Chapter 48: Lingering Sound (Part 2)

  The final fold is "Reunion".

  Cai Boji met with Zhao Wuniang, and Zhao Wuniang told Cai Boji about the family affairs. Cai Boji was extremely grieved and immediately submitted a memorial to resign from his official position, wanting Zhao Wuniang and Niu Shi to return home together to observe mourning rites. The Emperor and all the high officials praised Zhao Wuniang as "virtuous, pure, and filial", and wanted to honor the Cai family with a special award.

  As soon as the emperor appeared, Eleventh Sister's eyes widened in surprise - she saw a minister standing beside him, wearing a dragon robe, with painted face and dignified demeanor, who seemed to have even more presence than the emperor himself.

  The eleventh girl couldn't help but smile.

  It seems that this official is actually Xu Jia's fifth master playing a guest role. Unfortunately, Madame Tai was not around at the time...

  She couldn't help but watch Xu Wuya's performance carefully.

  Only one line of dialogue, but the expression is very serious...

  Eleventh daughter looks at Fifth Madam.

  She was smiling and looking at the stage, with joy deep in her eyes.

  The girl's mouth corners slightly raised.

  The five madams seem to be very concerned about Master Wu's affairs...

  She was lost in thought when she saw a woman wearing a peach-red jacket and an emerald green skirt with a subtle floral pattern quietly enter the room.

  The eleventh girl looked carefully and found it was actually Qiao Lianfang, the sixth lady of the Qiao family.

  She looked dispirited and forced a smile as she exchanged a few words with Mrs. Qiao, then sat down on the embroidered stool behind Mrs. Qiao. Mrs. Qiao turned her head to say something to her, but she was dazed and only responded after a while, earning Mrs. Qiao's frequent frowns.

  The heart of the eleventh girl finally settled down completely at this time.

  When one of the parties is not present, things are easier to handle - after all, it's better to catch a thief with stolen goods, and to catch an adulterer in the act...

  She thought of that white embroidered bamboo and plum skirt with a high waistline again.

  How about wearing a silk brocade skirt... Firstly, the brocade skirt is mostly worn by women, and secondly, the carved silk is as dazzling as cloud-patterned satin, very eye-catching... Since it's already like this, why not let Madam find her a white embroidered skirt to wear...

  The eleventh girl was lost in thought, feeling a gaze falling on her body, lingering for a long time without leaving.

  She glanced over with a feeling and found Qiao Lianfang staring at her expressionlessly.

  The eleventh girl smiled bitterly.

  The most unbearable image has been seen, even if it is a person with a big heart and tolerance, there will still be a lump in the heart!

  She could only pretend she didn't know and put on a serious face as if listening intently to the play.

  It was unclear how long it took for the gaze stuck on her body to disappear.

  Eleventh girl let out a breath and saw Miss Lin and Miss Tang walking in side by side with smiles on their faces. Fifth girl followed behind, her face not looking too good.

  Seeing Qiao Feng's house, several people were all stunned.

  Qiao Lianfang also saw the three of them and nodded at them with a somewhat unnatural smile.

  The three of them also greeted Qiao Lianfang with a bow. However, after the greeting, Miss Tang looked at Qiao Lianfang and whispered a few words to Miss Lin in a low voice. Miss Lin listened while seeming to smile but not quite, glancing at Qiao Lianfang, making people feel like they were secretly discussing her.

  Qiao Lianfang's face immediately turned bright red.

  Miss Tang didn't know what she said to Miss Lin, then covered her mouth and laughed, and Miss Lin looked at Miss Tang with a coquettish expression.

  Qiao Lianfang's face turned pale and she felt extremely uneasy, as if sitting on pins and needles.

  The two of them didn't look at her again and each returned to their own elders, who also quietly asked about the younger generation.

  The fifth daughter also returned to the side of the big wife. The big wife smiled and asked her: "Have you seen the second lady? Why did you come back at this time, and didn't stay there for a while?"

  Wu Niang respectfully said: "We've seen the second lady. The second lady also invited us to drink clear spring white stone tea. Later, Du Mama, who was beside Tai Furen, came to invite us and said that the play would soon be over, so we returned."

  What is Qingquan Baishi tea? What other kind of tea is it?

  The eleventh girl felt strange in her heart, but the old lady smiled and nodded, as if she was very satisfied with the fifth girl's answer. Then she laughed: "Sit down and rest for a while! The play is indeed about to disperse. I don't know if it's because I'm not used to it, but I find it very boring to sit around all day doing nothing."

  "Mother is tired from working at home and can't help but feel unaccustomed." Wu Niang smiled, "It will be fine after a long time!"

  The old lady smiled and turned her head to listen to the play, and the fifth daughter obediently sat down beside the eleventh daughter.

  She had just sat down when the two Miss Gans and Tian Niang returned.

  Shi Niang linked arms with Gan family's seventh young lady, Gan Lanting, the two of them laughing and chatting merrily. Meanwhile, Gan family's third young lady walked behind them with a helpless expression on her face, followed by two maids who each held a handful of wildflowers and grasses.

  Three people saw Qiao Lian Fang, their faces were very calm, without showing a surprised expression like Lin Xiang, Tang Xiang and Wu Niang. But they swaggered in, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

  Madam Huang laughed and said: "Quickly sit down, you're blocking our view of the play."

  Miss Gan San's face turned slightly red, and she murmured a "yes". Miss Gan Qi, on the other hand, giggled and ran to Madame Wu, lowering her head and chatting with her in a smiling tone. Shi Niang, meanwhile, curtsied to Madame Huang and then went forward to pay her respects to the elder mistress.

  The old lady smiled warmly and nodded at her, and she sat down beside the old lady with a smile.

  The third Miss Gan also followed and came over, bending her knees to pay respects to Mrs. Gan: "Mother!"

  Mother?

  Eleventh daughter was quite unexpected.

  Could it be that Miss Gan is illegitimate?

  And then I thought of Mrs. Gan's young face... or was Mrs. Gan a second wife?

  "Could it be trouble?" Mrs. Gan smiled warmly.

  "How could that be?" said the third Miss Gan with a scolding tone, "Even if we were ignorant of etiquette, it's impossible for us to make any impolite moves in the Xu household." Her attitude was not very respectful.

  Mrs. Gan didn't think much of it and smiled slightly: "Quickly sit down and have a cup of tea - look at you, your face is all sweaty!"

  Miss Gan nodded indifferently and sat down. Naturally, a maid came forward to pour her some lukewarm tea, and another maid fanned her with a sleeve.

  She smiled and chatted with Shíyī Niáng: "Is the play enjoyable?"

  The eleventh girl nodded: "Sang very well."

  "It's all because of Lanting, otherwise I could have taken a good look. She spoke with a hint of complaint but not anger, "Do you often listen to opera at home? What kind of operas do you like listening to?"

  "Ordinary days at home don't listen to plays." Eleventh Girl smiled and said, "This is the first time!"

  She widened her eyes and nodded understandingly: "That's true. There's nothing fun to do in your countryside either." Without being arrogant or condescending, she was simply narrating an event. It didn't make people feel disgusted, but rather felt that she had a naive innocence.

  The girl's mouth corners slightly curled up.

  "What else did Third Sister say?" Miss Gan Qi suddenly appeared behind Third Miss, "One of the three major opera troupes in Yanjing, 'Jie Xiang She', is also singing Yu Hang dialect. Luo's hometown is in Yu Hang."

  The third Miss Gan was slightly stunned, and when she saw Shiyi's gaze, she felt a few points of displeasure, as if she had been deceived.

  The eleventh girl couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

  It's beneath me to be on familiar terms with these little girls.

  She had no choice but to explain: "I used to follow my father in Fujian, and only returned home after my grandfather passed away to observe mourning rituals. I've never heard of opera before."

  Miss Gan's face was slightly cloudy, and she nodded slightly.

  Miss Gan smiled with pursed lips and then pulled Xi's hand: "Don't mind, my third sister has always been straightforward in her words."

  It's not a big deal anyway, and they even came to apologize specially, so how could Eleven not accept their good intentions.

  She opened her eyes wide, with a hint of slyness in her expression: "Gan family's third sister is right! There's nothing fun to do where we are... How could Gan family's seventh sister say 'don't blame'!"

  Miss Gan laughed and said, "You're really an interesting person."

  The eleventh girl also smiled.

  Madam Huang turned her head and said: "Lan Ting, you really can't calm down for a moment. Hurry up and sit properly. I couldn't hear what was being sung on the stage."

  Miss Gan VII stuck out her tongue at Shiyi and sat down beside her, but couldn't help whispering in her ear: "Did Lianfang go to borrow a skirt from the Fourth Mistress?"

  The eleventh girl's heart moved, but her face remained calm: "How did you know?"

  Miss Gan's seventh sister winked at her: "She originally said she would go with Mingyuan to see the second lady, but halfway through, she said she wanted to fly a kite with us. The wind on Yongdao was quite strong, it was a good place to fly a kite. As a result, she met a little maid and said that the scenery on the side of Chunyan Pavilion was good, so she insisted on going to Chunyan Pavilion to fly a kite. Go if you go... Disaster struck again - she stood there beside the pavilion, gazing into the distance, but was suddenly bumped by a servant who came to pick spring flowers at Chunyan Pavilion, and her skirt was torn. She had no choice but to return first... But she didn't expect that she would borrow a skirt from the fourth lady."

  The eleventh girl just felt her heart beating wildly.

  From Chunyanting, you can see a crescent-shaped small lake, with a waterside pavilion... Wu Niang had also leaned in close to her and asked if that was not the Marquis's study "Banyue Ting"!

  She looked at Miss Qi of the Gan family.

  Miss Gan's face was full of smiles, with a hint of cunning in her eyes.

  It dawned on Shier Niang suddenly, like a bolt of enlightenment.

  It turns out that every sentence spoken by Seventh Young Lady Gan is like a pearl, each with profound meaning.

  She went ahead and started a Tai Chi fight with Miss Gan Qi: "Huh, where is the third madam? Why do you still need to borrow a skirt from your elder sister?"

  Miss Gan's eyes lit up, and her smile became even brighter: "Eldest Sister was halfway here when someone from the kitchen called her back. They said that the trout personally selected by Old Madam had gone missing, and Eldest Sister had to go take a look. That's why she hadn't even stepped into the garden gate before being called away. Otherwise, how would Lotus House have suddenly changed its mind?" She gazed at Eleventh Mother, her words laced with implication.

  The eleventh girl couldn't help but smile bitterly.

  One coincidence followed by another coincidence becomes an inevitability.

  But who is the cicada? Who is the praying mantis? And who is the oriole?

  The light in the sky had gradually weakened, and the rough servant girl at the Xu Mansion quietly moved back and forth under the eaves of the Dongchun Hall, where one by one the large red lanterns were lit.

  The gongs and drums beside the stage still resounded, but the people on the stage changed from being bold and unrestrained to being high-pitched and gentle. On Cai Bojie's left was Zhao Wuniang, and on his right was Niu Shi, emulating the virtues of Ehuang and Nüying...

  Praise from various ladies reached her ears.

  "Wu Niang has good fortune now, she's become the wife of a Zhuangyuan!"

  "Niu's virtue is noble and generous!"

  The eleventh girl was momentarily stunned.

  It turns out that Zhao Wuniang ate bran and swallowed vegetables, wrapped in a hemp skirt and covered with soil, and what she got was just such an ending!

  Everyone, don't wait, I'll update a bit late! (*^__^*) Hehe......