Chapter 173 Reunion
When Aunt Cui and Aunt Zhang saw that the Second Mistress invited them to dinner, they secretly hated her for being vicious and unwilling to see them do well. But after all, she was the master, and although they were dissatisfied, they dared not speak out.
Hongzhu had already led the maids to start setting the table. The eldest aunt came forward and helped the second aunt sit on the main seat. She stood aside, ready to serve the second aunt. Seeing that the eldest aunt did not sit down, the others also stood aside and instructed the little maids to set the table.
Mengxi casually pulled the aunt over, pressed her on the left hand and said:
"I've already told you that today is a special day, so there are no rules to follow. Come and sit down, and let the maids serve you."
As Mengxi spoke, she gestured for Aunt Zhang to sit on the right. Just as Hongyu was about to go forward, Aunt Cui had already sat down next to Aunt Zhang. Hongyu paused, and the Second Mistress gestured for her to sit next to the First Mistress.
Aunt Zhang was eating snacks carefully, and Ling'er brought a bowl of pumpkin millet porridge over. When passing by Aunt Cui, Si'er quietly stretched out his legs. Ling'er didn't pay attention and was tripped. She staggered and almost fell. The whole bowl of porridge was not wasted and splashed all over Aunt Zhang, and her head and clothes were covered with golden millet grains.
"Oh! Good God..."
Aunt Zhang screamed like a pig being slaughtered, the sound was more tragic than her own mother's death, and she had long forgotten where she was. Si'er retracted his foot and pretended to be panicked to help Aunt Zhang wipe it. Ling'er was so scared that she fell to her knees with a plop.
Lian Mengxi trembled all over after hearing the scream and forgot to speak. The others were even more stunned. Only Aunt Cui had a hint of pride on her face. The Second Master would definitely be hers tonight.
Pa! Pa! Pa! Aunt Zhang pushed Si'er away, grabbed Ling'er and started beating her, cursing as she beat her:
"You blind little bitch, you're courting death! You drank the magic potion so early in the morning! You want to kill me..."
Everyone was stunned. Just like that? Didn't they see the Second Grandma sitting there?
Jinfeng , another maidservant of Aunt Zhang, was so frightened that she fell to her knees, hugged Aunt Zhang's hand and begged:
"Aunt, please calm down. For the sake of Second Madam, please forgive Ling'er."
Aunt Zhang had already gone mad. She would not listen to Jinfeng's words at all. She just kept cursing and beating like a madman, causing chaos in the hall.
When everyone saw that Jinfeng mentioned the Second Mistress, Aunt Zhang did not stop, and they secretly thought that Aunt Zhang was very brave. They watched the fun leisurely and no one stepped forward to stop it. Aunt Cui was even more delighted and secretly hoped that Aunt Zhang would continue like this until the Second Master came back.
It was just a bowl of porridge spilled, so a few words of scolding would be enough. Is it necessary to be like this? She was wailing like her mother had died. It was really depressing so early in the morning. Seeing that Aunt Zhang was never stopping, Mengxi grabbed the silver chopstick pillow at hand and slammed it on the table.
A "pop" sound startled Aunt Zhang, who quickly shut up and stared blankly at the Second Mistress, as if she hadn't figured out what was going on.
Seeing that the Second Mistress was angry, the concubines no longer had the leisure to sit still. They all stood up in shock and stood neatly on both sides. The hall finally became quiet.
Seeing that Aunt Zhang had stopped making trouble, Mengxi glanced at the aunts one by one. His eyes swept across their faces and saw that they had all put away their gloating expressions and stood there properly. Mengxi nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to speak, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a trace of panic in Si'er's eyes. He was moved and thought to himself:
"I was wondering why Ling'er would be so careless so early in the morning. It turns out someone is plotting against her. The fight has already started before the Second Master even gets home. Once the Second Master comes back, there will be a lot of excitement in Xiaoxiang Courtyard. There will be gongs and drums and a big show again."
Although she understood what was going on, Mengxi was not in a good mood to end this endless lawsuit. She looked at Aunt Zhang and said calmly:
"Look at yourself, what do you look like so early in the morning? Do you still have any dignity left?"
The voice was not loud, but it seemed to have an invisible pressure that made Aunt Zhang breathless, and she didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Seeing that Aunt Zhang remained silent, Mengxi turned to Ling'er and said:
"She can't even hold a bowl of porridge. She made her master angry on a good day. How can she serve the aunt with her clumsy hands? Come, give her two months' salary and kick her out."
When Ling Er heard this, she was really frightened. She just spilled a bowl of porridge and Aunt Zhang had been beating her for a long time, so it should be over. Unexpectedly, the Second Mistress was even more cruel and chased her away without saying a word. She knelt down and crawled a few steps, kowtowed and begged:
"Please forgive me, Madam. I know I was wrong and I won't do it again. Please don't chase me out of the house because I have served you wholeheartedly. I kowtow to you."
After hearing Ling'er's crying, Aunt Zhang finally came to her senses. Second Mistress wanted to drive Ling'er out of the house. This was outrageous. Ling'er was her maidservant who came with her as a dowry. A few beatings would be fine. If they really wanted to drive her out, where could she find such a loyal confidant? She became anxious for a moment, knelt down to Second Mistress, kowtowed and begged:
"Second Madam, I know I was wrong. I was confused for a moment and made you angry. I kowtow to you to apologize. Ling'er is my maidservant who came with me as a dowry. I have found her useful. Please, Second Madam, please do not chase her out for my sake."
Mengxi was just angry at Aunt Zhang's insolence, and she didn't mean to kill her. Seeing that she said something soft, she said lightly:
"Ling'er made you so angry early in the morning. I feel so bad for you. I am doing this for you. Aunt Zhang, don't be too soft-hearted. If you don't discipline this servant well, he will climb over the master's head sooner or later."
Aunt Zhang was furious when she heard this, but she was the mistress of the house. She dared not speak out and continued to beg:
"Please have mercy, Madam. I was just excited at the time. Please forgive my recklessness."
After hearing this, Mengxi sat there and looked at Aunt Zhang for a long time, until a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, and then he said:
"Okay, for your sake, I'll keep her for now, but she's so confused and clumsy that she can't handle the task. I'll punish her by having her learn the rules for half a month and then come back to serve me."
Although the punishment was still unexpectedly severe, it was better than being driven out. Aunt Zhang also knew that the Second Mistress was punishing her for being rude in disguise. How could she dare to say anything else? She thanked her quickly and knelt there without daring to get up.
Mengxi saw that everything was fine and the others were still kneeling, so he started to scold them:
"You ignorant servant, no wonder you made your master angry. It's already so late, why don't you help Aunt Zhang go back to change her clothes? You've delayed welcoming the Second Master, I'll hold you responsible for this."
Mengxi's words not only woke up Ling'er and Jinfeng, but also woke up Aunt Zhang. Yes, the Second Master would be back soon, and she was still making trouble. She was so anxious that her face turned pale. With the help of Ling'er and Jinfeng, she stood up and said hello to the Second Mistress. Just as she was about to leave, Hongxing came in and said,
"Replying to Second Madam, the servant who brought the news has arrived at the second gate. He said that the Second Master got up early today and has already entered Pingyang City. He will soon arrive at the Xiao Mansion. Please prepare to welcome him, Second Madam."
Without waiting for Mengxi to react, Aunt Zhang cried out "ouch" and fainted when she heard this. Hearing Ling'er and Jinfeng's cries, Aunt Cui on the side was ecstatic.
Mengxi frowned when he saw this, and ordered two maids to take Aunt Zhang back. He sighed and said:
"We've had a good meal, but now we've lost our appetite. Let's go, pack up, and go to the second gate to welcome the Second Master."
…
Xiao Jun got off the horse and handed the reins to the servant beside him. As soon as he entered the hanging flower gate, he saw from afar Xier, the woman he had been thinking about day and night, leading her aunt and a group of maids and old women, standing there to greet him.
After not seeing her for more than a year, she had grown taller and looked more graceful. She was wearing a goose yellow narcissus flower brocade gown. Her long black hair was tied up in a stunning bun with a jade butterfly tassel inserted diagonally, swaying in the wind, giving her a unique charm. Among the flowers, she was not the most gorgeous, but the most outstanding one. At first glance, the Second Master could not take his eyes away. He was so excited that his lips trembled, his whole body was shaking, and he was even a little hesitant in his steps.
After a pause, he walked up quickly and met Mengxi's calm gaze. Erye's excited heart gradually calmed down. After all, she had some distance from him.
After not seeing him for more than a year, he had become darker, but more tall and straight. Mengxi had been watching Xiao Jun from afar. Seeing him take a few steps forward and stand there, just looking at them stupidly, she understood his excitement of returning home, so she walked forward and bowed gently, breaking the silence.
"Second Master, have a safe journey. I am sorry that I came to greet you late. I hope you will forgive me."
When she saw Erye, Mengxi didn't know what to say. In her impression, friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time always said this. Erye was also stunned when he heard her words. He felt that this was very awkward, but he couldn't think of what was wrong, so he said:
"Xi'er, you don't have to be so polite. I haven't been home for more than a year. Thank you for your hard work. Is everything okay at home?"
"Everything is fine in the mansion. The old lady misses you every day."
As Mengxi spoke, he moved aside to let his aunt come over to greet him.
Several concubines came forward to greet Xiao Jun one by one, and he nodded in response without saying anything. Hearing a sobbing sound, Mengxi glanced over and saw that Concubine Cui had red eyes and looked like a pear blossom in the rain, so pink, soft and delicate that it was dripping with tenderness.
Damn, is it really that serious? We haven’t seen each other for just over a year, but she doesn’t feel anything at all.
While she was thinking, she felt the Second Master's gaze coming at her. She looked carefully and found that the concubines had already finished their greetings and were standing aside, waiting for the Second Master and her to make arrangements. Mengxi hurriedly stepped forward and said:
"Second Master, the old lady, the eldest master, and the eldest mistress are all waiting for you in Shouxi Hall. Would you like to go back to Xiaoxiang Courtyard to wash up first, or go directly to Shouxi Hall?"
"Grandma, father and mother must be waiting impatiently. Let's go directly to Shouxitang. It doesn't matter if we wash up later."
"Hongzhu Hongxing, go back to Xiaoxiang Courtyard and pack the Second Master's toiletries and send them to Shouxi Hall. It's almost time for lunch, so it would be better for the Second Master to simply wash up in Shouxi Hall to avoid the hassle of going back and forth."
Mengxi looked at the second master and gave instructions. Xiao Jun nodded and pointed to the cars behind him and said:
"That's fine. Let's send these cars back to Xiaoxiang Courtyard together. Auntie, please go back first. After Second Madam and I have lunch at the old lady's house, we still have to report to the eldest master and the old lady. I think we can return to Xiaoxiang Courtyard in the evening."
After hearing this, several concubines and Hongyu responded with disappointment and stood aside to make way for the Second Master and the Second Mistress.
"Second Master, please"
Mengxi pointed to a sedan chair and said, bowing to the Second Master, and then helped Zhiqiu and got on another sedan chair.
As a couple, the mansion originally had a large sedan chair for the two of them to ride in when going out and coming in together, but unknowingly, it was replaced with two small sedan chairs. Xiao Jun looked at the two sedan chairs in front of him and felt a little disappointed. He and she had developed so many bad habits without realizing it. Now that he was back, the first thing he had to do was to change the rules.
