Qiu went back and told Cheng Wei this, and Cheng Wei burst into laughter.
Something happened in Jining, and his younger brother was working in the Governor's Office of the River. He had been in the Imperial Academy for so many years, keeping a low profile and not competing, and had made a few friends. Although the news was covered up by Song Gelao, the court always kept secrets from the upper echelons, and his friends secretly passed on the message to him. On the contrary, the eldest brother was in a high position, and no one dared to say anything in front of him. I'm afraid he didn't know what happened in Jining at this time.
By the time he wanted to go and inform his brother first, Lord Song had already sent people to Baoding Prefecture.
It was unknown what Lord Song said to his younger brother. His younger brother went straight to Jining without consulting his elder brother or saying a word to him.
At the critical moment, it was not the eldest brother but Elder Song who passed the message to his younger brother...
Although Yang Shoushan is Lord Song's man, if one thinks too much about such things, the brotherhood between them will most likely fade.
Cheng Wei felt that it would be difficult for him to survive being caught between his elder brother and younger brother!
He said, "Don't worry about it. Since mother has said that we will split up the family, then we will split up the family no matter what. Don't worry about the future. Let's settle our house first, and then we can leave when we say we will split up the family. This way, we won't get involved in the affairs of the two families and end up pleasing neither side."
These words touched the heart of Qiu.
She nodded repeatedly, and went to pay her respects to Madam Guo early the next morning. Then she quietly followed the broker to look at two or three houses. Finally, she chose a house not far from Chaoyang Gate. It had three entrances and five rooms, and the asking price was more than 6,000 taels. It was the house of the former vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, and was sold because of uneven distribution of property. All furniture and utensils were included. Qiu was very satisfied and said to Cheng Wei, "I think mother will definitely live near Chaoyang Gate in the future. This house is close to Chaoyang Gate, and it will be cheaper for us to pay our respects there in the future. But this house is in a hurry to sell, so I'm afraid we have to sell it quickly."
There was one more thing she didn't tell her husband.
Cheng Xu from the eldest uncle's family is good at studying and has a good appearance. His Cheng Rang is incomparable to Cheng Xu. However, the fourth uncle has just married and has no children. If they have children in the future, even if the children are as good at studying as Cheng Xu, their Cheng Rang is older and can be a loyal and kind brother. She doesn't want the child to always be ashamed in front of Cheng Xu, nor does she want to always look like she didn't educate the child well and did something wrong in front of her eldest sister-in-law.
Cheng Wei didn't think much about it, but he felt it was difficult to trade the house immediately.
"We don't have so much money..." He had never owned any private property, and his salary was not much. Qiu's dowry was only two or three thousand taels of silver. "It's not easy to tell mother that we have found a house..." It was as if they were waiting to divide the family property.
Qiu was also worried.
The couple sat facing each other for a while, and Cheng Wei said, "Why don't you go talk to your third sister-in-law? Ask her to mention it to mother... I think mother treats her like a child, so even if she said something wrong, I'm sure mother wouldn't take it to heart."
"How can that be possible!" said Mrs. Qiu, "Mother is not someone who can be easily fooled. Instead of asking Fourth Brother's wife to help her talk good words in front of Mother, we should let Ah Sheng go."
"A Sheng?!" Cheng Wei was stunned.
Seeing this, Qiu laughed and said, "Don't interfere in this kind of inner house affairs. Watch me!"
Cheng Wei laughed and didn't ask any more questions.
Qiu called Cheng Sheng back and explained the whole story to her.
Cheng Sheng was very shocked and asked, "Did grandma really say that she wanted to divide the family?"
"Why would I lie to you!" Qiu said, patting her daughter's hand and sighing, "Fortunately, my in-laws are honest people and are close friends with your father. It doesn't matter to you whether your uncle is an official or not, or what kind of official he is. Otherwise, how could I dare to promise your grandmother."
Cheng Ji was a little sad.
Qiu advised her: "Sometimes brothers become closer if they make clear their accounts."
Cheng Ji nodded, and two days later he and his mother went to pay their respects to Mrs. Guo.
Zhou Shaojin personally greeted the mother and daughter in front of the hanging flower gate.
Cheng Sheng saw Zhou Shaojin's jet-black hair tied up in a bun, and she wore a lotus flower with indigo petals and yellow stamens, which set off her fair face. Her gestures were less reserved and more casual, and she looked like a budding flower, gradually revealing some charm. Cheng Sheng couldn't help but step forward and hold Zhou Shaojin's hand, saying, "Aunt, I haven't seen you for a few days. You've become more beautiful." She also said, "Where did you buy this silk flower? It's so novel and unique."
Zhou Shaojin smiled shyly and said, "You think it's beautiful? I made it with the maids these days when I was free. If you like it, I have a rose-red one, a pink one, and a light yellow one. Go pick one!"
"Oh my!" Cheng Sheng laughed, "Aunt can do these things! You didn't play with us much before, but I didn't expect you to be so clumsy!"
Hearing this disrespectful remark, Mrs. Qiu quickly scolded her, saying, "Just call me 'Aunt', why do you have to add the word 'young'? Don't be disrespectful when you talk to me from now on."
Cheng Sheng stuck out her tongue at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin really wanted to say, "You should just call me Shaojin like before", but when he thought that he was now Cheng Chi's wife and Cheng Ji's biological aunt, he refrained from saying this out loud and making a fool of himself.
Cheng Sheng had no grudges. He took Zhou Shaojin's arm and said, "I heard that Fourth Uncle went directly from Baoding Prefecture to Jining for official business. What have you been doing at home these days? I'm going to see Ajia tomorrow. Do you want to go with us?"
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but be eager to try it.
"Weren't there guests at home when we left?" she said. "All my dowry was stuffed into the storeroom, and I didn't have time to pack up some small things. I've been packing up at home these few days. Are you going to see Ajia tomorrow? Didn't I bring back some Dacige pickles from Baoding Prefecture? I sent some to Xinglin Hutong and some to Ajia, but I haven't gone to see her yet." As she spoke, she looked hesitant.
She is someone else's daughter-in-law now. How can she go out and visit relatives and friends as she pleases? What will happen to her mother-in-law if she goes out to play
Cheng Sheng immediately knew that he had said the wrong thing, and hurriedly said, "I just thought so. I don't know if I can go tomorrow, but I just want to see when my aunt is free."
Mrs. Qiu glared at her daughter fiercely, then turned to Zhou Shaojin and smiled, saying, "She still has the mind of a child. She only thinks about playing all day long and doesn't even come to chat with the old lady when she has time. Sister-in-law, don't spoil her. If she wants to wear flowers, let her do it herself."
When Zhou Shaojin saw the mother and daughter coaxing him like this, he felt a warm feeling flowing through his heart.
She said hurriedly, "Second sister-in-law, you are too kind. Ah Sheng and I grew up together. At that time, Ah Sheng took care of me like a sister. Now she often tells me when there is something wrong. I just hope she can come over and visit more often!"
"Just don't be annoyed by her words." Mrs. Qiu smiled, and the group soon arrived at Tingxiangyuan.
The maid on duty diligently helped them open the curtain.
The house with floor heating is as warm as spring, and the heat hits you in the face.
Old Madam Guo was only wearing a padded jacket, and the lotus seed-sized emerald green cat's eyes on her ears were shining. She was playing mahjong with Biyu and Madam Lu, and her face was flushed. She looked very healthy.
Qiu couldn't help but marvel in amazement.
Is it because I live near Chaoyangmen
She couldn't help but glance at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin was smiling as he ordered the maid to serve tea and snacks. His gentle eyes and eyebrows made people feel comfortable no matter how they looked at him.
And seeing that one of the square tables was empty with half a deck of cards on it, she knew that Zhou Shaojin had been playing cards with Old Madam Guo just now, and because they came, he dropped the cards and went to greet them.
"It seems that Ah Sheng and I came at the wrong time!" said Mrs. Qiu, and she and Cheng Sheng knelt down with a smile and bowed to Mrs. Guo.
Madam Guo smiled and asked the two of them to stand up. She said, "Ah Sheng came at the right time. Aunt Lu's eyesight is not very good. She either misses a card or plays the wrong card. You should give your seat to Ah Sheng." The last sentence was said to Aunt Lu.
Before Madam Guo could finish her words, Aunt Lu made way for her and said with a smile, "Third Aunt, take off your shoes and come up."
Cheng Sheng came here today to pass on a message to his grandmother. He would find an opportunity to talk to his grandmother even if he didn't have the chance, especially when it was the easiest time to talk like this.
She smiled, took off her shoes and got on the kang.
Zhou Shaojin gave his place to Qiu.
Qiu refused and said with a smile, "How can a mother and daughter sit at the same table?"
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I'm making flavored pigeon in the kitchen. It's time to put it into the marinade. I'm going to the kitchen to check. Second sister-in-law will play with mother for a while. After lunch, we will accompany mother properly."
Mrs. Qiu didn't expect that Zhou Shaojin could cook. She was just about to ask him to go with her to take a look, but she saw Mrs. Guo looking at Zhou Shaojin with a slight smile, and she looked very satisfied and happy. She couldn't help but feel moved and decided that it would be better for her to stand by and watch. She responded with a smile and accompanied Mrs. Guo to play mahjong.
Mrs. Guo played cards for a while, and then she talked about Zhou Shaojin: "… Suddenly I became a daughter-in-law, and Silang was not at home. I didn't know what to do for a while. I never thought that this child was really filial. She was still the same in front of me as before, telling me big and small things. I just reminded her a little, and she understood, and there was no trouble at home."
Judging from the tone, he seems very satisfied.
Qiu was puzzled.
Wasn't the mother-in-law the most impatient and opinionless person in the past? Why did everything change when it came to the young daughter-in-law
No wonder my sister-in-law always says that my mother-in-law is partial...
She laughed in her heart, but Cheng Sheng could hear something.
It seemed that grandma was old, and she didn't want others to treat her as a freeloader, nor did she want others to order her around. Somehow, Zhou Shaojin followed grandma's way. She told her about all the big and small matters and asked her to make the decision, but she handled all the minor matters herself. This way, grandma knew that she had asked for her instructions on everything, but she didn't want her to worry about trivial matters.
Did she guess her grandmother's thoughts correctly, or did she win her grandmother's favor by accident
If it was the former, she would just laugh it off, but if it was the latter... then Zhou Shaojin really had a connection with his grandmother and fourth uncle!
※
Hey guys, today's update.
The additional update will still be around nine in the morning.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)