Mei Niang said: "If you want to do something and need my cooperation, you have to let me know in advance, otherwise... it's inexplicable and makes people feel so weird!"
Xu Junying laughed: "You treated me like that before without telling me in advance, don't you think it's weird?"
Mei Niang blushed and said awkwardly, "It was the past. I didn't understand the situation. Seeing that you were so indifferent to your wife and children, I thought you had abandoned Qin Mei Niang. I was afraid that after you changed your mind and married someone else, we would be helpless and miserable. I am not Qin Mei Niang, so I naturally don't want to live that kind of shabby life. If I don't find a way out, will I be locked up in this mansion and be manipulated and bullied by others for the rest of my life?"
Xu Junying sighed inwardly: Her concerns were right. If the real Qin Meiniang was resurrected, even if he could ensure that she and her son had enough food and clothing, he might not be able to guarantee that they could have a safe and comfortable environment. The people in the mansion all had arrogant personalities. If Zheng Meiyu could do such a thing, others might do the same! After marrying another woman, he would not be able to take care of the mother and son anymore. Maybe they would even die in a few years!
Seeing that he was silent for a long time, Mei Niang didn't want to say anything more. The two walked back to Wenjinxuan together. Mei Niang bowed to Xu Junying and said, "Master Hou has worked hard for a long time, it's time to rest. I don't have to leave the house today. I want to go see Rulan, talk to her, and return some books and music scores I borrowed from her. Tomorrow is the first day of March, and the imperial examination is coming soon. I have to go to Xiankelai to tell Manager Lu some matters, and then rush to Qin's house to visit my mother and brother and sister-in-law."
Xu Junying smiled and said, "I'm not tired. I'm just reading official documents in the study. Let's talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow. If you go to visit Rulan now, shouldn't you bring some gifts? She is not the same as before. She is weak now. There are many precious tonic herbs in the small storehouse in the east courtyard, such as ginseng and cordyceps. You can give some to her."
Mei Niang shook her head: "I heard that pregnant women can't take tonics casually. Unless they really need it, I dare not give her any expensive and nourishing herbs!"
"I don't understand this." Xu Junying blushed, "Rulan is very good. She used to treat Mei Niang sincerely and kindly. After you came, she also helped you wholeheartedly. Now there is finally good news. You should send a gift to congratulate her, right?"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "I have already given it to her. The first gift she receives after getting pregnant should be mine!"
Xu Junying looked at her: "You...are you alone? What did you give?"
Mei Niang said, "It's a very beautiful set of jewelry. I accidentally discovered that the jewelry made by Fengxiang Pavilion in the south of the city is very good, with exquisite craftsmanship and novel and generous styles. One of the sets of gold foil filigree rubies is suitable for Rulan, so I bought it and gave it to her. Rulan is of course knowledgeable and knows that the set of jewelry would cost at least six or seven thousand taels of silver. She didn't dare to accept it, perhaps because she was afraid that I would buy it with the money from the public treasury. I told her that it was the money given by the Marquis, and she accepted it... If you mention this in the future, please ask the Marquis to follow my words and respond!"
Xu Junying smiled and nodded, "Okay! I know about this. Let's go, let Cuixi follow, don't stay too long, come back early, and have dinner at Qinghua Courtyard. We won't go to Jinhua Hall tonight!"
Mei Niang was slightly startled. She had already planned to go directly from Rulan to Jinhuatang, which could save her most of the journey. But she didn't expect that she wouldn't have to go anymore. That would be a waste of effort.
Xu Junying said, "I'll ask Ruizhu to go to Jinhua Hall and tell them that there are urgent documents that need to be processed, so we may have to stay up late tonight."
"My Lord is busy with official business, so it's okay if he doesn't go. I can go alone. It's the same on weekdays!"
Mei Niang took tomorrow's schedule into consideration. She thought that she would go to Jinhuatang today to report for work, and then run around the city all day tomorrow. She would probably be exhausted, so she didn't want to be a free waitress anymore.
"You're alone. I have to pick you up after dinner, which will delay your time. The weather is bad, so you'd better not go! That's it. I have to read the official documents now!"
After Xu Junying finished speaking, he turned around and walked into the room without waiting for Mei Niang's response.
Mei Niang stood there for a while, then turned around and walked away, comforting herself: If I don't want to go, then I don't want to go anyway. Why for tomorrow night? I don't know what will happen tomorrow night. Maybe God will be merciful and it will rain heavily or thunder. Then there is no need to go!
Thinking of this, she felt relaxed and happy again. She went back to her room and went into the inner chamber. Then, she took Cui Xi and Cui Lian with her and happily went to visit Ru Lan.
Ning Rulan began to have morning sickness, vomiting everything she ate, but she was in a very good mood and did not seem depressed. She smiled and said to Mei Niang, "No matter how he torments me, I just love him in my heart!"
Mei Niang nodded and smiled: "Because you are his mother, what mother doesn't love her child? Now he doesn't understand anything. When he is born and grows up, you must tell him how hard it was for your mother to give birth to him!"
Xu Junya came back from outside and brought some fresh fruits to Rulan. Each one was as bright and red as agate, and looked very tempting. Jinshu washed them and brought them to her. Rulan said to Mei Niang, "They are delicious. You should try some too."
Mei Niang reached out and took one, put it in her mouth and took a bite. Suddenly her eyebrows and eyes wrinkled into a ball, and she spit it out hastily: "What kind of rotten fruit is this? It's so sour!"
Rulan laughed out loud: "This is mountain red, I love it the most now!"
Mei Niang smiled and patted her gently: "How can I compete with you? What you like, I can't like!"
Shanlihong is hawthorn, which is famous for its appetite-stimulating and digestion-promoting effects. In her previous life, Cen Meimei grew up in the south and had never seen real hawthorn fruit. There were various kinds of hawthorn candies in the supermarket, but she just didn't like to eat them. She liked to eat star fruit, bayberry, and plum, but not hawthorn, which she felt was strange.
Xu Junya went into the inner room and changed into her official uniform. When she saw them playing around, she couldn't help laughing. "Rulan didn't want to eat for days, and she refused to look at meat. She had to be coaxed and persuaded to eat a few bites at every meal. She also needed a dish of pickled spicy cabbage in the kitchen. She couldn't eat spicy food, but she was forced to eat it, making her sweat. This mountain red is also a rare thing now. It was left on the branches last year. I went out of the city a few days ago and walked around many villages. I asked again and again and finally found a few. I saw it on the street today by chance and bought them all."
Mei Niang said: "Third Master is thoughtful, Rulan is really blessed! This is the best appetizer fruit, it stays on the branch and will not go bad during the winter. Now that the spring rain has come, I am afraid there will be less. Those pickled spicy cabbages are good to eat in one or two bites, but don't be greedy, pickled food is not as nutritious as fresh vegetables after all. You still have to force yourself to eat some meat, otherwise the nutrition in your stomach will not be enough!"
Rulan frowned and said, "But I ate and vomited, what should I do?"
"Take it slow, eat a small amount at a time, and don't be afraid of vomiting. After you vomit, take a rest and then eat again. After this period of time, you will be fine!"
"How long will it take? My sister-in-law didn't feel this bad before."
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment: "How long will it take? I don't know... It's different for everyone. Maybe you won't vomit after these few days. By the way, is the pheasant soup delicious?"
Rulan smiled and said, "That was very delicious. I drank the pheasant soup that night and didn't vomit!"
"Really?" Mei Niang also laughed: "You two are very picky. You won't spit out good things. So, I'll go ask Mother Cai how she made the pheasant soup that day. I'll ask her to use domestic chickens to make it for you often. When there are pheasants coming from the village, I'll use that to make it again!"
Mei Niang and Rulan were talking, and before they knew it, it was getting dark. Xu Junya asked a maid to check on Jinhua Hall. She learned that several brothers had gone there to have dinner with the old lady, so she decided not to go there tonight. She ordered food to be served and invited Mei Niang to eat with her. Mei Niang and Rulan had a good conversation and were reluctant to leave. She had long forgotten Xu Junying, so she picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating. After dinner, Cui Xi came in and said that the master had sent Cui Si to pick up the grandmother. Mei Niang then remembered that Xu Junying had said they would go back to Qinghua Court for dinner in the evening.
She couldn't care less, she was full and couldn't spit it out like Rulan. Mei Niang said goodbye to the Third Master and his wife and walked back with the maids, making up excuses along the way, saying that Rulan had morning sickness and didn't want to eat, so she coaxed her to eat, but she accidentally ate first!
Yes, just say that, I guarantee he will be satisfied.
Xu Junying didn't express his satisfaction, nor did he say much. He just asked Cuixi and the others to leave first, then pointed to the other side of the table and said to her, "Have a bowl of soup, eat some side dishes, and keep me company. It's boring to eat alone!"
Mei Niang was speechless. Dinner was placed in the upper room. It was raining outside again. Where else could she go if not sit down and accompany him
I couldn't drink the soup anymore as I had drunk enough at Rulan's place, so I could only pick and choose and eat some vegetarian dishes. I finally waited for Xu Junying to eat and put down his bowl and chopsticks, and only then did I feel liberated.
Because Xu Junying had the habit of drinking tea after meals, Mei Niang asked Cui Xi to make tea for him so that he could drink it before going back to the East Courtyard. However, Xu Junying said, "I just had a full meal. Let's drink it later. Let Baoju come in!"
Cuixi went out and called Baoju, who was holding a red sandalwood box in his hand and said to Xu Junying, "Master, it's all here!"
Xu Junying pointed to the couch and said, "Put them there! It's raining outside and a little cold. Let them sit in the gatehouse near the courtyard gate and send the night watchwoman back to sleep. There are still these people in the upper corridor. Don't disturb them. Stand farther away."
Baoju bowed and saluted: "I understand!"
Turning around and walking out, Xu Junying looked at Mei Niang, who looked puzzled, and said, "The study room in the East Courtyard has been in disrepair for a long time, and it has been raining for a long time, so the roof is leaking... I will review the documents here tonight."
Mei Niang was stunned, and looked at Xu Junying with some suspicion: The study room in the East Courtyard is leaking? How could it be? I talked with Xu Junying all night, and it rained, but I didn't see a drop of water leaking!
Xu Junying sat on the couch with peace of mind, opened the rosewood box, glanced at her and said: "Many books have been soaked. Go and have a look tomorrow. Not only the study, but also the bedroom is leaking. The East Courtyard needs to be renovated. If the weather is fine, it will not take a few days. If it rains all the time like this, it will be delayed and it will take at least a month!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian. to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)