After walking out the door, She muttered quietly, “stiff like a pine .” Next time, if the General comes back, I’ll let Sister Yingtao take care of him. As for small things like running errands in the kitchen, I can just do it!
In the side room, Shang Ji wrestled with himself for a long time. At first, he only planned to wash his hands and change his coat. However, as soon as he took off his outer garment and carelessly tossed it onto the clothes rail, he saw a thin film of dust fall beneath it. It was completely out of place with the pristine cleanliness of the entire side room. So, he had no choice but to take off all his inner clothes and wash himself thoroughly with a handkerchief. Then, he put on clean clothes, shoes, and socks. Perhaps there were fragrant sachets in the cabinet where the clothes were kept, for a faint, pleasing scent now clung to his garments. It was a fragrance Shang Ji could accept; not strong, quite refreshing. He raised his hand and sniffed it carefully. It seemed to be the scent of bamboo after the rain.
When he stepped out and returned to the main room, the food was already laid out on the table. Du Jingyi glanced at her husband, taking in his now much cleaner appearance. She quickly complimented him, “General, you have such a good habit. When you return, you wash up and have a clean meal, which makes you feel so much more comfortable. Next time, I will ask them to prepare more hot water in the side room. If you need to rinse or anything, it will be convenient.”
“Mm,” Shang Ji replied in an uncharacteristic tone. He thought of his past habit of simply falling asleep after returning from the military camp, yet he admitted it now without a blush or hint of panic.
The couple sat before the Eight Immortals Table, looking at the spread of food. They were truly hungry. Du Jingyi was fine, having had breakfast earlier. But Shang Ji’s daily physical exertions naturally required a large amount of food to replenish his energy. So, Du Jingyi ate slowly and leisurely, while Shang Ji, though fast, did not gobble down his food. Overall, their meal was calm and peaceful. The maid Yingtao waited by their side, adding food to the General’s and Young Madam’s plates from time to time. As the couple in Xitang Courtyard ate with gusto.
Meanwhile, there was a small commotion in Baotao Courtyard in Beiyuan. The Third Madam’s grandchildren, Erlang’s wife and Sanlang’s wife, were sitting together, deep in discussion.
“Second Sister-in-law,” Sanlang’s wife began, her voice soft and gentle, but her words held a subtle cunning. “I heard that an eminent monk has come to Pingliang Temple. To welcome him, His Majesty even specially gilded the Buddha statues in the temple. Shouldn’t our Duke’s Mansion also contribute some good things like this? Perhaps money for incense? This way, the Buddha can bless and protect the children of our Third Branch.”
Sanlang’s wife, plump and graceful, spoke, her every word and action hinting at her desire to cling to the Duke’s Mansion’s glory. The news hadn’t been officially announced, but she knew because her father was a minor official in the Ministry of Rites, keeping him somewhat informed. She hadn’t originally intended to reveal it, but the recent unpleasantness in the Third Branch pushed her to propose this idea. After all, the money wouldn’t come from their own pockets. To gain prestige without spending a dime was, of course, the best outcome. But she knew she couldn’t achieve such a good thing alone, so she had to come to her second sister-in-law for discussion. After all, Erlang’s wife was quite favored by her grandmother the third old lady, and it was always better for the third old lady to make such a request to Madam Wei of Yunjin Courtyard than for nieces-in-law like themselves.
It was a pity her planning was met with ridicule from Erlang’s wife, who snorted coldly. “What about our Duke’s Mansion? Look at everyone in this courtyard. Do they treat us in the Third Branch as the masters of the Duke’s Mansion? The ones in Yunjin Courtyard are protected by uncle the ones in Dongyuan are protected by Liu Lang, and the Fifth Branch, without even burning much incense, has been living smoothly these past few days! But in our house, the husband is incompetent, and the sons don’t work hard. We, the wives of the two rooms, are here, struggling to make ends meet. Do you still want to add money for incense? I don’t have such spare money!”
Erlang’s wife spoke with such venom, making her already somewhat sharp face even uglier. After her angry outburst, she picked up her cup of tea and gulped it down. Tea, which meant to be savored, was now merely a tool to quench her inner fire.
Sanlang’s wife watched, unable to say much. With no other choice, she wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, looking a little embarrassed. I was stupid, she thought. How could I forget what had happened? To say this in such a hurry now was just asking to anger my second sister-in-law! So, she quietly drank a small cup of tea and stopped speaking.
After a little while, Erlang’s wife probably realized her outburst was unproductive. Regardless of anything else, She still received some help from this younger sisiter-in-law mother’s family; otherwise, they wouldn’t have secured Sanlang a position in the Ministry of Rites. It wouldn’t be good for her own room if she became annoyed and stopped interacting. So, she softened her tone and said, “The children are incompetent and make the third younger siblings laugh.”
Hearing her speak, Sanlang’s wife quickly offered comfort. “It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. Second Sister-in-law is also angry about the children, but even when she’s angry, she still has to take care of her own health. Otherwise, won’t it upset her even more?”
Erlang’s wife sighed dramatically after hearing this, pretending to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Then she began to lament, “Your second brother isn’t a talented person to begin with, but now his two children are imitating his father! You don’t know how much effort we put into sending these children to the Zhen family’s private school to learn their skills.”
“Unexpectedly, the two of them don’t study hard, but they still cause trouble all day long. Now the master is so angry that he returned the tuition fees I just handed in the day before yesterday. And he threatened not to accept them again. If the two of them have entered the hall!”
“Tell me, if you are not good at literature or martial arts, is it possible that you will continue to follow the old path of business in the future? Isn’t this just trying to make people laugh?” After all, they were still children from the Duke’s Mansion. Even if they had no status, they always had relatives of powerful people. To let them go into business—wasn’t that a direct slap to the face? Besides, even literacy was difficult nowadays, and those who only knew how to wander about with no real skills might not even succeed in business. Thinking of this, Erlang’s wife looked even more melancholy and heartbroken. She didn’t know what to do with her two sons.
After hearing these words, Sanlang’s wife also sighed. How could she not understand Second Sister-in-law’s difficulties? She herself had children, so of course she understood the pros and cons. Families like theirs, who lived in the Duke’s Mansion now, seemed to have some advantages. But if the Third Old Master, their grandfather, were to pass away, then the people from their branch would also be “Sent ” out.