Good things often bring extra busyness. As the New Year approached, Guo Shao was no longer on duty, but his schedule was already full. All he had to do was visit relatives, friends, and colleagues in the court. For example, Guo Shao had to accompany Li Yuaner to her home during the New Year.
There was a large white flat land in the back garden of Guo's mansion. It was a lake. It was frozen below and covered with snow above, which made it look like this now. Fu Ermei pointed to the place under a dead tree, looked around seriously, and said to the dark and strong woman holding a hoe next to her: This is it, dig it.
When did you bury it? Guo Shao asked curiously.
Fu Ermei smiled and said: Last year, when I just got married, I buried several jars of wine here.
Guo Shao said casually: It would be great if fruit wine could become popular. Most people in the north still don't have enough food to eat, so it's a waste to use the grain to make wine.
After hearing this, Fu Ermei turned around and said softly: My husband thinks so much. I can only think about how to dig out the ice from the lake and hide it in the cellar. It will be very useful in the summer.
Guo Shao smiled and said: Second sister is really far-sighted.
At this time, several jars appeared after the soil was lifted. Fu Ermei squatted down and held out a jar. Guo Shao hurried over to help. Her jade-white fingers were stained with dark brown soil, which looked particularly abrupt.
It's not my intention. You are not allowed to dig and it's better not to tell anyone. Fu Ermei told the strong woman who helped that these jars were specially prepared for the Queen Mother.
When the strong woman heard what the Queen Mother said, she was so frightened that she quickly said she would not say a word even if she was beaten to death.
Guo Shao joked: "It seems that your sister is closer to you." Fu Ermei smiled and said: "That's because only my sister likes to drink sweet things, so I put sugar in these jars; I didn't put sugar in the others."
He remembered this detail and recalled that he and Fu Jinzhan often spoke in abstract terms and rarely asked her simple questions like what she liked to eat or what she hated.
Guo Shao and Fu Ermei prepared special gifts and went out to the palace to see the Queen Mother. Fu Ermei chose this time because she said: "No one usually visits relatives before the New Year, because they come to collect debts before the New Year; they have to go after the New Year." However, my husband has to go to many places in the first month of the year, and my sister's place is our family, so we can arrange it before the New Year to save a day.
When Guo Shao heard that someone came to collect the debt, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
He is in a good state now, except that he occasionally feels a little guilty and can't figure it out. So he can still laugh often, and laugh happily.
The two entered the palace, met Fu Jinzhan, and were invited to have lunch in the restaurant of Jinxiang Hall.
Fu Ermei went to the Wansui Hall to accompany her sister first, and Guo Shao, as a male relative, had to stay in the Jinxiang Hall restaurant to drink tea and wait. This restaurant was the most high-end restaurant Guo Shao had ever seen, very luxurious and elegant.
The furnishings in front of me were magnificent, the exquisite yellow curtains and the spotless brass lampstands reflected the light yellow brilliance, the calligraphy and paintings on the wall were not really an expert, Guo Shao didn't understand them, but at first glance they looked very precious and impressive, the wood of the tables and stools was painted very exquisitely, and the ceramic cups on the table were even snow-white, Cheng Liang could tell at a glance that they were specially customized tributes. But such a place with floating lights was very quiet and peaceful, the maid standing at the door not only didn't speak, but didn't even make a sound, as if she was in the middle of the night, quiet and elegant.
Guo Shao was waiting for the Fu sisters to arrive for the banquet. He felt a little awkward because it was so quiet, so he pretended to be an expert and admired the calligraphy and paintings on the wall with great interest. In fact, he felt that the appearance of the lady alone was a little ugly.
Fu Jinzhan changed out of her dress, and next to her was a folded red skirt. She was about to put on her trousers first, but suddenly she realized that her legs were very beautiful, white, slender, tight, and the lines of fat and thin were just right. For a moment, she felt a little self-pitying, thinking that there was charcoal fire in the room anyway, so she put on the skirt without putting on her trousers.
She walked out from behind the curtain and saw her second sister fiddling with her jewelry in front of the dressing table. She went up to her and took her hand: "Let's go, your hands are really cold."
Fu Ermei whispered: That's nothing, my husband said that my hands are cold, but my heart is warm.
After hearing this, Jinzhan showed a very forced smile on her face and pretended to make a joke. After walking a few steps, she found that Fu Ermei was wearing a ring on her left ring finger. Although Jinzhan was in contact with memorials and military affairs on a daily basis, she couldn't help but pay attention to these little things. She glanced at them casually and said: I have some beautiful gemstone rings here, you can pick one later, gold ones are not rare.
Fu Ermei smiled and said: I like wearing this one, it was given to me by my husband.
Jinzhan felt even more upset, so she said unhappily: "How stingy! Such a small piece of gold is only worth a few cents."
Fu Ermei didn't seem to understand Jinzhan's feelings and thought he was joking, so she said: He said those gems are just stones and are useless, only gold is always called hard currency, which means it can be exchanged for money. People have ups and downs in the world, if one day they are in trouble, gold can more or less help them in an emergency.
Jinzhan raised her eyebrows and sneered softly between her scarlet lips and white teeth: "The people of the Fu family will become so destitute. If it really comes to that, you won't have the chance to exchange the gold for money and you will definitely become a prisoner."
That being said, the second sister said softly, but I like him saying that, it makes me feel safe. The little bit of safety accumulated, I felt very relaxed when I was by his side, and I felt that I didn’t need to be afraid no matter what happened.
The two of them talked as they reached the dining room. Guo Shao came up and bowed, saying, “I pay my respects to the Queen Mother.”
Fu Jinzhan gave him a cold look with a calm tone, as if to say something that sounded nice but was actually just a polite courtesy. Today was a family dinner, so there was no need to be polite.
Guo Shao said again: Thank you, Queen Mother.
When the palace maids brought up the delicacies, a woman brought up the wine jar that Fu Ermei had sent, which had been wiped clean of dirt, and then filled a small glass pot. Fu Jinzhan waved her sleeves lightly, and they bowed and left.
Fu Jinzhan personally picked up the glass pot and poured wine for them, saying: You can be guests today.
Fu Ermei smiled and said: I put sugar in this jar, big sister, please try it and see if it tastes good.
Jinzhan picked up the glass cup, took a sip, and smiled: "It's sweet, and my second sister's wine tastes the best. But it's rare to taste it now."
It is indeed a treasure. Guo Shao chatted, but I know there is a kind of cup specially used for drinking precious wine. The glass cup has a high foot and a flat surface as the bottom of the cup.
Fu Jinzhan looked at his face with a smile and whispered: What is that shape? Why is it so strange
Guo Shaodao: It is said that the best wine should be kept at the right temperature after opening. Fingers are hot and will affect the temperature of the wine if they are placed directly on the cup. So a thin waist is needed to hold the cup.
Fu Jinzhan smiled and covered her mouth gently, saying: The person who came up with that thing must be a drunkard. He could do it so meticulously after just a sip of wine.
He must be a drunkard. Guo Shao smiled and said, when a drunkard feels that something is particularly precious and particularly liked, he will naturally do everything he can to get it. He was also quite meticulous when drinking, taking a sip gently, letting his tongue fully taste the flavor of the wine, and then he was willing to swallow it.
He paused and looked at Fu Jinzhan with a teasing look, and said softly: The thing you desire most, of course you have to taste it carefully with the tip of your tongue, right
Fu Jinzhan noticed Fu Ermei out of the corner of her eye and felt her cheeks getting hot. She had to be so nervous and act so serious, which was really uncomfortable. She thought about what Guo Shao meant and even her body felt hot, as if a goose feather was gently brushing her body, but not too heavy or too light, which made her feel a little uneasy.
He took a breath and looked intoxicated. Fu Ermei looked at him with interest: What did my husband taste
The sweetness seems a bit stronger, almost like drinking sugar water. Guo Shao said helplessly, but the fragrance is still quite good.
Fu Ermei couldn't help but laugh, and after a moment she seemed to be thinking about something. She turned her head and bowed, and said in a low voice: I have a strange feeling that my husband is extra different every time he sees my eldest sister.
Fu Jinzhan felt a little nervous. When she looked at Guo Shao, she saw a flash of discomfort on his face. Guo Shao asked: Your eldest sister is the queen mother after all, so of course I am different in front of the queen mother.
The second sister shook her head and said: Maybe I'm just imagining things.
Fu Jinzhan carefully observed the second sister and found that she was smiling and soon continued to chat and laugh. Only then did she feel relieved. Guo Shao was also the same. Why did he reveal his true colors in front of the second sister
The three of them were in the quiet room, talking and laughing. The Fu sisters' voices were very pleasant, and Jinzhan's voice was even more melodious. This exquisite dining room seemed to be infused with soul and became extra wonderful.
Guo Shao was embarrassed to eat a lot in such an elegant environment, so he only ate half full. After the palace maids cleaned up the table, they continued to chat and discuss afternoon entertainment. At this time, Fu Ermei had a slightly embarrassed look on her face, and walked up to Jinzhan and whispered a few words in her ear.
Fu Jinzhan said softly: Go ahead, you know where it is. Didn’t you live in the palace for more than a month
The second sister went out quietly, leaving Guo Shao and Fu Jinzhan alone sitting at the table, staring at each other. Guo Shao suddenly asked in a low voice: "Where have you been, second sister?"
Fu Jinzhan said: She told me that she was not feeling well.
As she spoke, she gently lifted the golden spoon in her hand and dropped it to the ground with a jingling sound. There was no one else in the dining room, so Guo Shao stood up to pick it up. Fu Jinzhan also stood up and gently lifted her skirt. The thick skirt was easily lifted up, revealing her delicate white ankle and a small piece of skin on her calf. Her other hand also rushed to pick it up, and her voice became more gentle: Let me do it.