Mei Niang was so drunk that she didn't wake up until noon the next day.
Feeling that there was still the smell of alcohol on her body, Cui Xi asked the maid to boil some fragrant water. Mei Niang soaked in the fragrant water for half a day, then put on a pink mid-length jacket embroidered with peony flowers, and a pomegranate red eight-panel silk skirt. The exquisitely handmade and elegantly colored jade tassels hung from the hem of the skirt, swaying with her steps. She had a slim and graceful figure, and the clothes were cut to fit her very well, one inch less would be tight, and one inch more would be loose. As the saying goes, it is hard to give up one's natural beauty. In the past, Qin Mei Niang was very good at dressing herself up. From the fabric to the style of her clothes, she required exquisiteness and sophistication, without any ambiguity.
I have been ill for a long time, and these clothes have not been worn for a long time, but they do not smell musty, and they are fresh and fragrant. Mei Niang is a little puzzled, and Cui Si smiled and said:
"Don't worry, grandma. Last night, while you were drunk and asleep, we took out all the clothes you usually wear, washed them, ironed them carefully, and carefully dried them in the fumigation cage. We hung them up to dry, and then fumigated them with the rose scent you like before putting them in the cupboard... After giving birth to Heng, grandma didn't buy any jewelry or clothes. She didn't have many good clothes to wear. These are the few sets she wore seven years ago..."
Wang Mama and Cui Xi, who were standing by, suddenly started coughing loudly. Mei Niang looked at them strangely, and Cui Lian hurriedly said:
"Oh! Mom and Cuixi sat for too long last night. I'm afraid they caught a cold. Hurry up and put on more clothes, otherwise they will really get sick and pass it on to grandma!"
Mother Wang smiled and said, "Yes, yes. It's so cold today. I really can't sit for long... Grandma's clothes were neatly hung in the closet before. I washed and sorted them all last night and hung them back up. Cuisi, remember to do this!"
While Mei Niang wasn't paying attention, Mother Wang glared at Cui Si, who lowered her head and replied, "Yes!"
The little girl Cheng'er, who was sent to the kitchen to cook a bowl of fish porridge, came in, holding a long and large food box in both hands, and said with a smile:
"Grandma, hurry up and eat it while it's hot. Today we have sturgeon soup, pearl rice, bamboo chicken... There are so many dishes!"
Cui Lian hurriedly took the food box from her hand and scolded her, "Little girl, I told you to cook fish porridge, but you brought rice instead. And it took you so long!"
Mei Niang was hungry. In her previous life, she didn't like porridge. She said hurriedly, "I'm tired of eating porridge all the time. I want to eat!"
The eleven-year-old Cheng'er had her hair in a double bun with red satin ribbons braided around it. A soft strand of hair hung down from each ear, making her look very pretty and cute. She tilted her head to look at Cui Lian and said with a smile:
"Sister Cuilian, it's not that I don't obey you. I also asked for fish porridge. It was Sister Chunyue from the Madam's room who came to get stew for the Madam. Seeing that the cooks ignored me, she scolded them and said that they dared to neglect the Madam's meal and wanted to die! Sister Chunyue also said that the Madam had been drunk all day and must be hungry. We can't let them just cook porridge. I asked them to cook rice and picked out a few good dishes and taught them how to make them. That's why I waited until now."
Cui Si heard that the kitchen staff were giving the Tsinghua students a cold shoulder again, and she got angry and pulled Cheng'er over to ask:
"Who is it? That old lady Liang again? Last time, Xing'er went there for a long time but couldn't bring back a bowl of porridge. If you hadn't met Sister Chunyue this time, I'm afraid you wouldn't have come back! You have to wait for Cuixi and I to overturn their table before they are willing to cook for our Tsinghua Academy!"
Cheng'er said, "They are really busy today! I heard that the second madam came back and said that she was exhausted at her parents' home in the Bai Mansion and couldn't eat, but wanted to drink porridge. She drank white rice porridge, and the pickles had to be fried in sesame oil, the shredded pork had to be cut as thin as hair, and she also wanted several side dishes whose names I can't remember... The first and second wives didn't go to the upper room of Jinhua Hall to eat these two days, so they had to set up a table each. The second master had guests coming again, so he held a banquet in Qisizhai, and the third master and the third madam also wanted a table of good wine and food... The most important thing is Jinhua Hall. There are rare guests, so they prepared more than 50 dishes for lunch, and who knows how much they will need for dinner..."
Mei Niang pretended to watch Cui Lian set out the food, but she was listening carefully to Cheng Er's words, thinking to herself: My goodness, it's so hard to be a grandmother and wait in line for a meal! With such a big family, each room has its own table, how many people are needed in the kitchen to serve
Cui Lian arranged the dishes. In addition to a bowl of steaming catfish porridge, there was a clay pot of rice, a chopped bamboo chicken, five or six side dishes, and a stewed pot of sturgeon soup. Cheng'er said that it was Sister Chunyue who scooped the soup from the pot herself, and the fish soup was boiled and prepared to be sent to the second wife.
Mei Niang picked up the spoon and took a sip of the sturgeon soup. Wow! That pure and delicious taste is something you can't taste in modern times!
After tasting the catfish porridge, he found it sweet and delicious, so he handed it to Cheng'er and said, "Give this to the nurse and feed it to Heng'er while it's hot. Be careful not to pick out the bones!"
Cheng'er took the fish porridge out, and Mei Niang asked Wang Mama, "Isn't Lord Hou coming? Should we wait for him to eat together?"
Mother Wang hesitated for a moment and said, "No need to wait, Mr. Hou probably won't come... Grandma was not in good health before, and her diet is different from Mr. Hou's. Grandma always drank porridge, while Mr. Hou liked meat. He was busy with official business and came and went in a hurry, so he ate more in the East Garden... This Qinghua Garden is where Mr. Hou lived since he was a child. It was rebuilt after he got married. Grandma lives in the main room. On the left hand side, behind the wisteria trellis and the moon-shaped door behind the holly tree is the East Wing where Mr. Hou works and studies, also called the East Garden. There are more than ten rooms scattered around, including a living room, a study, and a bedroom. When grandma was sick, Mr. Hou lived there. The old lady gave him a few maids and servants, and they all served Mr. Hou there."
Mei Niang drank the soup, took the small bowl of rice from Cui Liansheng, and ate slowly while asking Mother Wang questions.
"I saw two rows of houses in front of the pond and rockery to the right of our main house. Are they also our Tsinghua Courtyard? Who lives there?"
Mother Wang, Cuixi, Cuisi and Cuilian looked at each other. Cuisi said, "Alas, grandma must have forgotten everything. Mother, just finish talking about it!"
Mei Niang picked up a chicken leg and ate it, saying, "Take your time. It's okay if I remember it, but if I don't remember it, you have to tell me everything if I ask you. It's better than leaving me in the dark!"
Mother Wang cleared her throat and said, "The two rows of houses grandma mentioned are occupied by Concubine Yi and Concubine Xiu. When Master Hou came back from the frontier, grandma gave birth to my son less than a month ago, so the old lady decided to give them concubines. Their original names were Ruyi and Xiu'er. They used to serve the old lady together and were as close as sisters. Later, Ruyi became pregnant, and both of them became concubines. Unfortunately, Concubine Yi accidentally miscarried a few days ago. She is so sad that she can't get out of bed until now. Concubine Xiu has been accompanying her. Master Hou allowed them to stay in the room and come out when Concubine Yi is better."
Mei Niang choked a little, and Cui Xi hurriedly brought her some tea to drink. Mei Niang said, "Give me some warm water."
Cui Lian came up and served her some soup: "You should drink the fish soup. It's good for your body and it's still hot!"
Mei Niang shook her head: "I drank one bowl, that's enough. I'll leave some for you to drink a few sips each. You've all worked hard, so let's do it together. Come on, sit down. Fortunately, there are only you around me, not his family members, so you don't have to be restrained in what you say or do."
Cui Lian and Cui Si just looked at her stupidly and refused to sit down.
Mei Niang said, "What? You want me to invite you to the table? Fine, I'll serve you some soup!"
Cui Xi handed a bowl of warm water to Mei Niang and said with red eyes: "What is grandma talking about? We accompanied grandma to marry here, and we only wanted to serve grandma well, but we didn't expect grandma to... We thought that after this, we would be sent to the countryside by this mansion. Unexpectedly, grandma woke up again. We are so happy that we are willing to burn incense and worship Buddha for the rest of our lives. As long as grandma is well, we are fine. How dare we sit and eat with grandma!"
Mother Wang also wiped her eyes with her sleeves: "That's absolutely not right. Grandma, please don't embarrass us!"
Mei Niang put down her chopsticks: "I wanted to eat another bowl, but I can't eat anymore if you guys are like this."
Mother Wang panicked: "Grandma needs to eat more to be healthy!"
"Then sit down. If the food gets cold, no one will be able to eat!" Mei Niang picked up the chopsticks again. "Don't be polite with me. I'm telling you: I've died once, and I don't plan to live like before. I want to live a different life! You've been with me for these days, and you've suffered a lot and been wronged. I remember it in my heart. You're like my relatives from my mother's family. You've taken care of me in everything, so I can't treat you badly!"
At Mei Niang's insistence, Wang Mama had to sit to the side, and the three maids squeezed in and sat side by side at the bottom. The master and servants ate quietly. Mei Niang put a plate of rabbit meat in front of the three maids, and picked up a small chicken drumstick for Wang Mama. She took a small plate and put two large chicken drumsticks on it, and said with a smile: "This is for the little girl Cheng'er. She looks smart and cute!"
Mother Wang said, "When grandma got married, in addition to the old servants and Cuixi, Cuisi and Cuilian who accompanied her, the family bought two ten-year-old maids as dowry. These three older maids taught them. Cheng'er and Ping'er were both sensible and hardworking. They were often used to run errands and pass messages outside."
Mei Niang nodded: "Mom, tell me frankly, isn't our Qin family inferior to this Hou Mansion? My dowry will definitely not be much!"
Mother Wang lowered her head and sighed slightly: "It's not just that there are not many. Although the Qin family has been officials for generations, they have all been low-paying officials. The master has always been weak, and only the eldest master and Mei Niang are siblings. Five years ago, the master retired from office due to illness, and the family fell into decline. It was not easy to arrange a marriage for the eldest master. The daughter of a small family, before the marriage, the master died of illness. Mei Niang was in mourning for her father. At the invitation of a rich girl friend, she went on a boat trip on the lake. Weiyuan Hou took a fancy to her. He did not abandon Mei Niang's poor family and asked the emperor to grant her marriage. When she married, except for a little superficial gift, a maid and five maids, there was no other dowry. The old lady and the ladies looked at her with indifference and disgust, as if she was a beggar girl." Unfortunately, the Marquis could not protect her, and married her to the frontier to fight. She was extremely self-abased and lonely in the Marquis's mansion, with little influence and no influence. She dared not show up in any matter, and even the concubine's grandmother in the mansion dared to look down on her...
Mei Niang looked at the maidservants who were about to lower their heads under the table, forced a smile and said, "It's not worth anything. I believe things will get better in the future. I will try my best not to make you sad!" (To be continued)