Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 438 Two Sisters-in-law [Thank you! Goodbye! 27k more to come]

"What nonsense! That's Zhuang Xuejiu's carriage!"

Sheng Hong frowned and shouted at Wang Ruofu.

"I, I didn't see it clearly!"

Wang Ruofu said embarrassedly.

after a little while,
The carriage arrived in front of the gate.

Zhuang Xuejiu came out of the carriage wearing ear protection.

"Scholar, you've worked hard!"

"You are too polite, Lord Sheng."

After getting off the carriage, Zhuang Xuejiu bowed slightly to the old lady.
The old lady and the two mothers, Fang and Cui, beside her nodded in return.

"Master Sheng, Jing said he might have run into a relative of the Sheng family who had come from afar on the way, so he and Bo stayed behind to greet them."

"I know, I know. Thank you for your help, pedant."

Zhuang Xuejiu nodded and said to Zai Zhang and others who had dismounted from their horses, "Master got up early today, so I will take a rest for half an hour. You can do as you please."

Gu Tingye, Qi Heng and four others hurriedly responded.

Master Zhuang nodded to the old lady at the door and then went into the yard.

Zai Zhang and the other four people did not enter the house, but stood at the door looking in the direction they were coming from.

In the motorcade of Youyang Changfang,

There were two people sitting side by side in a carriage at the back.

One of them was a middle-aged woman who was well-dressed and wearing gold jewelry. She was staring out of the window at the four- or five-story wooden building on the roadside, her eyes full of surprise.

The other was a young man in his twenties, looking out of the window on the other side, his eyes constantly scanning the girls and young wives on the street.

"hiss!"

The young man looked at the beautiful prostitute who was seeing off her overnight patron at the door of a roadside brothel and couldn't help but take a breath.

"How pitiful! Such a beauty has fallen to this state! I will persuade you to change your ways when I have time!"

As he spoke, the young man leaned over to take a look at the plaque at the entrance of the brothel: "Chaoyun Pavilion. What a great name!"

"Son, look at the mule of the boy walking in front of you! When you marry the daughter of the Sheng family in a few months, you must ride a mule like this to look impressive!"

The middle-aged woman spoke with the accent of the Ji-Lu dialect of Dizhou, East Hebei (now Binzhou, Shandong).

"Mother, what did you say?"

The young man, whose interest was disturbed, turned to the other side of the carriage and looked out through the window opened by the old woman.

Looking at Xu Zaijing who was talking to Changwu, and the little black colt Xu Zaijing was riding, the young man said with disdain in his eyes: "Tsk! Look at him, he is just a dandy boy with no official title!"

"The horse is great! We can ask Shulan's father to borrow it when the time comes!"

After lowering the curtains, the young man moved to his own window and continued to glance at the woman he saw on the roadside.

"Son! I heard that the second branch of the Sheng family has hired a very powerful scholar. You must ask him for advice when the time comes. It would be great if the old immortal's divination comes true!"

"The old gods all say that you have the potential to become a prime minister. If the divination comes true, I wonder how much land and shops your mother-in-law will give us!"

The young man said with disdain, "Wait until I pass the provincial examination, then the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination to see the emperor! If the Sheng family doesn't give me land or shops, then I will divorce you and marry another one!"

"Son, this isn't right! I heard that the second wife of the Sheng family works in the Ministry of Personnel. It's not right to turn against her!" the old woman whispered!
"What Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Rites? How old were they when they became scholars?"

The front position of the team,
Xu Zaijing, Changbai, and Sheng Changwu walked side by side in front of the carriage.

Xu Zaijing looked back in confusion and said with some interest, "Brother Changwu, are you saying that you brought the man that Sister Shulan was engaged to?"

Changbai looked at Changwu with a somewhat unnatural expression.

Sheng Changwu looked back at his mother's carriage and whispered, "This is what mother meant. Thinking that Bianjing is a place of outstanding people and many learned people, she hopes to find a famous teacher to give this scholar Sun some advice so that he can see the light of day and pass the provincial examination to become a juren in the future!"

Changbai nodded in approval.

Xu Zaijing scratched his head in embarrassment: This change is quite big. He thought he would never have the chance to meet this prime minister, Gin Miao Sun Xiucai! With a famous teacher like Zhuang Xuejiu, he wouldn't really let this guy become a juren or jinshi, right?

Seeing Seo Jae-kyung scratching his head,

In the carriage at the back, Madam Li, who was sitting with Sheng Wei, lifted the curtain and looked at Xu Zaijing with a smile on her face: "Sir, Bianjing is really a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery! Whose family is the child next to our Wu'er? He looks handsome and talented!"

The bearded Sheng Wei leaned forward to pull down the curtain, frowned at Madam Li's confused look, and whispered, "That's the youngest son of the Xu family in the Yongyi Marquis's mansion. He is both civil and military, and our girl can't match him."

"Oh!"

Mrs. Li blinked regretfully.

"Sir, my mother wrote to you before. Do you have any plans for our Changwu's marriage?"

Sheng Wei shook his head and said, "It's not that easy!"

outside the car,

Changwu looked at Xu Zaijing's mount with envy.

"Brother Changwu, your movements are quite methodical. Have you ever practiced martial arts?"

"Ah? Yes! Merchants in the Great Zhou always need to have martial arts skills to protect themselves when encountering bandits!"

Xu Zaijing nodded and said, "Brother Changwu, do you plan to join the army?"

Glancing at the carriage behind him, Chang Wu slowly shook his head: "I am the only son my parents have."

Xu Zaijing nodded and understood.

Amid the sounds of hawking and shouting in the city of Bianjing,
A group of carriages and horses rushed towards Jiying Lane.

At the entrance of Sheng’s family,
Xu Zaijing Changbai, who had dismounted in front, was already standing at the gate with Gu Tingye, Qi Heng and others watching.

The carriage of Youyang Changfang slowly stopped.
Madam Sheng walked towards the carriage without waiting for it to stop.

"Old sister-in-law!"

The old lady ducked out of the carriage.
Looking at the old lady walking briskly towards him, he smiled and said, "Old sister! It's been a long time since we last met in Youyang!"

Mr. and Mrs. Sheng Wei helped their mother get off the carriage using the horse stool, and together they called the old lady "Auntie."

Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu also called her aunt.

Shulan and Pinlan, who got off the car later, came over and called out to the people from the second branch of the Sheng family.

The old lady held hands tightly with the old lady of the first house, turned her head to look at the two girls beside her and nodded with a smile: "Shulan and Pinlan, these two girls have grown up so much!"

"Come on, let's go into the yard!"

Sheng Hong pulled Sheng Wei,

Wang Ruofu smiled and took Madam Li's arm, saying without any hesitation, "Sister-in-law, let's follow. Molan, Rulan, Minglan, go and pick up your two sisters."

"Yes, madam/mother." The three Lans responded.

Mrs. Li maintained her smile, nodded quickly, and waved to Shulan and Pinlan, asking them to come over quickly.

Shulan looked at the beautiful Molan and lowered her head feeling a little uncomfortable and unconfident.

Rulan and the quirky Pinlan looked at each other and smiled, "Sisters, please come in." When they arrived at the gate,
Rulan looked at Zai Zhang who was standing beside her with a smile and introduced him, "Sisters, this is our sister Hualan's husband, our eldest brother-in-law."

"Brother-in-law!"

Shulan Pinlan smiled and bowed.

Zai Zhang smiled and said, "Come on, go in!"

"I haven't introduced cousin Jing yet!" Rulan said with her hands on her hips and a frown.

Zai Zhang smiled and nodded, "Then you introduce them!"

Without waiting for Pinlan to speak, Xu Zaijing smiled and bowed: "Sister Shulan and sister Pinlan, I wish you all the best!"

"Meet cousin Jing!"

Shulan and Pinlan bowed their heads and bowed.

Rulan then introduced Gu Tingye and Qi Heng. After hearing their identities, Shulan lowered her head and dared not raise it.

Everyone rushed into the Sheng family.

Xu Zaijing stayed until the end.
He turned around to look at the convoy of Youyang's eldest son, but did not see the carriage of the Sun mother and son that Changwu had just mentioned.

I guess the marriage between the two families has not been completed, so it is not appropriate to let the mother and son of the Sun family show up.

"drive!"

The driver's voice came from afar.

Xu Zaijing looked outside and stopped at the door.

After a while

A gorgeous carriage with a wooden sign with the word "Xu" on it stopped at the door.

First, the maid Cuichan,

Then Hua Lan, holding Xu Xingzhong, got out of the car.

"Xiaowu, have the relatives from the eldest house arrived?"

Hualan held the child and said to Xu Zaijing with a smile.

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded: "Sister Hualan, the relatives just went in, I stayed behind to cover them!"

Hua Lan smiled and said, "Come on, let's go to grandma's place together!"

Xu Zaijing paused and pointed in the direction of the school: "Sister Hualan, I still need to go."

The Sheng family's doorman bowed and said, "Fifth Master, I just heard the scholar say that he wants to take a nap for half an hour."

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "Okay! Sister Hualan, please."

Walking on the way to Shou'an Hall,
Hualan handed Zhongge'er to Cuichan and smiled at Xu Zaijing, who was a head taller than her, and said, "Xiaowu, how do you feel about going to the Imperial Examination Hall today?"

Xu Zaijing exhaled: "I am deeply touched."

The two of them were talking.
Soon we arrived outside Shou'an Hall.
Before I entered the house, I heard the laughter of the two grandmothers in Shou'an Hall.

"Wu Lang and the eldest girl are back!"

The maid was preaching outside the door.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zai Zhang walked out quickly, looked at Hua Lan and said with a smile: "My wife! Come, Zhong Ge'er, let Daddy hold you!"

As he spoke, Zai Zhang let Hua Lan into Shou'an Hall.

Hualan entered the house and saw that there were many more tables and chairs in the hall.

The daughters-in-law, grandchildren and granddaughters of the first and second wives each sat behind their elders.

Hualan came closer holding a handkerchief, and bowed with a smile: "Hualan greets great-grandmother, grandmother! Uncle, aunt!"

Turning around and squatting slightly: "Father, Mother!"

Then he smiled and said to the side: "Sister Shulan, brother Changwu, sister Pinlan."

The two Lans and one Wu from the first house hurriedly called out to Sister Hualan to stand up and return the greeting.

"Hualan, come here to my great grandmother and let me see you. It's been many years since you went to Youyang that time!"

The old lady of the eldest house smiled and waved at Hualan.

Hualan walked over with a smile.

The eldest old lady held Hualan's hand with a smile on her face. After staring at Hualan for a while, she looked at the old lady with satisfaction and said, "Old sister, this marquis's mansion is all about raising people. Look at Hualan's elegant appearance! She really looks like the eldest lady of the marquis's mansion!"

While speaking, he exchanged a glance with Wang Ruofu, then nodded in appreciation to Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong's eyes were filled with relief. Wang Ruofu smiled from ear to ear and said, "Aunt, you are too kind. She is just a wild girl! She is where she is today thanks to her mother!"

Mrs. Li, the eldest wife of the first wife, looked at Hualan with envy, her heart full of expectations for Shulan. She hoped that her son-in-law, Mr. Sun, would pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official, so that Shulan could also have such a noble character.

Pinlan looked at Hualan with stars in her eyes. Shulan on the same side said, "Sister, Sister Hualan has changed so much since we first met her!"

Shulan glanced at him with some envy in her eyes: "Sister is right!"

At this time, Zai Zhang had already sat below Wang Ruofu and above Chang Bai.

Wang Ruofu looked at her lovely grandson Zhongger and took him from Zai Zhang's arms with a smile.

Seeing the children,
The old lady smiled and let go of Hualan's hand, and motioned for Hualan to sit on the embroidered cushion next to her.

Then, the eldest old lady glanced around the hall and said, "Old sister, didn't they say that Hong'er had a little son? Why didn't I see him today?"

The old lady smiled and said, "In the past, he would not have woken up at this time. I saw that he would be here soon!"

"Oh!"

As soon as the old lady finished speaking,
The curtain at the door was lifted.

Wei Shuyi, holding Sheng Changqi, walked in with a smile.

"Hey, our Sheng family's little darling, come here and let me see you."

Wang Ruofu smiled and waved to Wei Shuyi. Wei Shuyi walked to the old lady and put Chang Qiang, whose eyes were rolling around, into the old lady's arms.

The old lady hugged Sheng Changzhang a little awkwardly. After taking a closer look at Sheng Changzhang's appearance, she looked at the old lady with full of emotion and heartache.

After years of being sisters-in-law, the old lady understood what her sister-in-law meant in her eyes: This child looks like!

The person who resembles her is naturally the old lady’s deceased child Sheng Zhen.

The old lady smiled bitterly and shook her head: Although it looks like it, it is not it after all, and she doesn’t care that much!

Afterwards, tea and dried fruits were served in the hall.

People were talking in the hall.
Xu Zaijing and Changbai stayed for a while and then left for the school.

in the afternoon,
Sheng Wei and his wife returned to their home in Bianjing.

The eldest lady of the main house stayed in the Sheng family and slept in the same bed with her sister-in-law, the old lady, who had been her husband for many years.

Minglan went to Jin'an Zhai and slept with Wei Shuyi.

(End of this chapter)