Chapter 41: Spring Banquet (Part 1)

  Lu Zhenkai and Lu Zhenyu were still lively, the eleventh girl smiled and greeted them, Wu Niang came. After the ceremony, a little maid brought a small stool for the two to sit on. The third wife wanted to get up and bid farewell: "Thanks to Uncle and Auntie's help these days." She said, her eyes red, "I'm here just to thank Auntie!"

  "A family doesn't speak two different languages." The eldest wife stood up and took the third wife's hand, "I wanted to keep you here to take your mind off things, but I also know that even a mirage can't hold you back now. Let's not exchange polite words, you go back and rest well, there's no threshold in this world that can't be crossed. Wait a few days until your mood improves, then come back to my place, and I'll invite the second sister-in-law, we three sisters-in-law will have a good gathering."

  Third Aunt nodded repeatedly: "Elder sister, then I'll take the child back first."

  The Fifth Master and Sixth Master bid farewell to Madame.

  The big wife patted the heads of the two children, smiled and saw the third wife out the door: "The kids are also tired, let them rest for a while too. I'm also a mother, I know your hopes for your son to become a dragon. But this anxious heart can't swallow hot tangyuan, some things have to be done slowly."

  "Eldest Sister is right." Third Madam's expression showed a few shades of fatigue, "Thank you, Eldest Sister, for reminding me."

  The eleventh girl following behind her thought of the scene when she first met San Tai Tai.

  Wearing a peony bun, with emerald leaves and large flowers tucked in, dressed in a rose-purple brocade jacket. When looking at people, her gaze is slightly slanted, carrying an air of superiority as if looking down from above.

  But now, it's no longer as radiant as before...

  Without a prominent family background, there's no more confidence as before. The third madam is indeed less experienced...

  She stood behind Mrs. Wang, smiling as she watched Third Wife leave, then accompanied Mrs. Wang back to the main house.

  On the road, Mrs. Daimu asked Wuniang and Shiyiniang: "What have you been doing these past few days?"

  Wu Niang smiled and said, "Practicing calligraphy? Seeing the plaques in your sister's courtyard, I finally understand what 'beyond the mountains are more mountains, beyond people are more people' means. If you don't calm down and write seriously, you'll lose face for your sister."

  "The plaque of Yongping Marquis's mansion is either bestowed by the emperor or written by the chief scholars of Hanlin Academy throughout the ages. You can't compare to that, it's normal." The old lady smiled and said, "Don't mind it." She looked at Eleventh Sister again.

  The eleventh girl hastily said: "My daughter is at home doing needlework - preparing a apricot yellow spring dress for brother Xiang, and a lake blue spring dress for brother Yun."

  The lady nodded.

  Luo Qiao hurriedly lifted the curtain before Madame, but a little maid ran in to report: "Madame, the mother of Yongping Houfu has come to deliver an invitation."

  The lady turned around and said: "Come on in!"

  The little maid went out at the sound and soon brought in two women of forty years old.

  The two mothers stepped forward quickly and paid their respects to the lady of the house, who politely invited them to take a seat inside.

  Everyone returned to the house and sat down again, and the maids brought up tea. One of the women with a red mole at the corner of her mouth handed over a box carved with red lacquer peony flowers: "Our madam said that in a few days it will be the third day of March, the Daughter's Day, please ask Auntie, Grandma, Miss and Brother Rong to come home together - she invited the De Yin class to sing at home."

  Li Qing hurriedly took over the box and handed the bright red invitation card with gold lettering inside to Madame.

  As she already knew the content, Mrs. Wang just took a symbolic look and then smiled: "Please trouble the two mothers to go back and tell Madame that I thank her for thinking of me, and that day I will definitely bring my wife, daughter and grandson to make it lively."

  "Then I'll thank you on behalf of Madam Dai." The mother with the red mole at the corner of her mouth stood up and curtsied to Lady Dai, exchanged a few pleasantries, then took her leave.

  The mistress looked at the tender buds that had just sprouted outside the window and instructed Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang: "It's time to change into spring clothes."

  The two of them nodded in unison and said "yes", accompanying the madam for a while before getting up and returning to their respective rooms.

  By the third of March, Eleventh Sister had her raven-black hair styled in a bun at the back of her head, wore a coral and green jade flower, dressed in a sky-blue jacket, and moon-white embroidered skirt. Relying on her youthful beauty, she only applied some jasmine fragrance to her face, and with a bare face went to see Madame Wang.

  The fifth daughter arrived before she did.

  She put on a silver-red jacket, combed her hair into a bun and inserted three golden hairpins inlaid with colorful gems, hung golden lantern earrings from her ears, painted her eyebrows and eyes, applied light powder, looking even more radiant than usual.

  The old lady looked at the two of them with a satisfied expression, and after instructing them to "be loud and clear when calling out to people" and "there are actors in the inner courtyard, don't run around randomly, be careful not to see someone you shouldn't", she waited for Old Madame to lead out Baoyu, who was wearing a large red silk gown, and the whole family got into their carriage and headed to the Rongguo Mansion.

  In front of the Xu family's Weeping Flower Gate, they met an elderly woman in a magnificent dress with a head full of silver hair.

  The old woman greeted them warmly: "Are you relatives of Mrs. Xu?"

  Although they didn't know each other, seeing that the woman was surrounded by twenty or so maids and daughters-in-law dressed in gold and silver, Madame Luo hurriedly smiled and stepped forward to pay her respects, saying: "I am Luo Xushi."

  The old lady smiled and nodded, and someone beside her introduced her to Madame: "This is the old lady of Dingguo Gongfu."

  It turned out to be Zheng's family who lived in front of Xu's house and had separated from Xu's family for a long time.

  The old lady smiled and said: "It's the old lady, forgive me for my rudeness." She then introduced Zheng Lao Tai Jun to Luo Da Niang, Wu Niang, Eleven Niang and Xiang Ge.

  Several people stepped forward and paid their respects to Old Lady Zheng.

  Just as the sound of horse bells was heard, another carriage came rattling along.

  Everyone involuntarily looked up.

  It was a black lacquered brougham like the Luo family's.

  The carriage stopped, a woman jumped down, took the footstool and placed it in front of the carriage shaft, then stretched out her arm to respectfully say to the people inside: "Miss, we've arrived!"

  A slender, green onion-like hand stretched out from the stone-green carriage curtain and gently rested on the arm of a woman wearing an official green jacket. The curtain was then lifted, and a beautiful, crimson-clad figure slowly stepped down from the carriage.

  Everyone present gasped in unison.

  "Whose daughter is this? She's really beautiful!" Old Lady Zheng couldn't help but be amazed.

  The lady's face turned pale as white paper in an instant.

  A figure in crimson approached the madam slowly, then gently knelt down five steps away from her and respectfully paid her respects: "Mother, your daughter Shi Niang greets you."

  For a moment, all eyes were on the madam.

  The corners of Mrs. Tai's mouth slightly curled up, and a hint of faded rosiness returned to her face: "Shi Niang..."

  "It's exactly my daughter." Xiangniang tilted her head to look at the old lady, with sparkling gem-like lights flashing in her eyes, "The carriage Mother arranged for me was slow, so I just arrived now."

  "It's all right as long as she arrives! It's all right as long as she arrives!" Old Lady Zheng smiled and glanced at the 10th daughter, saying to the first wife, "Your family's young ladies are each more beautiful than the last."

  The lady's face turned red: "Yes! The young ladies in our family are each more beautiful than the last."

  The young lady had already gone forward to pay her respects to Old Mistress Zheng.

  Old Lady Zheng personally came forward and took the hand of the tenth girl: "Get up quickly, get up quickly. Such a delicate little girl like a flower bud, don't let her bump into anything. Get up!"

  The tenth girl took advantage of the situation and got up, holding onto Madame's hand: "Madame, let me help you in!"

  "I'm afraid your mother is jealous." said Zheng Taikun with a sneer.

  The lady smiled slightly: "Our family's girl can get the old lady's eyes, I'm so happy that I don't have time to be jealous!"

  The young girl covered her mouth and smiled, her dark eyes twinkling with indescribable charm and cuteness.

  "Ten Niang!" Wu Niang's face darkened as she stepped forward from behind Madame Tai, trying to intercept Ten Niang, but was pulled back by Luo Da Nian, "With Ten Niang by Old Master's side, that's enough!" Her fingers whitened slightly as she pinched Wu Niang's hand.

  The eleventh girl then retreated two steps and stood behind Old Lady Luo.

  The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat eerie.

  Madam Zheng's eyes flickered, and she smiled: "It's getting late, let's go in early! So as not to keep the master waiting!" As she spoke, she went straight up the steps of the hanging flower gate, without paying any attention to Shi Niang.

  The young lady gave the old lady a coquettish glance, smiled and slightly lifted her skirt, following Old Lady Zheng up the steps in front of the gate with the hanging flowers.

  The big wife looked at Wu Niang deeply.

  Wu Niang's face turned ashen: "Mother, it wasn't Fourth Brother..."

  The lady's smile was somewhat forced, and she instructed Old Lady Luo: "Today is busy with many people and things, and Brother Rong is still young and can't handle such a commotion. Why don't you take Brother Rong back first?"

  Old Lady Luo's expression was serious, she responded with a "yes", ignoring Er Ge's cries of "I want to play with Zhen Ge", and led her son onto the carriage: "Return to Bowstring Hutong."

  As the carriage turned south onto the bluestone path and exited the Xu estate, Madame's smile returned to its usual warm and gentle state. She instructed Fifth Mother and Eleventh Mother: "We should also go in, lest we keep people waiting."

  Both of them nodded slightly and replied "yes", as the lady entered through the flowered gate.

  Behind the gate, there was still a small green sedan waiting for them, but Zheng Lao Taikun and Shi Niang were nowhere to be seen.

  Someone came forward with a smile and said: "Old Lady Zheng and the tenth young lady of your esteemed mansion each took a horse-drawn carriage and went to the flower hall first."

  The old lady smiled and took the Fifth Daughter and Eleventh Daughter onto a small sedan chair with a green canopy and went to the Flower Hall.

  Shi Niang did not follow Zheng Tai Fu into the flower hall, but stood smiling in front of the flower hall under the rolled-up awning and talked to a woman wearing a large red ten-flower embroidered skirt. Seeing Da Tai Tai, she smiled at the woman and said, "Mother has arrived!"

  The woman turned her face sideways.

  Arched eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, it was indeed the third madam of the Xu family.

  "I was just about to come and greet you. As it happens, I met the tenth young lady from your esteemed residence. She said that she didn't see you after getting off the carriage and was frantically searching for you..." The third madam smiled and welcomed her forward, "Hm? Why isn't the eldest madam here?"

  "It's hot today, I told her to take Brother Yang back first." The lady laughed heartily, "Thanks for Third Madam's concern."

  "What a pity!" said the third lady with a smile, "Today is the class master Zhou Dehui of the German sound class who personally sings the hall meeting." She looked at the tenth girl again, "Is the big wife going to hide in the golden house? Such a beautiful daughter doesn't even let me see her, are you afraid that we will snatch her away?"

  The young girl looked at the old lady and burst out laughing.

  The big wife also smiled with pursed lips.

  Nobody said anything, and the scene was a bit strange.

  The three madams' eyes flashed with a hint of confusion.

  At this moment, a burst of laughter came from the direction of the flower hall.

  The third lady couldn't think much and pulled the arm of the first lady: "You'd better go in quickly! You're the only one left!"