Early the next morning, Shanshan was still woken up by the maid.
After being comforted by her mother, no matter how reluctant she was, she obediently let the maid wash her face, put on her clothes, yawned, and went to the dining room for breakfast sleepily.
Shitou got up early in the morning and sat at the stone table in the courtyard to write big characters. He was writing when Shanshan went out. When Shanshan came back, he had already written a thick stack.
Knowing that he could go to school, he worked extremely hard, fearing that he would fail the exam and disappoint Shanshan and Wen Yiqing.
Shan Shanben wanted to ask him to play, but as soon as she came over, Wen Yiqing brought another pen and ink and asked her to sit down and start writing. There are fun things everywhere in the yard. The swing is not ready yet, and butterflies flying from nowhere are fluttering among the flowers. She hasn’t written a few words yet, her pen is crooked on the table, and people are already following the passing frogs. He jumped and ran away.
Wen Yiqing picked up her daughter who was about to fall into the grass. She took a blade of grass from the little girl's head and said helplessly: "Have you finished your homework today?"
"It's still growing today!"
She poked her little daughter's forehead, Shanshan didn't care, and came up to her affectionately: "Mom, are we still going out to play today?"
"no."
"Then you want to go out?"
"I'm going to your grandmother's."
Shanshan immediately said: "Then I will go too!"
Wen Yiqing had no choice but to take this clingy spirit with him.
Today, Mrs. Qi's courtyard is really lively. The three ladies are there, as are the two girls at home. Today is a holiday for the school. Qi Qinglai is in Mrs. Qi's arms, and the other one is sitting next to the eldest lady, too shy to speak.
"It's Qing Niang here." Mrs. Qi waved to them with a smile: "Come on, Sister Shan, sit next to me."
"Grandma."
Shanshan didn't have many elders before, but she was born with the temperament of being close to others. As soon as Mrs. Qi waved her hand, she happily ran over to sit down next to the old lady and was pulled into her arms.
Wen Yiqing took a step behind and sat down next to the eldest lady. Qi Xing called her "aunt" in a low voice, and she responded gently.
Shanshan also wanted to say hello to her cousin, but as soon as she smiled happily at her cousin, Qi Qing sat upright and turned her head away, as if she didn't want to talk to her.
Mrs. Qi wondered: "What's going on?"
Shan Shan can’t understand either.
The third lady smiled and said: "Don't be surprised, old madam, she is angry with me."
Mrs. Qi was surprised when she heard this: "What did you do again?"
The third lady glanced at Qi Qing complainingly, and then said: "Yesterday, Zhenbaozhai sent a peep show. I thought it was ordered by the third master, so I took it back to the yard. The peep show is really beautiful, small and beautiful. He knows how to get someone, and Qing'er won't let go of it when he sees it. The third master loves his children, so I agreed to it first for him."
At this point, the third lady sighed heavily: "When the third master came home, I asked and found out that he didn't buy this mirror!"
Wen Yiqing was sitting quietly in the corner, and looked over after hearing her mention the peepshow.
The third room of the Qi family was noisy every day. Everyone in the family heard about last night's news, but they didn't pay attention to it. Hearing this, Mrs. Qi also wondered: "Didn't the third child buy it?"
"Yes, I found out after asking that the peepshow was bought by Qing Niang for Sister Shan." The third lady said, "How can I, a sister-in-law and an elder, have the nerve to take this peep show from Sister Shan?" , naturally returned it."
Mrs. Qi lowered her head in surprise: "Yours?"
Shanshan nodded hesitantly.
The mirror was bought for her by her mother, and what the third aunt said was correct, but Shanshan always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't explain it.
The third lady covered her lips and smiled and said: "She thought I was lying to her and was very angry. She had finally managed to coax her, but now she remembered it when she saw Sister Shan."
Mrs. Qi also laughed: "It's just a mirror, just buy another one."
"Old madam, you don't know that those dioramas are rare, and there are not many of them in the entire capital. I sent someone to buy them. Zhenbaozhai said they were sold out, and all the few dioramas left have been reserved. . I originally wanted to discuss with the other owners to see if we could even out the room, but guess who the scheduled owners are? The Shangshu’s Mansion, the Prime Minister’s Mansion, and the Company Commander’s Princess’ Mansion have also booked a room.”
Mrs. Qi was surprised: "Is it such a rare thing?"
"Such a rare thing, don't look at the small side, but it costs hundreds of taels of silver. Even the third master had to hesitate. It was Qing Niang who loved her daughter. Sister Shan liked it, so Qing Niang bought it for her." The madam sighed: "We are all mothers, but I am outshined by Qing Niang."
Mrs. Qi was about to nod when she suddenly thought of something and frowned: "A hundred taels of silver?"
"yes."
The third lady smiled, her mind already returning to last night.
She called the money manager over and asked the mother and daughter about their affairs in detail.
During those days in Yuncheng, Manager Qian was never idle.
He walked around Yuncheng during the day, asking others about the Wen family's affairs. Yuncheng is not a big place, and the Wen family is somewhat famous there. They can say something to each other, and Manager Qian will have a thorough understanding of the Wen family's affairs.
When the third lady asked last night, he told everything.
Although Yuncheng is a small place, the Wen family is well-known as a wealthy businessman there, with countless shops and properties. It turned out that she was thinking that even if Wen Yiqing was born in a merchant family, orphans and widowers would not have a good life, but she had some ability to hold the family property firmly in her hands.
Manager Qian also said that when the little girl Wen Shan was in Yuncheng, she visited Zhenbao Zhai every three days, and the room was full of Western gadgets. Nowadays, these Western things are popular in the capital. A few years ago, Mrs. Xuanpinghou sent some kaleidoscopes. Every child in the house had a copy. The old lady read her favors several times. Not to mention the Duke's Mansion, the Xuanping Marquis' Mansion was famous, but it was not as grand and grand as this little girl.
The Third Madam Rao Shi could not help but be jealous when she saw the wealth and splendor every day when Manager Qian talked about all the things in Yuncheng.
Uncle Zhongyong's house, which has been a noble family for generations, and the home of Zhongming Dingshi, was compared with this mother and daughter who were merchants from a small place, and they were actually inferior!
"A hundred taels of silver?"
Even the eldest lady sat up straight and frowned: "Third brother and sister, did you remember it wrong?"
"Sister-in-law, you have wronged me by saying this. If you don't believe me, go to Zhenbaozhai and find out for yourself. The guys there don't lie."
Mrs. Qi looked at Wen Yiqing again with a serious expression: "Qing Niang, is this true?"
Shanshan tightened his clothes nervously.
Even though she was too young to understand, she could still tell that her grandmother and the others were blaming her mother for buying her a mirror.
But it was Shanshan who wanted to buy the mirror, and it was my mother who loved Shanshan. What's wrong with my mother?
"I bought it." Wen Yiqing responded with her head bowed.
The third lady added: "Qing Niang is also very generous. She spends a hundred taels of silver on buying toys for children. Not only me, but also the sister-in-law have to think about it for a few days, right?"
The eldest lady did not answer her questions, she sat calmly and said calmly: "Qing Niang loves the child."
But no matter what, it was too much.
The wives of the uncle's house were all from a high background, and they had experienced extreme wealth. However, they had previously thought that orphans and widowed mothers were having a hard time, but the sudden comparison made people unable to recover.
Wen Yiqing's attitude was gentle, and she frowned and said softly: "Shanshan lost her father at such a young age, so she can't compare to Sister Qing and third brother who care about her. Shanshan only has me as her mother, and I just want to love her more and give her father to her." I'll make up for her share as well. It's her first time back in the capital, and she's not as knowledgeable as the other brothers and sisters. It's also her first time seeing that diorama, so I thought of buying it for her."
After saying that, she raised her head and glanced at Mrs. Qi quickly, and quickly looked away before Mrs. Qi came back to her senses. The pair of eyes similar to those of the Qi family lowered their eyes in loneliness, without saying a word or saying anything bad.
She just said softly: "If Third Sister-in-law feels that she has gone too far, Qingniang will remember it next time."
A single glance made Mrs. Qi's heart soften.
She immediately recalled that her own daughter had suffered more than twenty years outside, and even the little child in her arms had lost her father just after she was born.
It's just a mirror, what more does the uncle's house owe her?
Feeling overflowing with pity, Mrs. Qi held Shanshan's hand and gently moved her right hand, and the green and transparent jade bracelet on her wrist slipped onto Shanshan's hand.
Her palms were small, and the jade bracelet hung heavily on her hand, precariously. Shanshan raised his head blankly: "Grandma?"
"Good boy." Mrs. Qi said softly, "Keep it."
Shanshan subconsciously went to see his mother, and when Wen Yiqing nodded slightly, he whispered: "Thank you, grandma."
Mrs. Qi lovingly stroked the little girl's head in her arms. Just thinking of the little girl's pitiful life experience, she couldn't help but feel love in her heart. She said: "If Shanshan wants anything else, just tell grandma. Your brothers and sisters have nothing less than them."
Shanshan wants a lot of things.
She was curious about everything she saw. She usually went out to play on the street, and she could empty out her small purse at every shop and stall from the street to the end of the street. My mother loves Shanshan, takes everything she asks for, and gives her everything she wants. But now...
She looked at her third aunt and shook her head obediently: "No more, grandma."
Seeing how sensible she was, Mrs. Qi hugged her again, feeling the pain of her beloved.
The third lady opened her mouth and then closed it. She never expected that it would turn out like this, so she could only swallow the words she had prepared.
She managed to maintain a smile and stared closely at the emerald green jade bracelet on Shanshan's hand. If she remembered correctly, this jade bracelet was the old lady's dowry and had been worn close to her body for decades, but now it was easily worn by her. Gave it to that little girl!
The Duke Zhongyong's house has not yet been divided, and the title will inevitably fall to the head of the eldest family. The old lady has those who are always trying to supplement Madam Xuanping, but now they have a biological daughter, and they are coaxed away with a few words. A jade bracelet, how many more will fall on their heads? !
Besides, the old lady delegated power to the two sisters-in-law, and had long ignored the housework. In recent years, the efficiency of the farm shop has become worse and worse, but she still has to support a large family with a good appearance, food and clothing, and money everywhere. .
She just wanted to mention it, but it was a pity that Dafang was so stupid. A Wen Qingniang came to her door with a large amount of wealth, but she didn't take her hint.
The third lady twisted the handkerchief hard and stared at the jade bracelet, feeling her heart, liver, spleen and lungs aching together.
