Old Lady Cheng was sleeping inside, and Cheng Min also found a room to rest. Only the younger ones were in good spirits and didn't need to sleep. Since there were no elders watching them, they all gathered together to play.
Xu Zhixian grew up with rouge, so he wasn't embarrassed at all when he was with his younger sisters. He and Cheng Yumo were huddled together to look at picture albums. When Xu Nianchun saw them, she also took off her shoes and squeezed over.
At this time, Cheng Yujin didn't fit in. In fact, Cheng Yujin didn't want to squeeze with them. However, her new target, Xu Zhixian, was here, so she couldn't turn around and leave. She could only sit there and wait patiently.
Cheng Yujin turned around and saw Xu Wanchun sitting alone on a stool drinking tea. Xu Wanchun was a concubine's daughter, so she wasn't as comfortable as the other two legitimate children. Xu Zhixian and his younger sister Mo were leaning against each other to look at pictures. Xu Nianchun was the legitimate daughter, so she could squeeze in easily. Only Xu Wanchun was left standing on the ground. She didn't know what to do and felt very awkward. She also had a timid personality, so she only drank tea silently and looked down at the patterns on her dress.
Cheng Yujin wasn't someone who could make men like her. She realized this very early on. Since she was young, whenever there were guests, the madams would praise her as soon as they saw her. The other party's langjun would also notice her at first glance and be amazed. However, it didn't take long for the madams to like Cheng Yujin more and more, and the young langjuns would find it boring and play with the Second Young Lady, Cheng Yumo. Later, the elders would let the younger generation do whatever they wanted. The young men unconsciously gathered around Cheng Yumo.
They were attracted to the First Young Lady at first sight, but they slowly fell in love with the Second Young Lady. Cheng Yujin was always dignified and beautiful, and the corners of her dress were always neat. However, the Second Young Lady, Cheng Yumo, would run with them and laugh with them.
Cheng Yujin thought that perhaps she was really a very boring person. However, it didn't matter. The one who made the decisions was their mother, not the young men. It was enough that their mother liked her.
For example, right now, Cheng Yumo was reading a book with his cousin from his aunt's house. Cheng Yujin didn't like the way they were reading. Instead, she noticed Xu Wanchun, who was alone. They were the hosts, and the Xu family were the guests. It was a dereliction of duty to make the guests feel awkward.
Cheng Yujin smiled and sat next to Xu Wanchun, asking, "How is Second Older Cousin?"
Xu Wanchun was flattered. She didn't expect that Cheng Yujin, the eldest legitimate daughter and a famous person in the capital, would come to chat with her in person. Xu Wanchun was surprised, but after talking to Cheng Yujin for a while, her clenched fingers slowly loosened.
This famous Miss Cheng didn't seem to be as unapproachable as he had imagined.
Cheng Yujin and Xu Wanchun talked back and forth. Cheng Yujin deliberately led Xu Wanchun to talk, and soon, Xu Wanchun was talking with delight. Cheng Yujin smiled faintly and slowly led Xu Wanchun to talk about Xu Zhixian.
Cheng Yujin listened while glancing thoughtfully at Xu Zhixian. Her gaze seemed to be weighing how much this pig could be sold for. She was calculating in her heart when she suddenly heard movement at the door. She turned around and saw Cheng Yujin enter. He casually glanced at them and followed Cheng Yujin's gaze to see Xu Zhixian. His gaze paused for a moment, and when he looked away, it was full of understanding.
Cheng Yujin was speechless. She was secretly angry. Why was it him again?! Last time, when she had a falling out with Huo Changyuan, he was there. This time, just as she was about to make a move on Xu Zhixian, Cheng Yuanz came again. Every time she had a dispute with a man, she would be coincidentally bumped into by Cheng Yuanz, and he would coincidentally bump into the undignified part.
Cheng Yujin stood up unhappily and bowed to Cheng Yuanz. "Ninth Uncle, please be blessed."
Cheng Yujin's voice reminded the others. The few people squeezed on the kang bed looked up blankly and saw a young man standing at the door. They hurriedly took off their shoes and bowed to Cheng Yujin. "Ninth Uncle."
At this time, Cheng Yujin was very satisfied with her appearance. Her clothes were neat and tidy, and the corners of her skirt were straight. She didn't need to climb up or down, and her appearance was perfect. Cheng Yujin's image was probably more burdensome than her own.
Cheng Yuanz glanced indifferently and asked, "Marchioness is inside?"
The younger generation in the room looked at each other. This man was young and excessively good-looking. They didn't dare to speak for a while. Cheng Yujin naturally became the leader and said, "Replying to Ninth Uncle, Grandmother just took an afternoon nap. She should be awake now."
Cheng Yuanz nodded. He was just casually standing there when a servant girl came out. "Ninth Masters, the Old Madame invites you in."
After Cheng Yuanz entered, the room was silent for a long time. Xu Nianchun whispered, "This is …"
Everyone naturally looked at Cheng Yujin. With Cheng Yujin around, she was always tacitly acknowledged as the invisible leader. There was no time to rehearse due to an unexpected incident. This trend was even more obvious.
Cheng Yujin didn't find it strange at all. She was responsible for introducing everyone. "This is Ninth Uncle. A few years ago, he became a Jinshi. Before that, he was out of town and just returned to the capital at the beginning of this year."
Xu Nianchun understood. The matter between Marquis Cheng and Old Madame Cheng was not a small matter. Cheng Min had also privately told her children about the favored mistress of her maternal grandfather's family. Xu Nianchun's face was flushed red. The illegitimate sons she had seen were all cowering and ugly. The illegitimate sons were not as good as illegitimate sons. She didn't expect them to be so elegant.
Xu Nianchun had never seen such an outstanding man. For a moment, she was so excited that her cheeks flushed red. She didn't make a fuss to compete for her brother's attention. Her movements were much more gentle and quiet. Even Xu Wanchun's face was slightly red. She sat quietly and shyly on the chair.
Shou 'an Hall was Marquis of Yichun's largest courtyard. It wasn't as dignified as Marquis Cheng's, but the decorations were the most exquisite. There were five main rooms in front of the courtyard. On the two sides were east and west wing rooms. Towards the south was a shady back room. Old Madame Cheng lived in the main room. The wing rooms on the two sides were empty. Every day, someone would clean them. Sometimes, Old Madame Cheng would let the younger generation stay and sleep in the wing room. The back room was small and damp. It was where the servants lived.
As the old madame of the Marquis Household, Old Madame Cheng had the best food and clothing. She really spent money like running water. She lived in the five main rooms alone. She also expanded the front and back of the house into three rooms. She installed windows and used them as a hut. The entire house was arranged in a "three, five, three" pattern. The front hut had good sunlight. The servant girls liked to do needlework and gossip. The younger generation also liked to play here. The back hut was dark. One was a Buddhist hall, and the other was a cabinet for storing large items.
Cheng Yujin and the others stayed in the front hut. Outsiders could see them as soon as they entered or exited. Cheng Min was returning to her parents' home today. As her younger brother in name, Cheng Yuanz had to come and see her. While Cheng Yuanz was talking inside, a few young girls were sitting outside. They were excited and restrained as they looked inside.
Cheng Yujin saw the state of Xu Nianchun and Xu Wanchun. She really didn't understand what was so good about Cheng Yuanz. Cheng Yuanz's external conditions were indeed good. He was handsome, tall, and young. He was already a fourth-rank official. No matter how she looked at him, he had a promising future. This was the real child of another family. However, Cheng Yujin had interacted with Cheng Yuanz before. Her intuition from many years in the backyard told her that Cheng Yuanz was not a kind person.
She could only look at him from afar.
Xu Nianchun lowered her voice and asked about Cheng Yuanz. Xu Wanchun also pricked up her ears to listen. Even Xu Zhixian, who had never cared about scholarly honors, was curious about this new Ninth Uncle. Only Cheng Yujin knew a little more. She gave a rough introduction and tried to change the topic several times. These young boys and girls persevered and chased after her.
"He's really amazing. He became a Jinshi at the age of sixteen."
Xu Zhixian was also convinced. "Yes, mother always praised Sister Jin's husband for being young and promising. However, Ninth Uncle is one year younger than Marquis Huo. His official position is higher than Marquis Huo's. It's much harder to be a civil official than a military official. The real power is also greater. "
Although Xu Zhixian was ignorant and incompetent, he was the son of a minister after all. Under the influence of his parents, he had some understanding of the official positions in the imperial court. Xu Zhixian was originally sighing casually. As soon as he finished speaking, the hut was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Xu Zhixian suddenly realized that something was wrong. He hurriedly stood up and apologized to Cheng Yujin. "Sister Jin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you …"
Xu Zhixian repeatedly bowed. As a man, it was very difficult for him to do this. Besides, the annulment of the engagement did exist. Since it was annulled, how could he stop others from talking about it? This was Xu Zhixian. After that, there were many people who said unpleasant things.
Cheng Yujin's expression didn't change. She smiled and said, "It's okay. I forgot about it. Second Cousin, you don't have to take it to heart."
Cheng Yujin was actually younger than Xu Zhixian. However, Xu Zhixian subconsciously called her sister. Cheng Yujin had no intention of correcting him. However, she now had other plans in her heart. Unconsciously, she changed the way she called Xu Zhixian to Second Cousin.
Xu Zhixian had always pulled his face toward his sisters. Cheng Yujin also had a good temper and never threw a tantrum. Thus, this matter was passed politely. When the others saw this, they hurriedly changed the topic. The hut became lively again.
Cheng Yumo sat on the kang. When she heard the name Huo Changyuan, she was slightly lost in thought.
In her previous life, she also knew that the Ninth Uncle of the Cheng Family had been released. However, she was a female and didn't have much contact with the Ninth Uncle. She only knew that the Cheng Family had a young man who had a very high official position. However, not long after, he fell ill and quietly died in his post. The Ninth Masters of the Cheng Family had been a flash in the pan and quickly disappeared from everyone's minds.
On the contrary, for a long time, Huo Changyuan's momentum was extremely good. When the Crown Prince returned to the Imperial Court, he vigorously promoted many people. Huo Changyuan was one of them. Therefore, when Xu Zhixian said that Huo Changyuan wasn't as good as Cheng Yuan Z, Cheng Yumo disagreed.
Cheng Yumo was a bit absent-minded. Her Big Brother Zhang Yuan was really good to her. He was both overbearing and gentle. Unfortunately, they had taken too many detours and wasted too much time. Now that she was lucky enough to be reborn, she wanted to be with her Big Brother Zhang Yuan from the very beginning.
Cheng Yumo glanced at Cheng Yujin vaguely, thinking to herself, [Elder Sister, don't blame me. A marriage that doesn't belong to you is not yours in the end. It's useless to scheme.]
It was always better to break it off early than late. She was also doing this for Cheng Yujin.
"Little Sister Mo?"
Xu Zhixian called out to Cheng Yumo, causing Cheng Yumo to return to her senses and join in the conversation with a smile.
Cheng Yujin was planning to take advantage of this heaven-sent opportunity to control Xu Zhixian, but she hadn't expected that after she said a few words, the sound of footsteps would come from the main room. The maidservant opened the bead curtain and sent Cheng Yuan Z out, "Ninth Masters, take care."
Cheng Yujin and the others could only stand up and say, "Farewell, Ninth Uncle."
Cheng Yujin's face was filled with respect, but in her heart she was already cheering. [Hurry up and leave, don't affect my future.] She heard Cheng Yuan Z's footsteps and was about to smile when she saw the other party suddenly stop at the door, "Cheng Yujin."
Cheng Yujin froze for a moment before quickly saying, "Niece is here. What instructions does Ninth Uncle have for me? "
"Marquis has something he wants to talk to you about."
The volcano in Cheng Yujin's heart exploded. She couldn't help thinking to herself, [Is there no end to this person? Using the same trick twice?]
When Cheng Yuan Z saw Cheng Yujin's suppressed anger, the smile on her face became even more pleasant, "I've already passed on the message, you can do as you see fit."
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