Chapter 265: Visiting Relatives
Early morning.
Woke up early.
Father still has three days off.
Today, he’s going to visit his biological daughter.
Mianmian had already dragged Brother Chong out of bed early.
Zi Congheng had slept surprisingly well last night.
His headache seemed not to have acted up.
But he hadn’t woken up yet and was knocked awake by someone, feeling quite drowsy.
He yawned and asked, “Aren’t you sleepy?”
Mianmian was already all dressed.
She said energetically, “I’m sleepy during school. When there’s no school, I’m not sleepy. I seize every moment to slack off. Get up early, and I have more time to slack off. Go to bed late, and I get a bit more time to slack off. Wake up early and sleep late, the time for slacking off is endlessly long. Joy.”
Zi Congheng:…
He let Heita push Mianmian out, and he got up to wash up.
After washing up, he changed clothes.
The whole family had breakfast together, then set off to visit relatives.
This was a strange experience for Zi Congheng.
Father had never taken him to visit relatives.
It was still early in the morning.
The inner city wasn’t congested yet.
They arrived in less than half an hour.
The Meng Family already had servants waiting.
The servants seemed much more enthusiastic than last time.
Meng Qingshe came personally to greet the in-laws.
His son-in-law Meng Shaoxia also obediently came out to welcome them.
Attendant of the Yellow Gate?
Meng Qingshe sympathetically patted his in-law’s shoulder.
Jiang Changtian:…
Last night, several newly acquainted colleagues had come to visit in succession.
When they learned he was appointed as Attendant of the Yellow Gate, they were so envious their eyes turned red.
A minister close to the emperor, almost universally recognized as the fastest way to get promoted.
Jiang Changtian also felt this position was very challenging.
It was all luck.
“I knew His Majesty was just speaking casually last time. The position of Attendant of the Yellow Gate is very hard. Under the emperor’s nose, you can’t even slack off easily, running back and forth between the palace and outside.”
Madam Meng and Old Madam Meng smiled as they looked at their own fool.
If others weren’t present, Madam Meng would have wanted to discipline her husband.
What nonsense was he saying?
Meng Shaoxia had come to the capital and also had to work as an imperial guard, also going in and out of the palace, also a minister close to the emperor.
This was the difference between the Meng Family and ordinary officials.
The Meng Family didn’t have to wait; they got results directly.
And it was a clean, easy job.
Generally, as long as no one rebelled, this job had basically no major issues.
Good pay, little work, close to home.
Anyway, Father-in-law and son-in-law would probably often see each other in the palace.
Madam Meng and Old Madam Meng felt a bit reassured knowing their in-law could also serve in the palace.
The biological Father was clearly unreliable.
The old man was reliable, but he wasn’t around.
The in-law seemed at least more reliable than the biological Father.
Mianmian took Brother Chong to see her sister.
Aunt Yin saw the young man, grabbed his hand, and held it tightly.
For a moment, she was very emotional.
Back then, Commander Zi had sent her to the Jiang Family.
But there were no follow-ups; he never even asked.
There was no planting of informants or anything.
Later, she settled down in the Jiang Family and stayed for so many years.
The Eldest Miss got married and had children.
Now, seeing this young man again.
Commander Zi had passed away, leaving an orphan.
Zi Congheng wasn’t used to being touched by others.
But the person before him was an old woman with no ill intent.
He didn’t understand why she was so emotional.
Yet he felt a sense of emotion mixed with the legacy of his Father.
Aunt Yin didn’t say things like she would treat the Jiang Family as her home from now on; some words didn’t need to be said or repeated.
There was no need to prove one’s kindness through others’ pity.
Time would tell.
Aunt Yin just kindly held his hand and patted his head.
Zi Congheng passively accepted this kindness because he found that since arriving at the Jiang Family, whenever someone kindly held his hand or patted his head, he couldn’t push them away. The Jiang Family members were all very strong.
Zi Congheng was given a task: watch the two chubby babies sunbathe.
If the sun moved onto their faces, he should move them.
Worried it might hurt their eyes, be too glaring.
Meanwhile, he listened to Mianmian and her sister chattering in the next room.
“Sister, you’ve lost so much weight.” Mianmian looked at her sister and felt her waist had gotten slimmer and her chest bigger.
She didn’t expect that after giving birth, her sister looked even better than before.
She used to be a round-faced little girl, but now she seemed to have added some indescribable charm.
Anyway, she was very attractive.
Mianmian couldn’t help reaching out to touch her.
Seeing the snacks brought up by the maid.
Mianmian reached for the snacks.
When her sister wasn’t home, she felt the food lacked soul.
Jiang Yu sat beside her sister and also reached out, her hand just touching the snack.
Then she heard a cough.
“Eldest Miss, you can’t eat anymore. Although you don’t look bad now, if you keep eating without restraint, you’ll gain weight and age quickly. Men don’t change much with age, but women after childbirth, if they don’t take care of themselves, can easily age. If you keep eating, in a few years when you stand next to your husband, you’ll look a generation older.”
Jiang Yu withdrew her hand.
She looked mournfully at the sweets on the table.
No help for it; breastfeeding made her want to eat more, and eating more increased her appetite. Now she felt hungry all the time.
“Sister, you’ve recovered very well.” Mianmian touched her sister’s waist; the flesh was still firm, not flabby.
But being a wife at this time was indeed not easy.
Not only managing the household, having children, serving in-laws, and handling social relations, but the most terrifying thing was that suddenly your husband might stab you in the back. While you were busy to death, managing everything, he would suddenly bring home a younger one.
And she was younger, prettier, and legitimate.
But seeing her sister’s state, she seemed fine.
Maybe mainly because her brother-in-law’s family had a simple atmosphere.
A family that had only one son for generations, and yet had no concubines—their family values were simply excellent.
It was considered top-notch in the capital.
That was also why there were so many rumors about Jiang Yu.
Because Meng Shaoxia was among the top three best sons-in-law in the eyes of capital mothers-in-law.
Good family background, high status, and no concubines.
Hard to find even with a lantern.
Seeing that her sister spoke loudly in the Meng Family, she probably hadn’t suffered any grievances.
“You’ll have to show up at the child’s hundred-day banquet, so be a little restrained. Even if you can’t be Yu Daji, don’t become Yu the Elder.”
When Jiang Yu heard Great-Aunt say Yu Daji, she cackled.
The first time she heard the rumors outside, Jiang Yu had already laughed uncontrollably.
She never imagined that one day such rumors would involve her.
When it came to looks, Jiang Yu knew she was probably the worst in the family.
But she had never cared much about appearance. If face cream and steamed buns were placed before her, she would definitely choose the buns.
Although she didn’t care, hearing people say she was beautiful still made her happy.
During her few days living in the Meng Family, Jiang Yu’s biggest impression was that prices in the capital were a bit high.
She was good at cooking, so naturally she was sensitive to ingredients and their prices.
As soon as she arrived at the Meng Family, with Great-Aunt’s help, she quietly brought down the kitchen’s prices.
Without making a show, she cleaned up the Meng Family’s back courtyard.
The Meng Family didn’t have issues like concubines, but there were other problems.
Madam Meng was lax in management, Old Madam Meng didn’t interfere, so the servants still found loopholes.
In short, with Aunt Yin’s help, she caught a big corrupt buyer as soon as she arrived.
She took control of the kitchen.
Established her authority as the third-generation mistress of the Meng Family.
There were no secrets in the capital.
This added another layer of awesome mystique to Yu Daji.
She was indeed a formidable woman.
Entering the door with two sons, she took over the management rights in three days and drove away an old servant who had served for over twenty years.
Everyone in the Meng Family praised the young mistress.
Mianmian, in the Meng Family, felt that the servants indeed seemed more respectful than last time.
After chatting here, having some snacks and tea, they went together to lunch.
Mianmian felt that her silly sister had become sharper after a few days in the Meng Family.
At home, her sister always seemed soft and gentle.
In someone else’s home, she suddenly stood up and acted like an adult.
Jiang Yu stood up, took Mianmian’s hand, and Great-Aunt had someone fetch the two young masters.
Mianmian and Brother Chong walked behind their sister.
Watching the maids run to open the doors, and outside, rows of servants greeted the young mistress.
What a show!
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