I became an exiled convict after we got married

Chapter 25 Yangzhou
The uncle of the Shen family delivered a letter to his family before he set off in Kyoto.

The person from the Shen family who came to pick him up at the pier was Uncle Shen's concubine younger brother.

The closer she was to the uncle's mansion, the more nervous Shen Qing became.

Having been away from home for many years, it is inevitable to feel timid when you are close to home.

Shen Qing was so nervous that she didn't notice that Wan Jinlan lifted a small corner of the car curtain and looked out secretly.

The streets of Yangzhou are more lively than the outer city of Kyoto. The river is in the city, and there are bridges at some distance above the river.

Pedestrians look calm, the street is lively but not noisy, and there is a feeling of prosperity and stability.

The carriage stopped and arrived at the gate of the uncle's mansion. When I got out of the car, I saw two gray-haired old ladies and an old man in rich and dignified clothes standing inside the gate looking forward to it.

Seeing their daughter getting out of the carriage with their granddaughter, Uncle Yongchang and his wife approached with tears in their eyes.

Shen Qing walked a few steps quickly, hugged the old lady together, and they both cried bitterly.

Uncle Yongchang wiped the corners of his eyes, and patted his old wife on the shoulder, "Okay, if you have anything to say, go back home and say it."

Then he looked at Wan Jinlan again, and said kindly, "This is Lan Niang."

Wan Jinlan nodded with a smile, then saluted as a junior, and called "grandfather" respectfully and affectionately.

Uncle Yongchang nodded with a smile, "Go into the mansion, the journey has been tiring, lunch has been prepared at the mansion."

The Shen family's house is a standard Jiangnan garden, with sparse vegetation, pavilions, waterside pavilions, nine winding corridors, one step at a time, one scene at a time, it is extremely beautiful and elegant.

Wan Jinlan was amazed, this house cost a lot of money just to build it, not to mention the repairs and maintenance on weekdays.

The mansion's mansion in the eastern suburbs of Kyoto was built after imitating the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, but when we got here, we realized what is so small is so small.

The population of the uncle's residence is relatively simple. The old uncle has two sons and two daughters. The eldest son is a concubine and inherited the family business. The eldest son acts as a helper and manages the family property together.

The Shen family has been in business for generations, and the family has a big business.Since ancient times, if a businessman wants to do business safely, he has to find a backer.Mrs. Shen's natal family is still an official. Although she is not a high-ranking official, she can be regarded as a respectable family in Yangzhou City. As for Wan Jinlan's eldest aunt, she is also from an official family.

Wan Jinlan was full from a meal.

Boiled dried shredded chicken in chicken sauce, lion head with crab powder, Wensi tofu, old goose in salt water, stir-fried long shredded fish, etc. These Huaiyang famous dishes are really special.

There are also restaurants in Beijing that serve Huaiyang cuisine, but compared to the table at Shen's, the taste is far inferior.

If the long fish is not handled well, it will have an earthy smell if the craftsmanship is not in place, but she didn't taste a trace of earthy smell today, only crisp, tender and refreshing.

Seeing that she likes to eat long fish, the grandmother specially asked the girl to put the long fish in front of her.

Finally, two pieces of mille-feuille oil cake with layers of oil and sugar, this lunch is not over.

It is rare for Shen Qing to go back to her mother's house, so she naturally has endless conversations with her parents.

Why did Shen Qing bring Wan Jinlan back? Apart from the reasons mentioned before, she also wanted her parents to see her children.

She gave birth to two sons and a daughter. The eldest son was in the southwest, and the second son wanted to take the imperial examination, so she had to bring the younger daughter back.

Wan Jinlan got a lot of good things from the old lady and the two aunts again, and she smiled crookedly.

Shen Xingyu, who was sitting by the side, said, "Grandmother, mother, Sister Lan is new here, why don't I show her around the city."

Wan Jinlan's eyes lit up in a flash.

It was exactly what she wanted!

This elder sister Shen is really good at handling things, she likes it.

The eldest aunt looked at Wan Jinlan's expectant eyes, and said with a smile, "Before dinner, I have to come back."

Shen Xingyu left the mansion with her younger sisters.

"I have to go back for dinner today. It's a pity that I can't stay outside for a long time. Tomorrow, we will ask mother for instructions to bring a few more servants and explain that we will not come back for dinner at night. I will take you to Yanbo Lake to have a look."

"Although the weather is getting colder now, Yanbo Lake is always as lively as before. There is also Yueming Lake. I will take you to see it some other day."

As soon as Wan Jinlan heard it, she was already looking forward to it. She wished she could fly to Yanbo Lake and Yueming Lake after dark.

Shen Xingyu's sister-in-law just gave birth and is still confinement, so Wan Jinlan didn't see her today.

Shen Xingyu and Shen Qiongzhi are the daughters of the eldest aunt's family, and Shen Hui is the legitimate daughter of the fourth uncle's family.

A group of four girls, with their servants, wandered the streets of Yangzhou happily.

Grain stores, cloth stores, restaurants, gold buildings, rouge shops, red buildings, and the traffickers and pawns walking through the streets and alleys look no different from the outer city of Kyoto.But this is a place Wan Jinlan has never been to, so he naturally finds it novel and extraordinarily lively, and always feels that the folk customs here are more simple than those in Kyoto.

Wan Jinlan has also seen the wealth of the Shen family. There are more than [-] shops belonging to the Shen family on the East Street.

"Sister Jinlan, what do you like, just take it, and my sister will treat it as a gift for you."

Wan Jinlan has bank notes and is not short of anything, but between the sisters, they come and go, so they become familiar with each other.

"Then thank you, sister Shen. You will lead the way in another day, and I will invite you to the best restaurant in Yangzhou."

Wan Jinlan casually took two bottles of Gu Lashui, which tasted pretty good, and a box of delicate and beautiful rouge, the total amount was only 20 taels of silver.

Although the Shen family was rich, Shen Xingyu, a girl who was engaged and not yet married, still had to get monthly money from the family. Even if Shen Xingyu had money, it probably wouldn't be very much.

The banknotes on Wan Jinlan's body were given by Shen Qing privately. Under normal circumstances, her expenses are not large, because all the food and drink are at the house, and the clothes and jewelry are also paid for by the business.

"Hey, Shen Xingyu, you have a serious tone, and you can take whatever you like. As expected of being from the Shen family, you are proud."

Wan Jinlan looked for her reputation, and saw a girl who was shorter than her and looked very round, dressed luxuriously but also looked a little rich, walking in from outside the store.

That's right, it's rich. Mingming is very young, but has a double chin. This face looks blessed.

Seeing that it was Xiao Mingyi from Guangling Palace, Shen Xingyu brought her sisters to salute.

"Meet the Queen"

Xiao Mingyi: "Which family is this girl from? Why have I never seen her in Yangzhou City?"

Shen Xingyu said: "This is the younger sister of my third aunt's family. My third aunt came back to visit relatives. It is also the first time for sister Jinlan to visit Yangzhou City."

Xiao Mingyi looked Wan Jinlan up and down, saw that she was a head taller than her, and most importantly thinner, snorted, then ignored them and went inward.

After leaving the rouge shop, Wan Jinlan pouted and asked, "From Guangling Palace?"

Shen Xingyu nodded, "It's the concubine's daughter, but it's the second concubine's."

Shen Xingyu lowered her voice a little, "Because she is fat and too round, the marriage has not been settled yet."

To sum it up, if Xiao Mingyi likes her, people don't want to marry her, and if she doesn't like her, it is even less likely to consider marrying her.

Here in Yangzhou, thinness is considered beautiful. For someone like Xiao Mingyi, it doesn't matter that she comes from a good background, but because she is very picky, but her appearance and figure are not good in the eyes of the world, so she has not yet settled on a marriage.

Shen Xingyu's aunt is the side concubine of King Guangling, and she has a son and a daughter. There will inevitably be some disputes and quarrels between the concubines. Every time Xiao Mingyi sees Shen Xingyu, she will feel strange, she is used to it.

Wan Jinlan nodded knowingly when she heard these things from Shen Xingyu.

(End of this chapter)