Quick, female general, I traveled through time to save my father

Chapter 346: The Mother of the Bomen Raises Her Stepson 13

After the coming-of-age ceremony, visiting cards from various mansions flew to Sirong's desk like snowflakes.

She lowered her eyes and looked through the gold-embossed posts, her fingertips gently stroking the word "discussing marriage", remembering that winter when she bought Shen Tang from Shen Shishan and his wife, and the girl's little face was blue with cold and had traces of tears on it.

Sirong doesn't feel anxious about her children's marriage.

First, they are all young, and second, they always want to find someone they like.

For example, Mrs. Zhang who came here today, her husband is the deputy commander of the North City Military Department of the sixth rank, in charge of security patrols in the northern district of the capital.

Although his official position was not high, he held real power and made a lot of money.

Madam Zhang was a strong woman, but she had two daughters in a row and no son. As a last resort, she registered the illegitimate son in her name, and that was Zhang Chengsi who came to negotiate peace today.

It is not easy for a family like theirs to establish a relationship with the Bo's Mansion.

But Shen Tang's status was just right. As the adopted daughter of the Bo family, it was not unfair for her to marry their illegitimate son. So Madam Zhang tried her best to promote this good thing.

But Sirong had already sent her men to investigate, and Mrs. Zhang was, to put it simply, a paper tiger.

On the surface, he seems serious and strong, but he manages everything in the harem in a mess.

The Zhang family only had one son, Zhang Chengsi. The rest of the children born to Mrs. Zhang or her concubines were all daughters.

Zhang Chengsi's biological mother is still alive and well, and can even help Mrs. Zhang with household management.

If you look into the twists and turns here in detail, there is a lot to say.

Besides, Zhang Chengsi wasn't as honest and dutiful as he was said to be. How could Sirong let Shen Tang marry into such a family?

Madam Zhang sat upright in the guest seat, her back straight, her fingers tightly clenched around her handkerchief, but with a serious smile on her face, she said:

"Miss Shen is not young anymore, it's time for her to find a suitable family. Although our heir is a concubine's son, he is now registered under my name, so he is considered a legitimate son. His father works in the military department, so he will have a bright future. It is not a grievance for him to marry the adopted daughter of the mansion."

Sirong smiled slightly, tapping the edge of the teacup with her fingertips, her tone gentle but unquestionable:

"Madam, you are joking. Tang'er is used to being wild. I am afraid she is not worthy of such kindness from your family." She paused and looked up at Madam Zhang.

"Although Tang'er is not my biological daughter, she is also a well-educated girl from the Bo's Mansion, so her marriage should be treated with caution. Besides..."

"I heard that Master Zhang caused some trouble in the West Market a few days ago, and even implicated his father, who had to go to the government office to pick him up personally? I'm afraid our Tang'er can't afford such a 'future'."

Mrs. Zhang's face froze, she clenched her fingers even tighter, and said with a forced smile:

"It's just a young man's hot-bloodedness, and he had a few arguments with others. It's not a big deal. Besides, his father has connections in the government, so this matter can be easily settled."

Sirong's smile deepened, but it didn't reach her eyes:

"Madam, we are all sensible people. If it is really just a small matter, why would we alarm the military commander to personally inquire about it? Besides..." She took a sip of tea slowly.

"I heard that Young Master Zhang's biological mother is still in charge of the mansion. If our Tang'er marries there, won't she have to serve two mothers-in-law? I'm afraid her life will not be peaceful in the future."

Mrs. Zhang's expression suddenly changed. She could no longer maintain her dignified appearance and raised her voice slightly, "Of course not. My health is not very good and I often have headaches. Chengsi's concubine is just helping me take care of some trivial matters in the harem.

How could she, a concubine, dare to go beyond her master's authority? You can rest assured."

Things have come to this point. Seeing that Mrs. Zhang still doesn't seem to understand, Sirong doesn't want to say anything further.

The friendship between the two of them had not reached that level yet, so he could only politely decline and send the person away.

Just after seeing Mrs. Zhang off, brisk footsteps were heard outside, mixed with Shen Tang's crisp laughter.

"Mom! We're back!"

Shen Tang walked in with her skirt lifted up, her cheeks flushed, and the pearl hairpin in her hair swayed gently with her movements, making her look lively and bright.

At the beginning, Shen Tang called Sirong aunt, then followed Shen Junyao and called her mother, and later changed to calling her mother.

No matter what Shen Tang called her, Sirong would respond.

Following behind her was Shen Junyao, a young man wearing an indigo long gown, an abacus bag tied around his waist, and a few account books in his hands. He looked calm, but his brows revealed a bit of youthful vigor.

Sirong looked up and saw the two men, dusty but full of energy, and couldn't help but smile: "How do you like the shop?"

Shen Tang's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward, pulled out a small booklet from his sleeve, and handed it over like a treasure. "Look, mother! I inspected two shops today. The silk shop on East Street is doing good business, but the shopkeeper is always vague when reporting the accounts. I've made a note of a few suspicious items and will investigate them carefully later."

As she spoke, she glanced at Shen Junyao with a smug look: "Junyao bargained with the shopkeeper for a long time, and in the end he managed to lower the purchase price of that piece of Yunjin by 20%!"

Shen Junyao shook his head helplessly, but there was a smile in his eyes: "The shopkeeper saw that I was a novice and wanted to fool me, but Tang'er was watching him from the side, and he was scared."

Sirong nodded with satisfaction, took the account book, flipped through it, and praised: "Not bad, being able to see the trick is progress."

Shen Junyao's expression grew serious, and he answered earnestly, "Mother, I've checked the shop's accounts and written down the market prices. On my way back just now, I stopped by the West Market and inquired about the prices of rice, cloth, and medicinal herbs."

Si Sirong nodded slightly and added, "Since you've learned business, you also need to learn some practical skills. Go to the kitchen later and learn how to cook two dishes from Aunt Li."

Shen Junyao was startled, then responded calmly: "Yes, I've got it in mind."

Shen Tang covered his lips and chuckled, saying mischievously, "Jun Yao almost set the kitchen on fire last time when he was trying to make braised pork. You better be careful today."

Shen Junyao's ears blushed slightly, but he wasn't annoyed. He just looked at her helplessly: "It's better than someone who can't even tell the difference between onions and garlic."

Shen Tang choked and was about to retort, but Si Rong interrupted him with a smile: "Alright, alright, you two are the same, don't criticize each other."

She closed the account book, her tone gentle but unquestionable, "To do business, you must understand both the accounts and the people's livelihood. Junyao learned to cook, not to serve anyone, but to help you understand the trivialities of daily life, so that you won't be deceived when you manage the household in the future."

Shen Junyao nodded solemnly: "Mother's teachings, Junyao will remember them."

Shen Tang blinked, then suddenly moved closer to Sirong and coquettishly took her arm: "Mom, now I have completed my homework for today, right? Can I..."