over and over again: "Brother, I am your brother."
Wuyang muttered a few words and actually called out "brother".
An Rou, who had been standing nearby and watching, was overjoyed. She suppressed her excitement and said to Ying Bao, "Princess, he will call for help if he is safe."
Yingbao naturally heard it too. She patted the two children's heads and praised them softly, "Wuyang is really smart, and Fanzhi is even smarter. He can actually become Wuyang's little master."
Fanzhi understood that Aunt Qi was praising him, and his little face lit up with a smile, with a hint of pride.
Mrs. Wang was very pleased to see the two boys having so much fun, and said to Yang: "In the future, you should bring Fanzhi to play with Wuyang more often."
Yang nodded: "Yes."
After staying for a while, it gradually got dark.
The head of the Wei family ordered people to set off fireworks in the courtyard.
The fireworks popped and bloomed brilliantly in the air.
The boys from the Wei family were like wild horses that had broken free from their reins. They held all kinds of fireworks in their hands, lit them, and ran around in circles in the yard.
Wuyang was so excited that he jumped in Anrou's arms and wanted to play too.
Fan Zhi, who was held in Yang's arms, was indifferent to all this. He just turned his head and kept looking at Wuyang.
He still remembered the words of praise from his seventh aunt, saying that he wanted to be Wuyang's little master.