The early morning sun shines into the quiet courtyard, and the air still retains the unique freshness of autumn mornings.
Old Madam Guo was wearing a yellow rattan-bottomed jacket with ripple patterns, and her hair was tied up in a bun. Perhaps to suit the occasion, she wore a laurel branch hairpin. She was being helped by Zhenzhu and a few others as they trimmed a potted green tree in the middle of the yard. She looked more energetic than when she was at Hanbi Villa.
It can be seen that the division of the clan did not affect Mrs. Guo's mood at all.
Yuan muttered to herself and walked forward respectfully to pay her respects to her mother-in-law.
Mrs. Guo nodded at her, and when she had trimmed the last branch, she carefully examined it and was satisfied. Then she handed the scissors to Zhenzhu beside her, took the handkerchief that Ziling had prepared, wiped her hands, and asked her, "Are you here? Have you had breakfast?"
Yuan hurried forward and supported Old Man Guo's arm, saying respectfully, "I just arrived last night. It's too late, and I'm afraid I'll disturb you. The master asked me to come back early this morning. I haven't had breakfast yet!"
Madam Guo said "hmm" without commenting, and said lightly: "Then accompany me to have breakfast."
Yuan replied "yes" with lowered head and eyes, and the two of them went into the upper room.
The house was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus, with black lacquered furniture, twelve standing screens inlaid with ivory, misty kudzu-yellow gauze curtains, and a few freshly picked osmanthus flowers in sweet white porcelain vases next to the window frames inlaid with colored glass.
It is in no way inferior to the house in Jiuru Lane.
Yuan couldn't help but feel jealous and envious.
The old lady is really blessed. Her three sons are all very promising. Even when the family is in trouble, she still has everything she needs.
It would be great if she could have the same fate as the old lady in her later years.
Mrs. Wei ordered the maid to set the table, and the three of them had their breakfast in silence on the big kang by the window in the banquet room.
After the meal, the maid scattered the table and served tea and snacks, and Mrs. Wei left.
Yuan then talked about the things in Jinling: "… I rebuilt a house of five square meters in Jitian, chose an auspicious day, and moved the tablets of the ancestors there. I appointed loyal servants to look after it. I transported all the things that could be taken away from home, and if they couldn't be taken, I bought a small house of three or four acres in Shitou Lane and temporarily put all the things there. I appointed loyal servants, and asked my uncle and cousins to help take care of it for a while. After I finish the wedding in Jiashan, I will go back and reorganize the things at home."
There is also a batch of large furniture being moved from Jinling. Cheng Xu is in charge of escorting the ship, and it will take a few days to arrive.
Madam Guo nodded slightly and said, "You have worked hard."
Yuan stood up quickly and said, "This is what a daughter-in-law should do."
Madam Guo raised her hand, motioning her to sit down and talk, and asked, "Have all the flowers and trees in the greenhouse been moved out?"
Yuan smiled and said, "It has been moved out. It will arrive in the capital on the ship from Jiashan!"
Madam Guo twirled the rosary in her hand and said, "A tree that is moved will die, but a person who moves will live. We have lived in this old house for over a hundred years, but now we have to give it up. I don't know if you can gain a foothold in the capital in the future."
Yuan smiled attentively and said, "The three masters are all filial people. With a united mind and efforts, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome. Don't worry, old man. Take good care of your health. There will be blessings in the future!"
Madam Guo laughed and said, "Are you still planning for me to become a monster?"
Yuan said with a smile: "An old man in the family is like a treasure. We are so worried about not having you to take charge of such a big family. Please don't say such discouraging words. We are still looking forward to celebrating your 80th birthday!"
The ancestor of the second branch, Cheng Xu, celebrated his 80th birthday two years ago.
In the past, because of his suppression, the younger generations could not celebrate their birthdays. Now that the clan has been divided, Mrs. Guo’s birthday can be celebrated with great fanfare.
Because of these words, the atmosphere between the two finally became a little warmer.
Mrs. Guo asked, "What are your plans for Jiashan's wedding?"
Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, knowing that her husband had conveyed his meaning to his mother-in-law.
"The Master has become a cabinet minister, and his name will go down in history. Originally, this was a great joyous event," she said slowly, "but if we were to make a fuss about it, the censors would inevitably find fault with the Master and say that he is vain, frivolous and arrogant, so it's not good to make it public. It just so happens that Jiashan is getting married, so I thought, why not take advantage of Jiashan's wedding to hold a banquet for relatives and friends, and take the opportunity to celebrate for the Master..."
"Just tell me how much money you plan to spend?" Mrs. Guo suddenly interrupted her, and the slightly heated atmosphere just now disappeared instantly.
Yuan's face changed slightly.
Which grandmother would not be excited to hear that her grandson is getting married? Only the old lady in their family would become happy at any moment and look cold at any moment.
She said, "I haven't calculated it in detail yet. But I think the Min family's betrothal gifts must be at least thirty-six loads, at least three thousand taels of silver; there are also tea, wine, wedding tents, drums and music..."
Mrs. Guo interrupted her again and asked, "Is twenty thousand taels of silver enough?"
"Ah?!" Yuan was stunned.
Normally, five thousand taels of silver is considered quite decent for a wedding, and twenty thousand taels of silver... not only can the wedding be well-organized, but the cost of renovating the house can also be recovered.
Madam Guo simply said, "You know the current situation at home. In my opinion, Jiashan's wedding should be simple. But you also said that Jiashan's wedding is not only about the marriage with the Min family, but also about celebrating Dalang. He is the eldest grandson of our eldest son, so it doesn't matter if we spend a little more money! I will pay for his wedding!" After that, she shouted to Madam Shi, "Go and get 20,000 taels of silver notes for Madam!"
Nanny Shi smiled and left, and Yuan had not yet come to her senses.
Twenty thousand taels of silver!
It’s not two thousand taels, two hundred taels, but twenty thousand taels!
The old lady gave it to me as soon as she said so!
It was as if it was not 20,000 taels of silver but a handful of candy and a few snacks.
Yuan couldn't help but gasp.
She had long felt that Madam Guo was rich, but she had never imagined she was so rich.
The old lady... is truly blessed.
Yuan felt as if she was holding back a breath, and she couldn't tell what she felt. It wasn't until Nanny Shi handed her the banknote that she came to her senses. She stood up a little nervously and said, "Mother, this, this..."
"How can I use your dowry?" Old Madam Guo took a sip of tea slowly and said, "Jiashan is my eldest grandson. As his grandmother, I will never let him down when he gets married. Don't worry." Then she served him tea and said, "You just returned to the capital, so you must have a lot of things to do. I have Erlang's wife to accompany me here. You can go and do your own thing!"
In fact, Yuan Shi still had a lot to say to Madam Guo, but Madam Guo gave her 20,000 taels of silver. She was still in shock and had no intention of saying more to Madam Guo. After thanking her, Madam Wei sent her out.
She looked at Mrs. Wei's familiarity with the situation and couldn't help but feel moved.
When Jiashan got married, the old lady gave him 20,000 taels of silver because he was the eldest son and grandson. Mrs. Wei II hangs around in front of the old lady like this every day. After a long time, she will know that people are kind-hearted. If the old lady is thinking about her kindness, when Rang'er gets married, will she give Rang'er something else in private
Yuan's mood became a little subtle.
After returning to Xinglin Hutong and meeting Cheng Jing, she discussed with Cheng Jing: "You are the eldest son, how can you let mother live with fourth uncle? Besides, second brother's wife is not in good health, and it is really hard for her to run around like this every day to serve the old lady. Should I bring mother back to live with us?"
Cheng Jing smiled bitterly and said, "I know that. But mother said this place is too narrow and she is not used to it. I also asked people around to see if there are houses for sale, but there is none. Even if I want to expand the house, there is no way! I think we should just let mother do as she pleases. I have also seen that place, it is much more spacious than this place, mother can live comfortably there, and there is a place for relatives and friends to visit, sing a play, visit a garden, etc. to kill time."
Grandma and grandpa love their youngest child. This is especially evident in the old lady.
From now on, I’m afraid the old lady will only have Fourth Uncle in her eyes!
Yuan's heart moved, and she said, "How about we move to the house in Chaoyangmen? You see, the Gu family in Zhenjiang and the Li family in Lujiang live there. Now that we have separated from Jiuru Lane, we can just take advantage of Jiashan's wedding to rectify our family's name. From now on, the Cheng family in Jiuru Lane will be the Cheng family in Jiuru Lane, and the Cheng family in Chaoyangmen will be the Cheng family in Chaoyangmen..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Cheng Jing interrupted Yuan with a smile, saying, "The house over at Chaoyangmen was bought for Silang by mother with her own money, what does it have to do with us? Don't say such things again. Now that we have separated from Jiuru Lane, we are already a little weak. If the brothers are still hurt because of these things, then our eldest branch will be finished. Besides, Xinglin Hutong is our Cheng family's old house, where Mr. Zhi lived in Beijing, and there are many scholars around it. How can we move away just like that? Even if mother agrees, I still can't bear to leave!"
Cheng Jing knew about the affairs of Qixing Hall.
How could his mother have so much private money to buy a house for his fourth brother? But his fourth brother has already sacrificed a lot for the Cheng family and the eldest house. Not to mention wanting to buy himself a house, even if he wanted to live a life of debauchery, he, as his elder brother, could only find a way to clean up the mess for him!
Yuan had no choice but to drop the topic for the time being and told Cheng Jing that Old Lady Guo had given her 20,000 taels of silver.
Cheng Jing guessed that this money might have been transferred by Cheng Chi from Qixingtang.
Now there is no silver left in the treasury.
Twenty thousand taels is not a small amount!
He pretended to be surprised and said, "Really?"
Yuan showed him the banknote.
In front of his wife, Cheng Jing talked about how good his mother was and how much she cared for her children.
Although Yuan was unhappy, she had no choice but to agree.
Cheng Jing discussed with her that Mu Xiu and his wife should go to Chaoyang Gate to visit Old Madam Guo tomorrow.
Whenever Yuan thought of the look on Mrs. Guo's face when she took out the 20,000 taels of silver, her heart felt warm and she responded quickly.
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Hey guys, today's update.
PS: I will go to Lijiang to attend the annual meeting soon. I need to save the manuscripts in the next few days. I will update it again tomorrow, and the time is set at around 8 o'clock in the evening~~~~(>_