Chapter 9 The Worried Old Madam Ming

The old friend that Senior Master Sheng visited was Xu Baoting, whose son was the Ningwei Marquis, named Xu Zijing.

Those two elderly people met in the army when they were teenagers. During the years of war in Beijiang, they warded off arrows and swords with their own body for each other, saving each other on many occasions. Therefore, they had a very deep friends.h.i.+p.

After their leaving from the army because of the old age, they no longer stayed with each other day and night. Later on, the Xu Family was conferred as the Marquis. Such changes didn't estrange them. On the contrary, they became more closely a.s.sociated.

Nevertheless, there was a huge gap between their social cla.s.ses. Old Madam Ming got very nervous.

Although her daughter, as well as her daughter's family, had just arrived, she was in no mood to entertain them. She sent a maid to call over Sheng Lanci to have a discussion, "I have no idea what the Young Lord is going to do here, and whether we can help him or not. Furthermore, is he used to live in an ordinary family like ours?"

"Though he has a high status, he came back with my father, so he would live in our family as a junior." Sheng Lanci said. He had entered the Imperial Academy as a Jins.h.i.+, during which he met Ningwei Marquis and his family for one time. He was not intended to pay homage to the Young Lord, saying carelessly, "Clean up a few yards and let him choose one to live in. Even if there is something he is not used to, he will not show that in consideration of the deep friends.h.i.+p between my father and Uncle Xu."

Old Madam Ming forced a smile after hearing the answer, "Wouldn't that make him feel aggrieved?"

"The Young Lord will also kowtow to pay his respects to you. Why do you think so highly of him?" Sheng Lanci said with a smile, "Moreover, he will not be here right away. Considering the time of my father's departure, there will still be a few days before their arrival. Why are you worrying about that now?"

Before Old Madam Ming said anything, he stood up and said, "It's a busy day for my parents-in-law, so I dare not to bother them. Tomorrow, in the early morning, I have to go to their family and pick up Yinlu! If there is nothing more to be told, may I go back?"

Old Madam Ming said with a sigh, "I have nothing to tell you now. You can go back."

Alas, the stepson was thinking of nothing but his wife who had returned to her parents' family. It's no wonder that he was careless of the Young Lord's arrival!

Now, the Old Madam could do nothing but prayed that Madam Feng would be successfully taken back by Sheng Lanci. Then, he could take charge of the reception without distractions.

Except for Sheng Lanci, people in the Sheng Family could mess things up. If anything was not done by him, they would be worried. After many years, the habit was gradually formed.

However, the result was opposite to her expectation. The next day, Sheng Lanci went out in the early morning, with lavish gifts, and came back near the curfew, with a sad face.

Old Madam Ming sent someone to make some inquiries and learned that although the Feng family let the Eldest Master enter the door, they led him to a small parlor, where he was served with cups of tea for the whole day. They didn't serve him even some biscuits, let alone the lunch. When it was very late, the Eldest Master was considering to live there, while he was driven away.

"My sister-in-law was a pearl in the palms of my brother and her family. With sudden sufferings like that, it was inevitable that she couldn't figure things out for a little while. It was only one time that my brother had been there. Tomorrow, she might be softhearted. After all, Weiqiao was still here," Sheng Lanxin consoled the Old Madam after feeling her sadness, "If my sister-in-law decided not to come back again, how come she left Weiqiao at home?"

Old Madam Ming thought it reasonable. The couple had always been in a close relations.h.i.+p since getting married. The only had one child, Sheng Weiqiao, who was the apple in their eyes. No matter how much hatred Madam Feng had for her husband's betrayal, she must not be apart from her daughter. After one or two days, she would come back with an excuse.

It was a good trick of Yinlu and her mother! For consecutive 5 or 6 days of going out early and coming back late, Sheng Lanci saw no traces of Madam Feng. Old Madam Ming suggested that Sheng Lanxin accompany him to visit her. Madam Feng could ignore her husband who took the b.a.s.t.a.r.d home, while she might not treat her sister-in-law in the same way, since they shared a close relations.h.i.+p.

However, Sheng Lanci insisted on his view to move his wife and the Feng family through his persistent efforts. He was in a mood to play the role of a model of deep love. Old Madam Ming stamped with rage, "The Senior Master and the Young Lord will arrive the day after tomorrow. You didn't even glance at the yards prepared for him. All work was left to the steward. How come you behaved like that?!"

His stepmother complained with tears and snort. "Call Shuihe to deal with those things then!" Sheng Lanci, who was about to go out, said after listening patiently, "Wasn't it just about checking whether the yard was okay? It's a trivial matter, and we can ask Shuihe to walk around there to have a check!"

After saying this, he went away without caring about the Old Madam whose face turned deathly pale because of anger!

"Since the elder brother told us to make Shuihe in charge of that, why were you so angry?" Sheng Lanxin came to console her mother after hearing the news, "The elder brother had been in the Imperial Academy, so he didn't treat the Hou Mansion with so much reverence as us. But he dared not to take it carelessly. In my opinion, the elder brother had already decided to hand it over to Shuihe. After all, he only brought back Shuihe without his mother, with a clear intention to have a son of his own. Since his son has come back, there was no doubt that the family business would be handed over to him. He wanted Shuihe to show his ability in the reception, not only for the Sheng Family but also for coming into contact with the Young Lord."

After hearing her daughter's words, Old Madam Ming had a more peaceful mood, saying, "But Shuihe has been outside these years, can he handle that properly?"

"He is the only son of the elder brother. Even if he was raised outside, the elder brother must have asked someone to teach him." Sheng Lanxin said, with funny and annoyed feelings, "Furthermore, the elder brother has mentioned that he is junior to us, because my father is bringing him back. That's right. So, don't worry too much about that!"

"I have said that the eldest branch must have a son. Didn't it confirm what I said?" Old Madam Ming said with a sigh, "Since Lanci already had his own plan, why not just speak out? If so, I would not have been anxious for days. Now, thinking about it with a peaceful mind, I know the reason. He might be afraid of Weiqiao's opposition. From my point of view, it was a little earlier to take Shuihe home. Weiqiao is thirteen years old, and she will get married in a few years. At that time, being a wife of someone else, she will not be as headstrong as she is now. Even though he has taken many considerations into account, Weiqiao will bother him after knowing Shuihe's a.s.signment! Let's see."

Old Madam Ming hit the nail on the head!

A maid told Sheng Weiqiao that Sheng Shuihe took charge of the reception of the Young Lord. Then, she threw the jade comb into the dressing-case instantly and said, "The friends.h.i.+p between the Xu Family and our family spanned two or more generations. However, due to long-distance, we cannot communicate with each other often. It is the first time that the elder brother of the Xu Family came here. Father called the b.a.s.t.a.r.d to take charge! Was he serious?"