Chapter 15: Alone in the New House
Mengxi felt Hongzhu's hand shaking a little, but she remained calm as she sat on the chair with the help of Hongzhu. She told the maid to prepare the food, then pointed at the porridge on the table and introduced it to the Second Master softly:
"I made pork liver and mung bean porridge for Second Master tonight. It has the effects of nourishing the liver and blood, clearing away heat and improving eyesight. Second Master, drink it while it's hot. I thought that Second Master would not have enough energy to drink porridge all day, so I specially made honey osmanthus cake for Second Master. It is soft and delicious, sweet but not greasy. Second Master, please try it later to see if it tastes good." As she spoke, she gestured to Hongzhu to help Second Master get out of bed and wash.
"Otherwise you won't have the energy to work tonight," Mengxi added in her mind.
Xiao Jun saw that Mengxi seemed fine and was introducing the porridge and snacks on the table to him in soft words. He could not get angry at all. Hongyu had already helped Xiao Jun wash his hands, helped him put on his shoes, and supported him to sit down at the table.
Mengxi thought about it. After all, she was her boss. Her monthly salary was paid because she was his legal wife. Although she didn't know how much she got now, it was higher than that of her concubine. Thinking this way, she ignored Xiao Jun's indifference, washed her hands, and calmly served porridge and dishes to the Second Master, while she silently said to herself :
"He's a leader, he should be dignified. If he's indifferent, then he should be indifferent. This is called the art of controlling subordinates. Besides, an important rule in the employee handbook is to keep a distance from the leader."
Damn, Mengxi has completely used Ah Q's method of spiritual victory on Xiao Jun.
Only at this time did Mengxi truly feel the benefits of the ancients' emphasis on not talking while eating or sleeping. After serving Xiao Jun his meal and rinsing his mouth, he asked the maids to take the food away and serve tea. Xiao Jun then sat at the table and drank tea. Mengxi noticed some flower patterns on the dressing table, so she picked them up and asked:
“What is this going to do?”
"Replying to Second Madam, these are the patterns sent by Aunt Wang. The Qiqiao Festival is coming soon, and I wanted to pick some beautiful patterns to embroider some handkerchiefs and purses for the girls. In previous years, it was Aunt Wang who took care of it. This year, Second Madam came into the family, so Aunt Wang sent the patterns to her and asked Second Madam to make the decision." Hongzhu said as she walked to Mengxi, picked up the pattern and compared it with Second Madam.
"What kind of colors do girls like? This butterfly is very bright in color, and the color is also nice..."
Mengxi picked out a butterfly-shaped one, turned it over and over to admire it for a long time, then handed it to Hongzhu and said, "Hongzhu and Hongyu nodded in agreement." In this way, the three of them slowly began to pick.
As the saying goes, to capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach. This saying was also applicable in ancient times. Xiao Jun ate the porridge and pastries made by Mengxi, and was secretly amazed at Mengxi's cooking skills. Then he saw Mengxi standing there serving him silently. Slowly, his stomach felt better, and his anger subsided a lot. Then he thought that what he had said just now was a bit rash.
According to the rules, when a man marries a wife, he must stay in the wife's room for seven days before he can go to the concubines' rooms in turn. When he marries a concubine, he usually has to stay in the concubine's room for three days. He had to go to the concubine's room on the second night of his wedding, which was like a slap in Mengxi's face. How would the concubines look at this second wife tomorrow? He also thought that if he really went to Aunt Li's room tonight, it would be difficult to explain to the old lady tomorrow. Looking at Mengxi's beautiful face, he felt a little ashamed. So after dinner, he didn't leave immediately. He sat there and drank tea, waiting for Mengxi to talk to him. As for Aunt Li, it was just a missed appointment. After all, she was a concubine. He could just give her something to coax her.
Drinking tea, watching Mengxi calmly picking flowers, for some reason, the more he looked at that person's calm expression, the angrier he got. Slowly, the anger that had just subsided came back. Wasn't Mengxi from Daqi? Didn't she understand what his words just now meant to her? Why didn't she come over and beg him to stay, as if nothing had happened?
He was right in his guess. Mengxi was not from Da Qi.
As he grew angrier, he began to think more and more about Mengxi's bad deeds. He also remembered what Aunt Li had said in the afternoon about how arrogant Mengxi was and how she had tormented her when she served her tea. He suddenly thought of Yuanpa in the morning, and a feeling of disgust surged in his heart. He suddenly put down his teacup, stood up, and walked out.
"Hongzhu, Hongyu, please stop serving your Second Madam and have a rest."
"Second Master is going out?" Hongzhu asked hurriedly.
"Goodbye, Second Master." Mengxi put down the flowers in her hand, stood up and said as she walked Xiao Jun out. Hongyu hurriedly put down the flowers in her hand and went over to support Xiao Jun.
Xiao Jun waved his hand and said: "No need, just serve your second grandma well."
