Mei Niang and Ru Lan both arrived, and the old lady was so happy that her eyes were beaming with joy: "Good, good, good! It's so lively today, everyone came uninvited, and those maids just arrived, and they are playing chess over there!"
Mei Niang bowed and walked to the old lady. She stood next to her and massaged her shoulders. She shook her a few times and spoke loudly in a coquettish voice with a clear and sweet voice:
"Grandfather! I haven't seen you for two days. Your daughter-in-law misses you very much! Grandfather's place is so busy every day. You must not miss me at all!"
The old lady was stunned for a moment, uttered a cry, raised her hand and slapped back: "You naughty monkey! It's ok if you feel dizzy yourself, but you made me dizzy too! I am not like you, who can run and jump after lying down... You have such a strong hand, stop it now, or I won't give you any candy!"
"Where's the candy? Bring it here so I can see if it tastes good, or it'll stick to you!"
Mei Niang simply put her arms around the old lady's neck, half hugged and half embraced her and rocked her. The old lady could not move, but she was helpless. She had lived to such an old age and had many children and grandchildren, but none of them was willing to be so close to her.
A few maids laughed out loud in the snow and rain. Mother Ji looked on with a smile. The old lady shouted:
"You guys just watch her abuse me like this! Ruixue, why don't you quickly go get that box of candies, the foreskin candies that the second master gave me the other day, and give one to this monkey to have a taste!"
The three young ladies from the Xu residence had already run out from the other side of the room, and they surrounded Mei Niang, chattering and asking questions. Mei Niang didn't know who to listen to first, so she sighed:
"Ouch! It's too messy, come one at a time!"
The old lady pointed at her and laughed: "It's your turn to mess things up. The three of them are no match for you!"
Ruixue opened the cabinet and took out some candy, and handed it to the old lady. Mei Niang saw Bai Jingyu and Zhuang Yulan supporting each other, walking slowly and gracefully from the other side, so she smiled and stretched out her hand to the old lady:
"The first one has to be given to me first!"
The old lady glared at her and said, "How can this be possible? Haven't you heard of Kong Rong giving away his pears? Brothers and sisters should respect and love each other, and when sharing candy, we should start with the youngest!"
As she said this, she pretended to hand a candy to Xu Xiaomin. Mei Niang stamped her feet and said, "The old ancestor doesn't keep his word. He said he would give me one to try first!"
Everyone laughed. The old lady narrowed her eyes in a smile and stuffed the candy into her hand: "Here, here! This naughty monkey is really funny. I haven't laughed so happily for several days!"
He then gave each of the candies to the others, saying, "Take one each, and have a taste. You have never tasted this candy before. I heard that it was brought by an envoy from a country in the Western Regions. Junlang accompanied the envoy for a day and got a box of it. He gave it to me as a gift, so I was willing to taste one first. Save it for when the monkey gets better, and then share it with you. But she made a scene as soon as she came, saying that I didn't remember her!"
She pointed at Mei Niang and said, "You naughty boy, you didn't come. Do you think I don't know what you've been doing? How's your brother from your mother's side? If your dizziness doesn't get better, I have some pills from the palace. Take a few and eat them. The second wife took this pill. Take it when you have an attack. It will make you better."
Mei Niang peeled the candy and couldn't help laughing. It's wrapped in a layer of paper, so it's called Baopi'er Candy? This name is too cheap.
She put the candy in her mouth, walked to the old lady, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, old ancestor, for the candy! I was wondering: no wonder I always think of the old ancestor and see him in my dreams. It turns out that the old ancestor is also thinking about me! Thank you, old ancestor. Thanks to the old ancestor, my brother from my mother's family is getting better, and I am getting better too. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to eat such delicious candy now."
She leaned close to the old lady's ear and whispered something, and the old lady quickly hugged the candy box tightly in her arms:
"No, no, I still have several grandchildren, just one is enough for you!"
Everyone then realized that she was asking the old lady for candy, and they couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
Bai Jingyu and Zhuang Yulan sat quietly on one side. At Xu Xiaorong's instigation, Zhuang Yulan peeled the candy with a smile and slowly put it into her mouth. However, Bai Jingyu did not eat it, but just played with it in his hand and said with a smile:
"I've never lacked candy since I was a child, but now I'm tired of it. If anyone wants some, take it!"
No one responded to her words, Mei Niang smiled and said, "I have been controlled by adults since I was a child. I can't eat too much sugar, because eating too much sugar will make your teeth fall out. No wonder Second Madam has a lisp when she speaks. Did she lose a big tooth?"
Xu Xiaomin giggled and said, "Yes, last time, Third Sister also had a toothache because she ate too much candy!"
Xu Xiaowan shook the candy in her hand: "I'm keeping it. I don't dare to eat it. My toothache will make me feel uncomfortable for a few days!"
Bai Jingyu was angry, but he had to hold it in. He was busy defending himself: "My teeth are fine. I didn't lose any teeth, not even one!"
The old lady handed the candy box to Ruixue and waved her hand at Bai Jingyu in a soothing manner: "Don't listen to that monkey, she is lying to you. She is just greedy and the adults didn't allow her to eat it, so she just chewed it!"
Mei Niang squeezed the old lady to sit down, hugged her and acted coquettishly: "Grandfather! There was a monkey in the past, and the Buddha caught it in his hand to play with it. No matter how he ran, he couldn't get away. I am that monkey, and I can't escape from your Five Finger Mountain. You have guessed every bit of my thoughts!"
The old lady laughed so hard that she trembled. She pushed her and said, "Nonsense again! How can the Buddha have the time to catch a monkey to play with? Go sit still. How can you be so boneless? Otherwise, take off your shoes, get on the couch, and rub my shoulders. Be gentle!"
Mei Niang got on the bed and gave the old lady a massage, while saying, "Will the old ancestor still take care of our meals today?"
The old lady smiled and said to Mother Ji, "I forgot what time it is. Go to the kitchen and serve the food. In addition to the people in this room, there are a few more people coming. We agreed on this when we left this morning!"
Mei Niang asked, "Who is coming? Our Lord Hou left before dawn. I wonder if he can come back in time for dinner."
She glanced at Zhuang Yulan and Bai Jingyu intentionally or unintentionally. Zhuang Yulan immediately lowered her head, but Bai Jingyu looked at her with some annoyance in his eyes.
Mei Niang smiled at her to show her understanding. She should be angry because she had lost a tooth due to false accusations.
The old lady closed her eyes and enjoyed Mei Niang's acupressure. She said slowly, "Junying came back too late last night. He came over to say hello and then went back to rest. He said he had to accompany the emperor out today, so he might not be able to make it in time for dinner. Junlang, Junya and the sixth brother Junxuan are coming!"
As he was talking, he heard the maids outside the door loudly announcing, "The Second Master is here! The Third Master is here! The Sixth Master is here!"
The old lady smiled and said, "You're here now? The meal isn't ready yet, you naughty monkeys, come in!"
Mei Niang hurriedly got off the bed, Ruixue came forward to help her put on her shoes, and just as she stood up, the three masters walked in one after another.
After paying respects to the old lady, Xu Junxuan and Xu Junya bowed to Mei Niang standing next to them and asked about her condition. Xu Junlang was standing side by side and couldn't walk over, so he also raised his hand slightly to bow, but didn't look at her. Mei Niang bowed in return, thinking:
People from the same family belong to the same family. The red thread tied by Yue Lao was really tied right. The couple both look proud and don't take others seriously.
After sitting down to talk, the old lady asked Xu Junlang: "How is your boy? Has he grown up a lot these days?"
Xu Junlang smiled and said, "In reply to the old lady: Wei'er is very obedient, can eat and sleep, and is not noisy!"
"All right, all right!" the old lady said with a smile, "When the baby is one month old, bring him to me and I'll give him another good gift!"
Xu Junlang stood up and bowed, saying, "Grandson thanks the old lady on behalf of Weier!"
Bai Jingyu sat aside, her face dry, her eyes fixed on Xu Junlang. When Xu Junlang turned to look at her, she turned her head away with her face slightly tilted up.
The old lady asked Xu Junya and Xu Junxuan some more questions, and Xu Junlang moved closer and whispered to Bai Jingyu:
"I got a piece of rare tribute silk, and I didn't see you when I went back just now, so I gave it to Xianglian to keep!"
Bai Jingyu ignored him, but grabbed Zhuang Yulan's hand and said with a smile: "Cousin Lan, the chess game just now ended in a draw. Let's play two more games after dinner!"
Zhuang Yulan looked at Xu Junlang, then at Bai Jingyu. She wanted to leave but Bai Jingyu held her back. She could only sit there with him, smiling dryly and saying nothing.
Mei Niang ate a few melon seeds and looked at them with dull interest for a while. Then she turned her head to look at Xu Junya and Ning Rulan. The two of them were looking at each other lovingly, and the shot looked much better.
The food was served quickly, but Mei Niang still couldn't join the table right away. However, this time, Bai Jingyu helped to entertain the old and the young, so it was easier. After everyone at the table was half full, the old lady spoke, and Mei Niang and Bai Jingyu sat down and drank a sip of hot soup. Mei Niang picked up the chopsticks and was about to start eating a piece of chicken when the old woman outside the door announced, asking everyone to put down their bowls and chopsticks:
"The master is here!"
Mei Niang cursed in her heart: Damn it, why don’t you come earlier or later? Are you going to starve your grandmother to death
Xu Junying lifted the curtain and walked in, holding a food box in his hand. He smiled brightly, which was rare for him. He glanced at the people in the room, and when he saw Mei Niang, his smile slowly faded.
Mei Niang glanced at Zhuang Yulan, who was full of joy, and stood up lightly. She walked over to greet Xu Junying, and said with a gentle smile:
"Master Hou is back! Are you cold? Are you hungry? Come sit down, wash your hands and face, and eat some hot food to warm yourself up!"
Xu Junying handed her the food box in his hand: "This is the vegetarian snack that the monk took from the altar after the ritual. The Queen Mother asked me to bring some back for Grandma. Eating it will increase your fortune and life. Take it and heat it up for Grandma to have a taste!"
Mei Niang took the food box and opened it to show the old lady. Inside was a white porcelain plate with four fist-sized plain snacks that looked like steamed buns. They didn't look tasty, but the old lady danced with joy as if she had seen gold ingots and silver lumps, and said repeatedly:
"Rui Xue, hurry up and heat it up! How can ordinary people eat snacks made by monks who have chanted sutras? This is the grace of the Queen Mother! The Queen's grace is great. Ying'er, have you thanked her on behalf of your grandmother?"
Xu Junying said: "Don't worry, grandma, I'm thanking the Queen Mother on your behalf!"
"Okay, okay!" The old lady took the hot towel handed over by Ruiyu, wiped her eyes, and said: "The Queen Mother is kind and always thinks about my old cousin..."
Seeing his grandmother in tears, Xu Junying hurriedly comforted her, "The Queen Mother said that she has been busy lately. After the New Year, I will invite you to the palace to reminisce about the past. I will tell you to take care of yourself. She will be happy only when all the relatives are safe and healthy!"
"Hey! Hey! ... Thank you, Queen Mother, for your kind words!"
The old lady had only shed one or two tears just now, but now her tears were pouring out like a spring. Xu Junying failed to comfort her and stood there in a daze, at a loss as he watched a group of people surrounding the old lady.
Ruihong and Ruifeng brought hot water and a towel. Mei Niang pulled Xu Junying over and said, "Master Hou, come and wash your face and hands!"
Xu Junying rubbed his hands in the basin, took the dry towel handed over by Ruifeng and wiped his hands. Obviously, he didn't want to wash his face. Mei Niang took a towel, dipped it in the water, squeezed out the water, and handed it to him:
"Please clean your face. It's very dusty outside!"
Xu Junying glanced at her and said, "It's snowing outside, there's no dust!"
"There's also dust from the wind and snow, so you have to clean your face!"
Xu Junying couldn't resist, so he took the handkerchief and slowly unfolded it, covered his face with it and wiped it, then put the handkerchief in Mei Niang's hand and walked away.
Mei Niang handed the handkerchief to Rui Feng and followed him. Xu Junying sat down next to the old lady, just next to Zhuang Yulan. Mei Niang stood between the two of them, constantly serving Xu Junying soup, dishes, and rice, and sweetly persuading him:
"Master Hou, have some hot soup and some chicken wings. The fish meat is very delicious. Eat a piece. Be careful of the bones..."
Xu Junying gave the chicken wings to Zhuang Yulan, picked out the bones from the fish and put it in the old lady's bowl. He found that Mei Niang had picked up a small chicken drumstick for him, so he gave it to Xu Xiaorong, who was sitting below Zhuang Yulan. Then he took a spoonful of soup and said to Mei Niang:
"You can go eat by yourself. I accompanied the emperor to eat vegetarian food in the temple, so I am not very hungry!"
Mei Niang took a step back and watched him and Zhuang Yulan finally look into each other's eyes. They smiled at each other and she really wanted to give them a slap on the head.
Damn it, cousins dare to flirt with each other and wink at each other in front of their wives and cousin’s wives. It’s so inappropriate!
When Mei Niang returned to her seat, she found that the piece of chicken she had just set her sights on was still there, so she quickly took it back. While eating, she looked at Zhuang Yulan and thought to herself: My childhood sweetheart is not a good girl. She only wants to marry my cousin and doesn't care about my cousin's wife. Is this considered virtuous and well-educated? Is this the only way Xu Junying thinks and sees? I really can't understand!
Oh, never mind him! Just marry him, the man is a monster, he likes the woman that all women dislike, it turns out that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, men and women have different aesthetics.
But no matter how much Xu Junying likes it, before the 350,000 taels of silver are returned to the treasury, he must do everything he can to stop Zhuang Yulan from marrying in. The old lady is a smiling tiger, and no one knows what she is up to. Bai Jingyu clings to Zhuang Yulan, and it goes without saying that once Zhuang Yulan marries in, she will definitely coax Zhuang Yulan to compete with her for the position of housekeeper. Xu Junying is newly married, and there is no way he will not obey Zhuang Yulan. As long as he says a word, he will have to hand over the money. If he fails to pay the bills, it will be embezzlement. After investigation, Xianke will definitely be confiscated by him to pay off the debts...
Mei Niang bit the chicken bone and accidentally made a crackling sound, which startled herself. Everyone at the table looked over. Bai Jingyu smiled and said:
"Sister-in-law, your teeth are so sharp that you can even chew chicken bones!"
Mei Niang turned her head and glanced at Rui Xue, who hurriedly took a plate to catch the chicken bones she had spit out. Rui Yu handed her a warm handkerchief, and Mei Niang wiped her mouth, smiling with her eyebrows curved, and said to her:
"My teeth have always been good because I didn't eat much sweets since I was a child. My second grandmother ate too much sweets and her teeth fell out. I can't chew bones anymore, so I can only eat tofu and other foods. Unfortunately, these dishes have no taste!"
Bai Jingyu bit his lip and glared at her. After a while, he said, "I didn't lose any teeth!"
Mei Niang looked at her and said nothing. She smiled and lowered her head to discuss with Xu Xiaorong beside her about the gauze flowers on Zhuang Yulan's head. Bai Jingyu hadn't calmed down yet, and Zhuang Yulan was frightened by the two of them. She wanted to ask someone to bring a mirror to see what was wrong with her.
Ning Rulan sat next to Xu Junya, watching Mei Niang teasing people, wanting to laugh but unable to, so she had to grit her teeth and sit quietly without making a sound. (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)