Yutai Bi

Chapter 49 Variables
A trace of hatred flashed in the eyes of the old lady Cen: "What about my brothers? When my mother-in-law died of illness, your father-in-law fell ill in another place, and he didn't know if he was dead or alive. The old lady of the fourth room said that your father-in-law was dead, and brought someone to force me to separate the family. I was almost kicked out of this ancestral house... Fortunately, my cousin married the eldest son of the Wang family and helped me. I was not forced to death by the fourth-bedroom old man. Later, your father-in-law came back in time. The fourth room finally moved out of the ancestral house."

The eldest lady gasped, and couldn't help but said: "The fourth bedroom is extinct, only Cen Sanniang is left, why does mother still help the fourth bedroom take care of the funeral, and adopt incense?"

"The eldest son is the patriarch of the Cen family. The three-bedroom and four-bedroom old lady is a real brother. If I don't do this, won't I be told by outsiders?" The old lady Cen said with emotion: "Sanniang has hidden money in private, and dare to use Longxi Li's reputation deceived me, and it always reminded me of the ruthlessness of the fourth-bedroom old lady. Now I still have to worry about the reputation of the Cen family and choose a good marriage for her..."

The corners of old lady Cen's eyes were moist.

The eldest lady hurriedly persuaded: "Mother, then accept the Fang family's marriage, and send her away when she is old enough."

The old lady Cen finally nodded: "The property of the fourth house now belongs to my descendants of the third house. Forget it, I have calmed down and don't care about her anymore. Let the Fang family invite a matchmaker again."

Outside the window, Cen Zhilin sat down on the ground, his little face was blank.

A few birds chirping came from outside the wall, Cen Zhilin came back to his senses, climbed out of the dog hole, and said to Ah Fu with a straight face: "If you dare to speak out, I will sell you!"

Ah Fu nervously tore off a few blades of grass from him, and said aggrievedly: "Master, I won't say anything about it."

Cen Zhilin looked at the water pavilion deep in the garden, bit his lip, turned his head and ran away.

A few days later, the Fang family's matchmaker came to the door.

Cen's family spread it all over the place.Cen Sanniang finally knew that she and Fang Ming were engaged.

Xu had never met Fang Ming before, so she was extremely nervous.

Baicao beamed with joy: "Mom, don't worry. The seventh young master of the Fang family is very nice. He looks good, and he is also good to the third lady. Last time, I gave the third lady a honeydew melon from the Western Regions."

Xu glared at her: "I bought you for a melon. Third lady, what do you think of the seventh young master of the Fang family?"

Cen Sanniang sat on the porch, staring blankly at the rows of houses in the depths of the garden where the servants lived.The marriage was finally settled, and it was so light that she didn't feel the slightest real feeling.

"Third lady, tell me, if there is anything strange about this relative, this servant will send someone to Chang'an to find your grandfather..." Seeing that Cen Sanniang didn't respond at all and was in a daze, Xu became anxious.

Cen Sanniang raised her head, her face full of helplessness: "Mom, I can't control my marriage. So what if we are engaged? If I haven't been married for a day, I can't be considered as a member of the Fang family."

"Ah?" Mrs. Xu was confused, "Third Lady, are you satisfied or not?"

Cen Sanniang stood up, waved her round fan and entered the room: "A guest is here."

Xu and Baicao looked at each other, "Who's here?"

There was a vague conversation at the gate of the courtyard. After a while, the woman guarding the gate went upstairs and said: "Miss San went shopping in the garden this morning, but lost a purse? Xiaoqing, the girl sweeping the yard, found it. Pay you back."

Cen Sanniang smiled and said, "Oh, she picked it up. I was just about to ask Baicao to look for it again."

Baicao muttered in bewilderment: "When did it fall..."

Cen Sanniang's round fan knocked on her body: "You still say? You followed me all the way, and you didn't even notice that you lost your purse. You really deserve to be beaten!" After scolding Baicao, she signaled Xu to grab the money and give it to the gatekeeper, "Thank you, mother!" , call her up."

The old woman went happily.

Cen Sanniang withdrew her smile, turned around and went to the inner room: "Baicao, you stay outside, Liu Niang and Qiniang are going to come up, report a letter. Mom, you stay at the door and do needlework."

Seeing her seriousness, Baicao and Xu felt a little panicked.

Cen Sanniang smiled: "It's nothing, I'll tell you later."

The two did as they were told, and soon there were footsteps on the stairs.Baicao went up to meet her: "Xiaoqing, thank you very much. I was just going to look for it in the garden."

When Xiaoqing went upstairs, the maids of Liuniang and Qiniang downstairs were all looking upstairs.Baicao spoke loudly for them.

Xu raised the bamboo curtain in the inner room: "Third lady, Xiaoqing is here."

After Xiaoqing went in, Mrs. Xu sat at the door with a dustpan in her hand and made needle money.

"My servant has seen the third lady." Xiaoqing greeted Cen Sanniang with blessings.

Cen Sanniang looked up at her.

Sixteen or seventeen years old, with a handsome face, the corners of his mouth are naturally turned up, and he looks like he is always smiling.Like that mother Xu, she has a pleasing appearance.

"My servant picked up a purse in the garden. I remember it was worn by the third lady." Xiaoqing put a dark blue brocade embroidered purse with five bats on the table.

Cen Sanniang picked it up to look at it, then turned around and took out the same purse from the box: "You have good eyesight. I took it out and wore it when I went to the Fang's garden. Once you remember it. This needlework is also good." , Was it made by the Brocade Pavilion? It’s a true imitation. If I didn’t still have this one, I would have thought it was really lost.”

Xiaoqing smiled and didn't answer.

Cen Sanniang threw two purses into the box: "Since I got to know you, I can't count the number of times I get up early and go to the garden. Tell me, how can you look so carefully? I'm curious."

Xiaoqing replied in a low voice: "The servant girl can never forget it since she was a child."

There are plenty of talents under his command, Cen Sanniang complained.She smiled and said: "You came here for the Fang family's marriage, right? My cousin treated me well. The Fang family is richer than the Fan family. At least Fang Qishao is not a sick man who stammers. I am also quite satisfied with this marriage. You You can leave the Cen's house and return to your master. It's useless to stay by my side."

Xiaoqing raised her head and said softly: "Third lady, my master asked the servant to tell you that someone will pick you up to Chang'an in half a month."

Cen Sanniang's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean?"

Xiaoqing said respectfully: "My master also said, please don't worry, the person who came to pick you up is from your grandfather Li's family. The words have been brought, and the servants will leave."

She turned around and was about to leave, but Cen Sanniang slammed the fan on the table: "Stop!"

Xiaoqing turned around: "What do you want to order, Third Lady?"

Cen Sanniang looked at her coldly: "Tell your master, I don't know my grandfather well, I won't go to Chang'an."

Xiaoqing was silent for a while and said: "This servant knows."

As soon as Xiaoqing left, Mrs. Xu came in with a dustpan, her face full of shock: "Third lady, who is she? Is the old man really going to take you to Chang'an?"

Cen Sanniang shook her head: "Mom, she was ordered by the person who gave me some green hairpins... Mom, tell me why that person keeps staring at me? Could it be that my mother had something to do with that person? "

The dustpan in Xu's hand fell down: "...that man is only in his twenties, how could he possibly know your mother. You just got engaged, how can this be good!"

"Why panic?" Cen Sanniang curled her lips: "I won't go to Chang'an, what can he do? Mom, bring the banknote and land deed, I'm going to find the eldest lady. I will find a way to get the Cen family to keep me!"

As usual, Cen Sanniang took Baicao to greet the old lady in the morning.

The Cen family has been based in Longzhou for a hundred years, and the biggest official is the third-bedroom and second-lord, who has become a fifth-rank official doctor.Mrs. Cen gave birth to four sons, and the fourth master did not live up to it, but the three grandsons looked good.The third room of the Cen family is Ding Xingwang, and the old lady pays more attention to the grandchildren.

Ninth Young Master adopted to the fourth room, and by name, he is Cen Sanniang's younger brother.What is more important than the future of the Cen family?

The old lady Cen had passed the test in her heart, she felt generous, she did a good deed, and chose a very good marriage for Cen Sanniang.Things have come to this point, many relatives are better than many enemies.Although she didn't like Cen Sanniang in her heart, that resentment gradually dissipated.

She doesn't ask what will happen to Cen Sanniang in the future, she just hopes that she won't drag Brother Jiu down.So Cen Sanniang came to pay her respects, and the old lady was as kind as ever.

In the past, if the old lady hadn't spoken out, Cen Sanniang would not have stayed to make fun of her.Today she stayed.I took a box from Baicao, and delivered it to the old lady in front of everyone, saying earnestly: "When my mother passed away, my grandfather carried away all the dowry according to the dowry list. In the past three years, no one has ever given away my mother's dowry." I came to ask Sanniang a question. In the past three years, only my cousin and uncle have taken care of me. In Sanniang's heart, my cousin is like my real grandmother. I think Sanniang was young when her parents passed away. I was terrified, so I concealed a large amount of personal wealth. My cousin never complained, and she did her best to find a good marriage for San Niang. I am really ashamed and sad in my heart."

She knelt in front of the old lady Cen, holding up the box: "Sanniang lives in the third room, and I dare not let the elders spend any more money. These are the private property left by my parents. Please ask grandma to take the trouble to pay for Sanniang." Mother buys the dowry."

The old lady Cen's heart was irritated by what she said, although she was curious about how much private property Sifang had left for Cen Sanniang, she would never accept it on the face: "Good boy, get up quickly."

The eldest lady stretched out her hand to help Sanniang with a smile, and said angrily: "Sanniang, the money left by your parents is for you to make up for your dowry. What mother and us aunts bought for you is ours. mind."

Cen Sanniang put the box on the table, took out a handkerchief and pressed it at the corner of her eyes, choked up and said, "It is Sanniang's blessing to be loved by the elders. Sanniang is the daughter of the Cen family, and all food and lodging are provided by the public. There is no reason for an unmarried daughter's family to own the property. If my cousin refuses to accept me, she will treat me as an outsider."

(End of this chapter)