The 44th
In other places, Minglan didn't know, but in Youyang customs, no matter how small, they wouldn't let the newlyweds have a quiet wedding night. Moreover, due to the large amount of information received that day, Pinlan and Minglan went to bed early after washing up.
Xin Er Sao Kang has a very Korean name - Yoon-ah. The next morning, when serving tea to the two elderly women and her father-in-law, Minglan carefully observed from the side, indeed gentle and elegant, shy and lovely. Looking at her second brother Chang Yu beside her, he was smiling foolishly like a big pumpkin, it seems that last night was very harmonious.
Sheng Wei and Li Shi both liked the new daughter-in-law, rewarding her with a thick red envelope and a pair of water-colored jade dragon and phoenix bracelets. Kang Yuer trembled as she accepted the gift, her face flushing with pleasure, while Li Shi, mindful of her eldest son's wife, refrained from saying anything about having children, only instructing her in a few words to "get along harmoniously with your sister-in-law".
After the ceremony, Pinlan secretly told Minglan that Kang Yulans dowry was more than what Sulan had when she married Sun Xiucai. Minglan glanced at Pinlan, who seemed to be without any ulterior motives - it seemed that the Kang family had indeed declined somewhat, no wonder that Yulan, who was born into a noble family, would marry down; however, how could one know whether losing a horse is not actually a blessing in disguise? Looking at how her sister-in-law Wen-shi had not borne any children for several years yet still received much care and protection from her parents-in-law and husband, it seemed that Yulan was also blessed.
Thinking of this, Minglan couldn't help but sigh. Oh heavens, why did she only know that the few good men in ancient times were all within three generations of collateral blood relatives?! She didn't even know what her future husband would be like, if he turned out to be like her cousin's husband, then she could only choose between Hongyu and Bailian... Waaah~~~
In the following days, Old Lady Sheng's matchmaking was quite successful. Kang Younü was humble and courteous, respectful to her elder sister-in-law and gentle with her younger sister-in-law, though a bit too reserved and prone to blushing. However, she paired well with Da Dachang, who was carefree and easy-going.
Yun'er was particularly respectful to Old Lady Sheng. One time when they were serving dishes, she knew that Old Lady Sheng liked the vegetarian sesame dish, so she kept adding it to her plate. When Sheng Yu came to eat, he joked: "It's said that a new daughter-in-law forgets the matchmaker after entering the house, but my niece-in-law hasn't forgotten at all! She's indeed a good kid, not forgetting her roots!"
Yu'ni's face was so red that even her ears were burning, she wished she could just bury herself in the ground. The old lady hit Sheng Yu twice and couldn't help but laugh too. Pinlan, who was eating on the side, regretted not being present to join in the fun, as she loved teasing this shy new sister-in-law. Minglan always came to her rescue, stopping Pinlan from bullying her, but with Chang'an chasing after them to scold, Pinlan couldn't get away with much either, and the siblings often ended up in a tangled mess.
Mr. Li was delighted to see his family in harmony, but thinking of his eldest daughter Shulan, he couldn't help feeling melancholy, and silently recited the name of Amitabha Buddha in his heart, hoping that all his children would be happy and harmonious.
On the seventh day after marriage, all members of the Sheng family went to the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors. After the male members finished offering sacrifices and withdrew, they let the female relatives go in to pay their respects. The main event was introducing Yuen-er to the ancestral tablets and living clan members of the Sheng family, after which she would be considered a member of the Sheng family.
The Sheng family rose to prominence late, so there were not many ancestors that could be verified. Minglan followed dazedly and bowed several times, sometimes burning incense and sometimes kowtowing. When she felt dizzy, she suddenly remembered that after Rulan was written into the genealogy, Old Madam and her own grandmother had said a few words to several elderly women of the clan, and then Clan Head Sheng Wei had added a few more strokes, writing what?
On the carriage back, Minglan couldn't help but ask Old Lady Sheng, who casually dropped a bombshell: "I've registered you under your mother's name, from now on you'll be just like Rulan."
Minglan's eyes widened, and after a while, she stuttered: "How...how is this possible? Does...does Mother know?" Old Lady Sheng glanced at Minglan, her expression unchanged: "I'll take care of it."
Minglan sat stupidly in the carriage, her mind a complete muddle. The old lady had acted swiftly and decisively, without any warning beforehand or fanfare afterwards. Minglan had a lot to say but didn't know where to start, so she simply hugged her grandmother's arm and rocked back and forth, burying her head in her grandmother's chest. "Thank you, Grandmother," she whispered. "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
The old lady half-closed her eyes and only spat out one sentence: "...nonsense."
The dark blue velvet top of the carriage swayed slightly, Minglan quietly raised her head to look at it. She knew that only children born under their original name were considered legitimate, but in fact, this was just a good-sounding title. Relatives and friends all knew she was born out of wedlock, but at least her marriage had been somewhat respectable.
Minglan suddenly smiled secretly, and later on, even if Rulan wanted to scold her as 'small wife's', she couldn't... Minglan was startled, pulled her grandmother's sleeve and asked softly: "What about Fourth Sister, is she also included in the mistress's name?"
The old lady didn't open her eyes, but said faintly: "You won't compete with Rulan, Molan... let her own fate be decided."
Minglan seemed to be pondering, apparently even if she was registered under the Wang family name, it didn't mean that she and Rulan were on an equal footing. She still ranked below Rulan by one level. If her interests conflicted with Rulan's, then...
Minglan smiled wryly, it turned out to be a knockoff version, but it's okay, better than nothing.
Another half month passed, and Zhang Yu was about to return to Beijing to take up the post of Zhongweiwei Town Supervisor. Although Li's mother couldn't bear to part with her son, she also knew that this official position was something many people had fought tooth and nail for, and it was all thanks to Sheng Hong's efforts behind the scenes that it had been secured. Only Kang Ruo's child was anxious and worried, fearing that her mother-in-law would speak up and ask her to stay behind. How could Zhang Yu, alone in the capital city with its many temptations, keep himself safe? She feared that when she saw her husband again, who knows how many more children he would have fathered, thinking of the hardships her own mother had endured.
Thinking of this, Yun'er's heart was chilled wave after wave, so she could only be more respectful and attentive in serving her parents-in-law, getting up early and sleeping late, humble in everything, which made the Sheng family like her even more.
One day, I went to pay respects to Old Lady Sheng. When Li mentioned this, she couldn't help but sigh and say: "My son is going to make a career for himself, as his mother, I shouldn't hold him back. It's just pitiful that he has to leave his parents at such a young age. When he returns to the capital, I'll have to ask his aunt to take care of him more."
Yun'er stood by, her forehead beading with fine sweat. Li Shi turned back to look at her and said slowly, "Wu Ge's daughter-in-law has only just entered the house for a few days, I'm not quite at ease, thinking of keeping her here for more days to teach her more, Yun'er, what do you think?"
Yun's heart was icy cold, her eyes were hot, but she still forced a smile: "With mother's guidance, the daughter-in-law is happy and hasn't even had time to come yet."
Minglan, who had been dozing off on her grandmother's shoulder, woke up a bit and couldn't help but interrupt: "Aunt Li, why don't you let Erjie go to the capital with Brother?" Li Shi deliberately asked: "Why is that?"
Minglan said with embarrassment: "This... I don't want to part with my new sister-in-law." This reason was too silly, no one believed it. Minglan added in a small voice: "Actually... Eldest Brother is even more reluctant to part with her."
Yun's face turned red with shyness, although she knew Minglan was just speaking childishly, but in her heart she felt grateful and secretly expressed her thanks with a glance.
After a few more days, Dabao's wife, Madame Wen, was found to be three months pregnant by the doctor. Sheng Wei and Li Shi were overjoyed, saying that it was all thanks to Yun'er bringing good fortune. Madame Wen believed it too and was very grateful to her sister-in-law. The two sisters-in-law held hands and chatted for a long time.
Actually, Mrs. Li was not a cruel mother-in-law, she just feared that Yuner, as an official's daughter, would become spoiled and arrogant without her control, and with the support of Wangshi in the capital, she would look down on her own son. Now thinking about it, it's fine, if things don't work out, she can always call her daughter-in-law back. Yuner was overjoyed, almost to the point of tears, but didn't dare show too much, and obediently listened to Mrs. Li's instructions on how to interact with people in the capital and take care of her husband. A few days later, she followed Zhangyu to the capital.
The Sheng household gradually quieted down, and one day the autumn wind subsided, the sun was warm, and after breakfast, Old Mrs. Sheng suddenly said to Minglan: "Ming'er, accompany your grandmother into town for a stroll."
Minglan was standing in front of the table, cutting fabric, Danju was beside her measuring with a ruler, Cuimiao was flipping through several pattern books, and Xiaotao was watching the tea stove. These past few days, Pinlan had been taken by Eldest Maternal Aunt to check the account books, so Minglan had some free time and planned to make a small bellyband for Eldest Brother's wife, Wen Shi. Upon hearing this, she raised her head, still not reacting, and said: "Going into the city? Aren't we already in the city?"
Isn't Youyang a county town? Is it in the countryside?
Old Mrs. Shi laughed and said, "Silly child, once you enter Jinling, you'll know what a city is like; let's go back to our own house and take a look, it's been years since we've returned, many useless old things need to be sorted out, and those that can't be used have all rotted away."
In those years, Old Master Sheng divided the house among his three sons, leaving one mansion to each of them. Because the second son had completed his transformation from a merchant to a scholar before marrying the young lady from the Hou family, Old Master Sheng had already sold the second son's mansion in Jinling.
Mrs. Shi and Minglan got on the carriage together, bringing half of the maidservants with them. Shi Wei was worried that they wouldn't be able to take care of everything, so he also dispatched seven or eight sturdy servant women to drive the carriages and prepare for the journey. As they slowly made their way towards Jinling, as soon as they entered the city gate, Minglan felt that the outside was unusually lively and noisy. However, it wasn't proper for a young lady like her to lift the carriage curtains and look outside, so she could only use her keen senses to listen to the sounds and judge what was happening on the streets from the shouts and calls of the people outside.
The old lady looked at Minglan with a heart that was itching to laugh, strongly holding back from lifting the curtain, only sticking her small face on the carriage wall and listening carefully, secretly finding it amusing in her heart, but intentionally not exposing it, just letting her endure.
They arrived at the mansion, and Danju helped Minglan down from the carriage. Then Minglan turned around to help her grandmother down from the carriage. At the entrance of the mansion, more than a dozen old servants had already gathered to welcome them. The first servant, an elderly man who seemed to be in charge, stepped forward and knelt down to pay his respects, saying loudly: "We are here to respectfully welcome Old Madam and Sixth Miss back to the mansion!" Then the row of female servants and miscellaneous workers behind him all knelt down and kowtowed, their voices shouting in unison.
The old lady nodded, seemingly satisfied, and waved her hand for everyone to stand up. Then, with Minglan's support, they entered the mansion in a line. The steward saw the old lady and was extremely excited, chattering non-stop all the way: "It's been many years since I've seen the master! This slave is overjoyed! This mansion has been empty for so long, it doesn't look good at all. Would the old lady like to sit on a sedan chair and take a stroll around the mansion? Oh, this must be Sixth Miss! This slave has never seen her before, she's as lovely as a pearl or a jade stone, truly elegant!"
Old Mrs. Sheng also smiled and said, "This house is uninhabited, it's cold and deserted, you don't have to look around everywhere, I trust you, your young son serving as a subordinate under Bo Ge is also useful."
That old steward, upon hearing that his own grandson had been favored by the master, beamed with joy and welcomed everyone to the main hall. The steward ordered the servants from the mansion to come one by one to pay their respects to Old Lady Sheng. Minglan received a barrage of flattering words, her ears ringing with the din, but she couldn't remember who was who. After bustling about for half a day, things finally calmed down.
Mrs. Shi led Minglan to the inner hall, turned over several corridors, and circled around the warehouse before finally arriving at a secluded and quiet house. Housekeeper Wang had already been waiting there. When Mrs. Shi saw her, she said lightly, "Have all the things been taken out?"
The housekeeper curtsied and answered yes, then took the maidservants including Cuiwei Danju out, leaving only the grandmother and grandson in the room.
Minglan was confused by these actions, and seeing her grandmother's mysterious demeanor, it seemed like she wanted to entrust something to her. She turned around and saw Old Lady Shen already sitting in an old wooden chair in the middle, pointing at the seven or eight boxes neatly arranged on the ground, saying to Minglan: "These were all your grandmother's dowry when she got married." As she spoke, the corner of her mouth slightly curled up, with a hint of sarcasm, and added half a sentence, "Only these are left now."
Minglan stared blankly at the trunks, and Old Lady Sheng gestured for her to open them. Minglan walked over and lifted the lids of the already unlocked trunks one by one, and a musty smell wafted out, making her cough. "Good grief, it's been at least thirty years since these were last opened!" she exclaimed. Who knows if there are any harmful bacteria or mold inside? She forced herself to open her eyes and take a look, but all she saw was a thick layer of dust covering everything, with spider webs hanging from some of the items. It was only possible to make out that they were some kind of porcelain, bronze, and ancient artifacts. The last two small trunks were wrapped even more tightly, and inside the heavy red wooden trunk seemed to be another layer of iron trunks.
The old lady's eyes were deep and seemed to recall many past events, she said quietly: "It turns out that there are still dozens of boxes of top-grade materials, such as silk, satin, brocade, and fur, all of which I had burned in a fire. Some of them were converted into silver coins, and even bribes required silver coins, it wouldn't be good to let your father walk the official path with empty hands, originally from the Hou Mansion, only these are left... give them to you."
Minglan had just coughed a little better, and almost choked again. She hastily replied: "Grandmother's things should be passed down to brother, hehe, just give me some silver coins and that would be fine." Don't even joke about it, if she were to bring these things with her when she gets married, even if it was to Longbai's older brother, he might not necessarily welcome her either.
The old lady seemed not to have heard, and continued on her own: "You several sisters, apart from the dowry your father gave, I'll give each of you an additional 1,000 taels of silver. As for your brothers, since they are distinguished by birth order, I'll give your eldest brother 1,500 taels when he marries, and the two younger ones 800 taels each. Having spent a lifetime in the Shi family, I've repaid the little bit of affection your grandfather showed me, so these boxes no longer have anything to do with the Shi family."
The tone was bland, as if he was handing over his last will and testament. Minglan felt a pang in her heart. To think that all of Yu Yanran's dowry added up to only 1,500 taels of silver, which was still a generous amount from Yu Gongzi who had taken pity on her for having to marry far away. Of course, this also reflected another aspect of Yu Gongzi's integrity and frugality.
Minglan tugged at her grandmother's sleeve and softly advised, "Grandmother, why not give it to brother instead? He is the eldest son after all." Old Lady Shen slowly came back to herself, looking at Minglan with an eerie gaze that sent shivers down one's spine. She slowly said, "This box may not be worth a city, but it's enough for you to live a life without worries. Don't you really want it?"
Minglan sighed and said straightforwardly, "To be honest, everyone likes good things, but there's no use in coveting what doesn't belong to you. These precious items would be impressive even if they were placed in my sister's husband's house, how could I possibly accept them? Besides...” Minglan trailed off under her grandmother's expectant gaze, ending awkwardly: "In short, as a young granddaughter, if I'm lucky, there will come a day when I can enjoy these bronze antiques, so let's just forget about it for now."
In ancient times, money wasn't omnipotent. Without corresponding abilities and family protection, wealthy merchants were easily bullied by officials or nobles. Sheng Wei's increasing wealth without any setbacks was due to having an official as a cousin, the seventh-rank county magistrate of Yu Yang, who had good relations with the Sheng family through several terms; The Li family insisted on their son studying and becoming an official, even though they already had enough money, for the same reason. If they offended the Wangs and Zhangs because of these few boxes of goods, it would be a loss.
The old lady smiled and looked at Minglan: "Who said that all these seven or eight trunks were given to you?"
Minglan stopped, okay, she was being overly sentimental, so she just smiled awkwardly. Old Lady Shen pointed to the last two trunks and said: "Those are for you, they're all jade accessories and jewelry that I've used before. A big head wears a big hat, this grandmother knows, won't let you overstep your bounds." Then she softened her voice, "You have a clear heart and bright eyes, able to not be greedy for silver and money, Grandmother is very happy. Giving these things to you isn't in vain. Those few trunks aren't for your older brother either, later Grandmother will have other plans. Today you also get to see the world, but those are ancient artifacts from a previous dynasty."
Minglan leaned over and whispered to Old Madame Sheng, "I don't understand, Grandmother, please tell me."
The old lady glared at her, then reluctantly pulled her little granddaughter to the front of the trunk and explained the origin and name of each item. Minglan listened and suddenly blurted out: "Why don't you just keep these two trunks for yourself, Grandma?"
The old lady was really surprised this time, and she stared at her granddaughter. Minglan hesitated for a while before saying: "Of course, Father, Mother, and elder brother and sister are all very filial! But Grandmother should still keep some private savings, having grain in hand means not being worried..."
In fact, she meant to say that a thousand sons and daughters are not as good as the silver in her hand, let alone you who are close relatives. This is the heartfelt words of a small clerk who has worked in the civil court for many years.
The old lady's heart moved, and she said softly: "Good child, don't worry, grandma's coffin is thick enough!"
The mansion still had many of the original concubines, old ladies who wanted to talk to them. Afraid that Minglan would be bored, they sent her to stroll in the garden. Minglan pouted: "I don't like strolling in the garden." She wanted to go for a walk on the street.
The old lady handed her an abacus with a stern face: "Then practice, can't even get the hundredth place right, be careful in the future when you marry, and ruin the family." Minglan looked at her grandmother with a hint of resentment, weighed it for a moment, and said painfully: "Then I'll just take a walk in the garden"
Others who have attended elementary school, junior high school and high school Olympiad classes are basically mental calculations!
Minglan walked around half of the lake with no interest, then sat down on a white stone under a withered willow tree, propping her face up with both hands, staring blankly at the lake: The lake water in Jinling is clear and sparkling, very different from Shandong's. It reflects Minglan's wrinkled bitter melon face. Suddenly, Minglan became childish, picked up a handful of stones, and threw them one by one into the lake.
The dowry was all prepared, and it seemed that her grandmother had already made up her mind about the marriage. However, she refused to let Minglan participate in the discussion, no matter how much she loved her or how much Minglan tried to persuade her. It was said that her own marriage was arranged by herself, with disastrous consequences... At a flower-picking banquet, she secretly saw the newly-promoted Flower Official and heard him recite two lines of poetry, falling deeply in love on the spot. She disobeyed her loving parents and married into the Sheng family, but after a few years of marriage, their love turned cold, and they became estranged.
It sounds like a storybook tale, indeed the phrase "art comes from life" is justified, but she's a rational lawyer, she won't fall in love at first sight and get married impulsively! Minglan continued to skip stones with a sad heart, she really wanted to know who her future Anata was.
"Mei Lan's sister." A clear and bright young voice sounded.
Minglan slowly raised her head, looked around in confusion, and only then saw a handsome young man standing by the lake, walking towards her. He smiled as he walked, saying: "Sister doesn't recognize me?"
Ming Lan smiled brightly and stood up, giving a charming curtsy: "Brother Hongwen, little sister greets you!"
He Hongwen walked three steps forward and stopped, cupping his hands in a salute: "Today, my grandmother brought me to visit you suddenly, I'm afraid we're being rude."
Minglan saw the plain white clothes and mourning kerchief on He Hongwen's body, so she composed herself and said: "Your great-grandfather's funeral procession is today, my grandmother and I originally wanted to go, but..." He Hongwen hastily waved his hand and smiled warmly: "You were originally here for the wedding banquet, and you're also living in Uncle's house. Red and white events clashing is never good, it's right that you didn't come."
Minglan said in a low voice: "Old Lady He must be very heartbroken."
He Hongwen walked over, looked at Minglan and said calmly: "Grandmother is open-minded and often says that everyone has life and death, which is the way of heaven; Great-grandfather has lived a long life, passing away in his sleep, it can be considered a happy funeral. What's there to fear about death?"
Minglan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said: "Old Lady He's words are very reasonable. I'm not afraid of death, I just fear that living is not pleasant."
He Hongwen was moved by this and smiled: "I'm not afraid of death, I just fear that I won't live long enough."
Minglan finally couldn't help but laugh, and He Hongwen asked, "Just now, why were you frowning? Did your elder cousin give out too few red envelopes at his wedding?"
Minglan shook her head, looking bitter, "I won't be able to manage the household accounts, Grandmother says I'll bring ruin to the family." She couldn't say that she was worried about being married off blindly, so she just made something up.
He Hongwen lost his smile: "What's the big deal, when I was a kid, I used to feed goldfish with ginseng ointment, wasting so much of it, and the goldfish would turn up its eyes at me. My father would scold me for being wasteful." Remembering his late father, Hongwen's face turned gloomy.
Minglan shook her head: "Uncle is wrong, this is not a prodigal son, but a quack doctor! Our mistakes are completely incomparable, please don't drag me down."
He Hongwen let out a snort, couldn't help but smile, shaking his head at Minglan, the young man's gentle and composed laughter was warm and refreshing. The lake sparkled in the sunlight, the autumn breeze carried a hint of grassy fragrance, and Minglan suddenly felt her heart expand.
The author has something to say:
This chapter is rich enough.
Hehe, due to work reasons, I'm especially busy on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I've thought about it, so I'll just take those days off instead. I'll update daily (as much as possible) at other times. If there's an urgent matter, I'll request leave separately.
Regarding genealogy, I looked at several ancient genealogies and found three situations.
One is that the family tree does not record daughters at all, but there are daughter-in-laws.
One is that daughters also inherit, but only legitimate daughters.
The last one is that both legitimate and illegitimate daughters are recorded.
There are also three ways to record legitimate birth. One is that whether it is a legitimate or illegitimate child, they are all written under the name of the first wife.
One is that the distinction between zheng and shu is clearly indicated, with the name of the legitimate wife being listed under the column for "zheng" and the mother's name being left blank, indicating "shu".
Another type is where the concubine's name is also noted, certain certain son (concubine).
These chaotic recording methods respectively represent the inheritance customs of different regions and social classes.
Illegitimate sons are less likely to be registered under their biological mother's name, as this could lead to inheritance disputes and the legitimate mother would not want to weaken her own son's rights, while maternal relatives also object. In contrast, daughters are more likely to be registered under their mother's name, as this can help them marry up and bring connections to the family.
Generally speaking, the larger and more prominent the family is, the better off a concubine's daughter will be. If it's a farming or merchant family with a relatively low standard of living, or if they don't place much emphasis on etiquette, then life can be very difficult for a concubine's daughter, and it's not unheard of for her to be sold by an evil stepmother.
Let me tell you a gossip, I looked it up for a long time and found out that Lin Huiyin was born out of wedlock. Her father, Old Man Lin, had no children with his first wife, and then he took two concubines, one gave birth to Lin Huiyin, and the other had both sons and daughters.
However, all these children were registered under the name of the legitimate wife, also because Lin Huiyin was excellent and her father loved her dearly. The two families of Lin and Liang were considered open-minded, so she later married Liang Qichao's son (don't know if he was the eldest).
Of course, it was also because at that time it was already the Republic of China and the New Culture Movement had emerged.
My friend Bajie once said that, compared to Lu Xiaoman and Lin Huiyin's choices and behaviors in their marriage and love lives, Lin Huiyin was more rational (not considering personal qualities like being a mistress), especially after Xu Zhimo's death, Lu Xiaoman's choice was truly lamentable.
Lin Huiyin's happiness or not, only she herself knows, but from an outsider's perspective, her life is still a success, whether it's love, marriage, career, she has managed everything with care (I just knew that our national emblem was mainly designed by her).
Now thinking about it, is it related to her being a concubine's daughter?
P.S: Actually, I don't really like Lin Huiyin——
Thank you to every chapter's paw-leavers, your kindness even if I don't remember, history will remember! Slap the Tyrant Party, your excesses even if I can't catch, instant noodles without seasoning packets will also catch up with you.
