Chapter 85: Sun Shi is very busy [Bowing in thanks to everyone's support! Bowing again!]

This piece of embroidery, just hanging on the wall for people to look at, was quite pleasing to the eye, and it was done with heart.

In Anmei's envious eyes, Pingmei handed this piece of embroidery to Qingxia, and Qingxia carefully put it away.

At night, the Xu family finished their meal.

In the main hall of Sun Shi's courtyard, only Pingmei was left.

Sun Shi sat on the couch, while Pingmei sat on the embroidery stool beside the couch.

Sun Shi looked at her daughter, it seemed that in the blink of an eye she had grown so big.

When there was Xiao Wu, Pingmei was still a yellow-haired girl, but now she had grown into a beautiful and generous person, and was about to marry into the Ningyuan Marquis mansion.

Pingmei looked at her mother's eyes full of pity, feeling Sun Shi's palm, Pingmei rubbed her cheek against it.

"Mother, why leave me alone with you?"

Sun Shi smiled and waved.

Xiaozhu walked over holding an exquisite small wooden box.

Sun Shi put the small wooden box into Pingmei's hand and said:

"Inside is a gift from your aunt far away in Yang Zhou, the letter said, marrying into the Marquis mansion is not like an ordinary family, having more money to rely on is better. There is also something your sister-in-law added for you, it is a sugarcane field in the south."

Pingmei opened the wooden box, inside were two land deed slips and a thousand taels of silver notes.

"Mother, isn't this too much?"

"Ping'er, this is her heart."

Looking at her daughter who didn't speak, Sun Shi said earnestly:

"Ping'er, do you know, I admire this aunt of yours very much, do you know why?"

"Mother, aunt was given a memorial arch, raised her late husband's concubine's son to become a Jinshi, naturally it makes people admire."

Sun Shi shook her head and said: "This is later, the place where I admire this aunt is that she was originally a noble Marquis mansion direct daughter, after marrying the Tanhua Lang, she encountered huge changes one after another but kept her original heart, not letting herself extinguish that tenacious character."

Looking at Pingmei's confused eyes, Sun Shi smiled and recalled:

"At that time, I was about the same age as you, heard from your grandmother the news of the death of the husband of the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi. Your father's grandparents also found a good family for your aunt, but she guarded the Sheng family and firmly refused to remarry."

"Mother, why?"

"At that time I didn't understand either, now thinking about it, it is also admirable, husband died, direct son died early, there is also a concubine's son, then this Sheng family second branch, who else could be older than your aunt?"

"Naturally there is no one, Mother! You mean, in the Sheng family, aunt has the highest status, she has the final say. But remarried, she can only rely on her official?"

Sun Shi looked at her daughter appreciatively.

"Right, Ping'er, this aunt of yours remarried, how do you know that this remarried one is a good person? Not coveting her golden mountain and silver sea dowry? Life, isn't it still held in others' hands. She suffered enough bitterness of having her fate held by others, how could she jump in again."

"Then, Mother, why did you say aunt has a trace of tenacity..."

Sun Shi touched her daughter's hair and said:

"This aunt of yours encountered huge changes one after another after marriage, but she still had to do things to the best, let Hongge become a Jinshi, married the direct daughter of a noble family. And still kept kindness in her heart. Didn't she take in an orphan girl from the Lin family before, taught her carefully, unfortunately..."

Pingmei said: "Is it the concubine of the Sheng family?"

Sun Shi nodded.

"Back then in Bianjing, this aunt of yours was a famous heaven's proud daughter, acting quite willful and unrestrained, who in the whole Bianjing didn't envy. But when she got old, she became the one who followed the rules the most."

"Back in Bianjing, that great-aunt of yours was a famously proud daughter of heaven; her conduct was quite willful and unrestrained, and who in all of Bianjing did not envy her? Yet in her old age, she became the most rule-abiding person of all."

Sun Shi looked at her eldest daughter and continued:

"This aunt of yours lived so well when she was young, such a huge gap after marriage, her direct son was harmed by others, but she didn't become suicidal, complaining, or mean. This is tenacity, no matter how bitter she is, she didn't give up wanting to move forward, your aunt is living tenaciously."

Pingmei was not old, looking at her mother, her eyes were somewhat confused.

"Ping'er, there is no perfect marriage, although looking at Brother Yu now, he is a good one, but the fourth and fifth branches of their family are not. You marry into the Gu family, have your Aunt Bai to look after you, but she is not your biological mother after all. What will happen in the future, no one can say for sure! But no matter what happens, you cannot be suicidal or self-pitying, do you know?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Nowadays, your father's official career is smooth, and the future of your younger brothers and sisters is not bad either. In the Gu family, you cannot be presumptuous, but you cannot be bullied either. Xiao Wu entrusted your cousin Zhu to find four women with children from Zhu Family Fort, all of whom have practiced fists and kicks with their fathers and brothers since childhood. Now their children are raised in our house, accompanying you to marry into the Gu family will definitely protect you."

Because of Qingzhi's matter, Pingmei had always had a depressed bubble in her heart, but it was poked by her mother and younger brother's preparation.

Feeling that her relatives put her in their hearts, Pingmei acted like a spoiled child: "Mother, I don't want to marry."

Sun Shi smiled:

"Silly girl, such a husband with a title, can read, and looks handsome, you say you don't want to marry?"

"I, I, I serve my parents until old."

"Then you don't have to worry me to death."

Mother and daughter were talking, until Xu Minghua returned, Pingmei returned to her courtyard.

At the courtyard gate of Qiongzhi Pavilion, four women with agile figures and strong physiques stood at the courtyard gate.

After seeing Pingmei coming, they saluted respectfully.

Xu Zaijing's courtyard.

Dishes sent by the kitchen were placed in the room.

Eldest brother and second brother sat on the side, and cousin Zhu Qinghu.

This was a thank-you banquet, thanking his cousin for taking the trouble to find four women to come over.

When entering the mansion, Xu Zaijing and his brothers looked, they were all women with large hands and feet, simple personalities, and valuing family affection.

And many had children in the Xu family, or fathers and brothers in the army.

It can be seen that it was not found casually, but spent effort.

So the four cousin brothers ate together in Xu Zaijing's courtyard.

"Jing Jing Biao Ge, heard that your marriage is about to be set?" Xu Zaijing asked Zhu Qinghu with a smile.

Zhu Qinghu, who didn't even blush when surrounding and killing scouts in Bai Gao country, frowned and said somewhat shyly:

"Where did you hear that?"

Xu Zaiduan looked at his second brother, Xu Zaizhang picked up the wine glass and said:

"Naturally heard from Aunt."

Xu Zaijing asked:

"Heard it's still a girl from a scholarly family?"

"You, you, why do you inquire about everything," Zhu Qinghu said somewhat annoyedly.

The three Xu brothers laughed.

"We are all men, cousin, what are you shy about? Heard from Aunt, have we met?" Xu Zaijing asked.

"Right, right, right, the one who was invited to massage Mother when you went to my house before."

Hearing this, the three Xu brothers fell into recollection.

The second one, Xu Zaizhang, remembered, his face was stunned and said:

"No, cousin, that sister-in-law should be the same age as Aunt, how could it be her? She is not a girl either!"

Xu Zaijing said: "Second brother, think again?"

Eldest brother Xu Zaiduan patted his second brother on the shoulder: "The one beside that woman, you even said that the one who knows how to read!"

"Oh oh oh, remembered, remembered. It was a quiet one, but she is a girl from a scholarly family, how could she go to Aunt's house?"

Xu Zaijing said:

"Second brother, you don't know, her father spent all his family wealth for the imperial examination, and her mother got sick, in order to treat the illness, sold all the land, only left the mansion in the city. Sigh, also a pitiful person."

Zhu Qinghu didn't say anything, holding the wine glass in his hand, his face somewhat heavy and thoughtful.

Xu Zaijing picked up the wine pot and filled his cousin's cup:

"Future sister-in-law, in order to support her younger brothers and sisters, she learned some massage techniques from that female doctor, and went in and out of the inner courtyard to earn some silver. Sigh, the aunts checked the neighbors carefully, heard that there were people proposing marriage, but when they heard there were two younger brothers and a younger sister, they all had no follow-up."

"Jing Jing Biao Ge?" Xu Zaijing looked at Zhu Qinghu who was in a daze.

"Nothing, since Mother decided, it is naturally good." He remembered those eyes, few people could bear his gaze, because he had seen too much life and death, but that girl was somewhat different.

Changed the topic, the four cousin brothers began to discuss how to make things difficult for the Gu family in a few days.

Xu Zaijing also told the news he got from Gu Tingyu: Gu Tingyang's servant was beaten half to death, and Gu Tingyang was also whipped by his father.

Madam Bai also told the fourth and fifth branches, if they dare to make trouble when the Gu and Xu families marry, the main branch will definitely cut off their silver.

When the weather turned cold.

The corn on the Xu family's farm had a bumper harvest, and dozens of the largest and fullest ones were sent to the Marquis mansion.

The welcoming team of the Ningyuan Marquis mansion also stopped at the main gate of the Xu mansion on Quyuan Street.

Setting off firecrackers,

and the blowing and beating of the musicians was very lively.

Not far from the main gate, there were soldiers of the Tianwu Army maintaining order, and the servants of the Marquis mansion were scattering silver and food.

Gu family descendants, only Gu Tingye and Gu Tingdi, the youngest of the fifth branch, were allowed to attend the wedding, as well as several teenagers from Bianjing who were taking the imperial examination with Gu Tingyu.

At the main gate, Xu Zaijing didn't show up, otherwise Gu Tingyu wouldn't have been able to enter the Xu mansion at all.

In the front hall, the eldest sister was saying goodbye to her parents, with two brothers there, Xu Zaijing didn't go to join the fun, he was standing blankly at the courtyard gate of Qiongzhi Pavilion.

The things in the courtyard had long been packed and loaded, ready to be transported to the Gu family, leaving only some that couldn't be moved.

The courtyard looked somewhat empty and cold, the swing frame was swinging slightly in the breeze, as if there was still the appearance of his eldest sister relaxing on it.

The cat in his arms raised its head, curiously looked at Xu Zaijing, and then meowed, as if asking why there was no one.

Xu Zaijing touched the cat.

"Young Master. Eldest Young Lady is about to get into the sedan chair."

Qingcao was behind her young master, also feeling somewhat depressed.

Sister Qingzhi, who was on good terms with her, was already holding the dowry outside the main gate.

"Let's go."

Xu Zaijing took Qingyun and Qingcao and walked to the main gate.

At this time, eldest brother Xu Zaiduan was carrying his sister into the sedan chair.

Xu Zaijing watched the sedan chair go away, while second brother Zaizhang already had a sour nose.

Pingmei put down the fan in her hand in the sedan chair, and through the window curtain of the sedan chair covered with thin red gauze, she saw the brothers standing at the door looking at her.

She, who had no feeling just now, suddenly felt a sour nose, and hurriedly took a few deep breaths.

Musicians played music.

The welcoming team moved, but the residents of Bianjing who were watching the excitement suddenly discovered new things, pointing at the team and whispering to each other.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 86 =====

There was also the blowing and beating of the musicians, which was very lively.

Not far from the main gate, soldiers of the Heaven Martial Army were maintaining order, while servants of the Marquis's residence were scattering coins and food.

Of the Gu family descendants, only Gu Tingye and Gu Tingdi, the youngest of the fifth branch, were permitted to attend the wedding, along with a few Bianjing youths who had taken the imperial examinations alongside Gu Tingyu.

At the main gate, Xu Zaijing did not show himself; otherwise, Gu Tingyu would never have been able to enter the Xu family gate.

In the front hall, the eldest sister was bidding farewell to her parents. With two older brothers present, Xu Zaijing did not go to join the bustle; he stood quietly at the gate of the Qiongzhi Pavilion courtyard, lost in thought.

The items in the courtyard had long been packed onto carts, ready to be transported to the Gu residence, leaving behind only what could not be moved.

The courtyard appeared quite empty and desolate. The swing frame swayed slightly in the breeze, as if the eldest sister were still relaxing upon it.

The civet cat in his arms raised its little head, looked at Xu Zaijing curiously, and then let out a 'meow', as if asking why there was no one left.

Xu Zaijing stroked the civet cat.

"Young Master. The eldest young lady is about to board the sedan chair."

Qingcao, standing behind her young master, also felt somewhat melancholy.

Sister Qingzhi, who was close to her, was already holding the dowry outside the main gate by the bridal sedan chair.

"Let's go."

Xu Zaijing led Qingyun and Qingcao toward the main gate.

At this moment, the eldest brother, Xu Zaiduan, was carrying his younger sister onto the sedan chair.

Xu Zaijing watched the sedan chair move away, while the second brother, Zaihang, already felt a stinging sensation in his nose.

Pingmei lowered the round fan in her hand inside the sedan chair. Through the curtain of the sedan chair covered in thin red gauze, she saw her brothers standing at the gate watching her.

She, who had felt nothing just a moment ago, suddenly felt a sting in her nose and hurriedly took several deep breaths.

The musicians played music.

The wedding procession began to move, but the Bianjing residents watching the excitement suddenly discovered something new, pointing at the procession and whispering to one another.

(End of chapter)