Ordinary clear day

Chapter 114
Yumin?Shuning was taken aback for a moment, then remembered that it was the future Sifu Jin.After she returned to Beijing, she hadn't seen this girl come to her door, she thought Wanning had alienated her, did she still have contact with her?
If it was in the past, when Wanning sent someone to invite, Shuning would have accepted immediately, but today, her mother said that she should not get too close to Wanning, so she hesitated for a moment and glanced at her mother.

Tong Shi just smiled lightly and didn't say anything.Shuning then said to Yue He: "I see, you go back and tell the second sister first, I'll come right away." Yue He gave a blessing to Tong Shi, and then backed out.

Seeing her disappearing from the back, Mrs. Tong turned her head and said to her daughter: "You did the right thing by not choosing her that day. I have never seen such a maid who looks more like a miss than a miss. People who don't know think that She's also a lady."

Shuning smiled, and asked: "Second sister invited me, what did Erniang say?" Tong said: "You go, I have heard of that Yumin girl, she is also a prudent and courteous lady, I really don't know With your second sister's temperament, how did you become close friends with her? It doesn't matter if you make friends with her, we used to be outside all the time, and we didn't recognize any of the ladies in Beijing."

Shuning agreed, went back to her room and changed into the clothes for meeting guests, then went to the bamboo courtyard.

Just walking to Wanning's small courtyard, I heard a strange girl's voice say: "There are so many people who died, and it took several days to choose, but luckily we participated in the selection on the first day. Once we entered the room, I was trembling with fear when I saw those girls sitting on it with stern faces, and the whole room was looking at us..."

At this time, Qiaoyun found Shuning coming, and hurriedly reported: "Miss San is here." Then she opened the curtain to let her in.

As soon as she entered the room, Wanning greeted her: "You're here, I've been waiting for a long time." She smiled faintly, looked forward, and saw two girls smiling at her.

The leader is Yumin, and she still recognizes him.It's just that Yumin has grown up a lot compared to back then, with a gentle smile on her round face and a more dignified temperament.At first glance, I thought she was taller than Wanning, but after a closer look, I found that she was wearing flowerpot bottoms, and against the azure cheongsam, she looked even more graceful and dignified.Taking a closer look, she also found that the material of her dress had faint phoenix tail patterns on the satin surface, but it added luxury.

The other girl must be Yumin's cousin. She is thinner and of average appearance, but her complexion is fair, and there is a small mole around her mouth, which adds to her beauty.

Shu Ning saluted, and said, "It's been a long time since I saw Sister Yumin, how is Sister?" Yumin also returned the gift, "I'm fine, and Sister Shu has grown a lot taller, I can barely recognize her." Then She pulled her cousin over and introduced: "This is my second aunt's cousin, named Luchan, who is one year younger than me." Shuning saluted Luchan again: "Hello, sister Luchan."

That Luchan said with a smile: "We are all well, there is no need to salute so solemnly, just now your sister said that good friends don't need too much courtesy."

Wan Ning dragged them back to their seats, ordered Yue He to pour tea, and said to Shu Ning with a smile: "You told us to wait. I heard that you just got into a fight with your brother? Is it true? I thought you were an old-fashioned and serious person, but I didn't expect you to fight with others."

Shu Ning glanced at Yue He, Xiao Mian, what do you mean?That Yuehe looked unconscious, looking at her nose with her eyes, and her heart with her nose. She poured a cup of tea steadily in her hand, held it in front of her, and whispered: "Miss, please drink tea." Then she quietly backed away.

Shu Ning smiled and said to Wan Ning: "How old do you think I am, yet you think I'm old-fashioned? Just joke around when my family is free."

Wan Ning said: "I'm relieved when you say that. In the future, someone will joke with me, so as not to be bored all by myself."

Yu Min said: "Actually, in my own home, I don't have to be bound by the rules all the time. Occasionally a joke can make my family get closer to each other. When I was a child, I used to have a dull temper. Since I met Sister Wan, I have become more cheerful. Yes, sometimes I chat and laugh with my parents and elders, they all say that I am more likable than when I was a child. As long as the etiquette is good, it will be fine."

Shu Ning nodded: "I think so too, I've always followed the rules. Just now, my elder brother was just scribbling on my face, and I chased him and beat him a few times. Who spread the rumor that we had a fight? "

Wan Ning leaned close to her face: "What's the painting? Let me see." Shu Ning pursed her lips and smiled, "It's been cleaned." Wan Ning said with a smile: "It turns out Brother Duan Ning would also make such jokes, I always pretended He is a master of Taoism, as soon as he saw me, he asked me to study my homework seriously."

At this moment, Luchan suddenly said: "Danning? So he is your elder brother?" Shuning and Wanning nodded, and she said cheerfully: "I've heard his name before, and others say he is civil and military. Shuangquan, good-looking, and friendly to others, many young ladies are talking about him." Yumin was a little embarrassed: "Where did you hear about it? I haven't mentioned these things."

That Luchan said: "Many people have mentioned it. The ladies who came to our family in the past, as well as the maids of various families, I also heard that the daughter of a Mongolian prince wrote to him. I don't know what to write. What is it?" She opened her eyes wide, looking at Shuning and Wanning with great interest, as if she was asking them about the content of the letter.

Wan Ning looked at Shu Ning, and Shu Ning said suspiciously: "I've never heard of my brother, when did it happen?" Lu Chan said: "I don't know about this, I also heard people say it, but that But the princess of a foreign vassal, maybe your elder brother will become the forehead. Have you never heard of it?"

Her elder brother never mentioned it, so it can be seen that there is no such thing. If you don't like it in your heart, let alone a princess, even a princess is not uncommon.Besides, the ideal daughter-in-law candidate recognized by the whole family is Zhenzhen. Although the two families are far apart, it can be seen from the letters between the two parties from time to time that my mother has no intention of changing her mind at all.

But Shu Ning also knows that if this matter is not completed, it will be difficult to tell outsiders for a day, but Lu Chan and Wan Ning are very interested in looking at her, and even Yu Min is waiting for her answer with a trace of curiosity. Come on, it's not easy to get by.

Yes, when she entered the door just now, she seemed to hear them talking about the draft, and she said, "I don't know where it came from, I'm afraid it's just rumors, what are you doing with it? Speaking of which, before I entered the door just now, you guys What are you talking about? Seems interesting."

As soon as she said this, she reminded Wanning: "By the way, we were just talking about their participation in the draft this year. As soon as you entered the door, it was over." She turned her head and said to Luchan: "Go ahead, After you entered the house, what questions did the ladies ask?"

Luchan laughed again: "It's very simple, just asking about family history. We thought we would ask some difficult questions. There is a beautiful girl from the same college as us. I heard that she will take a test of learning. The night before In the middle of the night, both eyes were swollen. When the lady saw it, she was so ugly that she immediately put down the sign, and she was still crying when she went out."

Wanning murmured to herself: "Don't you want to test your knowledge..."

Yu Min said softly: "Actually, more than half of the candidates for the show are illiterate. The selection of candidates in the palace is also based on character and family status. As long as you speak well and have a decent appearance, you will be able to pass the primary election." .When it comes to the empresses, it depends on each person’s artificiality. Among them, some empresses like to learn well, and some like to be gentle, it’s hard to say for sure.”

Luchan continued: "At that time, we had a selection with the beautiful girl with the yellow flag, and there were five or six people in one group. In my opinion, no one was better than my cousin. Once she stood up, her magnanimity made others It's all suppressed, and the ladies are all nodding."

Yu Min was a little embarrassed: "What nonsense, there are several girls who are better than me. If you say this, it's nothing to let Sister Wan and Sister Shu hear it. If it spreads, others will think I'm so frivolous."

But Luchan said: "What's the matter, I'm just telling the truth, many people say so. I also heard a father-in-law tell people, cousin, you are the best in everything, now write down your name and leave There will be re-election in one term, and nine times out of ten she will be worthy of the prince. According to my opinion, the only one who can be worthy of my cousin is the prince."

Yu Min's face was already blushing so much that he was about to bleed: "Don't talk nonsense, the emperor has already taken a fancy to the candidate for the crown princess, so is this nonsense?"

Luchan waved her hand indifferently: "It's the lady from the Shi family. I think she looks good, but she is not as good-looking as your cousin. You are lucky. You have a better chance of winning than her."

Wanning opened her mouth: "Too..." She stopped suddenly, cleared her throat, and said, "Although the princess is very beautiful, as the future queen, she must be cautious in everything, and her life is too depressing. If it were me , I would rather live a relaxed and leisurely life than be this hardworking princess."

After hearing this, Luchan asked suspiciously: "Can Elder Sister Wan be the Crown Princess? You didn't run for the election this year. Wouldn't it be too late to choose after three years?"

Wanning was stunned: "I didn't mean that..." "No? But didn't you just say that you don't want to be this hard-working princess? You haven't participated in the audition yet, so you wouldn't be a princess in the first place."

Wan Ning opened her mouth wide, and Yu Min hurriedly said, "Sister Wan means that it's very beautiful to be selected as the crown princess, but even if you can't be selected, it's not necessarily a bad thing. You didn't understand what she meant."

Lu Chan flattened her mouth: "So that's what it means, then just say it straight, what's the turn?"

Wanning pursed her lips tightly and did not speak.Yu Min was embarrassed.Shuning could see it, this girl Luchan was a little white-minded.

"Did sister Yumin encounter anything interesting during the audition?" She changed the subject, "Show girls come from all over the world, so they must have different personalities, right?"

Yu Min understood what she meant, and hurriedly continued: "Actually, there are two to three hundred contestants this year, and seven to eighty candidates for the re-election. They live in several courtyards. I haven't met many of them. Except for the beautiful women in the two adjacent courtyards, I haven't met many others. Among the 80 or 40 people I have met, the northern ladies are dignified and dignified, while the southern beauties are delicate and graceful, but each has its own advantages."

Wanning softened her face, and asked curiously: "I heard that women in the palace don't like girls who are too slender, is it true?" Yu Min smiled and said, "I don't know about that."

Luchan interjected again: "No way? The Wang Yumei who lives in the yard next to ours is from the south of the Yangtze River. She is so thin that she would collapse in the wind. Her voice is buzzing and buzzing, which is not much louder than a mosquito. She was there that day. Being named a nobleman, it can be seen that the emperor likes girls like her."

Yu Min opened her mouth and said in a distressed way: "Sister Chan, don't say such things anymore. Wang Gui is a talented person who knows everything about piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and his speech is also gentle. How can you be so careless like you. Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore." It’s about the draft, let’s talk about something else.”

Luchan pursed her lips again: "It's not what I want to say, but sister Wan wants to hear it." Wanning ignored it, and secretly decided to invite Yu Min to come over another day, and then ask about the situation of the draft that day.

A few girls chatted about women's red needles, and Yumin heard that Wanning had made great progress in needlework recently, so she took a handkerchief embroidered by her and said: "I look very good, but you really are He is a very thoughtful person who can always think of unique patterns that others can't think of, but he is too lazy to do it himself. As long as you work hard, you can learn it quickly." Then he talked about how beautiful the colors of the embroidered patterns on handkerchiefs are. .

Shu Ning echoed from the side.She didn't speak against her conscience. This picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water is already Wanning's best work ever.

Luchan took the handkerchief and took a look, then asked, "Why do you want to embroider water ducks? Usually people who want to embroider are mandarin ducks, right?"

Shu Ning knew it was not good as soon as she heard it.Miss Luchan, although you look at those two birds as water ducks, they actually look like mandarin ducks.

Sure enough, Wanning's face darkened when she heard it: "This is a mandarin duck!"

After hearing this, Luchan looked at the veil again, and said strangely: "But I look like a teal..."

"Luchan!" Yu Min interrupted her, "Why did you forget what I told you before I went out? You are always so open-minded, I dare not take you out again!"

After hearing this, Luchan had no choice but to shut her mouth obediently, but Wanning's face was already very dark.In the following time, only Yumin and Shuning talked peacefully, and the other two didn't interrupt.

When Yumin took her cousin to say goodbye, she pulled Wanning away apologetically, and said in a low voice, "Your cousin speaks poorly, so please don't worry about it."

Wan Ning said with a sullen face: "I won't be angry with you, but what's going on with her? It seems like she intends to embarrass others."

Yumin smiled embarrassedly: "It's really not intentional. She has been like this since she was a child, open-mouthed, innocent and straightforward. She lived in our house after she came to Beijing. Originally, my mother-in-law said that she would invite a nanny to teach her. But my aunt said that she can't change her temper, and maybe she has turned into the temper of the nobles in the palace, so I can't say anything. Please bear with me."

Wanning reluctantly nodded, and then said: "Come back in two days, come alone, let's have a good talk." Yu Min nodded with a smile, then said goodbye and left.

Shuning said to Wanning: "Miss Luchan has a special temper."

"What's so special? Heartless, disgusting, no wonder you lost the election." Wanning picked up the handkerchief and said fiercely, "I embroidered a beautiful mandarin duck, but she actually laughed at me?!! " Then he glanced at a box on the table, called Yan Yun and said, "This is the snack brought by the two girls just now, I am not used to it, you can share it." Yan Yun thanked with a smile on his face, Take the box and go.

Seeing that she was upset, Shu Ning didn't stay any longer and left to go back to the hospital.

Back to Huaiyuan, I practiced calligraphy for a while, but I heard that the little girl came to invite her, saying that Zhang Bao and Tong Shi asked her to come over to discuss something.She told Dongqing to wash the pen and collect the stickers, and then went to the main room.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw Zhang Bao, Tong Shi, Duan Ning and Xiao Liu Shi all there. After saluting, she sat down on the stool next to her and asked, "There are so many people here today. What do you want to say, mother?"

Tong Shi and Zhang Bao looked at each other, and said: "Actually, your Aunt Liu has an idea. She plans to live with Xiaobao in the mountain forever, and won't come back to the mansion."

Everyone looked at Xiao Liu, and saw her lower her head and said slowly: "I've thought about it, it's not an option to always live in the mansion. The people below might gossip, and..." She paused After a pause, he took a deep breath and said, "Aunt Guo's family has other relatives... I heard that I live in the mansion with my son, and they all came to see me..."

Tong frowned: "They just want to extort money, just ignore them. I have told the stewards and servants at the gate that they are not allowed to come in. You live in the deep house compound, what can they do?"

But Xiao Liu shook her head and said: "Although they can't see me, people outside will always hear some clues. I don't care about it long ago, but I don't want to involve you and be gossiped. Besides... There are a lot of people in the house, if someone finds out the truth...wouldn't it be trouble for you?"

Tong was stunned: "This... can't it? Now the elder sister-in-law is in charge, she won't say anything." Zhang Bao said: "It makes sense for you to say that, but it's hard to protect the house if you live in Fangshan. Those people won't come to you."

Xiao Liu hurriedly said: "Even if you come to the door, the servants there are all from your own family, even if they make trouble in front of the door, you are not afraid that other people in the house will find out."

Tong's head was lowered to calculate, Zhang Bao thought about it, and immediately made a decision: "That's how it is. You can live in the past, where there are mountains, rivers and fields, and all the people who use it are our own people, which is better than staying in the mansion. Be more comfortable. When Wang Er comes back in two days, I will tell him to tidy up the yard where you live."

Xiao Liu stood up happily and thanked her, but Tong seemed to want to say something, but she still didn't say anything.

But this matter is certain, but there are other problems.Duan Ning said: "Originally our family only planned to live in Fangshan and the capital alternately, and the housekeeper just followed suit, but now that my aunt wants to live there for a long time, she has to appoint a steward alone. Now Wang Er is in charge of the renovation of the house Should he continue to take care of matters big and small in the future? There are three stewards in our courtyard, each with their own duties, but now it’s a bit chaotic, and we have to rearrange it."

Tong said hurriedly: "Duan'er's words are very true. I didn't think carefully." She turned to Zhang Bao and asked, "What's your husband's idea? Wang Er usually goes out with you, but he needs someone to take on him." seat?"

Zhang Bao pondered for a moment, then said: "Let him take care of the affairs of the Fangshan house for the time being, Changfu will continue to take charge of the overall situation, and Lin will be in charge of the warehouse and monthly money on Thursday, and let Changgui take charge of going out. Let's take care of it later. Think of a charter. You know, we will have two residences in the future, and many personnel and affairs will have to be rearranged."

Tong smiled and nodded in agreement.

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Duanning went to the Imperial College early in the morning, while Shuning stayed at home with her mother.Tong took out the roster of male and female servants in the courtyard and rearranged their seats. From time to time, she asked her daughter about the temperament of a certain servant and what position he was suitable for.

Near noon, Shu Ning heard the girl's report that Duan Ning was back, so she picked up a new belt that she made for her brother, and went to the courtyard gate to greet her. Leng might as well see Duan Ning bumping in, with an ugly expression on her face, and hurriedly asked: "Brother ,What’s wrong with you?"

Before Duanning could answer, a thin female voice came from ahead: "Danning! Don't run away!"

(End of this chapter)