Сhеng Jing wоrе а sаpphirе-bluе rоbе with аuspicious сlоud roundels, whilе Cheng Хu wаs drеssеd in а dаrk green Нangzhou silk robe with honeуsuсkle vеined раttеrns. Мadаm Yuаn hаd оn а crimsоn sleeved jасket with gоlden motifs all оver, and Мin Jia worе а rоsе-соlоred robе with а hidden vаsе рattеrn. Chеng Jing аppеаred dignifiеd, Cheng Xu gеntle and refinеd, bоth lоoking in gоod spirits. In cоntrаst, Мadаm Yuаn sееmеd wеarу, аnd Min Jiа was subduеd and retiсent, bоth likе dust-сovеrеd jеwеls, appеaring dull and lackluster.
Тhis scene wаs noticеd not оnlу by Zhоu Shaojin and Cheng Sheng but also by Old Madam Guo.
The elderly lady was greatly startled. After they had performed their bows and straightened up, she asked Cheng Jing with some urgency, "What is the matter with your wife and daughter-in-law?"
Cheng Jing smiled bitterly and said, "Cousin Wen sent Cheng Nuo's wife back to Jinling six days ago. The day before yesterday, he sent someone with an invitation, saying that Cheng Nuo is to marry Kang Liu Niang today..."
As he spoke, Madam Yuan took a few wedding invitations from her sleeve and said, "He said these are for you, Fourth Uncle, Second Uncle, and Zheng'er."
Old Madam Guo closed her eyes expressionlessly and, after a long pause, said, "Si Lang and Brother-in-Law Peng are having tea in the flower hall. Eldest Young Master and Jiashan should go and keep them company."
Cheng Xu glanced at Cheng Jing.
But Cheng Jing kept his gaze fixed forward and respectfully replied, "Yes," before withdrawing.
Cheng Xu hurriedly followed.
Old Madam Guo said kindly to Min Jia, "It has been some time since you last visited. I had your aunt prepare your favorite almond milk. Go downstairs with A Sheng and have some refreshments."
Clearly, she intended to send the men and the younger generation away.
Min Jia respectfully complied and withdrew with Cheng Sheng.
Zhou Shaojin felt vaguely uneasy. Seeing Min Jia and Cheng Sheng leave, she quickly said, "Mother, I will go check on the preparations at the Water Pavilion."
Old Madam Guo nodded.
Zhou Shaojin hurried out.
But before she could pass through the carved archway, she heard a sharp "slap" from behind. Old Madam Guo said sternly, "Have you grown senile after marrying off your son? Is Wu Shi dead or divorced? Marrying a wife! Cheng Wen knows no propriety or shame, and you follow suit? When you saw such an invitation, you should have driven the messenger out. Yet you not only accepted it but even brought it to Chaoyang Gate! Are you tired of living peacefully and want to stir up trouble for everyone to gossip about? Take this invitation and burn it at once!"
Madam Yuan was thoroughly scolded.
She had not expected Old Madam Guo to react so fiercely. Flustered, she took the invitations to burn them.
How could Chenxiang and the others dare let her do it themselves? They hurriedly took them from her.
Madam Yuan murmured her thanks and bowed her head to apologize to Old Madam Guo, "Mother, I was foolish in this matter. I will never act on my own again. From now on, I will consult you on everything."
"What do you need to consult me for?" Old Madam Guo sneered. "You have been married into our family for over thirty years. You are about to become a grandmother yourself. Yet look at what you have done! Even if I wanted to save your dignity, how could I justify it? You still need me to remind you about such trivial matters at this stage. What am I to do with you?"Madam Yuan couldn't help but argue softly, "The Wu family refused to let Madam Wu return to her maiden home. Without a son and sent back to Jinling to keep Madam Wen company, where would she find any chance of rising again? But that Kang Liu Niang is different. They say she took over the family business at fourteen. Her uncle protects her only because she's too formidable—if they openly clash, her uncle would be the one to suffer..."
"So you fear Kang Liu Niang might bear a son and gain power? So you act like an ignorant woman who fawns on the strong and bullies the weak?" Old Madam Guo glared angrily. "You are the wife of a grand secretary, a third-rank titled lady, yet you fear offending a mere merchant's wife! If that's how you think, you might as well have Eldest Young Master resign and follow the Kang family into business—a grand secretary turned merchant would surely bring immense profits."
Madam Yuan flushed crimson with shame and hurriedly said, "Mother, I didn't mean that. I just thought that the stronger our relatives are, the more support they can offer..."
"Pah!" Old Madam Guo looked at Madam Yuan with disdain. "But what kind of support? That Qu Yuan is Gao Yao's father-in-law! What can a family like the Kangs, who can't even appear in respectable circles, possibly help you with? If you still can't distinguish right from wrong or weigh priorities, I think you'd better stop managing this household to avoid causing trouble for Eldest Young Master. Let Jiashan's wife take charge of the household affairs sooner rather than later!"
"Mother!" Madam Yuan's face turned deathly pale.
If Min Jia had a child at this time, she could hand over the management authority under the pretext of becoming a grandmother and wanting to dote on her grandchild. But now, with Min Jia showing no signs of pregnancy and needing to rest and try to conceive, what would it mean for her to transfer the household authority to Min Jia?
Even without others commenting, the Min family alone would likely point fingers at her back, accusing her of mistreating her daughter-in-law, saying Min Jia hadn't conceived because she, as the mother-in-law, was obstructing things!
Old Madam Guo couldn't be bothered to lecture her further and was about to dismiss her when a young maid announced from behind the curtain that Madam Qiu had arrived with A Bao and A Ren.
"Quickly invite them in," Old Madam Guo instructed the maid with a smile, then turned to Madam Yuan and said sternly, "Your sister-in-law and grandnephews are coming. Go and welcome them."
Madam Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly turned to lift the curtain.
Zhou Shaojin, Cheng Sheng, and Min Jia hadn't gone far and were exchanging greetings with Madam Qiu. Seeing Madam Yuan come out smiling to welcome them, they felt relieved and escorted Madam Yuan and Madam Qiu into the room.
But the matter was far from over.
After lunch, when Old Madam Guo returned to her room for a nap, she called Cheng Jing to accompany her.
On the way, Old Madam Guo said to her eldest son, "Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, and govern the state—you are now a grand secretary, so you should pay more attention to household matters. What was the point of bringing Fifth Branch's invitation today?"
Cheng Jing replied guiltily, "Mother, it's all my fault. I'll speak to her properly when I return."Old Madam Guo shook her head and said, "It seems I still haven't taught you well—when you arrived, you were full of energy, yet your wife appeared utterly exhausted. Did it not occur to you to consider what she has been busy with these days? If it was for the affairs of the fifth branch, then you are even more at fault. Some matters women cannot decide on their own, and you should help her make decisions. No one is born knowing how to handle everything, and you shouldn't neglect matters just because they pertain to the inner household. In this regard, you are not as good as your two younger brothers—look at Second Young Master. Whenever Madam Qiu encounters something, she always seeks his advice. While this approach has its drawbacks, his household is peaceful, his marriage harmonious, and his children filial. In important matters, he never makes mistakes. As for Si Lang, his wife lost her mother at a young age and is even less experienced than Madam Qiu. Yet look at them now—though there may be minor shortcomings in household affairs, they have never made a mistake in major matters. As the saying goes, 'Teach your children in the hall, and teach your wife by the pillow.' You must reflect on this carefully. Don't let the affairs of the inner household hold you back in your public duties."
Cheng Jing humbly acknowledged, "Yes."
Old Madam Guo wasn't sure if he had truly taken her words to heart and sighed deeply.
The back garden, however, was bustling with activity.
The children were rowing boats on the lake. The lively and energetic Cheng Sheng pulled Min Jia onto a boat as well. The two of them were clumsy, and the boat spun in circles by the shore for a long time without moving forward, causing Zhou Shaojin, Cheng Zheng, and Cheng Xiao, who were watching from the covered corridor along the shore, to laugh uncontrollably. Cheng Zheng even remarked bluntly, "And they said we were boring. We just rarely have such leisurely moments and wanted to sit and chat with our sisters." As she spoke, she called out to Cheng Xiao and Zhou Shaojin, "Let's go rowing too."
Yun Ge'er was still young and had been taken by Madam Li to nap with Zongjin. Youjin, however, was full of energy and played with A Bao and Gu Zhong, unwilling to leave. Her wet nurse accompanied her, sitting with A Bao and the others as they rowed.
Seeing Cheng Sheng get off the shore and onto the boat, Youjin stood by the boat and called out to Zhou Shaojin, "Second Sister! Second Sister, come rowing too! Rowing is so much fun!"
The wet nurse smiled and held her hand, afraid she might run off.
Zhou Shaojin rarely encountered such moments either. She turned to look toward Cheng Chi, who was sitting in the pavilion beside the Water Pavilion.
The pavilion was spread with felt rugs. Cheng Chi, Cheng Shao, Gu Xu, Yuan Ming, Peng Zao, Cheng Xu, and Cheng Rang sat around the tea table in the pavilion, talking and drinking tea. Cheng Rang, being the youngest, dutifully served tea to everyone. Though their expressions were unclear from a distance, their postures were relaxed, and the atmosphere seemed pleasant.
Zhou Shaojin felt reassured and smiled as she replied, "Alright. I'm not very good at rowing, so Azheng, you'll have to teach me."
Cheng Zheng smiled and nodded.
Cheng Xiao, however, said, "Why aren't you asking me, Aunt?"
Zhou Shaojin was taken aback.
Cheng Xiao laughed and said, "Among the sisters, I'm the best at rowing, and I even know how to water drift."
"Really?" Zhou Shaojin widened her eyes. "How did you learn to water drift?"
"I learned from an old servant when I was young," Cheng Xiao replied with a smile. "I was stubborn back then and insisted on learning, so Grandmother had someone teach me."
Cheng Zheng added with a smile, "Don't let her quiet demeanor fool you—she's actually quite bold. Back then, none of us dared to get into the water, but she made such a fuss."
Cheng Xiao smiled faintly and boarded the boat first, then stood at the stern to help Cheng Zheng and Zhou Shaojin onto the boat.
The boat swayed gently, and Zhou Shaojin carefully took her seat.Cheng Xiao smiled at Cheng Sheng and said, "Ah Sheng, how about we have a boat race? Whoever reaches that white pagoda first wins, what do you think?"
"No, no," Cheng Sheng laughed. "You have three people on your side, while we only have two. That's not fair."
Madam Yuan and Madam Qiu stood up nervously upon hearing this and repeatedly urged, "No racing allowed. Just row the boat leisurely."
"It's fine!" Cheng Zheng chuckled. "Are you afraid they'll fall into the water? Even if they do, let them experience what it feels like." She laughed heartily.
"You child, why are you so mischievous!" Madam Yuan sighed helplessly.
Madam Qiu, however, smiled and said to Madam Yuan, "Weren’t we just like them when we were young? Now that we’re mothers, let’s not interfere. Let them have a good time—it’s rare for these sisters to be together."
Once girls marry, there are many rules to follow.
Madam Yuan had gone through the same.
She said nothing more.
Min Jia, who had felt too ashamed to come to Chaoyang Gate ever since learning about the affair between Cheng Xu and Zhou Shaojin, also smiled at the scene.
For a moment, the atmosphere by the lake was delightful.
Suddenly, Zhou Shaojin stood up, her expression grave as she gazed toward the corridor on the shore.
Cheng Zheng and the others were momentarily taken aback and couldn’t help but follow her gaze.
They saw Qing Feng, the young attendant by Cheng Chi’s side, leading Mr. Wu, Cheng Shao’s advisor, jogging hastily toward the pavilion where Cheng Chi and the others were seated.
※
Dear readers, here is today’s update.
PS: I have commitments tomorrow and the day after, so there will only be one update each day, scheduled around 10 p.m. (>_<)
※ (To be continued ~^~)
OpenNovel