Mingyu was so anxious that she was like a headless fly. However, she stood at the gate of the yard and couldn't run anywhere. However, as soon as she took a step, she was stopped by Fu Lemei.
"Don't be afraid!" Fu Lemei whispered, and pulled Mingyu to the ear room in the yard. Judging from the furnishings, it seemed to be the room where the maids and old women who served Yang Honglan lived.
After closing the door of the ear room, Mingyu's heart gradually settled down and she let out a breath. She couldn't tell why, but the moment she saw Miao, she remembered what she had heard a few days ago about Sima Hong going to marry Deng Zhenzhu, and subconsciously, she wanted to avoid Miao.
Through the half-open door of the ear room, one can see Miao slowly walking to the gate of the courtyard. Miao outside the door looks in good spirits, and there is even a hint of joy on her slightly old face. She is wearing bright blue satin with dark patterns and a moon-white pleated embroidered skirt. Compared to the haggard Miao seen in those days, she now seems to have walked out of the shadows and regained her spirits.
Miao never dreamed that someone would peek at the bride in her boudoir while she was chatting and congratulating Yang.
"This is Sima Hong's mother..." Fu Lemei stared at Miao outside the door without blinking, and said with a smile: "She is not very vicious! My mother said that she played with her a few times before she got married. At that time, the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion had not yet married to the Tianshui Marquis' Mansion. My mother said that she had a bad temper and was very strong and proud. Among the sisters of the Miao family, she was the most stubborn."
Mingyu made a shushing gesture to her and whispered into Fu Lemei's ear, "People change. She's old and has been through so many things. I heard from Miss Sima last time that the Madam is very kind now, and treats her and the servants well."
Speaking of Sima Lian, Fu Lemei sighed and murmured, "I don't know what Sima Lian is like. I haven't even met her! Just don't have the same temper as the old lady in the Marquis' Mansion when she was young."
"You and your mother have never met Sima Lian?" Mingyu was stunned. "How come you decided to get married without even meeting her?"
Fu Lemei nodded and said, "When the engagement was made, the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion and Miss Sima were still in mourning and could not go out. My mother was not very happy about this marriage and never visited the Marquis' Mansion. My father and my second uncle met Sima Lian when they went to pay homage to the old Marquis and Sima Xi. They came back and said that Sima Lian was a beautiful girl who was well-behaved and sensible."
Mingyu smiled secretly in her heart. Before marriage, the husband's family was worried that the future daughter-in-law would be bad, and the daughter-in-law was worried that the future husband's family would be bad. A blind marriage was really a sweet melancholy.
At this time, the voice of the maid outside rang again, "Grandma, the wife of Duke Deng is here to add makeup to the second young lady!"
Mingyu's heart tightened and she quickly turned her head to look outside.
Miao's smile immediately deepened, and she turned to look at the stone road she had walked on when she came here, full of nervousness and anticipation. Mingyu thought that Madam Xu had the same look on her face when she greeted Madam Zhou and Zhou Qi.
The wife of Duke Deng's hair had turned white, but she was in good spirits. She was leaning on a cane, without the help of a maid, and her eyes were bright. When she entered the yard, she even glanced in the direction of the ear room intentionally or unintentionally, which frightened Mingyu so much that she took a step back, thinking she had been discovered by her. There was also a little girl following behind the wife of Duke Deng. She was wearing a lake green silk skirt, a white and delicate face, a gold necklace inlaid with diamonds hanging around her neck, and emerald earrings on her ears, which swayed slightly with her brisk steps, and matched her white and tender ears, making her look particularly beautiful.
"Hey, Deng Zhenzhu is here too!" Fu Lemei exclaimed in surprise, and then complained, "She is so hard to serve. She always thinks her family is the most noble and everyone is inferior to her. She is so annoying at such a young age!"
Mingyu was not in the mood to listen to Fu Lemei. She glanced at Fu Lemei, who had already turned around and found an embroidered cushion to sit down. Then she looked outside the door and saw Miao had already stood with Old Lady Deng. She supported Old Lady Deng while talking to her affectionately, turning her head from time to time to look at Deng Zhenzhu. She said a few words to Old Lady Deng with a smile on her face. The two of them laughed at the same time, while Deng Zhenzhu lowered her head with a shy blushing face.
Without listening, Mingyu could probably guess what Miao was saying. She must be praising Deng Zhenzhu for being so great.
Yang was still greeting other female guests who came to congratulate her. She caught a glimpse of what was happening with Old Lady Deng. How could she not guess that she had made an appointment to come to see a daughter-in-law under the pretext of helping Yang Honglan with her dowry? Otherwise, the old lady of the Anxi Marquis's mansion was notorious for staying at home and had little contact with the Yang family. How could she come to help Honglan with her dowry for no reason
Seeing that the atmosphere between Mrs. Deng and Miao was as good as that between mother and daughter, it was known that both parties were satisfied with this marriage. However, Yang couldn't help but think of Mingyu hiding in the servants' room, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. It was such a pity to lose such a pretty and well-behaved girl.
However, Yang, who was well versed in the ways of the world and had a heart as delicate as crystal, did not say anything. Old Lady Deng was the most senior and had the most honorable status. Yang sent Old Lady Deng and Deng Zhenzhu to the gate of the courtyard and asked the nanny to send Old Lady Deng and Deng Zhenzhu to the front yard.
When Yang came back, Miao smiled and said goodbye to Yang. Yang politely asked her to stay for the banquet and eat the wedding wine before leaving. Miao declined. Seeing that she was insistent, Yang did not force her to stay. Before leaving, Mingyu could see the cheerful smile on Miao's face, full of joy from the bottom of her heart.
Seeing Miao leave, Mingyu and Fu Lemei came out of the side room, smiled and said goodbye to Yang, and prepared to go back. The sun was almost at its zenith, and the sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums for the wedding party had already come from afar. In a little while, the groom would come to pick up the bride.
Fu Lemei still wanted to see the Zheng Xiaoliu she had mentioned pick up the bride, but Mingyu smiled and said, "Then you stay here first. I have something else to do at home, so I'll leave first."
"Ah? Can't I wait a little longer?" Fu Lemei muttered to herself. Finally, she thought that if she followed Mingyu, she might even run into Xu Mingye when she went to her house, so she decided to go with Mingyu.
Yang looked at Mingyu with a smile, feeling very sorry. The little girl was a few months younger than Fu Lemei. However, looking at her behavior, she knew that she was a divorced woman and acted sensibly, steadily and appropriately. She also followed the etiquette and did not want to embarrass her, the host, on such a happy day.
What a pity, Yang couldn't help sighing again. If Mingyu was an innocent girl, she would have wanted to introduce her to her brothers and uncles in the Fu family. What a pity. If a man divorces, he can still marry a beautiful wife, but if a woman divorces, her fate is unpredictable.
When the carriage arrived at the Xu family's gate, Mingyu smiled and said, "Do you have any other plans today? If you are not busy, come to my house for lunch before leaving."
Fu Lemei was waiting for Mingyu to say this, and nodded with a smile, "Okay, I have nothing else to do today. My parents have gone to the Zheng family for a banquet. There's no one at home, and I don't want to go back."
However, Mingyu forgot one thing, today was Xu Mingye's day off. Mrs. Xu went to Xu's to look after the business with Liu's mother, and only Xu Mingye, Dongyuan and Lixiang were at home. When Fu Lemei saw Xu Mingye, she blushed as usual and called him brother Xu enthusiastically.
Lixiang heard that the two young ladies had not eaten lunch yet, so she quickly went to the kitchen to cook and served them. After finishing the meal, Mingyu thought about it and decided to make things clear with Fu Lemei. Fu Lemei had always been good to her, and Xu Mingye had already proposed to someone else. She couldn't let this girl fall into Xu Mingye's trap. She had to wait until the end to find out that it was just a dream before. She had experienced this feeling twice and it was unbearable.
Mingyu gave a general account of the matter hesitantly. She did not say that Xu Mingye and Zhou Qi had already settled down. She only said that Mrs. Xu had already started looking for a wife for Xu Mingye, and had found a girl a few days ago, and her mother was very satisfied.
When Fu Lemei first heard that Madam Xu was going to find a wife for Xu Mingye, she blushed and looked shy. However, when she heard the end, she could no longer laugh. The color drained from her face. She opened her mouth but didn't say anything to Duo Mingyu.
Mingyu was just about to say something else to change the subject when she saw the girl suddenly turn around and run out.
Xu Mingye was sitting under a tree in the yard reading a book. He was wearing a half-worn thin blue robe, with his snow-white undershirt visible at the collar. His black hair was tied up on top of his head. The sunlight shone on his body through the gaps in the leaves, making him look indescribably handsome and elegant.
When Mingyu chased after her, she saw Fu Lemei running to Xu Mingye. She didn't dare to go any closer. From a distance, she saw Fu Lemei seemed to ask Xu Mingye a few questions. She couldn't hear how Xu Mingye answered. Then she saw Fu Lemei walking towards her with a handkerchief covering her face. Mingyu couldn't see Xu Mingye's expression clearly in the sunlight. She only saw him glance at Fu Lemei's departing back, rolled up the book in his hand, and turned away.
When Fu Lemei passed by Mingyu, her eyes were full of water and her nose was red. She tried her best to look like nothing had happened. When the two were alone, Fu Lemei hugged Mingyu and said in a very depressed mood: "Hey, I understand how you felt when you found out that Sima Hong was going to get married!"
Mingyu's thoughts on comforting Fu Lemei instantly flew thousands of miles away. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Hey, girl, our situations are completely different. There's no comparison!
After seeing Fu Lemei off, Mingyu returned to her room alone, took out the jade ruyi from under her pillow, smiled wistfully, put the jade ruyi in the wooden box under the bed, put it together with the bracelet given by Sima Hong's grandmother, and locked the wooden box again. The jade ruyi was a gift from the queen, so she couldn't throw it away, so she had to put it away.
As for the starling, Mingyu was afraid that it would bark, so she covered it with a black cloth and threw it into Mrs. Xu's room as soon as Fu Lemei entered the house. At this time, Mingyu took the cage to the yard, uncovered the black cloth, and opened the cage door.
The starling stared with its small black eyes, tilted its head and looked again and again, then tentatively jumped a few steps, jumped out of the cage, stretched its wings, and flew out suddenly.