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墨書 Inktalez
Qin Yaru hugged Da Lang, smiled, and encouraged him to go talk to Qin Yizhi while she went to see her sister-in-law.
The Qin Family originally did not have a Buddhist Hall. Unlike other noble families, the matriarchs of the Qin Family had never been known for their vegetarianism or devotion to Buddhism. However, ever since her sister-in-law entered the family, a Buddhist Hall was established in their home. Her sister-in-law was a devout Buddhist, observing several days of vegetarianism each month and reciting scriptures daily.
This new bride of the Qin Family, surnamed Cheng, also came from a scholarly family, but her background was quite ordinary. Her father was merely a seventh-rank county magistrate, and their family wealth was modest compared to the Qin Family. Nonetheless, the Cheng Family had good temperament and appearance. Back then, when many young ladies with better conditions and higher status were eager to curry favor with General Gao's confidants, the promising eldest son of the Qin Family, Qin Wenyuan, immediately took a liking to Cheng Family's daughter, who was not particularly outstanding aside from her looks.
At that time, Qin Wenyuan directly remarked that their home was filled with beauties; if he married someone unattractive, it would only lead to feelings of inferiority at home, making it hard to live peacefully!
Although this was said in jest, neither Qin Yizhi nor Qin Yaru objected. The Cheng Family girl truly had an appealing appearance. Men are drawn to beauty; having a stunning mother and a breathtaking sister raised Qin Wenyuan's standards. If the bride's looks were not up to par, cultivating a deep marital bond would likely take a long time. It was better to have an immediate connection.
The Cheng Family was also very satisfied with this marriage. Qin Yaru's mother had passed away early; she had no mother-in-law overseeing her, and her sister-in-law had already married off. Her husband treated her well; even without being pregnant, he never took a concubine and shielded her from any gossip or worries.
For many years, she lived comfortably at home, unlike other brides who had to endure hardships for many years. She remained gentle and kind, much like when she was still a girl.
When Qin Yaru entered the Buddhist Hall, she saw her sister-in-law sitting before the Buddha, staring blankly at the scriptures. She quickly reached out to help her sister-in-law up and guided her to walk slowly around the Buddhist Hall. With a wry smile, she said, "You need to take care of yourself. Don't sit in one position for too long; it's not good for your health. Take some time to stroll through the flower garden and change your mood."
Her sister-in-law was over six months pregnant and not in great health; her mood wasn't very good either. The family couldn't help but be concerned. Qin Yaru checked her sister-in-law's pulse and found that the pregnancy seemed stable before she sighed in relief. She helped her walk around the room twice before allowing her to sit on a soft couch.
The two women exchanged some casual conversation. Qin Yaru got along well with her sister-in-law and found plenty of topics to discuss. Even with just a few words from her, the troubled pregnant woman broke into smiles.
With no capable woman managing affairs at home and no one in the general's residence either, Qin Yaru decided to stay at her family home with Da Lang. Each day she helped her sister-in-law handle household matters while encouraging her father to eat more and sleep well. In good spirits, she occasionally caught sight of her father coming out from the Brothel Management Office with a red-faced confidante.
Although leaving the Brothel Management Office wasn't easy, it depended on who it was. A well-known head of such establishments surely knew several high-ranking officials. Once they reached a certain age, spending some money to obtain freedom wasn't too difficult either.
Now, the head of the trade who is on good terms with Qin Yizhi was once one of the top courtesans at the Brothel Management Office, Liu Ruyu. She had a decent relationship with Liu Shishi and a few others, and she was skilled at playing the pipa. However, she is older than Liu Shishi and Yan Xixi by a few years. Three years ago, she was still in her prime, but in recent years, she has gradually shown signs of wanting to retire.
Now over thirty, Liu Ruyu declined Ouyang Yue's intention to keep her as a teacher and left the Brothel Management Office. She bought a house in Kaifeng and started living alone.
Few courtesans from the Brothel Management Office are able to leave successfully and willingly; she is considered a rare talent and does not worry about making a living. The silver she accumulated while at the Brothel Management Office is enough for her, and just by casually teaching the wives of ordinary families about dressing and basic etiquette, she can live quite well.
It is strange that at just over thirty, with so many wealthy and powerful men waiting to take her as a concubine, she instead became increasingly close to an old man who is already half buried in the ground. Almost every three to five days without seeing Qin Yizhi, he cannot stand it.
The Cheng Family finds this unbelievable, but clearly, her father-in-law's matters are not something she can manage.
Qin Yaru thinks it's nothing unusual; when Qian Qianyi married Liu Rushi, he was nearly sixty years old while Liu Rushi was only twenty-three. At that time, Liu Rushi did not have deep feelings for an old man. Her daddy is at least a handsome old man with great literary talent and no stuffy demeanor; it would be easy for him to pursue a trade head.
Of course, the relationship between these two can at most be considered somewhat ambiguous. Qin Yizhi has never thought about taking his Red-Faced Confidante into his household, and that trade head is also a special person who does not want to marry into the Qin Family.
Qin Yaru simply assumes that her daddy is lonely and wants to find a friend he can talk to. That gentle and affectionate woman who plays the pipa beautifully perfectly fits the imagination of a scholar.
Originally, Qin Yaru was living quite comfortably, but soon after, news spread that the Dangxiang army had surrounded Yan Prefecture. The defending troops suffered heavy losses, and the Qilin Army was also defeated and retreated; Gao Feng was injured as well.
For several days afterward, Qin Yaru did not receive a single letter from home, nor could the court obtain any news from Yan Prefecture.
In an instant, chaos erupted in the capital.
The atmosphere in the Qin Family became extremely oppressive.
"I don't want him to leave; I would rather he be unsuccessful, I would rather he be an ordinary person than go to the battlefield."
Cheng Family furrowed their brows, absentmindedly holding Qin Yaru's hand.
Qin Yaru was taken aback, fiddling with the candle flower on the table. After a bitter smile and a moment of contemplation, she gently patted her Sister-in-law's arm: "Actually, when Gao Feng left, I felt bad too. I didn't want him to go, but I couldn't stop him. The Eighty-Year-Old Man in the Alley lost all six of his sons on the battlefield. Grandma Sun from Cian Alley lost her son and daughter-in-law to the Liao People, leaving her all alone... I can't be so selfish, only thinking about my own safety while countless mothers lose their sons and wives lose their husbands."
Cheng Family remained silent for a long time.
Qin Yaru curled her lips, her expression appearing relaxed: "Sister-in-law, news from the battlefield changes rapidly. We are so far from it; how can we know accurate information? Don't worry. At least I believe my man is not useless. He can defeat the Liao People effortlessly; how much easier will it be to deal with Trivial Qiangxiang? Just wait for their triumphant return. All the suffering now is for the glory of that moment."
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