concubine leisurely

Chapter 36

Two days later, Hu Qing's family of four, the old lady's natal nephew, and the son and daughter-in-law of the thirteenth uncle, Meng Yun and Meng Lai, who are called Seventh Brother, Starling, Seventh Sister-in-law, and Eighth Sister-in-law, also arrived one after another. Meng Lingran, a 12-year-old youngest daughter, said that she brought the child to the capital to see the world.

The only nephew of Mrs. Meng's natal family is Hu Qing, and Hu Qing married Mrs. Ding, the daughter of Mrs. Meng's sister. One can imagine how happy Mrs. Meng is to see this family of four. Qing, the shrewd and exposed Ding, and the clever Hu Fei held hands and looked at each of them carefully, asking countless questions, especially satisfied with the gentle and beautiful Hu Xiaoli, glanced at Hu Xiaoli, then at Meng Zhengxuan, old lady Meng My heart is like eating honey, sweet.

The branch of Menglai is a side branch of the Meng family in Tai'an, and it has been out of five clothes with the direct branch, and it is no longer close. The son and daughter-in-law came to the capital from their hometown in Tai'an to have a wedding. Meng Lai was very happy, and placed Seventh Brother and Mynah in the Jingyu Pavilion next to Meng Yun's courtyard. That night, Meng Yun and Meng Lai accompanied Seventh Brother and Mynah to drink until midnight Fang San.

Meng Lingran has been in Tai'an for many years and has never traveled far. She originally wanted to settle down with her parents, but was persuaded by her eighth sister-in-law, "Sister Ling, let's come to the capital with great difficulty. You also go to see the boudoir of the official lady." " Meng Lingran herself was also curious, thinking that Sister Wei had met a few times, she was a good person, and it would be okay to live in the same yard with her, so she nodded and agreed, and moved into the good garden with Meng Weiran.

Meng Weiran smiled and looked at Meng Lingran, who looked a little dazed after entering Youran's bedroom, but it was just a well-decorated daughter's boudoir. Seeing that Sister Ling, who has never seen the world, looks stupid!Sister Ling showed much envy on her face, "Is this Youran's boudoir? It's so beautiful. I can live in this room for a few days. It's really worth the trip to the capital."

Wei Ran burst out laughing with a "puchi" and joked, pointing at Little Ling Ran's forehead, "You child, you really have shallow eyelids, what is this? Is it worth it?"

Sister Ling was an honest child, she blushed immediately, straightened her neck and asked Wei Ran, "Sister Wei, don't talk big, is your boudoir like this?"

Wei Ran said arrogantly, "My boudoir is much better than this! I'm the first daughter of the Meng family, so I can't compare to the concubine from a side room?"

Sister Ling is honest but not stupid, she pursed her lips and said with a smile, "If you talk about a daughter-in-law, I am also a daughter-in-law, but my father is white, so what about a daughter-in-law, she is still not honorable." The implication is that your father is just a From a seventh-rank small county magistrate, even if you are a concubine's daughter, it's not as good as a concubine from a third-rank senior official's family.

Wei Ran was annoyed in her heart, but smiled and said, "Exactly, your father is white, but I am different, my father is also a court official." It's just that the official is relatively small.

Ling Ran let it go with a smile, she grew up in the countryside, she was very courageous, straightforward and open-minded, she never took things seriously, but after a novelty, it was all right, the girl helped her wash and go to bed, and soon fell asleep, leaving Wei Ran alone Life is sulking.

Wei Ran was sulky all night, and the next day she went to Mrs. Gu to complain, "Miss Ling is so stupid, it's really uncomfortable to live with her." She then made a request, "Mother, the furniture in Lei Ran's room is beautiful, I want it too, and Western The clock, the white jade, the Ru kiln teacup... I want them all."

Gu Shi smiled slightly, "It's easy."

Wei Ran was overjoyed, "Okay, mother will buy it for me when I go home."

Gu shook her head and said, "It's not okay to go home."

Wei Ran was stunned, mother, what does this mean?Mrs. Gu caressed Wei Ran's head lightly, and said softly, "When I go home, I only rely on the ancestral property and your father's salary, what can I do? We can't afford these things." Wei Ran looked at Mrs. Gu in confusion, "Then You still say...?"

"If you want to have these, it's easy, just stay at your second uncle's house. If her daughter has it, you will have it too." Gu Shi said lightly.

Wei Ran was stunned, and shook her head greatly, "I don't, I'd rather be with my parents than to eat well and wear well."

"Okay." Gu agreed very readily, "Then our family will stay in the capital."

"But, dad is in Beijing, can you do it?" Not to mention whether there is a shortage of officials in the capital, even if there are, they are still low-level officials. Everything in the capital is expensive, and the whole family stays in the capital, how can they live?Wei Ran was full of doubts.

Gu said softly to Wei Ran, "Silly boy, what's wrong with you, you just have to be your eldest lady with peace of mind, and the rest are your mothers."

It is also the son of the Meng family, why is the second son so prosperous, but the eldest son is so difficult, he and his husband suffer so much, but the son and daughter can't suffer any more, Gu's honest face There was a flash of determination.

The lives of the first and third householders of the Meng family are ordinary, and only the second householder lives in wealth, and the old lady is the most protective. Seeing that the eldest son's family and the youngest daughter-in-law's life are hard, can she sit idly by?There is an old lady in charge, and Da Fang and San Fang are working together, what can Er Fang do?The second child is now a high-ranking official, so face is the most important thing, and there is also filial piety, a word of filial piety can crush people to death.Gu Shi laughed with confidence.

Meng Lai has always been diligent and conscientious as an official. Now that he has just arrived at Guanglu Temple, he naturally has a lot of affairs to deal with. Although he has family affairs, he is still busy with official duties. Most of the weddings, dowry, and guests are It was Zhong's cuisine. That night, Meng Lai returned home after it was dark, and was called to Mrs. Meng's place before he had dinner.

The old lady Meng's face was ashen, she dismissed everyone, took a dowry list, and shouted at Meng Lai, "You and your husband are very generous! Such an escort, I am afraid that the Meng family will be emptied?"

Meng Lai was exhausted all over, took a look at the dowry list, and said lightly, "Yue'er is married to the son of the Marquis of Changxing, and after passing through the door, he will be the wife of the son. The dowry of 120 eight liters is not too much."

The old lady Meng said angrily, "What kind of family are we? We can compare with these honorable families! I have already said that it is enough to find someone with the right family. What's the advantage of being so high-ranking? First pay for the dowry!"

Meng Lai smiled and said, "Who doesn't pay for marrying a daughter? As the saying goes, a girl loses money and goods, but she doesn't pay for it. However, when the Ding family married a daughter, didn't the mother order me to be a cousin and add a Zhuangzi?" The cousin married If you can give a Zhuangzi, and your daughter gets married, what is there to be reluctant to be a father and mother?
The old lady Meng said bitterly, "Don't even think about it. After the eldest girl is married, we still have to live. The four boys have not yet married, and the six girls have not yet left the cabinet. If we continue to act like this, we will go bankrupt just by accompanying our daughters." .”

Meng Lai had been busy all day, he hadn't eaten dinner yet, his mind was a bit confused, he couldn't figure out how there were four boys and six girls, and it took him a while to realize that the old lady Meng was talking about the four boys Meng Zhengkuan, Meng Zhengxuan, Meng Zhengxian, and Meng Zhengyu. The six girls, Meng Yiran, Meng Yanran, Meng Weiran, Meng Anran, Meng Youran, and Meng Xinran, couldn't help but feel a little angry. The three brothers have been separated for a long time, and the eldest and third families have their own properties. Why did they come to the old lady? Fang or Sanfang's children, it's all his business?
Meng Lai has been in the officialdom for a long time and has already cultivated self-cultivation. Although he was annoyed in his heart, he didn't show it on his face. He avoided the seriousness and said lightly, "What did you say? Don't say that the third girl, the fourth girl, and the fifth girl are concubines, the dowry is already thinner, even the sixth girl, who is also a concubine daughter, can't be compared with the eldest sister, this dowry, only Yue'er in the Meng family can do this. "

The old lady Meng's eyes turned cold, "What about Sister Yi and Sister Wei, aren't they the daughters of the Meng family?"

Meng Lai looked stunned, "Sister Wei has her elder brother and sister-in-law presiding over it. As an uncle, I don't care too much. Then I will add makeup to Sister Wei. Sister Yi has her own three-bedroom property, so I will take it all away. It doesn't matter, Brother Yu is a boy, he should go out and fight the world to earn a fortune."

The old lady Meng said sternly, "Don't pretend to be confused with me! Don't you know what happened to your elder brother? What kind of life did you live, what kind of life did your elder brother live, do you still have the heart of brotherhood? You don't care about your nephew and niece. !"

Meng Lai smiled wryly and said, "Mother, how do you want me to take care of you? The second wife can live like this, not because of my salary, but most of it is Zhong's dowry. It's shameful for me to support my family with her dowry. Is it possible that I still have to use it?" Her dowry to support nephews and nieces?"

"Why not?" Mrs. Meng didn't hesitate at all, "She is a member of the Meng family when she marries into the Meng family. Her dowry is all from the Meng family! It should be used by the Meng family!"

Meng Lai stopped talking for a while.My own mother is really speechless.

The old lady Meng pressed her step by step, "Why don't you talk? Have you nothing to say? A woman regards her husband as the sky, so she should put her husband's family's interests first. How can she be petty and only care about that little personal wealth? Let her Bring out the dowry, Brother Kuan is old enough to get married, and Sister Yi is also old enough, and the eldest and third householders are struggling, since she is Meng's wife, she should take out the dowry to make up for it!"

Meng Lai settled down, and said slowly, "I am in the law, and there is no rule that women's dowry is private property." The old lady Meng was overjoyed, "Exactly, women's dowry is not private property, so it should be used by the Meng family. "

Meng Lai smiled wearily, "But I have always been a rule. After a woman's dowry is brought to her husband's house, it is at the discretion of the woman herself. Whether it should be handed over to her husband's family, or whether it should be merged with her husband's property depends entirely on her own will."

The old lady Meng sneered, "It all depends on her own wishes? That good lady of yours only cares about her own children!"

Which woman has the world in mind?How many women do not only have their own children in their hearts?Meng Lai only felt a severe headache.

The old lady Meng said proudly, "Your Yueran is the eldest daughter of the first line. Aren't sisters Yi and Wei the eldest daughters of the first line? If that's the case, you should obey me. When sisters Yi and Wei leave the court in the future, you will take care of sister Yue." Give the two of them exactly the same dowry, so I won't bother you, otherwise, you will be disobedient!"

Meng Lai's eyes darkened and he passed out.

(End of this chapter)