concubine leisurely

Chapter 5

The next day, Mrs. Zhong woke up early, and her maids, Bihan and Bilian, helped her get up. She washed and washed, and filled a tureen with warm brown sugar mangosteen tea with green glaze from an official kiln, and Mrs. Zhong took it slowly. drinking.

Bihan took out red, deep purple, lake blue, and moon white dresses from the closet and put them on the bed. After a while, Zhong picked out a thin satin pantyhose with ginger yellow embroidered with beautiful green and folded branches of red peonies. A long skirt of light blue cloud damask and plain folds, with a lingyun bun recombed, and an ambilight hairpin inlaid with pearls and trembling branches of golden steps, crystal and radiant, exquisite and exquisite.

"When is it?" Zhong asked, satisfied with the picture in front of the bronze mirror.

"Back to Madam, it's two quarters of the clock. The aunts and girls are waiting outside to greet Madam." Sixteen or seventeen years old, clean and pretty, Bihan replied with a smile.

According to the rules of the Meng residence, the concubine greets the wife at Maozheng and helps the mistress to wash and wash. The girls greet the wife at the second quarter of Maoshi, and then the wife takes the girls to greet the old lady at Chenzheng.

Mrs. Zhong didn't like to see concubines and aunts, so she didn't like to face them when she got up early in the morning, and never asked them to help her groom.

Bihan and Bilian waited for Mrs. Zhong to get up and leave the bedroom. Aunt Ding and Aunt Du had been waiting in the courtyard for a long time. After hugging, he walked slowly to the main room, sat upright on the Luohan bed, took the bird's nest porridge from the little girl and ate slowly, and ordered the girls to come in.

Aunt Du came forward to serve Mrs. Zhong to eat porridge attentively. After giving birth to a daughter, Auntie still served her respectfully and respectfully like a girl. Mrs. Zhong was very proud of this.

After a while, the eldest girl, the third girl, the fourth girl, and the sixth girl came in one by one, politely invited An to salute, and sat down on a row of large chairs with thin brocade covers on the left.

Mrs. Zhong looked at her daughters sitting below. The eldest daughter was dignified and beautiful, while the youngest daughter was bright and charming. There was much satisfaction in her eyes. Xu Xu asked her daughter how she was sleeping, how dedicated her servants were, and what needlework she had learned in the past few days. What book did you read, with a look of love and concern.

The eldest girl smiled happily and answered her mother's words, "I slept very sweetly", "Served with all my heart", "I am embroidering a purse for my father, the pattern was chosen by Sun Xiuniang, it is very unique", "Big brother praised me for the hairpin The writing in lower case is more delicate than before."

Miss Six pouted happily, "Mr. is too strict. You have to do needlework, memorize books, and practice handwriting. It's so hard."

Zhong smiled dotingly, "Your father is back today, so you don't have to go to school. Let's take a day off and talk about it."

Xin Ran's eyes lit up, "Father said in a letter that he brought me a lot of delicious and fun things, what would they be?"

Yue Ran turned her head to shame her younger sister, "At this age, I still only know delicious food and fun."

"Big sister is laughing at me", Xin Ran refused, and rolled into Zhong Shi's arms, Zhong Shi hugged Xin Ran, smiled and said "Yue'er is very good at bullying your sister", Yue Ran blinked playfully, and hid in Zhong Shi's arms Make faces at my sister.

Only a prostitute can be as calm as the eldest sister and act like a spoiled sixth sister in front of his wife. The third girl Yan is envious and jealous.

The fourth girl sat quietly, echoing a few words with the sixth girl from time to time, and smiling at the sixth girl from time to time. She was only half a year older than the sixth girl, and she had been the little follower of the sixth girl since she was a child.Willing to be a lowly man!It is also the father's daughter, why should she be so obedient?

The third girl thought angrily, and the flattering smile of the fourth girl deeply hurt her who is also a concubine.

Everything will be different at the old lady's, but what's the use?The old lady's background is not high, and her natal family has been in decline for a long time. She has neither a rich private house nor a wide network of contacts. Her prestige is limited to the inner house of the Meng family.

The proud third girl, Yan Ran, grew up under the old lady's knees since she was a child. She used to rely on the old lady's love and disregarded the wife and the first sister and the first sister. The stumbling block, blowing wind and lighting fire in the old lady's ear, made the old lady who was unhappy at first even more displeased with the two prostitute daughters. Now that Yanran is growing up, she recognizes the facts day by day and has to Admittedly, fame is important, but strength is also very important.No matter how much the old lady occupies the role of mother-in-law, but she is far inferior to the wife in strength, and it is quite difficult to show the prestige of mother-in-law.

The old lady told the wife not only to bring her own daughter, but also the third and fourth girls when she went out as a guest.The wife either refused in person, "I'm going to the flower viewing banquet in Duke Cheng's mansion, and all the attendants are the mistresses, and all the daughters are with me", or I really couldn't push her to bring her, but deliberately ignored her. I don't like concubine daughters, and when my aunt doesn't want to see her, I ignore her even more.

It is the custom in this dynasty that women discuss marriage before and after Jiji, and get married at the age of 13, [-], and [-]. Now Yanran is [-] years old and will soon be Jiji, but her aunt has no intention of seeing her for her. The handkerchief in Yanran's hand The son twisted into a ball.

The old lady always said that when her father came back, she would make the decision for her, but she didn't dare to think so.How does the father intervene in the concubine's marriage?Even if the father speaks, in the end it is up to the aunt to come forward.

I used to think that everything would be fine if I hugged the old lady's thigh tightly, but now it seems that's not the case, what should I do?Yan Ran's beautiful eyes were full of confusion.

Yanran wants to join his wife, but she has her own daughter, and the fourth daughter An Ran is a sycophant, how can the wife look at her?

If I am my wife's biological daughter, if my maternal ancestral home is the Marquis of Ji'an, wouldn't I be similar to the noble daughters in the capital? The young and heroic Changxing Hou Shizi!It's a pity that I was not raised by my wife, Yan Ran bit her lips tightly, feeling infinitely wronged in her heart.

How can I be worse than others?In terms of appearance, temperament, and talent, she is not inferior to the eldest sister, the eldest daughter of the Meng family, and is much better than the arrogant sixth sister. Roll your eyes.

Yan Ran's beautiful face turned hideous, why?She is not convinced!

Aunt Ding was sitting on the small round stool opposite, secretly looking at her daughter greedily. The daughter grew up day by day, and her life was getting better and better, but her mind was getting more and more serious.Seeing her daughter's little face flashing with pain from time to time, Aunt Ding was heartbroken.

It was me who was useless as a mother, and I was the one who dragged her down.

The daughter is so outstanding, but she suffers from her status as a concubine. She was looked down upon by those ladies and ladies when she was a guest a few times, and she cried a few times when she was wronged when she returned home. Even she didn't want to see her own mother. , were driven out by her.

Waking up early every day to greet her is the time Auntie Ding looks forward to the most in the day, even though she has to eat the cold wind in the yard and serve her wife in a low-key manner. Only then can she take a good look at her daughter.

She can't go on like this anymore, she wants to see her daughter every day, she wants to see her happy daughter every day, what should she do?Aunt Ding's thoughts were spinning rapidly in her mind.

Mrs. Zhong only cared about talking to her two daughters, while her aunt and concubine were all left alone. Aunt Ding secretly resented that the wife did not care about the concubine at all, and she would not deduct the expenses of the concubine. Money, Four Seasons clothes, and jewelry are never taken away, and she never delays her life. The snacks and tea are also good, and there are only a lot of people who serve her. off.

A truly graceful and magnanimous aunt should treat the concubine as her own daughter, cultivate and take good care of her with all her heart. After all, the concubine's success is also the dignity of the aunt!Aunt Ding hated the Zhong family for not being virtuous enough and not being good enough for Yan Ran.

Bihan smiled back and said, "Ma'am, it's almost Chenzheng." It's time to go to the old lady.

Mrs. Zhong was talking happily with her two daughters, and said with a smile, "Let's go now, don't keep the old lady waiting."

The Zhong family was in the middle, and the four girls came to the old lady's Xuanrui hall, hugging each other.

"Second wife is here." The little girl of Xuanrui hall reported loudly, while she graciously opened the curtain, inviting Zhong's group to enter.

The old lady was afraid of the cold, so even though it was spring, there was still a brazier in the house, making the room very warm.

"Second sister-in-law came very early." The third wife, Mrs. Hu, greeted her with a smile.Pointy face, slightly lower eyebrows, a pair of big eyes, rolling around, very shrewd.

"Where are the younger brothers and sisters who came early?" Zhong always treated Hu indifferently.Seeing Mrs. Hu wearing a purple brocade embroidered with peony flowers and a light yellow brocade dress, she couldn't help but frowned. She was a widow. Isn't this dress too bright?Widows usually wear black. If the husband has passed away for many years and the mother-in-law is still in court, they can wear lake blue or snow blue. Very few widows wear such gorgeous clothes.

The powder on the face is also extremely thick, this Hu family is getting more and more outrageous.This doesn't look like a festival.Zhong's face darkened, the three brothers separated long ago, and the three-bedroom house Zhuangzi is all of the upper class, and the sister-in-law and daughter-in-law always live in the uncle's house, what's the matter?When the master comes back, we have to settle things with him.

Old lady Meng sat upright at the head of the main room, wearing a dark blue double-breasted skirt, a long black skirt, and a neat round bun. There was only a white jade hairpin on her head, and a little girl stood beside her, holding a large emerald plate. There were all kinds of flowers with drops of water in it, and the old lady Meng picked out the flowers slowly, "I am old, but I love flowers." It seemed that she didn't see Mrs. Zhong who was greeting Ann.

Mrs. Hu winked at the old lady again and again, but the old lady always ignored her.Mrs. Hu was anxious, her aunt was always so self-willed, and her cousin was coming back today, so why bother with Mrs. Zhong at this time!It's not time to show her face!
Mrs. Hu accompanied her with a smile, and helped the old lady choose a red hairpin of Zhiyueyue to put on her temples. After the old lady looked in the mirror and was satisfied, she seemed to see Mrs. Zhong just now, "The second one is here? Please excuse me. sit down."

Yue Ran was relieved to see Zhong thanked the old lady as if nothing had happened, and sat down. The wife's self-cultivation has really been practiced.He quickly brought his younger sisters to greet the old lady and Mrs. Hu, and said hello to Yiran who was beside Mrs. Hu.

Mrs. Hu thoughtfully stood behind the old lady and hammered her back. Perhaps Mrs. Hu was very comfortable with her hammering her back. The old lady had a smile on her face, and the more she smiled, the brighter she was. She was very kind to her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and the girls felt good , talking and laughing with Yanyan chatting with his grandmother, and Hu making fun of it, the three generations looked forward to the beautiful vision of when Menglai arrived home at noon, and spring was born in one room.

(End of this chapter)