Ordinary clear day

Chapter 179

The Chinese New Year in the 34th year of Kangxi was the first New Year after the earl's mansion was fully served, so logically speaking, it should be more grand.It's just that Nala thinks that there are three more happy events in the first month, including Duanning's marriage, Fangning's marriage and Shunning's eldest son Yongrui's full moon wine, which will cost too much, so she wants to save a little, so she discusses it with Tong and Shen. No theater troupe is invited, no fireworks are set off, just a family feast.

It doesn't matter to Mrs. Tong, she is currently focusing on her son's marriage, so she doesn't care whether it is a big or small celebration for the Chinese New Year. She just proposed to Nala that the wedding feast should be changed from a two-day banquet to a one-day banquet. The wine is a little dissatisfied.But because the General's Mansion didn't want to show off too much, they agreed.

Shen Shi was a little unhappy, the three happy events had nothing to do with Sifang, why should they be less lively?However, she was originally from a scholarly background, so she would not quarrel with her sister-in-law on such mundane matters, so she reluctantly compromised.So in the end, the troupe was exempted from the arrangements for the New Year's banquet, but the fireworks still had to be set off.

At the family banquet on New Year's Eve, the second room also came back to participate, and brought Chengning's newly married daughter-in-law, Wanliu Hashi, to meet the relatives of the family.

Chengning's wedding was held before the twelfth lunar month, and only because I heard that Xingsi's Duanning wedding was scheduled for the fourteenth of the first lunar month, and that the bride's father was going to be released from his post, so he hurriedly arranged it.After serving wine for three full days, the whole city knew that his family had a decent marriage.However, Xingbao only invited relatives from his family to have a wedding wine on the first day, and most of the time he only cared about entertaining other dignitaries. Jinbao felt that he was left out, so he said lightly that there were only Nala family and Shen family among the female relatives. I took Mrs. Li there, but the other sisters and sisters-in-law didn't go.On Sanfang's side, Zhang Bao and his wife are both in office, so only Duanning went to congratulate her, while Shuning has been learning the rules at home, so she has no time to pay attention to this matter at all.

It was the first time for the Shuning sisters to see their third sister-in-law Wanliu Hashi, and she really looked pretty, but her pair of hanging phoenix eyes showed a bit of power.As a result, after talking for a while, the facts proved that Cheng Ning had been suppressed by his wife and became honest. He didn't even dare to say anything harsh when talking and drinking with his brothers in private, for fear that someone would pass it on to Wan Liu Hashi. Know.Qing Ning hated him a little, but An Ning and the others laughed secretly.

The strange thing is that Suo Chuo Luo and Yuan Ning are extremely polite to Wan Liu Ha, and they don't mean to put on airs of mother-in-law and sister-in-law at all.Shuning listened to other people's private discussions, and learned that her father was the governor of a province, and her elder brothers had the lowest ranks of six ranks. They were indeed first-class and prominent people. Got such a wife.

Although Wanliu Hashi is powerful, she is a new daughter-in-law after all, she is also worried about her family's reputation and pretends to be a little shy after seeing this group of elders and relatives.She had heard the name of the beauty of the second sister-in-law Wanning in her family, and she was a little annoyed, but she was a little convinced when she saw her, but she was inevitably jealous, so she only talked to Fangning Shuning, two good-tempered and ordinary-looking people, Occasionally talk to Wanning, what she said was thorny.

On the contrary, Yuanning, who has always been at odds with Wanning, behaved very elegantly and dignifiedly, smiling and whispering to her sisters-in-law all the time, without any intention of targeting Wanning, and even greeted her with a smile.During the chat, she also said to Wanning earnestly: "I've heard something about my second sister recently, and I'm also happy for her. But I have a word of advice for my sister, keep everything in check, and wait until things are settled , It’s never too late to be proud. Otherwise, if something happens in the future, wouldn’t it be difficult for my sister to be a human being?”

She looked like "I'm very happy to tell you that you don't know how to listen to unkind advice", Wanning couldn't hold her breath, and sneered, "Thank you sister for reminding me, I have my own measure." Then she looked at the bright red on her body. The cheongsam covered her mouth and said with a smile: "The red clothes on the fourth younger sister are really beautiful. I wonder if I am afraid that I will not be able to wear them in the future, so I will wear enough clothes first?"

A shadow flashed across Yuanning's face, and said lightly: "Sister was joking." But she was stirring the soup in the bowl with a spoon in her hand, crushing the meat inside.

Fang Ning uneasily advised Wan Ning not to talk nonsense, but Wan Ning just snorted, squinted her eyes at Yuan Ning, and then aimed at Wan Liuhashi.Seeing that something was wrong, Shu Ning was afraid that they would quarrel again, so she excused the wine to be cold, and asked a daughter-in-law to take down the cold wine for the sisters and replace it with a warm one.Then he pulled Yuan Ning and asked about the new styles and patterns of the tailor shop that made clothes recently.Yuan Ning also cooperated, talking with gusto, other people at the table were also aroused interest, and chatted one after another.

Shu Ning secretly heaved a sigh of relief, and was turning her head to talk to Wan Ning, but she just glanced at her faintly, and sighed: "Sister, you really know how to behave, it's just that you've been trying to please both sides all day long, don't you think it's all right?" Are you tired?"

Shuning was taken aback for a moment, and remained silent.In fact, she also found that she is becoming more and more tactful and "virtuous and virtuous" now. I don't know if it is because she has lived in a big family for a long time, and she has been influenced by her mother Tong, or the teaching of Cui Nanny has played a role. .This kind of life is indeed a bit tiring.

Perhaps it was because hearing Wanning's words aroused something in her heart, she was very quiet until the end of the banquet, only answering a few words when others asked.Tong looked at her from afar, wondering if her daughter was feeling a little uncomfortable, so she sent her maid to ask, and she was relieved when she found out that nothing was wrong, and continued to talk to her sister-in-law.It was Nala who looked at her daughter's table a few times.

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In the blink of an eye, it was the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, which happened to be the day before Duanning's wedding.The new yard has been properly arranged inside and out, just waiting for the dowry from the bride's family.

People from the General's Mansion delivered all the things before noon, and the drums and gongs along the way were lively.A total of 64 dowries were placed in the front yard one by one for people to watch.In addition to the large carved bed, dressing table, Eight Immortals table, three tables, large wardrobe and other large furniture used in the new house, there are also boxes of four-season clothes, shoes and socks, gold and silver jewelry, silk, satin, silk and fur, piano and chess equipment, antique calligraphy and painting. , Even bedding, pillows, bowls, bowls, whisks, brooms, etc. are complete.

Passing by the front yard, all the people in the mansion praised the new fourth grandma's generous dowry, she was worthy of being the lady of the general's mansion.When Nala saw her, she was secretly annoyed, but thinking that her new niece was from a higher family than the second daughter-in-law, she immediately felt much better, with a smile on her face.Mrs. Li greeted the make-up envoy of the General's Mansion, but only sighed softly after reciting.

The natal family who came to the general's mansion to send makeup was Chongsi's wife.Because of Chongsi's duties, he couldn't leave Guangdong, so he asked his wife to return to Beijing to help.This eldest young mistress is a very straightforward person with a round face, which makes people feel kind.Mrs. Tong warmly greeted Chongsi and his son, and said many good things, and then welcomed her into the new house, and let her put the sister-in-law's makeup box.It's just that when leaving the room, Tong accidentally found Liangzhu among the people who helped put on the makeup, and looked at her a little, and saw that she was still dressed as a girl, and her clothes and jewelry were only slightly more decent than other maids, nothing special He twitched the corner of his mouth and walked away calmly.

As soon as the dowry-giver left, someone in the front yard removed the dowry, and Ermo took the dowry by herself.Wu Xinda, chief executive of the Changfu reunion, began to set up a wedding shed.The Meiyuan was busy adjusting the position of the furniture, tied it with red silk, and placed flowers inside and outside the room.Shu Ning directed everyone to use flower pots in the courtyard to form a big flower shape and spell out the Chinese characters for Double Happiness.These flowers are produced in glass greenhouses set up by several hot spring villages in the suburbs of Beijing. Because of the small quantity, only princes and ministers can get them.Mrs. Tong specially entrusted Tong Ying to get these sixty pots of flowers. Except for the broken branches and vases, there were forty pots to decorate the new yard, and four baskets of fresh melons and vegetables, which were only enough to supply the first-class seats, but already It is an extremely rare honor for a middle-class noble family in Beijing.

The next day was the day, Duanning got up early to freshen up, and put on a full set of official uniforms.The whole family is busy.

In the wedding shed in the front yard, the servants were busy setting up tables and chairs, placing fruit snacks, and carrying out bottles of good wine from the cellar.

Outside the kitchen in the backyard, Xiao Liu was wearing a sapphire blue robe, and was watching the invited cook cook the soup, when another servant came to ask her which bowl to use for the longevity noodles.It was the first time for her to take such an errand, and she was a little flustered. Fortunately, she had discussed it with Mrs. Tong and Ermo beforehand, so she was able to handle it.

Although she is Zhang Bao's second wife, she still considers herself a widow in her heart, so she is a little afraid of running into Duanning's bad luck, and dare not go to the front to have a drink.Tong Shi also had concerns, so she didn't force her anymore, and just entrusted her to take care of the kitchen affairs.Xiao Liu was very happy and took everything seriously.

Shuning came to see her, and said: "Auntie, have you seen Xiaobao? He and Brother Xian have gone somewhere." Xiao Liu replied, "They were still here just now. I'm afraid I'm going back to the new courtyard again. What? Is there something wrong?" Shuning smiled and said, "It's okay, it's just that Ama told me to let Xiaobao follow him to meet the guests before the banquet, and let him stop being mischievous."

Xiao Liu was overjoyed when she heard the words, and hurriedly said: "Don't worry, I will tell him well. If Miss Shu sees him, tell him to come to see me." Shu Ning nodded, thought for a while, then approached and said: "Auntie , when Aunt Rong arrives later, I will invite her to rest in our yard, how about meeting her?"

Little Liu was a little moved, and said: "I just met a few days ago, it's okay. But if she's impatient to drink outside, you can invite her in to talk." Shu Ning nodded and was about to leave when she met Mrs. Li passed by and asked, "Third sister, Aunt Liu, why are you still here? It's getting late, and the sedan chair will be released in half an hour."

Shu Ning hurriedly stepped forward and pulled Shi Li away, seeing Li Shi kept turning her head to look at Xiao Liu Shi, she said, "You don't need to be called Auntie, sister-in-law, it's her first time in charge, so she will be more serious." Li Shi didn't mention it anymore. , but when he turned back and passed by his own yard, he specially hugged his son Derry and returned to Meiyuan.

Mrs. Li asked her son to play gongs on the kang, and then there was the drummer "Xiangfang" who was going to welcome the relatives, and then lit the "Longevity Lamp".Then she and a family wife who was specially invited to be the "Mrs. Quanfu" laid out the kang, and stuffed longan, jujube, chestnut and groundnut into the corner of the quilt.Among them, longan means reunion, Zaoer means giving birth to a son early, chestnut means giving birth to a noble son early, and peanut means giving birth to children and having both children.

The Tong family had already invited several women from the Tatala clan and the Tong family to act as "marriage wives" to take care of the affairs of the new house.Soon, Wanliu Hashi from the second room arrived. Because of her beauty, she was invited by Mrs. Tong to "fill in rouge" for the bride, but she was very free at the moment. Mrs. Li was busy with everything, so she accompanied her and her sister-in-law in the main room say.

Under the guidance of the adults, Derry took the "hijab", and the second wife outside sent someone to deliver "leaving the mother's meal", and the two married wives bid farewell, each took a green sedan chair, followed by the red tweed official who was about to pick up the bride The sedan chair, with the deacons such as gongs, drums and horns, propped up the ox horn lamp, set up the guard of honor, and when the time came, they went to the general's mansion with drums and music.

Duanning waited nervously in the wing room of the outer courtyard. When Qingning saw her, she smiled and said, "It's still early, let alone not coming back until noon. You have time, why don't you take a rest first, eat something, and turn around." You are tired." Shun Ning snickered at the side, excused that he would go back to the hospital to see his son, and left first.

Duanning was a little embarrassed, so he really asked people to pass on the food.Unexpectedly, I saw Xianning and Xiaobao poking their heads outside the door, and hurriedly said: "Where did you all go? Someone sent a message from inside saying that my aunt is looking for you. Go back to the backyard!"

Just as he was talking, Tongying came, saw Duanning's attire, and said with a smile: "You look like a dog." Huzi said beside him: "Young master, you can't say such things today." Tong Ying responded with a smile, pulled Brother Xian and Xiao Bao, and made fun of Duan Ning with them.

Duanning smiled, coughed twice, and said: "I have asked my younger sister to take the younger brothers back. I wonder if I can please my little father-in-law and help me take these two monkeys to the second gate?" Tong Ying He stopped immediately, turned his head to look at him, and said after a while: "It's nothing to worry about." Then he took the two children and walked out.Duanning snorted twice, Tongying gritted her teeth.

When they arrived at the second gate, the original gatekeeper was busy passing messages back and forth, and Tong Ying waited beside her with the child.After a while, Shuning arrived.I saw that she was wearing a plum red robe, twisted braids on her head, and two rows of small velvet flowers, making her look extraordinarily pretty.When Tongying saw her, her heart moved, she greeted with a smile and said: "Long time no see, how are you doing lately? I heard that he sent you a pot of plum blossoms that I gave to your brother last time. I wonder if sister Shu likes it?" Shuning slightly red He said with a straight face: "The flowers are very good. I also took the medicine you gave, and it was very effective. Thank you very much."

Both of them were a little embarrassed, Xianning looked at it strangely, and said: "Sister, Brother Tongying, why do you speak so strangely?" Only then did the two realize that this kind of polite atmosphere is really different from the situation they used to get along with each other In the same way, they looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.Tong Ying pushed the two children and said: "There must be a lot of things in the house today, you have to take care of yourself and don't get tired." Shu Ning responded, and said: "Don't drink too much." He took his brothers and turned around and left.

Tong Ying touched her head, smiled, and went back to the front yard.

Near noon, the sedan chair came back.The concierge of the Earl's Mansion closed the door as soon as they saw the guard of honor, and opened it only after the official guests from the bride's family knocked on the door.Then a bearer removed the poles on the top of the sedan chair, carried the sedan chair into the gate, and after passing the brazier, another person carried it to the small courtyard next to the Rongqing Hall for a rest, waiting for the auspicious time to get off the sedan chair.

Sending off the wife, official guests, Chongli and a cousin who came with the sedan chair, Qingning Shunning brothers invited them into a nearby room, where a feast of wine and entertainment had already been prepared.

When the auspicious time came, everyone carried the sedan chair to the front of the Rongqing Hall, and the deacons played the gongs, drums and trumpets for joy. Two servants had already spread red silk in front of the sedan chair and led them into the hall.A daughter-in-law took off the carved saddle on the table and put it not far in front of the sedan chair.Then Duanning was surrounded by the crowd to the sedan chair, picked up a pair of bows and arrows, the arrows had already been cut off, and wrapped in red silk.He drew his bow and set up an arrow, and shot towards the sedan chair curtain. After shooting one arrow, he took a step back. It took three arrows in total.

The wife who had already had enough to eat and drink came over, opened the sedan door, and the bride was sitting inside. Although she was wearing a red hijab, everyone could still see her good figure, and they all said that the groom was really lucky.At this time, Wanliu Hashi dipped the rouge and white powder from the hand of the daughter-in-law next to him, stepped forward and wiped it on the bride's cheeks, rubbing red and white at the same time, and then backed away.Someone next to him whispered that this grandma looks good, Wan Liuha couldn't help but smile, and walked back with her head up and chest out.

The sister-in-law helped the bride out of the sedan chair, and handed her a small porcelain vase, which contained grains and a pair of gold and silver rings, and was covered with red silk and tied with five-color silk threads.Holding the "vase" in her arms, the bride, supported by her sister-in-law and the wife who sent her off, stepped on the red silk all the way, stepped over the carved saddle, stepped over the brazier, and came to the table of heaven and earth in Rongqing hall. Separate from Duanning on both sides, worship heaven and earth.

(This chapter and the next one or two...is one of the sources of my recent annoyance...)
(End of this chapter)