Qin Meiniang won the temporary favor of Old Lady Xu with her skillful hands and clever mouth.
At about noon, a few hours before the originally scheduled time for the funeral procession, many relatives, friends, and Xu Junying's colleagues and subordinates in the court came with their families. They were originally here to mourn the death of the eldest lady of the Xu family, but suddenly they came to visit the resurrected person. The funeral turned into a happy event, which probably stimulated people's nerves just like the happy event turned into a funeral. There was an endless stream of guests. The male guests went to the front hall and were received by the old and young masters of the mansion. The female guests came to the backyard, and the old lady told everyone to sit in Jinhua Hall.
Jinhua Hall, where Old Madam Xu lived, was a spacious and bright courtyard facing south and north. In the courtyard, there were beautiful ponds, strange rocks, and exquisite pavilions and terraces. All year round, there were flowers of various colors blooming, and in the shallow pond there were cranes, mandarin ducks and other waterfowl. But it snowed recently, and the flowers in the forest were covered with thick snow. The beautiful waterfowl were also moved to the greenhouse, so the guests who came one after another could only enjoy the unique snow scene in the courtyard.
The main hall is beautifully decorated, with beautiful women in fine clothes and loud laughter. The wives of the famous and noble families in the capital are so bored that they want to join in the fun and see what's going on at any time. If there is something scandalous or funny, it satisfies their gossipy nature even more. It is more accurate to say that they come to satisfy their own emptiness and loneliness rather than to show concern and greetings.
In the past, Mei Niang must have been a low-key and tolerant person, not good at socializing, but today she had to come out to entertain guests. Old Lady Xu personally gave her a lot of instructions, and Mei Niang listened very carefully and learned with an open mind.
When she actually received guests, she fully utilized her public relations skills from her previous life. She dressed up in gorgeous clothes and had a beautiful face. She moved among the noble ladies dressed in jewels like a butterfly in love with flowers. She had a sweet smile and a soft and charming voice. She treated everyone warmly and showed great dedication and respect when speaking to everyone. Most of the noble ladies, whether she knew her or not, were coaxed into a good mood and were very happy.
Mrs. Zheng had just experienced the pain of losing her son and did not want to show up. However, several noble ladies of similar age who she used to interact with specially prepared a gift and came to visit her. So she had to come out despite her illness. Mrs. Gui naturally accompanied her. The two sisters-in-law stayed in the warm room, accompanied by a dozen older noble ladies, and sat and chatted with the old lady. The scene and atmosphere outside were completely under Mei Niang's control.
The old lady had a kind smile, and her eyes when she looked at Mei Niang were sometimes appreciative and sometimes confused and indifferent. Madam Gui only chatted with one or two familiar ladies from her family. Madam Zheng looked listless and weak, and from time to time she looked at Mei Niang with concern, and then stared at the old lady without saying a word. Only she could understand best how the old lady felt towards Mei Niang at this time.
Zhuang Rulan has already arrived at the Xu residence. The front yard is bustling with traffic and there are distinguished guests. Not only can she not be received by the old lady in person, but she is also carried in from the back door in a sedan chair and quietly sent to Lianxiang Garden, where she stays alone. Who has time to see her until after dinner
Now the protagonist of the Marquis's Mansion is Qin Meiniang, the wife of Marquis Weiyuan. Seeing her so charming and beautiful, sitting among the noble ladies with a smile on her face, being held by the hands and shoulders by the noble ladies, chatting and laughing, having a great time. Madam Zheng felt somewhat comforted.
As long as Mei Niang is fine and Heng Ge'er is fine, she, as a grandmother, will feel relieved.
Qin Meiniang was entertaining guests in Jinhua Hall, feeling free and at ease, and enjoying unlimited glory. Outside Jinhua Hall, Ning Rulan was so busy that she had no time to rest, looking for this and that, asking questions and getting the right cards, and she had no peace for a moment.
Qin Mei Niang found a free moment and went to the inner room. Cui Xi followed her. Mei Niang asked her about Heng Ge'er's condition and why he was never brought over. Cui Xi said that Wang Mama had taken Cui Si back to see him. She was afraid that there would be too many guests here and the little baby might be frightened because he had never seen a big scene. So she didn't let him come over. Mei Niang thought it made sense and felt relieved. It was strange that after inheriting this body, she had no memories of the past, but she could not let go of the warm concern in her heart. That was the feeling for her son. It was really good to be a mother!
Walking around the outer corridor to look at the sky, she saw Ning Rulan hurriedly approaching and called out, "Third Grandma!"
Ning Rulan said: "Sister-in-law, you used to call me Third Sister-in-law, but I would rather you call me by my name!"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "Okay, I'll call you Rulan. How's it going outside? You've worked hard, go in and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up!"
Ning Rulan's beautiful face showed a gentle smile: "Look at what you said! You are so sick, I am so tired and sad. If you get better, I will be willing to endure the hardship and fatigue!"
Mei Niang was moved and took her slightly cold hand: "Good sister, thank you!"
Ning Rulan patted her hands: "Although I am your sister-in-law, I am one year older than you! There is nothing to say, I have to do what I should do... There is a lot of chaos outside, I want to ask Madam for advice."
"What's the idea?"
"Alas, I don't know what to say - you have heard about the Second Madam's family, right? The old man of the Bai family passed away, and they originally said that today would be a good day for the funeral, but they found another more auspicious time and had to postpone it. Guests come to the mansion every day, but the meat and vegetables we prepared are not enough. It is snowing heavily, and the roads outside are blocked by snow. Their farm is much farther away than ours, so they can't deliver it for a while. Yesterday, I heard that you came back late, and I thought that our mansion would not be doing business anymore, so we don't need so much meat and vegetables. The Bai Mansion is not far from our Xu Mansion, only a few streets away, so Jingyu sent someone to borrow it. I asked the Second Madam, and she said it would be useless if she just left it there. "Then give it to her. But who would have thought that our guests would come as usual today, and a bad thing would turn out to be a good thing. They even sent more expensive and better gifts. Just now, Mother Zheng in the kitchen was crying and jumping up and down - the various meat dishes that were originally prepared were almost all taken away by the people in the Bai Mansion. What should we do? The male guests in the front yard have already taken their seats, and the cooks have just made enough dishes according to the previous wedding banquets. The men can't eat much even if they drink and chat. But I don't know what to do with the banquet for the female guests. There are only a few meat dishes left. I have sent a fast horse to the farm, but it will not be back until the evening!"
Mei Niang looked up at the sky. It was gloomy and heavy snow was about to fall. The meat and vegetables from the farm might not be returned until evening.
The guests were in the hall, but there was not enough meat and vegetables to serve them. No one could do anything about it, and what could the wife and the old lady do? It would only make them upset and angry for no reason, but in the end it would still be useless.
She looked at the thick snow all over the yard, her gaze extending to a clump of trees by the pond. The grove was on slightly higher ground, with two pavilions beside it. Pink and red flowers were faintly visible on the branches of the trees. Two wide and long curved corridors filled with various bonsai were in a right-angle shape, blocking off the forest into a corner of the courtyard.
"Rulan, what forest is that and where is the place beyond the forest?" Mei Niang asked.
Ning Rulan was upset, and seeing that she was still interested in looking at the courtyard scenery, she couldn't help but smile bitterly, but still answered patiently: "That is the purple-leaf forest. Both the leaves and branches are very fragrant, and the fragrance is elegant and fresh. The old lady likes to sit there in the summer. The purple-leaf forest used to be a rockery. There were more than ten plum trees beside the rockery, bright red, pink, and snow-white, all in bloom. There was something going on at home these days, and no one had time to enjoy it!"
Mei Niang's heart moved, and she asked Ning Rulan, "How much meat and vegetables did you say were left?"
"After the previous banquet, there are only a few chickens, ducks and fish left. I just slaughtered two calves, some raw beef, and some vegetables..."
"What vegetables? Any dried food? Squid or something? What about sweet potatoes? Flour... uh, the kind of wheat flour used to make snacks, right?"
Ning Rulan didn't know what she meant by asking this, and she herself couldn't figure it out. She just looked behind her and saw a plump, pale-faced old woman coming up. She bowed and answered the questions one by one:
"To answer Grandma: the green vegetables include coriander, Chinese cabbage, long-stemmed cabbage, and leeks... the dried goods include abalone, sea cucumber, and squid... we don't have sweet potatoes in our house, but if you want them, I can find them. We also have wheat flour, glutinous rice flour, and other things for making snacks!"
Mei Niang looked at the old woman and asked, "Are you in charge of this?"
Ning Rulan said, "This is Madam Cai, one of the managers in the kitchen."
Mei Niang nodded: "Okay! Mother Cai, listen to me: it's time for dinner now, and we can't find the ingredients for the banquet in time. Fortunately, there are about 100 kilograms of fresh beef and vegetables, which are enough for the ladies in Jinhua Hall! Just do it, do it now! Leave the rest to me."
Mother Cai listened to Mei Niang's words, but went to see Ning Rulan again. Ning Rulan looked at Mei Niang suspiciously, and Mei Niang said:
"The snow is blocking the roads, and there is nowhere to buy. What else can you do?"
Ning Rulan gritted her teeth, took the pair of cards from Madam Liu beside her, and handed them to Madam Cai:
"I will follow Grandma's instructions!"
Mother Cai took the pair of cards, turned around and twisted her fat waist, but ran very fast.
Mei Niang talked to Ning Rulan for a few more words, then turned back to the warm room of Jinhua Hall, and Ning Rulan went to make preparations. (To be continued)