Annual Ceremony

Chapter 41 End of Heat (I)

But Mrs. Jiang was determined to finish the song, with tears streaming down her face and a sincere expression of emotion.

Zhenyi saw this and suddenly looked up to Mrs. Jiang. Her behavior of crying and singing seemed hypocritical and exaggerated at first glance, and might even be vulgar in the eyes of some literati, but from the perspective of worldly etiquette and decency, it was also a comprehensive approach.

Crying loudly is also a very distressing thing. This lady came to cry in her busy schedule, doing her best to save face. At least it shows that the other party has no disrespect for the Wang family. Even though the eldest grandfather has passed away, the third uncle still has to mourn at home for three years.

Although the other party is a merchant, at least he did not flatter the powerful and bully the weak, no matter whether it was out of sincerity or other considerations. The sincere ones are valuable, and the thoughtful ones are cautious and will not easily do anything superficial.

Therefore, looking at Mrs. Jiang crying bitterly and always being able to break free and slide back to her original kneeling position no matter how hard she was pulled, Zhenyi actually felt a little more at ease about her elder sister's situation in the Jiang family.

But this peace of mind is only a slight guarantee.

Especially when Zhenyi learned about Jiang Mao's style from Qian Yuling, she couldn't help but become more worried about her elder sister's future.

While Mrs. Jiang was crying bitterly, another group of scholars came to pay their respects. Among them was a young man whom Juzi recognized.

The boy who was always at a loss when facing Shuyi in the past has now grown into a calm and composed young man. The young man was allowed into the mourning hall first by the group of people.

That was Wen Yiheng. He had now achieved the title of Juren (a juren) and his father had been promoted and transferred to Zhejiang. The future of both father and son was bright.

The smoother things go for some people, the more likely they are to feel ashamed of past deeds that were not done impeccably. Every time Father Wen recalled how he was about to get engaged to the Wang family but broke off the engagement because Prince Wang was exiled, he felt that he had failed in his moral conduct and always suspected that others would talk about him and criticize him in private.

Although the breaking of the agreement was the result of his old mother's strong advocacy, Father Wen knew very well that he had indeed hesitated, and even his mother's "unreasonableness" became his most decent shield at the time...even though he knew very well that the prince had impeccable moral character, but he fell into disgrace due to his sharp edges and official conflicts.

Wen's father, who was unable to leave due to his post, wrote a letter to instruct his son to visit the Wang family to pay his respects when they returned to Nanjing with the coffin.

Wen Yiheng knew that his father was ashamed and even guilty. He had all the same feelings as his father, but in addition to that, he also had his own unique feelings.

Wen Yiheng, who is three years older than Shuyi, is already 24 years old this year, but still has no marriage.

As her son got promoted and her grandson passed the imperial examination, the old lady of the Wen family became more and more discerning. Over the years, she had almost searched all the boudoirs in Jinling City for her choice, but she still felt that these Han girls from small families were not good enough for her grandson - her grandson should go to the capital to take the imperial examination next year, and marry a young lady from the palace of a military minister, a grand secretary, or a prince or a noble family. By then, their entire Wen family would be well-matched, and that would be truly a perfect match!
Every time the old lady of the Wen family talked about this idea, she was so excited that she couldn't close her mouth. Wen Yiheng always listened but never said a word.

But this morning, before Wen Yiheng left, the old lady of the Wen family was muttering in gratitude, thank goodness that she had not married into the Wang family in the first place, otherwise the Wang family would have fallen into such a state, and Wang Zhefu would not have been pardoned until his death, and who knows how he would have dragged down her Wen family. It was really a blessing from the Buddha that the ancestors had opened their eyes. It was really the right thing to miss this marriage in the first place, and it also showed that the Wang family really did not have the blessing of making a comeback -

Wen Yiheng lowered his voice rarely, reminding his mother that she shouldn't have broken her promise first and said such words to add insult to injury.

The old lady of the Wen family was stunned for a moment, then she smiled and comforted her grandson: [Grandma is doing this for your own good... If you don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it again! Our family's good days are ahead, why do we mention these trivial things in the past? It's unlucky to talk about them too much! By the way, you just need to go through the formalities today, don't stay too long, and don't drink tea at a funeral. It's okay on weekdays, but you're going to Beijing to prepare for the exam soon, and we want everything to be auspicious and auspicious... It's also your father's fault for being petty, why did he insist on you going there in person...]

The old man kept on talking harshly, and Wen Yiheng felt even more powerless. He said nothing more and turned to walk out.

At this moment in the Wang family mourning hall, Wen Yiheng saw Shuyi.

Shuyi knelt beside her mother-in-law, persuading and supporting her, without looking up. Perhaps she was aware that Wen Yiheng had arrived, but because she knew he was coming, she was afraid that raising her head would lead to criticism.

Following his wife's suggestion, Wang Xipu quickly invited Wen Yiheng and his party to the side hall for tea.

When Mrs. Jiang finally stopped crying, Shuyi and her mother helped her mother-in-law to the back hall to talk.

Qian Yuling wanted to talk to Shuyi about the past, but she waited a long time for Shuyi to come out from the back hall, so she said to Zhenyi, "Zhenyi, let's go sit in your yard first and wait for your elder sister to come find us."

Qian Yuling said as he bent over and picked up the orange, first holding it high up, then holding it in his arms and kissing it: "Our oranges are still as firm as they were in the past."

She held the cat in her arms, turned her head, raised her chin, and said to her husband, "I'm going to talk to my second sister. You go home and look for your brothers."

Kuai Jiazhen saluted jokingly: "Yes, Madam, please go, please go."

Qian Yuling is still the same as before, there is no change at all - Orange, whose hair is disheveled due to being rubbed in Qian Yuling's arms, thinks so with a look of despair on his face. When he thinks about how long he will have to lick his hair to make it neat and decent again, he feels tired and his expression becomes more speechless and numb.

Qian Yuling waited in Zhenyi's room for an hour, but Shuyi still didn't come.

Since her mother-in-law was here, Shuyi felt that she should serve her all the time. Moreover, Wen Yiheng was also here today, so Shuyi did not dare to walk around without her mother-in-law's sight.

Qian Yuling shook her head: "Now it's so difficult to sit down and talk with her... It's really not easy to be the daughter-in-law of the Jiang family." There seemed to be something in her words. Zhenyi knew that the brothers of the Qian family were always well-informed, so she asked: "Did Sister Jiuying hear anything?"

"Sister, you don't know?" Qian Yuling understood, but felt helpless: "That's right, you've only been back for a few days. It seems that she hasn't said a word, and your third aunt is also hiding it..."

Zhenyi learned from her sister Jiuying that now all the business of the Jiang family is under the control of Mrs. Jiang alone. Not only is Jiang Mao useless, he also spends all his time in brothels and boats, and it is common for him not to go home for ten days or half a month.

Looking at Jinling and even the world at large, this situation is certainly not an isolated case, it can even be said to be common. However, for Shuyi, who has yet to get pregnant, how difficult it is is something that outsiders may not be able to understand.

"Zhenyi, you are still young, there are some things I shouldn't tell you, but I know that you have been precocious and very clear-headed since childhood..."

Qian Yuling held the oranges and sat in the chair, raised his thin eyebrows, and said solemnly: "Your elder sister's current situation is certainly not the worst, but it is only temporary. If you don't make plans early, I'm afraid that difficulties are still to come.

It would be best if we could have children, but no one can predict this, so we should not just focus on this matter… It is not a long-term solution for the Jiang family’s business to be supported by the Jiang family’s wife alone. Shuyi is literate, so perhaps this is an opportunity. If she can establish herself and stand firm through this, no matter what happens in the future, Jiang Mao will have to respect her and give her some respect…”

Zhenyi understood and agreed very much.

Since there is no way to change the environment, instead of complaining and worrying about gains and losses, the elder sister might as well seize the opportunities around her that can help her stand firm and try to seek a way to save herself.

Zhenyi thanked Sister Jiuying and said seriously, "I will definitely persuade you, elder sister."

Qian Yuling nodded: "I hope she can listen to it."

When Qian Yuling finished speaking, he stood up holding the orange, and saw a painting hanging on the wall. He couldn't help but laugh in surprise: "Zhenyi, you still keep this painting?"

Zhenyi stood up and looked over: "This is the first gift painting I have received. Sister Jiuying painted it so well, so of course I have to keep it well."

Qian Yuling smiled and said, "Sister Zhenyi's poem is also very well titled."

Looking back now, both the painting and the poem are shallow and immature, yet overflowing with childlike innocence and spirit.

Juzi, who was still imprisoned in Qian Yuling's arms, also looked into the painting and saw the majestic orange cat who was the supervisor. Then he saw Zhenyi in her childhood, Wang Yuan who was sleeping soundly, and Old Wang who was dozing off with his pole.

The painting is right in front of us, but the time in the painting can never be returned, and even the people in the painting can never be seen again.

Orange suddenly felt a little sad.

Qian Yuling naturally changed the subject and talked about her plan to publish a collection of poems - a bold statement she made many years ago, but now she was really going to put it into action.

"Zhenyi, you will write the preface for me then." Qian Yuling said with a smile, "You promised me this before. If you dare to go back on your word, I will write a poem to attack you!"

That was a promise made long ago when I was young. I had almost forgotten it, but now I suddenly remembered it. It was as if I was pulled back to the Lantern Festival when I was seven years old, when the lanterns in Sui Garden were as bright as day.

The elder sister at that time was only about thirteen years old, like a white orchid that was about to bloom, clean, soft, fragrant and young.

At this moment, the elder sister was as thin as a slightly yellowed leaf, and the silent veins on the leaves were the marks left by the years on her body.

Zhenyi finally found an opportunity to talk to her elder sister.

Three days later, Zhenyi accompanied Shuyi to Qixia Temple to burn incense and worship Guanyin.

On the way to Qixia Temple, passing by the water, I heard many beautiful songs.

That was the singing of the water chestnut-picking girls of Jinling. They rowed a basin or a small boat, slowly moving across the water, picking water chestnuts with plates and singing from time to time.

Having adapted to local customs for many years, I can now tell the difference. Whenever this song appears, there are fresh, crisp and cool water chestnuts to nibble on. As I nibble, the beginning of summer heat arrives.

Therefore, Juzi thought that the god in charge of the solar term of Chushu must also love to eat water chestnuts, which is why he comes to the human world at this time every year - but Zhenyi should never hear this, because Zhenyi, like the stubborn old Wang, does not really believe in gods.

　I haven't updated for a few days. Hehe, I sneaked up late at night.`
　
(End of this chapter)