El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 26

Chapter 74 Becoming Parents for the First Time (Part 1)

Xiao Yuan knew that Cheng Mutian had already mustered the courage to finish the cotton bale task, and would definitely not come out to see anyone involved. So she ordered someone to throw away the stick and, after much persuasion, managed to convince Ren Qingsong, who was determined to be beaten, to go back. After Ren Qingsong left the courtyard, she went to the door of the inner room, lifted the bamboo curtain a crack, leaned gently against the door frame, and smiled at Cheng Mutian, who was eavesdropping: "Second Brother, if you hadn't succeeded in this matter, what would you have given Qingsong? Why doesn't he dare to say?"

Cheng Mutian listened to Qingsong use cotton bales as the theme for his speech for half a day. He was so embarrassed that he dared not move. Suddenly, he saw Xiaoyuan blocking the door. He thought that she was going to bring this up as well, so he involuntarily hid behind the bed. Only when he heard that she asked about the bet did he breathe a sigh of relief and come out from behind the bed and say, "He wants us to give Cailian to him."

Xiao Yuan glanced outside, walked in, and lowered the curtain again. She said, "Just now, Cai Lian was standing right behind me. I suppose Qing Song was afraid she would be embarrassed and didn't dare to mention it. But I don't think that girl Cai Lian was interested in him. She looked at him openly and didn't even blush."

Cheng Mutian looked at her protruding belly and scolded, "You're about to give birth, and instead of asking the midwife for advice on how to deliver the baby, you're worrying about these trivial things. Don't you have any sense of propriety? You can call them over and ask them after you give birth."

Xiao Yuan touched her belly and said, "You're right. My belly felt heavy yesterday, so it's probably been like this for the next few days."

However, I don't need to worry about this. If that boy Qingsong is truly interested in Cailian, his father, Ren Wu, will take care of the betrothal gifts and marriage.

As they spoke, breakfast was laid out outside. Xiao Yuan went out and saw that Cheng Mutian's favorite shrimp buns were on the table, and quickly invited him to eat. Cheng Mutian was in a hurry to get to the docks, wanting to finish several days' worth of business in one day so he could stay home with his wife for the next few days. Therefore, he didn't sit down, grabbed a few buns, and left. Seeing his hurried appearance, Xiao Yuan smiled and asked, "Do you want to finish everything today so you can stay home and take care of me during childbirth?"

Cheng Mutian was immediately annoyed when she pointed out his thoughts and saw the maids and servants covering their mouths and snickering. "It's not my turn to give birth, so why are you standing there?" He was afraid of being laughed at, so he had finished inspecting the goods at the dock in the afternoon and didn't return home until dinnertime. However, as soon as he entered the room, he heard the midwives whispering that his wife had started bleeding at noon and would probably give birth in the next couple of days. He didn't know what bleeding meant, but guessed it was a bad sign. He remembered that he had deliberately wandered around outside instead of coming back to be with his wife earlier, and he was filled with remorse. Suddenly, his shorter leg lost its balance, and he stumbled forward two steps. He barely managed to regain his balance, and when he looked up, he saw Xiao Yuan standing in front of him, looking at him with several midwives, all of them looking completely bewildered.

Oh no. I must have misunderstood. Cheng Mutian's face flushed red. He desperately wanted to chase all the bystanders away so they wouldn't see his embarrassing state. Unfortunately, everyone in the area was needed, and he couldn't send anyone away. He could only lower his head and hurriedly rush into the inner room.

Xiao Yuan knew he was so worried that he couldn't stand steadily. She quickly followed him into the inner room and closed the door, keeping the midwives outside. She comforted him, saying, "Erlang, I haven't gone into labor yet. Don't be afraid." Cheng Mutian's lips curled up. He couldn't help but laugh, "Does your stomach hurt? Why are you comforting me instead?"

Xiao Yuan went over and touched his forehead. She said, "My pain hasn't even started yet, and you're already covered in a cold sweat. Who else should I comfort if not you?" As she spoke, she went to rummage through the wardrobe to get some clean clothes for him to change into. Cheng Mutian quickly helped her sit down on the bed and changed into brand new clothes himself. He smiled and said, "It's the first time I've met my son, so please put on some new clothes."

The young couple chatted and laughed as they ate dinner together. Little Round's belly still showed no signs of labor. Cheng Mutian was about to go and fetch a doctor. The midwives laughed, "This is Madam's first time giving birth. Judging by the looks of it, she won't give birth until at least tomorrow. Just go to sleep and relax. Call us again if you experience any pain."

This is only the case with wealthy families. They specifically employ midwives. Ordinary, poor families only call for help when the pain becomes unbearable. The midwives were quite disapproving of Cheng Mutian's anxious attitude. But since they had taken his money, they had to be diligent. So they voluntarily arranged two shifts, leaving three of them to stay up all night, drinking strong tea and waiting in the small hall next door.

Xiao Yuan had already been carefully instructed by Aunt Chen. She knew what they were saying was true. She then pulled Cheng Mutian, who was glaring at the midwife, back to their room to sleep. Who knew that even an experienced midwife could miscalculate? Before the fourth watch of the night, her stomach began to ache in waves. Although it wasn't painful enough to make her wince, she had never given birth in either of her lives. While she possessed a wealth of theoretical knowledge from listening to others, she couldn't help but feel nervous when faced with the practical task. For a moment, she only knew to clutch her stomach and cry out in pain, forgetting to call for the midwife. Fortunately, Cheng Mutian was a light sleeper. Hearing her soft groans, he immediately woke up and gently nudged her, saying, "Wife, get up and give birth quickly."

He hurriedly got out of bed, put on his clothes, and called out loudly to the midwives. He watched as they helped Xiao Yuan into the delivery room, but he still stood at the door and refused to leave. Cai Lian advised him to go back to sleep for a while, but he got angry and said, "Madam is giving birth, and instead of going to serve her, you're just lazing around here."

The maids who accompanied the bride were all unmarried, so how could they be allowed into the delivery room? Cailian could only advise him to move two steps to the side so as not to block the midwives from entering and exiting.

As dawn broke, there was still no movement in the delivery room. Everyone waiting outside was on tenterhooks. Suddenly, the door opened a crack, and a midwife came out: "Madam hasn't had much pain yet. She said she wants to eat cake." Before the maids could move, Cheng Mutian ran out: "That stuff is only available in the shop. I'll have the servants bring it."

Master Cheng, who lived in the front yard, found today very strange. Why hadn't his son and daughter-in-law come to pay their respects? After asking the servants, he learned that Xiao Yuan had gone into the delivery room in the middle of the night, and her grandson was about to be born. He stroked his beard and smiled for a while, then suddenly remembered Cheng Mutian: "It's fine that my daughter-in-law didn't come when she was giving birth, but why didn't Erlang come either?" The servants hurriedly came out of the yard and stopped Cheng Mutian, who had personally brought the cake, halfway there. "Young Master, Master wants you to come and pay your respects."

Cheng Mutian, who was usually very filial, had forgotten about it today because he was in such a hurry. When the servants reminded him, he hurriedly picked up the cake box and rushed to the front yard. In a great mood, Master Cheng chatted with him for half a day, saying that it was no man's business when a woman gave birth, and that he should just wait to hold his son.

After listening to Master Cheng's nagging, he rushed back to the backyard. The cries of pain from the delivery room were growing louder and louder. He quickly pulled out a midwife who had come out to fetch hot water and asked her to bring the cake in. However, the midwife shook her head: "She's already in so much pain, how can she eat? Young master, please wait until Madam gives birth before bringing it in." Cheng Mutian looked at the unopened cake in his hand and thought of his wife, who was suffering from hunger in the delivery room. For the first time, he felt a trace of resentment towards his father.

The midwife brought hot water back to the delivery room to wipe Xiaoyuan's sweat and said with a smile, "Madam, the young master is really worried about you. He stood outside with a pale face, not moving at all, and his fists were clenched even tighter than yours." Xiaoyuan was already dizzy from the pain, but she suddenly came to her senses when she heard this: "Isn't there a cloth prepared? Bring it and I'll bite on it. I must have scared him by crying out in pain."

Cheng Mutian nearly broke the handle of the cake box in his grip. Suddenly, the noise in the room subsided. He was overjoyed and was about to go forward to ask when the midwife came out again: "Young master, the madam was afraid you would worry, so she specially bit a piece of cloth in her mouth so you wouldn't hear her cry out in pain."

Xiao Yuan, who was in the room, was getting anxious. Why did that old woman tell Erlang about this? Wouldn't that just make him more anxious? Just as she was about to scold her while enduring the pain, the midwife came back and said, "Madam, don't spoil men. If you don't let them know the pain of childbirth, they'll think that babies just pop out of rocks."

So that's what she was thinking. It was quite ahead of her time. Xiao Yuan chuckled to herself, shifting her focus and feeling the pain lessen slightly. Before she knew it, it was noon. The midwives still agreed that it wasn't time to push yet, so they brought out chicken soup with ginseng to persuade Xiao Yuan to drink a couple of sips to replenish her strength.

Xiao Yuan was curled up in pain and didn't want to get up anymore. Suddenly, Cheng Mutian shouted from outside the window, "Madam is still hungry. You are not allowed to eat anything." Hearing this, she somehow found the strength and hurriedly asked the maids to help her up to drink soup. The midwife who had been there earlier understood her intention very well and said through the window without waiting for instructions, "Young master, Madam is having lunch. You should go and eat some too."

Xiao Yuan lay half-reclined on the delivery bed, taking advantage of the intervals between contractions to drink chicken soup intermittently. She had only finished a little more than half of the bowl of soup when a midwife came up and took the bowl from her, saying, "Madam, it's time."

The midwives we hired at great expense were indeed very skilled. One stayed by Xiaoyuan's side, teaching her when to inhale and when to push, while the others took turns skillfully massaging her belly to help her.

Xiao Yuan had been in labor for more than ten hours, but when she finally put in the effort to give birth, it went smoothly, and the baby was born in just over an hour.

Cheng Mutian waited anxiously outside the door, finally hearing the cry. Overjoyed, he wanted to shout, "I'm a father!" but was too embarrassed. So he slapped the old tree in front of him a few times, saying, "Let you share in my joy." When the door opened, he rushed in first, heading straight to Xiaoyuan's bedside to ask if she was still in pain. Although Xiaoyuan was exhausted, she was still in good spirits. She gently shook her head and said, "The midwives said I have a strong constitution. I gave birth to the baby in less than two hours. I saved up some strength while doing rough work at the manor."

The midwives had opened the door earlier, carrying the baby and wanting to ask for a reward, but they were startled by the way he rushed in like a whirlwind. After the couple had a heart-to-heart talk, they came to their senses and laughed, "Young master is truly a good man. He didn't even look at the baby before going to see his wife."

Chapter Seventy-Five: Becoming Parents for the First Time (Part Two)

When Cheng Mutian saw the midwife come to ask for a reward, he knew it was a son. He took the child, feeling more relaxed than happy: "This time, I have nothing to say." Xiao Yuan couldn't help but feel a little sad when she heard this. It turned out that she wasn't the only one bearing the pressure, but everyone just kept it to themselves.

The Cheng family had only one son, and the young mistress gave birth to a son, adding a new member to the family. Everyone was overjoyed, and the house was filled with millet, charcoal, and vinegar sent by relatives and friends.

Old Master Cheng personally went to the backyard, held his grandson, and looked at him for a whole day, beaming with joy: "Decades ago, the old master led us to migrate south. When Erlang was born, the family was still scattered, so we couldn't rank our children according to the clan's population. Now that we've settled down, I want to personally go to Quanzhou to register the family genealogy and see where my grandson ranks in the clan." At home, Cheng Mutian couldn't even touch his son's swaddling clothes, so he happily sent the equally happy Old Master Cheng off on the ship to Quanzhou.

Xiao Yuan had originally intended to breastfeed her own child, so she hadn't prepared a wet nurse. However, things didn't go as planned. Despite trying all sorts of foods and medicines to promote lactation, she still couldn't produce a single drop of milk. Just as she was worrying about not being able to find a good wet nurse, Aunt Chen arrived just in time, bringing over a woman named Sister Yu who had just given birth. Xiao Yuan assumed that Sister Yu's child had died, which was why she was working as a wet nurse. But after asking her more closely, she learned that Sister Yu's own child was already a month old and was being fed rice gruel at home. Seeing the look of pity on Xiao Yuan's face, Aunt Chen comforted her, saying, "If she doesn't come out to work, her child won't even have rice gruel to drink. If you really feel sorry for her, why not give her an extra month's pay?"

Now that Xiaoyuan is a mother herself, she is very empathetic and said hurriedly, "Giving more monthly wages is not enough. My family's farm produces good goat milk, so I have someone deliver it to them every day." Sister-in-law Yu was overjoyed and knelt down to kowtow, saying, "I have worked as a wet nurse in other families before, but none of them could compare to Madam's kindness."

Cheng Mutian waited outside for half a day, but he couldn't hold back any longer. He personally carried his son in and came in angrily: "Women always talk too much. By the time you finished talking, my son will have already starved to death."

Xiao Yuan was helpless. Aunt Chen was relieved. Sister-in-law Yu was dumbfounded. The maids, however, were used to it and pretended to be anxious as they took the child and handed him to the wet nurse. Sure enough, when Cheng Mutian saw the wet nurse about to take off her clothes to breastfeed, he hurriedly lifted the curtain and went out without waiting for anyone to urge him.

"He just ate, don't let him get bloated." Aunt Chen stopped the wet nurse, took the child from her, and gently patted him in her arms, sighing, "My daughter is so lucky, she had a boy as her first child." Xiao Yuan's heart tightened: "Is the Xue family making things difficult for you?" Aunt Chen shook her head: "It's not that they're making things difficult, it's just that they see I'm getting old and are afraid I can't have any more children, so they want to adopt a nephew for us." Xiao Yuan's face darkened: "We haven't separated the family yet, what's this about adoption? Besides, Aunt Chen isn't that old, there are women who have sons in their forties; if they insist on this, fine, let Uncle Xue's two older brothers go to their homes, they don't need to work at my family's gym anymore."

Aunt Chen smiled at the maids who had accompanied her, "Look at your mistress. Having a son has definitely given her more confidence." Xiao Yuan lowered her head shyly, rubbing the corner of her blanket, "I only have one sister. Naturally, I want you all to leave the family fortune to her." Aunt Chen's address of "sister" warmed her heart. "With you helping her, what do I have to worry about?"

Cheng Mutian circled around several times, worried that the wet nurse might not have covered herself yet. He didn't dare come in. Through the curtain, he asked, "Still not full? It's time for the three-day ceremony." Xiao Yuan scolded, "I've never seen a father like you. There's a soup dumpling party outside. There must be many guests. Instead of going to greet them, you're making a scene here." Seeing that the young couple was about to bicker, Aunt Chen quickly took the child out for the umbilical cord ceremony so that Cheng Mutian could go out and greet the guests in peace.

The whole family revolved around the child. Time flew by. The first and second Laba Festivals came one after another. In the blink of an eye, twenty-one days had passed. The third Laba Festival arrived. Cailian, along with the maids, carried the gifts from male and female relatives to Xiaoyuan for her to see. There were pig kidneys, pig stomachs, trotters, chicken, and fish. It was "sending egg soup," also known as "promoting lactation." Xiaoyuan looked at it and laughed: "What a waste of all this good stuff! I still don't have any milk after eating it. I'll have the kitchen stew it and send it to Sister-in-law Yu." Sister-in-law Yu was very grateful for the good things from her mother. She took even better care of the child. Even the usually critical Cheng Mutian had nothing to say.

Eight or nine days passed in the blink of an eye. The Cheng family was brightly decorated and once again held a grand banquet for their guests, celebrating the "Baby Washing Ceremony." This "Baby Washing Ceremony" was not the usual one; it was the baby's one-month celebration. On this day, the new mother's family was required to prepare colorful paintings, money, gold and silver coins, fruits, colorful satin, and precious jewels and dumplings to send to the groom's family.

Xiao Yuan waited and waited at home. The fragrant soup was ready, and relatives and friends were all gathered, but she still hadn't received any congratulatory gifts from her parents' home. Aunt Cheng gave her daughters-in-law a look and laughed, "Our in-laws are really strange. Others are only embarrassed to send gifts after giving birth to a girl, but they didn't even come after having a son."

The eldest daughter-in-law, Fang Shiniang, chimed in, "Mother, you don't know, the He family is furious about the shares in our Cheng family. They're probably only coming to watch the show because they've given birth to a girl..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Sister Cheng splashed a cup of scalding hot tea on her face. "Go back to your own home if you want to talk nonsense. Father and Second Uncle separated their households a long time ago. It's none of your business to interrupt." It was August, and the lingering summer heat was still intense. The tea was extremely hot, and Fang Shiniang rinsed it with cold water several times but still cried out in pain. Second Aunt Cheng, protecting her daughter-in-law, angrily said, "We came here with good intentions to congratulate Brother Fang on the birth of his grandson. You not only don't give us a smile, but you even hurt us."

Sister Cheng, who dared to even curse Master Cheng, didn't take her seriously at all. She retorted, "Congratulations? You'd be hoping all the men in our family would die so you could take all the family property into your own hands. Only then would you truly be here to congratulate me." Then she called to her daughter-in-law, "Quickly check the gifts that Second Aunt sent. Don't let them harm my little nephew."

Aunt Cheng wanted to explain, but seeing that all the relatives around her had expressions of deep agreement, she was afraid that she would make things worse by explaining, so she quickly excused herself by saying that she needed to apply a face mask for Fang Shiniang.

Xiao Yuan was furious that her family hadn't given her any face, and she had no mood to even watch this farce. She wished she could pretend to faint so that someone would carry her inside to hide. Just as she was feeling restless, she suddenly heard firecrackers popping outside, along with the servants' announcements of good news, one after another, reaching into the inner courtyard: "The bride's family's congratulatory gifts have arrived." Cai Lian leaned close to her ear and said, "Madam, it was the Third Madam who received the news from the Master and sent someone to load the congratulatory gifts onto a boat, along with a letter. I'll put it in your room for you."

For a mere one-month celebration gift, the Third Sister-in-law had to send it all the way from Quanzhou. Little Yuanxin was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, but she suppressed her emotions and gently raised her hand in acknowledgment. The servants, who had been waiting for a long time, filed out and put gold and silver, dates, scallions, garlic and other items for the baby's bath into the silver basin filled with fragrant water. They then wrapped the basin with several lengths of colorful satin to create a "red shroud."

With the silver basin prepared, it was time for the eldest member of the family to "stir the basin." This task originally belonged to Aunt Cheng, but seeing that the He family had already sent congratulatory gifts, she was even more embarrassed to show her face. Her daughters-in-law were eager to try, but were all glared at and turned away by Sister Cheng. Xiao Yuan was grateful to Sister Cheng for protecting her earlier, so she smiled and said, "My eldest brother only has you as his aunt, so I'm troubling you."

Sister Cheng and the others said the same thing, without even giving way, and went straight to take the gold and silver hairpins and stir them into the basin. When the relatives and friends saw that the fragrant soup was moving, they all took gold and silver hairpins and threw them in to "add more to the basin". Those newly married women or those who had not yet conceived after marriage scrambled to pick up the upright dates to eat, hoping to have a son soon. Xiao Yuan sighed softly, it was a pity that her third sister-in-law was not here, otherwise she would have taken a few dates to eat as well.

Since it was a baby-washing ceremony, it was natural to bathe the child. Sister Cheng personally shaved her nephew's baby hair, placed it in a small gold and silver box, and then held him to pay respects to each of the relatives and friends. Before they had finished paying their respects, Cheng Mutian said that the guests outside were all waiting to see the child, so he personally brought him to the door. When he saw that his son was being held by Sister Cheng, he frowned, glanced at Xiao Yuan, took the child, and left without even saying a few polite words.

After helping to greet the female guests, Sister Cheng asked Xiao Yuan anxiously, "Fourth Sister, is Erlang angry that I held my eldest son?" Xiao Yuan quickly shook her head, "You are the child's aunt, why would he be angry with you? He's upset that I didn't invite the elders." Sister Cheng had been holding a grudge against Second Aunt Cheng for a long time, and said, "If Erlang is blaming you for this, I'll take the blame myself. I haven't settled the score with her for killing my maid yet."

Xiao Yuan was impressed by Sister Cheng this time. She never expected that such a simpleton would know how to unite against outsiders. Sister Cheng was also grateful to Xiao Yuan for giving her face today and letting her act as an elder. The two had a good impression of each other and chatted more congenially than usual. They only said goodbye when Cheng Mutian returned with the child.

Xiao Yuan saw that Cheng Mutian still had a dark face, and knew that he was still angry about the "stirring the pot hairpin" being against the rules. She thought to herself that this was too much. Second Aunt had embarrassed me in public. Did I have to endure the humiliation and go to invite her? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She simply ignored him and called her maid to fetch Li Wu Niang's letter to read.

The power dynamic between husband and wife is always a back-and-forth affair, but Cheng Mutian, in front of the servants, insisted on maintaining the airs of a husband, shoving the child into her arms: "You, as the mother, don't care about anything. The eldest son is already a month old. Even if we have to wait for Father to come back to choose his formal name, he should at least have a nickname."

When Sister-in-law Yu saw the young master's outburst, she peeked out from the doorway and then shrank back. Xiao Yuan deliberately called out, "The young master is apologizing to me. Don't misunderstand him."

Actually, she had long since gone far away and couldn't hear anything, but Cheng Mutian still tripped over a copper basin with a clatter and almost fell in front of Xiao Yuan's feet. He was both ashamed and angry and was about to throw a tantrum when he looked up and saw that the servants in the room had already silently disappeared. Only his wife was holding their son's little hand and stroking his face. Suddenly, all his anger dissipated like clouds in the sky. He snatched his son and said, "I've given him a good name. Since he was born at noon, let's call him Brother Wu."

Chapter Seventy-Six: Shocking News (Part 1)

Cailian and her maids waited outside until they heard laughter coming from inside the house. Only then did she take Li Wuniang's letter inside to show Xiaoyuan.

Cheng Mutian leaned over and glanced at the cover, looking uninterested: "It's probably just some trivial matters concerning women again." With that, he picked up his son and took him outside to shake a rattle drum.

Xiao Yuan pulled out the letter, which contained two sheets. The first sheet began with auspicious words of congratulations on the birth of their son, followed by the main text. Li Wu Niang said that she had traveled a long and arduous journey to Quanzhou to tell He Yao Hong that her concubine had given birth to a son. While He Yao Hong was overjoyed, he scolded her for not staying at home to take care of the concubine during her postpartum period. The letter also mentioned that she would be returning to Lin'an in a few months because He Yao Hong's newly acquired concubine was also heavily pregnant and he wanted to take her home to give birth.

She had only read one letter when she was already furious: "Third Brother keeps reminding me to keep a close eye on Second Brother and not let him take a concubine, but he himself keeps taking concubines. Third Sister-in-law is a bit domineering, but isn't it all for his sake?"

Cailian took the letter, folded it, and advised, "The Third Young Master just loves gentleness. His concubine is soft-spoken and doesn't talk much. Besides, he still respects the Third Madam. No matter how many concubines he has, they can't surpass her."

Xiao Yuan sighed, "What's the point of a couple living together if they're all just going through the motions? They need to be open and honest with each other. It's a pity that Third Sister-in-law will never learn to be submissive. I just hope that Third Brother will one day truly understand how good she is." Today, Xiao Yuan's face was saved entirely thanks to Li Wu Niang's help. A Yun spoke up for her, saying, "Madam, you sent Third Madam to Quanzhou hoping she would come back pregnant. How come she's back with a big belly? Why don't you let her stay in Quanzhou and not come back until she's pregnant?"

Cailian slapped her: "How dare you say that? You're a girl." Xiaoyuan laughed and said: "What she said makes some sense. Since I have gained some favor from Third Brother, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it? Come on, grind the ink and lay out the paper."

Fearing that He Yaohong wouldn't listen to her advice, she personally wrote several lengthy letters, stating that if Li Wuniang didn't return with a big belly, she would personally escort her third sister-in-law to Quanzhou. Hearing the commotion inside, Cheng Mutian lifted half of the curtain and laughed, "Your third brother is afraid that your third sister-in-law will be even more unable to control herself after giving birth to a son, so how could he listen to your childish whining?"

Xiao Yuan was taken aback: "We're both men, after all. I think you've figured out Third Brother's thoughts quite well." Cheng Mutian shook his head: "That's the way of officials. We commoners can't compare ourselves to them. I'm not afraid of my wife having sons. It's better if she has several." Xiao Yuan walked to the door and kissed her son's little face. She said: "Why didn't you tell my Third Brother these words? Maybe if he listened to you, he wouldn't take any more concubines."

Cheng Mutian was somewhat amused and exasperated: "We're talking about different things. Just because I don't want to take a concubine, does that mean I should persuade my relatives not to either? Besides, your third brother taking a concubine isn't a big deal. It's just that the wife won't bear him children, which isn't the right path."

Even Cheng Erlang, who was notoriously jealous of concubines, thought it was harmless for a man to take a concubine. Xiao Yuan pressed her temples, suddenly feeling powerless. Ayun waited until Cheng Mutian lowered the curtain and went out, then muttered, "If they all followed Sister Xiu's example, let's see if they dare to take concubines again." Xiao Yuan's mind flashed back to the scene of Azhu chasing Cheng Fu around the courtyard with a club. She laughed, "That's a good idea. But he's my own third brother after all. There's no reason to instigate someone to beat him."

Cailian bent over the table and wrote two layers of seals. The outer layer was He Yaohong's full name. The inner layer was Li Wuniang's maiden name. She blew on the ink to dry it and showed it to Xiaoyuan. Xiaoyuan looked at it in her hand, nodded in satisfaction, and told the maids to seal it and hand it to the servant who was delivering the message outside.

Cailian handed Li Wuniang the second letter. Xiaoyuan thought it was just another letter expressing her sister-in-law's dissatisfaction, so she only glanced at it. Unexpectedly, this glance revealed some big news. She quickly ordered someone to bring in Cheng Mutian, who was playing with his son in the courtyard.

Cheng Mutian reluctantly handed his son to Sister-in-law Yu. He complained, "I have to go check on the business tomorrow. I finally have a moment to hold my son, and you're making such a fuss over a letter." Xiao Yuan didn't say anything. She tossed the letter in front of him and laughed, "Our family is going to have another happy occasion."

Cheng Mutian picked up the letter and looked at it inexplicably, then exclaimed in surprise, "Father is going to take a second wife?" Xiao Yuan opened the locked box, took out the account book and flipped through it, saying, "I did expect that Father would bring back a concubine, but I never thought it would be a first wife. The letter says that her dowry is twice as much as my third sister-in-law's. I really don't know what kind of wealthy family she comes from."

Cheng Mutian crumpled the letter into a ball and said, "That family has no descendants and only has one daughter. They have always wanted to keep her at home and find a husband to marry into the family, but they are too picky. She is still an old maid when she is in her thirties. I guess they really can't find a suitable son-in-law, so they finally decided to marry her off."

Xiao Yuan asked curiously, "Her home is in Quanzhou, how did you know?" Cheng Mutian slowly unfolded the crumpled letter:

"She's an old acquaintance of my uncle." Xiao Yuan saw him fold up a perfectly good piece of paper and laughed, "She's a proper stepmother, and she has a good dowry. What are you upset about?" Cheng Mutian remained silent, folded the paper, and stuffed it into his pocket, letting out a heavy sigh. Xiao Yuan was curious and pressed him for details. Cheng Mutian, unable to resist her pestering, mumbled, "Father's health isn't good. Taking care of his health is the priority. When can't he marry a second wife?" "It's just diabetes, what does it have to do with getting married?" This remark only made things worse. Xiao Yuan was about to ask more when she heard her son crying next door. She and Cheng Mutian rushed out, completely forgetting about Master Cheng's plan to find them a stepmother. Autumn deepened in the blink of an eye, and the sewing room presented the little cotton-padded clothes made for the young master. Xiao Yuan examined them closely; they were made of cotton or silk, with very fine stitches. The inner garment was an old piece worn by Xi Ge from A Zhu's family. The head of the sewing room, Sister Zhu, showed her a patchwork garment, saying, "Madam, these were all obtained from a blessed family. The young master will surely be fortunate wearing them."

Xiao Yuan praised the clothes, ordered a reward, and then looked through the new clothes, asking, "Why are they all for babies? Didn't you make any for Fourth Sister?" Aunt Zhu replied, "I had them make two new sets, and they've already been sent over." Xiao Yuan looked at the pile of baby clothes on the table and scolded, "You're all so biased! Wu Ge is only a little boy; he can't wear all of these. Fourth Sister is a little girl; why didn't you make her more?"

Cheng Mutian, who was outside, was very dissatisfied when he heard this: "The clothes I made with the money I earned, if not for my son, who else should wear them? Fourth Sister hasn't been cold, I think you're the one who's too biased." Xiao Yuan was speechless, and could only lower her voice and secretly instruct Sister Zhu to make several more sets of festive clothes for Fourth Sister in preparation for the New Year.

Sister-in-law Zhu responded softly, took the clothes and went to Wu-ge's room. Cheng Mu-tian hurriedly followed to see his son change into his new clothes. Sister Cheng peeked out from the courtyard gate, then slipped into the room, clutching her chest and saying, "That was close! I almost ran into Er-lang." Xiao Yuan glanced at her with a smile: "He's not going to eat you. What brings you here today?" Sister Cheng grinned and looked at the three maids behind her one by one, saying, "Fourth Sister, these maids of yours are all so pretty. Haven't you thought about taking one in for Er-lang? Your own dowry maids are much more considerate than those bought from outside."

Xiao Yuan was now quite familiar with her and knew that she was a person who didn't beat around the bush, so she also followed her example and said directly: "Don't you know whether Erlang is willing to take a concubine? Be careful that he doesn't send a musician to your brother-in-law again."

Sister Cheng was indeed different from "ordinary people." Upon hearing this, she showed no embarrassment whatsoever, but instead became overjoyed: "Speaking of which, I should thank you. If it weren't for those vixens, how would I have known that the people in the house needed to find a caring person?" As she spoke, she sat down next to Xiao Yuan and started to negotiate: "Fourth Sister, give me one of your maids, and I'll get you two more later."

Xiao Yuan pretended not to understand her words and said, "Since you have two maids, you can keep them for your own use. Why do this unprofitable business?"

Sister Cheng said anxiously, "My two girls are also very clever, but they are not very good-looking, so your brother-in-law doesn't like them."

These words were indeed very blunt. Xiao Yuan looked behind her. Cai Lian's face was slightly red but she did not lower her head. A Yun pouted, while A Cai acted as if she hadn't heard anything. She smiled to herself, thinking to herself, "None of my three girls are the type to be manipulated by others."

Seeing that she was silent and only staring at the maids, Sister Cheng said, "I know you are kind-hearted and soft-hearted, so you probably can't bring yourself to ask. Fine, I'll ask you myself."

Xiao Yuan thought of Ren Qingsong, who had not yet been proposed to, and thought that if Cai Lian also had feelings for him, wouldn't it be like Sister Cheng was deliberately breaking up a marriage? She quickly said, "The eldest one is already betrothed to someone else."

Sister Cheng didn't insist, but called Ayun and Acai over and asked if they were willing to become concubines for Jin Jiu Shao. Ayun glanced at Xiaoyuan and said, "I was also betrothed, but he went to the battlefield to kill the Jin dogs. Instead of him fighting on the battlefield, I'm here changing my allegiance." Sister Cheng was slightly angry: "You're not married yet, so how can you say you've changed your allegiance?" Xiaoyuan personally poured her some hot tea and smiled, "This time, the court is launching a northern expedition, and Father has donated money and grain. Since this child is willing to wait for a brave man to kill the Jin dogs for us, why not grant her wish?"

Sister Cheng didn't know that the anti-Jin hero was just a ten-year-old child, so she had to give up her thoughts and turn to ask A-Cai. But she saw A-Cai staring at a pot of flowers and grinning foolishly, drooling on her chest without her noticing. Sister Cheng frowned and said with disdain, "No wonder we never hear her say a word. She's just a simpleton."

Xiao Yuan laughed again, thinking that only a fool would rush to become a concubine without any title or status.

Sister Cheng hadn't been able to persuade a single maid, and she was still unwilling to give up. Her eyes started darting around. Xiao Yuan was really afraid of this older sister, so she quickly brought up the big news: "Sister, do you know that Father has found us a stepmother?"

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Shocking News (Part Two)

Upon hearing the news, Sister Cheng immediately forgot about the concubine matter and eagerly asked, "Which family's daughter is she, and how much is her dowry?" Xiao Yuan laughed at her, saying, "I heard the dowry is quite substantial, probably more than two hundred thousand strings of cash. But aren't you afraid that Father will give Erlang a brother this time?" Sister Cheng beamed with joy upon hearing about the generous dowry, saying, "How can a concubine compare to the principal wife? If this stepmother brings a good dowry, it will also benefit Erlang's business."

Xiao Yuan recalled Cheng Mutian's strange behavior when he saw the letter and quietly asked Sister Cheng, "Besides diabetes, does Father have any other hidden illnesses?" Sister Cheng was taken aback, then shook her head, "I haven't heard of that, but it's true that Father has become very thin since he got that illness. You should cook him some good tonics to help him recover." Xiao Yuan explained, "Diabetes means you can't overeat. We're following the doctor's instructions." Hearing that it was the doctor's advice, Sister Cheng didn't say anything more, got up to take her leave, and said she was going back to write to Master Cheng to ask about the details of her stepmother.

As soon as she left, Xiao Yuan turned to A Cai Le and said, "Hurry up and wipe your drool off." The maids laughed and said, "Who would have thought that someone who keeps quiet would have such a way of doing things quietly?" Cai Lian, because Xiao Yuan had just said in public that she had promised her land to someone else, but she didn't know if it was true or not, brought up a small red clay stove and said she wanted to brew tea for the lady.

She was looking for an opportunity to speak alone. Xiao Yuan, having served her for so many years, knew this perfectly well, and immediately chimed in, "I can't stand this tea soup with scallions and salt. Bring me tea made with osmanthus flowers instead." Cai Lian quickly sent several maids to the kitchen to fetch the dried osmanthus flowers. Once only she and Xiao Yuan were left in the room, she curtsied and thanked her, saying, "Thank you for saving me, Madam."

"I'll do it once." She thought she was just taking advantage of the situation, but she didn't expect that Xiao Yuan was also looking for an opportunity. She pulled her closer and asked her in detail if she had any feelings for Ren Qingsong.

When Cailian heard that she mentioned Ren Qingsong immediately, she was taken aback and said, "Madam, is it what the young master said? It was just a misunderstanding, but unfortunately the young master doesn't believe it." Xiaoyuan was already wondering why Ren Qingsong hadn't brought the betrothal gifts yet, but now that she heard it was a misunderstanding, she felt relieved and asked her if she had a true love interest. Cailian took a clean porcelain pot to prepare to brew osmanthus flowers, shook her head, and said softly, "Our marriage is up to Madam to decide, and whatever Madam chooses will surely be good."