In the hall, a group of people sat around Old Lady Xu, talking and laughing, and it was very lively. Among them were the eldest wife, Madam Zheng, the second master Xu Xiping, and the second wife, Madam Gui. Old Lady Xu saw that there were more grandchildren coming, and because of the second master's presence, the three girls in the Xu family were reluctant to speak, so she drove them away, leaving only the grandchildren. Then everyone relaxed a little, and the girls were able to talk and laugh freely with their grandmother and brothers.
Xu Junying brought back a wooden walking stick with exquisite carvings and inlaid with gold and jade for the old lady. He said that the emperor had specially asked the craftsmen in the palace to make it for the old lady. He chose extremely rare purple cherry wood. It has a unique and elegant shape, and the wood is hard. It exudes a faint fragrance from time to time. The old lady was very happy and held it in her hand to admire it for a long time.
Xu Junlang described to his brothers and sisters how the emperor went to the yamen incognito without his personal eunuchs. He said that the emperor was stopped by the official who led him and asked him to line up and take a number. He had to sit behind the door according to the order. However, the emperor did not get angry and waited patiently until the people in front of him had their questions answered. The official who led the way did not recognize the emperor and was questioned by his superiors for neglect. However, the emperor did not allow him to be punished. Instead, he praised him for doing the right thing and gave him a reward personally.
The three girls from the Xu residence were fascinated by what they heard. The old lady nodded and smiled, saying:
"The Emperor is a benevolent ruler, and he is also the most amiable. He respects the elderly and loves the young. I have seen this since I was a child. His temperament is exactly the same as that of the late Emperor!"
Xu Xiaomin said to Xu Junying: "Brother, you see the emperor every day, but I don't know what the emperor looks like!"
Xu Junying smiled: "The emperor is the emperor..."
Xu Junxuan continued: "The emperor is naturally good-looking, handsome and respectable!"
Xu Xiaowan said: "Our ancestors said that the emperor often came to our house to play when he was a child, but now he doesn't come anymore!"
Everyone laughed. Old Lady Xu said, "When the emperor was a child, it was because your eldest brother was at home. Later, your eldest brother went to the border, and the emperor followed him. He was the crown prince at that time. After three years at the border, he was recalled to the capital by the late emperor. Now that he is the emperor, he attends court every day and is busy with all kinds of affairs. How can he have time to come to our house to play?"
Xu Junlang heard his brothers and sisters talking about the emperor with admiration, and looked at Bai Jingyu who was sitting next to him with a smile. Bai Jingyu looked at him and lowered his eyes.
After the incident on New Year's Eve, the two had been at odds with each other. Xu Junlang took the initiative to go to Huifang Courtyard twice, but when he saw Jingyu refused to pay attention to him, he stopped going. The Second Wife couldn't persuade him, so she just let it go. With Wei'er, the Second Master was willing to stay at Fenghua Courtyard often. She was busy taking care of Wei'er and trying to please the Second Master every day, and she no longer had time to take care of the affairs of the young couple.
After the old lady found out, she repeatedly asked people to invite the couple to Jinhua Hall to have dinner with her, and slowly they reconciled.
The atmosphere in the room became even more lively when Mei Niang and Ning Rulan came in. After the two of them saluted to the old lady, some of the brothers and sisters greeted them, some stood up to salute and gave up their seats. Xu Xiaorong and Xu Xiaomin bowed to them and gave the embroidered cushion they were originally sitting on to the two sisters-in-law.
Mei Niang was only concerned with answering the greetings from her brothers and sisters, and then went to the old lady to say a few words. She didn't even notice Xu Junying sitting at the lower left. It was no wonder, Xu Junying hadn't come to the old lady's room often recently, and today he wore a red brocade robe, which was different from his usual style. The Xu brothers, except for the sixth master who looked a little thin, were about the same size. Usually the young masters and young ladies sat separately, but today they were confused for some reason, probably because Xu Junlang and Bai Jingyu didn't separate and sat together as soon as they came. Xu Junqiao, Xu Junxuan and the three girls came together, so they naturally sat together. Xu Junying sat above Xu Junlang. Mei Niang didn't care about Xu Junlang and his wife. She greeted them briefly and didn't even look at them. Therefore, she mistook Xu Junying's silhouette for another young master of the Xu family. She didn't bother to pay attention to him unless he said anything. She turned around and talked with Xu Junxuan and the girls, which was much more interesting. However, Rulan saw Xu Junying, and quickly pulled up Mei Niang, who had already sat down steadily, and pointed in that direction.
Mei Niang turned her head and met Xu Junying's cold gaze. As the wife of the Marquis, it was not right for her not to greet the Marquis. She had no choice but to stand up and bow to Xu Junying, but only said: "Greetings to the Marquis!"
There was no more talk. Xu Junying was very cooperative and said only two words: "Sit down!"
Mei Niang sat down, stretched out her hand to pinch Xu Xiaomin's arm, and whispered:
"Why didn't you tell me that Lord Hou was here?"
Xu Xiaomin touched the place where she was pinched and begged for mercy: "Sister-in-law, please be gentler, it hurts! I was so happy when I saw you, I forgot about my brother!"
Xu Xiaorong smiled and dodged: "I feel the same way!"
Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu walked in at this time. The old lady laughed and said, "Look at you guys. It's time to have dinner, but you're running out one by one!"
Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu only had their eyes on Xu Junying. They bowed to the old lady and both knelt down to greet Xu Junying. Zhuang Yulan asked about his health gently, and Zheng Meiyu thanked Xu Junying for his greetings in a sweet voice. Mei Niang looked at the three cousins who were still affectionate to each other and wanted to gossip a little and speculate on Xu Junying's future, but Ruixue came over and said that dinner had been served and was on the table, and everyone was invited to take a seat. She had to give up.
Everyone gathered around the old lady and went to the partition. Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu did not move, but stayed beside Xu Junying, as if they had endless things to say. Xu Junying smiled and said:
"My two cousins have been out for a long time, and they must be hungry. Please take a seat!"
It was still the same old routine. Mei Niang and Bai Jingyu served dishes and soup, and took care of the young masters and young ladies. Ning Rulan wanted to help, but Mei Niang pushed her to sit down: "Eat your food. You've worked hard today. You've been running around in the yard from morning to night, and you haven't even had a sip of tea. Go get yourself a bowl of hot soup!"
Ning Rulan said: "Sister-in-law is still the same, isn't she?"
"It's different. I eat more than you. If I eat an extra bowl of rice at noon, I can last longer!"
As Mei Niang spoke, she served soup and dishes to Xu Xiaorong and her sisters. She handed the old lady over to Bai Jingyu. Ever since it was confirmed that Zhuang Yulan was going to marry Xu Junying, she no longer tried to please the old woman.
She looked down on the timid Qin Meiniang and told the poor girl to go wherever she wanted. The reborn Qin Meiniang gained some popularity, and her grandson returned to Beijing. She at least gave him some face and became a loving grandmother, letting the eldest grandson's wife sit on her lap. What if this Qin Meiniang changed her temperament, became lovable and capable, and was clever and could serve? When you are a happy fruit, throw it away after laughing. If it is edible, maybe just eat it in one bite, so that her precious niece and granddaughter can dominate.
What kind of ancestor is this? She has lived all these years in vain. If she doesn't have a little kindness, shouldn't she love her grandchildren and nieces? Has her daughter grown up in vain? She married into your family, respected you, and sweetly called you grandma. You should also treat her well and give her a way to live!
The old lady drank a bowl of soup and ate a few chopsticks of food before she remembered to invite Mei Niang and Bai Jingyu to join the table. There was an empty seat next to Xu Junlang. He glanced at Bai Jingyu, and Bai Jingyu lowered her head and sat down next to him. Xu Junlang pushed a small bowl with two dumplings in front of her.
Mei Niang smiled slightly. She was the one who taught the kitchen staff how to make the tofu dumplings. Almost everyone in the Xu family loved to eat them, and they never got tired of eating them from the Chinese New Year to now.
Eat, eat. You are not eating for free. Everything I have done in Xu's house requires a reward.
The interest-free loan of 350,000 taels of silver will be repaid soon, and then...
Mei Niang looked at the steaming brass pot in the middle of the table, as if she saw white silver overflowing from it, and couldn't help but smile.
Xu Junying sat next to the old lady, Zhuang Yulan sat next to him, followed by Zheng Meiyu and Xu Xiaorong sisters, and Mei Niang walked over to sit next to Ning Rulan, which was the last seat.
She was the last one, so she also had dumplings to eat. Ning Rulan left one for her. Mei Niang took a bite with a smile and said to Rulan:
“This stuffing has fungus in it, it’s crunchy!”
Rulan nodded: "There are also ones with red date filling, I ate them!"
Mei Niang's eyes widened, she looked at her exaggeratedly and said, "There's only one red date filling in every fifty dumplings, and you ate it! Third Grandma, you're going to have a great year!"
Xu Xiaomin said happily: "What's the lucky number? Are you going to give birth to a little nephew?"
Ning Rulan blushed: "Sister, don't talk nonsense!"
The old lady said: "That's how it should be, Xiao Min is not wrong!"
Mei Niang grabbed Rulan's hands and clasped them together: "Come on! After eating the lucky dumplings and receiving the auspicious words from the money-giving boy and the old god of longevity, if you pray sincerely, it will most likely work!"
The old lady pointed at Mei Niang cheerfully and said, "You are the one who has many ideas and is good at speaking! Good, good! Rulan will do as she says and pray in her heart. The gods of heaven and earth will answer your prayers, and the ancestors of the family will also protect you!"
Xu Xiaomin said to Mei Niang, "Sister-in-law, I want to be either the boy who brings in wealth or the boy who distributes wealth. How much silver will be enough to give out?"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "Sister, you only go to attract wealth when you have no money. If the money at home keeps gushing out like a spring and piles up like a mountain, you have no choice but to give it away to others. That's called the boy who spreads wealth!"
When everyone at the table heard this for the first time, they were stunned. Bai Jingyu was drinking soup when he suddenly choked. He lowered his head and turned away, not knowing whether he was laughing or coughing. He refused to turn back for a long time.
While everyone was laughing and talking, Xu Junying moved the plate full of food that Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu had picked for him to Xu Xiaorong:
"Give it to Grandma."
Xu Xiaorong stood up quickly, put the plate in front of Mei Niang with both hands, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, you have worked hard. Big brother saved some food for you!"
Mei Niang thanked him, picked the food twice with her chopsticks, and put down her chopsticks: "They are all delicious dishes. I want to eat them, but I dare not eat them, for fear that I will get an upset stomach!"
Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu lowered their heads at the same time. Xu Junying looked over. Mei Niang pretended not to notice and picked up the soup bowl to drink the soup. After drinking a few spoonfuls, she said to Rulan:
"I've eaten too much. I need some tea to help it go. Do you have any good tea?"
Rulan smiled and said, "I may not have anything else, but I will always have books and tea!"
Zhuang Yulan interrupted, "I also have good tea to quench your thirst and help you digest your food. Now that you are full, please move to the warm room while I wash my hands and make some tea!"
When Bai Jingyu heard that Zhuang Yulan wanted to make tea, he was worried about the unchecked store account books at home. He was not willing to waste time sitting here, so he quickly found an excuse: "Thank you, cousin Lan. Your second cousin can have a drink with everyone, but I have to go back first - our eldest sister is coughing again!"
Zhuang Yulan expressed regret: "I just got a nice tea set and was just about to show it to my cousin's wife. In this case, I'll have to ask my cousin's wife to taste it another day!"
Bai Jingyu took this opportunity to apologize to the old lady. Xu Junlang was worried, so he also told the old lady, and the couple left first.
Xu Junying was also getting a little impatient. He didn't have anything to do in a hurry, but after listening to Mei Niang's "drunken tea" theory, he didn't know that drunken tea also had conditions, he only remembered that the taste was too unpleasant, so when he heard Zhuang Yulan wanted to make tea, he became a little scared reflexively. He was about to find a reason to leave, but he heard Mei Niang agreeing:
"Okay, okay! I love watching cousin Lan divide tea the most. Cousin Yu is here too. I think both of you have superb skills. Why don't you compete with each other? Everyone can enjoy the tea art and taste the tea. What do you think?"
The old lady nodded and said, "I think it's okay! Ruixue asked them to prepare two tea tables, two sets of the same tea sets, and light a few more lights so that they can watch more carefully!"
She was extremely confident in her niece's cooking skills. Zheng Meiyu had been eating at various houses since she was a child, living here for a few days and resting there for a few days. What good things could she learn
Zhuang Yulan smiled and asked Zheng Meiyu: "What do you think, cousin Zheng?"
Zheng Meiyu had no way out. She could only bite the bullet and accept the challenge. She knew her tea art very well. She could not compare with Zhuang Yulan in any way. She hated Mei Niang in her heart. She was destined to embarrass herself in front of Xu Junying. She just wanted to be a foil for Zhuang Yulan and show her loyalty.
Mei Niang wanted to watch the tea art, so Xu Junying had to give up the idea of leaving early. He had something to say to her and had originally wanted to ask her to go all the way back.
Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu led Xu Junying, Xu Junqiao, Xu Junxuan and other gentlemen to the warm room first, and pulled Xu Junying to sit not far from them so that he could see the camellia flowers first. Xu Junying sat down quietly. There was an empty seat next to him. His younger brothers were tactful and no one came to sit with him. The only one who came was Mei Niang.
The maids brought in hot water and dry towels and asked the masters to wash their hands. Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu also washed their hands. While they were making various preparations, the old lady walked in with a smile, supported by her granddaughters and leaning on the new walking stick given by the emperor. Xu Junying stood up to greet the old lady, but found that Mei Niang was missing, and even Ning Rulan did not follow her in.
Seeing him looking over there, Xu Xiaomin said, "The eldest sister-in-law suddenly felt dizzy and went back first. The third sister-in-law is with her!"
The old lady patted Xu Junying's hand and said, "It's okay. I think she got hurt by the cold wind during the day. I'll give her a dizziness pill and tell her to go home and take a hot bath. After taking the medicine, go to sleep. She'll be fine tomorrow!"
Xu Junying said, "It's a shame for grandma!"
But she felt annoyed. She said she wanted to watch the tea art and drink tea to help digestion, but she ran away without saying anything. Why did she need the old lady's dizziness medicine? She clearly gave Cheng'er a whole box that day! She was pretending to be so coaxing after taking the medicine!
Xu Junying forced himself to sit down, absentmindedly watching Zhuang Yulan making tea, and he was too lazy to even glance at Zheng Meiyu. Zhuang Yulan's slender fingers were light and nimble, fluttering like butterflies, and she looked up at him from time to time, her eyes full of affection and smiles, but Xu Junying seemed to see nothing, feeling irritable and bored.
He didn't want to drink tea, and didn't like the scene where everything was still, although this was required when making tea flowers. He felt that the atmosphere was normal with Mei Niang around. Mei Niang loved to talk and laugh, and she was always against Zhuang Yulan, making trouble like a child, distracting her attention. Zhuang Yulan was so upset that she wanted to cry, but she smiled very sweetly. She looked at Zheng Meiyu with contempt and resentment, sometimes as sharp as a knife. In the past, he always tried every means to prevent these two women from doing things for him, including serving soup and dishes, and even sitting close to him... She changed, not coming to Jinhua Hall often, and deliberately avoiding meeting him in Qinghua Courtyard. Suddenly, she had dizziness. Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu sat together and talked and laughed with him, and competed to pick up dishes for him at the dinner table, but she didn't care, and didn't even look at them. She also specifically asked Bai Jingyu to take care of them, and she was only with her brothers and sisters. In the end, she simply sneaked away, leaving him here to comment on tea art and taste fragrant tea
Xu Junying was so confused that he didn't even hear Zhuang Yulan calling him. Xu Xiaomin patted him and said, "Big brother, look at the camellia!"
He looked over and saw a white foam slowly spreading on the surface of the tea soup. Where was the image? (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)