[R18] The stars are brilliant, so lucky even (The stars are brilliant, the moon rises over the sea) – Chapter 12 of “The Stars Are Brilliant, Even Lucky (The Stars Are Brilliant·The Moon Rising Over the Sea)” [English]

Chapter 12

Cheng Shaoshang knew that Ge Shi had probably been dealt with without anyone else telling him.Not only did the Gurdjieff screams that she heard from time to time in her ears disappear, but she also didn’t see her second aunt on the day of moving.

Moving was a big event, and the whole family should be involved, but Mrs. Xiao did not expect Cheng’s mother or Cheng Shaoshang to be able to help, so she gradually settled into the new house, moved all the household appliances, arranged the flowers and plants in the garden, burned the firewalls and stoves in each house for a few days, and then moved the gold and silver items that Cheng’s mother was used to in advance, and it was almost done.

On the day of moving house, Cheng Shaoshang was woken up before dawn. He was caught in a daze by Ah Shi, clothed and fed, and then put on a thick fur cloak (newly given by the enthusiastic father Cheng), and was pushed onto a carriage surrounded by curtains.

Cheng Shaoshang looked around and saw his mother Cheng, who was a gold lover, his second uncle Cheng Cheng who was lame, and his shy cousin Cheng Shu, all of whom were chasing him. Even his drowsy chubby cousin Cheng Xu was held in Fu’s arms and he also sat on it. A long line of people filed towards the door.

The rest were fine, either skinny or young. Only Cheng’s mother was fat and tall, and could be as tall as two and a half Fu’s mothers. Mrs. Rao Xiao had been prepared for it, and specially found a few strong and sturdy servants who were not ordinary servants to carry her. They were still a little swaying, like lilies in the wind or bananas in the rain… Well, congratulations to XX flower farmer on the good harvest.

Cheng Shaoshang endured the chill of late winter, and even though he was breathing heavily, he stuck his head out from the steps behind and looked forward, feeling very happy in his heart.A’li, who was accompanying Bu Zhu, looked at it and said, “Young master, sit back quickly. Don’t worry about your eldest mother, she is safe.” Cheng Shaoshang:…

At this time, the sky seemed to be covered with a layer of blue-gray gauze, and the healthy servants on both sides of the walk each held a torch or a lantern in their hands. The cold morning air lit up the firelight. This scene seemed like a scene in a dream, and Cheng Shaoshang felt at a loss.

In fact, there was only a small door between the original Cheng family and the original Wan family. It was closer to go directly through the small door. However, this was not the case for a big move. Everyone solemnly walked out of the small door of the original Cheng residence, and then walked around to the main entrance of the original Wan family mansion in an even more solemn manner.

Cheng Shi and his wife had already greeted them with smiles at the open door. Two rows of guards stood majestically in the shape of wild goose wings, and they held lanterns and maids. Looking in from the door, a group of Nuo people dressed in ferocious masks and colorful woven feathers were already kneeling and waiting inside.As soon as Cheng Shi saw the crowd approaching, he hurriedly stepped forward to welcome Cheng’s mother, and personally supported Cheng’s mother to throw them out. Behind them, Cheng Cheng and several children were supported by servants to throw them out.Cheng’s mother was happy in her heart, but said, “It’s such a cold day that my son will be frozen. What’s the harm in starting the gong earlier?” Cheng Shi smiled and said, “If your elders don’t come, who dares to start the gong. God will not tolerate disrespect or filial piety.” He also raised his fingers to the sky to show his sincerity.

Cheng Shaoshang, who was shivering from the cold behind him, rolled his eyes and thought to himself: You are speaking nicely now, as if no one saw the fight between your mother and son a few days ago.

At this time, Cheng Shi waved his hand, and the exorcism drama began with the ancient chanting and the sound of gongs and iron clangs. Cheng Shi supported Cheng’s mother and led the way inside. The Nuo people were always singing and dancing not far away, and the accompanying Zhu Wu shouted loudly all the way to drive away Nuo and welcome the new year.Although it was still dark, the surrounding torches lit up like daylight.

Cheng’s mother, who was born in a rural area and had never seen much of the world, had never seen such a scene. When she arrived in front of the willows by the pond, Cheng Shi deliberately ordered someone to break open the thickly frozen lake surface, and then sent a bucket of “live fish” that were either asleep or unconscious from the cold to Cheng’s mother and asked them to be released, and then everyone around them applauded and applauded.After all the pretense, Cheng’s mother felt extremely happy. She no longer remembered the Dong family and the Ge family. She only knew that her son was still filial to her – as long as she didn’t mess with the Xiao family.

This is also the first time that Cheng Shaoshang has seen the mansions of dignitaries of this era. How can I put it, it is not as big as the big parks in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but compared to the parks in her hometown, there is no problem.As for the architectural style, it was neither soft and gentle like the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River that she had seen before, nor like the closed and towering courtyards of wealthy merchants in the north.

The houses here are built tall and majestic, with straight roof ridges and clear eaves. All buildings are aligned on a cross axis and are sparsely spaced from each other. Even if they are just plain and empty, there is an amazing sense of symmetry in the main house, auxiliary gardens, and pavilions.Square as square, round as round, straight as straight, wide as flat, without any sense of pretense.

The whole house is not necessarily grand and majestic, but it is full of a simple and vigorous classical beauty.

When they arrived at the new owner’s house, they slaughtered the animals again to pay homage to this deity and that one as well as the ancestors of the Cheng family. They knelt and got up, and recited strange poems along with Cheng Shi.Cheng Shaoshang knew nothing about the superstitious system at that time. He was very surprised when he found that there was neither Guanyin Bodhisattva nor Ksitigarbha Tathagata. He was also weak after illness, so he took the opportunity to lean against Ah Shi and breathe lightly. He was only slightly better than his chubby cousin who fell asleep in Fu’s arms again, which made Mrs. Xiao look back at her with dissatisfaction.

It lasted two hours, and the whole ceremony was not completed until the middle of the day.Cheng’s mother was still in high spirits and jumped up from the futon with ease. Hu Lao beside her felt ashamed.

Cheng’s mother looked back and frowned slightly. Such a large hall made it increasingly clear that the Cheng family was sparse, so she lost her temper and wanted to scold her daughter-in-law, but Mrs. Ge was imprisoned. The third daughter-in-law, Mrs. Sang, was far away. The eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Xiao – if her son had a bad temper, what would she say, “Yuan Yi gave birth to four sons, my mother, you only have the third son, you are scolding her”It’s better to criticize yourself first, I think the ancestors of the Cheng family must be very satisfied with Yuan Yi.” Then everyone’s faces don’t look good.

Cheng’s mother tried her best to suppress her tongue and turned to ask Hu Hu: “Why don’t you invite a few guests? Our family is so deserted.”

Hu Lao smiled and said in a low voice: “My lord has not received the emperor’s reward yet, what’s the point of inviting guests now? Wouldn’t it be disgraceful to have a banquet with guests after I have been promoted? Then I can collect more gift money… I secretly inquired about this. In the future, you must not mention the gift money or anything else. I will be punished by you later.”

Mother Cheng smiled happily and nodded repeatedly.Behind her, Cheng Shaoshang was next to Ah Shi, thinking as he was dying (I’m really tired now), if he didn’t die of illness, he would definitely be qualified to be ranked in the top three of the Cheng family’s IQ.

In the next few days, Cheng’s mother couldn’t restrain her excitement and walked around the house, admiring the house she had long admired with joy.Thinking that Mrs. Wan had once sat in this pavilion, she wished she could sit there all day even if the north wind blew. Thinking that Mrs. Wan had watched the fish and enjoying the willows by the pond, she wished she could put the fish on the willow branches and roast them.Cheng Shi and his wife were very satisfied with this situation, and the Cheng family was in unprecedented harmony.

Uncle Cheng was allocated a clean and elegant place, and there was a two-and-a-half-story attic next to it, which could be used as a library–although now there are only buildings without books.Without Ge Shi’s noisy and abusive presence, within a few days the second uncle’s face even turned rosy, and he was able to chat for a while during the meal together, catching up with General Cheng’s cold jokes.

Cheng Shaoshang was also assigned to an exquisite courtyard, with flower trees in front and bamboo groves in the back. There was a path paved with white pebbles on one side, which was very charming. Next to it was a large empty house that was not in use at the moment. Maybe it could be used to store her dowry in the near future – if she could get married.The only disadvantage is that it is too close to the residence of Cheng Shi and his wife. If she wants to do something, Mrs. Xiao can get there in a moment without having to do some somersaults.

Cheng Shaoshang had nothing to do in his daily life, and he was recuperating from illness. Due to his weak body, he had no time to learn cultural knowledge, so he could only continue to be illiterate, reading bamboo slips and guessing characters in his spare time.A few days later, Cheng Lao told everyone excitedly at the afternoon tea banquet that the emperor not only rewarded him with an official rank of thousands of stones, but also named him the Marquis of Quling.

Cheng Shaoshang clasped his hands and smiled: “My father must have won a great victory in Qu Ling and made great contributions.”

Cheng Shi saw that his daughter’s face was rosy recently, and he was happy in his heart. He smiled and said: “That’s not true. The battle in Quling was just a small battle. To be honest, this time in Yiyang, I made some achievements for my father… Oh, the battle in Yiyang is so happy!” He stroked his beard and sighed, looking back, “How happy, how happy!”

Cheng’s mother, who was sitting on Shang Shou’s bed, put down her double-eared cup and asked doubtfully: “Then why do you confer the title of Marquis of Quling on my son? Why not confer the title of Marquis of Yiyang?” Cheng Shu, who was sitting beside him, lowered his head and said nothing, and gently filled the cup with buttermilk. His behavior was gentle. Mrs. Xiao who was watching on the side nodded secretly.

Cheng Shi said narrowly: “Niao Niao, take a guess.”

Cheng Shaoshang tilted his head and thought, and said, “Last time, my father told me that Yiyang is an important town with a deep city and fierce fighting. This battle can be regarded as a decisive battle for peace. Well…” Her eyes lit up, “His Majesty, the title of Marquis of Yiyang, will be left to others.” Mrs. Xiao stopped with the chopsticks in her hand and frowned at her.

Cheng Shi, however, slapped the table and praised: “We Niao Niao are so smart. The current Marquis of Yiyang is the General Han!” Then he turned to Cheng’s mother and said, “Although we are only Guannei Marquis, it is an unexpected surprise. We also get a reward every year. The Wan family brothers have promoted the marquis to a county.” Cheng’s mother was overjoyed and praised repeatedly: “…Then what kind of official is my son now?”

Cheng Shi and his wife looked at each other and knew each other well.Mrs. Xiao smiled and said: “It’s so fast, but it has to be sealed layer by layer. General Wan has just been promoted to the right general. Alas, but this time he injured his leg. I wonder if he can fight again in the future…”

Cheng Shaoshang saw the look in the eyes of Cheng Shi and his wife, and slowly put the lacquered wooden spoon on the table in front of him. Cheng’s mother was unhappy with Mrs. Xiao’s conversation, rolled her eyes at her, and said: “What’s the point? The Wan family already has so much money and a high title, so what if I don’t go into battle. I hope my son doesn’t have to go into battle to fight for his life.” After saying that, he raised the amphora and drank it all. Cheng Shu next to her gave her anotherHe poured half a cup and said respectfully, “Mom, we’ll have dinner later. I drank too much buttermilk, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish the dinner.”

Cheng’s mother thought for a while, put down her cup and stopped drinking. She smiled and said, “I am very filial.” As she said this, she deliberately looked at Cheng Shaoshang.Unexpectedly, Cheng Shaoshang said with a smile, “Yes, my cousin is not only filial but also very capable. I heard that my second uncle and younger brother are being taken care of by my cousin these days, and no one can say anything wrong.”

Cheng’s mother still wanted to say something, but Cheng Shi’s expression changed, and he interrupted coldly: “It seems that Mr. Ge made the right decision when he sent his infant sister back to her parents’ home, and Mr. Ge’s tutoring was even worse.”

Cheng Shu had tears in her eyes, she just knelt low and did not dare to reply. Cheng Shaoshang suddenly had an interesting feeling of “Oh, I am like a vicious female partner who is sowing discord.” Mrs. Xiao couldn’t bear to look at her and said gently: “She is a good child. All the girls in the Cheng family should be like her.” After saying this, she glanced at her husband and forbade him to say any more. Cheng’s mother also shut up in a sullen voice.

Cheng Shaoshang lowered his head and took a sip of the warm rice milk, laughing at himself that he was still the reserve girl at heart, not kind at all.

After finishing the tea, Cheng Shi and his wife bowed down and left. Cheng Shu continued to be filial, while Cheng Shaoshang followed his parents honestly and politely out of Cixinju – the name given to his mother’s residence by General Wan back then.

The new house is huge. Walking back from Cixin Residence to the residence of Cheng Shi and his wife, you have to pass through five or six corridors and another open space paved with white stones. Halfway through, Cheng Shaoshang, who was following behind, suddenly said, “Father, are you going on an expedition again?”

Cheng Shi, who was in the front, was startled, and turned around and said, “What are you talking about!” He quickly looked at Mrs. Xiao, and his eyes were full of “I didn’t tell her.”Mrs. Xiao waved her hand and dismissed the maids on the left and right, looked at her daughter calmly and said, “How do you know?” She didn’t hide it anymore.

“You guessed it.” Shao Shang paused in his heart and frowned delicately, “I have received titles and financial rewards. I think my father has made real contributions this time, but he does not have an official position. I don’t think my father has been excluded or feared. It means that the higher-ups have other purposes for my father… Father, is there any risk? There is no shortage of anything in the family now. I just push it if I can.” This is the truth. In this family, except for Ah,Her favorite is Father Cheng.

“My son is really extremely smart!” Cheng Shi felt warm in his heart after hearing the childish words of concern from his youngest daughter, and he laughed. At the same time, he took a careful look at his wife and said quickly, “Don’t worry, this time it’s not all about the battle. We won’t leave until the next month after the wedding. Well, you’re not completely healed yet. Go back to your house to rest quickly and don’t get cold again.”

…

Back at the couple’s main residence, Cheng Shi took off his brocade robe and complained: “You should treat Niao Niao better. She has been wronged for more than ten years. Don’t always praise her. She will be unhappy after hearing this.”

“She has been in this world for a total of thirteen years and several months so far. She was separated from us when she was three years old. How can she be more than ten years!” Mrs. Xiao raised her voice and then said: “Shouldn’t Sisi be praised!”

She took Cheng Shi’s robe and said: “My biological mother is such an incompetent fool, and she has lost such a great person, but she does not complain or complain, is neither humble nor arrogant, and does her best every day. Now the second brother and Yu’er’s diet and daily life are all from her.”No matter what.Be filial to your father and take care of your younger brother.Don’t you know that Yuer doesn’t mess around these days? She probably knows more words than your daughter every day, let alone the second brother.But look at Niao Niao…”

“What’s wrong with Niao Niao!” Cheng Shi said displeased, “Sisi has been taught since she was a child, so Niao Niao has been taught. The bride of the eldest brother of the Ge family is a well-known virtuous person in our village. Grandpa Ge is still very discerning. Back then, he met his eldest daughter-in-law in person and paid half of the family property for the betrothal money. Sisi stayed in herHow miserable are we, with such a thing?”

Mrs. Xiao didn’t speak for a long time, then she said: “No matter how pitiful you are, you have to teach yourself, otherwise…”

“Otherwise, it’s not true.” Cheng Shi said with a smile, “She’s so smart, so it’s up to you. You’ll win whatever you guess, and you’ll find out with just one click. So, when you want a wife, you should marry a smart one, which is good for the children!”

“What’s the use of being clever? Integrity is the most important thing…”

“Isn’t this me? I have an upright character! I am smart like you, but my character is upright like me!” Cheng Shi patted his chest and laughed.

Mrs. Xiao was blocked and rolled her eyes at her husband. She lowered her head and didn’t know what to think. After a long while, she sighed inexplicably.

Outside the door, Mrs. Qingyuan was standing there with hot water. After hearing these words, she sighed.

——Mrs. Xiao was not unintelligent back then. She was very clever at taking advantage of others, guessing their intentions, and shirk responsibility.However, she only has a little cleverness and no great wisdom. She also uses her little cleverness on herself. She only cares about people and things related to herself. She only knows how to live a comfortable life. She allows herself to be weak and coquettish, and has no responsibility when disaster strikes.