Mingyu had no idea what a complicated, tortuous and touching psychological journey Miao had gone through from the time she entered the city to the time she entered her home. She just felt uncomfortable. After being Miao's daughter-in-law for such a long time, this was the first time she was treated like a national treasure by her. She wished she could even walk the way for her, for fear of scaring the little grandson in her belly.
Sima Hong walked behind in silence. He had originally planned to tell Miao when the child was three months old, but when the child was three months old, Miao had already left for Tianshui and could not receive his letter, so he did not tell her. He did not expect his mother to react so strongly.
Mingyu first led Miao to the main hall of the marquis's mansion. The maids had already placed a charcoal brazier in the main hall, so the room was warm. However, since it was her first time in the marquis's mansion and Mingyu was pregnant, the decoration work was put aside. In the huge main hall, there were only a few porcelain vases and jades on the antique shelves, and it was not known whether they were real or not. No one knew who created the calligraphy and paintings on the wall, and they were probably not from famous artists.
After a round of inspection, Miao's heart became more and more inflated. She secretly said to herself that she had to come out and take charge of the Marquis' Mansion. Mingyu came from a small family and couldn't even decorate a hall. Fortunately, she came, otherwise the Anxi Marquis' Mansion would be a joke...
Mingyu stood by, and Sister Liu brought some hot tea. Mingyu served the tea with both hands and said with a smile, "Mother, you've been tired from the journey, drink some hot tea to warm yourself up."
Miao did not refuse and took Mingyu's tea while sitting upright. She glanced at the wooden beads engraved with Sanskrit on Mingyu's left wrist. The beads were round and dark in color, and it was obvious that they were often worn and rubbed.
"I remember you don't believe in Buddhism, so why are you wearing Buddhist beads?" Miao asked with a smile.
Mingyu looked at the Buddhist beads in her hand. They were given to her when she went to listen to the abbot's lecture a few days ago. The abbot heard that she was pregnant and stuffed them into her hand. He said that wearing them for many years would have some spiritual power and could keep her safe. Mingyu didn't believe it at first, but she couldn't resist the abbot's kindness and took them in her hand. However, she couldn't tell the truth to Miao, because Miao believed in Buddhism very much.
Mingyu smiled and said, "It's for praying for the safety of my husband and the child."
Miao felt much more satisfied. She looked at Mingyu in front of her. She was wearing a thick lake blue cross-collared robe with a circle pattern on the edge. Her black hair was tied up with a golden hairpin. Her face was fair and tender, but without the swelling and yellow spots commonly seen in pregnant women. Upon closer inspection, she found that her skin was so tender that it could be pinched to produce water, and she didn't even wear powder.
After all, she is young, Miao sighed, not even sixteen years old, but she is already the wife of the Marquis's Mansion. Looking at the whole of Da Chu, she is probably the first one to have such an honor at such a young age. But Miao couldn't be happy when she thought that Mingyu's honor was based on the early death of her husband and eldest son. However, when she thought of the Buddhist beads that Mingyu wore on her hand just now, she was still thoughtful. Although she came from a small family and her behavior was not a bit grand, she understood the general principles.
After Miao had rested, Mingyu and Sima Hong took her to the courtyard that was specially decorated for her. Most of the furnishings were created by Sima Hong based on his memories, trying to make it look the same as before.
As soon as Miao entered the main gate, she was stunned. She almost lost her composure and took a few quick steps to look carefully inside and outside the house. Finally, she looked at Sima Hong and Mingyu and nodded, and said with red eyes, "You are thoughtful."
Matron Wei immediately chimed in, "Look, old lady, these boxes and cabinets are all made of huanghuali wood. You wouldn't be able to buy them in Tianshui without spending a lot of effort! The Marquis and his wife are so generous and filial to you!" Although the boxes and cabinets on the ground are the same style and paint color as the Miao family used to, the wood grain is clear and smooth, and it feels warm and textured to the touch. Huanghuali wood is rare in the northwest. Rich families would have one or two pieces of huanghuali furniture and hide them away as heirlooms. But no one would be as generous as the Marquis to the old lady and fill the whole room with huanghuali furniture.
Miao had a smile on her face. She was so satisfied with her son's filial piety that she almost flew away. However, she couldn't help but criticize him a little. She said, "What do these two children know? They have just started a family and there are so many places to spend money. Why did they buy these for me, an old woman? It's too extravagant. Don't do this in the future!"
Sima Hong and Mingyu quickly nodded their heads in agreement. The old lady was much easier to talk to than before. Mingyu thought that if she had her previous overbearing temper, she would definitely pick her out and scold her for wasting Sima Hong's money.
However, Mingyu also had her own selfish motives. She spent a large sum of money to buy furniture for Miao, hoping to create a happy atmosphere and save everyone's face. However, Miao now only has Sima Hong as her son. After she dies, Miao can't take these valuable furniture with her. Shouldn't they be put into storage and left for her children and grandchildren to use? After all, the benefits will not flow into the fields of outsiders.
Miao walked along and saw that the servants were all elderly. The youngest was a young sister-in-law who was in charge of the kitchen. She looked to be at least thirty years old. Mingyu had been serving until now with a bulging belly, but no one had come to visit her until now. She thought that her daughter-in-law was pregnant, but there was no one to serve Sima Hong. What was more hateful was that she was not even allowed to let a young woman get close to her son. She felt gloomy again.
Miao smiled and said, "I've been looking all the way here, how come there isn't even a maid in the mansion? There are only a bunch of rough servants? How can such rough hands and feet serve good people?" It was the first day she returned home, and she didn't want to scold her daughter-in-law, so she tried to speak in a tactful tone.
Mingyu opened her eyes wide and smiled, "Mother, this is not my fault. It was my husband who said that young maids are weak and can't do much work. They are still growing and eat a lot, but the wages are not high. It's really not worth it."
Miao almost fainted. Her son had been pampered for so many years, and he had maids to serve him wherever he went. Why did he complain that the maids didn't eat enough and didn't work enough when he was with Xu Mingyu? Miao immediately turned her eyes to her son.
Sima Hong had no choice but to step forward and said, "Mother, I only have so much salary every month, how many people can I support? It is not easy to build so many businesses, our family... will never be the same as before." His tone was very sad. Before Miao could speak, Sima Hong bowed deeply and said sincerely, "Don't worry, mother, I have made a great wish. Within ten years, I will restore the Sima family to its former glory."
At this point, Miao could only express her moved, "My son has grown up." Miao sighed. Her son seemed to be not well off, but he spent a lot of money to make furniture for her, which made her speechless.
Sima Hong struck while the iron was hot and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, mother. She will have to live a harder life in the next few years."
Miao scolded, "What are you talking about? You are much better than your father. Your father and grandfather would be proud of you in the underworld. As a mother, I have done my duty to the ancestors of the Sima family. I will go down to see your father later..." Miao was talking nonstop, but Mingyu was distracted and thought of the thick and powerful family tree of the Sima family. Ancestors? This, when we meet downstairs, are you sure that those great people like Sima Zhao and Sima Qian will recognize you...
Sima Hong talked to Miao for a while. Miao was afraid that Mingyu would be tired, so she urged Sima Hong to take Mingyu back to rest. She had two maids and Sima Wu's family to serve her, so there was no need for Mingyu to stand around and do nothing, which would be bad for the child.
After Mingyu left, Miao sat down and chatted with Wei Ma, saying with a smile: "I originally wanted to live in the capital, thinking that the young couple would live on their own, and I, an old woman, would not come to bother them.
Now it seems that it is not possible to have no elders to look after the family. Bao Ge'er is busy with official duties, and Mingyu is too young to have seen much of the world. She cannot support the family."
Nanny Wei and Miao had been master and servant for many years, and knew her master's temper very well. She liked to act politely and said with a smile, "You are here to enjoy yourself now. Your son and daughter-in-law will take care of everything for you. You can only give them some pointers as they are the younger generation."
The rest of the people went outside to pack up the boxes, leaving Nanny Wei sitting in the room to talk to Miao. Looking at the familiar furnishings, Miao couldn't help but recall the past and cried again. The Anxi Marquis's Mansion was rebuilt, and her courtyard was not much different from before. The burned house can be rebuilt, but the people who have gone there can never come back.
In the evening, the family had a reunion dinner in harmony. Considering that Miao had traveled a long way, the dinner was not very sumptuous and mainly consisted of home-cooked dishes. Sima Hong had given her warning in advance that his salary was limited. Miao thought about it and felt that her son had been a spendthrift since he was young. It was not easy for him to save up such a large fortune now, so she did not force anything.
At night, Miao smiled and said that she was sympathetic to Mingyu's hard work after a day of reception, and asked her daughter-in-law to go back and rest. The superior leader gave her face so much, and Mingyu, as a subordinate employee, naturally declined politely, saying that it was her duty as a daughter-in-law, and she had to wait on her mother-in-law to bed. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged polite words, and even if Miao wanted to act like a mother-in-law, she couldn't let Mingyu wait on her at this time. Finally, Mingyu, with the help of Liu Saozi, said goodbye and returned to her own courtyard.
In fact, she could see that Miao had something private to say to Sima Hong, and she didn't want to stand there and get in the way, but she still had to be polite for the sake of face. After so many years, Miao only wanted two things: face and respect. She would try her best to ensure that they were satisfied, and if there was anything else, she would be sorry.
As soon as Mingyu left, Miao immediately pulled Sima Hong to sit down and asked, "How many months has she been pregnant?"
Sima Hong smiled and said, "Didn't I tell you when you first got home? It's been a little over four months."
Miao glared at her son coldly, "You know it's been more than four months! You're a grown man, she can't serve you anymore, why don't you arrange someone to serve you?" To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian... Vote for recommendation and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. PS: Thank you for your support, I am very happy to see the votes. Today, I will update twice, and one update will be sent to RS