The 36th time

  Chang Bai's older brother is quite popular among middle-aged and elderly women. Mrs. Hai's letters are more passionate than the last, initially with a tone of superiority, but later addressing him as "dear uncle" and "dear aunt". Seeing Chang Bai living alone in the capital city's mansion, she wishes he could move into her own home. Thinking that his term is about to end, Shi Yong orders the servants to slowly tidy up the Beijing mansion, so that when the whole family returns to Beijing, they will have a place to live.

  After more than half a month, Zhang Bai finally returned. He bid farewell to his mother-in-law with enthusiasm and was warmly welcomed by his own mother. Wang Shi stroked her son's head, feeling that the ten months of pregnancy and over a decade of emotional investment had not been in vain. She was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. In fact, she had prepared a white horse and a large red silk flower ball, planning to have her son parade through the streets to show off their glory. Zhang Bai refused to comply, leaving Wang Shi feeling depressed. In reality, Ming Lan understood Wang Shi very well - having married an old husband who was like a boss, and giving birth to a son who was like an old father, anyone would feel depressed.

  As compensation, Sheng Xuan chose a cool and sunny day to hold a banquet in the government office, coinciding with the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, inviting colleagues to come together and have fun.

  In the late spring and early summer, the scenery in the garden was lush and green with vibrant red flowers. The rocks were rugged and the wind was gentle, making it a perfect setting for guests. Mr. Wang had originally wanted to invite a troupe of actors to perform a few plays, but Mr. Shi thought it would be better not to make too much of a fuss, so they only set up a few tables for dinner. The male guests ate and drank in the front courtyard, while the female guests were entertained separately in the back garden. Many families from the city who were on good terms with the Shi family arrived early, but unexpectedly, the first to arrive was Princess Pingning.

  It's not that the Wang family has too much charm, but in this region of Dengzhou, there are only a few women who can match the rank of the Imperial Concubine, and other official families' women will only flatter and fawn. The Pingning County Master had to endure some flattering for a while, which was inevitable. The Wang family is at least from a prestigious background, and has socialized in the imperial capital's inner circle, so they don't get tongue-tied when interacting with others. When middle-aged women talk about the gossip of royal families, aristocratic families, and wealthy households, it's usually very lively; although the Wang family is somewhat overbearing, they wouldn't dare to show off in front of the County Master, especially after they stopped trying to marry off their daughter. The straightforward nature of the Wang family actually gets along well with the gentle and reserved County Master.

  Pingning County Master first congratulated Wang, then lamented that his own son didn't pass the exam. Today, Wang was originally extremely happy, but facing the county master's sorrowful face, he couldn't show too much joy. After wracking his brains, he finally thought of a sad event to talk about: "They say that high-ranking families marry off their daughters to lower-ranking families, and this Hai family has such a noble background and family tradition... how will I discipline my daughter-in-law in the future?"

  Wang sacrificed himself to entertain the other party's noble sentiments, and immediately got a response. The county master burst into tears and laughed: "You are too! You want to marry a good daughter-in-law from a good family, but also want to discipline your daughter-in-law freely. Is there such a good thing in the world?"

  If it were someone else who spoke like that, Wang would have already overturned the table, but facing the county princess, she could only secretly clench her fist in anger, then force a dry laugh and let it pass.

  It wasn't long before the guests started to arrive, and soon the room was filled with the sound of jewelry clinking and the rustling of silk. Old Lady Shi sat in the center of the room, while Minglan's three sisters-in-law stood beside her, dressed in their finest clothes, looking demure and shy. A group of older women gathered around them, pinching and poking at their faces, making Minglan smile awkwardly until her face hurt. The air was thick with the scent of perfume, making Minglan's head spin. Across from her, an old woman from the Rongguo household stood beside a 15- or 16-year-old girl, who was dressed in a pale purple sleeveless shirt and a light green skirt with a pattern of lotus flowers. The girl looked at Minglan's fake smile and couldn't help but giggle, making eyes at her. Minglan was furious and shot back a dirty look, baring her teeth.

  After exchanging a few pleasantries, Old Lady Shen took Madam Yu to the Shou'an Hall to chat, while Wang and the other ladies warmly greeted each other before wanting to discuss topics of men's marriages and women's weddings, but considering the young girls present, they let them go off and play on their own.

  Mo Lan's wrist was slender, and she had the most close friends. As soon as she walked out of the door, four or five girls surrounded her, laughing and chatting. Mo Lan relied on her identity and only got along well with Liu Li's two daughters from a noble family. Minglan was blocked by Old Lady Shen and hadn't seen many guests, so she had to pretend to be demure in front of Mrs. Wang and didn't know many girls. Only the old lady of the Yu Ge Lou often came to participate in Buddhist activities with Old Lady Shen, so Minglan became familiar with their daughter, Miss Yu Ruo.

  Yanran was born with a tall and slender waist, warm and elegant, and pleasing to the eye. At one time, Old Lady Sheng even wanted to marry her off to Changbai as his daughter-in-law, but unfortunately, Yanran's father, who served as a fifth-grade official in the Ministry of Revenue, thought it would be a waste to marry his daughter to Sheng Xiang as his daughter-in-law, so the matter was dropped.

  All the girls were led into the Wenyuan Pavilion to have tea, and the maids had already moved out various colorful embroidered chairs and tea tables, and also set up exquisite pastries and covered bowls. Like Lan smiled and said: "This is my uncle brought back from Yunnan white tea, sisters taste, eating good?" The girls heard a great interest, then hold the tea cup and lightly sipped a few mouthfuls, Mo Lan's eyes slightly raised, covering her mouth and laughing: "Fifth sister you really are, what rare good things, also take out to show off like treasure, making all the sisters seem like they have never seen the world! Not to mention this Yunnan white tea, even the Tibetan border brick tea, last time Wu family's sister also brought it for us to eat!"

  Like Orchid's face immediately became unpleasant, she endured without making a scene. The discord between the sisters was not a secret, and the girls sitting around them were all expressionless, sipping tea and chatting to themselves. Wu Baozhu was the most tactful, smiling and saying: "Sister Mo, don't mention it anymore. Last time that good-for-nothing made you sisters taste bitterness, I was truly regretful. Today's white tea is very good, light, elegant and warm."

  Miss Liu also smiled and said: "There's a kind of flavor to this thing, there's no good thing that isn't brought out for sisters to taste, like Lan sister is being hospitable."

  Chen Xinya, the only daughter of the county magistrate, had always been arrogant and spoiled. She didn't get along with Rulan, but instead enjoyed being flattered by Molan. Pouting her mouth, she put down her tea cup and said, "This is just so-so, too bland and tasteless. Not as good as the White Dew my father brought back from Lushan."

  Like Orchid's flat mouth, suddenly turning to sit in the corner, Ming Lan said: "Sixth sister, what do you think?"

  Minglan was getting closer to the door, thinking of taking advantage of no one noticing to slip away, but unexpectedly she was called out. She stiffened for a moment before speaking: "The flavor is a bit light, but it's refreshing and has a unique aftertaste. I'm grateful to all the sisters for this treat. This tea, Fifth Sister Jian had been hiding it for several days, not even giving any to her own sisters, just waiting until today to entertain all of you."

  The gift was light, but the thought was heavy, and all the girls around thanked her one after another. Like Orchid felt very satisfied.

  On the other side, Yu Yanran was entwined by a concubine-born daughter of a certain family, and took the opportunity to stand up, walk to Minglan's side, use an onion-like index finger to point at Minglan's forehead, and scold: "You little girl, today you saw me but didn't say a word, so heartless!"

  Mei Lan frowned and said: "Last month when I saw the weather warming up, flowers blooming, grass growing green, water warming up, fish swimming actively, I invited you several times to come fishing and drink fish soup, but you just told someone to say hello and didn't even have an excuse, so I don't want to bother with you!"

  The words had just been spoken, when the girls in the house all looked strange, frowning and winking. Minglan was confused and went to look at Yanran, but saw that she was a bit uncomfortable. Chen Xinyu turned her head and joked: "Minglan sister, this little girl is so uninteresting, now that Yu's sister has caught such a big fat fish, how can she have time to come to your house to catch those small fish!"

  Most of the girls giggled and smiled, but none of them said anything. Only the youngest, Hong Qingyu, was still very innocent and clapped her hands, saying: "I know, I know! The eldest sister of the Yu family is being matched with the second son of the Ningyuan Marquis' family in Beijing!"

  Minglan was surprised: "Really? Then congratulations are in order for my sister." The surrounding voices rose with some genuine and some fake congratulatory words, but Minglan felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange, as if... something wasn't quite right. She turned her head to look at Yanran, only to see her too embarrassed to even lift her head, so she forced a smile and changed the subject: "Which Gu family? Isn't the Pingning Princess's maiden name also Gu? Could they be related?"

  "Exactly! The Marquis of Xiangyang and the Marquis of Ningyuan were brothers who helped our great ancestor conquer the empire, and they were both granted titles together!" Minglan was overjoyed for Rulan and smiled, "That's wonderful news. This family must be extremely good."

  Just then, Mo Lan suddenly interjected: "But... I've heard that the second young master of the Gu family has a somewhat eccentric temperament."

  The whispers started again, Yanran hid behind Minglan with a face full of shame and didn't dare to say a word. Minglan laughed loudly and said: "Everyone don't listen to my fourth sister's nonsense, we sisters have never been to the capital since we were sensible, how would we know these things?" While giving Molan a stern look, Molan slightly pouted and stopped talking.

  Her eyes showed a grateful look, but who knew that Chen Xinyu would say coolly: "We don't know the inside story, but there's one thing, when I was young in Beijing, I heard that once Ningyuan Old Master almost had him tied up and taken to the imperial palace to be questioned for the crime of disobedience."

  Miss Liu feigned a look of surprise and gasped loudly, causing the girls around her to start discussing it. Minglan was stunned for a moment, then turned back to see Yanran's embarrassed and humiliated expression. She looked at the surrounding girls who were either gloating or avoiding her, with some only offering lukewarm words of comfort. In her heart, she was furious: she knew why they were acting this way - it was all due to jealousy.

  It turns out that Yu Yanran is the most prominent among all the girls, although her father is only a servant, but her grandfather was a generation of prime minister, with a reputation for being honest and diligent, and the former emperor personally wrote "Keqin Shenmian" four characters to reward him. That's why she has the qualifications to directly discuss marriage with the second son of the Marquis' family. It's like when Hua Lan, as the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, married a declining earl's second son, it took a lot of effort from her grandmother.

  Minglan wanted to help Yanran out of the situation, so she pointed at herself and said loudly: "Boys are always naughty when they're young! And besides, rumors are often unreliable. Miss Liu hadn't seen me before and 'heard' that I was aloof and eccentric, but look at me now, aren't I beautiful and kind?" Miss Liu smiled awkwardly, while the other girls burst out laughing. Minglan continued with a thick face: "What's wrong with what I said? Am I not beautiful? Not kind-hearted?"

  Like Orchid pointed at Ming Lan, "You, you, you......" laughed and fell onto the machine, holding her belly and couldn't speak.

  The stifled giggles in the room turned into loud guffaws, and Minglan saw that Yu Yanran's face was almost burning with embarrassment, her cheeks slightly subsiding. Feeling a bit pitiful, she decided to play along and said: "Sisters are too surprised, isn't Yanyan just talking about marriage? I even want to arrange marriages for the goldfish in my family's fish tank, Little Red and Little White!"

  Everyone laughed even harder, and Minglan said with a serious face: "Little Red and Little White have also accompanied me for many days. Seeing that they are not young anymore, as the host, I should consider their lifelong happiness!"

  The girls laughed and fell to the east and west, Wu Baozhu leaned on a girl's shoulder, laughing with a red face, wiping away tears: "Is it done?" Minglan shook her head: "It's quite difficult."

  Chen Xinya laughed until her stomach hurt, and with great effort squeezed out a few words, choosing her tone carefully: "...... What's going on here?" Minglan looked serious, shaking her head: "Marriage is a big deal, it's the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, but I... where can I go to find that pair of fish a fish father and mother and a great matchmaker?"

  Chen Xinya burst out laughing: "Well, you might as well be their parents then! I'll be the matchmaker! Let's get them married off!"

  The girls almost laughed to tears, and Ruolan ran over laughing, twisting Minglan's arm: "Little girl, you're the one who laughs the most, making all the sisters laugh so hard, how are you going to explain this?!" Seeing Ruolan like this, the girls swarmed around Minglan, teasing her, Minglan struggled with all her might, but being small and weak, she was soon pinched and chased around, yet still shouting loudly: "Be serious, be serious, we're discussing marriage here!"

  The girls were even more delighted, and they started playing around the house. Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on her, Minglan let out a sigh of relief and glanced at Yanran, who had already moved to the door and nodded slightly. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Yanran slipped away first. Minglan easily extricated herself from the girls, but not before her clothes were disheveled. She excused herself to adjust her attire and also took her leave. As she left, she only heard Rulan still laughing: "My little sister is so much fun, my father and brother are extremely fond of her..."

  Then Mo Lan's voice came, with a hint of cold laughter: "Little girl, your tongue is sharp!"

  "I think Xiaomei from the Shi family is great, she's both playful and kind-hearted."

  Another girl whispered: "...he's quite nice,... cheerful and interesting..."

  Minglan didn't bother with them and had Danju accompany her back to the Musou Building. As soon as they entered, she saw Yanran already there. Minglan's eyebrows shot up at the sight of her, and she pointed at her, scolding: "You still dare say I'm heartless! You and your sister are a pair, you didn't come when I called you to go fishing, you said you knew nothing about the marriage proposal, but now that you've been ridiculed, you want me to cover for you?! Look at my clothes, tell me, how do you plan on making it up to me?!"

  She picked up the wrinkled hem of her skirt, with an indignant look on her face, and walked to Minglan's side. She clasped her hands together and bowed repeatedly, saying: "Good sister, good sister, it was all my fault! If I had intentionally deceived you, may a big pimple grow on my face! I would have come to tell you about this today, good sister. Just now, I really owe you one, otherwise who knows how they would have teased me!"

  While speaking, Cui Wei had already brought out a new set of clothes, including an emerald green jacket with golden embroidery and a green skirt with floral patterns. Minglan went behind the carved wooden screen with embroidered flowers and changed into the new outfit, still looking stern: "Speak, what's going on? Tell me the truth."

  She smiled wryly and said: "It's just like that, my father is a matchmaker on the mountain..." She stopped abruptly.

  Cuiwei and Danju had a keen sense of awareness, seeing that their masters were about to discuss confidential matters. After Xiaotao brought up the tea cups and snacks, they both retreated together. Minglan glanced at the doorway, then sat down beside Yanran and softly said: "Elder sister Yanran, it's not me speaking out of turn, but now we're only discussing a potential engagement, nothing has been finalized yet. How did this get spread all over town? If things don't work out, what will you do?"

  Yanran was moved to tears, grasping Minglan's hand and saying: "Good sister, no wonder my family's old lady always praises your noble character. There are many sisters who get along with me on a daily basis, but only you would say such thoughtful words! It's just a pity that my mother passed away early, without leaving behind any brothers or sisters. They say that once there is a stepmother, there will be a stepfather too. After my father remarried, he brought his new wife and several younger siblings to take up their new post, leaving me alone here. Luckily, my grandparents took pity on me, otherwise..." As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion, and tears welled up in her eyes.

  Ming Lan looked down, gently rubbing the hem of her dress with a faint smile. She sniffled and continued: "This marriage was not what my grandparents had in mind. It was my stepmother who got acquainted with some relative of the Ningbei Duke and urged my father to accept the matchmaker's proposal. Fortunately, my grandfather said he wanted to consider it further and investigate more, so it wasn't finalized yet. But that woman... that woman... made a big fuss about it."

  Yanran couldn't say anything more and started crying softly. Minglan felt sorry for her too, but couldn't think of any comforting words to say. She just gently patted Yanran's hand and handed her a new handkerchief to wipe away her tears. After a while, Yanran stopped crying, took a deep breath, nodded heavily, and said with a smile: "Look at me, on your family's happy day, I'm in such a state, making my sister laugh! Thinking about it, Father won't abandon his own daughter, after all, girls are meant to get married. I'll just let Grandfather stop searching everywhere, one way or another, I'll just get married."

  "Don't be silly!" Minglan, who had been quietly listening all along, suddenly let out a startled cry and called out in a low voice: "You can't just rush into marriage! A woman's life is generally only married once, and only to one person. If you don't come to your senses now, you'll regret it later and won't be able to take it back! Tell your grandfather to investigate thoroughly, if it's not good, then absolutely do not marry!"

  Yanran burst into tears and laughed: "You little girl, how come you always mention marrying! It turns out that you also want to get married!"

  This degree of joking is not enough to make Minglan angry, her face didn't change a bit, she said seriously: "Yanran sister, I know you don't want Grandfather and Father to fight, but you should also think about yourself! Your stepmother, although I haven't seen her before, I've heard some things, she's not someone easy to get along with. To say something unpleasant, if you marry as you wish, she'll definitely come to rely on your power, if you suffer injustice, will she stand up for you?"

  Yanran's face turned pale, her heart was a mess of tangled threads. Minglan stood up and walked to the center, clapping her hands together, saying sternly: "From now on, sister Yanran must not blame herself anymore! You may have lost your birth mother, but you are still the legitimate daughter, with both grandparents alive. But what about me? I'm just a concubine's daughter, with only one grandmother left! Although in every way I am inferior to you, if someone tries to force me to marry a scoundrel, I will fight to the death!"

  Yanran gazed at Minglan with a gentle and calm expression, but beneath the surface, a resolute and daring glint flickered. Suddenly, a surge of courage welled up in Yanran's heart. She reached out to grasp Minglan's hand tightly and whispered, "Good sister, don't worry, I will never betray myself! You treat me with such sincerity, even if I die, I won't forget your kindness!"

  Minglan told her to say sorry, looked at her with her eyes, saw that she was calm and composed, and felt relieved: "What's the point of talking about life and death? Don't talk nonsense! From now on, you should interact less with those gossipmongers. My family's old lady doesn't like me to socialize with them, always saying 'a few close friends are enough', I only now realize that she is truly wise!"

  Yanran smiled and said, "Your family's old lady has more intentions than that. My grandmother once revealed to me that your family's old lady had already made up her mind about your marriage. Unfortunately, those old folks all have tight lips, and I couldn't pry them open no matter what."

  Minglan was very curious in her heart, but couldn't help but feel a flush rise to her face: "I'm only a few years old, you should worry about yourself first!"

  Actually, Old Lady Sheng was kind-hearted and Minglan soon understood that the eligible bachelors in Dengzhou City were just these few. Everyone knew about them from their daily interactions. There were two sisters of similar age there, Wang Shi and Lin Niangniang, neither of whom were pushovers. Even if there were good opportunities, they wouldn't be available to Minglan. So, it was better not to let Minglan show her face and instead take a different approach.

  Old Mrs. Shi usually talks about everything with Minglan, but when it comes to marriage, she doesn't reveal a single word. Minglan also doesn't dare to ask hastily, so she can only wait and hope that Old Mrs. Shi's judgment of her son-in-law is better than her choice of daughter-in-law.

  Amazing Tofu!