In February, the snow in the imperial capital had not yet melted, and the earth dragon was still burning in Jintong Courtyard. There are newly cut plum blossoms in the porcelain vase on the high table. The cold fragrance is mixed with the warmth, which is pleasant and harmonious.
Song Zaishui passed by the house to visit Wei Changying. After sitting down, he looked at his cousin's bulging belly under her crimson double-breasted wide-sleeved magnolia flower skirt and asked, "Is she about to give birth?"
Wei Changying counted on his fingers and said: "It's eight months now, there are still some days left."
Song Zaishui was not married yet and didn't understand much about this. He guessed wrong casually and said with a smile: "Two months go by very quickly. It seems that I have to rush to work next, otherwise I will be given the clothes I promised to my nephew." But you can’t do one thing for each of the four seasons.”
"Cousin, are you kidding me?" Wei Chief Ying said with a smile, "You are in charge of the house now, so how can you find so much time to do this? Besides, my aunts and Qin Ge have already done a lot, and my mother also spends time doing embroidery. Mom made several outfits, but I can’t see enough of these clothes.”
Song Zaishui pretended to be surprised and said: "Hey! Why are you so considerate? I'm really surprised! I thought you were going to say, 'What? Cousin, you haven't finished it yet! Didn't you promise me a long time ago? Why do you have to pay for your little nephew who hasn’t been born yet? Go back and do it quickly, I’m ready to make amends for you!”
The maids waiting nearby all covered their lips and smiled. Wei Changying awkwardly threw a kumquat into her arms: "My cousin is getting worse and worse. When did I say such a thing?"
Song Zaishui took out the kumquat from the folds of her skirt and said with a smile: "You are about to be a mother after all, and you are so much more considerate and sensible than before. I used to have a headache when I saw you, but that's not the case now. Fortunately, I'm like this The little nephew who hasn’t even been born yet must be a well-behaved and considerate person. No, he’s not even born yet, so my aunt has been blessed by him.”
"It's obvious that you have a headache, cousin." Chief Wei scolded her. In order to change the subject, he picked up the embroidered handkerchief Song Zaishui had tucked into his bracelet and said, "Hey, cousin, you have recently learned a new embroidery technique. I think this stitch is not like what you are used to, but it’s not bad. The pattern of a lion cat flapping a butterfly is quite interesting, but this lion cat is a bit too fat, isn’t it? It’s hard to get up and walk, but a template made of snowballs?”
Song Zaishui said with a half-smile: "Don't look at it, it's fat, but its movements are nimble and tight. When you first visited me last year, didn't I still have a few parrots there?"
Wei Changying smiled and said: "Did you ask it to eat another one?"
"What one is that? After Duanmu Wuse returned home, my sister-in-law had to recuperate, and I was taking care of the housework. I accidentally made it eat only one!" Song Zaishui sighed, "That one Cuiye'er, I I really couldn't bear to frighten it anymore, so I exchanged it with someone for this handkerchief. You also said that the handkerchief was well embroidered, so it seemed that I had taken advantage of it. Where there is no harm, there are benefits.”
When Wei Changying heard this, he asked, "Didn't your cousin embroider this veil? Could it be Deng Wanwan?"
"Although Wanwan is a good embroiderer, he is not from this way." Song Zaishui smiled meaningfully and said, "Speaking of which, I was able to get this person's embroidered handkerchief because of you."
"Huh?"
"The fifth young lady of the Su family often goes to see her cousin, my elder sister-in-law, these days." Song Zaishui said calmly, "This fifth young lady is respectful and affectionate to me. Sister Song is older than Sister Song... and we get to know each other as soon as we go back and forth."
When Wei Changying heard the words "Su Nianchu", his eyebrows jumped, and he first ordered the people around him: "You all retreat!" After the scene was cleared, he asked Song Zaishui in a low voice, "How is Su Nianchu? To be honest with my cousin, I It was at the Linchuan Princess Banquet that Cousin Su pointed me out and didn’t even say anything, but unexpectedly she pointed it out to Chang Feng!”
Song Zaishui said: "At first I thought it was my aunt's intention! After she pestered me for advice in the name of looking for my cousin, I realized that was not the case." After pondering for a moment, he said, "People don't Damn, the girl is good-looking, pretty, and has good manners... After all, she is the daughter of a princess! She has a very gentle temperament, and she is a good person. "
"Cousin, you know Changfeng's situation. Do you think she is suitable?" Wei Changying asked.
Song Zaishui thought for a while and then said: "It's hard to say. As for Su Nianchu, it can be seen that she is also very favored at home. She is inevitably a bit squeamish, and she is not a smart, capable or scheming person. But she has one thing The good thing is that she is willing to learn and change. I think it may be that Princess Lingxian and the Prince Consort really want to get married. Now I don’t know how far she can learn. Besides, the person who went to Fengzhou to deliver the message has not returned yet. I don’t know when she will come.”
Wei Changying frowned and said, "It's not that I'm picking on her, it's just..." He lowered his voice, "My second aunt is gone. Do you think Changfeng can let go with his second uncle in the future? Even if the second uncle Uncle Ken, my second uncle’s cousin won’t agree! Can an ordinary and virtuous lady cope with such a situation?”
"This is really not necessarily true." Song Zaishui sighed and said, "Take me for example. I was assigned to that person because I was a child, so my grandmother has always taught me according to the requirements of my mother's world. I never thought that I could be with my husband for the rest of my life - after all, my grandmother always taught me that I should have the tolerance to accommodate the seventy-two concubines in the Three Palaces and Sixth Courtyard. This was also for my own good. But if I didn't have the gold-encrusted jade Ruyi, I wouldn't have it! I think my grandmother must have cared for me as much as my great-aunt cared for you. Even if I am not as difficult as you were before, I will definitely not be too understanding."
He added, "If it were you, and you were raised and taught like my grandmother, you would definitely be similar to me. Even though you are no longer a quasi-princess, but as the saying goes, nature is easy to change, and once your temperament has been developed, That’s it anyway.”
Wei Changying said: "What my cousin said makes sense. A pampered person may not be able to take on the responsibility when things are in danger. But this is only a possibility. It is unknown what Su Nianchu's future will be, but I only have one biological brother. .”
Song Zaishui pursed his lips and said: "We are direct cousins, but Su Nianchu is still an outsider to us now. Would I not help you and Changfeng, but help her? But you see the imperial decree now It’s all down. It’s not that my back hurts when I stand and talk. I was also extremely hesitant about my previous marriage. However, Su Nianchu is no better than that one. I think this girl is very dedicated to learning, no matter what she is ordered by her parents. I still admire Changfeng's literary talents, so I won't be unable to take on the work in the future... If you think about it on the bright side, your great-aunt and aunt are both capable people. As long as she is willing to learn, are you afraid that she won't be able to teach her well? ?”
Thinking of his grandmother and mother, Wei Changying inexplicably felt a little more relaxed, and sighed with mixed emotions: "Before I left the cabinet, I was always worried about meeting a naughty sister-in-law, so I wanted to be more considerate when I was a sister-in-law. I didn't think about my elder sister-in-law. My sister-in-law and sister-in-law are all very kind to me, but I am picky about my sister-in-law who has never offended me."
"You and Su Nianchu are different." Song Zaishui said disapprovingly, "Changfeng's status has not yet been determined, and his opponent is your uncle. Changfeng is a bit difficult in terms of seniority and age, so my aunt and aunt chose someone who can help him. It is right that the family can also help his wife. It is not only for the good of Changfeng, but also for the good of his future wife and children. But Shen Yaoye's status in the clan was determined before you came into the family. Let me put it bluntly, your position in the Shen family is all due to him, such as Pei Meiniang's surrender earlier. Ye takes over Ming Peitang, and the mistress of the Shen family is you, so as long as you are not too confused."
Wei Changying couldn't help but said: "Where can I be as relaxed as you said, cousin? Mingpeitang is not monolithic. Over there in Xiliang..." She sighed and said, "My mother has always reminded me to be smarter. Don’t burden your husband!”
Song Zaishui sighed slightly: "Look, isn't this the same as your mood now? Anyway, in my opinion, you are in your prime of life, and with the help of Uncle Xiangning, Shen Yaoye's position is stable! Unless he It's a big mistake, otherwise he will definitely take over Mingpeitang. If you, Yuan Pei, don't take over the family, who will be in charge? But Mrs. Su is Shen Yaoye's mother, so she naturally hopes that you can take over. It’s better to share some worries for Shen Yaoye.”
Although Song Zaishui said that Su Nianchu might not be a suitable person for Wei Changfeng, Wei Changying still felt a little upset because it was a life-long matter involving his only younger brother. However, she had no choice but to write a letter to Fengzhou. At this moment, I didn't want to continue the topic, and changed the subject to talk about the Song family: "It's been almost a year since I arrived in the imperial capital, and I haven't met my uncle yet."
When she visited Sikong Mansion just one month after her wedding last year, because it happened to be a holiday, Song Yuwang was on duty in the palace, so the two uncles and nephews missed it. Later, I was busy with various things and never went back. Then I found out that I was pregnant, and I spent many days trying to ensure the pregnancy. At the New Year's Day, the fetal image was stable, and it was time to visit... But the second aunt of my mother's family died of illness again.
Wearing filial piety during the first month of the year is of course not suitable for visiting relatives. So Wei Changying has never met his only biological uncle, and when he thinks about it, he doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Song Zaishui said: "Anyway, you are in the imperial capital now, and there will always be times when you can see her. Not to mention, my little nephew's wedding wine, my father has to come to drink it, and he also wants to come and see it."
Now that Song Yuwang was mentioned, Wei Changying asked about Huo again: "Is your eldest cousin well now?"
"It's not all good. She still lets me take care of some things, but she can also get up and start taking care of things." Song Zaishui said calmly, "She is a smart person, and it is easy to get along with her."
Wei Changying said with a smile: "This is because cousin, you are smarter. If it were me, I would have a headache dealing with such a sister-in-law."
Song Zaishui said: "If you have a brother who has the same mother and marries my sister-in-law, she will definitely treat you as her own sister! She will do the same to my great-aunt and aunt."
"Now that the second cousin has divorced Duanmu Wuse, is there a suitable candidate now?" Wei Changying thought of the untimely death of his aunt Hongyan, and Song Zaishui had lamented the helplessness of not having his biological mother to protect him several times before, so he changed his mind again.
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Zaishui smiled enigmatically and said, "What do you think?" (To be continued)