The sun gradually became hotter, hanging brightly in the sky.
The voice of the servant in front gradually became hoarse, and the count was finally completed.
Wen Tang asked Mrs. Zhou to take him downstairs to drink a bowl of cold tea, and then rewarded him with two cents of silver. The servant thanked him profusely and happily took the silver and went downstairs.
Then Mrs. Zhou ordered the maidservant beside her to bring out the pastry mountain, which contained ghee, honey, ice chips, and garnished with red cherries and mint leaves. She also asked the maidservant to bring out the crystal pears that had been rinsed with well water. The water droplets rolled down the smooth pear skin and dripped onto the celadon plate.
Wen Tang scooped a little of the cold crispy mountain with a silver spoon and took a bite. After consuming a little, she stood up and chatted with Mrs. Zhou about the affairs of the mansion, and walked along the corridor into the depths of the garden.
Outside the corridor, the banana leaves are curled up, the purple orchids are wilting, and the heat is steaming.
The two were discussing the allocation of ice for tomorrow when a slender figure hurried over from the corner of the corridor ahead and almost bumped into them.
Wen Tang looked up, but the person who came in lowered his head suddenly like a frightened bird, and covered the lower half of his face tightly with a white handkerchief in his hand, leaving only the flushed ears and the skin on the sides of his neck exposed.
"Stop! Which courtyard are you from? Why are you so rude?" Mrs. Zhou stepped forward, her voice carrying the authority of a housekeeper.
The person then slowly raised his head, but then quickly lowered it. At just one glance, Wen Tang recognized that this was the cousin brought by Aunt Yun's family yesterday.
"Greetings to Grandma."
She asked Wen Tang how he was in a low voice, then hurried away in small steps.
As soon as she left, Wen Tang raised his head and stood in the corridor with Mrs. Zhou. But after a while,
A tall figure appeared from the moon-shaped gate of the garden. Qin Changkun was wearing a Hangzhou silk robe and holding a gold-sprinkled folding fan. He had the leisurely demeanor of a nobleman. But when he saw Wen Tang, he stepped forward politely and greeted his sister-in-law with a smile.
Wen Tang, "Hello, Second Master."
He came closer and there was a smell of powder on him.
Qin Changkun greeted and asked about his elder brother Qin Gong's recent situation.
In the other corner of the garden, behind the rockery made of Taihu stones.
Fu Jiu followed his master Qin Gong back from the government office. The emperor always attached great importance to Qin Gong's birthday. Not only did he grant him three days of rest, but rewards were also carried into the Duke's Mansion like water. He also wrote a plaque with his own hand in the morning court, and sighed in front of all the civil and military officials in the court, "My dear, your bearing and demeanor are quite similar to my own when I was young." As soon as these words were spoken, I don't know how many people envied him. When the court was over, several ministers surrounded Qin Gong and praised him for his dragon-like appearance and phoenix-like temperament, and said that he was deeply favored by heaven and had an outstanding demeanor.
After hearing their flattery, Fu Jiu pondered carefully. The deep, sharp expression in her master's eyes and eyebrows, and his aura of authority without anger, were indeed somewhat similar to those of the emperor on the throne, but he was more aloof and cold.
Fu Jiu followed Qin Gong along the shady bluestone path toward the inner courtyard. Towering ancient locust trees lined the path, casting a cool, refreshing ambiance. A pond of emerald lotus flowers spread beneath the scorching sun, with the occasional red carp leaping from the water, echoing with the gurgling sound of flowing water.
Just as he passed a clump of green bamboo, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
Fu Jiu almost bumped into it, but luckily she was quite skilled and managed to catch herself in time.
"Master?"
Fu Jiu peeked out from behind the eldest master, and then looked along the corridor. Under the corridor was the eldest grandmother, with Mrs. Zhou beside them. The second master, with a smile on his face, stood in front. The eldest grandmother and the second master were chatting and laughing.
Fu Jiu scratched his head thoughtfully, then took the initiative to go forward and greet the grandmother.
Qin Changkun was facing his eldest brother. When he looked up, he saw his eldest brother standing in front of him. He immediately smiled and his smile became even brighter.
He bowed, "Greetings, sir."
Wen Tang also turned around and knew that Qin Gong's leave had been approved. It was truly a unique favor from the emperor to receive such grace on his birthday every year.
Wen Tang walked to Qin Gong's side, turned his head, glanced at her, and then nodded lightly to Qin Changkun.
Qin Changkun's eyes moved back and forth between his brother and sister-in-law, his smile carrying a hint of mischief and meaning, and he bowed and left with great tact.
"Master, how many days of vacation do you want?"
"Three days," he replied.
Even though it was a day off, his schedule was still packed. His first priority was to pay his respects to his ancestors and parents. As his wife, Wen Tang naturally had to go along.
The two men first went to the old lady to pay their respects and show their filial piety. After sitting for a while, they returned to the main courtyard where the Duke and the Duchess lived.
As soon as the two of them stood at the door, they heard a noisy sound from inside.
The Duke and his wife had a quarrel.
Two maids were guarding the door and looked awkwardly at the visiting couple.
Wen Tang looked hesitant. As a daughter-in-law, she encountered her parents-in-law arguing. It was not right to go in, and it was not right not to go in and pay their respects.
However, Qin Gong was obviously not disturbed by external things. He signaled the maid to go in and pass the message.
She tugged at Qin Gong's sleeve very lightly, but Qin Gong did not stop, as if he did not feel it. Wen Tang tugged a little harder again, and when she looked up, she found that Qin Gong was looking down at her with a questioning look.
Wen Tang lowered his voice and said, "Come back in the afternoon."
But just as she finished saying this, two maids came out and bowed to invite them in.
After entering, you can feel the stagnant atmosphere in the room.
The Duke sat on a chair beside him with a red face, but the Duke's wife sat at the head of the table, her expression as gentle as usual. When she saw them come in, she immediately smiled and told the maids to serve tea.
The couple greeted their father and mother in unison.
The Duke's wife smiled warmly and asked them to sit down and chat about family matters.
She first showed concern for Wen Tang, telling him not to lavishly celebrate his birthday, but to keep it simple and low-key, and also saying that she would ask the Second and Third Madams to help out. Then she turned to Qin Gong, earnestly advising him to take care of his health while handling official business outside and not to overwork himself.
For a moment, the three of them were talking and laughing, while the Duke sat alone beside the table.
The Duke's wife noticed Wen Tang's gaze and smiled. "It was just a few words, don't take it seriously. The Duke is so magnanimous, so open-minded. How could he hold a grudge against a woman like me?" Her eyes flickered, and she looked at her husband with a smile. "Master Qin, don't you agree?"
The Duke wasn't actually old. Just looking at the appearance of his children, one could tell he must have been a valiant young man. Born a military officer, he was extremely tall, his back straight and sturdy like a pine tree, giving him an imposing presence. As for why his back? It was because he had a round, baby-like face, framed by a pair of bright, round, dark eyes.
The old Duke felt that he could no longer sit in this room. Sooner or later, he would be driven to death by this woman.
"Father." Qin Gong looked up.
The Duke walked to the door with his hands behind his back and slowly turned his head back, saying in a dignified voice, "Yes."
"Listen to your mother. Keep your birthday party simple. When you're working outside, be careful with your words and actions and understand the ways of the world."
Qin Gong nodded, and the Duke's wife held Wen Tang's hand and gave him some instructions for a long time before letting the young couple go back.
The Duke's wife was quite satisfied and sat down to drink tea. She thought the eldest brother and his wife were the most sensible and lovely.
After the Duke's wife drank a sip of tea, she found that the Duke was still standing in the middle of the room. The Duke did not leave, but turned around and sat down again. After a long pause, he said, "Don't bother with women."
She thought he was going to say something, but the Duke's wife didn't bother to pay attention. She casually picked up the round fan on the table and waved it intermittently, "The Emperor always gives generous gifts on Gong'er's birthday every year without fail, and the little princess's gift is not far behind. Don't you think it's not ostentatious enough?"
"This year, people even said, 'Gong'er looks like him.'"
The Duke's wife was extremely dissatisfied with this matter, and it was because of this that she quarreled with the Duke.
"You won't refute it?" The Duchess's wife glared at him.
The Duke was in no hurry to speak. Instead, he remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "After all, Gong'er is..."
"What is it?" The Duke's wife interrupted impatiently, "He is your child, you have to take care of him."
The Duke's wife seemed tired of this topic and stood up, leading her two maids straight into the inner room. The Duke stood there, his childlike face full of sorrow.
It's the opposite, it's really the opposite (;′⌒`)
--
When Wen Tang and Qin Gong came back, Mrs. Zhou hurriedly instructed the maid to serve them warm tea.
Qin Gong obviously didn't plan to stay idle on the first day of his vacation. He took a sip of tea, then got up and went straight to the study.
Wen Tang looked at Fu Jiu who was standing beside him and asked, "Master, have you had breakfast?"
Fu Jiu bowed and said, "Grandma, I had a quick snack at the government office."
Wen Tang nodded and instructed, "Go to the small kitchen and ask them to prepare a bowl of shredded chicken porridge, a few light side dishes, pickled cucumber strips, bamboo shoots with sesame oil, fermented bean curd, and a plate of fried rolls, and send them to the master's study."
Wen Tang finished dealing with a few urgent matters at the mansion and went to the wing to check on the two children. By the time he finished these things, the sun had risen high in the sky and the heat had intensified.
She changed into summer clothes and went to see Second Madam Su Yi with Mrs. Zhou.
Su Yi's yard is full of flowers. Various roses, jasmines, and gardenias are in full bloom in the flower beds, and the rich fragrance lingers in the hot wind.
Thin bamboo curtains and insect repellent sachets are hung under the corridor.
Su Yi was sitting at the jade table under the wisteria trellis. When he heard the maid's report, he put down the pen in his hand and stood up with a smile to greet her.
She was wearing a pomegranate red dress today, paired with a moon-white skirt, and she looked bright and gorgeous.
Wen Tang walked closer and saw rice paper spread on the table with a paint dish next to it. "Are you painting?" Wen Tang asked with a smile.
She knew that Su Yi was lively and had many hobbies, painting being one of them.
Su Yi waved her round fan. "No, it's that fellow Qin Changkun. I don't know what's wrong with him today, he insisted on painting my portrait." She pointed at the table and said, "Look, he was just halfway through when he heard that my eldest brother was looking for him, so he put down his brush and ran away."
She pointed to the painting on the table.
Wen Tang walked closer to take a closer look. The painting was of Su Yi herself, lazily leaning on a white jade round stool beside the flowers, her hands supporting her cheeks, her smile as beautiful as a flower. The brushstrokes were delicate and her expression was captured very vividly.
"Second Master put a lot of thought into the painting." Wen Tang praised.
Su Yi disagreed, and waved his round fan loudly, "Who cares about his paintings? Thanks to my eldest cousin, he has some free time today and has the time to bother me." His tone was full of disgust.
The maidservant next to him served iced milk tea. Wen Tang took a sip while Su Yi slowly stirred the cheese in the cup with a small silver spoon.
Wen Tang thought of the scene in the garden that morning and carefully mentioned the matter in a tactful way.
Su Yi held the milk tea and took a few sips, "He dares."
"Do you really think your father-in-law's whip is just for show? You'll behave after a beating."
Su Yi was really troubled by that playboy. She asked why he was in such a good mood today and insisted on painting for her. It turned out that he had done something wrong.
This shameful thing.
Su Yi thought so, and then said it out loud, "Shameful thing."
--
The sun is shining brightly,
In the study, Qin Changkun sneezed elegantly into the air without any warning, then rubbed his nose. As soon as he raised his head, he met the unhappy gaze of his elder brother Qin Gong.
Qin Changkun had a toothache. He had finally had a few days' rest and was painting and chatting with his wife, enjoying the beauty of her beauty under the shade of flowers, enjoying the sweet company of his wife, but he was dragged to the study by his brother to face a pile of boring documents.
If he were to say, he would use this rare moment of rest to be with his wife.
He waved his folding fan boredly, trying to dispel the gloomy air.
As soon as the person behind the case raised his eyelids, Qin Changkun immediately put down his fan and sat up straight.
There were piles of documents on his desk, so he had no choice but to concentrate and devote himself to it.
It was almost lunchtime when Fu Jiu came in to answer.
Qin Changkun raised his beautiful peach blossom eyes from the pile of books, and his spirits lifted. Finally he was able to escape, so he quickly stood up and said goodbye.
Qin Gong, who was sitting behind the desk, also stood up at this moment. He glanced at his brother, who was fanning himself, and asked symbolically, "Do you want to eat here?"
"No need. Thank you, big brother." Qin Changkun bowed with a smile.
Qin Gong didn't really want to keep him for dinner, so he waved his hand and let him go.
Qin Changkun walked out, fanning himself with a beaming smile. Passing Fu Jiu, he caught a glimpse of the Tremella fuciformis soup in his hands and couldn't help but sigh, "Sister-in-law is so thoughtful, always thinking of you." Without stopping, he turned back and smiled at Qin Gong, "Brother, it's so rare for you to have a day off. Why bury yourself in official duties? You should spend more time with your sister-in-law, admiring flowers, playing chess, and painting. That's the real fun."
Qin Gong was still flipping through the book in his hand, without even looking up, "That's you."
Wen Shi does not act like a little girl, but is dignified and sensible. He is also not the kind of person who indulges in inner affairs, and his time should be spent on official business.
Qin Changkun thought he was unromantic and walked away.
Su Yi was in his own yard, leisurely sipping ice-cold milk tea, waiting for his embarrassing thing to come back.
After the maid informed him, Su Yi smiled brightly and went forward to greet him, "Cousin~"
"You're back."
Qin Changkun was so overwhelmed by his wife's bright smile that half of his body felt numb. He was dizzy and let Su Yi put her arm around his neck affectionately.
He lowered his head, his voice low and serious, "Cousin."
Su Yi nodded, and when Qin Changkun lowered his head and leaned over to kiss her, she grabbed his ear and said, "Qin Changkun, you shameless thing..."
"Oh! It's unfair, so unfair..."
The maid behind him quickly closed the door, as family disgrace should not be made public.
Compared to the chaos in the second house, the first house seemed exceptionally peaceful, even quiet.
Qin Gong spent almost the entire first day of his rest in the study. No one knew what he was busy with, but he was so busy with paperwork that he didn't come out until the hour of Xu.
Wen Tang was already coaxing the children on the warm couch. When he saw him come in, he signaled the wet nurse to take the children downstairs to rest.
The candle goes out late at night.
The two of them understood each other tacitly. One of them moved quietly to the inside of the couch, while the other took off his outer shirt.
As time went by, beads of sweat broke out on Wen Tang's forehead, and the man lying on top of her was breathing heavily.
With a muffled groan, Wen Tang clutched the brocade mattress beneath him. After finishing, the two went to the inner room to wash up before returning to the couch.
Qin Gong's voice was slightly hoarse after the event. "The birthday banquet will be held as usual. It will be held the same as in previous years."
"Yeah." Wen Tang responded softly.
The next morning, Wen Tang slept in for a rare night.
In the dim light, I could hear the baby's babbling voice.
She turned over lazily and lifted a corner of the bed curtain with her bare hands. In the dim morning light, Qin Gong was holding a child in each hand.
Xia Jie'er giggled in his arms, while Huai Ge'er babbled in baby talk that no one could understand, and his two little feet kicked restlessly on his father.
Qin Gong noticed Wen Tang standing up, and he turned around.
In the morning light, her long hair was spread out like a waterfall, and the collar of her nightgown was slightly loose, revealing a small part of her snow-white shoulders and neck.
She was sleepy, and her cheeks still had faint red marks from the pillow.
Seeing him, she smiled softly, and Qin Gong pursed his thin lips slightly.
At this time,
Mrs. Zhou, who was standing by, suddenly cried out in a low voice, her eyes wide open, "Brother Huai, you peed..."
Qin Gong was in the middle.
He was holding two children in his arms, and a warmth spread rapidly on his legs. He couldn't hide at all, so he lowered his head and met his son's gaze.
The child pouted at him, as if he would cry in front of him if he dared to speak.
Mrs. Zhou was already hurriedly directing the little maid, "Hurry up and get the diapers and the master's change of clothes, put them on quickly."