Bai Jingyu thought that Lian Jie'er caught a cold yesterday, so he didn't let her come today. He left Xiangxue and the wet nurse in the room to look after her. Seeing that Mei Niang had told them to take good care of the children and had no appetite, he didn't explain much, but just stood up, said "Enjoy your meal", and left in a hurry.
Mei Niang was eating, she just glanced at her and nodded. Rulan, Gan and Fang hurriedly stood up to see her off. Bai Jingyu walked very fast, so they had to stop and sit back at the table to eat some food. From time to time, they turned around to look at the situation at each table. They had to wait until everyone had eaten and drunk well and the banquet was over before they, the grandchildren's wives, could relax.
Normally, you are allowed to have a host of servants and be worth millions of dollars, but you never have to do housework. But during the New Year holidays, when the clan elders get together, you, as a daughter-in-law, are required to serve them in person with sincerity. These rules of the big family are followed and practiced by everyone from the old lady to the wives.
Bai Jingyu led Huang Mama, Xiangyun and Xianglian to walk in the corridor. Bai Jingyu suddenly stopped and told Xianglian: "Go find someone close to Master and tell him to take good care of Master and make sure he doesn't get drunk. Go back as soon as you can. My sister has caught a cold and is feeling very uncomfortable!"
Xianglian went and quickly ran back: "Grandpa has already left!"
Bai Jingyu said, "Did you look carefully? He left after only three rounds of drinks?"
"I have checked and also asked Bai Zhan who was beside the master. The second master is gone, and he took the people with him!"
Bai Jingyu thought for a moment: "At this time, on New Year's Eve, everyone is just at the banquet, what urgent things could he have to do? Ignore him, go back quickly!"
When they returned to Huifang Courtyard, the gate was ajar. Xianglian pushed the door open and went in. A maid ran over in a hurry. When she saw Bai Jingyu, she almost stumbled and said with her head bowed:
"Grandma is back! I went to the bathroom to turn on the fire, but I didn't watch the door, so I just left it closed..."
Huang's mother said, "Why are you the only one here? Where are those people? There's no light in the yard. Do you want to trip me up?"
Bai Jingyu went straight to the upper room, and the old woman followed him and whispered, "The master is back! He brought some wine and food for them to eat in the lower room. The master and Xiangxue..."
Bai Jingyu's eyes widened: "Where's my sister?"
The old woman lowered her head and said, "Xiangxue coaxed my sister to sleep early, and the nurse stayed with her in the upper room."
Bai Jingyu's eyes were blazing with fire. She swung her sleeves and headed for the small side room on the right. Huang's mother hurriedly caught up with her and advised, "Grandma... Grandma has to give Master Gu's face!"
Bai Jingyu pushed Huang Mama aside and ran over to the door of Xiangxue's small room. He paused. A dim light shone through the paper-covered window panes. Xu Junlang laughed happily and spoke in a gentle tone. Every word was like a sharp knife piercing Bai Jingyu's heart:
"Silly girl, if I don't come quickly in the next few days, are you going to keep it a secret? It's been two months, how long can you keep it a secret? I will love and care for my own flesh and blood, and will never let anyone harm them again! Look at Xiangrui, she gave birth to Wei Ge'er, and when the full moon comes, the Second Madam will raise her to the status of concubine... People with your temperament, gentle and weak, who endure everything without arguing or making a fuss, are the ones that make me love them the most... No matter whether you have a boy or a girl this time, I will never treat you unfairly! Don't worry, I'll be there for grandma."
Xiang Xue moaned softly, and said in a gentle voice with deep satisfaction: "Master! Master, you treat me like this. For you, I will die without regrets!"
Bai Jingyu was trembling all over, tears streaming down her face. She pushed the door with all her strength, but the door was not locked, so it opened immediately. Bai Jingyu could not hold back and rushed in. The room was narrow, so she rushed a few steps and her head hit the wall opposite. She stroked her forehead and turned to look at the two people sitting on the bed on the side. Xu Junlang, who was wearing a royal blue robe, and Xiangxue, who was wearing a light green jacket, were hugging each other tightly. Xu Junlang had one hand on Xiangxue's lower abdomen...
When she was pregnant with Meilian, Xu Junlang also caressed her belly affectionately!
Bai Jingyu let out a shout and grabbed Xiangxue's face with his pointed fingers.
Her sudden appearance had already startled Xu Junlang, and now he was even more on guard. He reached out and grabbed her, saying repeatedly:
"Jingyu, listen to me!"
Bai Jingyu was so angry that she used a lot of brute force. She struggled and screamed. Xu Junlang had to stand up and wanted to hold her in his arms. Bai Jingyu's upper body was held by him, but her feet were idle. He raised his leg and kicked Xiangxue, but fortunately it was her knee and not her abdomen. Xiangxue protected her stomach with both hands and screamed. Xu Junlang was anxious and angry, and pushed Bai Jingyu out with force. Bai Jingyu's head, which was already a little dizzy, hit the wall again. This time she could no longer hold on. She slowly fell to the ground and closed her eyes.
Xiangyun and Xianglian rushed over, kneeling on one side and crying. Xu Junlang stepped forward, pushed the two maids aside, picked up Bai Jingyu, stared at the frightened Huang Mama and asked:
"What's going on? Shouldn't Grandma be in the flower hall looking after the New Year banquet right now? You came back without telling me and didn't stop me, you stupid servant!"
He turned around to look at Xiangxue, whose face was pale, and said, "Stay in your room and rest. Don't go anywhere. Wait for me to make arrangements!"
He carried Bai Jingyu out, warning Xianglian, Xiangyun and Huang Mama who were following closely behind him: "This matter ends here, don't let it spread. If the madam asks, just say that I'm not feeling well. I walked around at the New Year banquet and fainted from exhaustion!"
In the flower hall, the New Year's Eve dinner was finally finished, and the clan members were sent away. Mei Niang secretly glanced at Heng'er, but was discovered by him. However, she could not hold him, so Heng'er started crying. Madam Zheng hurriedly apologized to the old lady, saying that Heng'er was sleepy and she should take him back to sleep. Madam Gui also said that the eldest sister had caught a cold and she had to go see her. She also had to take care of Wei'er, and she seemed to be more anxious than Madam Zheng. The old lady talked to several elders in the clan for a long time, and she also felt sleepy and tired. She waved her hand and asked them to leave quickly. She took Zhuang Yulan and the girls away. Mei Niang sent them out of the flower hall, watched them walk through the corridor, turned the corner and disappeared, then came back, found a place to relax and sit down, and talked with Rulan, Gan and Fang. Rulan smiled and said to Mei Niang:
"We have prepared a New Year's Eve dinner at our house. After the first day of the new year, each family in the clan will start inviting people to drink New Year's wine. In previous years, the old lady and the mistress always went to several banquets. I don't know if they will go this year, but the men have to take turns to go. This year, Master Hou is at home, so I think they can't miss any of them. The eldest sister-in-law has to be prepared. Sometimes he comes back drunk, and he has to be served with sobering soup. Master San got drunk several times last year."
Gan smiled and said, "The Fourth Master is better. He got drunk once and had to be carried back by his entourage."
Fang said: "Fifth Master was able to walk back by himself, but he slept all day."
As they were talking and laughing, suddenly Madam Gui came with a few maids around her. She pointed at Mei Niang with a trembling finger and said,
"How could you be so cruel? Can't sisters-in-law understand and respect each other? Jingyu just recovered from her illness, and her body hasn't recovered yet. It's good enough that she can hold on to the banquet to meet the clan members. But you asked her to run around and perform all the etiquette. Now she fainted on the bed after returning home, and she is unconscious. The eldest sister also had a cold and was crying non-stop with a fever. Do you feel better?"
Mei Niang was confused by her scolding. She turned to look at Rulan. Rulan, Gan and Fang were also confused. Gan and Fang did not dare to ask. Rulan stood up and just called "mother" when the second wife glared at her: "Shut up! It's none of your business! What are you always hanging around here for? And you, from the fifth wife's family, go see Jingyu when you have time. She is busy serving people in the flower hall. She is so tired that she has fallen ill again. She fainted and hasn't woken up yet. That is your real sister-in-law! You are fawning on the wrong person. She smiles at you openly, but secretly plots to squeeze your closest brothers. You are still in the dark and are willing to be used by others!"
Rulan's face turned pale, Fang lowered her head and dared not say anything. Mei Niang understood this time that the Second Madam was blaming her for letting Bai Jingyu do the thing and was looking for trouble with her!
Living again in this mansion, she hated Zheng Meiyu first, and Zhuang Yulan second, shameless women who waited to marry other people's husbands. She looked down on them from the bottom of her heart. The third was Bai Jingyu, who looked down on her because she came from a humble family, and yet she was made the eldest grandmother. Cuisi said that on weekdays, when the eldest grandmother and the second grandmother met on the narrow road in the garden, the eldest grandmother would always greet and give way first, while the second grandmother not only failed to show courtesy, but also always rolled her eyes at the eldest grandmother. She didn't hate the second grandmother, but she didn't like her. The second grandmother had a pair of narrow eyes, and she always looked at her sideways. When she greeted her, she only got a "hmm" in her nose in response. Mei Niang is not a person who likes to stir up trouble, especially now, she is in charge of the household, has debts on her hands, and has to please several leaders in the family and maintain peace and happiness in the mansion. A harmonious family is the key to success is her current priority, but the Second Wife is so aggressive that she pointed her finger at her face and scolded her in front of the old women and servants, as if she was scolding a maid in her yard, and said that she was cruel, disrespectful to her sisters-in-law, and scheming to squeeze out her brothers. This involves a character issue.
If it were the Qin Meiniang of the past, she would probably just lower her head, shed a few tears, let the Second Madam scold her enough, and then beg for forgiveness from her.
Mei Niang couldn't swallow this anger no matter what. Do you want to bully people for the rest of your life? Damn it, if the Second Madam gets her way again today and becomes more powerful, then she, Cen Meimei, will be the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest house in this mansion and the honorable wife of Weiyuan Hou for nothing!
She quickly made a rough calculation in her mind: If I offend Xu Junying's elders, will he immediately kick me out? He probably won't be able to marry a new wife within three to five months. There is Madam Zheng. Although she is a stepmother, she gave Xu Junying some sweet things when he was a child. Xu Junying is filial and respectful to Madam Zheng. The mother-son relationship is unquestionable. Madam Zheng has always ignored the second wife. The second wife scolded the first wife's wife to protect her precious daughter-in-law. Heng'er is still in the hands of the first wife. How can she not protect her own daughter-in-law
Having made up her mind, Mei Niang stood up with the help of the table. Seeing this, Gan Shi hurriedly approached her, tugged at her sleeve and whispered:
"Today is the New Year's Day. The eldest lady and the second wife can say a few nice words, give a gift, and then it's over!"
How could it be so cheap? Mei Niang shook off Gan's hand, walked to the second wife, looked straight into her eyes, and said coldly:
"Is this how the Second Madam usually teaches the daughters-in-law? Who is the proper sister-in-law? Did everyone around you hear it? The Second Madam said: Xu Junying and Xu Junlang are not proper brothers. This is the first time I heard it! It's a pity that the old lady, the Second Master, and the master are not here! Would the Second Madam be willing to go with me to ask the Second Master how to worship the ancestors on the first day of the Lunar New Year tomorrow? Should Xu Junying and Xu Junlang worship the ancestors together, or separately?"
"You!" The second wife stared at her, her eyes unable to move. "Who told you about ancestor worship? How dare you treat your elders like this! It's ok that you were not well educated in your parents' home, but you've been married for so long and have given birth to a child, but you still don't want to be educated!"
Mei Niang took a step forward and stared at the Second Madam: "I am not a proper sister-in-law, but you have become my elder now? How can I not learn from you? What did the Second Madam teach me? Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, looking down on others, your precious daughter-in-law Bai Jingyu's character, the Second Madam wants to teach me, I really don't dare to learn! If the old lady, the second master, the Hou master, and the first wife were here, would you dare to say what you said just now? Bullying my kindness and weakness, how dare you look down on my Qin family! Although I came back from a serious illness, I don't remember some of the past, but this time when I went back to my mother's house, my mother taught me again, let me Let me tell you: my Qin family, from my father to my great-grandfather, has held an official rank of at least the fifth rank. Although my mother's family has fallen into decline, it is a real official family, a clean direct descendant! Your wife Bai Jingyu is actually a merchant's daughter, and your Gui family is even more chaotic. I have heard about why your grandfather lost his official position after three years of mourning, and whether the second wife is a legitimate daughter! The Gui family has a lot of ancestral property, and my Qin family doesn't have much ancestral property, but my mother's family doesn't need my help. What about the second wife? Every time she comes home, she brings three or five cars. What are they filled with?"
"Hello, hello!"
The Second Wife's face turned pale, she was so angry that she was about to give birth to a Buddha and ascend to heaven. The hand she was pointing at Mei Niang was shaking so much that it was almost cramped. She had never expected that Qin Mei Niang, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xu family, who was so delicate and weak before, with her brows lowered and her voice trembling when she spoke, and who allowed her and her daughter-in-law Bai Jingyu to make fun of, despise and hate her to the extreme, would become so powerful!
She had been taking advantage of her because she was younger than her and thought she dared not contradict her, so she took advantage of the fact that the old lady, the first wife, the second master, and the marquis were all gone, and used Bai Jingyu's fainting as an excuse to criticize her harshly, venting her resentment caused by her ignoring the birth of the second wife and not allowing her to wear red and colorful clothes. But she got scolded back by her, with a long string of sharp words, and the second wife didn't even have a chance to refute.
Rulan couldn't bear to see her mother-in-law lose face, so she advised: "Say less, the servants are all here!"
Mei Niang snorted coldly: "What are the servants afraid of? They should be afraid of the old lady, the second master and the mistress hearing it! Who else wants to vent their dissatisfaction with me and make unwarranted accusations? Come on, I'm free now, and the adults are not around. You can curse each other, but after tonight, everything will be new and nothing will happen after tomorrow!"
Mrs. Zhao, who was beside the Second Madam, kept smoothing her chest and whispered something in her ear. The Second Madam let out a long breath and snorted:
"Just wait, I don't believe I can't control you, this unvirtuous and unfilial daughter-in-law!"
She turned around and left in a hurry, stepped out of the flower hall, but turned back again: "I'm telling you: my mother is the legal wife who was arranged by three matchmakers and six betrothals, and I'm the legitimate daughter. Don't listen to people's gossip!"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "Who said you are not a legitimate daughter? I just mentioned it casually, why do you care so much?"
The second wife was so angry that her eyes were about to pop out. She glared at her for a long time and then left. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)