Chapter 588: What Are Those Two Thinking! Really! [Many Thanks!]

Bai Wu Daniang held her granddaughter in her arms and smiled at Sun Shi, saying, "Older Sister, if you say so, I can only reluctantly accept this compliment!"

Seeing the slightly puzzled expressions of the three Xu family mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law nearby, Bai Shi laughed and said, "Although my family has relatives from the fourth and fifth branches, I simply cannot help having such a good daughter-in-law!"

Hearing these words,

Sun Shi and her two daughters-in-law all smiled with a touch of helplessness.

Sheng Hualan stretched out her hands toward Yan Hua Jie'er in Bai Wu Daniang's arms and said, "Yan Hua Jie'er, come, let your auntie hold you; your grandmother has been holding you for so long, her arms must be tired."

Seeing Sheng Hualan, who remained beautiful even after bearing children and wore a smile on her face, Yan Hua Jie'er also stretched out her hands.

After handing her granddaughter over, Bai Wu Daniang immediately felt much lighter and smiled as she looked at the little pony not far away.

Since marrying into the Xu family, Xie Shi had known about the friction between her sister-in-law Xu Pingmei and the fourth and fifth branches of the Gu family.

Therefore, Xie Shi's smile faded slightly as she continued speaking to Bai Wu Daniang: "Auntie, you know clearly what kind of people the fourth and fifth branches of the Gu family are! I heard from my younger sister at my maiden home that the eldest Miss of the Yu family was raised before Old Lady Yu, yet her temperament is slightly too soft."

Bai Wu Daniang withdrew her gaze, looked at Xie Shi, nodded, and said, "Yes, Yi'er also mentioned this to me! But the eldest Miss of the Yu family is quick-witted and has her own insights into managing finances; having a slightly soft temperament is no problem."

She added with a laugh, "Niece-in-law, rest assured, did I not just say that I have a wonderful eldest daughter-in-law?"

Xie Shi smiled and nodded.

Sun Shi waved her hand, laughing, "I tell you, sister, do not praise her so much!"

"With such a good daughter-in-law in my family, why should I not praise her?" Bai Wu Daniang said proudly.

After everyone chuckled lightly again, Bai Wu Daniang said, "Later this month, the fourth Miss of the Sheng family, Seeing Mo Lan, will hold her coming-of-age ceremony; although she is a daughter born of a concubine, she is also a schoolmate of Jing Ge'er and Ye'er, having studied together for many years!"

Looking at Sheng Hualan beside her, Bai Wu Daniang continued:

"Outsiders all speak of the Sheng family's young ladies, and she is also Sheng Hualan's younger sister; Older Sister, what do you think—should I go?"

Before Sun Shi could speak, Sheng Hualan, holding her nephew's daughter, her eyes full of emotion, consulted with her mother-in-law with a glance; seeing Sun Shi nod, she said, "Auntie, you and Mother had better not go."

"When the time comes, I will go with Eldest Sister!"

Bai Wu Daniang asked in confusion, "Sheng Hualan, if it is like this, I am afraid your mother might feel in her heart..."

Sheng Hualan shook her head with a smile: "Auntie, you are overthinking it; my mother at my maiden home will not be unhappy. You and Mother are both titled Ladies of a Marquis; if you were to attend my family's coming-of-age ceremony, in terms of status..."

Bai Wu Daniang nodded, glanced at Sun Shi who was also nodding, and laughed, "Since my niece-in-law says so, then I will listen to you."

"Early next month, when we go to Jinming Pool, your mother will most likely be unable to attend; at that time, you two come to my tent, and we will enjoy ourselves together."

Xie Shi and Sheng Hualan smiled and agreed.

"Oh, and there is also the happy event at the Xiong family, Earl of Kang'an, next month!" Bai Wu Daniang said with a laugh.

The smile on Xie Shi's face grew even brighter.

Entering the second lunar month and reaching the latter ten days, the weather grew warmer and the daylight longer.

Jiying Lane,

the Sheng family residence.

Xu Xu Zaijing, wearing a spring shirt and draped in a cloak, walked out of the academy with his schoolmates, accompanied by female servants and young attendants; the sky was bright, no longer the dimness of winter.

Chatting as they went, the group exited the academy courtyard.

Sheng Changbai and his younger siblings headed toward the inner quarters of the Sheng family, while Xu Xu Zaijing, Gu Gu Tingye, and others walked toward the main gate.

Along the way,

with Xu Zaizhang and Gu Gu Tingye in front,

Qi Heng turned to glance back at Sheng Changbai and the others, then looked up at the azure sky as he walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Xu Xu Zaijing beside him, saying, "Jing Ge'er, in a few days it will be Seeing Mo Lan's coming-of-age ceremony; have you prepared a gift or anything?"

Xu Xu Zaijing withdrew his gaze from the sky, turned his head to look at Qi Heng, and said, "Of course I have prepared something; after all, Fourth Sister and I have been schoolmates for several years."

Gu Gu Tingye, walking ahead, turned back and asked, "Han Wulang, what gift have you prepared?"

Xu Xu Zaijing replied, "Naturally, something Fourth Sister likes."

"Third Brother, what about you?" Gu Gu Tingye asked, looking at Xu Zaizhang.

Xu Zaizhang shook his head: "My Sheng Hualan Sister has prepared everything; I did not inquire."

"Tsk! How wonderful!" After exclaiming this, Gu Gu Tingye turned to Qi Heng and asked, "Yuanruo, what have you prepared?"

Qi Heng forced a slight smile and said, "I... I am the same as Jing Ge'er."

Hearing Buwei, carrying the book box and following behind, raised his eyes to look at Qi Heng ahead but said nothing.

Gu Gu Tingye scratched his head and said, "Then it seems I am the only one who has not prepared anything."

Qi Heng pursed his lips with some helplessness and said:

"Then, since the daylight is still bright, why don't we stroll through a few bustling streets? We can help Second Uncle select a few gifts along the way?"

"It has been over a month since school started, and we have not had a single day of rest."

After Qi Heng finished speaking, he looked at the several schoolmates beside him.

Xu Zaizhang smiled and said to Xu Xu Zaijing, "Little Five, you represent me and accompany Yuanruo and the others on their stroll; I will head home first."

"Very well."

Subsequently, the group mounted their horses or boarded their carriages respectively and headed toward the inner city.

Along the road,

the spring breeze occasionally blew scents from various surroundings into their noses;

looking at the willow trees sprouting green buds not far away, Xu Xu Zaijing felt as though the air even carried the fresh fragrance of those green buds.

The aromas of various foods from the roadside also drifted over occasionally, making the slightly hungry Xu Xu Zaijing swallow several times.

"The spring breeze is a stranger; why does it enter my silken curtains?"

Gu Gu Tingye, riding a horse beside Xu Xu Zaijing, recited with some emotion.

"Yuan Erlang, what is the matter? Have you found someone you love?"

Xu Xu Zaijing asked with a laugh.

Gu Gu Tingye sighed, looked at the green willow buds by the roadside, and said, "Alas! The face I knew is gone, nowhere to be found; the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze~"

"Yuan Erlang, stop spouting nonsense! What peach blossoms could there be at this time of year?"

Gu Gu Tingye widened his eyes, looked at Xu Xu Zaijing beside him, and said, "I say, Brother Jing, what we are chanting is not poetry, but a state of mind, a frame of heart; do you understand?"

Xu Xu Zaijing continued smiling and said, "I understand! Yuan Erlang, your spring heart is stirring! How about we make a detour near the Yu residence? It happens to be right on our way!"

Seeing Gu Gu Tingye look somewhat tempted, Xu Xu Zaijing chuckled, "Hmph! Hahaha."

Gu Gu Tingye pursed his lips and glared at Xu Xu Zaijing: "Brother Jing, stop laughing!"

Inside the Qi family carriage,

Qi Heng lifted the curtain, watched the two men ahead laughing and talking noisily, and sighed with a touch of worry.

Pan Lou Main Street,

One of Chai Chai Zhengzheng's properties, the Four Treasures Studio,

Before dusk,

Mounts and carriages on the street began to multiply, and from near the Pan Lou not far away, the faint sound of silk and bamboo instruments drifted over.

Amidst the various sounds on the street of soliciting customers, hawking wares, chatting, and shouting, an understated and elegant carriage pulled up before the entrance of the Four Treasures Studio.

After a plainly dressed maidservant placed a mounting block beside the carriage, a woman dressed respectably and wearing a veil stepped down, carrying a silk case half as tall as a person.

The woman first bowed respectfully to Chai Jin, the guard protecting the area near the carriage, before turning around.

Raising her head, the woman's beautiful eyes beneath the veil glanced at the shop's signboard; a hint of relief appeared in her gaze, and then she stepped forward into the shop.

Very soon,

A window on the second floor of the Four Treasures Studio opened, revealing the thin gauze curtain within.

A moment later,

A graceful and melodious pipa sound drifted out from the building, merging with the various clamorous noises outside the shop.

The shop boy downstairs glanced up toward the second floor and whispered to the steward beside him, "Steward, does this Wei Yang Xingshou have some troubling matter? Even someone like me who knows nothing about music can hear the sorrow in this tune."

"I hear that for a single performance, Wei Yang Xingshou earns more silver than one can count; what does she have to worry about?"

I don't know how much time passed; the pipa sound had vanished, and candle lanterns along the street were beginning to be lit.

"Clip-clop~"

After a burst of hoofbeats,

"Whoa~"

Came the sound of the coachman reining in the horses.

Immediately after, the shop boy and steward walked forward, cupped their fists, and offered greetings: "This humble one greets Young Master Gu the Second, Young Master Xu the Fifth, and greets the Little Xiao Xiao Gongye!"

"Little Xiao Xiao Gongye, if you need anything, just send word from the Xiao Xiao Gongye's residence, and this humble one will dispatch someone to deliver it at once."

The steward said ingratiatingly.

On the second floor of the Four Treasures Studio,

Wei Wei Fangzhi, seated at a table under the candlelight, froze for an instant, and the fingers carefully maintaining her pipa paused for a moment.

Wei Wei Fangzhi stood up, walked to the window, and looked down through the thin gauze.

Then, she ceased maintaining her pipa, sat back in her seat, cradled the instrument in her arms, steadied her mood, and began to pluck the strings with focused intent.

On the first floor of the Four Treasures Studio,

Gu Gu Tingye, who was examining goods, was slightly startled by the pipa sound from upstairs; he tilted his head to listen for a while and said, "Hiss, this pipa is played superbly! Which renowned master in the capital is this?"

Before the shop's steward or clerks could speak, Xu Xu Zaijing, holding a writing brush in his hand, said, "It should be Wei Yang Xingshou."

"Oh!" Gu Gu Tingye's eyes brightened; he glanced upward and said, "The former Fangniang who shares quite a fate with us?"

Xu Xu Zaijing nodded.

Nearby, Qi Heng, who had been sniffing an expensive inkstick, handed the inkstick in his hand to Hearing Buwei upon hearing the conversation between Xu Xu Zaijing and Gu Gu Tingye, and said, "Second Uncle, is this the time we previously watched the selection of the courtesan queen at the Pan Lou?"

Gu Gu Tingye nodded repeatedly.

Qi Heng listened again to the pipa sound from upstairs and said, "Still, Elder Brother Chai has good taste, able to sponsor such a woman of both beauty and artistry..."

"Cough."

Not far away, Hearing Buwei gave a light cough.

Qi Heng fell silent, lowered his head, and continued selecting scholar's supplies.

Xu Xu Zaijing turned his head to glance at Gu Gu Tingye, who was lost in thought, and said, "Yuan Erlang, what are you thinking about?"

His eyes filled with reminiscence, Gu Gu Tingye said, "I was wondering whether Ruanruan would prefer a soft brush tip or a firmer one."

As he spoke, Gu Gu Tingye raised the writing brush in his hand before his own eyes.

Afterwards, Gu Gu Tingye and Qi Heng wandered a bit more within the shop, while Xu Xu Zaijing stood aside, smiling as he said to the shop steward, "We troubled you these past two days."

"Young Master Xu the Fifth speaks too humbly; it was merely this humble one's duty."

Gu Gu Tingye called out to Xu Xu Zaijing and Qi Heng; after selecting their goods with some deliberation, the three departed the Four Treasures Studio together.

Wei Wei Fangzhi also descended to the entrance to see them off.

On the road, Gu Gu Tingye and Xu Xu Zaijing rode horses side by side.

Glancing back at the Qi family carriage, Gu Gu Tingye leaned closer to Xu Xu Zaijing and said, "Brother Jing, what do you suppose Wei Yang Xingshou looks like beneath that veil? Judging by those eyes alone, I feel she must be a great beauty!"

"Her figure is excellent too!"

Gu Gu Tingye added.

Xu Xu Zaijing said, "Mm! She should be an extremely good-looking Miss."

"Sigh!" Gu Gu Tingye heaved a heavy sigh.

That night,

At the Chai residence, in the Autumn Sounds Courtyard,

A night breeze carrying a slight chill blew through the window into the room.

Inside the room,

"Ziteng, go close the windows,"

Yun Mu called out, holding a spring robe in her hand.

"Yes!"

A personal maid answered from not far away.

Entering the side chamber and seeing Chai Chai Zhengzheng playing pitch-pot with Miss Miss Fuyi, she said, "Miss, the night wind is rather cold; you should drape a robe over yourself."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng, holding an arrow in her hand, waved it off, saying, "Wait a moment; let me shoot this arrow first."

"Thump."

Watching the arrow land in the pitch-pot vessel, Chai Chai Zhengzheng then extended her arm, allowing Yun Mu to help her put on the spring robe.

While Miss Miss Fuyi busied herself pulling the arrows out of the pitch-pot vessel, Chai Chai Zhengzheng shook out her garments and said, "Yun Mu, what do you suppose they intended to do with those things they bought at the Four Treasures Studio?"

Yun Mu smiled at Chai Chai Zhengzheng and said, "Miss, the three young masters are all examination graduates who study; perhaps they simply bought items for their own convenient use?"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng shook her head: "If that were the case, Her Ladyship the Princess could have simply summoned the shopkeepers to the residence and let our cousins choose whatever they wished; why would they need to go to the shop in person?"

Hearing this,

Yun Mu's eyes darted as she said, "Miss, could it be that the three young masters intend to give these items as gifts?"

After pondering for a moment, Chai Chai Zhengzheng's eyes lit up as she said, "Hiss—Miss Mo Lan of the Sheng family, isn't her hair-pinning ceremony taking place this year?"

Yun Mu nodded: "Yes, Miss! The three young masters have been schoolmates with the Sheng family young lady for several years; naturally, they must send some gifts."

"Hmm, what was it that he bought again?"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng asked.

After Yun Mu finished speaking, a trace of puzzlement appeared in Chai Chai Zhengzheng's eyes as she said, "I hear that the Sheng family's Fourth Young Lady enjoys literary pursuits; sending these items is indeed appropriate."

Miss Miss Fuyi walked over holding the pitch-pot arrows and said, "Miss, shall we continue?"

"Mm."

Amidst the intermittent sounds of arrows striking the pitch-pot vessel,

Chai Chai Zhengzheng added, "After all this time, I still cannot comprehend: on the day of the Lantern Festival, when he went to the Great Phase State Temple, why on earth did the Hou Fu of the Town-Protecting Marquis present him with a gift?"

Yun Mu, watching the arrow her young lady had just thrown, said, "Miss, did not the Lady explicitly say that you were not to ask about this?"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng shot a glance at the maid and said, "Mother also said that when the time comes for me to know, I will naturally know! Her words were so vague and clouded; I simply cannot make sense of them!"

Ziteng, having finished closing the windows, walked over and asked with some confusion, "Sister Yun Mu, what is the relationship between this Han family of the Town-Protecting Marquis's Hou Fu that the Miss mentioned and the Han family of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Han?"

Yun Mu replied, "They say both families share the same ancestors; the current Xiao Xiao Gongye of Han and the Town-Protecting Marquis are considered distant cousins from a collateral line, and both families use the same generation names."

Ziteng pondered this in her heart and said, "No wonder the names of the young masters in both families are so similar!"

A few days later,

In the kitchens of various households throughout the city, the matron chefs began preparing dough and red dates to make Zitui Swallows.

Whether it was the high-end establishments frequented by noble families, whose craftsmanship was inherited from the Ministry of Works' Wensi Yuan, such as the Li Family Jewelry Shop;

or the peddlers wandering the streets and alleys, who would halt at a single call from common folk, whose skill levels remained uncertain.

Sales of gold and silver hairpins and ornaments, as well as wooden and bamboo combs favored by young ladies, were all quite brisk.

The reason was that families with unmarried daughters who had not yet undergone their hair-pinning ceremony would mostly choose these two days to hold the ritual for them.

The Sheng family of Jiying Lane was no exception.

Although her birth mother, Wang Wang Wang Ruofu, and Lin Xiao Niang were on bad terms, Mo Lan was, after all, a young lady of the Sheng family; thus, Hua Lan attended Mo Lan's hair-pinning ceremony in full formal attire.

Hua Lan scanned the guests around her, observing Sheng Hong, who sat below the Old Lady and wore an expression of overwhelming emotion, then glancing at Wang Wang Wang Ruofu, whose face was twisted in awkward displeasure; she immediately signaled to Nurse Liu.

Nurse Liu, who had served Wang Wang Wang Ruofu for several decades, understood the signal and nodded to Hua Lan; after glancing at Wang Wang Wang Ruofu's expression, she pondered for an instant and immediately grasped the cause.

Nurse Liu then bowed and leaned close to Wang Wang Wang Ruofu's ear, saying, "Wu Da Da Niangzi, is it not merely that Linqi Pavilion has received many fine gifts? Do not let it upset your heart!"

Wang Wang Wang Ruofu pursed her lips in anger and whispered, "When my Hua'er had her hair-pinning ceremony, how few gifts she received! Yet for this little wretch, those few from her academy, especially Zai Zhang—what were they thinking!?"

Glancing at Sheng Hong nearby, Nurse Liu whispered, "Wu Da Da Niangzi, you must think of it this way: if the gifts for Mo Lan are so splendid, then our Young Lady Ru, being a daughter of the principal wife, how could her ceremony next year possibly be inferior?"

The expression of displeasure froze on Wang Wang Wang Ruofu's face.

Seeing this, Nurse Liu continued, "When we were in Yang Zhou, the Xu family's eldest daughter clearly distinguished between children of the principal and concubine wives; have you forgotten? The other two families are also of high noble status and have always been particular about such distinctions!"

Wang Wang Wang Ruofu blinked repeatedly; her expression of displeasure vanished, and her eyes gradually filled with visions of Young Lady Ru Lan's future hair-pinning ceremony.

"Yes, yes, yes, you are right," Wang Wang Wang Ruofu said, her countenance changing instantly.

Subsequently, a joyful smile bloomed upon Wang Wang Wang Ruofu's face.

Witnessing this scene, Hua Lan's heart was full of approval, and she nodded repeatedly to Nurse Liu in acknowledgment.

Even Sheng Hong, having finished his bout of emotion, turned his head to look at Wang Wang Wang Ruofu and was momentarily stunned by the sincerity of her smile.

(End of Chapter)