The next day, Cheng Yujin went to pay her respects to Old Lady Cheng early in the morning.
The maidservant welcomed her in, and she could feel the heat from the floor heating. The maidservant helped Cheng Yujin remove her cloak and said, "Last night, Old Lady Cheng Yujin asked Second Master Xu and the other girls to stay in the main room. They are still sleeping in the cupboard. Old Lady Cheng Yujin was afraid that Second Master Xu would catch a cold, so she asked people to heat up the floor heating. Eldest Miss, you might not be used to the heat since you just came in. You will be fine after a while. "
Cheng Yujin nodded, "I understand. Who else is there besides Second Cousin? There is only one bed in the cupboard. Can he sleep there? "
"Yes, Second Miss and Fourth Miss can sleep on the same bed. There is still room for one more person on the kang bed in the warm room. Second Master Xu made a fuss about going to the cupboard yesterday, and we laughed at him. He is in the warm room. "
Cheng Yujin understood. Although Old Lady Cheng was watching over them, it was still too intimate for the two cousins to sleep in the same room. She rolled her eyes and withdrew her gaze. She nodded and smiled at the maidservant, "Thank you, Older Sister. Has Grandmother woken up? "
"Old Lady has woken up. However, Second Master Xu slept late last night and has not woken up yet. "
Cheng Yujin's footsteps suddenly stopped, "Second Cousin is still asleep?"
The warm room was a small room separated from Old Lady Cheng's bedroom. The walls were hollowed out, and during the winter, the room was as warm as spring, so it was called the warm room. In other words, if Cheng Yujin wanted to enter the inner room to pay her respects to Old Lady Cheng, she would inevitably pass by Xu Zhixian's warm room.
If it was Cheng Yumo, she would definitely run in and even use her cold hands to tease Xu Zhixian to get up. However, Cheng Yujin did not do that. She stopped outside the door and said, "Since Second Cousin is not convenient, then I will wait."
When the maidservant inside saw that the First Miss had arrived, she hurriedly woke Xu Zhixian up. Xu Zhixian originally didn't want to wake up, but in a daze, he heard the maidservant say, "Eldest Miss is outside." Xu Zhixian was so scared that he jumped out of bed, grabbed a robe from the side of the bed, and put it on.
Xu Zhixian had always been carefree and didn't care about trifles. But for some reason, in front of Cheng Yujin, he was always very well-behaved and dressed decently. If Cheng Yujin saw her unkempt clothes, how would she look?
After Xu Zhixian had settled everything, he finally came out to greet Cheng Yujin, "Sister Jin … Uh, hello, Cousin."
When the maidservants saw this scene, they all laughed and joked, "Second Master, the First Miss is clearly the young lady. Why are you blushing like a young lady who is sitting on a bridal sedan chair for the first time?"
Xu Zhixian's face turned red. When he saw that Cheng Yujin was also smiling, he didn't know why he was so embarrassed. He rushed out, "I will go outside to cool my face. You all go in and greet the Old Ancestor first."
The commotion outside had already reached Old Lady Cheng. She came out of the bed that was like a small house. When Cheng Yujin saw her, she hurriedly went to help Old Lady Cheng.
The maidservants had already prepared water. Cheng Yujin reached out to touch the water. The temperature of the water was just right. It could be seen that it had been kept warm on the stove. Cheng Yujin handed Old Lady Cheng a handkerchief. From time to time, she would do some light and conspicuous chores and help Old Lady Cheng wash up.
Mammy Chang, who was part of Old Lady Cheng's dowry, praised, "The First Miss is really filial. Other daughters-in-law who have been married for more than ten years can't be as meticulous and considerate as the First Miss."
Cheng Yujin smiled, "It is my blessing to serve the elders."
When Mammy Chang heard Cheng Yujin's words, her smile became more brilliant. She thought that there were still two young ladies sleeping in the cupboard. They were in the same main room and were only three or four rooms away. They didn't even come to serve the Old Lady. It could be seen that they didn't realize it at all. Not to mention the young ladies, even Old Lady Cheng's two daughters-in-law hadn't arrived yet.
It was really easy to distinguish between people.
Last night, Cheng Yumo slept in the Old Lady's room. Early in the morning, the Nguyễn Clan hurried over, wanting to see how her daughter was doing. She didn't expect to see Cheng Yujin already there as soon as she entered the door. Looking at her posture, it seemed that she had been waiting for a long time.
The Nguyễn Clan's expression suddenly became a bit strange.
Old Lady Cheng glanced at the Nguyễn Clan and said coldly, "You're here."
The Nguyễn Clan felt very embarrassed. The most terrible thing was to compare people. As a daughter-in-law, she couldn't compare to her granddaughter? The Nguyễn Clan didn't have time to go to the cupboard on the west side to see her daughter. She hurriedly rolled up her sleeves and squeezed over to help Old Lady Cheng wash up.
The place was only so big. When the Nguyễn Clan squeezed over, many people were blocked. Cheng Yujin timely took a step back, giving space to the Nguyễn Clan.
In the eyes of outsiders, Mammy Chang secretly praised her for her magnanimity.
Cheng Yujin watched as the Nguyễn Clan hurriedly wrung the handkerchief for the Old Lady Cheng and brought her mouthwash. After all, she wasn't as good as a maidservant. The water was sometimes cold and sometimes hot. She was scolded by the Old Lady Cheng several times. There were also so many maidservants surrounding them. Old Lady Cheng wasn't happy, and the Nguyễn Clan's expression didn't look good either.
Cheng Yujin secretly shook her head. She was really muddle-headed. Serving the elders was for the sake of "filial piety". Did she really have to do the work of serving tea and water? To put it bluntly, it was just a show. The performance component was far more important than the practical component.
Therefore, Cheng Yujin never did things like wringing a handkerchief or holding a spittoon. It was dirty and tiring. Whoever wanted to do it could do it. Cheng Yujin would only wait for the maidservant to wring the handkerchief. Then, she would naturally reach out to take it and hand it to the Old Lady Cheng. After that, the maidservant would do the work for her. In this way, Cheng Yujin didn't do anything. However, she looked very important and indispensable.
For someone like the Nguyễn Clan who personally rolled up their sleeves and went to work, it was too honest.
Cheng Yujin's complicated family environment taught her how to be clever at a very young age. She understood the things that other girls learned after three or four years of marriage when she was ten years old. Not only that, she also became smooth and slick in dealing with people. She was extremely self-centered. She didn't care about her face, didn't desire her parents' love, and didn't care about love.
She only loved herself.
It wasn't easy for Old Lady Cheng to finish tidying up. At this time, the Nguyễn Clan was tormented until they were both physically and mentally exhausted. She looked at Cheng Yujin, who was standing to the side and watching with folded arms. She didn't know why, but a nefarious fire ignited in her. The Nguyễn Clan smiled and asked, "Eldest Miss, why didn't Eldest Sister-in-law come?"
The Nguyễn Clan also didn't know why she asked such a question. When Cheng Yujin was very young, the Nguyễn Clan clearly knew that Cheng Yujin didn't know who her biological mother was. However, the inexplicable malice in her heart made the Nguyễn Clan open her mouth again and again. She quietly instigated the relationship between Cheng Yujin and Princess Qingfu. If Cheng Yujin didn't live a good life, the Nguyễn Clan would feel distressed. However, if Cheng Yujin lived a good life and was close to Qingfu like a mother and daughter, it would make the Nguyễn Clan's heart burn with jealousy and unbearable hatred.
Lian Qiao's expression wasn't very good. In her opinion, Second Madam's attitude was simply too bad. She just couldn't bear to see Eldest Miss live a good life! The head maidservant was filled with righteous indignation, but Cheng Yujin herself was very calm. Her heart had long become impervious to fire and water. Instead, she could still smile at the Nguyễn Clan, "Mother has to take care of Father and Third Brother, so she can't leave for a while. Therefore, Mother asked me to be filial and serve Grandmother on her behalf. "
Look at these words, it was a small matter. Cheng Yujin didn't answer why Princess Qingfu didn't come. She only said that Qingfu had to take care of Cheng Yuan-hsien and Cheng Enbao. In one sentence, she helped Qingfu out of trouble and coaxed Old Lady Cheng to be happy. In Old Lady Cheng's eyes, of course, her son and grandson were the most important. When the Old Lady Cheng heard that her daughter-in-law was taking care of her son, she felt comfortable.
Old Lady Cheng smiled with satisfaction. When she got up, she glanced at the Nguyễn Clan. The Nguyễn Clan immediately bowed their heads in fear and didn't dare to breathe.
Old Lady Cheng walked to the east room and asked, "Where are the other children?"
"In reply to Old Lady, Second Young Lady and Second Master Xu are washing their faces in the jade screen cabinet. Miss Nian said that there isn't the makeup she likes to use here, so she went back to Great Aunt's courtyard to comb her hair again. "
Not to mention outsiders, even the Nguyễn Clan's mother wanted to shake her head. They were the same age, but Cheng Yumo and Xu Nianchun were so childish. Their elders had been awake for so long, but they didn't come to greet them. Instead, they went out to dress themselves. In contrast, Cheng Yujin was so sensible that she didn't seem like a little girl.
The Nguyễn Clan couldn't stand by and watch. She secretly had a maidservant go to the jade screen cabinet to call Cheng Yumo over. Cheng Yumo and Xu Zhixian walked over with their hair in loose buns. They greeted her in unison, "Old Ancestor, greetings."
Old Madame Cheng nodded and said, "The three of you grew up together. You are closer than brothers. You don't have to wait here. Go and play by yourself."
Xu Zhixian cheerfully said, "Yes." Cheng Yujin sensed that Old Lady Cheng was deliberately creating opportunities for them. As for who she was creating opportunities for, it was hard to say. It was reasonable to say that this kind of opportunity was exactly what they were looking for. However, Cheng Yujin paused and reluctantly said, "Grandmother, I'm afraid I can't."
Old Lady Cheng was puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Cheng Yujin said, "Grandfather told me yesterday to learn how to write from Ninth Uncle."
Old Lady Cheng was even more puzzled. "What do you want to learn this for?"
"The Emperor's Thousand Autumns Festival is coming soon. Grandfather wants to send a screen to celebrate the Emperor's birthday and let granddaughter embroider it. Therefore, I'm afraid I won't be free these few days. After greeting Grandmother, I have to go learn how to write from Ninth Uncle. "
The silence in the main room was heavier than usual. The gift to celebrate the Emperor's birthday was so honorable, but it was actually handed over to Cheng Yujin to handle the needles. This was something that Qingfu, Nguyễn Clan's daughters-in-law, and even Old Lady Cheng, the legal wife, did not have. The Nguyễn Clan's and Old Lady Cheng's feelings were complicated. Xu Zhixian and Cheng Yumo looked at each other, not daring to speak.
Even if they were not sensible, they knew that Cheng Yujin's treatment was not a small matter. It was even better than their mother's.
In the end, Old Lady Cheng said, "Since Marquis has spoken, then you just have to go. If you don't have enough time, you don't have to come to me for roll call in the future. "
"How can I do that?" Cheng Yujin declined with a righteous expression, then saluted and left. "Grandmother, Second Aunt, I'll go first."
After she left, Lian Qiao was extremely excited and whispered, "Miss, you didn't see Second Madam and Old Madam's expressions just now. How can they compare to our Miss's dignity? Don't talk about comparing, I'm afraid Second Madam doesn't even dare to think about it. "
"Enough." Cheng Yujin faintly shouted at Lian Qiao. "Don't talk so much. It's getting late. If you don't go now, it'll be too late."
Lian Qiao bluntly agreed, but the corners of her mouth still curled up. This was only the beginning. When the embroidery was finished, their eyes would be red with envy!
Cheng Yujin woke up early today. Although she was delayed by Old Lady Cheng's place, she felt that it was still early. She didn't expect that when she arrived at Chenming Courtyard, Cheng Yuanz had already packed everything. It seemed that he had already done a lot of things.
Cheng Yujin was very surprised. "Ninth Uncle woke up so early?"
Cheng Yuanz faintly glanced at her, too lazy to answer this kind of meaningless question. He pointed at the ink beside him and asked, "Do you know how to write?"
Cheng Yujin's smile was very bright. If one listened carefully, they could hear the sound of teeth gritting. "Ninth Uncle, what do you think?"
Cheng Yuanz wasn't deliberately criticizing Cheng Yujin, but in his eyes, being able to write was equal to being able to write well. After all, to become an official, writing essays was the most basic thing. Whether it was the Grand Secretary, the Grand Tutor, the Imperial Eunuch, or the teacher of Cheng Yuanz, everyone had good handwriting.
Cheng Yuanz didn't mind Cheng Yujin's offense. Instead, he used his eyes to point at the brush and said, "Write a piece of calligraphy first."
Cheng Yujin thought that he was underestimating her. She, Miss Cheng, was famous outside. She was proficient in chess, zither, calligraphy, needlework, needlework, and needlework. However, she was best at calligraphy.
Cheng Yujin walked to the table and picked up the brush. After thinking for a short while, she started to write.
Cheng Yuanz's gaze couldn't help but fall on Cheng Yujin's injured left hand.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
