In early spring, the weather warms up and everything revives.
In the backyard of Jingfu, in a quiet and elegant Buddhist hall.
"Old madam, are you in such a hurry, are you pushing the young master too hard?" A middle-aged woman wearing a dark green cotton skirt knelt on the cold floor, not daring to raise her head, with a somewhat expression on her face.
It was complicated and he had the courage to ask.
Next to the gilded Buddha statue, there is a three-legged incense burner made of purple gold with an exquisite appearance. Above the lit incense candle, light blue smoke curls into the sky, and the refreshing sandalwood fills the whole room. In front of the Buddha statue
In front of her, kneeling was an old woman with her hair tied up in a bun and a speck of white frost on her temples.
The old woman was wearing a pale blue plain dress that had been washed a little bit white. She didn't have any jewelry on her body. Her expression was peaceful. She exuded a unique temperament of seeing through the world and being peaceful and far-reaching. She murmured sutras and had a pious attitude. From then on
From the lingering charm in her appearance, we can vaguely infer that the old woman must have been a rare beauty when she was young.
"Ani Tuofu..."
The old woman didn't reply. She put one hand on her chest and slowly turned the beads with the other hand. On the side of the whole string of beads that was often twisted, all the purple paint had peeled off, revealing the light brown wood, which showed that it had been used.
It’s been a long time.
In front of the old woman, there is also a wooden fish with cracks on the surface due to years of beating.
Although she received no response, the middle-aged woman did not dare to be disrespectful at all. She lowered her head and knelt there quietly.
After half a stick of incense had passed, the old woman slowly opened her eyelids, and her calm eyes moved slightly, becoming a little angry.
The middle-aged woman seemed to realize something and hurriedly stepped forward to help.
"When I was young, I didn't believe in the consequences of reincarnation in this world, but as I got older year by year, I had a unique feeling in my heart, and I realized that the laws of nature are clear, good will be rewarded with good, and evil will be punished with evil! At the age of fifty, I know my destiny.
, I am already over fifty this year." The old woman held her arm and slowly stood up from the futon. Her eyes looked at the solemn Buddha statue with a slight smile. After speaking, she seemed to be a little confused, but there was no
Answer the middle-aged woman's previous question.
"Yes, you old man must be rewarded with good deeds." The middle-aged woman bent down, smiled and helped the old woman knead her knees, which were a little sore and numb because she had been kneeling for a long time. Her movements were skillful, which shows that she often serves people like this.
.
"Good reward?"
The old woman shook her head gently and felt that her knees were feeling. She supported the middle-aged woman's hand and slowly walked out of the temple. "When I was a girl, I had a bad temper. I would beat and scold the servants in the house. This is not good."
, Fortunately, my family covered it up for me.
Otherwise, if my reputation spreads, which family would want a daughter-in-law like me?
Although he restrained himself a little after getting married, he became jealous of the master's vixens and used all his methods!
Not only did she lose her dignity as a real wife, but she also set traps whenever she got the chance... In the end, even her heart turned dark."
The old man of Jing Mansion has passed away, and it was in the year of his death that the old lady finally saw through that all the things in the world are just the smoke of the past, love, hate, and hatred, just looking for trouble in vain. Now those things left by the old man Jing
The concubines all live a very good life, with food, clothing, and expenses. She has the power in the mansion and never has any difficulties, and allows them to go out of the Jing Mansion to go shopping, play, and visit relatives and friends at any time.
Some people even wanted to leave the house and get married again, but she was happy to see it happen and gave them a sum of money as a gift.
This is extremely rare among wealthy families with strict family rules in ancient times.
The middle-aged woman couldn't help but look up at the old lady, and quickly lowered her head.
She grew up in Jing Mansion, and her mother was the old lady's dowry maid, so she naturally knew the old lady's past.
In fact, the old lady was at best a bit spoiled and unruly when she was young.
Not bad-hearted.
As for marrying into the Jing Mansion... just imagine how many women who are truly in love can truly accept from the bottom of their hearts that their husband has three wives and four concubines?
Although there is sin, it is excusable!
The middle-aged woman sighed inwardly and said: "In recent years, you have been fasting and worshiping Buddha, and you have often donated sesame oil money to some temples. When the situation was bad, you also opened a porridge shed to give porridge to the refugees..."
"The sin has been committed, and it is useless to try to make up for it. Otherwise, after those evil people have done bad things, and just give some money and rice to temples and Taoist temples, wouldn't they immediately become good people?" The old woman's serene face showed.
With a calm look, he waved his hand to interrupt,
"I'm just asking for comfort in my heart. I don't really think that doing good things can offset the sins I have committed in the past. If I have to say that I am unwilling to do anything, it is that I hope God will take my life.
Don’t repay Jiang Long for the mistakes I made.”
At this point, the old woman's expression changed, as if she remembered something, and suddenly sighed heavily.
Compared with the sins he committed, what his husband and son did... "Alas!"
The middle-aged woman didn't know how to persuade her, so she found another topic, "Old madam, winter has passed, and now the weather is getting warmer. Would you like to ask the housekeeper to make arrangements for us to go out for an outing?"
"What? You don't want me to stay in the Buddhist hall every day?" The old woman chuckled.
The middle-aged woman hurriedly knelt down, "I don't dare, this slave."
The old woman pressed her palm with a little force, and the middle-aged woman did not dare to continue kneeling down. She gently patted the back of the middle-aged woman's hand and said with a smile: "I'm just joking with you, don't take it seriously, and
Sometimes I really calm down and think about it, life is just a dream!"
At this point, she let out a long sigh, and a touch of melancholy appeared in the old woman's somewhat hazy eyes, "There are not many people in the house who can joke with me now."
A thin layer of sweat broke out on the middle-aged woman's forehead, her expression was reserved, and she didn't know how to respond.
"You're already old, and you have old arms and legs. How can you still be young?" The old woman shook her head slightly, and then suddenly changed the subject, "As for Jiang Long, do you think I am willing to force him?"
"But the young master has been delicate and frail since he was a child. Recently, he is sometimes too weak to get out of bed and has a bad temper. What if..." The middle-aged woman did not expect that the old lady suddenly changed the subject. She was stunned for a moment before speaking.
Open your mouth and answer.
"I raised him by myself. How can I not know his temper? But among the Jing family, he is the only male left in our family! And he gets sick from time to time. I don't know why.
God..." At this point, a deep sadness flashed through the old woman's eyes, which made the viewer feel sad. However, after taking a deep breath, her expression became calm again, and she continued: "I don't want to force him either.
, but our branch must have a legacy of incense!"
"But……"
"No buts!" The old woman's voice suddenly became stern. She straightened her waist and her aura changed drastically. She lost her previous sense of seeing through the world and being otherworldly, and her sharp edge was revealed. "Ya'er is the one wedded to by his fingertips."
My wife even let them meet when they were young. Although they were still young at that time, it was obvious that he liked her very much.
But why did he have a bad face after marrying him, and even refused to consummate the marriage with her?
He has been well-behaved since he was a child, and he is also somewhat smart. Although he cannot achieve great things, he can still maintain the family fortune. The most valuable thing is that he knows how to empathize with others and understand the difficulties of others. Although the family is rich, he has not cultivated the children of ordinary wealthy families.
He is domineering and arrogant, but why did he act so decisively this time?
I asked him, but he didn't answer.
I really want to make me angry to death!
Just imagine, if your daughter gets married in the future, but her husband-in-law is unwilling to consummate the marriage, how embarrassed and angry will you and your daughter be?
Fortunately Ya'er is sensible, otherwise there would have been a big mess.
Okay! To take a step back, maybe it’s because we haven’t seen each other for many years, so we don’t have much contact, and we are relatively unfamiliar.
So why doesn't he even want to lay a finger on the two girls Yuchai and Baoping who have been serving him since childhood and grew up with him?"
Maybe it was because she said too many words in one breath, or maybe because she had been holding it in for a long time and finally let it out, Mrs. Jing's chest heaved and she gasped a little.
The middle-aged woman didn't answer the call. She didn't know how to answer such a thing.
However, I also agree with the old lady's words in my heart. Consuming a marriage with her husband is a big deal for a woman. If she were someone with a stubborn and stubborn temper, she might even be able to hang herself and jump into a well to die.
But she was a little confused. When the old lady first made up her mind and planned to marry the young lady into the house in advance, the sickly young master was still very happy.
But why did the young master suddenly become repulsive and irritable just a few days before the young lady was about to come in?
As for the jade hairpin and the treasure vase...
These two girls are just maids, so you don't need to pay too much attention to them. Although they are loyal to the young master, they grew up in a wealthy and aristocratic family like the Jing Mansion in an environment full of intrigues, which makes them young but not young at heart.
The middle-aged woman doesn't say she hates them, but she definitely doesn't like these two maids.
"Anyway!" Mrs. Jing's face was solemn and her words were loud and clear, "The incense in Jing Mansion cannot be cut off! You can go to Dr. Xu to come into the manor and prescribe more precious medicinal materials in the past two days to recuperate Jiang Long's body. Don't be stingy with money.
.
Then go and tell Jiang Long that in five days, I will give him at most five days, he must consummate the marriage with Ya'er, Yuchai, or Baoping.
If he still refuses to agree and shows his temper, you can pass on what I say..."
At this moment, a little girl with a girl's bun suddenly hurried through the doorway and ran over. Her expression was flustered. Because she ran so eagerly, her face was flushed, and her voice could not be controlled. "
Madam, it's not good, Master Jiu and the others came to the house again. Housekeeper Gu said that he couldn't comfort him, and Mrs. Dai couldn't handle it, so I asked you to go to the lobby."
Mrs. Dai?
The middle-aged woman looked strange when she heard this title.
"Yes." Mrs. Jing smiled and nodded, took a step forward, lifted up her whitened sleeves to wipe the hot sweat from the little girl's forehead, and said kindly and warmly: "You girl,
Why are you running in such a hurry? The sky will not fall."
"Yes." The little girl smiled shyly and lowered her head slightly.
The middle-aged woman was shocked at first, and then breathed a long sigh of relief. This little girl really didn’t know how to live or die!
The old lady was very strict about rules before worshiping the Buddha, and her temper was not very good. If anyone dared to be so reckless in front of her, they would inevitably get a slap in the face.
After giving the middle-aged woman a few words of advice, Mrs. Jing put a kind smile on her face, held the little maid's arm, and walked slowly and unhurriedly towards her bedroom to change her clothes.
In the Buddhist hall, she is a lay Buddhist.
But in front of others, she is the old lady in charge of the Jing family!