Sheng Weiqiao had stepped on Sheng Shuihe's foot on purpose, and Shen Jiuniang comforted her all their way back home. However, she still felt wronged.

After returning to the Sheng Family, she shouted at the chief steward of the Sheng Family regardless of her need for changing clothes in her room. "Were those guards picked by you? They were like dead men! When Xuanyu Che insulted me and even my mother to my face, they just stood there and watched, like some of the onlookers! Did they see me as an insignificant one after Sheng Shuihe entered the family?!" She shouted.

Sheng Lanci heard the news. When Sheng Weiqiao was scolding the chief steward, he happened to arrive to give her some comforts. He was furious after hearing that, "Junk! You did your job in that way?!"

The chief steward pleaded his guilty words after words with a very careful mind. Because Sheng Weiqiao wanted to visit her aunt's family, after Sheng Lanci took over the task of teaching them their lessons, she snorted and walked away to her room to change clothes.

She didn't know that the chief steward started explaining right after she left, "My master, it was not that the guards sat back when Miss Sheng was being bullied. When they were just going to take action, Mr. Sheng had started earlier."

He whispered, "After Mr. Sheng gave Miss Sheng a helping hand, Miss Sheng expressed her thanks to him. Although she didn't call him brother, the tension between them was obviously eased!"

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about!" Sheng Lanci replied angrily, "Since they followed my sweetheart, it was absolutely their fault to make her angry! Stop explaining! Everyone will be beaten 20 times with rod, with no cheating on the number!"

With his voice down, he said, "You know how to beat them. Then, you take 20 taels of silver from the accountant as bonus. Remember to let them follow again next time my sweetheart goes out."

Sheng Weiqiao didn't know she was going to be fooled. She returned to Zhuying Mini Villa. In the room, she washed her face and hands. Lvjin twisted her braids into two spiral buns, decorating them with coral beads begonia flowers. Then, she put a pair of glazed hair clasps into the spiral buns. The body and pendants of the hair clasp were made of glazed gla.s.s. Its sparkling surface was in harmony with the dyestuff little plum between her eyebrows, making her delicate skin more attractive.

Also, she wore a short jacket with narrow sleeves, embroidered with magnolia flowers, and a pink G.o.ddess-fond dress with golden lines on it (like the pleated dress).Her slender waist was surrounded naturally with pine-green and gold clouding patterns. Such dressing was for meeting guests. After a while, she arrived at the Jinxue Hall, where Old Madam Ming lived. Just after crossing over the threshold, Sheng Weiqiao heard cheers by Sheng Lanxin. She joked with a smile, "Wow! Was there a little fairy losing her way and coming here by mistake?"

"Aunt always makes fun of me!" Sheng Weiqiao said with a bashful smile. After giving a salute to each of them, she said sweetly, "Aunt came here so early this time. Today, when I was stopped by Little Jiuniang outside, I couldn't believe who I saw in front of me!"

At the beginning of the next month, it would be Senior Master Sheng's birthday. In previous years, Sheng Lanxin also came back to celebrate the birthday with her husband and children. Because she was the mistress of her family with many affairs to handle, they usually arrived one day or two earlier before the birthday.

However, this year, they had arrived seven or eight days earlier than before. Sheng Weiqiao felt not only pleasantly surprised but also a little amazed.

Sheng Lanxin felt her amazement and said with a smile, "We came here earlier this year for the sake of your cousin. She has been fascinated by painting recently. At first, I invited a painting teacher for her, but she thought him too old-fas.h.i.+oned. I remembered that your mother was a painting master. You know that your cousin has always been a faithful follower of your mother since she was a little child. Now that there was an excuse for her, she always kept asking me to bring her over earlier to see her teacher. In spite of many affairs at hand, I couldn't resist her continual pleading. Thus, we departed earlier lest her constant bothering!"

Of course, that was an excuse.

In fact, after Madam Feng went to her parents' family several days ago, Old Madam Ming sent people to persuade her a few times. All of them were politely refused by the Feng Family. Old Madam Ming was afraid that Sheng Lanci was also unable to cheer her up. Sheng Lanxin shared a close relations.h.i.+p with her sister-in-law before her marrying, and Madam Feng always cared about her feelings. Thinking about that, Old Madam Ming sent her daughter a letter to ask her to come back earlier and give her brother a helping hand.

The Old Madam had her own considerations.Sheng Lanxin was her biological daughter, but Sheng Lanci was not her biological son, even though they had the same father. If Sheng Lanxin could do her brother a favor, it would be easy for her to ask for his help if the Old Madam and Senior Master Sheng pa.s.sed away.

There had always been nothing for Sheng Weiqiao to worry about, so she was a naive girl. Since Sheng Weiqiao didn't understand the inner meaning, she asked Shen Jiuniang with interest, "Little Jiuniang, why have you suddenly changed your att.i.tude toward painting? Hadn't you said that the tiresome colors made you feel dizzy?"

"Tell you again! Call me cousin." Shen Jiuniang rolled her eyes and then said, "Couldn't I change my mind?"

Then, she pointed at a new porcelain hair clasp in her hair, reminding Sheng Lanxin, "Mother, didn't the fourth brother just say that both I and Big Weiqiao have one hair clasp?"

"Oh, my poor memory!" Sheng Lanxin patted her forehead. She asked the maid to fetch a porcelain hair clasp similar to the one in Shen Jiuniang's hair. "The hair clasp was bought by Silang for its unique design. It is very cheap. Just take it as a toy." she said.

The porcelain hair clasp was in the shape of a lotus flower, with one petal unfolded. Dewdrops on the petal, the lotus flower was as natural as a real one. As was said by Sheng Lanxin, the porcelain was of low value, but the novelty was its highlight. Taking the porcelain hair clasp, Sheng Weiqiao played and appreciated for a while, and then put it in her hair. She smiled at Shen Silang, "Thank you, cousin!"

Shen Silang was with a heroic appearance. His eyebrows were thick, eyes big, nose high and mouth wide. He was also very straightforward, replying with one hand waving, "In a hurry to come back, I have not found any good stuff. I will take a trip to the North in the next half of the year, and then I can bring you something better!"

Sheng Weiqiao had a small talk with him, asking about lifestyles in the North. Then, she talked with Shen s.h.i.+san, who was only six years old. With an opposite temperament to his brother, he was a shy boy. A few words spoken, he hid behind Sheng Lanxin.

After a while of coaxing by Sheng Lanxin, he dared not to go front. She said with embarra.s.sment, "Maybe that is because I wished it a girl to keep Jiuniang company when I was pregnant. Although s.h.i.+san was a boy, he seemed even shyer than a girl!"

"He will grow up less shy!" Old Madam Ming said. "You came here just on a few occasions. Without many communications with Weiqiao, it is natural for him to be shy."

Looking at the sky, she was about to talk about the dinner to be served. But a maid came in and said, "There is a letter from the Senior Master, saying that he has been on the way to the family!"

Senior Master Sheng had left home to visit an old friend, who lived in Cangwu County next to Nanfeng County.

Though two counties bordered each other, there would still be several days' journey between their town areas. As a soldier ever in the army, he usually rode horses instead of taking the carriage on the journey. That was convenient too. However, counting the days before his birthday, it was less than ten. It was time to go back.

Old Madam Ming nodded slightly after hearing that. Before asking the girl to put the letter in the room where she would read after dinner, the maid added, "The messenger told that the Senior Master would come back with the successor to Ningwei Marquis. Besides offering birthday congratulations on behalf of Ningwei Marquis, the successor seemed to have something else to do, and thus staying here for some days. Senior Master hoped that you could make some preparations for it."