Chu Wang Fei Chapter 40: Paying Respects to Grandmother

婶娘 shenniang – aunt; father’s brother’s wife
After what happened last night, Yun Ruo Xue hated Yun Qian Meng to the bone. Hatefully glaring at the foremost carriage, she led Wang mama and her servants onto the middle carriage.
Captain Liu waited until all the young misses had boarded their carriages before finally signaling with his hand, waving for them to set off!
Throughout the journey, the sights were bright and beautiful, the scenery enchanting; lacking the bustling and contrained feelings of the capital. Even if only sitting in a carriage, one could still feel the great freedom of nature!
Without Yun Ruo Xue in the carriage, Yun Qian Meng and Yun Yan got along happily. Particularly, Yun Yan who usually seemed delicate and feeble, after spending time together with Yun Qian Meng, actually seemed fairly lively. On top of that, she never did have the opportunity to leave the xiangfu, and was thus even more curious towards the outside world than even a modern person like Yun Qian Meng. All the way, faint laughter sounded from within the carriage, lifting up the moods of the guards outside!
However, in the other carriage, Yun Ruo Xue only felt like she was covered in haze. Especially when she recalled the disgrace she had suffered last night, with the laughter floating into her ears at this moment, she tightly gritted her teeth in hatred, while the handkerchief pinched by her hands had already lost its shape!
“xiaojie, why should you get angry for those people that have nobody to raise them? Please pay attention to your body, otherwise furen’s heart will feel pain!” Wang mama did not get a wink of sleep last night. Both her eyes were currently bloody, and her complexion had become a waxen yellow. But because of Yun Ruo Xue’s impulsive temper, she didn’t dare to even take a nap, and could only patiently advise her, “xiaojie, when we reach Su city, you must put your best foot forward when facing the old madam!”
Yun Ruo Xue creased her eyebrows after hearing this. She then retorted to Wang mama in a bad mood, “Really don’t know what mom is thinking, in order to plot against Yun Qian Meng, she actually insisted on bringing that old fart back to the xiangfu! The result? I get all the bad luck, while Yun Qian Meng and Yun Yan, those two sluts, are just fine! mama, what’s the matter with you? Is it because you’re old, that you can’t even handle something like this properly?”
Finishing, Yun Ruo Xue felt like the resentment she was choking back had finally been released. Her expression slightly improved, but she wasn’t in the mood to pay any more attention to Wang mama, and lifted the curtains on her own to look at the scenery outside……
Wang mama who was scolded by her almost couldn’t breathe. Her body momentarily leaned against the cushions in exhaustion, her eyes that were looking at Yun Ruo Xue filled with disappointment!
This kind of second miss, how could she even compete with the eldest miss?
Just their abilities to prevent their expressions from showing on their faces were already ten thousand miles apart. In less than a day, she had almost pissed to death the people on her side, only afraid that things will get even more troublesome when they reached Su city!
For the following days, the journeying party stopped to rest at Yun Qian Meng’s mother’s villas. Yuan Qing Zhou wanted to lodge with them, but Captain Liu had sent him away with the excuse that it was inconvenient!
By the fifth day, the group had entered the vicinity of Su city. After another four to six hours, the carriage passed through the clean and quiet bazaar and Captain Liu who rode in the lead saw the board inscribed with ‘Yun fu’
Captain Liu immediately turned his horse around, then had it trot before Yun Qian Meng’s carriage, before reporting through the curtains, “da xiaojie, we’ve arrived at Yun fu!”
“Okay!” Since they had entered Su city, Yun Qian Meng no longer casually lifted the curtains. When she heard Captain Liu’s report, she only quietly replied.
At the moment, Yun fu had already received the news a few days ago. Everyone had kept watch on the time, having opened the main entrance as soon as the carriages had entered Su city. The main wife of the second line in the family, Li shi had led the servants to wait at the gates since early in the morning!
When the carriages stopped, Yun Qian Meng and the others let the yatou help them off the carriages. Mi mama, near her ear, quietly informed her of the identities of the people before her. Yun Qian Meng only took the lead to step forward and, bowing before Li shi could open her mouth, respectfully said, “Qian Meng greets shenniang!”
Li shi had a delicate and pretty face, but her smiling eyes were faintly carrying prestige. It was clear that she was usually competent and shrewd, otherwise old madam Yun wouldn’t have given her the right to manage the household!
Yun Yan, following closely behind, saw this and followed Yun Qian Meng to bow. Only Yun Ruo Xue kept up her xiangfu’s young miss attitude, slightly bending towards Li shi, then put on an ugly expression and stood behind Yun Qian Meng without saying a word!
As this happened, Li shi looked closely, and mostly understood. She only gently helped Yun Qian Meng and Yun Yan up, then courteously said, “da xiaojie, san xiaojie, stop being so polite. The journey must have been hard, the old madam has been concerned for days!”
Yun Qian Meng smilingly said, “It’s shenniang who is too polite! We’re all one family, shenniang should just call us Meng’er, Xue’er and Yan’er!”
Li shi nodded with satisfaction, then brought them towards the old madam’s main house……
Yun fu was not as big as the xiangfu, but wherever one goes, there were pavilions and kiosks, rock gardens and water canopies, the winding corridors were extraordinarily exquisite, exhibiting in all respects the imposing style of a rich family. Even Yun Ruo Xue who self-proclaimed to be experienced and knowledgeable couldn’t help but be stunned!
Li shi maintained idle gossip with Yun Qian Meng throughout the walk, and also paid attention to the three young misses’ expressions. She only saw that the second miss’s eyes changed from disdain to envy; the third miss Yun Yan was cute and obedient from start to finish; while the eldest miss Yun Qian Meng had a penetrating gaze, always carrying a light smile on her face, her ability to keep her composure made even Li shi sit up and take notice!
While chatting, everyone had arrived before the old madam’s place. After the mama went in to report, Li shi brought the three sisters into the warm room!
Yun Qian Meng turned her eyes to look, and only saw an old woman wearing a beige sable-fur lined jacket and a deep red cloud-patterned long skirt on the main seat. Beside her, there were two young men and a young girl who had yet to reach marriageable age. It wasn’t hard to see that they were Li shi’s children!
On the floor before the old madam, there were already three cushions. The three sisters immediately kneeled on top of them, then respectfully kowtowed to the old madam three times, then said in unison, “sunnü greets zumu. Wishing zumu great prosperity!”
But the old madam’s expression was rather cold. She only faintly nodded, then blandly said, “It’s been tough on you, you can all rise!”
Yun Qian Meng didn’t pay attention to the old madam’s cold indifference, and maintained her smile. But Yun Ruo Xue had always been the pearl in the palm since she was little, when had she ever been treated this way? Thinking again about the bitter experiences she had encountered because of this old madam before her, her heart was filled with resentment, the difficult smile on her face was torn off, and her expression became dreadfully gloomy!
And Yun Qian Meng at this moment, took an embroidered box from Mi mama’s hands, then personally presented it to the old madam while gently saying, “zumu, this is the hundred-year-old snow ginseng father had prepared for you. Hope that zumu would be promised longevity after consuming it!”
The old madam had lived for so long, what manner of good things has she not seen before? Only, as the saying goes, ‘don’t hit a smiling person in public’. On top of that, seeing that the snow ginseng was really a rare treasure found only once every hundred years, the coldness in her face lessened, as she allowed the mama beside her to receive the item. However, her words were still unpleasant, “I also know why you’ve come. But I’m already an old woman, really don’t feel like being tossed from side to side. Just go back yourselves after resting here for a few days!”
Even after she heard this, Yun Qian Meng still didn’t angry, and still smiled to reply, “sunnü visited wai zumu before taking the journey. Her sixtieth birthday is coming soon, and longs to see you very much! She said that only a few of her good old sisters from the past are keft, only hopes that she could meet you on this year’s birthday!”
Hearing Yun Qian Meng say this, the old madam’s flat gaze suddenly turned towards her. Her cold eyes seemed to be mixed with a hint of excitement, as her voice had become somewhat joyful as she asked, “Is this true?”
Yun Qian Meng saw the old madam like this and felt inwardly satisfied, continuing, “If zumu doesn’t believe me, then follow sunnü back to the capital to directly ask laotaijun!”
The old madam was currently reminiscing about the scene when those sisters had been together in the past. Hearing Yun Qian Meng’s words, her lips curved into a smile as she nodded!
Li shi and the others saw Yun Qian Meng use just a few sentences to completely change the old madam’s attitude, and only felt shocked in their hearts. They couldn’t help but admire this xiangfu’s eldest miss!