Chapter 259: Bandits' Traces Mid-Autumn Festival
Yuyang.

Shengfu.

Although compared with Bian Jing, Youyang is a complete rural place, but as Mrs. Sheng said, the countryside also has its advantages, that is, there are not many rules and shackles.

Hualan was fine. After all, she was much older than her sisters and was already married. She didn't have much time to play and mostly talked with Old Madam Sheng, Old Madam Sheng Da, and Madam Sheng Wei, Mrs. Li.

Not only were they talking, but there happened to be four people gathered together, so they took out the magical mahjong that was used to relieve boredom.

It has to be said that mahjong is really a killer weapon for women who have lived in the house for a long time and have been depressed for a long time. Once it was taken out, it aroused the interest of Mrs. Shengda and Li, and they were very happy.

As for Minglan and Rulan, they took advantage of the fact that Madam Sheng and Hualan were not supervising them and just let their tempers run wild.

When they were in Bian Jing, they had to consider the eyes of people around them and maintain the rules and were not allowed to go out casually, but now in Youyang, there are not many restrictions.

With Pinlan, a local resident of Youyang, leading the group, they naturally ran all over the mountains and fields.

One day.

Hualan was talking with the elders in the house.

"Changwu's wedding will be in a few days, why hasn't Miss He arrived yet? Could it be that she is too busy with chores at home and can't get away?" Old Lady Sheng's words rang out in the hall.

"It's coming soon."

Mrs. Shengda replied:
"I just received a letter last night. She has already boarded the ship with the eldest grandson of the first house and will be able to catch up with the wedding."

He said with a teasing tone:

"When the time comes, I'll definitely give you a free consultation."

"Haha, then I'll just wait with peace of mind..." Old Mrs. Sheng also laughed along.

But right now.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard in the courtyard outside, and then Changwu led several sisters in.

"Didn't you go hunting outside the city? Why did you come back so early today, and look so anxious. What happened?" Old Lady Sheng looked at her four breathless grandchildren and immediately asked the eldest, Changwu.

"Grandma, we were hunting on the mountain outside the city just now and were feeling thirsty. We wanted to find a farmer to ask for water, but we ended up encountering a group of bandits!" Chang Wu reported repeatedly without even having time to catch his breath.

"Bandits?"

When Mrs. Shengda heard this, her heart skipped a beat.

My family is about to hold a wedding, but now bandits suddenly appear on the nearby mountains. This is not a good sign.

However, she didn't care about the impact at the moment. She was only worried about whether Changwu and the others were safe, so she asked:

"You encountered bandits, but you were all okay, right?"

"No, Grandmother."

The people below all shook their heads.

"That's good."

Only then did Mrs. Sheng feel relieved. She asked the others to drink some tea to calm their nerves. Then she turned to Mrs. Sheng and Hua Lan and said,
"A few days ago, the government posted a notice on the city wall, saying that there were traces of bandits in the nearby county. I thought that Youyang was a remote place and had never been involved in any military riots, so I didn't believe it at first. Who would have thought that it would become so serious and come to me."

In fact, the Sheng family is a wealthy family in Youyang, with an official background. In addition, they are about to hold a high-profile wedding. The Youyang County Magistrate even sent a police officer to remind them, but Grandma Sheng didn't believe it and didn't want to add any haze to her grandson Changwu's wedding, so she never told Grandma Sheng.

Now that something has happened, I can’t just speak directly.

Seeing that Old Madam Sheng and Hua Lan nodded with a smile, Old Madam Sheng then asked Chang Wu, who had calmed down a little:

"Can you see how many bandits are causing chaos?"

Chang Wu thought about it and said affirmatively:
"The number of bandits was not large, not even an even number. We were just worried that they were just the advance troops and there were more bandits behind them, so we hurried back."

Old Madam Sheng nodded and shook her head:

"A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Your idea of ​​returning first is good, but the number of bandits should not be large, otherwise the government would have already sealed the city gates or asked for help from Nanjing. How could they have only posted a few notices?"

After saying this, Mrs. Shengda continued:
"But since you've discovered it, Changwu, you should report it to the government office and warn them to prevent any further damage."

After Chang Wu disappeared from the back as he went to the government office to make the announcement, Grandma Sheng turned to look at Grandma Sheng and said apologetically:
"There were pirates on the water before, and now there are bandits around. My sister is frightened."

"What are you saying, old sister-in-law? This incident is not caused by you. Besides, maybe there is some connection between these pirates and the bandits." As she spoke, Old Lady Sheng turned her head and looked at Hualan.

"Oh?" Old Lady Sheng knew that what Old Lady Sheng meant was that Hualan knew better, so she also turned her gaze to Hualan.

"Hua'er knows some news?"

Hua Lan smiled modestly and said without hesitation:

"A few days ago, news came from the government that a big thief had caused trouble in the south, and he even established a name called Zhaode. I guess these bandits and pirates also followed suit."

Seeing the worry on Mrs. Shengda's face, Hualan added:
"But that place is far from Youyang. No matter how much commotion there is, it won't affect here. At most, it will be just a few stray soldiers, as my brother Changwu said. The imperial court will soon send troops to quell the rebellion, so there won't be any chaos."

Everyone in the room knew that Hualan's source of information was reliable, so they felt relieved after hearing what she said.

"Although the bandits won't cause any trouble, since they have come here, you should be careful and cautious."

As the host, it was difficult for Old Lady Sheng to persuade Minglan and Rulan not to go out easily. However, when Old Lady Sheng saw the embarrassed look of her old sister-in-law, she understood what she meant and then said to Minglan and Rulan:
"Your brother Changwu's wedding will be in a few days, so you two should behave yourself these days and don't go out."

"Yes, grandma!" Rulan and Minglan nodded in agreement.

Old Mrs. Sheng also received the grateful gaze of Old Mrs. Sheng.

Three days later.

Old Mrs. He’s boat docked.

It is Mid-Autumn Festival now.

night.

The sky is as bright as a full moon, spreading its light everywhere.

In the courtyard of Sheng Mansion.

Rulan, Pinlan and Minglan were worshipping the moon together, holding rabbit lanterns in their hands for fun.

At this time.

Li's personal maid came to call for someone.

"Girls, the mistress said there is a guest in the side hall, and we want you to go and meet him."

Pinlan's expression froze for a moment, and then the joy on her face instantly dimmed.

"But Sister Shulan is here?"

Rulan, who was standing by, was unusually quick-witted. She immediately thought of what old lady Shengda had said when they had just arrived: Shulan would come back during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Yes, girl."

"Okay, okay."

Rulan's face was immediately filled with a happy smile:

"I haven't seen Sister Shulan since she got married. This time I'll finally get to meet her."

As she spoke, Rulan put her arm around Minglan's shoulders:

"Sixth sister, don't be afraid when you meet Sister Shulan later. She is the kindest and most friendly person, and her temperament is more easygoing than my sister."

Minglan nodded slightly when she heard this, but when she turned around, she saw that Pinlan's face was a little gloomy, as if she didn't have the joy of seeing her sister, so she couldn't help but say:
"Sister Pinlan, why do you look unhappy?"

Pinlan curled her lips helplessly, followed the maid to the side hall, swung the rabbit lantern in her hand, and muttered in her heart:

"It would be great if my sister could come back during the Mid-Autumn Festival. I can play with lanterns and see my sister. It really couldn't be better."

"Then why are you so unhappy?" Rulan interrupted. Her little head was a little confused.

Even though my sister often comes home, I am not unhappy at all.

Even if I don’t say I’m happy sometimes, my heart feels that it couldn’t be happier.

"Could it be that Sister Shulan came back without bringing any gifts?"

Rulan thought about the joy she felt every time she received a gift from her sister Hualan, and felt that she had guessed the truth.

"If my sister comes home without a gift, I won't be very happy." Rulan nodded secretly.

Pinlan didn't know what Rulan was thinking, otherwise she would definitely punish Rulan by making her dig out several nests of rabbits to vent her anger.

Pinlan sighed:

"But every time my sister goes home, her mother-in-law insists on coming along. I don't want to see her at all, so I'm naturally unhappy."

"Yes!"

Rulan suddenly realized something and said:

"I vaguely remember that Sister Shulan was married in Youyang, but I just arrived and have forgotten a little."

In fact, she was having so much fun that Rulan couldn't remember anything.

"Why haven't you and Brother Changwu taken us to her house to meet her during this period?"

Pinlan pursed her lips and said with a tone full of resentment:
"Her family is a family of scholars, and my family can't even afford to marry into their family, let alone take you with me.

Also, before you came, grandma had warned me and my brother Changwu not to mention Sister Shulan in front of you, for fear that you might have some thoughts about her."

"What scholar? My brother and brother-in-law are both Jinshi..."

Hearing Pinlan's dissatisfaction with Shulan's sister's husband's family, Rulan immediately responded.

"Yes, their family was very poor back then..."

Pinlan resonated with Rulan's complaints and was about to say something, but she saw that they had already arrived at the side hall, so she had to stop talking:

"I can't stay behind. Anyway, once we get into the house, you two will know why I hate you."

In the side hall.

Minglan, Rulan and Pinlan had just arrived at the door, before they entered the house, when they heard a woman's hoarse and triumphant voice coming from inside.

"My son is a scholar. Do you know what a scholar is?"

"That's the prime minister's seedling!"

Hearing the noise inside, the three girls at the door looked at each other.

Minglan and Rulan looked quite incredulous, as if they had heard something extraordinary.

Scholar? Prime Minister?

Seeing this, Pinlan said helplessly:

"Look, what did I say? He's making a fuss in there."

The three of them entered the house.

Then I saw a room full of people sitting under the light.

Old Madam Sheng and Old Madam Sheng Da sat at the top.

On the left are Mrs. He and Hua Lan.

On the right, the first one is a middle-aged woman whose appearance is unknown. She has high cheekbones, thin cheeks, and a bit of meanness on her face.

At this time, he continued talking, and the sound waves lingered in the air for three days.

The person who was chattering in the room just now was her.

Next to the woman is Li.

Standing behind him was a gentle lady with a soft face and a quiet temperament.

Under the orange light, compared with the middle-aged woman who was chattering in front, she looked even more pitiful.

At this moment, the middle-aged woman was the only one speaking in the room, while everyone else was silent.

Old Madam Shengda and Mrs. Li were already used to this kind of scene, and they looked calm and composed.

Those who have thunder in their hearts but a calm face can be appointed as generals!

As for Old Madam Sheng, Old Madam He and Hua Lan, it was obviously the first time they had seen such a scene, and they were stunned at first.

Then, when their eyes occasionally met, the corners of their mouths couldn't help but curl up.

He just tried to maintain his dignity and suppressed the urge to make any sound.

No matter how funny it is, I won't laugh!

When she heard Minglan and the others enter the room, the young woman who had been embarrassed seemed to be relieved and stepped forward and said:

"Mother-in-law, please have a sip of tea first!"

However, it was obvious that Sun's mother did not hear Shulan's persuasion, or she simply did not care. She ignored Shulan who came forward and instead looked at the three girls who entered the room.

Sun's mother knew Pinlan, but she was just a wild country girl from a merchant family and was not worthy of her attention.

Instead, it was the two girls standing next to each other that immediately made Sun's mother stare at them.

Although she was a country woman, she had some ability to recognize faces.

I saw that the two girls who had just come in were of similar age, both pretty and charming.

A cute and adorable one.

A beautiful one.

These are all good looks that Yuyang has never had before.

"A man with this kind of appearance is worthy of being a son of my Sun family!"

Thinking of this, Sun's mother couldn't help but take two steps at a time and walked quickly forward to see more clearly.

Minglan was fine when she saw the middle-aged woman who suddenly rushed in front of her with extremely rude manners, but Rulan frowned immediately.

'Who is this person? There is such a person, who is older than me and behaves more outrageously than me?'

But soon, Rulan realized who the woman in front of her was. She thought that this was the mother-in-law of Sister Shulan that Sister Pinlan had just mentioned. No wonder Sister Pinlan didn't like her.

Rulan thought so in her heart, but when the moment her mother walked in, she couldn't help but close her eyes tightly.

It was not because Grandmother Sun was so ugly that Rulan couldn't bear to look at her, but because Rulan was dazzled by the gold and silver ornaments she wore.

She was dressed in gold and silver, but among her jewels there was not a single truly precious jade or pearl.

Others are covered in jewels.

This man is vulgar and mediocre.

In order to avoid misunderstanding others, Rulan secretly narrowed her eyes and carefully glanced at Sun's mother again.

Well, I really did blame her a little wrongly.

It's not that there are no pearls. The hairpin is indeed in the shape of pearls, but the color of the pearls is dark and not round. In the "golden light", Rulan couldn't see that they were pearls for a moment, and just thought they were some kind of wooden pendant.

(End of this chapter)