Among the female relatives who came to recognize their relatives, Yuan Weichang’s wife was the only one who did not go to watch the fireworks.
She was sitting in the warm room and talking to Yuan: "Is time too tight? Why does the house always seem so messy? Your father-in-law's tomb is still in Jinling, and your family is divided into two places in the capital, but the ancestral hall is located here in Chaoyangmen. Your eldest master is the eldest son, but the old lady lives with the youngest son... Aunt, don't take this matter lightly, this is all impeachment by the court!"
"Who said it wasn't!" Yuan's face was full of fatigue, and she smiled bitterly, "Isn't it that I have no other choice? We had discussed it with our master before the New Year. We prepared the sacrificial fields and the charity cemetery before the New Year. After the New Year, we chose an auspicious day to move the ancestral tombs here. Since the Chaoyang Gate was bought by the old lady with her own money for the fourth uncle, we didn't feel jealous and gave it to him. We renovated the small study room of the previous father-in-law and placed the father-in-law's tablet there. We vacated the west room of the main house for the old lady to live in...
"But when the old lady came, everything was in chaos. Let's not talk about anything else, just the ancestral hall. The old lady said that it was set up in Chaoyangmen. Then she said that she was a widow and was afraid that it would be unlucky, so she wanted to make room for Jiashan. Did the second uncle's family have to go to Chaoyangmen every day to visit the old lady in the morning and evening? The old lady loved her daughter-in-law and grandson, so the second uncle's family moved to Chaoyangmen. There was no one to ask about my well-being when I returned to my house, so where else to go if not Chaoyangmen? Well, now we are left with the eldest family to live in Xinglin Hutong. Then the fourth uncle's wedding date was set before Jiashan, and the wedding was held in the house of Chaoyangmen, as if she was afraid that people from the six ministries and three courts would not know that she was living with her youngest son...
“When I think about it, I admire my own thick skin.
"I'm not scared to death yet!
"Take a look at Fourth Uncle's wedding, it was a scene of flowers and brocade, fire and oil boiling, even more lively than the wedding of a prince.
"What do you want me to say?"
Yuan Weichang's wife couldn't help but frown and said, "What are you going to do? You can't let the old lady be so confused!"
"What can I do?" Yuan said with a feeling of grievance. "As a daughter-in-law, what can I say if the master of our family doesn't say anything?"
Yuan Weichang's wife couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"
Yuan said dissatisfiedly, "Our fourth uncle said that the old lady has lived in a mansion all her life. There is no reason for her to live in a mansion with three rooms and five courtyards when she is old and has raised three sons who have passed the imperial examinations. The implication is that the old lady will live with him in Chaoyangmen in the future. But our eldest master just obeyed and didn't say a word."
Yuan Weichang's wife widened her eyes and asked, "So you're just going to let it go?"
Yuan said, "He has made his attitude clear. How can I quarrel with him under such circumstances? However, I have also figured it out. The eldest son inherits the family business. No family divides the family business while the old lady is still alive, and no family's old lady lives with the youngest son. If the old lady is determined to live in Chaoyangmen, we will move in. At worst, it won't be too late for us to move back to Xinglin Hutong after the old lady passes away. If my second uncle and his wife can move in and be filial to the old lady, we can too!"
Yuan Weichang's wife hesitated and said, "Don't rush into this matter. You need to explain it clearly to the old lady. Otherwise, others will think that you two are trying to seize the property. It will be terrible if the news gets out!"
"I know." Yuan said, "I haven't told anyone except you!"
Yuan Weichang's wife nodded.
Yuan said, "Don't worry about me. I don't care what the old lady wants to do. After these few days, let our eldest master talk to the old lady about buying sacrificial land, setting up a charity cemetery, and moving the grave. When Jiashan gets married, we will definitely take the old lady back."
"That's good!" Yuan Weichang's wife said, "If there's anything you need me to do, just let me know."
Yuan hurriedly thanked Yuan Weichang.
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In the Tingxiang Courtyard, Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Guo talked about this matter: "… Although you used your own money to buy this house for Silang, Dalang is the eldest son after all. If you want to separate Silang and live alone, it is not impossible, but I am afraid that it will make Dalang embarrassed if you live here in Chaoyangmen. When Jiashan gets married, you should move back. When relatives talk about it, they will just think that you are too happy about Silang's marriage, so you live here for a few days. This way you can save face, isn't it the best of both worlds
"Don't blame me for saying that. You are too partial. You bought such a big house for Silang. It makes people jealous. You are not fair. I am afraid that Dalang's wife will feel uncomfortable."
Madam Guo didn't take it seriously and said with a smile, "She's not feeling well, but I'm not feeling well either! Let me ask you, if I hadn't made such a fuss, do you know that the house at Chaoyang Gate was the property I gave to Silang to get married?"
Mrs. Guo was stunned and asked, "What do you mean?"
"How much property did your uncle have when he died? How much money did we pay out when the family line was divided? Did pie fall from the sky?" Old Madam Guo said, "These are all the property earned by Silang. Yuan was clamoring to divide the family line, and Silang gave all the property to him. How can I feel at ease if I don't give him a little more? But I don't want the eldest branch to just divide the family line with Jiuru Lane, and as soon as I die, they will cause another scandal about the division of property. Then everything we do now will be in vain!"
"Do you want to divide the property between the brothers now?" asked Mrs. Guo.
Madam Guo nodded and said, "I plan to divide the family property among the brothers while I am still alive.
Mrs. Guo thought for a moment and said, "Brothers, it's not necessarily a bad thing to settle accounts openly."
"So I want to leave this house to Silang." Madam Guo said, "It's a good opportunity to make it clear while everyone is here."
Mrs. Guo couldn't help but laugh and shook her head, saying, "If you were my mother-in-law, I would be so angry!"
Madam Guo retorted, "Why didn't you see Qiu die of anger?"
Mrs. Guo didn't know what to say.
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Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Qiu were standing under the osmanthus tree in the garden, talking: "Your mother-in-law is really generous, look at this house." Then she lowered her voice and asked, "Does your mother-in-law have any plans for you?"
She and Qiu are cousins.
Mrs. Qiu said, "You also know that my wife never fights for these things. I also think there is no need to fight. The money belongs to my mother-in-law. If she likes someone, she will give more. If she doesn't like someone, she will give less. That's her own business. As children, we just need to do our own duties well."
"You really have your aunt's temperament." Mrs. Gu said with a smile, "But it's true, your mother-in-law has a very strong temper, and sometimes the more you argue, the less she likes it. Look at your new sister-in-law, she has a gentle temperament, and your mother-in-law likes her the most."
Qiu smiled and said, "That's because my mother-in-law likes Fourth Uncle the most!"
The two couldn't help but laugh.
Mrs. Gu hesitated for a moment and asked, "What are your plans for Rang'er's marriage?"
Mrs. Shen wants to marry her youngest daughter to him.
Mrs. Qiu really didn't dare to make a decision about this matter. She smiled and said, "I think I should ask the old lady about this matter. She is knowledgeable and I think she won't be wrong."
Mrs. Gu knew she would answer like this, so she laughed and said, "Great! People say that rainy days are good for entertaining guests. If you want to get married, you have to stay and attend Jiashan's wedding. You really know how to entertain guests at your house!"
Qiu smiled and pulled Mrs. Gu: "Let's go watch the fireworks. At worst, we can find a place with a floor heater to talk. Standing here has blown me into an icicle!"
The two looked at each other and smiled.
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However, Cheng Ji mysteriously pulled Zhou Shaojin to a corner of the tea room.
She asked Zhou Shaojin quietly with an ambiguous look: "How about getting married?"
Zhou Shaojin was stunned for a long while before she understood what Cheng Ji meant. She said "Pooh" to Cheng Ji, turned around and walked out of the tea room.
Cheng Ji laughed non-stop.
Zhou Shaojin bumped into Cheng Chi's arms.
"Be careful!" Cheng Chi quickly helped her up and said, "Why didn't you go to watch the fireworks? Are you hiding here to have a private conversation with Jia girl?"
Zhou Shaojin hadn't seen Cheng Chi since the recognition of his relatives in the main hall. At this moment, he was just so happy that he had no time to bother with Cheng Ji.
She hurriedly asked, "Why are you here? Don't you need to accompany the guests?"
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "I wanted to see what you were doing... but I didn't see anyone... I met Mrs. Gu and the second sister-in-law, and I said I came to say hello to my mother..."
Cheng Ji rushed out, smiled and called Cheng Chi "Uncle Chi", and said, "Are you here to pick up Shao Jin?"
Cheng Chi smiled and nodded at Cheng Ji.
Cheng Ji winked at Zhou Shaojin and said, "Then you can talk to my Fourth Aunt slowly. I'll be leaving first."
Cheng Chi said "hmm".
However, Zhou Shaojin felt that Cheng Ji's smile was full of mockery, and his face turned red with embarrassment.
Cheng Chi laughed and said, "Did she bully you again?"
"No!" Zhou Shaojin denied instinctively, "I am her aunt now. If she dares to bully me, I will show you how I will deal with her!"
Cheng Chi was surprised, then burst into laughter, hugged Zhou Shaojin tightly, and said, "Let's go and greet mother, and then go back to the house to rest! You've been busy all day and you must be exhausted."
"I'm not tired!" Zhou Shaojin told Cheng Chi that he had rested in Madam Guo's green gauze cabinet for an entire afternoon, and said, "Can we go back like this?"
"What's wrong with that?" Cheng Chi said with a smile, "Everyone is busy with their own things. Who would notice that the bride and groom are missing? Besides, I have something to give you!"
"You have something to give me?" Zhou Shaojin was very surprised.
Cheng Chi took her to the lakeside of the garden.
There was no one by the lake, the woods were dark and hidden in shadows, and a cold wind blew over, making it cold and lonely.
Zhou Shaojin held Cheng Chi's hand tightly.
Cheng Chi took her to sit on a large green stone and said to her with a smile: "Look at your feet!"
The cold moonlight shone on the large bluestone, on which six-sided frost flowers condensed, shining brightly, as if blooming under her feet.
“This, this is…” Zhou Shaojin stuttered and looked at Cheng Chi.
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Dear, today’s update.
Update everyone tomorrow around 9 o'clock.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)