El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 8

An old woman, unable to bear it any longer, drawled out, "Oh well, you're just trying to pick a fight with the new third daughter-in-law and win over your daughter."

The relatives all came to comfort Madam Jiang: "It is an honor for your branch of the family for the clan chief's wife to have her come of age. You should be happy."

"Glory what?" Madam Jiang slammed her hand on the table. "You all say I'm unkind for bullying my illegitimate daughter. But look at what I said, did she listen to a single word? I asked her to buy an official position for her elder brother, and she only offered five hundred coins; I even tried to find a good marriage for her aunt, but she ruined it. She's very cunning. She's just pretending to be pitiful."

The old woman sneered, "Fourth Sister gave you all the Chen family's shops. What more do you want?"

It would have been better if the shop hadn't been mentioned. Madam Jiang felt a lump in her throat, unable to defend herself. She then rolled her eyes and fainted.

Xiao Yuan had just finished tying up her hair when she heard that Madam Jiang had fainted. Not wanting to give her family anything to gossip about, she hurriedly got into her sedan chair and headed straight for the mansion.

As she arrived at the door, she happened to see Li Wuniang alighting from her sedan chair. It turned out that Li Wuniang had missed the last time Madam Jiang fell ill. This time, upon hearing that Madam Jiang was ill again, she immediately rushed back from her parents' home to take charge.

Xiao Yuan stepped forward, bowed, and said nothing more. She went in to check on Madam Jiang and found her still unconscious. She was about to go and talk to He Yaohong when the servants told her that the Third Young Master had gone out to make way for the servants.

After Xiaoyuan returned home, she told Aunt Chen about the situation in the mansion. Aunt Chen smiled and said, "Li Wuniang has nothing to say about your third brother. She even sold a piece of land that came with her dowry so that he could do her bidding."

Xiao Yuan looked down at her fingernails. "If we don't find a job for Third Brother, won't she have wasted her time? Just wait and see, the days are numbered. Madam and Li Wu Niang are not to be trifled with. Let's see how they fight."

Thinking that their infighting would allow her and Xiaoyuan to live a peaceful life, Aunt Chen unconsciously smiled and said, "There's a cook who moved from the capital (Kaifeng). She steamed a lot of cured meat yesterday. I'll have someone bring it over for you to try."

After saying that, Huanhuanxi pulled Xiaoyuan to the table and ordered the maids to serve dishes: fish and goose meat, steamed glutinous rice, frozen ginger beans, duck eggs, jianbing (a type of flatbread), and rongmu cake, filling the table to the brim.

After the Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival, Cheng Yaohong's assignment was finalized, and he immediately set off for his post. Seeing that Li Wuniang no longer had her husband by her side, Madam Jiang was determined to establish her authority as a mother-in-law. However, Li Wuniang had finally gained control of the household and had her husband, who had passed the imperial examination and become an official, supporting her. She was not willing to give it up easily. The two of them were constantly causing trouble at home.

Xiao Yuan listened to Liu Ma recount the stories of the mansion once again and laughed, "Liu Mama, you never used to speak ill of Madam."

Aunt Liu, holding the money in her sleeve, looked around and said, "Nothing's wrong with it. I'm just telling the truth."

Xiao Yuan and Aunt Chen both laughed and offered her a drink from the kitchen.

After laughing, Aunt Chen advised Xiao Yuan, "Fourth Sister, since you will be leaving the mansion when you get married, you should visit her from time to time."

Xiao Yuan was very confident and said, "Don't worry, Auntie. Madam will definitely come looking for me in less than three days." But then she sighed, "The mansion is in a mess right now. I really don't want to get involved, but I'm afraid of upsetting Madam. She might not come to make room for me then."

Sure enough, only two days later, Madam Jiang came to visit. First, she praised Xiao Yuan for receiving a hairpin personally inserted by the clan leader's wife, which brought honor to her family. Then she praised her for sending the empty shop, which had dampened Li Wu Niang's arrogance. She talked a lot, whether she had something to say or not.

Xiao Yuan just smiled and remained silent. Aunt Chen couldn't hold back and asked, "Will Madam have to go and prepare the room when Fourth Sister gets married?"

Madam Jiang was waiting for someone to speak, so she hurriedly said, "It is my duty, so of course I will go. However, the third son's wife is now in charge of the household, so I am afraid that she will not handle it properly."

Aunt Chen opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say to her, so she could only look at Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan smiled gently and said, "It's quite rare in our family that the third brother married his sister-in-law first."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and exclaimed, "That's right, that's right! Now that she's all in charge, I naturally can't suppress her. We should really hurry up and find Yaoqi a wife."

Having received such a great idea, she became very affectionate towards Xiaoyuan, took her hand, and solemnly promised that she would definitely run her shop perfectly.

Xiao Yuan had won over Madam Jiang, and her wedding day was drawing near. That day, Aunt Chen brought a bright red wedding dress for her to try on, praising, "My fourth aunt looks beautiful."

Xiao Yuan touched the dense stitches on the clothes and asked, "Did Auntie embroider one for herself too?"

Aunt Chen blushed and refused to answer, taking out the land deed box to explain the dowry to her. Xiao Yuan saw Asu behind her quietly nod at her, and immediately understood. She secretly smiled and sat down to listen to her count the land deeds and house deeds.

Chapter Eighteen: Getting Married

Aunt Chen took out the deeds one by one and showed them to Xiao Yuan, saying, "There are three small estates in total, with two hectares of paddy fields, one hectare of dry land, and five hectares of mountain forest. None of these estates are near Lin'an, so you can't stay there idly. You can keep them to collect rent. I also bought you a small house outside Lin'an, with a large garden, so you can go there to relax in your spare time. You took the deeds to the original house and the shop with you. I don't know how to manage those."

Xiao Yuan thought about it carefully and replied, "Auntie, you still need to find a husband. How can you manage without some property to rely on? Let's put it in your name, and I'll take care of it for you."

Aunt Chen smiled and said, "When you go to the Cheng family, you should have some of your own assets so that you won't be looked down upon. Besides, there is a law in the Song Dynasty that the property you bring with you as part of your dowry belongs to you alone, and no one can take advantage of you."

Xiao Yuan was genuinely unaware that this rule was based on explicit law; no wonder Li Wu Niang dared to publicly declare she would take the case to the yamen for her dowry. Thinking about how she could make a fortune without any worries in the future, Xiao Yuan was overjoyed and said, "In that case, I'll take the shop with me, but sixty percent of the profits will go to you, Aunt; as for the old house buildings, you can keep them to collect rent and for your own pocket money."

When Aunt Chen heard that most of the profits would be given to her, she hurriedly declined repeatedly, but Xiao Yuan insisted. She could only thank Xiao Yuan with tears in her eyes, and hugged her tightly, saying, "You paid for your own dowry, and now you have to pay for my support. What a blessing I have accumulated in my past life."

Xiao Yuan wiped away her tears and teased her, "It's because you don't have a son, so I'll have to raise him."

Aunt Chen laughed: "How is my daughter any less capable than my son?"

After chatting and laughing for a while, Aunt Chen took out a list from her sleeve and said, "I almost forgot, I also need you to bring a few family members over."

Xiao Yuan nodded to herself. Although Cheng Mutian was an honest man, it would be more convenient for her to have a few trusted confidants on her side.

Aunt Chen handed the list to her and said, "Your two senior maids, Cailian and Caimei, will definitely be going with you. As for whether they will become concubines, that's up to you. You can also take the two junior maids, Ayun and Acai, with you. As for the family members who will accompany you, I think our steward is quite good. Why don't we go with his family?"

Xiao Yuan was very grateful and said with a smile, "Auntie, how can you marry off your daughter and take her steward with you? The stewards of our shop are all family members who have signed a life-long contract. I think the head steward, Ren Wu, is very good. Let him manage the business in the city. As for the person in charge of the land—Auntie, when you were choosing a steward before, didn't one of your families fail? I think Tian Er comes from a farming background, and his wife is an honest person. Please give him to me to take with me."

Aunt Chen nodded in agreement: "You're so thoughtful. Let's do it that way. I'll have them pack right away. We'll go together on your wedding day."

Three days before the official wedding, the Cheng family began urging people to prepare the dowry. Xiao Yuan also moved back to the mansion with her dowry. Madam Jiang was busy choosing a wife for He Yaoqi and couldn't spare the time to deal with Xiao Yuan's wedding. So she agreed to let Aunt Chen, as a relative of the He family, also temporarily move into the mansion and agreed to take her to the bridal chamber on the day before the wedding.

Aunt Chen never imagined she would personally escort her daughter to her wedding. She was overjoyed. She personally collected the dowry, ceremonial robes, and cosmetics. She also gave the Cheng family gifts such as gold and silver ornaments, a silk turban, a green robe, boots, and a ceremonial tablet. She was busy and happy.

On the day the dowry was prepared, a sister-in-law from the He family, along with Aunt Chen and others, carried part of the dowry to hang the curtains and lay out the bedding. Afterwards, they ordered A-Yun and A-Cai to guard the room and not allow anyone to enter.

The next day at an auspicious time, Cheng Mutian personally led the wedding procession to the front of the He family's gate. The procession included grooms carrying vases and candles, and specially hired musicians. The grand procession attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

Upon hearing the announcement, "The bridal sedan chair has arrived," Aunt Chen hurriedly rose and ordered someone to urge Madam Jiang to prepare food and wine. She distributed red envelopes and lucky money, and personally helped Xiao Yuan out. She then escorted her to the entrance of the family temple.

Xiao Yuan kowtowed to her ancestors at the ancestral temple, and the musicians at the gate were already playing music to urge her to get ready. She looked at Aunt Chen and tears streamed down her face. "Aunt Chen, I will not be able to stay by your side as often as I do in the future."

Ignoring the fear of being scolded by Madam Jiang, Aunt Chen held Xiao Yuan's hand tightly and saw her to the door, saying, "It's not far away, so it's easy to see her."

As the Cheng family saw the newlyweds emerge, the marriage official announced the auspicious time again, and auspicious poems filled the air. Once Xiao Yuan was in the sedan chair, the sedan bearers and musicians, as usual, refused to immediately raise the eaves, clamoring for money for a lucky drink. Aunt Chen, overjoyed at her daughter's marriage, was more reluctant to part with the money and quickly ordered people to bring it out to distribute.

After the eaves had been raised three or four times, the sedan chair bearers finally agreed to set off. The crowd escorted the bridal sedan chair back to the Cheng family's gate, where musicians and entertainers came to stop them: "A fairy maiden descends to earth, returning to her celestial abode in glory. Today, the gate is filled with joy, so there's no need to be stingy with the bridal gift box."

"The cave dwelling is just a stone's throw away, yet there's nothing blocking the way at the gate. I'm ashamed to have no profit to throw away, and I want to retreat but have no way to advance but find it difficult." The latter part of the poem, a reply to the poem blocking the gate, was actually Cheng Mutian's voice. Xiao Yuan heard it from inside the sedan chair, and was both surprised and delighted—when she got into the sedan chair earlier, she hadn't seen where he was standing because of the red veil covering his face. Now, he had bypassed the master of ceremonies and answered the poem on his own. Could it be that he did it on purpose?

After the Yin-Yang Selection Officer finished scattering grains and beans with a flower basket, he invited the newlyweds to get out of the sedan chair. As Xiao Yuan stepped out of the sedan chair, a musician held a mirror and walked backwards in front of the sedan chair. Several female entertainers held lotus torches and candles to welcome her. Cai Lian and Cai Mei supported Xiao Yuan on the left and right, stepping on the green brocade quilt, and straddled the saddle to enter the central gate.

Upon entering the central gate, people were already waiting to greet her and led Xiaoyuan to sit on the bed in the bridal chamber. Cailian whispered a reminder: "Fourth Sister, this is the 'sitting on the bed for wealth and honor' ceremony." When Xiaoyuan heard her speak, she knew that Cheng Mutian was about to come in and invite her to perform the rites of worship, and her heart skipped a beat.

After the onlookers pulled the colorful ribbons off the lintel, Cheng Mutian entered the bridal chamber and invited Xiaoyuan to the main hall. He led her to a place in the hall with a love knot tied with colorful satin. His mother, who had two children, came forward and used a loom to lift the veil, revealing Xiaoyuan's blushing face.

The Cheng family members all lived in Quanzhou, while only Master Cheng and his brother's branch of the family remained in Lin'an. Therefore, the ceremony of paying respects to their relatives was not very complicated. After recognizing their relatives, the couple exchanged vows in their bridal chamber. After the vows, the two sat facing each other on the bed, watching the master of ceremonies scatter money and colorful fruits on the bed curtains.

After the tent was set up, relatives from both sides of Cheng and He came forward and cut a lock of hair from Xiao Yuan and Cheng Mutian respectively, then combed them together with a wooden comb.

This was the "married couple," Xiao Yuan glanced at Cheng Mutian, and a tender feeling welled up in her heart.

After the hair was tied up, the maid brought out the nuptial wine. Xiao Yuan took a sip and handed the remaining half cup to Cheng Mutian. Cheng Mutian noticed the rouge on the rim of the cup and his face turned bright red. He hesitated and dared not take a sip, which made the maids giggle.

After the wedding ceremony, Cheng Mutian went out to greet the guests. In the bridal chamber, apart from Xiaoyuan and the maids she brought, only Cheng Sanniang remained. When Xiaoyuan looked at her, she smiled shyly and said, "Sister-in-law, all our relatives are in Quanzhou, and my uncle's cousins here are not married yet. My aunt is out entertaining the female guests, so I am the only one here to keep you company."

Xiao Yuan blushed upon hearing "Sister-in-law," and responded softly. She knew that this Third Sister was gentle and honest, but because Cheng Mutian disliked her, even the maids in the house didn't give her a second glance. What did the mistakes of the older generation have to do with the younger generation? Xiao Yuan sighed inwardly and asked Cai Mei to bring some peanut cakes for Third Sister Cheng to try. "Third Sister, try the cakes my aunt made."

Cheng San Niang hesitated and refused to reach out, but Cai Mei insisted on giving her a piece, and Xiao Yuan couldn't help but sigh again.

"Sister-in-law, this cake smells so good. It's always good to have a mother." Cheng San Niang took a small bite of the cake, her eyes reddening.

Xiao Yuan pulled her to sit down beside her and sighed, "You used to play at my house when you were little. You know how I got through it. For children born to concubines like us, it's a miracle we even survive."

These words made Cheng San Niang burst into tears in her arms. Cai Lian saw this and quickly came over to comfort her, saying, "San Niangzi, today is your sister-in-law's big day."

Cheng San Niang suddenly realized what was happening and quickly wiped away her tears, saying, "My elder sister is still in my room. I'll go see her."

Xiao Yuan watched her walk out the door and said to Cai Lian, "I remember that Third Sister is only three years younger than me. Look how thin she is."

Cailian nodded and replied, "I've got it."

Cai Mei asked curiously, "Sister Cai Lian, Fourth Sister is asking you about Third Sister Cheng. What did you remember?"

Xiao Yuan laughed and said, "Your sister Cai Lian has memorized a lot; you still need to learn more from her."

Cailian glanced at Caimei and said, "You should start addressing her as 'Madam' now."

Cai Mei hurriedly called out "Madam," then bowed her head and retreated to a corner, which made Xiao Yuan laugh.

Cheng Mutian returned home in the evening, reeking of alcohol. He stood at the door, glanced at her twice, and asked, "Why isn't Shuhui with her sister-in-law?"

Cailian and Caimei chuckled to themselves, "Young Master Cheng is already showing concern for his wife."

Xiaoyuan didn't want to ruin their wedding night, so she lied and said, "I was tired and wanted to rest by myself, so I told her to go home first."

Cheng Mutian blushed again for no apparent reason, stammered a few words, and went into the house to wash his face.

Seeing Cheng Mutian go in, Cailian quickly nudged Xiaoyuan and pulled Caimei and the two maids out with her. Caimei covered her mouth and laughed to herself, while Cailian tugged at her sleeve and said seriously, "From now on, in this mansion, every word and action we take represents the Madam. Don't give anyone cause for gossip."

Cai Mei wasn't one to be ignorant, so she quickly nodded in agreement: "Sister Cai Lian, although I have some cleverness, I'm far inferior to you in dealing with people and situations. I hope you can teach me."

Cailian looked at Ayun and Acai and said, "I picked all three of you and have taught you with all my might. This place is not like Aunt Chen's place, so you need to be more careful. Ayun and Acai, you two remember to check what Third Mistress's room is missing and tell me so I can send it to her."

Ayun and Acai responded in unison, and the three of them exchanged glances. It turned out that this was what Cailian had remembered. From then on, the three of them were even more convinced of Cailian's abilities.

Chapter Nineteen: A Girl as Delicate as Spring Onions (Part 1)

Aunt Chen is right. Without a mother-in-law, there would indeed be fewer problems. Master Cheng has his rented concubine to serve him. Xiao Yuan followed Cheng Mutian to him, made a brief appearance, and that was it.

After exchanging greetings, Cheng Mutian solemnly said he was going to check on the shop and left. Before Xiaoyuan could react, Cheng Fu secretly returned and said, "Madam, the young master said he'll be back for lunch and told me not to tell anyone." Xiaoyuan couldn't help but laugh and, disregarding all decorum, returned to her courtyard with a smile.

Ah Xiu was already waiting for her in the room. As soon as they met, she asked, "Fourth Sister... Madam, have you seen that water onion?"

Xiao Yuan was taken aback: "Where did these water onions come from?"

Ah Xiu blinked, and Xiao Yuan, remembering the letter Ah Xiu had written to her, couldn't help but chuckle. "You mean the girl that eldest sister sent? I saw her this morning when Erlang was scolding her; she really is as tender as a scallion."

Ah Xiu cleared her throat, stood up with her hand on her waist, and said, "I'm in charge of the maids in this courtyard. I'll call them over for Madam to see now."

Xiao Yuan had just stopped laughing, but after hearing her words, she couldn't hold back anymore. "I thought you had changed your ways, but it turns out you're still the same. Hurry up and sit down, and ask Cai Lian to go and call her."

Ah Xiu refused to listen and stopped Cai Lian, insisting on going herself.

Seeing Ah Xiu leave, Ah Yun said to Xiao Yuan, "It's not that I want to criticize Sister Xiu, but what kind of servant has to be invited to greet a new master?"

Cailian quickly replied, "Sister Xiu is quite ill, so it's understandable that she might have been careless."

Xiao Yuan nodded and said, "Cai Lian is right. In the end, it's the housekeeper's fault. How can we let A Xiu work so hard while she's heavily pregnant? Tell her to go home and rest later. You take over the task of disciplining the maids."

As they were talking, Ah Xiu led in a group of maids. The room was filled with brightly colored flowers and willow branches. Xiao Yuan was speechless with astonishment. Cai Lian leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Madam, there are nine of them."

Xiao Yuan laughed: "It's an auspicious number."

Ah Xiu looked ashamed. She couldn't very well say that these girls all had powerful backers. She couldn't control them. She could only look at Xiao Yuan with pitiful eyes.

Xiao Yuan gestured for A Xiu to sit down. With a smile, she asked, "What are they called? Won't you let them tell us?"

Before Axiu could even speak, the maids started chattering and announcing their names. Even Cailian frowned at this.

Ah Xiu's face was flushed red. She shouted, "What a mess! Can you hear me, Madam?"

Xiao Yuan was afraid that she would have a miscarriage, so she persuaded her to go back home after much persuasion. The maids, seeing that the new lady was good-natured, showed disdain on their faces. Xiao Yuan was relieved to see this. No wonder none of them had managed to get close to her; they were all people who showed their true intentions and were not worth worrying about.

Seeing that Xiaoyuan remained silent, Caimei hurriedly asked them to repeat their names, but Xiaoyuan said, "No need, just tell us who brought you here."

The girls' expressions froze for a moment. They looked at each other and started pushing and shoving each other. After a while, the group split into three groups. Three of them claimed that they were sent by the eldest sister of the Cheng family, two claimed that they were sent by the second aunt of the Cheng family, and only the girl with the green onion stood alone.