"Then don't be anxious, take your time." Mingyu advised softly.
Sima Hong shook his head and put on a smiling face. He didn't want to continue this topic. He served Mingyu a bowl of rice porridge. His wife was still pregnant, so how could she still worry about his affairs
The two of them finished their simple dinner and then sat down at the table. Sima Hong originally wanted to write a letter to his mother asking her to pack her luggage and come over, but Mingyu thought about it and felt that it would be better for her to ask herself so as to appear more sincere.
To be honest, Mingyu didn't want another person to enter her and Sima Hong's life. It would be great if the couple could live freely. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are absolute natural enemies, especially her mother-in-law is not easy to serve. Mingyu considered this problem when she married to the northwest. In the current environment, Miao only has Sima Hong as her son, and it is impossible for her to live in the capital forever. She also understands this truth, but she is just dragging it out for one day at a time. However, think about Miao being alone in the capital, and how uncomfortable she must feel when her only son gets married and throws her aside. Mingyu herself is going to be a mother, and if she gives birth to a son in the future and forgets his mother after getting married, she will definitely want to stuff the ungrateful son back into her stomach.
Now that she was pregnant, she felt uncomfortable standing in the sun for too long. There were more and more things to do in the mansion every day, so she needed someone who was trustworthy and had a commanding status to look after her at home. When she gave birth in the future, there would also be an elder to take care of her.
The two discussed and wrote the letter under the light. Sima Hong was so happy that he didn't know what to say. Looking at Mingyu, who was gentle and lovely under the candlelight, holding her in his arms, he couldn't help but kissing her neck back and forth, calling vaguely: "Mingyu, my wife, my good wife!" He thought to himself that he was really blessed. He didn't know how many years he had cultivated in his previous life to have a caring wife like Mingyu.
How many of those rich ladies are good? How many are willing to live a hard life with him here? How many are willing to think about him wholeheartedly
Mingyu blushed a little. She never expected that such a simple thing could make Sima Hong so happy. She secretly made up her mind to wait for Miao to come and respect and coax her no matter what.
"Alright, alright." Mingyu smiled and pushed Sima Hong away. He still smelled of alcohol from lunch. She waved her hand and said with a smile, "I'll ask the maids to boil some water. You go take a shower. You smell of alcohol."
Sima Hong was in an extremely good mood. He looked at Mingyu and thought she was perfect in every way. He didn't want to leave her for a moment. He hugged Mingyu tightly, touching her bulging belly with one hand and supporting her back with the other. He still buried his head in Mingyu's neck and muttered in an unhappy tone, "Do you think I smell bad?"
The stubble on his chin pricked Mingyu's neck and made her feel itchy. Mingyu smiled and pushed his head away, "How dare I? General!"
Sima Hong chuckled, hugged Mingyu and kissed her for a while before letting her go.
After Mingyu left, he heard his wife's clear voice in the room, "Sister Liu, go and boil some water, the Marquis wants to take a bath." There was a response from the other side, and after waiting for a while, Mingyu smiled and said, "Don't make the water too hot, just warm. He drank alcohol and can't take a bath in hot water."
Mrs. Liu's laughter also became clearer, and she said with a smile: "Madam is so thoughtful!"
Then Sima Hong heard Mingyu's light footsteps gradually fading away, but he no longer heard Mingyu's voice. Although he couldn't see Mingyu at this time, he could guess her expression. It must be a blush of shyness after being teased, like a well-behaved kitten, beautiful and moving.
Sima Hong sent the letter the next day. Miao was a widow living alone in the capital, and he had long been looking forward to taking his mother to live with him, so he specially sent someone to deliver the letter to the capital day and night.
Mingyu was also busy. She discussed with Sima Hong for a long time. According to their memory of Miao's room, she asked a carpenter to make the original furniture to decorate Miao's yard. She felt that since they had welcomed someone, Miao would definitely live with them for the rest of her life. They should be sincere to each other and get along well with each other. They could no longer live a messy life like before.
It was already October 15th when Miao received the letter in the capital. She was not surprised to go back to Tianshui. How could she abandon her widowed mother when her son got married? She was just surprised that it was Mingyu, not her son, who wrote to ask her to go back. The tone was sincere and respectful. After reading the letter, she didn't know what to say for a moment. When she came to her senses, she found that Nanny Wei was holding a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
"This is a good thing. Madam and the Marquis miss you and want to honor you! You are so happy that you don't even have time to cry!" Nanny Wei advised with a smile, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
Miao was so moved that her tears flowed down her cheeks. She was still a proud noblewoman at heart. She felt a little embarrassed to shed tears just now. She put on airs and nodded slightly, pretending to be serious. She said, "The Xu family has raised the girl well. She is not confused about the big things."
Nanny Wei looked at her and smiled without saying a word. No matter how high her dignity was, she couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth, revealing the happiness and relief in Miao's heart.
Miao first wrote back to her daughter-in-law and calculated the dates. In November, the northwest would be so cold that water would freeze into ice. By the twelfth month, it would be so cold that people's noses could be frozen off. She had to reach Tianshui before the twelfth month so as not to miss a reunion with her son and daughter-in-law.
People are in high spirits when good things happen. Miao used to stay at home and was in a low spirit. On weekdays, apart from going to the temple to burn incense and pray for her deceased relatives, she did not interact with other people. Now that she received the letter to go home, she became radiant and her voice became louder.
"Tourmaline!" Miao shouted, her voice full of joy, "Take my invitation to my in-laws' house and tell them that we are going back to Tianshui. Ask them if they have anything to bring to Madam, and we will take it with us!"
Bixi responded with a smile and walked out briskly. Before leaving, she quietly wiped the water from the corners of her eyes.
"Old Wei, hurry up and pack the boxes. Throw the heavy ones that are difficult to carry here. When Baoger brings Mingyu back to the capital to visit his in-laws, keep them for them to use!" Miao stood at the door and gave orders.
The house was bestowed by the emperor. Unless Sima committed a serious mistake, such as suddenly becoming depressed and wanting to rebel, it will not be taken back easily. At present, this possibility is very small. However, because it is a house bestowed by the emperor, even if they no longer live here, the house cannot be sold or rented out, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the emperor.
Miao thought about it, patted her thigh, and called Sima Wu, who was on crutches, over. With red eyes, she said in a deep voice: "Go buy a few good coffins, move out the coffins of the old lady, Aqing and Yang Ge'er, and we'll take them home!" They are from Tianshui, and the Sima family temple and ancestral tombs are all in Tianshui. There is no reason to bury them in a foreign land.
The old lady and her family had passed away many years ago, and the coffins buried in the ground might have decayed a long time ago, unable to withstand the long journey westward. It was necessary to change the coffins, but good wood was hard to come by. The coffins of the masters of the wealthy families were prepared early in the morning, otherwise it would be difficult to buy good coffins. Sima Wu thought for a while and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to buy a good one in a hurry..."
Miao shook her head, "Just buy whatever you can. Even if we have to ask Baoger to find a good replacement when we get to Tianshui, it's important to hurry. If we miss this month, we can only wait until next spring." She couldn't wait any longer. She was so anxious that she wished she could grow wings and fly to her son. She had been alone for long enough.
Sima Wu took the order and left. Miao had almost finished her instructions, so she sat down to take a breath and think about whether she had forgotten anything. When she closed her eyes to rest, she suddenly thought of something and was startled. She stood up from the couch, clenched her handkerchief and gritted her teeth and said, "I was so happy that I forgot something very important!" After that, she walked out of the room and shouted loudly, "Madam Tan, come here and follow me out for a while!"
The carriage of the Marquis' Mansion went all the way to the Luo Mansion. The Luo Mansion is now not as good as before. Luo Lingxiu is a family disgrace for both families. Neither family would publicize it to the outside world, but outsiders could also see that if Luo Lingxiu was a well-behaved daughter-in-law, how could Miao, who was both her mother-in-law and aunt, be so cruel to her and never visited her once after sending her to the nunnery.
Luo Lingxian still hasn't found her husband yet, which is more or less influenced by Luo Lingxiu. Lord Luo's career is not going well. He only got a middle grade in the evaluation last year. He is lucky not to be demoted. Luo Lingguan is a playboy and a good-for-nothing. The Luo family is much more honest now than before.
Because of Luo Lingxiu's incident, Mrs. Luo and Miao have severed their sisterly relationship. In Mrs. Luo's eyes, Miao is almost her enemy. It is not easy for her to suppress her anger and let Miao in to talk.
Miao was not so polite. Her son was the Marquis of Anxi, a third-rank general with distinguished military achievements. She was no longer the impoverished wife of the marquis who had fled back to the capital in a panic.
"Second sister, we are going back to Tianshui." Miao said in a normal tone with a cold expression. She looked at Mrs. Luo and continued, "Although Yang Ge'er is gone, Lingxiu is still my daughter-in-law. She is my Sima family's person in life and my Sima family's ghost in death. Now we are all going home, and there is no reason to leave her alone in the capital. Our Sima family also has a family temple in Tianshui. She is a chaste and heroic woman of our Sima family. Even if she is not destined to be with Yang Ge'er and has no children, for her chastity, Bao Ge'er's descendants will have to burn incense for her when they worship their ancestors in the future."
Mrs. Luo's lips trembled as she sneered, "You guys forced my daughter into a nunnery. You tortured her to the point where she looked like neither a human nor a ghost. No matter how big her mistake was, it has been offset. Now she's hanging on by a thread, all because she still misses an old woman like me. Now you're still not satisfied and want to force her to death!"