Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 11.2

Chapter 11.2

Shen Qingqing waited for three days in a row before giving up. 

She had no time to think about how to get her shoe all day because she kept thinking about a suitable birthday gift to present to the Queen.

It was a well-known secret that the Queen loved orchids; therefore, the fifth girl, Shen Jiarong, embroidered the orchid table mat, and Shen Jiayi embroidered an orchid picture. 

However, Shen Qingqing felt that she had to prepare a gift that had nothing to do with orchids; otherwise, the queen would not accept so many things related to orchids, and the gifts would be wasted. 

“Mom, does Auntie have any special preferences other than orchids?” Shen Qingqing asked, holding her chin. 

There were only five days left before the end of the month, and she was still unable to prepare a gift. Because of that, Shen Qingqing was a little anxious.

Mrs. Chen shook her head and sighed. “Your father and his three siblings are like your grandfather. Qingqing, can you tell me what your grandfather’s hobbies are?”

Shen Qingqing had nothing to say.

Seeing her daughter’s dejected look, Mrs. Chen gave her daughter an idea. “You embroider a square orchid handkerchief; it’s simple and can show filial piety.”

Shen Qingqing bit her lip and compromised. “Then let’s embroider the handkerchief first, and then we can think of other gifts.”

She packed up the things for embroidery and went to her grandmother’s place, just to pass the time with her grandmother while she was doing the task.

“Not only is our Qingqing beautiful, but she also has a good hand. I don’t know which husband will take advantage of her in the future.” Mrs. Song appreciated her precious granddaughter as she watched Shen Qingqing embroider orchids that were vivid and elegant.

Shen Qingqing lowered her head shyly and hummed. “My grandmother hopes that I will get married soon, as soon as I return to Beijing. Are you tired of me?”

Mrs. Song smiled, hugged her granddaughter, and kissed the top of her head.

The grandmother and the granddaughter were engaged in their work for a while, and Shen Qingqing looked at the needle and thread in her hand, but she was still not satisfied. “The fifth sister and the sixth sister are embroidering orchids. If I give a handkerchief, it will be strange if my aunt likes it.”

Mrs. Song looked at her granddaughter, and seeing she had a worried look, she tentatively asked, “Qingqing, are you very concerned about the Queen’s opinion of you?”

Shen Qingqing was stunned, thinking that the Queen aunt was the daughter of the late Mrs.Du. She was afraid that her grandmother would misunderstand, so Shen Qingqing hurriedly said, “No, grandma, in the past, I didn’t give gifts to my aunt on her birthday. But now I have returned to the capital, and if I don’t put more thought into this time, what should I do if my aunt has a grudge? Although I don’t want to deliberately please my aunt, we can’t cause trouble for others either. Don’t you think so?”

“That’s the truth; our Qingqing has grown up.” As Mrs. Song understood the little girl’s thoughts, she felt relaxed.

Shen Qingqing smiled upon hearing her grandmother’s sweet words.

Two small birds flew outside the window, sat on the edge of the roof, and made chirping sounds. After hearing this, Mrs. Song suddenly remembered something. “I remember she had a pet bird that she liked very much when she was a kid. After some time, the bird got sick and passed away. The Queen has been sad for a long time.” She pondered for a while before speaking again. “I think Qingqing can give an oriole as a birthday present.“

“An oriole?” Shen Qingqing’s face bloomed like a flower after Mrs. Song’s suggestion. ‘Yes, the oriole makes a pretty sound that can make people happy.’

 ****

The next day, Shen Qingqing decided to go to a bird shop to buy a gift, and she asked her elder brother, Shen Su, to accompany her.

Shen Su agreed, and after obtaining permission from their mom, Shen Qingqing put on men’s clothes, and she and her brother left.

Aviary Pavilion was the biggest bird store in the capital, and many rich families who enjoyed keeping birds would come here to pick their favourite birds.

This was the first time that Shen Qingqing had visited this type of store. After she went in, she noticed that the lower floor had lots of big and small bird cages with white birds in them. There were pigeons, small red birds, and colourful parrots—many different kinds of parrots.

“Hello, are you two gentlemen here to look around or buy some birds?” The store clerk smiled and asked them.

Shen Su replied on behalf of his sister, “Is there a bird called an oriole?”

The store clerk quickly said, “Yes, it’s right here. Please come with me.”

The first floor was very spacious and had two rows of small trees that split the shop into three parts. The oriole, lark, and other birds were all on the east side that faces the sun in the morning.

There were seven orioles in the shop, and Shen Qingqing chose the one with the most beautiful feathers.

“Would you like to pay now or keep looking around?” the store clerk asked kindly.

Shen Su looked at his sister, while Shen Qingqing looked at her brother with a pleading look.

Shen Qingqing had a lack of chances to go out, so she wanted to spend some time outside.

Shen Su knew what to do and told the store clerk to help the oriole first, then he and his sister walked with a helpful little clerk who was always ready to explain different birds to them.

A lot of regular birds were on the bottom floor. The brother and sister shopped very fast and were done quickly. When they looked up at the second floor, Shen Qingqing asked the shop clerk, “What birds are up there?” 

The clerk replied, “The second floor is full of vicious birds, like goshawks, giant eagles, vultures, falcons, etc.; do you two want to see them?”

When Shen Qingqing heard the word “fierce bird,” she immediately lost interest. She was just about to drag her brother to check out when, suddenly, a voice that sounded clear but disgusting to her came from behind the railing. “Mr. Shen, long time, no see.”

Have a nice day!

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