Mei Niang waited until the old lady fell asleep, tucked in the quilt for her, then got down from the couch quietly. Rui Xue helped her put on her shoes, and the two of them walked to the warm curtain and talked in a low voice.
Mei Niang: "At this hour... could it be that the old lady is going to take a nap before having lunch?"
Ruixue: "The old lady has been sleeping restlessly at night lately and wakes up early. If she goes to bed at this time, she will skip the nap in the afternoon. Then, won't she be able to sleep well at night?"
Mei Niang said: "Rui Xue is really smart, things are going well now that she is here!"
Ruixue hurriedly opened the warm curtains and chuckled shyly, "Grandma, you are embarrassing me by saying this. Grandma is really smart!"
The two walked to the corridor one after the other. Mei Niang turned around and asked with a smile, "Did Ruibao and Ruizhu serve the old lady together with Ruixue?"
Ruixue hesitated for a moment, her slender and clear eyes met Mei Niang's gaze, and she said softly as if she had made up her mind:
"The old lady had Liu Rui by her side. He had been with her since he was seven or eight years old. After years of training by Mother Ji, he was very capable... After the eldest grandmother gave birth to Heng, she naturally couldn't take care of the eldest master wholeheartedly. The old lady felt sorry for the eldest master, so she gave Rui Bao, who was in charge of clothes, and Rui Zhu, who was in charge of food, to the eldest master, and he only served in the East Garden Study."
Seeing Mother Ji walking along the ice-patterned stone path, Mei Niang nodded to Rui Xue casually and said:
"I understand. You don't have to send me off. Go back! I don't know if Heng'er is okay now. I have to go check on him."
Mother Ji had come close, bowed and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, Grandma. Heng'er is in the arms of the wet nurse and has gone with the Grand Madam. He is now sleeping in the Grand Madam's room!"
"Oh my! Brother Heng is the most clingy person. I'm afraid he's tiring Grandma!"
Mei Niang said with a smile, and took Cui Xi and Cui Lian out of Jinhua Hall.
But she did not go to Madam Zheng's yard. Since Heng'er had already fallen asleep, it would be useless for her to go. It was rare for Madam Zheng to be in the mood to play with her grandchildren. She must be tired after a whole morning. She should let her rest for a while. She could go there after lunch and listen to her experience in managing the household.
After asking Cui Xi, she learned that as soon as Xu Junying left Jinhua Hall, he was invited by the housekeeper of the front yard, saying that there were guests visiting. He went with his uncle Xu Xiping, and just now someone was sent to the kitchen to serve a banquet. Needless to say, he had to eat with the guests at noon. Her husband Mu Xiu was at home, but he had social engagements. Mei Niang did not have to eat with her husband and could arrange her own meals freely.
After thinking about it, he asked Cui Xi and Cui Lian to take him to the Youlan Courtyard of Third Grandma Ning Rulan.
Youlan Courtyard is not big, it is a small and exquisite quadrangle courtyard, the east and west wing rooms each have an annex, the central upper room is slightly higher than the two side rooms, the corridors surrounding the courtyard are full of potted orchids moved from the courtyard. Hongye, who greeted Mei Niang at the gate, smiled and said:
"Third grandma loves orchids the most. Rain or snow, no matter what, she will make sure the orchids don't get hurt. Grandma, do you see how many orchids there are under the corridor? There are more than just these. There is a greenhouse at the corner behind the east wing. It is full of famous orchids!"
Mei Niang looked at the hundreds of pots of orchids of no less than fifty or sixty varieties crowded together in the corridor, and imagined the other scene in the greenhouse. She couldn't help but shook her head and laughed:
"Your grandma is such a nympho!"
Hongye looked at the warm curtains in the main room and smiled softly, "It's not just our grandma who is obsessed with flowers, the third master is also..."
Hongye is fair and beautiful, with a tall and slender figure. She walks with a swaying waist, light but not frivolous. She has a natural and free and easy temperament. If she changes into a more luxurious set of clothes, she would probably be better than the young ladies in this mansion.
Mei Niang saw her smiling face with two red clouds on her cheeks, and she couldn't help but feel moved, pointing at her and said:
"What a bold servant! How dare you speak ill of your masters behind their backs!"
Hongye was stunned for a moment, then quickly bowed and said, "Grandma, please forgive me. I was wrong..."
Ning Rulan's voice came from the room: "Is Grandma here? Please come in!"
The maid waiting at the door opened the warm curtains. Mei Niang reached out and pulled Hong Ye, giggling, "Look at how aggrieved you are. I was the one who said it first, and you just followed my words. What's wrong with that? How could I play tricks on you!"
Hongye's face flushed, but she could do nothing but smile and help Mei Niang into the room.
As expected, she is a girl from a scholarly family. The layout and color matching of the furniture in Ning Rulan's room are completely different from those of Qin Meiniang. If Qin Meiniang tends to be petty bourgeois, warm and comfortable, Ning Rulan is elegant, simple, bright and full of bookish air.
Looking around, Mei Niang only saw two things, the zither and the book.
There is one more thing, the painting on the wall.
The flower and bird paintings are completely antique and authentic, painted with high ancient techniques. Her favorite is the painting of mandarin ducks and peach blossoms. The bright yet unique colors make people instantly feel a warm and beautiful spring feeling, and she can't help but confide a few words to the people around her.
Mei Niang said to Ning Rulan: "After entering your room, I became more refined. I realized that I am also educated!"
Ning Rulan, supported by Jinshu, slowly got down from the couch and said with a smile, "Look at what my eldest sister-in-law said. I have nothing else to love in my life except books. The study in the east wing is often visited by the third master, so I had to put some books in the bedroom so that I can read them whenever I want."
Mei Niang came forward, took her hand, and sat with her on the carved seat with thick cotton cushions. Jin Shu wrapped a shiny brass hand warmer in a cotton towel and handed it to Ru Lan, who then handed it to Mei Niang:
"Sister-in-law just came in from outside, warm your hands first."
Mei Niang shook her head: "No, you touched my hand just now, is it warm? The sun is shining brightly outside, Rulan should go out and bask in the sun!"
Hongye brought the tea and said, "Grandmothers, you can't do that! Madam Liu said: A woman's life is like giving birth, she can't be exposed to the wind!"
"Where is Mother Liu?" Mei Niang asked after taking a sip of tea.
Hongye said: "Third Grandma just told Aunt Liu to go out and do something..."
"While she's away, I'll make the decision: move two chairs to the sunniest spot in the yard, pad the chairs with cotton pads like this, and then help your grandmother, and we'll go out to bask in the sun!"
Mei Niang said to Ru Lan who was a little surprised: "Haven't you read a lot of books? Have you read a book called "The Origin of All Things"? It says: Sunlight can give birth to all things, but it can also kill some tiny creatures that we can't see. Those small creatures attach to our skin, clothes, and bedding. The more they gather, the more they can make people sick. If you get some sun from time to time, you will naturally get less sick. You see, men are healthier than us women, that's because they often run around outside and have the opportunity to get some sun!"
"Really?" Ning Rulan believed it. "But I haven't read that book. Does sister-in-law have it? Lend it to me!"
Mei Niang smiled and helped her up, and helped Jin Shu put a thicker cloak on her, and said as she walked out:
"I have read this book before when I was at my mother's house, but it is not my book. It turned out that my brother borrowed it from someone else..."
"What a pity!" (To be continued)