The old lady sat at the top, smiling at Wei'er dancing in Ruixue's arms, and at the same time listening attentively to the conversation between Mei Niang and Bai Jingyu and her daughter. The second lady was completely focused on Wei'er, and didn't even look at the eldest sister. She was afraid that Ruixue was too young to hold the little girl, so she winked at the wet nurse, signaling her to go with Ruixue and bring Wei'er over.
Zhuang Yulan sat above the three girls. She glanced at Mei Niang coldly, then looked at the old lady silently. She gently pulled Xu Xiaowan's sleeve and said something to her. Then she stood up and walked to the back of the painting hall with her head down, walked around the large sandalwood partition with carved peony flowers, and disappeared into the light green curtain.
Mei Niang smiled: Cui Lian's thoughts were in vain. Zhuang Yulan didn't care about the style of a concubine's wife, because she would have it in the future. Xu Junying didn't come back to have dinner with the old lady, so he must have asked Baoju to come over first. Without his cousin, the meal would not be delicious. The bride-to-be had to not participate in the lively family banquet tonight.
That's good. If there is an empty seat, maybe Mei Niang can sit down and eat earlier. As long as there are no leftovers, it will be quite fun to chat and eat with the three girls from the Xu residence.
Wei'er started to make a fuss. The second wife could not stay for dinner, so she said goodbye to the old lady and left with the wet nurse holding Wei'er. Xu Junlang got up to see them off. When dinner was on the table, he came back and sat with the eldest sister to the left of the old lady. After Bai Jingyu served the soup and dishes to the old lady, he took the opportunity to peel a few boiled shrimps, put them in a small dish and handed it to the eldest sister. Xu Junlang picked up the shrimps one by one with chopsticks and fed them to the eldest sister. The eldest sister smiled at Xu Junlang while eating. Bai Jingyu stared at the father and daughter, as if possessed, and stood still for a long time.
Mei Niang glanced at her, sighed softly, and handed the bowl of soup to Xu Xiaomin.
As expected, the old lady didn't let Mei Niang stand for too long. After serving the soup, she let her sit at the table and eat together.
Tonight we had sweet and delicious boiled shrimps, fatty but not greasy goose meat, stir-fried pigeon with coriander, crispy golden sparrow, fish fillet with sauce, and wild rabbit in a royal pot. All the dishes were spicy, which was just right for Mei Niang's taste. It was a very enjoyable meal.
I just couldn't understand why I had nothing in common with this old lady, but her taste was so similar to hers. The two of them talked about dishes that they liked, and they actually got along very well.
Same taste, won't you become like this old lady Xu when you get old, weird and double-faced? Don't do that, if you want to become like this, it's better to change your taste.
Mei Niang raised her eyes to look at the old lady, and the old lady happened to look at her as well. Her eyes glanced past her with a fake smile, which was the most frightening. Her eyes were not scary, but seemed to contain deep meaning that was hard to understand.
Mei Niang was lucky enough to find a goose wing as big as a turkey wing. She brought it back and was about to start eating it when she heard the old woman outside the door announce, "The master is here!"
Her hand trembled and the goose wing fell into the bowl. The time of chewing slowly and enjoying the delicious dinner came to an end. When Uncle Xu came back, her appetite was gone.
The legendary telepathy was just like this. As soon as Xu Junying entered the hall, Zhuang Yulan also emerged from inside, smiling and looking at Xu Junying with affection. After all, she was from an aristocratic family. Under the watchful eyes of the public, she controlled herself and did not go to meet him. She just bowed from a distance and softly instructed her personal maid Jinsuo:
"Master Hou has worked hard all day and just returned. He must be thirsty and hungry. Go make some tea! Then ask them to serve more food and cook some delicious dishes!"
Xu Junying came up and bowed to the old lady and greeted her. The old lady said, "Are you hungry? Have a cup of tea first. Lan'er hasn't eaten yet. I'll serve her food later. It's just right for her to eat with you!"
As soon as Xu Junying entered the room, his eyes swept over in search. Mei Niang lowered her eyes before he saw her. No matter how powerful your ice knife or snow sword is, she doesn't have the courage to take it, so it's better to dodge for the time being.
I heard him asking and answering a few words with the old lady. The gist of it was that he was not hungry, as he had already eaten in the palace. He had just visited his mother and Heng'er, and then came to pay his respects to his grandmother and take Mei Niang back.
Old Madam Xu nodded: "Sit down for a while. Mei Niang just sat down and ate a few bites. Have some tea and then go back."
Xu Junying had no choice but to obey his grandmother's order. He said hello to Xu Junlang and Xu Junting, then sat down to the side. Zhuang Yulan took the teacup from Jinsuo and handed it to him. Xu Junying said, "Thank you, cousin Lan!"
Zhuang Yulan blushed, smiled, lowered her head and walked to another chair and sat down.
Mei Niang felt Bai Jingyu casting two glances at her and knew what she was thinking: it was not normal for the wife to eat and drink on her own when her husband came back without asking any questions.
She felt very weak. Xu Junying even sat behind her. She turned her head slightly and saw him. She could only smile at him and asked dryly:
"Lord Hou, would you like to eat something more? The food is still hot!"
Xu Junying responded coldly and briefly: "No need!"
Mei Niang began to feel a little regretful. Was this decision a wrong one as she returned to the Hou Mansion after the truth was revealed
It felt like the meal took a long time to finish. Mei Niang had already put down her chopsticks, picked up a spoon, and scooped up the soup bit by bit. She could only drink the soup and couldn't swallow anything else.
Seeing that Xu Junying looked unhappy, Zhuang Yulan tactfully did not suggest making tea to demonstrate tea art. She cleared the dishes and went downstairs. The maids brought hot water and tea for everyone to wash their hands and rinse their mouths. After that, everyone was served a covered bowl of tea. They had been sitting for less than a while when the eldest sister dozed off. The old lady sent Xu Junlang and his wife away, and asked Mother Ji to take someone to send the three girls back to their rooms. Xu Junting was also sent back, but Xu Junying and Mei Niang were left behind. The scene was a bit strange. Mei Niang sat next to the old lady, and Xu Junying and Zhuang Yulan sat side by side. After all, they had not yet gotten married, but they did not look like a couple. Xu Junying's expression was too serious, while Zhuang Yulan had a gentle look on her face.
The old lady took two sips of tea and began to speak. What she said shocked Mei Niang so much that she could not help but admire the old lady's weird and fluent thinking.
The old lady said, "Junying came back from the palace late last night, right? I heard that the Queen gave him a reward, including a brocade box and silk, double the amount of each. Is that true?"
Xu Junying was also stunned for a moment, and responded: "This is true. My grandson did receive a reward from the Queen Mother, and it was designated for Madam Hou."
The old lady glanced at Mei Niang and said, "Two brocade boxes, right? What's inside?"
Mei Niang said, "In addition to the four pieces of fine brocade suitable for making clothes in spring, there are also two brocade boxes, which contain various jewelry made by the palace's treasure shop. There are about three sets, each set is made of different materials, and each piece is precious and gorgeous. My granddaughter-in-law was reluctant to use them."
"Why did the Queen give two of each item, regardless of size? You may not understand - Lan'er and Junying's marriage will be held in a few days. In the past, it was just mentioned and talked about, but now it is settled. A few days ago, I went to the palace to see the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother agreed to grant Lan'er a marriage... “It’s not that you are not good. I’m afraid you will have to take care of your body for a few more years. Junying only has Heng’er. How can you, the eldest grandson of the eldest house, not have a prosperous population? The two concubines don’t please him, so he still has to marry Lan’er. Lan’er is not like you. The Zhuang family is a big family, the most prominent and famous family in the Jiangnan area. She is of noble birth. Although she entered the house later, she must be a wife and sit on an equal footing with you. You are the wife of the marquis, and so is she! The empress dowager and I are cousins. How could the empress not understand the empress dowager’s mind? She is smart and far-sighted. She took advantage of Junying to do a good job and rewarded the wife of the marquis. The items given down are double, one for you and one for Lan’er. Don’t touch those brocade jewelry for now. Leave them with me. After they get married, I will find a day to burn incense and pay homage to the ancestors, and then return them to you. Don’t worry, what the empress gives you is yours, and nothing will be missing!”
Mei Niang said nothing, and looked at Xu Junying, with a half-smile on her face. The old man was so capable, would the young man be better than him? If he said, "Okay, let's do it this way. Double the reward, give it to the two wives, and let each of them take one." She would definitely say to him fiercely: "Don't even think about it! Go to the palace tomorrow, ask clearly, and then come back to talk to me!"
Zhuang Yulan's face was flushed. She also stole a glance at Xu Junying, then quickly glanced at Mei Niang. She couldn't hide the smile on her face and had to lower her head again.
Xu Junying had no time to pay attention to Zhuang Yulan. Being looked at by Mei Niang like that, his expression was very funny. His face slowly turned redder and redder, bright and translucent, just like a big, colorful red flower. It looked especially beautiful under the light. Mei Niang almost couldn't help laughing out loud, but he glared at her sternly and she dared not laugh anymore.
Xu Junying said to the old lady, "Grandmother, the Queen Mother has said that this batch of rewards will only be given to Qin!"
Zhuang Yulan didn't move. The old lady couldn't believe it: "Did you hear it wrong?"
Xu Junying said: "My grandson heard it correctly, and he would not make a mistake. I have already handed it over to Mei Niang. Things that belong to her can be disposed of as she pleases!"
The old lady frowned, thought for a moment, looked at Mei Niang and said, "It's better to be cautious. Maybe there is a mistake. How can there be two identical rewards? The queen is young and not confused. Don't move it yet. Seal it and bring it to me. I'll tell you when I figure it out!"
Mei Niang was about to say something, but Xu Junying spoke before she could, "Grandmother, you don't have to do this. The double reward given by the Empress has nothing to do with me. Mei Niang entered the palace during the Lantern Festival, and the Empress met her. She wanted to give her a gift at that time, but because she was not feeling well, she kept delaying it until now. The double gift was indeed for Mei Niang. Today, I met the Emperor and the Empress, and asked them again. The Empress said that there was a deep meaning behind giving Qin the double reward, and Qin understood it herself!"
Zhuang Yulan lowered her head and never raised it again. The old lady was silent for a long time, waved her hand, and said in a hoarse voice:
"It's night, go back and rest!"
Mei Niang stood up quickly. Xu Junying looked at her, stood up slowly, bowed to the old lady slowly, and said, "Grandma, please take a rest. Your grandson is leaving!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)