Chapter Fifty-Four Old Acquaintance

  The grandmother observed Tuo Niang for a while, seeing that she was loyal and honest, and grew fond of her. She genuinely wanted to help arrange a good marriage for her. When Yawen had nothing to do, he would take Du Zhao on strolls around the village, where they would inevitably run into young men of suitable age, exchange a few words, and ask questions. Before long, villagers began saying that the Seventh Master of the Du family had asked his grandmother to find him a reliable attendant. Whenever Grandmother and Du Zhao went out, they would occasionally encounter people who brought their sons along, coincidentally running into them.

  Grandma's laughter and tears are all unjustified, yet it's hard to say why, so I can only keep explaining "it's not like that, it's not like that".

  Everyone naturally does not believe it.

  At this time, Duan Ming met Zhao Liangbi.

  The Zhao and Cui families were relatives, but specifically what kind, she had never figured out.

  That day, they were having dinner in the courtyard when Zhao Liangbi's father pushed up his sleeves, hunched over and slowly walked into the courtyard. Eight-year-old Zhao Liangbi followed behind him with his head hung low, looking dispirited.

  "His aunt," Zhao Liangbi's father stood far away, a slightly polite smile squeezed out on his dark and thin face, "Are you having dinner?" Zhao Liangbi crouched at the door.

  Grandma hastily put down the bowl, called out "Third Brother", and warmly invited him: "Have you eaten? Add some!" Then she called for the maid to bring a stool and add bowls and chopsticks.

  Zhao Liangbi's father waved his hand repeatedly: "We've already eaten, we've already eaten!" Then he looked at Dou Zhao and said, "Is this the fourth young lady? She looks really fair-skinned, just like a person in a New Year's painting."

  Grandma smiled and ordered the maid to serve tea and snacks.

  Zhao Liangbi's father shouted at Zhao Liangbi: "You dog, what are you squatting there for? Hurry up and come over to kowtow to Fourth Miss and your elder aunt!"

  Zhao Liangbi walked over with a gloomy face.

  "What is this?" Grandmother looked at Zhao Liangbi's father in confusion.

  "He's a big parasite." Zhao Liangbi's father smiled wryly, "A half-grown kid who eats his old man out of house and home. You know my wife, she spends 360 days out of the year in bed, and the little bit we harvest from our land isn't even enough for her medicine. Good-for-nothing. We really can't afford to raise him anymore. I heard that Lord Duan is looking for attendants..." He looked at his mother with a sincere expression.

  The grandmother was stunned.

  Dō Shoyō was stunned.

  In the previous life, Zhao Liangbi appeared when she was ten years old. At that time, Zhao Liangbi's mother passed away, and her father decided to go to Fujian to work as a carpenter, entrusting 13-year-old Zhao Liangbi to her grandmother, while her nine-year-old sister was sent to be a child bride... In this life, due to the reason of being a substitute daughter, she appeared five years earlier in Tianzhuang.

  Will fate be changed because of this?

  Dòu Zhāo sī cǔn zhe.

  Translation: Dòu Zhāo was deep in thought.

  Then Zhao Liangbi's father hesitated and said: "I also know that Gou Sheng is like this, he doesn't have a good appearance, nor does he have any talent... But since we are relatives, can you please help him out..."

  Before he could finish his sentence, Zhao Liangbi, who was standing aside with an awkward expression, suddenly spoke out loudly: "Dad, I've told you countless times, the closer we are as relatives, the less likely Auntie will introduce someone to the Duan family. Why can't you just listen..."

  Zhao Liangbi's father kicked him angrily: "Adults are talking, kids go to the side." He changed his face and smiled at his grandmother: "He Dagu, don't listen to this kid's nonsense. I know you're afraid of being taken advantage of by the Dou family..."

  "Eldest sister," Zhao Liangbi, who was kicked to the side, loudly interrupted his father's words, "I can't make a living with my father, you keep me in the fields and I'll do any work, just give me a bowl of rice to eat."

  The father glared at his son, and the son stared back at him without flinching.

  Grandma smiled and said: "Third brother, if you trust me, just hand the child over to me. It's definitely not possible to work as a servant in the Duan family, but I can take care of his food and clothing."

  Zhao Liangbi's father was about to say something else, but Zhao Liangbi had already loudly responded with "good".

  Grandma quickly cut through the tangled mess, arranged for Zhao Liangbi and his son to go rest, and then instructed Hong Gu: "Third Brother and the others must not have had dinner yet. Shou Gu is here with me, I'm afraid she'll think Third Brother and the others are dirty, so I didn't dare ask them to stay for dinner. You go to the kitchen now and make a big bowl of meat-slice noodles for them, with lots of meat slices, seven parts fat and three parts lean, piled thickly on top of the noodles, got it?"

  Hong Gu smiled and nodded, then went into the kitchen.

  The next morning, Zhao Liangbi's father brought back a basket of pancakes given by his grandmother and went home. Without anyone's instruction, Zhao Liangbi swept the front and back yards clean, put down the broom, and then went to cut grass to feed the horse.

  Dou Zhao was practicing calligraphy in his room, but his mind was on Cui Thirteen.

  In the rear hall, only the homes of high-ranking officials had such a place, which was in charge of entertaining guests from various government offices and seeing them off during normal times. If it were an official's residence, then the long-time attendants would be responsible for this task, while these attendants in an official's home were often unsuccessful scholars or candidates who had failed to pass the imperial examination...If she hadn't married into the Jin'ning Marquis's household, where else could Cui Thirteen have gone?

  In his previous life, Cui Shi San was the mainstay of the Cui family.

  If Cui Shi San ultimately stayed in his hometown and became an unknown farmer, what changes would occur to the future of the Cui family?

  Should I help Cui Thirteen?

  What else can I do for him?

  Dong Zhaolowered his head in contemplation.

  Outside came Zhao Liangbi's sweet voice: "Sister, this teapot is a bit heavy, let me help you carry it in?"

  "Look at your hands, they're filthy." said Haitang, "If you were to carry this teapot in, would our young mistress still be able to drink from it?"

  "Then I'll go wash my hands." Zhao Liangbi hurriedly ran off.

  When Dòu Zhāo saw him again, his fingernails were clean and tidy, and he looked refreshed overall.

  He quickly helped Haitang and the others clean up the house.

  "Has the yard been swept clean?"

  "Swept clean!"

  "Has the little horse been fed?"

  "Feed!"

  "Has the grass been cut?"

  "It's over."

  All these things have become Zhao Liangbi's responsibility.

  He picked up Dou Zhao's poorly written characters and looked at them again and again, his face filled with envy as he said: "Fourth Miss's handwriting is really beautiful!"

  The peony covered her mouth and smiled: "Do you know him?"

  "No, I don't know." Zhao Liangbi's face turned bright red with shame and embarrassment for the first time as he smiled awkwardly at whatever you said.

  Dong Zhaixin's heart skipped a beat. He asked him: "Do you want to learn to read?"

  His face lit up: "Want to, of course want to." He said. His expression dimmed again, "But my dad has no money."

  "Then I'll teach you how to read!" Dou Zhao smiled and said, "If you learn well, I'll tell your grandmother to send you to school."

  Zhao Liangbi grasped Du Zhao's sleeve: "Fourth Miss, you must keep your word."

  Dong Zhao smiled and pursed his lips.

  I don't know what will happen in the future. But from learning characters, from reading books, it should be easier than the path of past lives!

  After that, Zhao Liangbi would finish his work every day and lie down under the veranda of the main house to write.

  After grandma knew, she let someone go to Zhen Ding City and brought back a few baskets of red paper, personally cut them by hand and put them under the god shelf in the main room. Whoever wants to use it can take it.

  No wonder the people in Tianzhuang Village are grateful for Grandma's kindness.

  Dòu Zhāo carefully thought about his grandmother's actions.

  It will soon be the 22nd.

  Dong Shao got up early as usual, took a walk with his grandmother in the vegetable garden, picked some melons and fruits back home, took a bath, had breakfast, and started practicing calligraphy.

  The Dou family at the west end of Zhending County town didn't have lanterns or colored decorations, but everyone from top to bottom had changed into new clothes, which was quite refreshing.

  Ji looked at the time and saw that it was getting late, so she went to the second lady's room and saw that the second lady was still lying on the kang listening to her personal maid read "The Legend of the Five Heroes", smiling: "You're still holding out. I was afraid of delaying the hour, so I changed my clothes early."

  The Second Mistress smiled and looked up at her, saying: "You are of the same generation, and the Western House is also a single family. It's better to go and join in the fun. I'm old and widowed, it's not auspicious for me to attend other people's happy occasions. I won't be going." Then she instructed the senior maid, "Go get the crimson gold-inlaid jade longevity hairpin from my box, put it in the box, and ask Sixth Mistress to take it over. Consider it my gift." The last sentence was directed at Ji Shi, "As for Ming'er, let her stay with me, and when your husband returns to Kyoto, you can come back for her then."

  In this case, wouldn't Shougu and Mingsi no longer need to kowtow and serve tea to Wangshi?

  Ji saw the second lady's tone was light and casual, but her eyes were cold as frost. She knew that the second lady had made up her mind to teach Wang Yinxue a lesson. Not wanting to get involved, she smiled and took the box, then left the door.

  The lady over there had already dressed up early and was about to check the gifts for Wang Yinxue, but when she heard that her trusted maid said that the second master would not go, and also mentioned something about "widowhood", she thought for a moment, called in a small maid to remove her hairpins, leaving only a pair of eastern pearl flowers as a gift, and asked the big maid to take it over to the second mistress.

  Third Master San and Third Madam took care of the household chores entrusted by Duan Tong, and when they saw the women from the Eastern Mansion arriving, they hurried to greet them.

  The second lady in charge smiled and said: "Those who could come have all arrived, and those who couldn't come also sent gifts to meet us."

  Third Mistress was a very sensitive person, with just one glance, she knew who hadn't come and didn't ask much, smiling as she went to the flower hall with everyone, while the male guests sat down in the front main hall.

  At the auspicious hour, Wang Yingshuai wore a golden phoenix hat with gathered pearls and silk threads, and put on a bright red auspicious dress, shining brightly as she was supported by San Tai Tai, this all-blessed person, to worship her ancestors together with Duan Shiying. After three rounds of wine, the crowd moved to the flower hall to sit down, Duan Shiying and Wang Yingshuai paid respects with tea, recognizing their relationship. Afterwards, Wang Yingshuai was supported back to Qixia Temple, while Duan Shiying and others went to Heshou Hall.

  The two ladies and others were sitting in the grand hall drinking tea and chatting.

  Third Lady could only look at Sixth Lady with a pleading expression.

  Logically speaking, these women should go to the new couple's house and chat with them, which is equivalent to warming up the new home.

  The sixth lady pretended not to see it.

  She didn't want to take the lead in this matter.

  Third Aunt had no choice but to call out to Second Aunt-in-law: "Let's go take a look at Wang Shi."

  Second Aunt was a go-with-the-flow kind of person, smiling and agreeing, Third Aunt, Fifth Aunt, and several respectable old ladies went to the Qixia Temple together.

  At this time, the second lady said: "Why is Wang still living in Qixia Temple?"

  "It's the meaning of Seventh Master." The maid who had been thinking of currying favor with Second Mistress replied, "The front house still has things left over from Seventh Madam and Fourth Miss. Fourth Miss went to the countryside to nurse her illness, this time it was not possible to pack up, wait until Fourth Miss returns after a few days and then talk."

  The second wife uttered an "oh" and waited for the third wife to return. She then made an excuse that there was no one serving Lady Tai, and left.

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  Sisters, give a little encouragement to Qiqi who is still sticking to her post on the 30th of the big year... asking for pink votes!

  ※RQ