Xu Junying was wearing a layered cloak with snow cherry blossoms and gold thread embroidered with phoenix tail patterns. He lacked some heroic dignity, but gained a bit of elegance. When Mei Niang saw him come in, her originally dark eyes suddenly lit up, and a charming smile appeared on her face. She stood up and greeted him.
Cui Xi and the other maids first pushed each other a few times like frightened ducklings, and then all bowed and greeted Xu Junying. Xu Junying took off his cloak and shook off the snowflakes on it. Mei Niang reached out to take it and told Cui Xi:
"Make a cup of hot tea for Lord Hou!"
Xu Junying said, "No need, I'll get the cloak - this one was given by the old lady, leave it here!"
It turns out that a biological granddaughter is different. Why didn’t the old lady give her one just now
Mei Niang handed the cloak to Cui Si, but did not allow him to take out his mink cloak. She just looked at him and said:
"I was just thinking about when Master Hou would come back. It's snowing heavily and the roads are hard to walk on. I'm going to ask Cui Xi to pick you up with a lantern!"
Xu Junying glanced at her calmly: "No need, I'm very familiar with my family's house!"
"Master Hou, please sit down for a while. I want to talk to you!"
Mei Niang thought that with Xu Junying's attitude, the relationship between husband and wife would never get good. This guy already had a concubine and his confidante Zheng Meiyu. He could not care about her, but she could not care about him - he was Heng'er's father, the only support for the mother and son. Without his support, good days would not fall from the sky for nothing.
"Is everything alright? Are your mother and brother alright? Have they rested?"
Xu Junying finally asked about his wife's family. Mei Niang took the teacup from Cui Xi, handed it to him, and said with a smile:
"Mother and brother are both fine. Master Chenghou misses them!"
Xu Junying didn't take the teacup: "Put it there, I'll drink it from the old lady!"
Mei Niang had no choice but to put down her teacup and sit opposite Xu Junying across the round table.
Xu Junying said: "I have to get up early tomorrow to go out, if nothing else..."
Mei Niang looked up at him and said, "I want to discuss something with you..."
After listening to Mei Niang's story, Xu Junying also stared at the round sheepskin lamp on the table in a daze like Mei Niang.
Mei Niang was not in a hurry. Her request had been made. As a husband and son-in-law, how he responded and how he handled the matter was related to the man's mind.
She wanted her brother to go back to Yuezhou to accompany his sister-in-law tomorrow. There was no need to rush on the road. The young couple could spend the New Year peacefully in Yuezhou. After the New Year, when the weather was clear and the roads were easier to travel, they could slowly return to Beijing to take the exam.
She brought her mother, Mrs. Qin, to the Hou Mansion to celebrate the New Year with her.
She just wanted her mother to spend the New Year with her so that her brother and sister-in-law wouldn't have to go through the pain of traveling around, and she really hoped that Xu Junying would agree to this request.
After a while, Xu Junying said to Mei Niang: "I'm afraid this won't work!"
Mei Niang looked straight at him with her clear eyes. Xu Junying turned his head slightly and said, "Your mother and brother may not agree. If your brother wants to go back quickly and spend the New Year with his mother in Beijing, I can send someone to accompany him. He can use the military carriage and be back in less than half a month!"
Mei Niang lowered her eyes. This was a good idea, but the problem was that her sister-in-law, whom she had never met, was pregnant and could not stand the bumps. It was okay for them, the men, to do whatever they wanted.
Xu Junying said, "The official road from the capital to Yuezhou is relatively flat, but it's a little slippery when it snows. The military carriages are sturdy and large, and they are driven by well-trained soldiers. It should be okay to put a few more quilts inside. In the past, generals used this method to pick up their pregnant wives, and they went to places farther away."
Mei Niang sighed and said, "I will ask my mother and brother tomorrow and see what they think. If my brother insists on walking around, I hope Lord Hou can help him!"
Xu Junying nodded: "I will not be at home tomorrow, leave Baoju behind. If your brother wants to rush to Yuezhou to pick someone up, let Baoju go find me. I will send people over, a dozen or twenty people, to protect him!"
"Thank you, Lord Hou!"
"Um!"
Xu Junying got up and left. Helping was just a piece of cake, and it was also for his own convenience. He didn't want to have anything to do with the Qin family, not even to meet them. Living in the same yard with Mrs. Qin, who was still his mother-in-law, was even more impossible!
Qin Meiniang watched Xu Junying lift the curtain and walk out of the room, her heart was filled with bubbles: This man, really, talking face to face, without any expression, coming and going as coldly as the wind, does he really not take his wife seriously
The next morning, after asking Madam Qin and Qin Boqing, Xu Junying found that they did not agree with Mei Niang bringing her mother to the Hou Mansion to celebrate the New Year. Madam Qin said:
"Son, I know you are filial, but the Hou family is rich and powerful. For our small family, it is a great fortune to have such a relative. How can you stay here and let others laugh at you? Even if your brother spends the New Year with your sister-in-law in Yuezhou, I can spend it in Beijing by myself, and it will be fine!"
Mei Niang didn't expect her mother to be unwilling to spend the New Year with her because of this. She couldn't help but said angrily: "If I had known this, I wouldn't have married a rich family!"
Madam Qin quickly covered her mouth and scolded her, "Silly child, stop talking nonsense! This is your blessing, many women can't even dream of it. Now you have Heng'er, who will be the prince of the Hou Mansion when he grows up. You just need to take good care of Heng'er, and there will be endless glory and wealth waiting for you in the future. Enjoy your life and don't worry about your parents' home!"
Mei Niang felt warm in her heart and leaned on Madam Qin's arms, unable to speak. Qin Boqing looked at her quietly, nodded and smiled:
"As long as my sister is fine, my mother and brother will be relieved!"
Madam Qin and Qin Boqing came in a hurry from Yuezhou. They originally planned to send Madam Qin back to the Qin residence as soon as they arrived in the capital, and then Qin Boqing would come to see his sister off for the funeral. However, after entering the city, they learned that their sister was alive, so the mother and son happily went to the mansion to visit, but they didn't bring anything. When they came last night, they alarmed the old lady again. Madam Qin thought that she couldn't leave like this. She had to go to pay her respects to Old Madam Xu and meet her mother-in-law, Madam Zheng, and complete the etiquette before she could go back.
Qin Boqing was thinking about what gift to prepare for his mother to meet the old lady and Madam Zheng. The Qin family had been a family of poets and scholars for generations. They only knew how to study and become officials, and had no other way to make a living. After the family fell into poverty, they could only rely on the meager land to make a living. This time when they returned to Beijing, they sold most of the land in their hometown of Yuezhou and got some silver. In addition to saving money to make ends meet, they also had to leave some money for preparation for the imperial examination, so every penny had to be calculated carefully.
Mrs. Qin sighed that Qin's father passed away too early. Otherwise, she could have found some of his former classmates and friends to help Qin Boqing find some ways to take part in the Spring Examination. It would have been helpful to give him some advice.
Mei Niang secretly asked Wang Mama to take a branch of old mountain ginseng, wrapped it tightly, and went to a well-known big shop under the pretext of going out to buy medicine. She didn't care much. When she got the amount of silver Mei Niang needed, she let it go. She went around the shops on the street and came back to prepare three decent gift boxes for Madam Qin to meet the old lady and Madam Zheng. It didn't matter whether Madam Gui from the second room met or not, but she also prepared gifts. There were still 800 taels of silver left. Mei Niang sealed 600 taels and gave it to Madam Qin, asking her to keep it for her sister-in-law to give birth and for her brother to take the imperial examination. Madam Qin declined several times, but she accepted it. After all, the Qin family is not the same as before. Her son is in poor health and needs to take medicine for a long time. Her daughter is about to give birth. As a mother, she can't help but worry. Her daughter married in the Hou Mansion and has no worries about food and expenses. A few hundred taels of personal money is not a small amount, but she doesn't need it. It subsidizes her parents' family, so she should keep it first.
At that moment, Mei Niang brought her mother to see Madam Zheng first. Madam Zheng was still lying on the couch. When she heard that her mother-in-law was coming, she pretended to get up, but was supported by Mei Niang and Madam Qin. Madam Qin took out the gift box that Mei Niang had prepared for her, but she didn't know what was inside. Chunyue came up and took it. Seeing that Madam Zheng looked weak and didn't like to talk, Madam Qin felt it was inconvenient to stay for long. She said a few words like "take care of yourself" and then said goodbye.
When the guests were about to leave, Mrs. Zheng naturally said some polite words, asking Mei Niang to accompany her mother well and let her mother stay in the house for a few more days. When she got better, she could come back to talk to her mother-in-law, and so on. Mei Niang agreed to all the requests, helped her mother out, and met the legendary Miss Zheng, Zheng Meiyu, in the corridor outside the door.
If she hadn't said it herself, Mei Niang wouldn't have recognized her.
Zheng Meiyu was of medium height, with a plump and fair complexion, a pair of willow-shaped eyebrows and a pair of watery peach blossom eyes, an oval face, and thin and red lips. One could tell at a glance that she was a sharp-tongued person. Suddenly meeting Mei Niang, she was also a little surprised. Her eyes flashed, and then she smiled and bowed, saying:
"My cousin is fine! Congratulations on her quick recovery. Yu'er wanted to go visit my cousin these past two days, but my aunt refused to take the medicine, so Yu'er had to coax and persuade her, so she couldn't get away..."
Mei Niang looked at her and said calmly, "It's hard for you to think about me! You took care of me when I was sick, and now you have to take care of the lady. It's really hard! The lady has Chunyue and the others by her side. Let them do everything. You should take it easy and don't work too hard!"
He had no time to look at her, and was too disdainful to ask her to pay respects to Madam Qin. The mother and daughter supported each other and walked towards Jinhua Hall.
After sitting in the old lady's room for a while, perhaps because she was bored, the old lady asked Madam Qin about the customs and habits of Yuezhou. She listened with great interest and was reluctant to let Madam Qin go. Ruixue said that it was time for her to lie down for a nap and Madam Qin was about to say goodbye and leave. Only then did she give up and politely thank Madam Qin for the gift again. She also sealed a few gift boxes and gave them to several people in the family. She told Madam Qin to visit often and then asked Mei Niang to accompany her mother back.
Mei Niang was afraid that her mother would be tired, so she did not mention visiting Madam Gui in her courtyard. She thought that Madam Gui knew that she was the second wife and could not compete with Madam Zheng of the first wife no matter how hard she tried. She cleverly pretended to be sick and showed weakness, and actually hid aside to enjoy a happy life for half her life. However, she taught her daughter-in-law to be strong. She took the power of housekeeper in her hands while Madam Zheng lost her beloved son and was too sick to move. She herself did not show up. Since she liked to pretend and was not her real mother-in-law, Mei Niang only needed to send her a gift box in the future and say that she was afraid that she was inconvenienced by her illness and did not dare to disturb her.
Unexpectedly, Sixth Master Xu Junxuan was a thoughtful person. When he heard that Lord Hou had gone out early and had no time to entertain Qin Boqing, he invited Qin Boqing to the upper hall in the front yard for tea. The Third, Fourth and Fifth Masters of the mansion accompanied him. The Second Master had gone out for something, and the guests who usually chatted with him also accompanied them and talked. They were all well-informed and knowledgeable scholars. The host and the guest had a very pleasant conversation. If Qin Boqing had not been in a hurry to leave, they would have waited for the banquet to be set up and talked all night.
Several gentlemen tried to persuade Qin Boqing to stay and reluctantly sent him out of the mansion. Baoju came to invite him in early, saying that more than 20 soldiers were waiting outside. Qin Boqing was treated well and finally got the respect he deserved in his brother-in-law's house. He felt good and couldn't hide his smile. His face was flushed, and he left the Xu Mansion in a good mood. Baoju helped him get into the carriage, and the soldiers on horseback surrounded him and left quickly.
There was also Xu Junying's personal attendant named Bai Zhan, who came to see Mei Niang and said that Lord Hou had asked him to escort his mother-in-law back to the Qin residence and to bring people to help clean and tidy up the house. Mei Niang did not think much about it and was eager to have someone do things for her mother. There were two little girls in their teens who came back from Yuezhou with Madam Qin. Mei Niang was afraid that they would cause trouble, so she asked Mother Wang to accompany Madam Qin back. Before leaving, she took out the largest and best old ginseng, cut it into four parts, wrapped them in red silk, and gave two parts to Madam Qin, asking her to take it back to nourish her brother and mother.
Leave two portions and one for myself. This body is still a little weak. Wouldn’t it be stupid not to replenish it with ginseng
The other one is for Ning Rulan. I always feel like I owe her a favor, and it's only by giving and taking that I can show my sincerity.
Mother Wang said that a thin slice of this old ginseng can be as effective as an ordinary ginseng, and it is enough for a winter tonic. (To be continued)