The place where the sedan chair was landed was a small courtyard with bluestone bricks on the ground, white walls, gray tiles, a moon-shaped gate, and magnolias, pomegranates, oleanders, and cannas in full bloom. Maids in green bodices were coming in and out. Not far away, in the wing rooms with red lacquered doors wide open, the female family members were standing in groups of three or five under the veranda, or sitting at a round table chatting and laughing. The scene was prosperous and lively with laughter everywhere.
They were received by a woman in her thirties. She smiled warmly and led them to the Moon Gate. "Mrs. Yuan, this way please!"
In Zhou Shaojin's previous life, he had to go to the palace to pay respects to the Queen Mother and the Empress every New Year's Day. He had once specially invited an aunt from the palace to teach him etiquette. He knew that when you first arrived, the most taboo thing was to look around, which would make people think you were frivolous or unworldly.
She followed her sister with her eyes following her nose and her nose following her heart.
Mrs. Miao felt relieved after seeing this.
After entering the Moon Gate and passing through a bluestone corridor lined with pomegranate trees, you will see a three-room flower hall in front of you.
Unlike the courtyard just now, although the door of the flower hall was also wide open, there were only seven or eight female relatives sitting there. They were talking in low voices. The gold ornaments on their heads and the brocades on their bodies flashed brightly in the morning light that shone into the flower hall, making it difficult for people to open their eyes.
"Aunt is here." A beautiful young woman came out and greeted Yuan with a smile.
"Seventh Madam." Yuan smiled and greeted her, introducing Madam Mian and the woman to each other: "This is the eldest wife of our fourth room... This is the wife of the seventh master Gu Jincheng, the eldest room of the Gu family. She is a girl from the Yu family in Pukou. She helps Old An manage the household expenses. She is very open-minded and generous, and she is very good at dealing with people. The sixteenth lady of the Gu family who is getting engaged this time is his sister."
“I don’t deserve it, I don’t deserve it. You always flatter me like this every time you come…” Grandma Gu Qi smiled as brightly as a spring flower, said a few humble words, knelt down and greeted Mrs. Mian.
Mrs. Miao greeted him with a subtle smile and said, "It turns out that Seventh Madam's family is in Pukou, and my family is also in Pukou. I wonder if Seventh Madam has heard of the He family in Sanyanqiao?"
"Oh! So your maiden name is He!" Grandma Gu Qi was surprised and delighted, and pulled Mrs. Mian's hand affectionately, "How come I haven't heard of it? The He family of Sanyanqiao, the No. 1 scholar's mansion, is a well-known family in Pukou. I didn't expect to meet you... I have a younger sister who married into the He family, the fifth master of the third branch of the He family..."
"I know, I know." Mrs. Miao smiled and said, "It's my nephew who lives across the room..."
The two exchanged greetings and immediately became familiar with each other.
Yuan laughed aside.
Grandma Gu Qi said angrily, "Aunt, you are still laughing. You knew that my family and the first wife's family are both from Pukou, but you didn't introduce me to the first wife earlier. This is all your fault. When your niece-in-law toasts you later, you can't refuse!"
"Are you trying to take this opportunity to get me drunk?" Yuan smiled. The three of them exchanged greetings for a moment, and Grandma Gu Qi's eyes fell on Zhou Chujin and Zhou Shaojin.
She looked surprised and asked, "What is this?"
"Two cousins from the fourth room. The daughters of Zhou family in Pingqiao Street." Yuan said with a smile, "Master Zhou is serving as an official in another place, so the two young ladies will temporarily live in Cheng family."
The imperial examination was held every three years, with 300 candidates in each examination. There were a limited number of families in Jinling City who had successful candidates.
The Gu family is a family of scholars, so as soon as Yuan mentioned Grandma Gu Qi, she knew who she was.
She smiled and pulled Zhou Chujin's hand, saying, "I was wondering whose daughter she was. She's so pretty. It turns out they are the two daughters of Mr. Zhou's family. They are really rare guests." As she spoke, she told the maid beside her, "Go and invite Miss Seventeen over. Tell her that the two young ladies from the Zhou family on Pingqiao Street are coming over. Ask her to come and keep them company."
"You don't have to be so polite." Yuan smiled and said, "Is Mrs. An in good health? I'll come to pay my respects to her during the New Year."
"Look at my good memory!" Grandma Gu Qi patted her forehead and said with a smile, "Old An asked about Auntie when she got up this morning... I'll go with you right away."
As she spoke, she called over a woman who looked like a housekeeper and began to whisper instructions to her.
Yuan thought for a moment, and said to Madam Miao and the Zhou sisters, "You two can come with me. She is the mother of Gu Meizhen, the head of the Gu family. She is one generation older than our old lady. When you meet me, just follow Dalang and call her 'great grandmother.'"
The last sentence was a reminder to Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin.
Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin responded softly, “Yes.”
Grandma Gu Qi came over and said with a smile, "Let's go over there!"
Yuan smiled and nodded, and the group went up a corridor to the west.
After crossing the lake and passing the pavilion, they came to a secluded courtyard.
The people in the courtyard had obviously received the news long ago, and there was a nanny waiting for them at the door.
The nanny greeted Yuan in a familiar manner, and Yuan told them: "… This is the person who is closest to Old An, and her husband's surname is Miao."
Mrs. Miao, Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin shouted with a smile.
"Please excuse me for embarrassing this old servant!" Madam Miao turned aside, spoke a few words to them modestly, and led them into the yard.
The courtyard is not big, but small and exquisite, and the servants are all middle-aged people.
Old An, with a head full of white hair, looked vigorous and had a kind smile. He happily sat on the Luohan bed and accepted their greetings, then had someone bring a stool for them to sit on.
Yuan greeted Mrs. An on behalf of Mrs. Guo.
The old lady was a little unhappy and asked, "Why didn't she come herself? Did she want you to pass on the message for her?"
Mrs. Guo is a widow, and today is the day when the sixteenth daughter of the Gu family is getting engaged, so naturally she has to avoid it.
But you can't say this to an old man - when they get old, they are just like children and don't recognize reason. If you say this, it will only make the old man unhappy.
"I was going to come," Yuan said with a smile, "but the pavilion in Fourth Uncle's Zaoyuan suddenly collapsed a few days ago. My old lady was extremely worried and went to Zaoyuan early in the morning. As for Miss Sixteen, we have to let her down. When she gets married, my old lady and I will come earlier to give Miss Sixteen an extra box."
Zhou Shaojin was stunned.
Is there anyone who makes excuses like this
It’s said that someone’s pavilion collapsed!
But what about this algae garden
Isn't it the rule in a big family that private property is not allowed
Why does it seem like everyone knows this, yet seems indifferent to it
She was muttering to herself, but she saw that Old An was not only relieved, but also took it for granted. He kept saying, "We have to go and see, we have to go and see." Then he asked with concern, "Is Silang okay?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Yuan said repeatedly, "Fourth Uncle was in the mansion at the time!"
"That's good, that's good!" Old An was relieved and said with emotion, "You are not as filial as Silang. Silang came to see me two days ago! He also brought me lotus seed cake. He said it was a tribute from the palace. It was delicious!"
Uncle Chi actually bought something to honor Mr. Gu!
Zhou Shaojin thought about Cheng Chi's appearance and was a little bit unbelieving.
It turns out that Uncle Chi has such a good relationship with the Gu family
Why didn’t Gu Jiunie save the Cheng family in his previous life
Perhaps Gu Jiunie had worked hard for the Cheng family before, but failed.
She pondered in her mind.
Old An pointed at Aunt Miao, and after a while, she said, "Hey, go get them some lotus seed cakes that Si Lang gave me and give them a taste."
It seemed as if he couldn't remember how to address Aunt Miao for a moment.
Nanny Miao didn't take it seriously. She smiled and nodded, then turned and went to the tea room next door.
Old An said, "I have liked eating lotus seed cake since I was a child. But my wet nurse was very strict and didn't allow me to eat too much, saying that eating too much would make me fat, and it would be difficult to get married if I was fat. When I married into the Gu family and became the great-grandson's wife, I was afraid that others would laugh at me for being greedy, so I didn't dare to eat it... Later, when I became a wife, everyone looked at me, and I was even more afraid to eat it..."
Everyone listened to Old An's chatter with a smile.
Nanny Miao brought in some cakes.
The snow-white lotus seed paste is made into the shape of a lotus with a red dot in the middle, and it looks very ordinary.
Lao An urged them: "Try it quickly and see if it tastes better than Qi Fangzhai's. I think it tastes better than Qi Fangzhai's!"
Nanny Miao winked at everyone and asked the maid to fetch some water.
They just washed their hands and each took a piece of lotus seed cake. Before they even put it in their mouths, Lao An couldn't wait to say, "Isn't it delicious? Better than Qi Fangzhai's!"
Everyone said it tasted better than Qifangzhai’s.
Old An just laughed.
Everyone ate lotus seed cake.
It is indeed better than Qifangzhai’s, sweet but not greasy, fragrant but not overpowering.
Zhou Shaojin finished his cake and motioned to the maid to bring a handkerchief to wash his hands.
Lao An suddenly pointed at her and asked, "Who is this? Why does she look so familiar to me?"
Zhou Shaojin's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Yuan introduced her with a smile: "... the second daughter of the Zhou family in Pingqiao Street."
"No, no!" Old An shook his head, looking confused, and waved at Zhou Shaojin, "Come here, let me take a look."
Zhou Shaojin's heart was pounding. He took a deep breath and then walked over with a smile.
Old An took her hand.
The white hands are full of wrinkles, but warm and dry.
She looked Zhou Shaojin up and down, muttering, "That's not right... Why is he so small... He should be taller than Nineteenth Lady..."
Aunt Miao hurriedly explained to them in a low voice: "Nineteenth Lady is the youngest daughter of our old master... She passed away ten years ago. The old master may have recognized the wrong person..."
Zhou Shaojin is a very handsome person. Even if he recognized the wrong person, the other person must be quite beautiful... Is Nineteenth Lady of the Gu family really beautiful
But why haven’t I heard of it
Both Yuan and Mrs. Mian were thinking secretly in their hearts.
Zhou Shaojin understood a little bit in his heart.
Many people say she looks like her mother.
There was a high probability that Gu Laoan mistook her for her mother.
She glanced at Mrs. Mian.
Mrs. Miao was a little confused.
She glanced at her sister again.
Zhou Chujin was looking at her nervously.
Zhou Shaojin's somewhat uneasy heart calmed down.
She smiled and said, "I'm afraid that my great grandmother mistook me for my mother. My grandfather and the twelfth master of the Gu family were close friends. It is said that before my mother got married, my grandfather took her to live in the Gu family for some time. I think she came to pay her respects to my great grandmother..."
Grandma Gu Qi, Yuan and others were still confused.
Aunt Miao exclaimed in a low voice and laughed: "I was wondering why she looked so familiar? I thought all beauties were the same, but I didn't expect that the second young lady was the granddaughter of the old man of the Zhuang family! The eldest young lady of the Zhuang family is also a stunningly talented woman. We didn't expect it at the time."
※
Sisters, 510 pink votes mean one more chapter. With great effort, I will continue to update twice a week tomorrow!
O(∩_∩)o haha
※(To be continued)