Do you know? Do you know? It should be the green fat and red thin rolled three sea pinks, not sparing rouge color, not waiting for golden house to recommend magnificent hall Chapter 76

  This time returning to the Sheng family's ancestral home was completely different from the joyful atmosphere when Minglan came two years ago. The maidservants entering and exiting the inner courtyard were all tiptoeing, not daring to make a single sound of laughter or noise.

  Minglan first paid her respects to the pale and thin Sheng couple, with Mrs. Li looking haggard. It's said that there are no filial sons by a sickbed for long, but the old lady was not an ordinary mother. She had gone through hardships with her weak son and young daughter in order to achieve the prosperity of the Sheng household today. As the eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Li had been working hard and exhausting herself, and over the past few months, she had already worn out half her life.

  "Father and mother have been serving grandmother's sickbed, it's really hard work! The son has come late!" Zhang Yu cried and fell to his knees in front of Sheng Wei and his wife. Yan Er also knelt beside him. Li Shi quickly helped her son and daughter-in-law up, then pulled Yan Er to sit down beside her, saying repeatedly: "My child, you're pregnant, this journey has already exhausted you, after seeing the old lady later, go rest, our family won't blame you."

  Yu'er firmly declined, and Sheng Wei also said: "Listen to your mother's words, this was also what Old Lady originally entrusted." Li Shi turned around, one hand on either side pulling up Minglan and Xiao Changzheng's hands, doting on them saying: "Good children, you're all tired too, quickly follow me."

  As they entered the old lady's bedroom, Minglan smelled a pungent medicinal scent. In the center of the room stood a five-tiered gilded eight-treasured lotus flower brazier, with silver silk charcoal glowing brightly inside. The cold outside was suddenly warmed up as soon as they stepped into the room, and Xiao Changzhu couldn't help but shiver. Minglan gently stroked his back.

  The old lady sat at the head of the bed, seeing her grandchildren, and a smile appeared on her originally solemn face. She nodded slightly but didn't speak. Chang Yu had already taken a step forward, throwing herself to the floor in front of the bed, wailing: "Grandma, your grandson is here!"

  Miss Lin walked quietly closer, and saw that the old lady had a full head of white hair combed neatly, her eye sockets sunken deep, even her nose bridge was slightly collapsed. She lay weakly propped up, her eyes tightly closed, and when she heard Chang Yu's voice, she could only slightly open her lips to move them, unable to make any sound. Finally, with the help of the medicine woman, she struggled to nod her head, but soon fell unconscious again.

  Wen's family servant, who was attending to her, gently wiped away tears and choked back a sob: "For several days now, Mother hasn't been able to speak, only able to swallow some thin porridge. Today is slightly better." Chang Yu hastily bowed his head and said: "Sister-in-law has worked hard."

  Because they were afraid of disturbing the old lady's rest, everyone retreated and returned to the main house. After sitting down, Zhang Yu and his wife, Minglan, and Changzhu paid their respects to Old Lady Sheng. Old Lady Sheng asked a few questions about how things were in Beijing, and Zhang Yu answered them one by one. Li Shi noticed a large pile of big boxes and small baskets outside and thought it was strange. Zhang Yu hesitated: "…it's already been nine months..."

  Mrs. Li felt a pang in her heart, after her son was promoted to be the commander-in-chief, she had been respected both in her natal family and husband's family, now her family was also considered wealthy and with official position, although it was hard to serve the old lady, but thinking of her descendants would also be so filial to her in the future, she endured everything; however, this did not mean that she was willing to let her son sacrifice his career for filial piety.

  "Mind your own business! Just do your job well in the capital, we and your brother's family are at home! The imperial court has no clear rules that even grandchildren should be in mourning!"

  Sheng Wei gave Sheng Old Lady a stern look and said, "My son has already told me about this beforehand. Although there's no explicit order, it's good that Wu Ge has such filial piety! Don't interfere, I have my own way of handling things!"

  Old Mrs. Shi was holding Minglan's small hand, scanning her precious granddaughter's plumpness and thinness with a glance to the left and another to the right. Upon hearing this, she smiled slightly and comforted Li: "Niece-in-law, don't worry, he has already made arrangements with several commanders of the Imperial Guard; that position is reserved for Wu Ge'er. If at any time the country needs someone to make an effort, the superior will also summon him back."

  Mr. and Mrs. Shen were overjoyed, and immediately asked Langyu couple to kowtow to Old Lady Shen. Minglan was quick-witted, and immediately stepped forward to help her brother and sister-in-law up, saying repeatedly: "Sister-in-law is pregnant, it's not good to move around too much, hurry up and sit down; Second Brother Yu has a filial nature, from now on, whether it's his official career or descendants, everything will go smoothly."

  Li saw Minglan being so understanding and speaking cleverly, she was very pleased in her heart. She took two handkerchiefs that had been prepared beforehand from a maid beside her and handed them to Minglan and Changzheng separately. Then, she took off a pair of jade bracelets from her own wrist and put them on Minglan's wrists.

  Minglan saw that the bangle was a bright, translucent green color, smooth to the touch, and without any impurities. It was truly a rare and precious item. She immediately tried to decline, but Mrs. Li refused to accept her refusal, saying with a warm smile: "Good child, next year you'll be coming of age, and I won't be able to attend the ceremony, so consider this an early gift from me. You can't refuse."

  Miss Lin turned around and saw Old Lady Sheng nodding slightly before putting down her hand, respectfully bowing to thank her. As she bowed, she thought to herself:

  Elder aunt, actually you don't need to worry, men in the officialdom are all clever, although it's not necessary for the grandson to mourn rigidly, but a big difference between military generals and civil officials is that in peaceful years, whether the military general is present or not makes little difference, it's better to mourn for nine months and gain a good reputation, anyway Sheng Xiang and Zhang Bai will take care of his official position.

  Next, the adults had something to say, so the children went out first. Xiao Chang rode a horse for two hours, and at first, he thought it was fun, but later he suffered. The inner thigh muscles were sore, and Zhang had already asked his wife to prepare some ointment for him to apply.

  Minglan originally wanted to follow and take a look, but was chased out by Xiao Chang'an with a small face. Minglan looked at the door that was slammed shut in front of her and cursed silently: It's just a little bird, what's so great about it? Has she never seen the world before?

  As soon as she stepped out, Pinlan was waiting for her outside. As soon as he saw her, he grabbed her sleeve and said fiercely: "Hand over the bangles!" The pair of bangles had been Li's treasured possession for many years, and Pinlan had coveted them for a long time.

  Ming Lan hummed gloomily, "Recently, I've really had a streak of bad luck. A few days ago, I encountered water bandits, and today, I ran into roadside robbers!" In fact, Li Shi had already prepared the hairpinning ceremony gifts for the three girls in the capital.

  As she spoke, Minglan took off her bangle and handed it to Pinlan. Pinlan's interest was piqued: "I heard Second Aunt mention that pirate - what was he like? Did you see him?" Minglan proudly tossed her head and said: "Not just that! I single-handedly fought off a whole boat of pirates!"

  Pinlan gave her a glance, took the bangle, smiled and looked at it against the sunlight for a while, then put it on her own wrist to compare, but still returned it to Minglan. Minglan only accepted one and stuffed the other back: "Let's each have one!"

  Pinlan liked it in her heart, but she was too shy to say so, and hesitated: "This is what your mother gave you, how can I...". Minglan patted her shoulder and teased: "Take it, isn't it a rule of your way to share half when meeting?" As a result of playing with words, Pinlan's powerful golden claw rubbed against her again.

  After dinner, Minglan followed Old Lady Sheng back to the house to rest and finally had a chance to talk properly. But as soon as Minglan stuck close to Old Lady Sheng's arm, with a playful smile on her face, before she could say a word, Old Lady Sheng suddenly turned cold and shouted: "Kneel down!" Minglan was stunned, and Old Lady Sheng sternly said: "Still not kneeling down?"

  Minglan quickly jumped down from the old lady's body, and then knelt down with a thud. Then, Fang's mother came out from behind with a stern face, holding a frightening ruler in her hand.

  "Left hand!" The old lady said coldly, holding a ruler in her hand.

  Minglan hesitantly stretched out her left hand; the old lady raised her ruler high and solemnly said, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

  Minglan looked at the shiny brass ruler and thought to herself that she often made mistakes, could she get a hint first? On the side, Housekeeper Fang kindly reminded her: "At noon, Wu Erniang had already told us about encountering water thieves on the road."

  Ming Lan closed her eyes in resignation, and Yun'er's words were indeed swift. This time she knew she had stepped on a landmine, and she acknowledged in a low voice: "The granddaughter knows she was wrong, shouldn't have acted recklessly, and put herself in danger."

  "It's enough that you know." The old lady was impartial and stern, admitting one's mistake was only the first clause of the first chapter of the disciplinary rules. Next came corporal punishment, lectures, reasoning, and copying books as punishment, a series of procedures. If one refused to admit their mistake, there would be a sequel. However, considering Minglan's good attitude towards reform, she received a reduced sentence.

  "Silly girl, the old lady is only punishing you because she's worried about you!" Housekeeper Minglan's palm was smeared with a layer of fragrant medicine made from jasmine flowers, and she slowly muttered to herself, "This time it's lucky that the young lady has good fortune, and it's all within the family, so nothing will come of it; since everything has been taken care of, there won't be any gossip. When Old Lady Wang and the old lady were talking about it, the old lady was so scared that her hands were shaking and she couldn't even hold a bowl steady. Although the matter is settled, the young lady really needs to change her ways; if she continues like this, it won't do. The old lady can't rest easy even with her eyes closed."

  Minglan, being an adult in her mind, naturally knew what was good and bad, and she also knew that she had annoyed the elderly woman. Feeling guilty, she applied a thick layer of ointment and slipped into the old lady's room with a smile, wagging her tail like a small dog trying to please the old lady. She made a bow, then curtsied, and finally snuggled up to the old lady on the kang, sticking to her like cowhide sugar.

  These years, Minglan has mastered the art of pretending to be spoiled and cute. The old lady was originally unable to withstand it, and even if she was very angry, she would eventually calm down. When she really couldn't take it anymore, she would grab Minglan and slap her a few times to vent her anger.

  House mom estimated it and thought that strength was just enough to slap a mosquito to death.

  The old lady was seriously ill and bedridden, otherwise, according to Pinlan's temperament, she would definitely want to take Minglan out to climb trees, catch birds, and fish. Now, however, she could only stay honestly in the inner house. When Minglan wrote and copied books, Pinlan kept accounts beside her; when Minglan did embroidery, Pinlan calculated abacus, one with a beautiful and elegant posture of embroidery, the other very vulgar counting copper coins and silver tickets.

  In stark contrast, Pinlan was depressed, and Minglan sincerely said: "Actually, I prefer your life."

  Every few days, Sheng Wei would come with Tai Sheng to visit the old lady. Sheng Wei would cry and wipe away tears by her mother's bedside, while Tai Sheng comforted his heartbroken cousin.

  Not Minglan.

  Pinlan has indeed grown up, seeing Taisheng's face turned red, speaking in a gentle and soft tone, and even showing a demure and lovely side to her aunt Xiangyun. However, compared to Minglan's professional level, Pinlan still needs to cultivate herself.

  The cold wind was like a knife, and the years had entered the severe winter. The dense snowflakes covered the entire courtyard. The old lady finally couldn't hold on anymore. In the house, the warm charcoal fire was burning, and the atmosphere was heavy with sorrow. The old lady had been in a coma since last night, and only her faint heartbeat indicated that she was still alive. Sheng Wei and his wife stayed by her bedside all along.

  A small silver tray was placed on the bedside table, with a few soft feathers inside. The medicine woman occasionally put the feathers in front of the old lady's nose to see if there was still any weak breathing. Sheng Yu was kneeling in front of the bed, crying softly and calling out "Mother" repeatedly. The grandchildren and daughters-in-law were either sitting or standing around, except for Yun'er, who had been excused from attending her bedside due to fear of catching an illness.

  Suddenly, the old lady took a few rapid breaths, and short gasps echoed in the quiet room. Sheng Wei hurried over to support her: "Mother, what do you want to say? Your son and younger sister are both here!"

  The old lady's eyelids moved with difficulty, suddenly opening her eyes, and her dry bone-like hands grasped Sheng Wei and Sheng Yu, struggling to get up, a strange red glow spreading across her pale and emaciated face.

  "Mother, what's wrong? Tell me!" Sheng Yu quietly hugged the old lady's body and asked tearfully.

  The old lady's eyes were vacant, staring at nothing, muttering to herself for a while, then suddenly let out a loud and shrill cry: "Hong'er! My Hong'er!" The mournful shriek stunned the entire household of children and grandchildren.

  The old lady was like a madwoman, hoarse and screaming: "Hong'er!... It's all my fault! I couldn't protect you!"

  The brother and sister were already in tears, the old lady let out a violent cough, and fell back weakly, her throat bursting out with a hoarse voice: "...Hong Er, you, you can rest assured, mother has avenged you! That wicked servant girl who harmed you, mother found her! Mother searched for her across several provinces...found her! She thought that by stealing the money she could be happy, haha...no way! Mother sold her to the most despicable coal mine brothel, after she dies...her bones will be crushed and scattered!...avenged...avenged..."

  Laughter is even more unbearable than crying, Minglan couldn't imagine that the usually kind and gentle old lady would suddenly speak with such an exceptionally vicious tone, how deep was her resentment after all.

  The old lady's breathing was getting weaker, and she could hardly catch her breath. She still muttered in a low voice: "...Sheng Huai Zhong!... You, you favored your concubine over your wife, were blinded by lust, and disregarded the life of your daughter. I will accuse you before Yama when I get there!" Her words were filled with hatred.

  After a sharp gasp, the old lady trembled for a few moments, then closed her eyes and was silent.

  The old lady took the feather and tested her breath, shaking her head at everyone. Sheng Wei and Sheng Yu looked at the withered face of their mother, thinking of the hardships she had endured throughout her life, and burst into loud wailing. The younger generation followed suit, crying out loud. Even the maidservants outside heard the sobbing inside and joined in, wailing together.

  Minglan bowed her head and leaned on Old Lady Sheng's knees, sobbing quietly. She had never experienced such hardships, but she felt an indescribable ache in her heart. A woman's life was just like that.

  Everything was well prepared in advance, cleaning, changing mourning clothes, setting up the funeral hall, sending out the funeral procession, and holding a grand funeral. Li Shi and Wen Shi handled everything properly, and Sheng Wei had a good reputation in the town for being kind to the weak and respectful to the elderly, often doing good deeds without seeking recognition. Moreover, the Hu family was also a wealthy merchant household, so the funeral was held with great fanfare, inviting 51 monks to perform the Water and Land Dharma Assembly for 35 days.

  Everyone in the city of Yu, from the prefect to small merchants, came to pay their respects. Sheng Weiben thought he would wait and see if Sheng Huang or Zhang Bai would come after asking for leave, but by the day of the funeral, they still hadn't arrived, so they proceeded with the burial first.

  Several households that had always been on good terms with each other set up road sacrifices along the way, and a row of colorful sacrifice sheds was erected all the way. The coffin team circled around Rao Yang for a whole circle, and finally buried in the ancestral tomb of the Sheng family in the suburbs.

  The second day after the funeral, news came from outside that Jing Wang in Anhui had rebelled and was marching straight to the capital to usurp the throne; Jing Wang had been planning for a long time, and the arsenal was well-stocked with weapons. In no time, beacons were lit all over Anhui, and the rebel flags were pointed directly at the northern capital. As a result, both water and land routes from Beijing to Jinling were cut off.

  Recently, I've been sucked into a good soul, and it took me two hours to get in. However, as an office worker, the author can only update after work. If next time I fail to update on time at night, then it will be updated the following morning. Did you guys understand?

  I don't know what's going on, but the Taobao seller kindly reminded me not to buy anything recently, because even if I do, no one will deliver it. The courier brothers haven't returned to work after the New Year's holiday! Oh no, my poor package is spending the New Year alone in some corner.