Uроn hеaring this, Mаdаm Yuаn smilеd withоut a word, though inwаrdlу she was quitе disapрrоving.
Using а rеаl first-rаnk officiаl seal for a child's first birthdaу сerеmonу—wаsn't thаt just tоo indulgеnt?
Shе hаd оnlу chimеd in earlier tо аvoid аppeаring pettу in Lady Реngсhеng's еуеs, never ехpесting Lаdy Рengсhеng to takе it sеriouslу and insist she offеr it up herself... Еvеn if shе agrеed, her husband wоuld nеvеr cоnsеnt.
Тhinking оf hоw Сheng Jing rеsеmbled а clаy figure whеn not аngеrеd, yеt bесаme someоne even she had tо steer clеar of whеn enrаgеd, Mаdam Yuan secretly felt a touch of schadenfreude. Upon returning home, she immediately brought up the matter with Cheng Jing, advising him, "It's just for a bit of fun. Why don't we send the official seal over first thing tomorrow morning? We can take it back right after the ceremony."
Sure enough, Cheng Jing frowned and rebuked, "Nonsense!" He added, "The official seal represents an official's dignity. How can it be treated as a plaything? Mother could never have suggested such a thing! It must have been Lady Pengcheng's idea. And you—why didn't you try to dissuade them? Mother is getting on in years and sometimes acts without thinking, but don't you know what's appropriate?"
Madam Yuan was so angry she could hardly speak.
How was it that Old Madam Guo was never at fault—either Lady Pengcheng had coaxed her into asking for the seal, or she herself had failed to persuade the old lady to drop the matter. So it always came down to her being in the wrong!
Unable to hold back, her eyes welled up as she said, "How can you blame me? You know perfectly well what Mother's temper is like. When has she ever taken my words to heart..."
As soon as Cheng Jing heard Madam Yuan start complaining again about Old Madam Guo's dissatisfaction with her—a grievance she had repeated on and off for over thirty years—he felt inexplicably impatient. He no longer had the forbearance he once did, instead growing restless and irritable.
"Enough!" Cheng Jing snapped in a low voice. "Flattery and blind obedience that lead one's elders into wrongdoing are also forms of unfilial conduct. Use your head more in situations like this in the future. Fortunately, only Lady Pengcheng was present this time. If other officials' wives had been there, wouldn't it have shamed the Cheng family?" With that, he irritably changed the subject. "How are the preparations for Jiashan coming along? Pick a day two days before his departure to host a farewell banquet at home. Let the family gather together. Once Jiashan leaves, it'll be at least a year or two before we see him again." As he spoke, he stood up. "I'm going to Chaoyang Gate. When Jiashan was a child, we used a fish pouch in place of an official seal for his first birthday ceremony. Even though Mother dotes on Yun Ge'er, she shouldn't make such a show of it. When Yun Ge'er grows up and enters officialdom, this alone could give the censors grounds to impeach him for extravagance from a young age, which would harm his reputation."
Without waiting for Madam Yuan to respond, he called loudly for a servant to help him change his clothes and then headed for Chaoyang Gate.
Madam Yuan barely managed to stop herself from smashing the teacup in her hand to the floor, though her voice turned noticeably somber. "Where is the eldest young mistress? I've been back for quite some time—why haven't I seen her?"
A maid answered timidly, "The eldest young mistress went to Chaoyang Gate with the second madam. They said it was for Young Master Yun's first birthday, to see if the fourth madam needed any help. They haven't returned yet..."
At this, Madam Yuan could no longer restrain herself. With a sharp crack, she hurled the teacup to the ground.
Meanwhile, over at Chaoyang Gate, the atmosphere was lively and bustling.Old Madam Guo had already returned. Zhou Shaojin, Zhou Chujin, Madam Li, Min Jia, Madam Qiu, Cheng Zheng, Cheng Sheng, and several children were all gathered in the sitting room of the main house. The children were chattering and playing happily nearby, while the adults sat together.
"Every year it's the same old things, how boring," said Cheng Sheng, who wanted to have another child and had invited Physician Cao to help regulate her health. Her skin was crystal clear, delicate and flawless—so perfect that even Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but envy her, though she had also gained another round of weight. "I told Auntie that aside from things like official seals, tiger tallies, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, we should add a few boxes of rouge and powder, abacuses, and small scales. Let's see what our Yun Ge'er picks! Uncle Chi is both a scholar and a warrior—he can draft memorials above and manage accounts below."
"You wretched girl!" Old Madam Guo picked up the jade Ruyi beside her as if to strike Cheng Sheng. "How can you speak of your uncle like that? Who does your uncle do all this for? Isn't it for all of you? Without your uncle managing the accounts, would you have such generous dowries? Would you all be so well-fed and rosy-cheeked?"
"Grandmother is too biased!" Cheng Sheng pretended to dodge Old Madam Guo's strike by hiding behind Zhou Shaojin, using her as a shield. "You won't even let us crack a joke."
Zhou Shaojin pursed her lips in a smile, allowing Cheng Sheng to hide behind her.
Even as a joke, Old Madam Guo couldn't bear to strike Zhou Shaojin. She laughed and put down the Ruyi, pointing at Cheng Sheng. "If you have the guts, hide behind your aunt forever and never come out."
Cheng Sheng coaxed Old Madam Guo, "Then I'll take Fourth Aunt with me wherever I go, and see if you still dare to hit me!"
This sent everyone in the room into a fit of laughter.
A young maid hurried in cheerfully and said, "The Li family son-in-law from Luoyang has sent congratulatory gifts. Two accompanying mothers wish to come in and kowtow to the Old Madam, Fourth Madam, and Master Yun."
"Quickly invite them in," Old Madam Guo said, delighted.
The young maid went to bring them in.
The two mothers were no strangers to Old Madam Guo and Zhou Shaojin. One was Cui Huan, who had served Cheng Jia since childhood and later married a hereditary servant of the Li family who had been granted a surname. She was now the stewardess in Cheng Jia's household, and people respectfully addressed her as Mama Li when she went out. The other was the senior maid of Li Jing's mother, who had married one of her mother's accompanying servants and was surnamed Zhao. When Cheng Jia was pregnant last time, this Mama Zhao had specially traveled from Luoyang to serve her for some time. Both were highly respected mothers in Li Jing's household. Sending these two all the way to deliver gifts for Yun Ge'er's first birthday showed how much importance they attached to the occasion.
However, considering the timing, Cheng Jia's eldest son, Wei Ge'er, was already over a year old. Cheng Jia was an active person by nature, and Li Jing was a merchant who traveled far and wide. How could neither of them come to join the celebration for Yun Ge'er's auspicious day?
After the two mothers paid their respects, Zhou Shaojin inquired about Cheng Jia.Both of them were all smiles. Perhaps out of respect for Li Jing, Cui Huan remained silent, while the nanny surnamed Zhao animatedly said, "Our mistress is pregnant, and just like when she was carrying Master Wei, she’s been listless in bed with no appetite for anything. Our master is terribly worried. A few days ago, when the ships from the Thirteen Hongs arrived at the dock for settlement, our master only sent the chief steward to handle it, staying home himself to accompany our mistress. The master said that once the mistress’s health improves in a while, he’ll bring Master Wei and the mistress to the capital to visit the elders and the aunt."
"Oh, that’s wonderful!" Everyone in the room was delighted for Cheng Jia. Old Madam Guo was especially concerned, asking Nanny Zhao about Cheng Jia’s appetite, sleep, how far along she was, when she was due, and who was taking care of Brother Wei...
Li Jing was the only son in his branch, while his uncles had many children. If Cheng Jia could have more children, Brother Wei would have helpers in the future.
Countless people wanted to get involved in the Thirteen Hongs trade. Luoyang, located inland, had always been a prosperous area. Selling those Western goods from the Thirteen Hongs not only brought great profits but also earned the Li family respect in Luoyang. Li Jing’s ability to secure a five-year supply contract with the Thirteen Hongs was thanks to Cheng Chi’s connections. Li Jing also intended to spread this news so that Cheng Jia could settle well in the Li family. Now, not only the Li family but the entire city of Luoyang knew that Li Jing had married a wife who brought good fortune to her husband.
Thus, whenever Nanny Zhao saw Old Madam Guo, she felt somewhat nervous and cautious, respectfully answering her questions.
Learning that everything was going smoothly for Cheng Jia, Old Madam Guo nodded repeatedly.
Madam Li, however, had a sudden thought and said with a smile, "The eldest young lady gave birth to two sons, the second, third, and fourth young ladies each had one son, and now the fourth young lady’s current pregnancy also seems to be a boy. The Cheng family’s young ladies truly bring prosperity to their husbands’ families."
Hearing Madam Qiu’s words, everyone thought about it carefully and realized it was indeed true, bursting into laughter.
Old Madam Guo took Zhou Shaojin’s hand and said, "Is the in-law praising her own daughters? Both of your young ladies also gave birth to sons after marrying."
Madam Li was taken aback, and everyone laughed again.
Zhou Shaojin blushed.
Why was it that after her sister and Cheng Jia changed their fates, they kept having children one after another, while she showed no signs?
Cheng Jing arrived.
Everyone stood up to excuse themselves.
Old Madam Guo, finding it troublesome, asked them to stay seated and went to the side hall to meet Cheng Jing herself.
Cheng Jing brought up the matter of using an official seal for the first birthday ceremony.
After hearing him out, Old Madam Guo simply said she had already found the fish pouch Cheng Chi used for his first birthday ceremony and would use it instead of the official seal. She added, "Using your official seal for the ceremony was just a joke by Lady Pengcheng."
Cheng Jing breathed a sigh of relief but keenly sensed his mother’s low spirits. He tried to amuse her, but Old Madam Guo stood up and said, "Si Lang will be off duty soon. Let him host you for the meal. I still have the Zhou family’s in-law over there, so I won’t be attending to you."
She left without looking back.
Cheng Jing smiled bitterly.
It seemed that ever since the family division, the relationship between him and his mother had grown increasingly distant.
The Dragon Boat Festival was approaching. It would be best to invite his mother over for a short stay then.
He went to the outer study to wait for Cheng Chi.
Old Madam Guo’s heart felt cold.What kind of person is she, that after thirty or forty years, her son would actually say such things.
Old Madam Guo stood under the corridor for a while, dispersing the gloom in her heart before entering the room.
Meanwhile, Zhou Shaojin strongly suspected that her lack of movement was due to Cheng Chi's meddling.
In the middle of the night, she clung to Cheng Chi in his arms, refusing to get up.
Cheng Chi chuckled softly and took her once more.
She was utterly exhausted, but Cheng Chi seemed to have his interest piqued, holding her and talking for a long while. She didn't catch a single word he said. Just before dawn, they were intimate again. As a result, Cheng Chi went to the yamen refreshed and invigorated, while she struggled to get up. When paying respects to Old Madam Guo, her eyelids kept drooping uncontrollably.
Old Madam Guo said nothing, only smiling as she had Chenxiang bring in a bowl of old hen soup.
Zhou Shaojin's face flushed bright red in an instant.
Old Madam Guo laughed warmly, saying gently, "Drink the soup and go back to sleep a little longer. I'll take care of Yun Ge'er's matters!"
Zhou Shaojin had no idea how she managed to drink that bowl of soup, but once back in her room, she slept soundly.
Dear readers, happy weekend!
Today's update.
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued...)
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