Ink Burns

Chapter 82 Nominal Family

A white banner was hung at the Liu Mansion that day. Liu Huan wrote a letter to "Qingfeng"'s superiors in the capital, and reported to Princess Jing'an's Mansion to save Liu Hezhou's life. She also took the opportunity to report mourning. Although she lost her post as the Director of the Grain Transport Commissioner, she still had the title of fifth rank. After twenty-seven months of mourning, she could be reinstated or transferred as she wished, and her future would not be affected.

With the help of "Qingfeng", he might be able to get a better job!

So on the third day, Liu Huan knelt in mourning in the mourning hall, crying with all her heart: "My father! My father!"

You died so well! So fast! So awesome!

Your son always looks down on your little hobby which is not presentable!
Now, what's the big deal?
You are a true hero who sacrifices his life for justice!

After you are buried, your son will burn two paper-made little maids with maidservants to accompany you!
Liu Huan cried so hard that she almost died.

Everyone who came to pay their respects was moved.

"What a filial son! He cried like his father had died."

After saying that, I suddenly remembered, isn’t this just the death of my father?
Everyone exclaimed: I never heard that this father and son have such a good relationship!

Shanyue was also wearing linen clothes and kneeling in the corridor outside the hall, burning paper. The brazier was burning brightly - even though he was afraid, Shanyue did not dare to avoid it.

Kneeling beside him were the women of the younger generation of the Liu family. The wives and children of Liu Huan and Liu Jia had all returned from the capital. However, the journey was too long and they had not arrived yet.

Now, the person in charge of the Liu family's backyard is Shanyue's nominal mother, Qiu. The day after Liu Hezhou's death, Liu Huan became rich.

Members of the Liu family arrived one after another, and the first to arrive were the family of Liu Hezhou's father, who he planned to arrange for Shanyue - his cousin Liu Heping, the third child of that generation.

Liu Heping was a failed juren who failed the imperial examination three times. He returned home to take care of the chores and teach the younger generation in his family.
His wife, Qiu, was also from a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River. Her family had produced a third-rank official, but no one in three generations had passed the imperial examination. For a family of scholars, the road to ruin was not far away.

The couple looked fairly honest.

Liu Huan introduced Shan Yue to them: "Before the old man died, he found a girl for you. He wanted to send her to the capital to be the wife of a third-rank official. You can meet her and remember each other's faces. If this third-rank official cannot marry, then your uncle and aunt will take care of her funeral."

Shan Yue bowed and saluted.

Qiu first looked at Shanyue's hands. His left hand was fine, but his right hand was a little rough, with slightly larger knuckles and callouses on several fingers.
I had a rough idea in my mind, and she was a girl of low birth;
Looking at her face again, Qiu nodded and said to Liu Huan with a smile, "Last time I gave it away, I borrowed the name of my aunt's niece. This time, it's more precious, so I directly use the surname Liu."

Qiu was not worried about anything else. She hesitated a little, only worried about whether it would cost money: "..everything else is easy to deal with, but there is a dowry for marriage and a funeral for burial. I don't know if the public will recognize this?"

The last time, the dowry was provided by their family. The woman she married was a poor Jinshi who had just passed the imperial examination. There was nothing special about him. The only saving grace was that he worked in the Censorate.

The dowry was only eight hundred taels, which made her feel so sad.

This must be made clear no matter what.

Liu Huan frowned: "Someone will pay for it, so don't worry, aunt." - Your vision is too short, no wonder the family didn't let the third uncle become an official.

Liu Huan added: "Ask her to cry at Dad's funeral. This will make it easier to deal with the matter later."

Then she asked Qiu to take Shanyue to the separate room to "have a cup of tea and have a chat between mother and daughter."

Qiu walked straight to the front, and Shanyue followed behind with her head down. Qiu suddenly stopped, turned around, raised her chin, and looked at Shanyue from head to toe with a hint of arrogance. She looked at Shanyue from head to toe with a critical look: "I know that you girls of lowly origin are the most cunning. You are willing to do anything to climb up. Since the Liu family has chosen you, you should be smarter. If you get into trouble, bite your tongue and die, don't involve us."

There is a girl in the family who is waiting to get married!
Shan Yue bowed and said, "Yes."

Qiu added, "You don't have to call me mother. I don't know whether our mother-daughter relationship will last long or short - just call me Madam."

Shanyue still bowed and said, "Yes, Madam." Qiu shook her handkerchief in disgust, told Shanyue not to follow, turned around and left, and the old woman beside her frowned and complained, "In my opinion, it's redundant to bring in that useless 'Qingfeng'. These girls are useless! It's a disgrace to the family tradition! As for this one - I bet it's not a good one, not even a third-rank official! It must be another dying, sick old man."

"I don't know where this girl came from, but she will definitely do anything to serve a man."

The old woman hurriedly replied, "That's right! She has a pretty face, but she has a bad temperament. Who knows what kind of person she is - maybe she's a prostitute raised in a brothel!"

Qiu patted the maid: "Don't talk nonsense!"

Then she covered her lips with her handkerchief and laughed, "These girls have no choice. They are not from the same background as us. They can only find ways to survive by competing for men."

Qiu did not intend to avoid Shan Yue, and her voice was clear and audible.

It doesn't matter.

Shanyue has long been accustomed to the arrogance of these so-called powerful people.

Liu Huan performed to her heart's content in front of the mourning hall. In the corridor of the mourning hall, Shan Yue tore off the yellow paper and threw it into the brazier with an expressionless face.

With a "buzz" sound, the fire rose up.

A girl should be pretty and filial.

Shan Yue was wearing a linen dress and a white scarf. She lowered her head, revealing her pointed white chin and thin lips as light as flower petals. She looked calm and gentle.

The female relatives who came to the mourning hall in the backyard of the Liu family to pay their respects all cast their eyes on Shanyue as they passed through the corridor among the flowers.

"Is this the girl from the Liu family?"

"It seems to be from Liu's hometown."

"I heard that he is quite talented and can draw beautiful pictures!"

"Really? She's really good-looking. Why are the Liu family hiding her? It just so happens that I have a young son who's unmarried. Magistrate Liu just passed away. After a hundred days, we can arrange to meet her."

The person kneeling beside Shanyue was Qiu’s biological daughter, Liu Boyu.

These words make people angry when they hear them!
Liu Bozhu looked up at the sister who had just arrived in indignation: What's the use of having a beautiful face? Once a pariah, always a pariah!

Liu Boyu pushed his shoulders inward, pushing Shanyue to the ground.

Shanyue suppressed his fear and passed his right palm over the brazier, which immediately caused a series of blisters to form.

"Ah——" Shanyue suddenly burst into tears.

Grandma Liu, who was standing by, grabbed Shanyue's wrist, took a deep look at Liu Bozhu, and first settled Shanyue in the side room, with a slightly anxious look: "You have to go up the mountain the day after tomorrow and you must pick up a brush to paint. If that little girl is naughty, you should stay away! If you burn your hands, how can you go to the selection!"

After a while, the blisters on the palms of my hands began to burn with burning pain.

Shan Yue's eyes were red, she tried to hold back her tears, and she choked up and said, "I hid, but I didn't hide well. I saw Cheng Erlang coming earlier. If not, why not ask him to come and see me quietly? He's a miracle doctor, maybe he has an emergency solution?"

"Even Hua Tuo didn't carry ointment for burns!" Grandma Liu complained, but she knew that this was the best way: "You sit down! I'll go call Doctor Cheng!"

　There is one more update to make up for yesterday's.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)