Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 233 Mourning
It was midsummer, and the weather was hot and scorching. The servants of Jueluo Mansion found that the days were getting more and more difficult, and the faces of the masters were getting colder and colder.

In the main room of the inner courtyard, Mrs. Xi Tara was sitting on the kang, fiddling with a string of black jade beads in her hand, looking at the vines in front of the window that shaded the window. This was specially arranged by her daughter-in-law last summer to relieve herself from the heat.

Although the daughter-in-law has been in the house for less than two years, Xi Tara feels that it has been ten or eight years, as if it should be a family.Although she has a slightly rigid personality, she is satisfied with the daughter-in-law she has in mind.Needless to say, the Cao family's tutoring is good, but Cao Yi himself is good at female celebrities, cooking skills, and accounting.

Just as she was contemplating, a nanny came in and said, "Ma'am, Dongzhi is calling, wait in the porch!"

Xi Tara nodded: "Call her in!"

The nanny went down in response, and then a petite maidservant with an oval face followed in with a low eyebrow, leaning over to greet Shi Tara: "Slave Dong Zhi, please greet my wife!"

Seeing that she was wearing a lilac-colored shirt and a pair of agate pendants were hanging on her ears, Mrs. Xi Tara had an ugly expression on her face, so she didn't cry out immediately.

Dongzhi's body was already thin and weak, after squatting for a while, she couldn't hold on anymore, and sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Your master is in mourning, but you are dressed like this. Whose rule is this?" Xi Tara asked coldly.

Dongzhi was so frightened that she nearly staggered crookedly, quickly knelt down, and said in a trembling voice: "Slave... I know I'm wrong, I beg my wife to forgive this slave, I don't dare to do it again!"

Mrs. Sitara fingered the beads, looked at the lovely and pitiful Dongzhi on the ground, sighed inwardly, then turned to the nanny and said, "Bring it to her!"

The old nanny opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but seeing Xi Tara's expression, she closed her mouth again and went out in response.

After a while, the old mother took a bowl of brown soup and put the bowl and tray on the ground in front of Dongzhi.

Dong Zhi was so frightened that she burst into tears, she kept kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Madam be merciful, please forgive this servant!"

Hearing this, Xi Tara was upset, turned around, and stopped looking at Dong Zhi.

Seeing that, the mother smiled and said to Dongzhi: "Miss Dongzhi, shut up, what are you doing? Madam just feels sorry for you, knowing that you served the uncle yesterday, so she asked someone to boil the tonic."

Dongzhi's face flushed, she was really dubious about this nanny's statement.She knew that Xi Tara was kind to his daughter-in-law and did not deliberately make things difficult for the maid she married, so she lowered her head and thanked Xi Tara.

But Xi Tara still didn't respond, the nanny picked up the medicine bowl, put it on Dongzhi's face, and persuaded with a smile: "Miss Dongzhi, drink it quickly, it will be bad if the medicine cools down!"

Dongzhi took it with a reluctant smile, and secretly glanced at Xi Tara's family, how could there be any pity?Startled, thinking of Qiuxuan, the medicine bowl in her hand slipped, "Ba" fell to the ground and shattered, and the soup spilled all over the floor, splashing on the corner of Dongzhi's clothes.

Xi Tara turned his head, looked at the soup on the ground, and asked, "You are smart, why do you do stupid things?"

Dongzhi hurriedly kowtowed, crying and said: "Madam, this servant didn't do it on purpose, this servant just slipped..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard footsteps coming from the yard. It was Seshtu who had returned.

Seeing Dongzhi kneeling on the ground tremblingly, Seshtu was slightly surprised, but didn't ask any further questions.On the side of the Cao Mansion in the capital, there is no master, but they have to change their clothes to attend the funeral. Prince Ping has followed him again, so he went to help Zhang Luo Zhang Luo.

After paying greetings to Mrs. Sitara, Seshtu sat on two chairs leaning against the west wall and talked about the affairs of Cao's mansion one by one.After talking about Cao's mansion, he also said about his own family. As a son-in-law, according to the mourning period, he will be in mourning for three months.Although it is a small funeral, some relatives and friends have to be notified, but it is just a favor.

Xi Tara nodded while listening, and when he encountered something incomprehensible, he raised a few words, and finally said: "Your daughter-in-law hasn't eaten much since yesterday, you go and see her, so I can comfort her. Don't make her too sad, cry carefully and damage her eyes!"

Saishitu agreed, stood up and said: "Since that's the case, my son will go and have a look first. It's so hot, and Er Niang doesn't have to be angry with the servants. If she gets angry, it's not the son's and daughter-in-law's unfilial piety!"

Xi Tara waved his hand, frowned and said: "Masters, don't meddle in everything! What is Er Niang most impatient? Others don't know, and you don't know why? Treat your daughter-in-law well. It is serious to give Erniang a grandson!"

Seshitu scratched his head with a smile, and went out to the side room at the back to see Cao Yi.

Although on the other side of Jiangning, Cao Quan did not recognize this daughter during his lifetime, but he did not hide her background from Jueluo's family.As a married daughter, Cao Yi had to mourn for her father for one year, move out of the main bedroom, and live in the chalk room.The chalk room is the room where people live in mourning. It is painted with whitewash on all sides, and only ordinary bedding is used.

When Seshitu went out, Xi Tara said softly to the nanny: "Call two people to pull this servant girl down, and teach him how to behave!"

Dong Zhi wanted to cry and beg for mercy again, but Xi Tara stared at her coldly, and immediately stopped her voice.

In the wing room in the side courtyard, Cao Yi was dressed in filial piety, with white velvet flowers on his hair, sitting on a chair by the east wall, holding on to a brush, writing something with his head down.Hearing the voices of Chun Ya and Xia Fu greeting Seishtu at the door, she got up from her seat.

After getting the news yesterday, Cao Yi couldn't help feeling dizzy and nearly fell down because the rice hadn't been touched yet.

Seshtu saw that her expression was not right, so he hurried forward a few steps to help her stabilize.

Cao Yi smiled slightly and said, "Your master is back?"

Seshtu helped her sit down and looked around the room. Except for a table and two chairs, there were no other decorations.A mat was spread against the north wall, and above it was a neatly folded bedding.He couldn't help frowning, and complained in a low voice: "If you want to be filial to your father-in-law, you just have to think about it, and there is no need to do so!"

Cao Yi lowered his eyelids and said in a low voice: "Because of the kindness of life, as a son and daughter, what else can I do to express my condolences?"

Seshitu thought for a while, and said: "That's the case, it doesn't matter, it's not appropriate to just lie on the ground! Although it is a dog day, it is inevitable that there will be humidity. I remember that we have a few pieces of wool felt in the warehouse. Get someone to find it out, and get out of the way!"

Cao Yi nodded in response, and Seishtu noticed the pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the table and the half-copied scriptures. The more he looked at it, the more he felt something was wrong. He copied the inkstone and put it under his nose to smell it. It really smelled like blood. .He grabbed his wife's hand and saw needles all over her fingers. He couldn't help being a little annoyed: "These two days are the first funeral, and there are three meals every now and then. How can you afford this? The mourning period is still long, why are you rushing to do this?" ?”

Cao Yi gently withdrew his hand, Seshitu couldn't help being startled, and then he looked a little annoyed: "Are you blaming me!"

Cao Yi shook his head and said with a smile, "What did you say? You didn't make any mistakes. Who would blame you?"

Seshtu saw that although she was smiling, her whole body was indescribably cold, and said in a low voice, "I really didn't mean it. I drank too much that night, so I did stupid things! Even if you are annoyed, it's okay." It's been more than half a year, let's calm down!" Speaking of this, thinking of what happened last night, he couldn't help feeling guilty, but he couldn't blame him for that.For the past six months, Qiu Xuan has been taking care of his daily life, who would have thought that Dong Zhi would be replaced last night?By the time I realized something was wrong, I couldn't stop it.Thinking about being in mother's room just now, Dongzhi was punished for this reason.

The matter started half a year ago. In December last year, Cao Yi found out that there was happiness.As the only son, Saishitu was in his 20s and married late. It was the first time he had good news, so he was naturally in a good mood and had a drink with some friends and colleagues.

After returning home in the middle of the night, I found out that my daughter-in-law was taken to the warm pavilion in the front yard by my mother, where two big girls, Qiuxuan and Dongzhi, took care of him.It was also because of drunkenness that Seshitu dragged Qiuxuan onto the bed in a daze...

When the matter was uncovered, Cao Yi didn't say anything, he just wanted to make Qiu Xuan faceless and become her husband's concubine.Before the date was fixed, she had a miscarriage and had a confinement.

Xi Tara sees Qiu Xuan as her duty, and allows her to serve her son, but she is still just a big girl.

"What did you say?" Cao Yi propped his chin and said, "Qiuxuan is my girl, and also my girl. If I want to praise her, what can I do wrong? Even if it's my mother, I don't have to worry about it. I've been married for a long time. , no heirs yet, let alone a girl, even if the master wants to take a second wife, who can tell if he is coming?"

Hearing what she was saying, Seshtu sounded as if he was talking about outsiders, with a embarrassed face, he said in a low voice: "Yi'er..."

"Yi'er? Yi'er?" Cao Yi murmured, "Am I Cao Yi? Or Liu Ping? If I hadn't met my brother, what would I look like today?"

Sai Shitu was confused, and only heard Cao Yi continue: "Speaking of which, I was also raised by a girl. My mother was my wife's dowry, and the master praised her... My wife can't tolerate it. Already had me... When I was seven years old, my mother was gone, and my adoptive father called someone to fill in the house for marriage... If I hadn't met my brother and been recognized by my parents, maybe by now the bones and scum are gone ..."

After nearly two years of marriage, it was the first time for Seshitu to hear about it, and he was speechless in a daze.

Cao Yi lowered his head and smiled and said, "Comparing my heart to my heart, how could I embarrass Qiuxuan? You don't need to take care of me, even if it is to honor my mother, you should have children as soon as possible!"

"Emiang loves you so much, she gave it to you a long time ago..." Before she finished speaking, she saw Cao Yi's body staggering, and Seshtu hurriedly supported her, only to realize that her face had started to turn red for some time People, people have passed out.

Seshtu quickly picked up his wife and left the room.Chun Ya and Xia Fu, seeing Cao Yi like this, were taken aback, and their words were already crying: "My lord, what's the matter, girl?"

Seshitu carried his wife to the main room, and ordered Chun Ya and Xia Fu, who came with them, to report to his wife, and to find another housekeeper to invite the doctor.

All of a sudden, the manor was busy.Fortunately, there was no serious problem, but he caught a cold, and the doctor prescribed some antipyretics.

Sitala said "Amitabha Buddha" in his mouth, but he gave his son a few hard eyes, and then sent someone to pay the consultation fee and send the doctor away.Another two proper people were arranged to take the prescription and go to the pharmacy to get the medicine.

Sitting on the edge of the kang, Xi Tala wiped the sweat off Cao Yi's forehead with a handkerchief, and asked someone to throw a wet towel on her forehead.Tucked the thin quilt on her body again.Seeing her daughter-in-law's haggard face, she sighed, and ordered Chun Ya and Xia Fu to take good care of her before she got up and went to the outer hall.

Seeing his mother's cold face, Seishtu followed out anxiously.Xi Tala's face drooped, and he didn't say a word until he returned to his own yard and sent all the waiters down, then turned around and looked at his son with a terrifyingly gloomy expression.

"Er Niang..." Sai Shitu whispered: "The doctor said that Yi'er is fine, Er Niang is relieved..." Before he finished speaking, there was a "slap", and a heavy slap was already slapped on the face.

Pointing at his son, Xi Tara said sharply: "You were in your teens when you, Ama, didn't remember why? Let your daughter-in-law suffer the same crime as Erniang? In order not to let your siblings suffer, Erniang's heart has never been softened! You Ama kept calling me a "poisonous woman", if your uncle didn't stop me, I would have divorced long ago Er Niang! Tell me, what’s wrong with your daughter-in-law, how can you not be worthy of you? Are you looking at Er Niang alone in reciting Buddha, and want to force her into a 'poisonous woman'?"

Saishitu had already knelt down on the ground, how could he dare to argue, and said repeatedly: "Mother Er, don't be upset, my son knows his mistake, my son knows his mistake!" At this point, he also choked up and said, "It's all because the son is unfilial, Er Mother will beat and scold at will, just don't get angry and hurt yourself!"

Xi Tara didn't even look at his son, went to sit by the kang, and confessed: "Our family was poor before, but we lived comfortably. Now, although you have been promoted, your relatives have more fun, but there is nothing wrong with it." Taste! Now that you are older, and you are no longer the boy who followed Eniang when you were young, Eniang can't control you. If you like this excitement and want to be as romantic and happy as other men, then tomorrow we will be together Go back to the old house and pour it out for you, so as not to block your eyes!"

Saishitu didn't dare to speak any more, he just kowtowed, "bang bang bang", and his forehead was suddenly bruised.

"Okay!" Xi Tara said with a frown, "I thought you were getting old, and Er Niang didn't want to intervene, but I didn't expect you to be so immature! That girl Dong Zhi is not like a quiet girl, Er Niang has dealt with it; even Qiuxuan can't keep it anymore, and tomorrow I'll have someone send it to Zhuangzi outside the city!"
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(End of this chapter)