The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 225

Seventh Lady took a deep breath, carried the two children onto the kang and stood up.

Standing on the kang, these two children were already taller than Qiniangzi. ——It’s like blowing up a balloon, it gets bigger so fast.

She tried to distribute her eyes to Shiro and Goro as fairly as possible, and she said seriously, "Brother Shou and Brother Fu, listen carefully. Right now, you may not understand what Aunt Qi means, but don't forget what you said. Wait until you grow up When you grow up, you will naturally understand. Don't tell anyone else, okay?"

Shiro and Goro looked at each other, and both nodded like garlic.

Seventh Lady raised her head and looked at Xu Fengjia again. Facing the fiery eyes, she frowned and glanced lightly, then turned her head to face the two children, and said softly. "Your mother is dead. To die means to go to a far, far away place and never come back again."

She paused, and then said, "But it doesn't mean that mother doesn't like you, so she left you alone. Your mother loves you two very much, if there is a little chance, she will definitely not leave you alone However, there are things that everyone can’t do, for example, Goro has to eat pine nut candy, and Shiro has to sleep for four or five hours.”

Shiro listened intently, but Goro burst out laughing, looked at the expressions of his elder brother and Seventh Lady, and then fell silent again, blinking his big eyes, and listened to Seventh Lady's continuation.

"Death is the same thing. She doesn't want to die, but there is no way to change it. So, she left and will never come back, and entrusted you to Aunt Seven to take care of her. Therefore, Aunt Seven is also your mother, so just It’s like adoptive mothers, because they raised you, so they are called foster mothers. If you want, you can also call Qiyi your mother. However, there is always only one mother. If this is also a mother, and that one is also a mother, which mother is the bigger? "

Shiro's expression changed immediately, and he was about to speak.

Seventh Lady pressed his mouth again, and said softly. "Listen to what Aunt Qi said—you have to understand that although Mother is not by your side now, you can't forget her. No one in this world loves you more than her... If you don't even remember Mother, then in 50 years After that, who will remember her?"

Wu Lang suddenly interjected, "Aunt Qi remembers!" He started giggling as he spoke.

"Aunt Qi will be old and confused by then, and won't remember anything!" Seventh Lady couldn't help but smile before continuing seriously. "So, you can't ask Aunt Qi to be your mother. But Aunt Qi will take care of you like your mother... and take care of Shiro and Goro together with your father."

She gave Xu Fengjia another look, "Although we are also parents and mothers for the first time, so there are many things we don't understand, but we will learn to take care of Shiro and Goro together, okay?"

Xu Fengjia sighed in a low voice, and murmured, "Okay, okay."

He walked in, put his hands on the backs of the two children, patted the little backs of the children, bent down in a rare way, hugged the two children into his arms, and said with a smile, "Who wants to be with Daddy?" Playing with blocks?"

Goro immediately cheered, hugged Xu Fengjia's neck with a smile, but Shiro struggled and turned back to hug Qiniangzi.Qin Niangzi waved her hand and asked Xu Fengjia to carry Wulang and leave first.Then he looked at Shiro and said in a low voice, "If you have anything to say in the future, you can directly ask Aunt Qi. Okay? You have done a good job today. If you have anything to say in the future, you don't have to keep it in your heart, you still have to say it. Seventh Aunt understands what Shiro is thinking?"

Shiro blinked, hesitated for a long time, and then asked, "Aunt Qi... will... die...?"

Unexpectedly, the child immediately understood the meaning of death.

Seventh Lady thought for a while, then smiled, "No, neither Seventh Aunt nor Father will die."

She smiled and saw that Shiro's little shoulders had obviously relaxed, and the child leaned against Qiniangzi's shoulder for a rare time, played with his fingers again, and laughed contentedly.

The more Qin Niang looked at him, the cuter he became, and she couldn't help but kiss Shiro on the face.

Shiro giggled, thought for a long time, and asked Seventh Lady, "After Qiyi, can you kiss Shiro more?"

When he asked this, he brought some cautiousness, some hope that was tried to hide.

Seventh Lady immediately thought of her days in the orphanage.

In the two lives before and after, she had rarely thought about what happened so many years ago.

It wasn't until Shiro asked this question that she suddenly remembered the past, and her heart ached unbearably, and there was a rare tear in her heart.

She said softly, "Okay, Aunt Seven will kiss you and brother often from now on."

After a pause, he took the initiative again, "Doesn't Shiro want to call me Seventh Aunt? Do you want a name for yourself, the name for you and your brother?"

Shiro immediately nodded again as if smashing garlic.

Qin Niangzi tilted her head and thought for a while, then kissed Shiro again, and then said with a smile, "After that, Shiro will call me... um, call me..."

She suddenly thought that if she had a child in the future, she would always call her mother.

At that time, what will Shiro and Goro think in their hearts...

In the past, when I didn’t think about having a baby, I felt that being called Aunt Qi made no big difference. Now that I want to have a baby, I have to start worrying about the future.

Qiniangzi sighed and said softly, "Then Shiro can call me Qiniang. I am Shiro's seventh aunt and Shiro's second mother. Does that sound good?"

Shiro read Qiniang a few times, and he giggled, looking at Qiniangzi, he seemed a little unsure. "Except for me and my brother..."

Seventh Lady smiled and shook her head, "No one will call you that anymore."

Shiro cheered immediately, and kissed Seventh Lady a few more times before twisting his body. "blocks……"

After all, I was still a child, and as soon as the knot in my heart was untied, I thought about playing.

Seventh Lady couldn't help laughing. She stood up and carried Shiro to the nursery herself. Together with Xu Fengjia, they played with the two children with building blocks for a while before eating separately.

The two left the house side by side, but Seventh Lady didn't go back to the West Sanjian, but walked into the East Jing Room, staring at Fifth Lady's portrait, staring in awe for a long time.

Xu Fengjia was also standing behind her, looking at the small portrait of Fifth Lady with her, wondering what she was thinking.

It was the first time for them to enter the East Jing Room together to remember Fifth Lady. Seventh Lady was stunned for a long time, with mixed feelings in her heart, and she sighed slowly.

"I'm a little scared."

"What are you afraid of?" Xu Fengjia asked in a low voice.

Seventh Lady closed her eyes, took a few steps forward, lifted the veil on the painting, and stared at the eternal smile of the person in the painting.

"I'm afraid that I've misled the two children and made them believe that they can still get some things from their mothers that other people get... and these things are things that Fifth Sister can no longer give."

She paused, and then said, "I'm also afraid that I'll spoil my two children. I don't have any experience, and I'm afraid that I'll make a mistake and go underground—if there's an underground, I can't explain it to Fifth Sister. "

"I'm even more afraid...I'm afraid that I will raise the children very well, and they will live a life of peace and joy. But there is no underground, Fifth Sister will have no way to know...know..."

Her voice tightened a bit, "I'm also afraid that my mother will be cold and lonely underground, and that she will be disappointed in me, because after all, I didn't live a good life, and I couldn't take care of Brother Jiu. But I I’m also afraid—there are really too many regrets in life.”

Xu Fengjia suddenly hugged her lightly, then let go of her and said loudly, "What are you afraid of, the most important thing is eating."

Seventh Lady smiled again with tears in her eyes. "You just want to eat!"

#
Although there are still many things that need to be arranged in private, after all, when the new year is approaching, the biggest thing for the family is the Chinese New Year.

On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, hundreds of male and female deacons in the family were listed outside Menghuaxuan according to their ranks. Xu Fengjia and Qin Niangzi read the roster in person. In private, she rewarded the servants who worked hard for a year, and Qin Niangzi kept a close eye on them. She gathered the servants from three places including Leshanju, Qingpingyuan and Mingde Hall, and decided to give each of them a day off to go home and rest. A duty schedule was drawn up so that no one would be lazy during New Year's greetings and so on.

On New Year's Eve, it will be even more lively. This year, the public is full, and Mrs. Pingguo and Mrs. Tai intend to make it more grand. Therefore, since the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the big kitchen has been busy all day, making hundreds of ancestor worship meals. When the male and female relatives entered the palace to congratulate and come out, the ancestral hall was opened. Dozens of people were divided into men and women and arranged in Zhaomu. Princess Pingguo offered sacrifices, Xu Fengjia offered sacrifices, and Shiro and Goro also came forward to hold silk. The ancestors began to worship one by one. Ping Guogong murmured and reported the big and small affairs of the year.Everyone looked solemn, although the weather was cold and there were only a few braziers in the ancestral hall, it was really difficult to stand like this for half a day, but they didn't say a word, and the sacrifice was completed in such a solemn way.Then he surrounded Mrs. Tai and entered the Leshan Residence, and after saluting her for the second time, he entered the Liushang Hall again. Those deacons who were not on duty went home to celebrate New Year's Eve, and those who had errands all served in the inner courtyard. I gave an extra five renminbi as compensation for working overtime on New Year's Eve.

This rule was just raised by Qi Niangzi this year. She uses both kindness and power, and her methods are so powerful, and everyone is still in the lingering fear of the Wu family's incident, so she is careful everywhere, harmonious, and dare not cause any trouble: They were all afraid that if they made a fuss, it would be recorded in the file, and it was inevitable that they would have to suffer from Qin Niangzi's tricks again.

On New Year's Eve, there is a big banquet, and the scene is much more lively than that of the Yang family. Before the wedding of Seventh Lady, the Yang family already had only four masters. They usually feel peaceful, but when the year approaches, they suddenly feel deserted.It might as well be that the three sons of the second bedroom got married for the first time, and there were more than ten members of the family, chatting and laughing lively, only then did they feel that it was Chinese New Year.Now Seventh Lady is married to Xu's family, and when it's time for the family dinner, the Xu family is old and young, not counting the housekeepers, but there are 22 masters. Everyone gathers for dinner, and there is a lively atmosphere of a big family.

If it is said that when we get together, there are some eyebrows and eyebrows. When talking with sisters-in-law, we must pay attention to everything, but this is not necessary during the New Year's Eve: even Ping Guogong's cruel temper is still a laughing stock in New Year's Eve It is always open, with auspicious words constantly, Daqin people value the harmony of Yuanyue the most, even the fifth young lady is smiling at Qin Niangzi at this time, and even joked with Qin Niangzi, "I will make dumplings later, the sixth younger brother and sister will give it to you." We showed our hand."

During the Chinese New Year last year, the few dumplings made by Qiniangzi were all without exception. They were either mushy or exposed, and none of them were edible.Hearing Mrs. Wu's mention of the past, everyone laughed and said, "That's right, the skill of making dumplings has improved this year, right?"

Qin Niangzi's face was reddish, and she muttered, "Fifth sister-in-law will make fun of me. After all, she is from the south, so where did she make dumplings?"

When has she ever shown such a childlike attitude, even Shiro and Goro clapped their hands and laughed at her, Xu Fengjia laughed even more, and said with great interest, "I never thought you would show your ugly face sometimes?"

Amidst the chatter and laughter, all the people had dinner and did not leave. While the boys set off firecrackers and fireworks to watch for fun, they brought several baskets of dumpling stuffing and dumpling wrappers. Everyone started to make a few dumplings by themselves. Folklore, in the Suzhou area, glutinous rice balls are used instead.Even Duke Xu Fengjiaping and others picked up dumpling wrappers and filled them with stuffing.

Seventh Lady has always been clumsy in this kind of thing, and she made four bags in a row, all of which were in strange shapes. It was rare for the young lady to laugh when she saw it. She smiled and said, "Sixth brother and sister, come, I will take you to make one."

So he took a small silver dumpling made of hundreds of sons and grandchildren from the small basket, dug out a piece of stuffing, stuffed the dumpling in, and signaled Qiniangzi to pinch the dumpling skin together. "Squeeze your thumbs like this—"

Unexpectedly, Qin Niangzi squeezed the whole skin with excessive force. This time, even Mrs. Xu laughed out loud, and Mrs. Tai was even more hilarious. Hands are not hands that do work."

Amid such laughter, even Yu An took Shiro and Goro to make a few dumplings, and Xu Fengjia took Qin Niangzi up, half to guide, half to help her, and made two dumplings. Should have passed the story.Since someone had cooked the dumplings, everyone told jokes for fun, asked the daughter-in-law to tell stories, and invited two master jugglers to do magic tricks so that the children would not fall asleep too early.

In this way, when the dumplings came, the dumplings were presented, and everyone came, "Eat jiaozi, eat jiaozi." Each filled a few to eat.

Qin Niangzi first focused on the vernal equinox of the valley rain, and saw that the two were cautious. Before serving dumplings to Shiro and Wulang, they had to fiddle with the fillings first, for fear of choking the two children, or choking, she was relieved , carefully ate a hot dumpling, and felt that the gums were touching something hard, and when she frowned and spit it out to look, she saw a plum-blossom screw with two or three images of babies playing engraved on it, Xu Fengjia leaned over to take a look, Said, "I didn't expect you to be the first to eat it this year."

Before the words were over, everyone also ate the auspicious things one after another. It turned out that Xu family rules, there are secret marks on these auspicious dumplings, everyone will never lose their share, but Qin Niangzi just ate the first one by chance.He smiled again at the moment, and saluted the elders again. Hearing that the sound of firecrackers outside gradually stopped, they went to rest.

In the early morning of the second day, all the people in the mansion got up again. The women's family members started from Mrs. Tai and made up according to the style. The men who had achieved fame were personally brought by Ping Guogong, and they went to the palace to congratulate the emperor, prince, queen mother, and empress. .Because the New Year's Day ceremony was extraordinarily grand, everyone did not dare to stay after paying their respects, and went back to their respective residences. The family members paid New Year's greetings to each other, and when they returned to the residence, there were also the Huichun presented by the concubine, the emperor, the empress, and the sixth lady. An incense case was set up to receive the reward, and two eunuchs held the word "Fu" over Duke Pingguo's head, and then solemnly posted it on display. After a whole day of commotion, Seventh Lady was exhausted at night, and hurried to bed to catch up on sleep.

She is the young wife of the family, and she is different from ordinary sisters-in-law. She only needs to prepare for returning to her mother's house in the third year of junior high school. When she wakes up the next day, she will go to Sun's house, Qin's house, etc. to pay New Year's greetings. Mrs. Xu will go to Yang's house to pay New Year's greetings in person. The first young lady and the fifth young lady received relatives and friends who came to pay New Year's greetings at home.After another busy day like this, on the third day of the junior year, my aunt went back to her mother's house, and Qin Niangzi finally had time to go back to Yang's house with Xu Fengjia and their two babies to pay New Year's greetings.

(End of this chapter)