Chapter 178 Changing the Rules
When the Second Master was about to get off the sedan chair, he said:
“What my mother said is not true”
"What do you mean by that?"
Mengxi looked at the back of the Second Master in confusion. After a moment of pause, she reacted and her heart was moved. This icy man's conscience had been eaten by dogs, but it was a pity that he didn't dare to say it openly in the hall.
Mengxi thought about it and got up from the sedan chair. Zhiqiu had already reached out to support her by the side of the sedan chair. She followed the Second Master through the ceremonial gate and came to the courtyard. Looking at the Second Master who was almost at the door of the upper room, Mengxi hesitated and wondered if she should go back to the east wing directly. Just as she was thinking about it, Hongxing came over and bowed and said:
"Hello, Second Madam. Several concubines and Hongyu have come a long time ago and have been waiting in the hall for a long time."
"knew"
Mengxi frowned slightly after hearing this. These concubines became active at this moment and nodded in agreement. They had to support Zhiqiu and follow the Second Master into the hall.
"Second Master An"
"Second Master An"
As soon as Xiao Jun entered the hall and turned around the screen, the three concubines and Hongyu came over to pay their respects. Xiao Jun stopped in his tracks, and his eyes blurred. He saw the three concubines dressed up gorgeously, like peaches ashamed of apricots, and swallows jealous of orioles ashamed. His heart could not help but move slightly, and his eyes swept to Mengxi who came in later. In comparison, she was too plain.
Although Mengxi was plain, she was like a lily with a fresh and elegant fragrance, standing tall and clean, and he could not take his eyes off her. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: It is said that women dress up to please themselves. When will she be able to dress up for him like them?
"Everyone, get up!"
Xiao Jun nodded to a few people, strode forward and sat down.
Several people paid their respects to the Second Mistress again. Mengxi nodded in response and sat down with the Second Master.
The three concubines and Hongyu then stood on both sides. A maid had already served tea. Xiao Jun took a sip of the tea, looked around, and asked casually:
"Where are the girls?"
"Replying to Second Master, I don't know when Second Master and Second Madam will come back. I was afraid that the girls would get tired waiting here for a long time, so I didn't let them come. If Second Master wants to see them, I will send someone to tell them immediately."
When the eldest aunt heard the second master asking about the three girls, she hurried forward to answer. When she saw the second master nod, she gave a look to Yan'er who was standing aside, and Yan'er hurriedly turned around and walked out.
Xiao Jun glanced at the three concubines and Hongyu one by one, and asked casually:
"I've been out for so long, is everything okay?"
Hearing the Second Master's question, Aunt Zhang and Aunt Cui's eyes immediately turned red, and they were speechless. Hongyu was originally the Second Master's personal maid, and should have been the closest to him, but since she was taken into the room, the Second Master rarely spoke to her. Among the few people, she became the one who was most distant from the Second Master, so she was speechless at this time. Seeing that no one was talking, the eldest aunt stepped forward and said:
"Second Master is not here, everything is fine at home. Because the sun was too hot yesterday and the girls were too young, Second Madam felt sorry for them, so she didn't ask them to pick you up at the second gate. You came back late at night, and the girls waited for the whole afternoon and then went to bed. Second Master didn't see them, but they have grown a lot taller. Chun'er is seven years old now. The old lady grumbles every day that she should go to school, saying that although she is a daughter, she is from a noble family after all, and the daughter should be able to read. But Chun'er was thinking about playing with her two younger sisters, so she refused to go. Now she follows Second Madam to study every day, and the three children love to listen to Second Madam's stories."
After hearing what his aunt said, Xiao Jun looked at Mengxi, only to find that when she heard his aunt mention her daughter, her face was unusually gentle.
Aunt Zhang felt unhappy when she heard the eldest aunt praising the second mistress. When she saw that she had finally stopped talking, she stepped forward to the second master and spoke.
"Second Master is so cruel. He has been gone for more than a year and has sent few letters. This makes me miss him every day."
Aunt Zhang's eyes turned red as she spoke, and she choked up a little. After a pause, she continued:
"Thank you for the gift from you yesterday. Look, this bracelet is so translucent. I liked it at first sight. I put it on specially for you to see today."
As she spoke, she gently lifted her sleeve, revealing the emerald green bracelet on her fair wrist, and stretched out her slender hand in front of the Second Master.
Damn, it's so hot, they're flirting in front of so many people. Mengxi glanced at the two of them with boredom.
Looking at the tearful Concubine Zhang in front of him, Xiao Jun surprisingly lost his enthusiasm. He felt that she was just an old friend he hadn't seen for a long time. Naturally, he didn't touch that tender little hand like before. He glanced at the bracelet on Concubine Zhang's wrist and said casually:
"Well, as long as you like it, I brought it back from far away, and I was really worried that you might not like it."
Seeing the Second Master like this, Aunt Zhang stepped aside awkwardly. Aunt Cui showed a barely perceptible smile and stepped forward and said:
"Second Master..."
"Dad is back! Chun'er misses you!"
"Father!"
"Father!"
Just as Aunt Cui opened her mouth, several maids came out from behind the screen with three girls . As soon as Xiao Chun showed his head, she called out, and Xiao Ping and Xiao Feng followed suit.
When Xiao Jun saw his three daughters come in, he actually stood up. When they saw their father stand up, they had forgotten their usual rules, broke free from the old woman's hands, ran over, and threw themselves into their father's arms. Xiao Jun hugged his three daughters, and finally sat down with Xiao Feng in his arms and put her on his lap.
"Father is partial and does not embrace Chun'er"
Seeing that her father didn't hug her, Xiao Chun complained and leaned against Meng Xi lovingly. Xiao Ping looked at her father, then at her mother, and finally came over to stand beside her mother , looking like a lady from a noble family.
"Chun'er is a grown-up girl now. She should behave herself and be a role for her younger sister. Why don't you have any manners and act like a spoiled brat?"
Mengxi stroked Chun'er's head gently and said in a doting tone, "After two years of training, she felt a little embarrassed to see Chun'er and Feng'er behave so badly in front of the Second Master, and was afraid that the Second Master would blame her."
"Mother is not teaching Chun'er to be spontaneous in front of relatives, and not to distance herself from family affection because of rules. Rules are only said in front of outsiders and are done for outsiders to see. Father and mother are the people closest to Chun'er."
Damn, I really shot myself in the foot!
Mengxi's face felt slightly hot. She didn't dare to look at the Second Master again. She lowered her head to study the teacup on the table. Perhaps the teacup could turn into gold.
Xiao Jun glanced at Meng Xi, who was surprisingly good-tempered and said nothing. He lowered his head and started chatting with Xiao Feng in his arms:
"Father is not at home, what does Feng'er do every day ?"
"Feng'er has a lot of things to do. Every day, she has to eat, sleep, learn poems and listen to stories from her mother, learn needlework from her aunt, learn etiquette from the nanny, and also play with her sisters..."
The wind counted the items one by one on its fingers.
"What poems did Feng'er learn?"
"Feng'er can recite many poems now. Feng'er recites one for his father."
When her father asked about poetry, Feng Er recited it like a treasure:
"Geese, geese, geese, they sing with their necks raised to the sky, their white feathers float on the green water, their red feet paddling the clear waves"
"I can do it too!"
Feng'er had just finished reciting when Ping'er, who was standing beside her, couldn't help but shout out in anger for her sister showing off in front of their father, fearing that her father would look down on her.
"Ping'er, please recite one too."
Ping'er put her hands on both sides, straightened her body, and raised her head to carry it on her back:
"The little white rabbit is so white, with two ears standing up. It loves to eat carrots and vegetables. It jumps around so cutely."
"Okay, Ping'er read it very well."
Looking at his three lively and lovely daughters, Xiao Jun's heart was filled with tenderness. He never thought that she could be so loving and kind to his daughters. But when could she share a little bit of this tenderness with him...
The family was talking when the maid Hong Xing came in and told them:
"Replying to Second Master, Second Madam, First Concubine, Second Concubine, Third Concubine, and First Master and Third Master's Concubines sent their maids here to thank Second Master for the gift."
After hearing this, Mengxi finally raised her head, patted Xiao Chun who was leaning on her, and called out:
"Spring"
Xiao Chun responded quickly, stood up, came to his father, stretched out his hand to pull Xiao Feng, and said:
"Third sister, come down quickly, there are guests coming"
Feng'er responded sensibly and jumped down from Xiao Jun's lap. The maid who served the girls had already walked forward and led the three girls to the chairs that had been prepared for them, helping them to sit down gracefully. The three of them clasped their hands in front of their chests, stood straight, and looked straight ahead, really looking like a noble lady.
Xiao Jun couldn't help but nodded secretly. This girl was trained really well!
Mengxi saw the three girls sitting down, and looked at Xiao Jun. Seeing that he was drinking tea and had no intention of talking, he said to Hong Xing:
"Let them in."
…
"Second Madam, Second Master is back and is in the hall. Would you mind going over?"
"Need not"
Mengxi was reading a book and said without raising her head.
"But, I have noticed that the Second Master has been targeting you in everything lately. He has been bringing up the rules of the mansion, and the old habits no longer count. It seems that the Second Master is trying to change. If we really follow the rules, when the Second Master comes back, you should go to the upper room to greet him, and when he eats, you should serve him on the side. If you don't go over, will the Second Master..."
"No, when I first got married, I served him according to the rules. He changed the rules himself. There are so many concubines, maids, and old women serving him. He has been back for more than ten days and has been doing this all the time. It's okay. Just get used to it. Besides, we will be leaving the house soon, so why bother yourself with it?"
"What the Second Madam said is true, but I feel that the Second Master seems to have changed this time. You see, he has been back for more than ten days, and he has not been to any of the concubines' rooms. He only stays in the upper room every day. I guess the Second Master is not..."
As they were talking, Zhixia came in and told the Second Master to ask the Second Madam to go to the upper room. Zhiqiu looked at the Second Madam and asked casually:
"Didn't say anything?"
"Hongzhu sent the little maid to tell me the message. She is waiting outside the door now. I asked her, but she didn't know either."
Mengxi threw the book in his hand onto the couch with a little annoyance, stood up and said:
"This second master, is he going to stop? He never lets me have a moment's rest. He feels uncomfortable when he sees me doing nothing!"
At this time, Zhichun came in with a plate of freshly washed peaches:
"Second Madam, these are sent by my aunt. She said they are new peaches from this year. They are big and sweet. Please take a look."
After Zhichun finished speaking, she saw that no one responded to her, so she looked up and looked at the Second Mistress carefully. She saw that she came to the dressing mirror with a bad look on her face and sat down. Then she looked at Zhiqiu and Zhixia, both of whom were silent. She asked unconsciously:
"What happened?"
