"Mr. Pei, your aunt has also left. She has been talking about you for a long time. Why don't you go and meet her?" Mr. Zhu asked tentatively. He thought that Mr. Pei would leave after eating, but now he has to wait for the birthday peaches. Doesn't this mean he has to stay a little longer
Pei Che pondered for a moment: "I haven't greeted my cousin's mother-in-law yet. It's time to go meet her. Please lead the way, cousin."
"Okay, let's go!" Master Zhu smiled happily and quickly took Pei Che inside. Pei Che didn't notice for a moment, and when he found someone staring at him in the distance and heard a few words of swallows and orioles in the wind, he realized that Master Zhu was going to take him to the backyard of the Zhu Mansion.
Pei Che frowned slightly and stopped: "There are many guests in the backyard, and it is inconvenient for a man outside to go there. Please ask my cousin's husband to find a quiet yard so that I can chat with my cousin's mother."
Master Zhu was a little embarrassed. He wanted to say that it didn't matter since they were all family, but Pei Che's eyes turned cold. He was afraid that he would be angry with him, so he said quickly: "I didn't think it through! You sit in the pavilion in front for a while, I will make arrangements!"
Pei Che observed for a while and found that the pavilion was open and there were people around, so it was unlikely that the female relatives would accidentally break in and ruin his reputation. Only then did he feel relieved. There were many such dirty things among the rich and powerful. Some people might think that having one or two more concubines was not a big deal, but Pei Che would not allow such a thing to happen to him.
He sat in the pavilion, staring at the archway with hanging flowers that he had passed by on the way here. Suddenly, several figures passed by the door, and Pei Che recognized one of them, a slightly thin figure. Wasn't this the peddler just now? When he was in Puling Temple before, he thought this person was eloquent, but he didn't expect him to be so short-sighted.
But how did he get the color of his longevity peach so natural
"Mr. Pei, I have arranged a guest house. Let's go!" Master Zhu came running over, his flesh shaking.
He led Pei Che out of the hanging flower archway and headed toward the road Jiang Miao had just walked. Pei Che looked ahead and found that the group had turned a corner in front of him.
"Is that the kitchen over there?" He asked casually. Master Zhu didn't understand what he meant and just nodded.
"I wonder how that longevity peach was made? It's so lifelike." Pei Che glanced at him indifferently and continued to ask.
Master Zhu's heart tightened when he was looked at by him, and he vaguely understood something. This master must want to see how the young master makes birthday peaches, right? "It's not difficult. If Master Pei wants to know, we can go and see it later."
Pei Che withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.
Madam Zhu was waiting in the yard, looking a little nervous. The last time she saw him was seven years ago in the mourning hall of the prince and the eldest cousin in the Duke's Mansion.
I only remember him kneeling there in mourning clothes, his usually straight body bent, like a small tree bent by a storm. Seeing them coming to burn incense and mourn, a trace of pain flashed in his dead eyes, he bent down and kowtowed to them, and then said in a hoarse voice: "I am an unfilial son, Pei Che, and I would like to thank all the aunts for coming to see my father and mother off!" The child who had always been respected and valued seemed to have grown up overnight.
"How are you, aunt? Pei Che greets you!" Pei Che bowed and performed the junior's greeting when he saw Madam Zhu.
"Hurry, hurry up!" Madam Zhu stepped forward and lifted him up with both hands, looking at him carefully, "I haven't seen you for many years, I almost don't recognize you."
Pei Che smiled but said nothing. He had a vague impression of this cousin's mother. His mother was a lively person. When she was alive, she would often invite her sisters to the other courtyard for a small gathering. Since she passed away, he had hardly seen anyone else except her maternal family.
Madam Zhu asked Pei Che a lot of questions, such as life in the mansion and studies. Finally, she asked Pei Che if anyone in the Duke's Mansion had arranged a marriage for him.
Pei Che is already nineteen this year. Even if he is wearing two layers of mourning, he should have finished mourning long ago. At his current age, it is already too late to get engaged. The eldest son of the Zhu family is the same age as Pei Che. He got married at the beginning of last year and now has a child who is a few months old.
"Not yet. I don't want to get engaged too early because I haven't finished my studies yet. Besides, my marriage is decided by my grandmother." Pei Che quickly revealed the situation. He actually felt that he was still young, but no matter where he went, people would ask about his marriage.
"Is the old lady in good health?" After hearing what he said, Mrs. Zhu really did not continue this topic.
"After taking the tranquilizing pills, grandma has been in much better spirits. A few days ago, she said she wanted to come in person to celebrate grandpa's birthday, but the aunts were afraid that she would be too tired, so they tried to stop her for a long time before she gave up."
Although the Zhu family knew that this was just a polite remark, they were still very happy. This meant that they had successfully established a relationship with the Duke's Mansion, and they would not have to be timid when facing those shop managers with backers in the future.
Pei Che observed the expressions of the two and added, "Grandmother sympathizes with the poor and the weak. She often said that life is hard for the common people, especially the elderly. When you are young, you have to save money to raise your children. If you encounter good times, it's okay, but if you encounter people who disrespect their elders, you will probably be miserable when you are old."
Madam Zhu was completely unaware of the implication of his words, but Master Zhu felt extremely embarrassed. He had just been too eager to get close to her, and was afraid that the old man would anger this master, so he attacked his father in a hurry. He only heard the warning in Master Pei's words now.
"The old lady taught us that we must respect our elders and not be negligent in the slightest." Mrs. Zhu was a little surprised by Mr. Zhu's seriousness.
Before she could show it, Pei Che had already stood up and said goodbye. Madam Zhu stared at the graceful figure, as if she saw the elegance of the prince and her cousin in the past. They were truly a perfect match made in heaven. Who could have expected that they would end up like that
"Master, that is the room where pastries are made." Master Zhu had never been to the kitchen. After coming out of the guest house, he casually asked a servant to lead the way.
Little Stone, who was sitting on the steps in front of the house, basking in the sun and pounding spinach with a small pestle, heard the sound and looked up. When he saw it was them, he immediately stood up and ran into the house to report it.
"What is he doing here?" Is he afraid that I will add some ingredients to the birthday peach? What a mean person! Jiang Miao thinks he cherishes food, and he will never get discouraged by food ingredients.
"Master Zhu, what do you want to do in the kitchen? The birthday peaches are almost ready and can be steamed right away." Jiang Miao wiped his hands and walked out, blocking the door, intentionally or unintentionally blocking the way of the two. He looked at Master Zhu without blinking, as if there was a big mallet standing next to Master Zhu.
Judging from Jiang Miao's attitude, Pei Che was sure that he was deliberately ignoring him and only greeting Master Zhu.
"Is it done?" Master Zhu frowned. Didn't Master Pei come to see how to make birthday peaches? What should he do
"Well, it's almost done." Jiang Miao lied with his eyes open, and the progress bar filled up in an instant, from almost done to about to be put into the pot.
Pei Che was very tall, and Jiang Miao could not block his sight at all, so Pei Che saw at a glance the longevity peaches on the chopping board that had not yet been painted, and the leaves underneath had not yet been put on.
"Young master, I wonder if I have the honor to go in and see how you color these birthday peaches?" Since hints don't work, it's better to be explicit.
Jiang Miao raised his head, followed his smiling eyes and looked back, and found the pile on the chopping board. Damn, is it a big deal to be tall? He used to be 1.8 meters tall with the soles of his shoes! He just hasn't grown up yet! For a moment, Jiang Miao was already thinking about whether Liang Jing had a place to order milk.
He was distracted again. Pei Che thought, if this peddler studied under his teacher, his palms would be swollen every day.
"...Come in." Jiang Miao took a step back and let him come in.
Pei Che looked carefully at the floor and the wall, and found that the place was quite clean, so he walked in with confidence. The small peach on the chopping board had taken shape, and it was just waiting to be colored.
Jiang Miao tried hard to ignore the person behind him, and resigned himself to picking up the small bamboo sieve and brush to start coloring the peaches.
Watching the red water seep through the sieve and fall onto the peach, it soon stained it with an uneven color, darker in some places and lighter in others. But it was the combination of these different shades of color intertwined together that made the peach look more real.
“Why not just use a brush to apply it evenly?”
The person behind him suddenly spoke, and Jiang Miao's hands shook, and he almost dropped the sieve. He secretly rolled his eyes and said casually: "How can peaches grow the same everywhere? More light will make them darker, less light will make them lighter, and they will look different in different light."
Light? Pei Che thought to himself. When painting, should we also pay attention to the light in the background? If it is bright, it will be bright; if it is backlit, it will be dark. So when painting these things, the colors should also show the difference.
"Thank you, Master. I have learned a lot from you." As the ancients said, if three people are walking together, there must be one person who can be my teacher. This saying is indeed true!
Jiang Miao was puzzled by him. He recalled what he had just said. Was there anything remarkable? Or was this guy trying to steal his skills
When this thought came to his mind, Jiang Miao himself laughed. Regardless of whether this man was the most handsome man in Liangjing, just the clothes he wore were enough to make him money for a long time.
After Pei Che was pointed out, he kept thinking about painting. It was not until Master Zhu packed the steamed birthday peaches and handed them to his servant that he realized that he didn't seem to know the name of the young master. When he heard him fighting against many people that day, he vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a word "Jiang" in his name.
Jiang Miao had already boarded the donkey cart that was taking them back. Master Zhu was also confused by Pei Che's question. He seemed to have always called him "little master". However, this man was sent by Zhao Xing, so Zhao Xing must know.
"His last name is Jiang, and we all call him Brother Jiang." As for his name, he seemed to have forgotten to ask.
"you?"
"Yes, that's what his neighbors call him," Zhao Xing said. "By the way, he lives in Bai's house in Tianshui Lane, Yifeng Street, west of the city. If you still want to eat longevity peaches, you can go there to find him."
This is what Jiang Miao asked Zhao Xing to do before he left, saying that if anyone asked him, he should tell them the address. It is said that this is called "advertising".
Zhao Xing readily agreed. It was just a matter of a word. He felt that this Jiang was a good person to get along with. He was loyal and capable. He might even become a famous white case chef in Liangjing in the future. If they got along well, it would be convenient for him to be invited to any banquets held in the mansion!
(End of this chapter)