Chapter 450: Two Old Sisters-in-law [Thank you! Thank you again! Owed 27k version]

"What nonsense! That's Scholar Zhuang's carriage!"

Sheng Hong frowned and shouted at Wang Ruofu.

"I, I didn't see clearly!"

Wang Ruofu said sheepishly.

After a while,

The carriage arrived in front of the gate.

Scholar Zhuang walked out of the carriage wearing ear muffs.

"Scholar, you've worked hard!"

"Official Sheng is too polite."

After Scholar Zhuang got off the carriage, he bowed slightly to Old Madam,

Old Madam and the two mamas, Fang and Cui, beside her nodded in return.

"Official Sheng, Jing Ge'er said that he might have met relatives of the Sheng family from afar on the road, so he and Bo Ge'er stayed behind to recognize and welcome them."

"Understood, understood, sorry to trouble you, Scholar."

Scholar Zhuang nodded, looked at Xu Xu Zaizhang and the others who alighted from the horses, and said: "This master got up early today, I'll go take a nap for half an hour first, you all please yourselves."

Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, and the other four hurriedly responded.

After Scholar Zhuang nodded to Old Madam again at the door, he entered the courtyard.

Xu Xu Zaizhang and the other four didn't enter the door either, standing at the door and looking in the direction they came from.

In the carriage team of the Youyang main branch,

In a carriage near the back, two people were sitting side by side,

One of them was a middle-aged woman dressed decently and wearing gold jewelry, who was staring out the carriage window, looking at the four or five-story wooden buildings by the roadside, her eyes full of surprise.

The other was a young man in his twenties, looking out from the window on the other side, his eyes constantly scanning the big girls and little wives on the roadside.

"Hiss!"

The young man looked at the outstanding-looking prostitute seeing off an overnight guest at the door of a brothel by the roadside and couldn't help but gasp.

"Pity, pity, such a beauty has actually fallen to this point! When I have time, I must persuade you to turn over a new leaf!"

Saying this, the young man leaned out and took a look at the plaque at the door of the brothel: "Chaoyun Pavilion... Hiss... Good name!"

"Son, look at the mule of the kid walking in front! In a few months, when you marry the Sheng family's daughter, you must also ride such a mule to be majestic!"

The middle-aged woman said with the accent of the Hebei East Road Dizhou (now Binzhou, Shandong) dialect.

"Mother, what are you saying?"

The young man, whose interest was disturbed, leaned over to the other side of the carriage and looked out from the window the woman had vacated.

Looking at Xu Zaijing who was talking to Changwu, and the little black horse under Xu Zaijing, the young man said with disdain in his eyes: "Snort! Looking at him, he's just a playboy without any academic merit!"

"The horse is not bad, though! When the time comes, let Shulan's father borrow it!"

After throwing down the curtain, the young man leaned to the window on his side and continued to scan the women he saw on the roadside.

"Son! I heard that the Sheng family's second branch has hired a very powerful scholar. You must go and ask for advice more often when the time comes, so that you can fulfill the old immortal's divination!"

"The old immortal said you are the root of a prime minister. If you fulfill the divination, your mother-in-law doesn't know how many fields and shops she will send to our family!"

The young man said with full disdain: "Wait until I pass the provincial examination, then pass the metropolitan examination, and face the Emperor in the palace examination! If the Sheng family doesn't send fields and shops, then I will divorce her and remarry!"

"Son, don't do that! I heard that the Sheng family's second branch is working in the Ministry of Personnel, it's not good to fall out!" The woman said in a low voice!

"What Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Rites! At what age did they get their scholar title?"

At the front of the carriage team,

Xu Zaijing, Changbai, and Sheng Changwu were walking side by side in front of the carriage,

Xu Zaijing looked back in confusion and said with great interest: "Brother Changwu, are you saying you brought the person Sister Shulan is betrothed to?"

Changbai also looked at Changwu with an unnatural expression on his face.

Sheng Changwu looked back at his mother's carriage and said in a low voice: "This is Mother's intention. She thinks that Bianjing is a place of outstanding people and many learned scholars, hoping to find a famous teacher to give this Scholar Sun some guidance, so that he can clear the clouds and see the sun and be able to pass the provincial examination to become a Juren in the future!"

Changbai nodded in approval.

Xu Zaijing scratched his head sheepishly: This change is a bit big. He originally thought he wouldn't have the chance to meet this prime minister-root Scholar Sun! With a famous teacher like Scholar Zhuang, wouldn't this guy really become a Juren or a Jinshi?

Looking at Xu Zaijing scratching his head,

In the carriage behind, First Madam Li, who was sitting with Sheng Wei, lifted the carriage curtain, leaned out with a full face of smiles, and looked at Xu Zaijing: "Official, Bianjing is truly a place of outstanding people! Whose child is the one beside our Wu'er? He looks handsome and talented!"

Sheng Wei, who had a beard, leaned over and pulled down the curtain, frowned at First Madam Li's uncomprehending eyes, and said in a low voice: "That is the youngest son of the Xu family of Marquis Yongyi Fu. He is capable of both literature and martial arts, not someone our family's daughter can match."

"Oh!"

First Madam Li blinked with great regret.

"Official, Mother sent you a letter before. Regarding our Changwu's marriage, do you have any plans in your heart?"

Sheng Wei shook his head: "It's not that easy!"

Outside the carriage,

Changwu looked at Xu Zaijing's mount with envy.

"Brother Changwu, seeing your every move, you have practiced martial arts?"

"Ah? Yes! Doing business in Great Zhou always requires martial arts to protect oneself, and one can protect oneself when encountering bandits!"

Xu Zaijing nodded and said: "Then does Brother Changwu have any plans to join the army?"

After glancing at the carriage behind him, Changwu slowly shook his head: "My parents only have me as a son..."

Xu Zaijing nodded and understood.

Amidst the sounds of hawking, shouting, and all kinds of fireworks in Bianjing City,

A carriage team hurried toward Jiying Lane.

At the gate of the Sheng family,

Xu Zaijing and Changbai, who had alighted from their horses in front, were already standing at the gate with Gu Tingye and Qi Heng, watching.

The carriage of the Youyang main branch slowly stopped,

Old Madam Sheng didn't wait for the carriage to stop steadily before walking toward it.

"Old Sister-in-law!"

Old Madam Sheng of the main branch climbed out of the carriage,

Looked at Old Madam who was walking over vigorously, and smiled: "Old Sister! It's been a long time since we parted in Youyang!"

Sheng Wei and his wife supported their mother, stepped on the carriage stool, alighted, and called out "Aunt" to Old Madam together.

Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu also called out "Aunt-in-law".

Shulan and Pinlan, who alighted later, gathered around and called out to the group of people from the Sheng family's second branch.

Old Madam held the main branch Old Madam's hands tightly with both hands, turned her head to look at the two girls on the side, and nodded with a smile: "These two girls, Shulan and Pinlan, have grown so big!"

"Come, let's enter the courtyard!"

Sheng Hong pulled Sheng Wei,

Wang Ruofu smiled and held First Madam Li's arm, and said without any restraint: "Sister-in-law, let's follow. Seeing Mo Lan, Rulan, Minglan, hurry and receive your two sisters."

"Yes, First Madam/Mother." The three Lans responded.

First Madam Li maintained her smile, nodded hurriedly, and beckoned to Shulan and Pinlan, asking them to hurry over.

Shulan looked at the beautiful Seeing Mo Lan and lowered her head with some discomfort and lack of confidence.

Rulan and the mischievous Pinlan looked at each other and smiled: "Two sisters, please enter."

When they arrived at the gate,

Rulan looked at Xu Xu Zaizhang, who was standing on the side with a smile, and introduced: "Two sisters, this is our Hualan sister's official, our eldest brother-in-law."

"Eldest Brother-in-law!"

Shulan and Pinlan bowed with a smile.

Xu Xu Zaizhang said with a smile: "Hurry, go in!"

"I haven't introduced Jing cousin yet!" Rulan said with her hands on her hips and frowning.

Xu Xu Zaizhang nodded with a smile: "Then you introduce him!"

Before Pinlan could speak, Xu Zaijing smiled and cupped his hands: "Greetings to Shulan sister and Pinlan sister!"

"Greetings to Jing cousin!"

Shulan and Pinlan lowered their heads and bowed.

Then Rulan introduced Gu Tingye and Qi Heng. Hearing their identities, Shulan kept her head down and didn't dare to raise it.

The crowd entered the Sheng family in a flurry.

Xu Zaijing stayed at the end,

He looked back at the carriage team of the Youyang main branch, but didn't find the carriage of the Sun family mother and son that Changwu mentioned.

It seems that the marriage between the two families was not successful, so it was not easy to let the Sun family mother and son show up.

"Drive!"

The coachman's voice came from afar,

Xu Zaijing took a look outside and stopped at the gate.

Before long,

A gorgeous carriage with a wooden plaque with the word 'Xu' stopped at the gate.

First was the maidservant Cuichan,

Then Hualan, holding Xu Xingzhong, alighted one after another.

"Little Five, have the relatives of the main branch arrived?"

Hualan said to Xu Zaijing with a smile while holding the child.

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile: "Hualan sister, the relatives just went in, I stayed behind to cover the rear!"

Hualan smiled: "Come, go with me to Grandmother's place!"

Xu Zaijing paused, pointed to the school direction: "Hualan sister, I still have to go..."

The Sheng family's gatekeeper cupped his hands: "Fifth Young Master, just now this little one heard the Scholar say that he wanted to take a nap for half an hour..."

Xu Zaijing smiled: "Alright! Hualan sister-in-law, please."

On the way to Shou'an Hall,

Hualan handed Zhong Ge'er to Cuichan to hold, and looked at Xu Zaijing, who was a head taller than her, with a smile: "Little Five, how did it feel to go to the metropolitan examination hall today?"

Xu Zaijing let out a breath: "Deeply touched..."

As the two talked,

Before long, they arrived outside Shou'an Hall,

And before they entered the room, they heard the laughter of the two grandmothers in Shou'an Hall.

"Fifth Young Master and Eldest Da Niangzi are back!"

The maidservant announced outside the door.

As soon as the voice fell, Xu Xu Zaizhang walked out quickly, looked at Hualan and smiled: "Madam! Come, Zhong Ge'er, Daddy will hold you!"

As he spoke, Xu Xu Zaizhang let Hualan into Shou'an Hall.

Hualan entered the room and saw that quite a few tables and chairs had been added to the hall.

The wives, grandsons, and granddaughters of the first and second branches were sitting behind their respective elders.

Hualan pinched her handkerchief, walked to the front, and bowed with a smile: "Hualan has seen the Great Grandmother, Grandmother! Uncle, Aunt!"

She turned and squatted slightly: "Father, Mother!"

She turned to the side and smiled: "Shulan sister, Changwu brother, Pinlan sister."

The two Lans and one Wu of the main branch hurriedly called out to Hualan sister and stood up to return the salute.

"Hualan, come to Great Grandmother's side and let me see you. It's been many years since you went to Youyang that time!"

The main branch Old Madam smiled and beckoned to Hualan.

Hualan walked over with a smile.

The Old Madam held Hualan's hand with a full face of smiles, stared at Hualan for a while, and then looked at Old Madam with gratification and said: "Old Sister, this Hou Fu really knows how to raise people. Look at Hualan's demeanor! She really looks like the First Madam of a Hou Fu!"

When she spoke, she also looked at Wang Ruofu, and then nodded in appreciation at Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong's eyes were full of gratification, Wang Ruofu was naturally smiling from ear to ear, and said: "Aunt-in-law praises too much, she is just a wild girl! It's thanks to Mother's blessing that she can have today!"

And First Madam Li of the main branch looked at Hualan with envy, full of expectations for Shulan in her heart, hoping that her son-in-law Scholar Sun would pass the Jinshi examination and become a high official, so that Shulan could also have such demeanor.

Pinlan looked at the beautiful Seeing Mo Lan with little stars in her eyes, and said to Shulan on the side: "Sister, the change in Hualan sister is too big compared to when we first met her!"

Shulan looked at her with envy: "Sister is right!"

At this time, Xu Xu Zaizhang had already sat below Wang Ruofu and above Changbai.

Wang Ruofu looked at the cute grandson Zhong Ge'er and smiled as she took him from Xu Xu Zaizhang's arms.

Seeing the little child,

The Old Madam smiled and let go of Hualan's hand, and Old Madam signaled Hualan to sit on the embroidered stool beside her.

Subsequently, tea and dried fruits were served in the hall,

The crowd talked in the hall,

Xu Zaijing and Changbai left for the school after staying for a while.

In the afternoon,

Sheng Wei and his wife returned to their home in Bianjing,

But the main branch Old Madam stayed at the Sheng family and slept on the same bed as her old sister-in-law, Old Madam.

Minglan went to Jin'an Study and slept with Wei Shuyi.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 451 =====

The Eldest Old Madam held Sheng Changmei with a slightly unfamiliar touch. After carefully observing his appearance, she exchanged a look with the Old Madam, her heart filled with emotion and pity.

Decades of being sisters-in-law allowed the Old Madam to read the meaning in her sister-in-law's eyes: This child looks just like him!

The one he naturally resembled was the Old Madam's child, Sheng Zhen, who had passed away in infancy.

The Old Madam shook her head with a bitter smile: Although he looks like him, he is ultimately not him, and she does not care that much anymore!

Subsequently, tea and dried fruits were served in the main hall.

Everyone chatted in the hall.

Xu Zaijing and Changbai stayed for a while before leaving for the school.

In the afternoon,

Sheng Wei and his wife returned to their own home in Bianjing.

The Eldest Old Madam of the main branch, however, stayed at the Sheng residence, sleeping in the same bed as the Old Madam, her sister-in-law of many years.

Minglan went to Jin'an Study and slept with Wei Shuyi.

(End of chapter)