Chapter 67 Before Marriage

  The family is 180,000 miles away from Jiangnan. The accounts of the other side's shop must have a cat. However, Zhou Bing won't be able to do it for so many years. Chen Niang's brother got a good deal, and if he lets go again, it might not be an easy thing to do. Chen Niang wants to promote her son, unless Shen Zhen doesn't remarry and Da She gets a promotion. However, letting the brother of the concubine's family manage the property is unbearable for anyone who marries Shen Zhen... But this matter was promised by the first wife before she passed away... From another perspective, if Chen Niang continues to control the property, she won't let her brother mess around for Da She's future. In a sense, Li Shi is killing two birds with one stone.

  When the time comes, just for this matter, I'm afraid the Shen family will be in trouble!

  Li didn't mean to deceive Shen Muqing at all: "Take a good look and learn from it!"

  Shen Muqing just pitied and wrapped his arms around Li Shi's shoulder.

  Then Li took her to Baizhi Fang.

  The house in Baizhi Fang is located in the middle of Si Jiao Hutong, it's a five-room three-entrance courtyard with ear houses on both sides. The whole yard covers an area of about 7 or 8 mu. The east ear house was converted into a gatehouse, and the adjacent room opened to form a Ruyi Gate. The two rooms next to it were merged to form an open hall, and the other two rooms were used as guest rooms. The west ear house was arranged into a small hall. The main house and wing houses formed a "回" shaped corridor, with three rooms on each side of the wing houses, all with ear houses. Half of the east ear house of the main house was converted into a small kitchen, and the other half opened to form an angle door leading to the small garden and back house behind it. Behind the back house, there is a small angle door that opens onto a narrow alley about two meters wide. The alley has bluestone pavement, winding and twisting, with high powder walls on both sides, rarely visited, and swept clean.

  Mr. Li pointed to the powder wall and smiled: "The opposite is the Guangdong rich merchant district, Sihai family, their family is relying on the sea transportation to start a business, this alley is their home. Usually no one lives, it's quiet.

  Shen Mu nodded quietly as Li Shi slowly returned to the main hall.

  "The house is made of hundred-year-old cypress: the pipes have been passed down for generations. The furniture, if not made of chicken wing wood, is made of nanmu or purple sandalwood. The calligraphy and paintings on the walls are all genuine masterpieces. The porcelain vases on the long tea table were produced in the imperial kilns of previous dynasties, now it's hard to find such good things on the market..."

  "...it's been several hundred years...I'm afraid that one of these days a mouse will fall down and drop into the collar..."

  She couldn't help but smile.

  Li took her directly to the west wing of the ear house.

  That study room is almost identical in layout to Jiǔ Sī Zhāi.

  Shen Muqing saw Shen Zhen's handwriting on the page of the book.

  "That year when we returned to Kyoto, we lived here." A joyful smile spread across her face. "Every morning he would get up early for court, complaining every day that the place was too far away. He wanted to move back to the Fujii residence but was worried about the expenses being too high, and in the middle of the night, he would pull me up saying 'Let's dig up those two wisteria trees at the Fujii residence and plant some vegetables instead...'". As she spoke, her smile gradually faded. "Later on, as our official positions grew greater, so did our houses, and the expenses also grew greater... but we no longer had to worry about these things..."

  "Madam," Shen Muqing said with a deliberately casual smile, "so it seems that this courtyard is indeed a treasure land of good fortune... Is it because of this that you gave me this courtyard? Let me also benefit from this good fortune!"

  Li was interrupted by Shen Muqing, first stunned, then burst out laughing: "Not bad. As it turns out, this yard is indeed a piece of Feng Shui treasure land. Since we bought this house, not only has our family been safe and sound, but also the properties that Master set up in Sichuan when he was the governor have started to generate income..."

  Back home, both of their faces were somewhat solemn.

  Wang's mother has already called the people from the needlework class to wait.

  Quiet and clear dowry, of course, can't be compared with pearls. Just clothes alone are divided into leather, cotton, interlining, single, and sand. Among them, fur is divided into winter-worn sable, fox, and dark fox; early spring-worn gray mouse skin, pearl wool; single shirts are divided into spun silk, lake silk, cocoon silk, thin gauze, and also summer-used plain gauze, hemp gauze, bright gauze, kudzu gauze... Not to mention those wooden furniture, porcelain jars.

  Li had no time to take care of Bai Mu's wedding and left everything to Wang Mama.

  Fortunately, Shen Muqing was a maiden waiting to be married and should learn etiquette and cultivate her body, so no one disturbed her. The matter on Zhuji's side proceeded in an orderly manner.

  Because of the engagement with the Liang family, Shen Muqing had not prepared for Liang Youhui to arrive as scheduled. However, strangely, on November 22nd, Liang Youhui still came.

  She smiled when she saw Shen Muqing.

  Zi Sha also came forward and congratulated Shen Muqing: "Congratulations, young lady!"

  Shen Muqing was quite embarrassed.

  Liang Youhui, however, genuinely liked Shen Muqing and defended her: "Zi Sha, if you continue to spout nonsense, I'll have someone send you back."

  Zi Sha listened and hastily gave Shen Muqing a salute and apologized.

  Shen Muqing didn't bother with her and pulled Liang Youhui's hand into the house.

  Liáng Yòu Huì last time came as Shen Mù Qīng's maiden friend, but this time, she is the future younger sister-in-law. The people in ān Yuán serve her even more carefully.

  Two people sat down in front of the large kang by the west window, while the maidservants busied themselves serving tea and snacks.

  Liang Youhui sighed and looked at Shen Muqing's house: "Our house is given to the house, but it's not as big as yours."

  "Your family's land is really good!" Shen Muqing saw her start "walling" again.

  They're all delicious," he said with a smile, pushing the fruit platter in front of Liang Youhui.

  Liang Youhui covered her sleeve and smiled: "I'm saying that your new house is bigger than where you live now!"

  Shen Muqing was slightly surprised, she didn't expect Liang Youhui would say this to her.

  Liáng Yòu Huì smiled and said, "Mother had originally planned to renovate the Cong Lü Tang for you all to use, but Third Brother disagreed, saying that he would stay in his original place. In fact, the Die Cui Garden where Third Brother used to live was also quite good, it's just a bit smaller than your current house, and on the east side there is a narrow alleyway between the walls, although usually no one walks through it, but when the Wei Guo Gong family has a banquet, the carriages stop there, which can be very disturbing."

  The Liang family is an old house, and the place where they live is so valuable that even if they had money, they couldn't expand it. Moreover, the Liang family has elderly members and doesn't seem to be very well-off economically, she originally didn't expect to be able to live as freely and comfortably as in the Shen family.

  Ying Fan placed the high-footed plate with pineapple balls in front of Liang Youhui, smiling and asking: "Why doesn't Third Young Master want to move to Cong Lü Tang?"

  Liáng Yòu Huì gazed at the pineapple balls that had burst into color, her face filled with joy: "Apart from the Idle Crane Pavilion where our grandmother lives and the Osmanthus Fragrance Pavilion where my mother lives, our family's Conglüe Pavilion has the best scenery. But Third Brother said that when he got married, they all lived in their own old courtyard, so he also lived in his own old courtyard."

  Shen Mu Qing slightly nodded her head.

  Living in a big family with such low-key and cautiousness.

  "No, my mother has already asked the workers to rush and paint the wall." Liang Youhui said with her mouth full of crispy pineapple balls, "Also, our family has a lot of furniture, let Eldest Sister-in-law come and tell your family not to make any more furniture. You mustn't agree..."

  Liang Youhui lost her smile and asked curiously: "Why?"

  Liang Youhui swallowed the food in her mouth and took a deep breath, saying: "Many of them were used by my great-great-grandmother - would you like to use things that belonged to the dead?"

  Shen Qing couldn't help but burst out laughing loudly.

  Liáng Yòu Huì said somewhat displeased: "I'm doing this for your own good. My mother is the most frugal, if you agree to use old furniture this time, she will control what clothes you wear. In short, don't agree no matter what. Forget it, I won't say anything more, I'll talk to Madame Shen later."

  Is there such a daughter?

  Shen Mu Qing laughed even more fiercely.

  Liáng Yòu Huì saw that Shěn Mù Qīng didn't take her words to heart, and somewhat annoyed, said: "You're still smiling, you're still smiling. I'm doing this for your own good. When it's too late, you'll know the severity of the situation."

  "Alright, alright! Let's not talk about this anymore." Shen Muqing had also seen Liang Feng's motherly ways with her daughter, and she smiled, "We'll talk about it later. You should eat a bit less, as Auntie will be treating us to lunch later, and there's your favorite braised venison tendons... Auntie specifically prepared them because she heard you were coming..."

  Who knows, Liang Youhui saw Mrs. Li and really said those words.

  Li smiled and said: "Our second sister is really good to Mu Qing."

  Liáng Yòu Huì said with a bit of pride: "Of course, my mother said that my third aunt is younger than me, and I should give in to her a bit from now on."

  Li listened, and his eyes suddenly became moist.

  While Liang Youhui was in the toilet, Li Shi said to Shen Muqing: "Madam Feng's eldest daughter-in-law came over today and also told us not to make furniture at home. She also said that your mother-in-law means to let you endure for a few more years, until Ji Min's career has some progress, then let you two live separately on your own, when there are no elders around, you can do whatever you want. Don't waste money on these things."

  Shen Mu Qing was taken aback for a moment.

  I didn't expect Mrs. Liang would say something so considerate.

  "Li also felt emotional: 'Mu Qing, now that you're married, be sure to take good care of your mother-in-law. To be honest, she's been quite good to you.'"

  Anyway, things have been settled, and all we can do is try to make it develop in a good direction.

  A deep-seated confusion that was always like a thorn in Shen Muqing's heart, motionless and unnoticed, but with every movement, it would ache slightly.

  But she nodded repeatedly, comforting Li: "Don't worry, I will definitely be a good daughter-in-law."

  Zhu Qi's wedding was lively, but that was only limited to the Shen family. Compared to the birthday of the Princess of Zhen'an, it was like heaven and earth. It is said that the Prince of Zhen'an spent 50,000 taels of silver on fireworks alone for the princess's birthday.

  Liang Youhui listened and her eyes widened: "Chengxin, you must be lying!"

  After the wedding ceremony, the Liang family surprisingly sent Liang Jiemin to pick up Liang Youhui, and Mrs. Li also did not follow the rules and meet her future son-in-law, instead she pulled him into her own room to talk.

  Liáng Jì Mǐn's twelve-year-old personal attendant, Chéng Xīn, rushed into the inner courtyard to deliver a message to Liáng Yòu Huì.

  He stood upright in front of Liang Youhui, but his round and smooth big eyes kept going towards Shen Muqing: "It was said by the thirteenth young master of the Wei Guo Gong family."

  "Pshaw!" Liang Youhui was even more disbelieving, "That rascal, not a single word he says is true."

  Cheng Xin secretly glanced at Shen Muqing again and smiled: "But Third Young Master also nodded!"

  "Ah!" Liang Youhui was somewhat surprised, "That might be true then!"

  Shen Mu Qing listened quietly, and couldn't help but cover her sleeve with a smile.

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  Chapter 67 Before Marriage