CH 32

On the 20th of the month, the Yang family really sent betrothal gifts.

Zhou frowned after she looked at the list of gifts, and her face turned heavy. She closed her eyes on the bed as if she was asleep.

Yong Ruo knew why she wasn’t happy-even if she didn’t know much about the extravagance of rich families in that era, she knew that the gifts were too simple!

Usually, from the engagement gifts, one could guess the in-laws’ attitude towards the future daughter-in-law.

Along with the gifts, there was a letter of appointment which was brought by an old woman with two little girls and four guards. They all would live in Yong’s house before welcoming their new addition.

The old woman’s surname was Yan. She was the old woman around Mrs. Yang who came to teach Yong Ruo etiquette, two little girls to serve Yan Ruo. The four guards came to protect women and children. They could not squeeze into the Yong house, so they rented a house on the east and west side of the neighborhoods.

After seeing Zhou’s situation, Yan Zhen frowned, and she muttered in a low voice, “Is your mother happy with the Chongxi?”

Yong Ruo thought, ‘Killing two birds with one stone?’ But she couldn’t say that, so she pretended like she didn’t hear it.

After a round in the Yong house, Yan Zheng asked about the structure of the house.

“Why is a stove built in this main room?” There was a fireplace in the main room. “Are you not afraid of breaking Feng Shui?”

(Feng Shui is Chinese geomancy that claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment.)

Yong Ruo had a quiet smile on her face and calmly replied, “My home is cold, and I don’t have extra money to buy charcoal for heating. I built such a stove here last winter when my mother was sick. Now, I could use this stove to boil water decoction, it can also warm up the room. It is killing two birds with one stone. As for Feng Shui, I have never believed in it. But my family had a chance to fix my marriage with the grand Yongchang house. This Feng Shui won’t be so bad. “

A bit of proud expression appeared on Yan’s face, “This is also true!”

Yong Ruo laughed without saying a word, looking calm and elegant. Yan Zheng glanced at Yong Ruo, and then smiled, showing a little satisfaction.

“This bed is yours?” Yan Yan pointed at the other bed in the main room.

“Yes! But my mother is ill and needs help. I sleep here more conveniently.” As for the fact that she shared the bed with her two younger brothers. She didn’t want to tell her lest this woman would lecture her about boundaries between men and women.

“Is she sick?” Yan Yan frowned again.

“The doctor said, my mother, is a little sick.”

Yan Yan’s brow didn’t settle, “You are about to leave the house. There are many things to do, nursing your mother should be left to someone else! Or buy a little girl, or hire someone.”

“You’re right! I will hire someone …”

Widow Qin was a good person; only she was a widow. If she entered the Yong house at this time, Yong Ruo wondered if the Yang family would feel it was wrong? It might be better to find her daughter-in-law Qin Dazhen, who has a cute round face and smiled very often.

Looking at the five rooms, Yan Yan was dumbfounded, “Where will she sleep?”

There were only five rooms in the Yong house, three rooms in the north side, a hall in the middle, a main room on the east side, and a room on the west side; the one in the east side was shared by the Yong brothers and a kitchen. Where else would Yan Yan live?

Yong Ruo said, “I’ve really wronged you! It is indeed wrong! How about I hire a young daughter-in-law in this neighborhood. She will serve my mother here during the day and go back to her house to sleep at night. I will sleep in my mother’s room. Isn’t it inconvenient for her to live with my two brothers in my house?

Yan Zheng thought for a moment, then said, “How can you hire a girl from someone else’s house? I will hire another girl and rent a neighboring house.”

When she saw the bamboo nails under the fence, Yan Zheng looked a little worried at Yong Ruo. Her slightly turbid eyes seemed to be saying, “How can you there be such a thing in your house?”

“Is this bamboo nail array useful?” Yan Zheng asked casually.

“Of course it is. On the night when the bamboo nail array was laid, two thieves broke in to steal things. They were hurt by this bamboo nail array,” she told her about that night. Anyway, the whole Hutong knew of that matter, and she couldn’t hide it even if she wished to

The fear on Yan Yan’s face was even heavier.

That night, Yan Ye took a girl and rented a house in Hutong.

When she returned the next day, she inadvertently asked, “I heard that you know a very generous young man?”