The house on the Chaoyang Gate side was bustling with activity.
Everyone was sitting around the table drinking Laba porridge.
He doesn't eat and doesn't talk when he sleeps.
After finishing the Laba porridge, Yuan put down her spoon and praised it repeatedly, saying with a smile: "No wonder mother is so happy. Fourth sister-in-law's Laba porridge is delicious. It is not only sweet and sticky, but also sweet but not greasy. I don't know how fourth sister-in-law made it. She can give some advice to the old woman in the kitchen in Xinglin Hutong one day."
Zhou Shaojin also put down the bowl and said in a gentle voice: "This is not a difficult task. Sister-in-law can ask the old woman to come to find Biyu anytime. Biyu is in charge of the kitchen now!"
She is not the kitchen lady, so why should she deal with the kitchen lady in Xinglin Hutong
Zhou Shaojin pushed back neither hard nor soft.
Mrs. Guo's eyes flickered slightly, but she said nothing.
Qiu lowered her head and said nothing.
Yuan was secretly surprised.
She didn't expect that Zhou Shaojin looked weak and timid, but he was actually a sharp-tongued person. He wanted to put pressure on her, but in the end, she turned the tables on him.
After all, we had less contact in the past!
Yuan thought about it and put away her carelessness. She knew that her words and actions today were not good enough. She smiled and said to make amends, "Then let's go. I'll ask the maid from the kitchen in Xinglin Hutong to find Biyu and come to your place to learn secretly and cook a few dishes that mother will like."
As he spoke, his eyes fell on Madam Guo.
Mrs. Guo smiled but said nothing.
She knew what Yuan was here for.
The New Year is coming soon, and she came to pick me up and take me back to Xinglin Hutong.
Otherwise, when relatives and friends come to pay New Year's greetings, where will she put her face
Madam Guo drank another mouthful of porridge slowly, and then said, "When I get older, I don't want to change. The dishes I like are always the same. There's no need to go to so much trouble."
What you mean is that you are the eldest daughter-in-law and have been married to the Cheng family for so many years, but you don’t even know what your mother-in-law likes to eat. How do you respect your mother-in-law
Yuan's face turned slightly pale.
Mrs. Qiu couldn't bear to watch, so she thought for a moment and tried to smooth things over with a smile, "Mother, hasn't Ah Sheng's Laba porridge been delivered yet? This girl is just good at making jokes. She said she would personally make Laba porridge and deliver it to you, but there's still no sign of it..."
Zhou Shaojin didn't like Yuan, but she didn't want to embarrass Qiu, who was always kind to her, so she smiled and said, "I'll ask Chunwan to go and see. Maybe she's already here, or she's still at the door."
Before she finished her words, a little maid ran in, panting.
"Old Madam, Fourth Madam," she said, looking anxious and almost crying, "An eunuch from the palace came to deliver an imperial decree, saying that the palace will soon give away Laba porridge, and that the Empress specifically nominated it as a reward for the old madam..."
Mrs. Guo's face darkened.
A newly built house is like this. The maids and old women have never seen the world and will panic over the slightest thing.
Zhou Shaojin also felt it.
Before Madam Guo could speak, she said in a deep voice, "The old lady and I are both at home, why are you so flustered? Stand up straight and speak in a calm tone!"
The maid saw that the person sitting in the room did not move at all, and her heart finally settled down. She took a few deep breaths and repeated the whole process in a clear voice.
Yuan's heart was filled with turmoil.
During every Laba Festival, the emperor would send eunuchs to deliver Laba porridge to his most important ministers in the court.
Cheng Jing of the Cheng family was a cabinet minister and lived in Xinglin Hutong, so the porridge was delivered to Xinglin Hutong.
But now the inner palace has issued an imperial decree to send Laba porridge specially to Old Madam Guo... In other words, Old Madam Guo is enjoying her own special honor.
But when did the old lady register with the Queen Mother
When she married in the early years, the old lady never went to the palace except for the first day of the first lunar month. Even if she went to the palace, she would go and come back quickly, and never stayed in the inner camp. How come now... She hasn't been to Beijing for more than ten years, and she has been in Beijing for only a few months, but the Empress is worried about her... The most important thing is that she is worried that Madam Guo will be more harsh on her because of this honor, and even affect her position in Cheng Jing's mind because of the impact on Cheng Jing!
Yuan was terrified and uneasy, but she stood up calmly, smiling and telling Madam Shi who was serving beside her: "Hurry up and prepare the incense table and red envelopes to receive the emperor's order."
The incense table is used when receiving imperial edicts, and the red envelopes are used to reward the eunuchs who deliver Laba porridge.
But no one in the house moved.
Mrs. Guo lowered her eyelids.
The maids looked at Zhou Shaojin.
Qiu anxiously pulled Yuan's sleeve.
This is Chaoyangmen, not Xinglin Hutong.
Yuan realized it later.
Then he was overwhelmed by the tide of anger.
She is the eldest daughter-in-law of this family, the wife of the Cheng family. Could it be that she couldn't even say anything about such a thing
So what does Zhou Shaojin know
She is helping Zhou Shaojin!
How can the mother-in-law say that she is being presumptuous!
The more Yuan thought about it, the angrier she became, and her fingertips began to tremble.
Zhou Shaojin didn't even look at her.
In her previous life, she knew how overbearing Yuan was. She could give in to her in other matters, but having a home of her own was her dream for two lifetimes, and she would never allow anyone to destroy it.
She ordered the maid: "Go and tell the steward to prepare the incense table and red envelopes."
A hint of pride flashed in the maid's eyes.
When they first entered the mansion, Nanny Shang told them that if they worked in Chaoyang Gate and received monthly allowances from Chaoyang Gate, they should know who they were working for and who was paying them. She did not run around, and it turned out to be right.
The little maid knelt down and saluted, then hurried away.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "Mom, you have to go in and change your clothes."
In her previous life, she had entered the palace and received an imperial edict.
Madam Guo smiled and nodded, and Zhou Shaojin helped her into the inner room. She asked Zhou Shaojin quietly, "Do you remember what I told you last time about how to receive an imperial decree?"
"Remember." Zhou Shaojin felt strange in her heart and repeated what Mrs. Guo said to her at that time.
Mrs. Guo nodded with satisfaction, dressed up according to her rank, and took Zhou Shaojin, Yuan and Qiu to wait in the warm room at the door.
After a while, Eunuch Qian from the Cining Palace came with a little eunuch.
In addition to the imperial edict, there was also a bowl of cold Laba porridge.
Mrs. Guo and others knelt down to listen to the imperial decree, thanked the emperor, and accepted the imperial edict.
Eunuch Qian, who had just solemnly read the imperial edict, suddenly became a different person. His waist became hunched, and his face was full of smiles. He smiled at Madam Guo earnestly, "Madam, we haven't seen each other for a while, right? Yesterday, Madam Pengcheng came to the palace and mentioned that you had come to the capital, and the Empress knew about it. So, she sent someone to give you Laba porridge today. You are so lucky. Three Jinshis from your family. No, five Jinshis from your family. Old Master Shao and the late Old Master Xun were also Jinshis. I heard that your grandson was the first place in the Southern Zhili last year, and he was the first place in the case before. Oh, my, looking at this dynasty, no one is as lucky as you. The Empress also said that when Madam Pengcheng came to the palace, she invited you to come with her, so that the Empress and Madam Pengcheng could also meet you. Now the son of the Pengcheng Earl is getting more and more unruly, and even the Empress is often helpless. What can we do about it!"
Lady Pengcheng is the mother of the Queen.
The Earl of Pengcheng is the Queen's younger brother, and his only younger brother.
Old Madam Guo smiled and said, "You are too polite, eunuch. It's just the children's own hard work. When you go back, please thank the Empress for me. And tell her that I will go to pay respects to the Empress with Madam Pengcheng." Then she personally handed two large red envelopes to Eunuch Qian.
Eunuch Qian left with a smile on his face.
Mrs. Guo's expression also faded.
Yuan looked hesitant and asked, "Mother, why did the Queen suddenly think of you?"
"I can't say that I suddenly remembered it." Madam Guo said, "When your second uncle was teaching the Crown Prince, the Empress was very close to your deceased second aunt, and she met me several times. This time, maybe she heard that my family was splitting up, so she wanted to call me in to ask! Otherwise, she wouldn't have thought of me after Madam Pengcheng entered the palace."
Yuan Shi couldn't help feeling guilty when she heard this, and hurriedly said, "Mom, can I go with you then?"
"No need." Madam Guo said, "Let Shaojin accompany me - I don't know what the Queen thinks about this matter yet!"
Yuan wanted to say something but stopped.
Madam Guo glanced at her and said, "Don't worry, I agreed to the division of the clan. If the Queen asks, I know what to say."
"Mom!" Yuan felt ashamed and embarrassed.
Madam Guo smiled and said, "Okay, okay. Today is Laba Festival, and everyone should be happy. Shaojin, go take the porridge given by the Queen to the kitchen, and share it with Dalang and the others when they come."
Cheng Jing and Cheng Wei were both in the government office, while Cheng Xu and Cheng Rang were in the school. They would not leave the government office or finish school until the evening.
Zhou Shaojin responded with a smile.
Cheng Sheng sent someone to deliver Laba porridge.
Zhou Shaojin had just given a reward and filled a small jar of Laba porridge made in Chaoyang Gate as a return gift. He sent the person away, and Cheng Zheng sent someone to deliver Laba porridge... By noon, the house was filled with all kinds of Laba porridge. The news from Jining also reached Chaoyang Gate and reached the ears of Madam Guo and others.
Old Madam Guo slapped the table on the kang and said to Yuan: "What do you usually do? Such a big thing happened, but you didn't hear anything. What do you usually do when you go to the Yuan and Fang families? Everyone knows about family matters, so what do you do? Are you dazzled by wealth and fame? Is your heart blinded by calculation? You go from one family to another all day long, and you don't know anything you should know, but you know everything you shouldn't know..."
Being scolded by her mother-in-law in front of her two younger sisters-in-law, one of whom was Zhou Shaojin, whom she looked down upon... Yuan wanted to die.
Qiu was also a daughter-in-law, so she could understand Yuan's feelings. She dragged Zhou Shaojin out of the banquet room and whispered, "We'd better stay away now, so as not to embarrass our sister-in-law."
She wants to look good, why doesn't she do something serious!
Zhou Shaojin complained in his heart and went to the tea room with Qiu to drink tea.
Cheng Zheng had someone bring a letter, saying that Gu Xu had a colleague working in the Pedestrian Department, and he had already made an appointment to meet the other party, and then he would know what happened in Jining.
Yuan heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this.
Cheng Zheng is her daughter, and all this hard work can be considered as compensation for her mistakes.
Madam Guo did not appreciate it. She looked at Yuan coldly and said, "It's a good thing I didn't give Ah Zheng to you to raise!"
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Hey guys, today's update.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Tomorrow’s update will still be around nine in the morning.
※(To be continued)