Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 265 Relatives' Meeting Gift

In fact, Sheng Changquan was not mistaken; Sheng Changbai did indeed secretly smile!
……

With the help of the Sheng family father and son, Hai Chaoyun's life as a new bride was not difficult. In fact, she felt even more comfortable because of her husband's thoughtfulness.

Of course, Hai Chaoyun's rivalry with her mother-in-law did not stop.

However, due to the vast difference in their skill levels, coupled with Sheng Hong's supervision and Sheng Changbai's occasional secret assistance, Hai Chaoyun had become thoroughly familiar with Madam Wang's tactics in just a few days.

Then, she used stillness to control movement and softness to overcome hardness, quickly escaping Madam Wang's attacks and becoming a good daughter-in-law praised by everyone.

Of course, this "everyone" excludes Madam Wang.

Because, no matter what, she was still very dissatisfied with her daughter-in-law.

Or, to put it another way, she just doesn't like anyone!

—As long as the other party is her daughter-in-law.

However, this was inevitable, since from this day forward, her son Sheng Changbai would no longer belong solely to her.

As a mother, Madam Wang would naturally feel disappointed, and therefore, the resulting conflicts were inevitable.

And since ancient times, all conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have been traced back to this, which Sheng Changbai also finds very frustrating.

Fortunately, Madam Wang's methods were limited, and with her husband Sheng Hong keeping her in check, Hai Chaoyun's life after marrying into the Sheng family was peaceful and uneventful, with no major incidents occurring.

On the other hand, in the entire Sheng family, apart from Madam Wang, no one else really dared to give Hai Chaoyun a hard time!

Leaving aside Sheng Hong, since he still hopes his son can rise to prominence by leveraging the Hai family's influence, even other people, such as Lin Qinshuang and her daughter Mo Lan, who don't get along well with Wei Ruixuan, wouldn't dare to act recklessly in front of Hai Chaoyun.

Firstly, they lacked the confidence that Hai Chaoyun possessed.

After all, their backing, the Sheng family, was not as powerful as the Hai family.

Secondly, they didn't have the same qualifications as Wang Ruofu to make things difficult for the other party.

After all, Madam Wang is Hai Chaoyun's rightful mother-in-law, while Mo Lan is at most a sister-in-law, and as for Lin Qinshuang, she is even less worthy of being mentioned.

Out of respect for her father-in-law, Sheng Hong, Hai Chaoyun could still barely manage to talk to her. If she knew what was good for her, then so be it. But if she didn't understand her place, then Hai Chaoyun would naturally not be polite and would definitely make her understand what rules meant!
After all, as Sheng Changbai's wife, Hai Chaoyun understood very well that she was destined to stand on Wei Ruixuan's side.

The third point, which is also the most important reason why Mo Lan and the others dared not provoke the other party, is that the two of them simply could not outmaneuver Hai Chaoyun!

After all, Hai Chaoyun is not a naive and innocent person, as she comes from a long-established family.

It must be said, this is a sad story.

then.

……

That day, after Madam Wang was dealt with by Sheng Hong, Sheng Changbai first took his wife to Shou'an Hall to pay respects to the old lady.

Inside Shou'an Hall, the young couple paid their respects to the old lady for quite some time before slowly withdrawing.

Immediately afterwards, Sheng Changbai took Hai Chaoyun to meet his siblings.

Sheng Changquan and his siblings remained seated in the front hall, not leaving, as they all knew that their eldest brother would be bringing his new wife to meet them.

As expected, Sheng Changbai and his wife soon walked in from the outer room.

As soon as Sheng Changbai entered the house, he immediately pointed to Sheng Changfeng and introduced him to Hai Chaoyun: "My wife, this is my third younger brother, Sheng Changfeng!"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changfeng's expression immediately turned solemn, and he respectfully bowed to Hai Chaoyun.

"Changfeng greets Second Sister-in-law!"

Because Sheng Changbai is the second oldest son, with an older sister named Hua Lan, that's why everyone calls Hai Chaoyun that.

The reason why Sheng Changfeng respected Hai Chaoyun so much was because of the Hai family's prestige, especially their status in the minds of scholars.

Sheng Changfeng, who prides himself on being a romantic and talented scholar, values ​​his identity as a scholar highly, so his reaction is not surprising.

"Third brother!"

Hai Chaoyun bowed in return.

However, seeing Sheng Changfeng's respectful manner towards her, Hai Chaoyun was also extremely surprised.

After all, having learned about the Sheng family, especially after the explanation from her eldest sister Hua Lan yesterday, Hai Chaoyun naturally understood how deep the filth between Linxi Pavilion and Weirui Pavilion was!
However, she didn't show it on her face at all, but quickly took something from the tray held by the little maid next to her.

"Third brother, this is a gift I prepared for you. Please accept it!"

As a new bride, Hai Chaoyun still had to give gifts to her husband's family.

"Ah, is this Mr. Hu's 'Parting Clouds over the South China Sea'?"

Sheng Changfeng looked at the ancient book in front of him and his face immediately showed a hint of wild joy!
Mr. Hu was the most famous Confucian and Taoist master at the end of the Daqian Dynasty. He was known as a master of both poetry and painting, and his calligraphy was unparalleled!

He painted countless works throughout his life, but few of them survived to the present day, and most of his original works were destroyed by the imperial court!
The reason is that Mr. Hu was proud and aloof, regarding worldly power and wealth as fleeting clouds, and he had no fear in his heart.

Or rather, his heart was filled with only the righteous path of heaven and earth!
Mr. Hu devoted his life to nature, living a carefree and unrestrained life, and he didn't care about worldly rules at all. At the same time, he lived alone and had no descendants.

I had always known that the world has always valued the continuation of bloodlines!
As you can see, even the grandest dynasties have always been passed down through bloodlines and offspring.

Even a humble tenant farmer's family will still strive to pass on their family line!
This also shows that Mr. Hu was open-minded and carefree, unlike ordinary people!

Because he truly didn't care at all that he had no descendants and that there would be no incense offerings to worship him in the future.

However, it was perhaps precisely because of his unrestrained nature that he dared to challenge imperial power and criticize the tyrannical and incompetent ruler on his own!

In his final days, when he witnessed the tyrannical and cruel behavior of Emperor Yang of the Qian Dynasty, who treated the people like pigs and dogs, Mr. Hu stepped forward and used his brush to strike at Emperor Yang's sore spot, creating a scroll titled "The Great Qian Dynasty's Tyranny"!
It is said that the painting "The Great Qian Dynasty's Unjust Rule" is extremely realistic and terrifying, almost perfectly replicating the hellish darkness of the people under the rule of Emperor Qian Yang, making everyone who has seen the painting feel as if they have fallen into hell!

It was precisely because of the powerful effects of this scroll, "The Great Qian Dynasty's Unprincipled Map," that Mr. Hu met his demise.

After sensing Mr. Hu's will, Emperor Qianyang was so enraged that he personally raised his sword and chopped off Mr. Hu's six yang heads!

From then on, the world lost one extraordinary person.

On another note, this "South China Sea Cloud Clearing Map" is a work by Mr. Hu when he was young. It mainly depicts the mysterious sea of ​​clouds he saw when he traveled to the South China Sea.

Magnificent and ever-changing, it is truly a wonder of the world!

"Indeed, Changfeng, this is indeed an authentic work by Mr. Hu!"

Sheng Changbai, standing to the side, looked somewhat envious.

"Your sister-in-law knows you like ancient paintings, so she specially found this scroll of Mr. Hu's original work for you from the Hai family's collection!"

Sheng Changbai spoke up to explain the situation to his wife.

"Ah, thank you, sister-in-law!"

Sheng Changfeng hugged the painting in his arms tightly, his excitement was indescribable.

Judging from his appearance, even if Sheng Hong asked him to let go at this moment, he probably wouldn't agree.

"Actually, if this wasn't a gift your sister-in-law specially found for you, I really wouldn't want to give it to you!"

At this moment, Sheng Changbai finally couldn't hold back any longer and began to speak his mind: "Changfeng, otherwise, would you like to lend me this 'South China Sea Cloud Parting Map' to savor it for a while?"

"How about you take it after I've copied it a few times?" Sheng Changbai asked tentatively.

"no!"

Without even thinking, Sheng Changfeng shook his head and refused: "Second brother, this is a gift from my second sister-in-law, I can't give it to you!"

"If you want to copy ancient paintings, you should just ask your second sister-in-law!"

Sheng Changfeng had a very good impression of Hai Chaoyun at this moment, and his gratitude towards her was beyond words. In the end, he could only thank her repeatedly: "Thank you for the gift, sister-in-law. Changfeng likes it very much!"

As he spoke, Sheng Changfeng, holding the scroll "Parting Clouds over the South China Sea," bowed to Hai Chaoyun once more.

"Hehe, I'm glad my third brother likes it!"

Hai Chaoyun covered her mouth and chuckled, her face beaming with a smile, seemingly unsurprised by Sheng Changfeng's reaction.

When she took the painting from home, her brothers' reactions were exactly the same as Sheng Changfeng's.

However, the difference between the two is that they represent two extremes.

One was extremely happy, while the other was extremely sad.

"Official!"

After dealing with Sheng Changfeng, Hai Chaoyun prepared to take out the gift she was going to give to Mo Lan, but at that moment she found that her husband was still staring at the painting in Sheng Changfeng's arms!

This scene left Hai Chaoyun both amused and exasperated!

"My lord~"

Hai Chaoyun called out helplessly.

"whee……"

When Minglan and Rulan saw their second brother looking like this, they couldn't help but hide behind him and secretly laugh.

"Ah? My wife!"

Startled awake by his wife's call, Sheng Changbai reluctantly looked up and replied, "My wife, don't worry, I'm coming right away!"

Since things have come to this point, Sheng Changbai has no choice but to give up on his entanglement with Sheng Changfeng.

He shook his head, and finally had no choice but to walk to Hai Chaoyun's side and reluctantly introduce Mo Lan to her: "My lady, this is my fourth sister, Mo Lan."

"Shh!"

Hai Chaoyun glared at her husband with a hint of annoyance, but she wasn't angry at all; instead, she found him quite adorable!

Although Hai Chaoyun was not unfamiliar with Mo Lan, the reason she insisted on Sheng Changbai introducing her was because it was a common custom.

After all, the introduction by the official symbolizes using the official as a bridge to allow the husband's family to accept the new bride.

However, it contains the beautiful hopes and aspirations of our ancient ancestors.

"Fourth sister!"

After Sheng Changbai finished his introduction, Hai Chaoyun took out a black jade pendant depicting landscapes and presented it to Mo Lan.

"Fourth sister, this piece of black jade is something I specially found for you. It is the most fitting item for your name, and I hope you will like it!"

Mo Lan accepted the black jade and curtsied, saying, "Thank you, Second Sister-in-law. Mo Lan likes it very much!"

Although Mo Lan behaved very properly, she seemed aloof and distant, lacking any sense of closeness.

Feeling the warm, smooth texture of the object in her hand, Mo Lan appeared happy, but in reality, she felt a pang of jealousy.

"The Hai family is truly well-established; they can even find something like this so easily!"

Mo Lan felt a little resentful, thinking that the Hai family's foundation was simply too deep!
So profound was it that even Sheng Molan was somewhat overwhelmed with emotion!

The reason Mo Lan felt this way was because she had once searched desperately for a piece of black jade, hoping it could match her name, Mo Lan.

However, after searching for a long time, she found nothing. In the end, she could only find a flawed piece of ordinary black jade to carve.

How could Mo Lan not feel resentful?

After Mo Lan presented her gift, Sheng Changbai began introducing the others.

"This is my fifth younger sister, Rulan!"

Sheng Changbai pointed to Rulan and then to Minglan, saying, "Sixth Sister Minglan!"

"Whee!"

Unlike Mo Lan, Minglan and Ru Lan, the two sisters, were not "aloof." They approached Hai Chaoyun with familiar smiles and greeted her, "Hello, Second Sister-in-law!"

"Second sister-in-law, you are so beautiful!"

"..."

Of course, it was Rulan who spoke first, but it was Minglan who said the sweet words later.

"Humph!"

Mo Lan, who was not far away, felt even more uncomfortable when she saw this scene!
"That brat Minglan has absolutely no backbone!"

"They're blood-related sisters-in-law, so naturally they're close. But why did you go up to them? You're just making a fool of yourself!"

Mo Lan couldn't bear to see Ming Bai, who was also a concubine's daughter, being more popular than her, and she harbored resentment in her heart.

"Second sister-in-law, thank you for your gift, I love it!"

At this moment, Minglan did not notice the resentful look in her fourth sister's eyes, and continued to pester Hai Chaoyun with a smile.

"hehe!"

Sheng Changquan, watching this scene unfold, showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever.

To be honest, Minglan and the others were deliberately disrespecting Sheng Changquan, because their actions would only delay the delivery of Hai Chaoyun's gift.

"..."

"..."

a long time.

After the girls had been playing around for a while, Sheng Changbai finally spoke again.

"My wife, this is the seventh son I told you about, Sheng Changquan!"

When Sheng Changbai introduced Sheng Changquan at the end, he was somewhat different, seemingly more affectionate. He didn't even act this way when introducing his younger sister Rulan earlier.

"Changquan greets Second Sister-in-law!"

Sheng Changquan stepped forward, bowed, and remained calm and composed.

However, this is not the kind of indifference that comes from aloofness, but rather a composure stemming from one's temperament.

(End of this chapter)