mesbooks Chapter 995 The Fat Wife
Chapter 995 The Fat Wife
The wedding banquet didn't gradually come to an end until dusk, and those who remained at the Zhang residence were all close friends and relatives.
The female relatives from the Zhang family were mainly entertained by several of Qian's aunts, with Wu Ya and Zhu Zhu helping out as well.
In terms of social interactions and networking, Qian's aunts were clearly much better at it than Wu Ya and Zhu Zhu, for which Zhang Ping'an appreciated it greatly and specifically instructed the housekeeper to prepare generous return gifts. Although he knew the Qian family didn't care about such things, he still had to show his attitude and not offend them.
During the day, Madam Xu was all smiles, but when there were fewer people around at night, she couldn't help but wipe her eyes and hold Zhang Ping'an's hand, babbling on and on: "If Xiaoyu'er's mother were still alive, she would be so happy to see her son get married. It's a pity she didn't have the good fortune. It's a pity for my grandson, and a pity for you too!"
"What are you doing, old woman? Today is our grandson's big day. Let's not talk about these things, lest we upset the child. Don't you understand even this basic sense of propriety? You're getting old, but you're getting more and more senile," Zhang Lao Er said helplessly in a soft voice.
Xu was clearly immersed in her own emotions, feeling both happy and sad. She twisted her body and retorted loudly, "What's it to you! Can't I even cry? There are no outsiders here!"
Zhang Ping'an leaned over to comfort them, already used to the old couple's occasional bickering. "Alright, alright, the guests haven't all left yet. Today is Xiaoyuer's big day, so crying isn't allowed."
After saying that, he took out a handkerchief to wipe away Xu's tears, sighed, looked out of the courtyard and said gently, "If Xiaoyu'er's mother were still here, she would be very happy to see her son grow up to be so successful."
“That’s right, but don’t cry and whine like that, it’s not proper,” Zhang Lao Er instructed.
As soon as he finished speaking, several of Qian's aunts, along with Wu Ya and Zhu Zhu, came in.
Before she arrived, her voice preceded her, a clear and cheerful laugh: "Brother-in-law, most of the guests outside have left now, and we were just about to say goodbye when we came over to let you know."
Seeing someone come in, Zhang Ping'an quickly composed himself, stood up, and said politely with a smile, "Thank you all for your help today."
The eldest aunt of the Qian family was the oldest and most senior, and the most insightful. Upon hearing Zhang Ping'an's words, she immediately waved her handkerchief and shook her head, saying, "Heming's mother is no longer here. It is only right and proper for us aunts to help. Don't be so formal. Besides, brother-in-law, you have prepared a generous return gift for us. You have been busy all day, and I can see you are quite tired. We will not bother you any longer and will go back now."
"Alright, then I won't keep you any longer. Take care on your journey. I'll have Heming personally visit to thank you another day."
Wuya and Zhuzhu both have children at home and were worried about them, so they left as well.
Only a few of Qian's brothers-in-law and the men of the family remained here.
In addition, there are those with extremely close relationships, such as those with beady eyes.
There should be enough seats for about two or three more tables.
Let's have dinner a little later tonight.
The younger generation of men in the Qian family are all very familiar with Xiaoyuer. Xiaoyuer has been studying at the Qian family school since he was a child, and they are all close to each other. The young men can't sit still and are all clamoring to go and make a ruckus in the bridal chamber.
Zhang Ping'an smiled but remained silent, not getting involved in these matters. He knew they wouldn't gain any advantage over their son. His son, aside from anything else, was incredibly cunning and shrewd!
After the boisterous younger generation left, Qian Ying and the others started chatting about other topics.
At their age, status, and position, conversations inevitably turn to court politics within three sentences; this is unavoidable.
It was at this time that Zhang Ping'an learned that the Qian family was also planning to send their daughter to the palace this year.
Somewhat surprised, "Didn't my father-in-law always oppose sending daughters from his clan into the palace? This time it's..."
Qian Ying smiled and said calmly, "Our Qian family has never had the custom of sending daughters of our clan to the palace to become concubines. There haven't been any Qian family women in the harem for many years. However, this year is the first time His Majesty has held a selection of concubines since he ascended the throne. It is only reasonable and appropriate that our clan should select some daughters with both good looks and virtues to participate in the selection. As for whether they will succeed, that is another matter."
That being said, Zhang Ping'an noticed that his brother-in-law's tone was different from usual, clearly indicating that it wasn't just a simple matter of participation. Moreover, the Qian family had deep roots, and His Majesty had to consider the reputation of various families when selecting officials.
However, since his brother-in-law was unwilling to say more, Zhang Ping'an didn't ask any further questions. Every family has its own plans and schemes, which is normal.
Green Bean Eyes was a few years older than Zhang Ping'an. Seeing that Zhang Ping'an was already drinking tea with his daughter-in-law and his son was doing well, while his own two sons were still clueless little boys who only knew how to play around and were useless, he felt very envious and heartbroken.
Zhang Ping'an found it somewhat amusing, "Who was it that looked down on this and that back then, dragging themselves into becoming an old bachelor, and still has the nerve to say that!"
"Sigh!" The beady-eyed man sighed and took another sip of wine. In truth, he was just saying it casually. He knew that if he could do it all over again, he would still make the same choice. Character determines destiny, and that cannot be changed.
After chatting for a while, the group leisurely started playing chess, stealing a half-day of peace from their busy lives.
Not long after, the group of young men who had run out earlier returned dejectedly, their heads hanging low, clearly having gained nothing.
Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that Xiaoyuer had prepared protectors, namely the few retainers he had brought back, who had been defeated in both literary and martial arts contests.
Especially in the literary debate, although Lü Liang was just a failed scholar, he had a lot of fallacies and was able to directly refute these young masters, leaving them speechless. He was truly a master of eloquence, able to debate with a group of scholars without being at a disadvantage.
He tried to eavesdrop, but the boy named Crow was watching him closely, and he couldn't find the slightest opportunity.
One person was very indignant and asked Zhang Ping'an, "Second Uncle, where did my cousin find these people? They don't give us any face at all and are completely unreasonable."
Zhang Ping'an immediately realized that this person had revealed their identity and money, but it hadn't worked at all, and they had suffered a loss.
"These are all the retainers your cousin made on his way back to his hometown. They are all talented people, and they usually only listen to your cousin. Most talented people are arrogant, so why bother with them? Come, come, sit down and have some tea. Dinner will be served soon."
Before the man could say anything more, Qian Ying suddenly gave him a look, and all of them dared not act rashly again.
They sat quietly to one side, drinking tea and chatting.
Seeing this, Zhang Ping'an shook his head, placed a piece on the board, and said with a smile, "You shouldn't be too harsh on them; they're still just kids!"
"Children won't amount to anything if they aren't taught properly. Being strict with them now is for their own good," Qian Ying said with a faint smile, before placing her piece on the board.
By the time we finished dinner and went back, the moon was high in the sky, and the sky was full of stars, indicating that tomorrow would be a sunny day.
Actually, the banquet was already quite late when we finished lunch today, so everyone wasn't very hungry in the evening and didn't eat much for dinner.
It was all because of drinking and chatting that I got to this point.
Qian Ying drank the most, but he had a good tolerance for alcohol and was still relatively sober. He leaned back in the carriage, lazily waved to Zhang Ping'an, and then took his family back home.
The boy with the beady eyes followed closely behind, waved, and left.
After seeing off the last group of guests, the Zhang family mansion finally fell completely quiet.
When they returned to the main room and finished eating, they began to talk about what had happened that day when checking the gift list.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but frown: "What? You mean someone sent over black or cut-up satin?"
Even after eating, his complexion was still poor. He had been holding back during the day for fear of upsetting himself by talking about it, so he waited until now to say, "Yes, I have already investigated and sent people to secretly track down the person who sent the gift. In the end, we found out that it was Miss Cui who sent it. Should we tell the young master about this?"
“Of course I have to say,” Zhang Ping’an said, putting down his teacup and his face darkening.
"Let him deal with the messy romantic entanglements he brought upon himself. But as far as I know, Miss Cui is already on the list of candidates for the palace selection and will be entering the palace soon. Today's incident was probably just to annoy the young master and our family. This action shows that he is a vengeful person, and he might even turn his love into hatred in the future!"
I wholeheartedly agree.
At this moment, Xiaoyuer, who was on his wedding night, was still unaware of this. After sending away his cousins who wanted to make a ruckus in the bridal chamber, he felt at ease and began to drink the nuptial wine with his bride before lifting her veil.
Although they already knew in advance that the Li family's daughter was plump and unlike the usual delicate and frail young ladies from noble families, they could tell from her appearance in her wedding dress that she was not thin at all.
But when the veil was actually lifted, and she saw the other person's round face, the white, greasy flesh around the neck, and those thick arms, Xiaoyuer was still somewhat shocked.
He had never seen such a fat woman in his life, not even his grandmother.
Roughly estimated, this woman weighs at least 150 pounds, probably even heavier than him.
Fortunately, her skin was fair and delicate, her features were regular, her eyes were bright and moist, and her black hair was like a waterfall. She wasn't unattractive despite being chubby, which greatly helped Xiaoyuer quickly accept his chubby wife.
Meanwhile, Li's daughter was also secretly observing him. The initial shock in Xiaoyuer's eyes when he lifted the veil, and the relieved expression afterward, did not escape her notice.
Lady Li was very satisfied with this husband; he was the one she had carefully selected from among so many noble young men in the capital.
Unlike Xiaoyuer, who had never met her before, she had already seen Xiaoyuer twice at the Daxiangguo Temple.
The reason she chose Xiaoyuer, besides his appearance and family background, was primarily because of their initial connection. The moment she saw him, she knew they were kindred spirits.