Favored Concubine

  The sisters discussed what gift to give, huddled together whispering, Wang couldn't help but smile and turned to Zhao saying: "To say that Yuwen is indeed a good child, kind-hearted, gentle and courteous, I hope she'll have good fortune in the future." Sighing, a woman's fate has never been her own.

  Zhao nodded and said: "Yes, it's not easy being a woman."

  Although I am a concubine's daughter-in-law, at home I mostly don't speak out and don't participate. My husband is progressive and polite, there are no concubines by his side, just an old and faded wife in name only. The old master hasn't visited her for a long time, she's just being supported.

  It turns out that the old lady is not a troublesome and demanding person, with a proud temperament who disdains to do anything underhanded. Although she's not very close to them, she never makes things difficult for herself, and compared to other families, it's unknown how much better this life is; whether it's sweet or bitter, only she knows.

  Li seemed to have heard something and moved, but didn't turn around. Zhao shook her head at Wang, meaning don't say anything, it would hurt Big Sister's feelings. Wang also sighed, she admired this Big Sister, although sometimes she felt that the main house had taken too many resources and connections, but in all fairness, they hadn't treated the second house unfairly either. She just got upset sometimes and wanted to take advantage of a small benefit, causing trouble for herself, actually, she didn't necessarily lack those two dollars either.

  Wang sighed and didn't say anything, but in her heart she hoped that her daughter would get along well with Yuwen's sister, as sisters who got along well would be of great help to each other in the future; after all, only women could understand the hardships of being a woman.

  In less than two days, Wang's sister came with her daughter to visit the old lady and Li. When Wanyu and others went there, several people were already very happy.

  Wan Yu took a glance and could see that she had some resemblance to Wang, with strong interpersonal skills, no wonder she was able to follow her husband on foreign postings, quite capable.

  Standing beside her was her daughter. A pink embroidered white jade lan narrow sleeve jacket, lost in a round moon bun, only tied with a silk ribbon. The end of the silk ribbon was adorned with small millet pearls, and a crimson thread-embroidered skirt. The fabric was smooth and lustrous, the little girl was a bit smaller than Yun Qing, but slightly larger than Wan Yi, looking around eight or nine years old, with a plump and chubby face, looking very cute, standing aside with a slight shyness.

  Wanyu led her sister forward to greet the guests and pay respects to the elderly lady.

  Mrs. Wang smiled and nodded slightly, exaggerating her praise: "Oh my! Such a beautiful girl, I've never seen one before! Old lady, you're really lucky to have such a granddaughter who looks like an immortal fairy, I've truly never seen one before." Her eyes showed unhidden surprise.

  The old lady narrowed her eyes and waved her hand with a straight smile, but there was a hint of self-satisfaction in her eyes. In terms of appearance and temperament, this granddaughter of hers was not inferior to anyone, and was indeed exceptional.

  "You're overpraising, it's just that she has a plain and honest face, not worth boasting about. Wanyu, this is your younger sister Mingxin. From now on, she'll be living in the Jingfang Pavilion, take good care of her." The old lady said with a smile to Wanyu.

  Wanyu bowed her body and said, "Don't worry, Grandma. From now on, we have another playmate! I'll call you Mingxin sister, okay? This is my third sister Yunqing, and my fourth sister Wanyi. If anything happens in the future, just come find me, or go find Wanyi if you can't find me."

  Wanyi nodded repeatedly, "Sister, let's go play in the warm pavilion, I have a gift for you."

  Wang smiled awkwardly, she should have given a gift earlier. But she came in a hurry and her hands were not convenient either. She just pretended to be stupid and fooled her way through it, but unexpectedly the children had prepared gifts. It made her feel a bit embarrassed, so she looked at her sister Wang for help.

  "Alright, you guys go ahead. Ming Xin, have fun with your sisters and don't hesitate to ask if you need anything."

  Through her interruption, Wang also returned to normal, calmly nodding and smiling at her daughter. Mingxin then walked towards Yuwan, slightly revealing a shy smile. "Mingxin greets the two sisters, asks Yuyi younger sister to take care of herself, and will still need to trouble the sisters to take care of her in the future." As she spoke, she made a slight bow with her hands clasped together.

  Wan Yu nodded in approval, her eyes clear and bright, looking like a well-behaved child, and also added a few points of goodwill in her heart.

  A few people went to the warm pavilion to play, leaving this place for adults to socialize. Yuanyu took out the boxes prepared by everyone and placed them on the kang table, opening them with a smile: "Thinking that you would be back first, Yuanyi said she wanted to give you a gift, so we all chipped in too. These two are from Yunqing and Yuanyi, this one is mine, just a small trinket, don't decline it, take it and play with it." As she spoke, she didn't allow Mingxin to refuse and forcibly stuffed it into her hand. After all, when visiting someone's home, the host family should show some courtesy.

  Ming Xin looked down, embarrassed and blushed, "I, I didn't bring a gift, it's embarrassing to receive such an expensive one from sisters."

  Only after arriving at the Hou Mansion did I understand what wealth and nobility mean. No wonder my mother said that she wanted to broaden my horizons, to keep a low profile, and just gain some experience; never compare with others, as it's really like heaven and earth.

  The conditions of their own home are far from those of the Marquis's residence, and they cannot afford such expensive gifts, feeling very embarrassed.

  Wan Yu smiled, thinking that this child was really lovely and pure-hearted, with a bit more affection in her heart. "Good little sister, don't say such polite words, we're all relatives, you'll be living here for a long time from now on, don't be formal with us, we treat you like our own sister."

  Wanyi also advised: "That's right, my elder sister is the best person, what she gives you is sincerely given, don't worry about it, and we have a long time to get along in the future, can't be calculating everything, hurry up and put it away, don't be petty."

  Ming Xin listened and nodded, at home her mother had said that listening to Wan Yi's younger sister was not wrong, whatever you discuss with her don't take matters into your own hands and let others look down on you.

  "Thank you, sisters." Ming Xin happily thanked them and showed a hearty smile.

  Wan Yi nodded in agreement, this cousin is not bad, let's see later, if she's sensible then we can be closer, if not then it's better to keep a distance, just to save face for mother.

  A few girls played quite well, Mingxin was a bit shy, but she still understood the rules. When something happened, she would ask Xianyi with her eyes and only speak after seeing Xianyi's actions, which made her a bit reserved.

  In the evening, Wang returned and instructed Mingxin a few words before leaving. Mingxin was somewhat frightened but still listened and stayed behind. The servants saw that Wang had given her some silver tickets and a very heavy package.

  There are still many things to do at home, they have just moved into the capital, and there are many miscellaneous things to do. This time, it's not just about the daughter's selection, but also hoping to establish a relationship with the Murong Marquis' mansion, and having multiple relatives support the expansion of personal connections.

  No matter how reluctant Ming Xin was to part with Wang Shi, she still left. Ming Xin's eyes were red-rimmed again, but she didn't dare cry for fear of being misunderstood. That little face couldn't help but look even more pitiful.

  Wan Yi looked a bit worried, but she wouldn't comfort anyone. She stared at Wan Yu for help, and Wan Yu had no choice but to go over and hold Ming Xin's hand, softly comforting her, "Silly sister, don't be sad. Your mother is doing this for your own good. Next year we'll have the imperial selection, and the palace has many rules. Your mother wants you to get used to the unfamiliar environment early, and it's also good that you can learn more rules."

  Ming Xin nodded with tears in her eyes, "I know, I will try my best to learn." She wiped away her tears and sniffled.

  It's probably because of her childlike innocence and also thanks to Yuanyi's companionship that Mingxin became lively after adapting for a few days. The wet nurse and two older maids she brought with her were clever and understanding, and with Yuanyi and her mother taking care of them, there weren't any major issues.

  Ming Xin is now following Wan Yi's actions, Wan Yi and Yun Qing come to Wan Yu every morning to practice calligraphy, and Yun Qing even gets up early to practice boxing with Wan Yu, surprisingly having great perseverance for nearly half a year. Last winter, she didn't even cough once, making her mother-in-law rejoice and chant Buddhist scriptures.

  Wanyi also wanted to practice, but she was young and loved to sleep in, so she would often skip training for two days after one day of hard work. Wang said a few words to her, but she couldn't persist, and had no choice but to lament that her daughter was too delicate.

  It wasn't until Mingxin arrived that he saw Yunqing and Wanyu practicing boxing, thought it was fun and followed along to practice together. Unexpectedly, the little girl could endure a lot of hardship, whether it was practicing calligraphy with stone blocks or getting up early to practice boxing, she did everything meticulously, never complaining about being tired or sore.

  Even the aunt said she was a kind and honest good girl, willing to suffer and learn with her heart, although her talent is not the smartest, but she is very sensible and listens to advice, never playing small tricks, winning at honesty and integrity.

  Wanyu is now mainly learning palace fighting courses with Wang Niangniang. In her spare time, she occasionally embroiders some embroidery products. She has been embroidering a piece of work all the time, which is the scene of playing in the peach blossom forest at the Huangjue Temple that time. On that day, the old lady had a lot of fun, and several children were having fun in front of her. After that, the old lady still mentioned it from time to time.

  She made up her mind to embroider the picture and give it to her grandmother for her 50th birthday, which was also the last birthday she would spend with her grandmother at home. She put all her energy and thoughts into this painting, thinking of leaving a keepsake for the old lady.

  Considering her own face, she can take care of her mother and two brothers a bit more. There is also an unbearable feeling towards relatives in it. After being raised by her grandmother for so many years, she feels unbearable too.

  The road ahead is uncertain, she doesn't know what her future holds, but no matter what, she will strive to live on and won't give up any chance of survival.

  At the beginning of the year, my fourth brother went to a military camp for training. He ate and lived in the camp, and it's said that he blended in quite well. The place worships fist strength as the top priority, so with Eldest Brother's combat power, there's no need to worry.

  Every month, Wanyu would send in the embroidered shoes and clothes she made, as well as medicine, and of course some delicious food to improve their diet.

  Qige's brother was very jealous of him, and every time he would fight with him for the best food. There, Qige also made some good friends and brothers, and became more and more outgoing, but also rougher, drinking heavily and eating meat loudly, his laughter loud and clear, his skin darker and thinner, but he looked even more like a man, his eyes bright and open, with a strong and straightforward air, Murong Jin's eyes showed approval.

  He plans to send Qi Ge to the northwest to make a name for himself, where there are often small-scale wars. Although large battles cannot be fought at present, there are still small-scale frictions that can be used to temper his son's character. Moreover, in the northwest, he has many connections and friendships built up over the years, which can take care of his son and prevent him from being bullied or harmed.

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