Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 4.3

Chapter 4.3

Everyone knew that the old Mr. Shen was very important and trusted by the emperor. He was an honourable character, never accepted the filial piety of his subordinate officials, and didn’t engage in any business. He only used his small salary to take care of his whole family. The first son, who was Shen Jiarong’s father, also followed in his father’s footsteps. Her mother also came from a poor family like her grandmother, who had died a long time ago, so Shen Jiarong’s family couldn’t live a luxurious life even though she was related to the empress.

What Shen Jiarong couldn’t accept was that her second and third uncles’ families didn’t dwell in poverty like them. Mr. Shen’s second wife came from a rich family, and because of that, her two sons, who were the second and third, were not out of money. Even the aunts who married the two uncles were also from well-known families. The dowry brought in was enough to support two families for many years.

So, Shen Jiarong had felt very jealous of the second and third rooms for a long time, since she was a child.

The only good thing was that her grandfather didn’t like spending too much money on fancy things. When her grandfather came home at night, Shen Qingqing would be criticised a lot and she would have to hide those fancy pieces of jewellery.

“The seventh sister has gotten taller,” Shen Jiarong said to Shen Qingqing with a smile, hiding her complicated emotions.

After living in the Shen Mansion for a long time, Shen Qingqing knew the Shen family’s moods very well. So, she just gave a quick nod to Shen Jiarong. In contrast, Shen Jiarong’s older brother, Shen Zhuo, was honest, graceful, and humble. Shen Qingqing really liked him and happily called him “eldest brother.”

Shen Zhuo was happy, and he greeted her with a smile.

The second young master, Shen Jin, was seventeen years old this year. He had a pair of peach blossom eyes that attracted bees and butterflies, and his words and deeds were much more informal than those of his elder brother. He didn’t say anything at first. After some time, Shen Jin squinted his eyes and said, “The girl has become more and more beautiful. My seventh sister is now the most beautiful woman in the capital.”

[Tl: “attract bees and butterflies”—to  attract the opposite sex]

Shen Qingqing had always felt good about being pretty, so she was happy when she heard this. But at the same time, Shen Qingqing was embarrassed and hid behind her sister, Shen Jiayi. She whispered, “I think my brother is making fun of me.”

Then Shen Jin came and pointed at her pink lips with his fan. “Hey, seventh sister, what are you pretending to be? It’s clear that you enjoy hearing it.”

Shen Qingqing ignored what she heard and started joking with Shen Jiayi again.

After going around the wall, the eldest lady and the second lady walked out together. Shen Qingqing released Shen Jiayi’s hand and walked forward to greet them.

The eldest lady was wearing a dark-brown dress, had a thin face, and had a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She had high cheekbones and looked very serious.

The second lady was wearing simple clothes with a pretty flower embroidered on her blue skirt, which made it more interesting. She had light skin and beautiful eyes. Standing next to the eldest lady, she looked like they were from different generations.

When the eldest lady saw Shen Qingqing’s family, she just smiled a little. But the second lady was really excited and kept talking to Mrs. Shen.

“Hey, third brother and sister-in-law, go back and relax after your long trip. We can still talk about the past at dinner tonight.”

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In a happy and peaceful mood, the oldest lady suddenly spoke.

Mrs. Shen smiled and agreed with his sister-in-law. Then, Mrs. Shen said to her eldest son, “Brother Su, take your eldest aunt back to your room and take the gifts we have prepared for your eldest uncle and aunt.”

Shen Su replied politely. The eldest lady’s smile started to look more real. “We are like family, so what gift do we want?”

Mrs. Shen said, “They are just some local foods. Sister-in-law, please accept them.”.

****

The third room was located in the western part of Shen’s mansion. Halfway through, Shen Qingqing stopped and said to her parents with a smile, “Dad, you go back first. I will go to my grandma’s house to have some food..

Shen Tingwen looked around. He told his daughter quietly, “We’re not in Suzhou. There are lots of people and lots of eyes. Please make sure you know how to address”.

The old man followed the most important rules carefully. Based on the rules, his grandchildren were only allowed to call the deceased person their grandmother.

[TL] Shen Tingwen’s mother is the concubine of his father. It means he is not his father’s official wife. Shen Tingwen and his second brother are not allowed to address their mother as “mother, and the daughters and son in the second and third rooms are not allowed to address her as “grandma”. That was a rule in ancient China.]

Shen Qingqing smirked and casually took her younger brother with her.

The sun was very hot, and the brother and sister were walking together, holding an umbrella.

Shen Tingwen watched his two kids leave and told his wife, “They were pampered when we lived in Suzhou. They will have a hard time when they come back this time, for sure.”

Shen Tingwen still remembered things from his childhood clearly. As his father was very strict, he would get punished for sleeping late and for wanting too much meat.

His youngest son, Shen Wang, was very naughty, and he was afraid his son would face difficulties in the Shen mansion.

Mr. Shen said, “Brother Wang misbehaves; let more people watch over him. I am only concerned about Qingqing. She really likes beautiful things a lot. It’s okay if she doesn’t eat meat, but how can she handle it if she is not allowed to dress up??

Shen Tingwen smiled bitterly. He had to go through it, even though he couldn’t handle it. He decided to take action when his daughter was treated unfairly somewhere else. No one in the family, except the old man, dared to disagree with him at all.

End of chapter 4

Have a nice day!