Union

Chapter 186

The old lady looked at Yunying expectantly, hoping to gain Yunying's approval.

Before her identity was confirmed, Yunying didn't want to interact with any more "outsiders." But she could simply avoid other people; refusing to see her close relatives would feel too cold-blooded.

Put yourself in her shoes. If she had lost a close blood relative and was suddenly found, her eagerness to see them would probably be exactly the same as her cousin's.

After thinking for a moment, Yunying finally agreed, saying, "Then let's meet."

"Oh, oh, alright, once Yanliang arrives in the capital, I'll arrange for you to meet. He'er, don't worry, your maternal cousins ​​are all refined, gentle, and handsome. Oh dear, look at what I'm saying."

She wanted to reassure her granddaughter, thinking that her cousins ​​over there would surely be understanding and wouldn't put her in a difficult position. But listen to what she said—it sounded like she was trying to match them up. Good heavens, Yanliang already has a son; she has no interest in that kind of thing.

The old lady spoke a few more words with Yunying, then went back to rest.

But just as they settled into the house, a servant came in and said that the Rongguo Duke's Mansion had sent some fresh dishes.

It's still the first month of the lunar calendar, and the weather is very cold. Ordinary people can only eat potatoes, cabbage, and tofu to get through the winter. Noble families live a better life, and they certainly don't lack pork, beef, mutton, deer, bear paws, and seafood, but it's not easy for them to eat fresh leafy greens.

The Duke of Xuan's mansion certainly didn't lack these kinds of food, because the palace would occasionally bestow them upon them, and some powerful and influential people who were on good terms with them would also send them over.

There are hot springs in the outskirts of Beijing. For example, there is a hot spring pool in the villa of the Princess's Mansion. Vegetables are planted by the pool, so you can eat fresh vegetables even in winter.

The eldest princess was a kind-hearted woman, and being quite old herself, she maintained close relationships with the elderly ladies of the capital. Because of her frequent visits, vegetables would be delivered to her every now and then.

Furthermore, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion also had a hot spring villa in the suburbs of Beijing, and they often sent gifts to the Xuanguo Duke's Mansion in the past.

In the past, it was fine to send and receive things, but this time they sent so much at once that it was obvious at a glance why they deliberately added so much, which made me very angry.

The old lady was sulking, so she instructed her granddaughter-in-law, "Tell them that I want to eat meat these days and don't need these vegetables anymore. Send them back to them."

Yang Lingjia tried hard to suppress her laughter, "Grandmother, it's just some vegetables. The Rongguo Duke's Mansion has sent them to our mansion quite often in the past, so we'll just accept them."

Sending it back would be a further embarrassment and make us a laughingstock.

“I won’t accept it. I know what they’re up to. They’re trying to bribe me so I can marry your sister off. A few baskets of vegetables in exchange for my wonderful granddaughter? I won’t do it.”

Yang Lingjia chuckled, "They didn't say it explicitly, so let's just pretend we don't know."

"He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's gift is bound to him..."

“Grandmother, you should think like this. You are the matriarch, and the Duke of Rongguo was on good terms with my father-in-law, so he can be considered your nephew. What's wrong with accepting gifts from your nephew to you, his aunt?”

"Besides, my sister has had a poor appetite these past few days, barely eating half a bowl of rice at each meal. Maybe if we add a few more fresh vegetables, she'll be more willing to eat more."

The old lady was persuaded, but hesitated before asking, "Then should I accept it?"

"Take it."

“Alright, then accept it.” The old lady frowned and said, “But if they send anything else, don’t accept it. I feel uneasy thinking about how they care about your sister.”

Yang Lingjia couldn't help but laugh out loud this time, "I promise I won't accept it anymore, and I will never make you feel unhappy again."

The grandmother and granddaughter exchanged a few more words before Yang Lingjia went to attend to her work.

She needed to have the servants tidy up the guest courtyard again and check that nothing was missing.

My maternal grandparents' family in Jinzhou and my maternal grandparents' family visited each other frequently.

Perhaps they were worried that without their parents' care, the servants might neglect Gu Yuanming and Gu Yuanxi; or perhaps they were worried that if Gu Wangchen remarried one day, the two children would be disliked or schemed against.

The maternal grandparents in Jinzhou sent people to the mansion almost every month. This was both to check on Gu Yuanming and Gu Yuanxi and to maintain the relationship between the two children and their maternal grandparents.

Yang Lingjia had no doubt that if her father-in-law really remarried, and her husband and younger brother-in-law were unhappy living in the mansion, her maternal grandparents would persuade them to take them to Jinzhou to be raised.

Fortunately, although the grandparents were old, they were still senile and cherished their two grandsons like treasures, taking very good care of them. As a result, the maternal grandparents never mentioned the idea of ​​having the two children stay in Jinzhou for two months every year again.

But after abandoning the idea of ​​taking the child there to raise, people from Jinzhou started coming to Beijing even more frequently.

When uncles returned to the capital to report on their official duties, they would always make sure to come and visit; when brothers-in-law took the imperial examinations, even if they had houses in the capital, they would often stay at the mansion; not to mention the festivals, uncles and aunts would sometimes come to the capital in person to deliver gifts...

The maternal grandparents valued the child highly, and the paternal grandparents treated their in-laws with increasing affection. Thus, although the mother-in-law passed away early, the two families became even closer than before.

Yang Lingjia inspected the area and found nothing amiss.

This guest courtyard was specifically for accommodating guests from my maternal grandfather's family in Jinzhou. The servants, knowing the importance of the task, would normally be somewhat perfunctory in their work, but on this occasion they would absolutely not dare to be careless.

After walking around like this, it was noon in noon.

In the afternoon, Gu Yuanming asked his superior for leave and waited for his cousin at the mansion.

He wouldn't have needed to be so cautious in the past, but this time was different; there were some things he needed to explain to his cousin beforehand.

Gu Yuanming returned to his residence and had lunch with his beloved wife. After a short rest, the two went to the old lady's courtyard.

Before she had even finished drinking a cup of tea, hurried footsteps sounded outside. "Madam, Young Master, our seventh son-in-law has entered the city gate and is heading towards the Duke's mansion."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuanming did not hesitate any longer. He told his grandmother and went to the gate to greet her.

A moment later, a commotion arose outside the courtyard. The old lady had Yang Lingjia help her to the door, where she indeed saw two men of similar stature approaching hand in hand.

One of them was naturally Gu Yuanming, and the other, needless to say, was Chu Yanliang, Yuanming's cousin.

Chu Yanliang had outstanding facial features, typical of the Chu family. He had gentle eyes and a refined temperament, and wore a light blue brocade robe. He looked elegant and reserved, just like the green bamboo outside the window.

When the old lady saw Chu Yanliang, her eyebrows and eyes curved into crescent shapes, and her face was full of wrinkles from smiling.

Chu Yanliang greeted the old lady politely, exchanged a few pleasantries with her, and then casually glanced around the room.

The result, naturally, was that nothing was found.

Chu Yanliang could no longer hold back and asked the old lady, "Where is my cousin now?"

The old lady glanced at Gu Yuanming. Gu Yuanming and his cousin had only had time to briefly talk about recognizing their relatives and Yunying's request to confirm her identity on their way here, but they hadn't had time to mention anything else.

At this moment, he spoke up on behalf of the old lady, saying, "My sister's forehead injury hasn't healed yet, and she's currently recuperating in the east wing of Grandmother's courtyard."

Chu Yanliang already knew how Yunying was injured, but he didn't know the more detailed things. He truly didn't know how serious Yunying's injuries were, whether she would suffer any aftereffects, or how well she was recovering.

But since he arrived, his cousin has not shown up, which means she must be seriously injured.

Chu Yanliang's expression immediately turned sour, but he managed to maintain his composure and politely asked the old lady if he might go to see his cousin.

The old lady naturally did not object.

Gu Yuanming said, "You should take a bath and rest first, and then go see He'er after you've filled your stomach."

Chu Yanliang lowered his head and looked at the clothes he was wearing.

He traveled wearily to the capital, wishing he could travel for twelve hours a day. He endured wind and rain, sleeping outdoors, and nearly frostbitten himself. His clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, and his appearance was probably not much better.

This is so inappropriate.

How could I look like this when I first met my cousin?
Chu Yanliang slowly exhaled before agreeing to Gu Yuanming's words and looking at Yang Lingjia, saying, "I'll have to trouble you again, cousin-in-law."

Yang Lingjia quickly said, "We're all family, don't mention it. Cousin, you don't need to be so polite in the future."

After exchanging a few more words, Gu Yuanming took Chu Yanliang back to the guest courtyard to bathe and rest.

The commotion here naturally couldn't be kept from Yunying.

In fact, before the maids could even come over to explain things to her, the old lady sent several of the younger generation away and then came to Yunying's place again.

The old lady said, "Your maternal cousins ​​are all exceptionally talented. Over the years, they have taken turns going to the capital to participate in the imperial examinations and have achieved many successes."

However, few members of the Chu family stayed in the capital; after passing the imperial examinations, they were all sent to serve as officials in other regions. The only one who stayed in the capital was a relative of the Chu family beyond the fifth degree of kinship, and it was likely this person who delivered He'er's news to the Chu family.

The old lady then spoke of Chu Yanliang, who had come this time.

"He is also a handsome man, and looks very steady and dignified."

After searching the entire Chu family, only this cousin was the closest in age to Yunying.

Although the two are cousins, they are only a month apart in age.

Chu Yanliang is only eighteen this year, the prime of his life for studying, and shouldn't be getting married so early. But not only did Chu Yanliang get married, he even had a son before the new year.

There are reasons for this, of course.

Yunying looked at the old lady and asked eagerly, "What's the reason?"

Yunying asked this not because she was particularly curious about the matter, but simply because she saw a sense of regret in the old lady's eyes.

If nothing unexpected happens, the old lady must be regretting that Chu Yanliang got married. If he hadn't, he would be about the same age as Yunying, and he was quite promising. They were cousins, and Yunying would have been married to her maternal grandparents, so there would be no need to worry about her being mistreated.

Yunying felt a chill just thinking about cousins ​​getting married.

She quickly tried to divert the old lady's attention, telling her not to have any designs on Chu Yanliang, since he already had a wife and children.

The old lady, as expected, had no time to regret it and continued, "Yanliang has a childhood betrothal arranged by your maternal grandfather."

Actually, the marriage wasn't originally intended for Yanliang, but for his elder brother. However, his brother died before reaching the age of three, so the marriage fell to Chu Yanliang.

This explains why Chu Yanliang married so early, when most men were of marriageable age. His wife was four years older than him, and his father had passed away at the time.

This is a serious matter of mourning, and one must observe the mourning period for three years.

The woman was almost twenty at the time; if she had finished her mourning period, she would have been twenty-three, making her a true old maid.

With no other option, the two could only get married during the mourning period.

What a pity, if they weren't married yet...

If they are not yet married, then the two are engaged. It's not right to let her granddaughter steal someone else's fiancé, is it?

There are plenty of good men in the world, so why steal someone else's man?

Her granddaughter is such a talented person, she deserves the best.

As the old lady continued her rambling, Yunying gradually relaxed.

Because she was meeting with outsiders today, she kept herself alert the whole time, never letting her guard down.

Amidst the old lady's constant nagging, Yunying felt her body gradually become lighter.

She gradually felt tired, her eyes closed uncontrollably, and she unknowingly fell asleep.

The old lady noticed these things immediately and felt extremely soft-hearted.

She reached out, wanting to touch her granddaughter's fair and radiant cheeks, but then decided against it.

I woke the child up again.

But just looking at it like this, my heart still melts completely.

The old lady once again expressed her regret, wishing that He'er had grown up by her side since she was little.

The old lady sat for a while longer before returning to the flower hall.

After tidying up carefully and having a sumptuous lunch, Chu Yanliang mustered his energy and went to the old lady's courtyard.

But when he arrived, Yunying had only been asleep for a short while.

Logically, if the guest had been treated poorly, the old lady would have called Yunying to get up.

But the old lady was unwilling, and Chu Yanliang also felt sorry for his cousin's difficult life, so he considerately said, "Don't wake my cousin up, let her sleep a little longer. I'll talk to you for a while. When I came over, my parents reminded me to give you their regards."

The two chatted about the past.

Last winter, the old master of the Chu family suffered a leg ailment and was in so much pain that he couldn't get out of bed.

Perhaps it's due to his age, or perhaps his health is truly failing, but the old man is sleeping less and less. Even when he does fall asleep, he frequently has nightmares.

Chu Yanliang said, "My grandfather dreamed of my grandmother many times, saying that she had come to take him away."

The old lady hurriedly said, "That's nonsense. Your grandfather was an expert in health preservation, and he was very healthy. He lived to see five generations under one roof."

Chu Yanliang smiled. These were nice words, but the truth was not so.

My grandfather was indeed skilled in health preservation, but that was before my grandmother passed away.

Suffering the consecutive loss of his daughter and wife, the grandfather became mentally devastated and suffered a great blow.

If it weren't for his two older cousins, my grandfather would probably have passed away long ago, following my grandmother.

But with his two older cousins ​​still young and no one in the Chu family capable of truly supporting the family, his grandfather gritted his teeth and persevered.

Recently, however, my grandfather has been dreaming of my grandmother more and more frequently, and occasionally he even cries in his dreams, saying that he has seen my aunt and that his time is up.

But his family all felt that he must have been thinking of his deceased wife and daughter.

It's truly a good thing that my cousin has been found.

Perhaps finding his cousin would cheer up his grandfather and allow him to live a few more years.

(End of this chapter)