Chapter 74: The Gift
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With a plan in mind, Mingzhu couldn’t sit still. She kept sending people to inquire whether Fu Cong and Shen Ruilin were almost done talking, if they needed to come back to the backyard to eat together, and so on.
Madam Cui and her daughters-in-law noticed this, each with their own thoughts. Shen Ruilin had lived in the Fu residence for over five years, during which he was respectful, amiable, diligent, and hardworking, a likable person. Everyone liked him, but they had never seen Mingzhu so excited before. The first two times Shen Ruilin came, he brought her a beautiful pony once and jadeite, a specialty of Ji Country, the next time, but she wasn’t particularly thrilled. Yet this time, she was so focused.
The daughters-in-law didn’t dare to gossip about their sister-in-law in front of their mother-in-law, but they smiled and prepared the dishes with all their might. However, Madam Cui was pondering deeply.
In her opinion, the Fu family was already rich and powerful, so why bother finding a son-in-law among the princes? The rules within the royal family were strict, with many interests involved, and there was no truly suitable candidate for Mingzhu. It would be better to choose someone reliable and trustworthy like Shen Ruilin. He would genuinely love and protect Mingzhu, wouldn’t that be better?
Even if her cousin wasn’t happy, both her aunt and cousin’s wife were compassionate people, not to mention Shen Ruilin’s stubborn and determined nature.
Thinking of this, Madam Cui beckoned for Sun Momo to come over, “Go and tell Master Fu that the food is getting cold. We should finish the meal first, then talk about other matters. We can’t let the guests go hungry.”
Mingzhu saw that it was getting dark outside and still no one had returned, so she was anxiously scratching her head. When she heard Madam Cui’s words, she felt relieved. It was rare for her to join several sisters-in-law to arrange bowls, plates, chopsticks, and other items.
After a while, Sun Momo returned with a reply, “He’ll be here right away.”
Before she finished speaking, footsteps and the greetings of servants and maids could be heard outside. Mingzhu eagerly rushed forward to pull aside the curtain, but the sight of the person leading the group made her smile freeze on her face.
With a smiling face, Yuwen Chu walked in without even sparing a glance at Mingzhu. Instead, he greeted Madam Cui politely, “I had a very pleasant conversation with Xiangye and young General Shen. I apologize for delaying dinner. Xiangye kindly extended the invitation, so I couldn’t refuse. I hope Madame won’t mind the trouble.”
“Not at all, Your Highness’s visit brightens our humble abode. It’s a blessing that we didn’t even dare to hope for. I’m delighted beyond words. How could I possibly mind? I just hope Your Highness won’t mind the simple fare,” Madam Cui replied, rising to return the courtesy.
She hadn’t expected him to suddenly follow along, and it was somewhat awkward without Fu Cong giving prior notice.
Fu Cong gave her a helpless look, indicating he hadn’t anticipated it either. He had thought Yuwen Chu would leave soon, but to his surprise, Yuwen Chu was adept at conversation, still discussing border matters with Shen Ruilin. When Sun Momo went to invite him, Fu Cong had intended to use the opportunity to send him off. Who would have thought Yuwen Chu would shamelessly tag along?
Since he was already here, they couldn’t just kick him out. Additionally, as an outsider, it wasn’t appropriate for the women to dine together with him. So, they split the family banquet into two, with Fu Cong leading Yuwen Chu and Shen Ruilin to the main hall to eat, while Madam Cui dined with her daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and Mingzhu in another room.
The two groups couldn’t hear each other speaking and couldn’t see each other either. Mingzhu was extremely frustrated. Not only did she have no chance to socialize with Shen Ruilin, she couldn’t even talk to him, let alone see him! So, she angrily bit her chopsticks, genuinely feeling that Yuwen Chu was a disaster. Whenever he was around, nothing went smoothly.
After a while, her anger subsided, and she felt pleased again. Shen Ruilin would surely come to greet her mother and chat with her. If not this time, then next time. He wasn’t leaving early tomorrow morning anyway. Even tonight, she had ways to make him stay.
Waving her hand to summon Su Lan over, she instructed, “It’s rare for everyone to be so happy. Go fetch my cherished Snow Soul wine and take it over.”
Father and the other brothers were not fond of drinking excessively, except for Third Brother Fu Mingqing, who enjoyed his liquor. He could easily get himself drunk, especially in such occasions. Moreover, Shen Ruilin was patient and accommodating by nature. As long as Third Brother pulled him into drinking, he would definitely go all out to accompany him, which would undoubtedly lead to intoxication.
Following her instructions, Su Lan fetched the Snow Soul wine and later reported back, “His Lordship is very pleased and asked the lords to have a few more drinks.”
Mingzhu smiled and asked, “Surely Third Master is delighted?”
Su Lan, unaware of her intentions, truthfully replied, “Third Master is indeed very pleased. He’s even complaining that the alcohol I brought was too little.”
Mingzhu chuckled, “Then fetch another barrel to avoid him accusing me of being stingy.” After sitting with her chin supported for a while, seeing Madam Cui put down her chopsticks, she followed suit and bid farewell to her sisters-in-law and nieces before returning to her room.
Back in her room, instead of rushing to bed, she had the servants bring the gift Shen Ruilin had sent. It was the same as the gift he had sent in her previous life: several pieces of luxurious white fox fur, soft and glossy.
Su Lan and a few others examined them under the lamplight, praising, “Truly rare and excellent fur. Even though we’ve grown up in the Marquis’s mansion, we rarely see such fine fur. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Mingzhu has grown taller this year, and the clothes made for her last year are too short. This is perfect for making a cloak for her. We should use crimson cloud brocade with gold splashes for the lining; it will suit her the best.”
Mingzhu smiled as well. Shen Mingshan considered himself a loyal and upright minister, so the Shen family didn’t have much wealth. Shen Ruilin, being honest and upright, couldn’t engage in deceitful or manipulative deeds. Thus, these fox furs must have been hunted by him. Among all animals, foxes were the most cunning, especially the white ones. She wondered how much time and effort he had put into acquiring these furs… Mingzhu suddenly felt a weight in her heart.
When Shen Ruilin came to the capital all those years ago, she was already married to Yuwen You. These fox furs were sent by her family, along with a night pearl, as a wedding gift from Shen Ruilin. At that time, she hadn’t thought much about it, but now she realized how much Shen Ruilin cared for her. Even siblings by blood might not be like that.
Siblings… the thought sent a shiver down Mingzhu’s spine. If Shen Ruilin only saw her as his sister, purely out of sibling affection, then it might be difficult for her to marry him as she wished.
What should she do? Mingzhu scratched her ear, feeling troubled.
Shen Ruilin was traditional in his ways; he probably wouldn’t appreciate her taking the initiative. Let’s see, if she were to approach him privately and say, “Let’s become a family,” she would definitely receive a scolding and scare him off. However, he had a good trait of pitying the weak and the poor, and he was very chivalrous. Maybe she could try a different approach.
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