Chapter 26: The Rules of the Mansion
The old lady looked up and saw Xiao still sitting on the side. Her face darkened and she said, "Yun'er, why are you still sitting here? Why don't you go to the school? If the master finds out, he will definitely punish you again."
"Grandma, the teacher is going to the palace today and has given us a day off. He said that we don't have to go to the private school and can just review at home," Xiao Yun said hurriedly.
"Why don't you go to the study to review your lessons? The provincial examination is coming up next year. If you fail again, I'll beat you," said the old lady.
"So Third Uncle is going to win the imperial examination next year. Is it in a private school outside? How come there is a teacher from the palace?" Mengxi asked curiously after hearing what the old lady said.
"It's a private school in the clan. The third master failed the provincial examination for two years. Last year, the second master asked the imperial concubine in the palace to find a teacher named Li. It is said that he taught the prince before. He comes to teach ten days a month , and the rest of the time he is taught by a teacher from the clan."
The grandmother explained in a soft voice. At this time, Xiao Yun had stood up and said goodbye and walked out. Seeing that the third master had left, the old lady looked at the grandmother and asked:
"I heard Qing'er sent Aunt Sun to her parents' home yesterday?"
"Replying to the old lady, Aunt Sun caught a cold two days ago, and her brothers from her natal family happened to come back from the south to visit relatives. Aunt asked the master for permission, and the master also wanted to let Aunt Sun go out to relax and get better quickly, so he agreed. Yesterday, the master was going to a friend's house for a banquet, and since it was on his way, he sent her over," replied the grandmother.
"She's just a concubine, but you pamper her so much. You can just send a servant to send her over. Why do you go there in person? Qing'er is a fifth-rank prefect after all, how can she be so confused? Besides, concubine Sun is sick, how can she be allowed to go out? A family like ours will be ridiculed for having no laws or rules if our relatives and friends find out. Qing'er is reckless and confused, why don't you give her some advice? You seem to be well-educated and well-mannered on weekdays, so why are you so useless?" The old lady's voice became stern as she spoke.
It turned out that the rules of this mansion were very strict. Women who married into the family were not allowed to return home easily, especially concubines. It was equivalent to selling themselves to the husband's family, unless the family had special power and could occasionally send someone to pick her up and stay for a few days. When the old lady heard that Xiao Qing not only allowed the concubine to return home, but also went to see her off in person, especially since the concubine was sick, she would be angry if she told others about it, as if she had been bullied in the Xiao Mansion. Mengxi also knew about this rule and couldn't help but sighed at the sadness of being a woman in this era.
After hearing this, the grandmother quickly stood up and knelt on the ground and replied: "What the old lady said is right, it is the granddaughter-in-law who is confused . The granddaughter-in-law will definitely advise the master more in the future."
"You should get up too. Send a servant to bring her back tomorrow. Don't let her live there. When she comes back, she should be confined to her room for three days and have to copy the "Female Rules" ten times. Let her memorize it. Don't rely on your seductive looks to seduce me to do something out of line."
"Yes, my granddaughter-in-law knows," the grandmother answered as she stood up.
The old lady looked at Mengxi, remembered the porridge and cakes Mengxi brought yesterday, and said:
"Were the pastries delivered last night also made by Xier herself? I have never eaten them before. The porridge delivered yesterday was also very delicious. I usually thought those things were just grass and inedible, but I didn't expect that they were made with so much thought. They have a smooth texture and taste so delicious. They are even better than those delicacies from land and sea."
"Old lady, that's called longevity vegetable porridge, which is in no way better than delicacies from land and sea, but old lady is used to eating delicacies from land and sea on weekdays, so it's natural that she feels rare to eat porridge with side dishes occasionally. The cake last night is called honey osmanthus cake, which is made of the best honey, eggs, osmanthus and flour, and steamed. If old lady likes it, granddaughter-in-law will often make it for you in the future. Granddaughter-in-law has also learned some other tricks from mother, and will make them for you when she has time."
Mengxi said to the old lady in a flattering way, thinking that it would taste better if baked in a modern oven, but unfortunately this was ancient times.
"Okay, okay, it's rare that Xi'er is so filial. I married a good granddaughter-in-law. I'm so lucky. Let me make it for you someday. If you need anything, just ask the first wife."
"When Second Madam was at her parents' home, did she often do housework? She is really clever and skillful," asked the eldest madam.
Mengxi was shocked and thought to herself that she was careless. How could she, a legitimate daughter, take care of the housework? The daughter of a wealthy family, even if she was born out of wedlock, could not take care of the housework before she was promoted. How could a young lady who had not been promoted be allowed to see the maids, servants, and mother-in-law every day? It would tarnish her reputation and damage her reputation. But why did the eldest lady ask this? Thinking of this, she quickly answered:
"When my granddaughter-in-law was at her parents' home, my mother had always been in charge of the housework, with the help of five aunts. My mother never let my granddaughter-in-law do the housework, and she never mentioned it in front of her. But my mother always said that after a daughter gets married, she should respect her parents-in-law, support her husband and raise her children. So when my mother was in the kitchen preparing various meals for my father, she often brought my granddaughter-in-law with her and let her watch. She also often explained to her the things she didn't understand, and often taught her that when she gets married in the future, she should try her best to cook for her mother-in-law and husband herself," Mengxi replied calmly.
"It's hard for you, your parents-in-law, to raise such a well-behaved and filial daughter. It's also Jun'er's blessing," the old lady said.
Mengxi felt very uneasy at the moment. She really didn't know the situation of her current family. During the few days at the Li family, only her biological mother, Aunt Zhao, came to pass on messages. She didn't know whether the cheap old mother she mentioned every day was honest or not. She was afraid that the old lady would reveal the truth if she asked more questions. Seeing that the old lady turned her neck from time to time and had some difficulty in raising her arms, she hurriedly asked:
"Old lady, are you feeling uncomfortable with your shoulder?"
"It's an old disease. I caught a cold when I was young, and that left a root of the disease. After that, when I'm tired, I feel powerless to lift my arms. I've seen many doctors over the years, but they haven't been able to cure the disease. Last night, I overslept and my pillow fell off. Now I feel particularly uncomfortable. Alas, when I get old and useless, all kinds of problems come to me," said the old lady, rubbing her right shoulder.
Mengxi guessed that the old lady might have a disease like periarthritis of the shoulder. Massage is a good treatment for this disease, but this was in ancient times when massage technology had not yet become popular, and most doctors were men. In this era, men and women were not allowed to touch each other. If a woman wanted to see a doctor, she would do so through a curtain and could only stretch out her hand, covered with a handkerchief, before the doctor would feel her pulse. Otherwise, how could pulse diagnosis methods such as the Golden Thread Mysterious Pulse have become popular? So even the old lady of the Xiao family, who was as rich as a country, could not enjoy massage treatment. She could only let the little maid knock on her legs and pound her shoulders every day.
This was a good opportunity to flatter the old lady. She had to get the old lady to recognize her before she found out she was a concubine. This way, she would have a chance to stay in the Xiao Mansion, or at least get out of it safely. Thinking of this, she stood up and said:
"Granddaughter-in-law, please give the old lady a massage, maybe she will feel better. Granddaughter-in-law often massages her mother at home."
