Chapter 46 Asking for permission to leave the house
On the way to Shouxi Hall, Mengxi casually asked Hongzhu:
"If I want to leave the Xiao Mansion, are there any rules?"
Hongzhu was surprised and asked hurriedly:
"Second Madam, do you want to leave the Xiao Mansion?"
“No, I’m just asking.”
"If Second Madam wants to leave the house, just ask Second Master to take you out."
After Hongzhu finished speaking, she saw Second Mistress bowing her head and keeping silent. She thought of the cold relationship between her and Second Master. How could Second Master take her out of the house? She felt pity for Second Mistress who was so delicate and weak. After thinking for a while, she said:
"Second Madam can also ask the old lady for permission. As long as the old lady approves, Second Madam can go out. However, the rules in the mansion are very strict. Without special circumstances, the old lady rarely approves..."
As they were talking, they had arrived at Shouxi Hall. The sedan chair stopped. Hongzhu stood up and got off, and held out her hand to help the Second Madam get off. The maids had already passed the message, so Hongzhu helped the Second Madam into the house. Turning around the screen, she looked up and saw that everyone had already arrived. Mengxi went forward to pay her respects to the Old Dowager, the Eldest Master, and the Eldest Mistress, and then paid her respects to the Eldest Master, the Eldest Mistress, and Xiao Yun. Only then did she sit down below the Eldest Mistress.
After Mengxi sat down, the old lady carefully observed her face and said, "I heard that Xi'er fainted yesterday. Didn't you say that if you are not feeling well, you should not come to pay your respects? You should just stay in the courtyard and take good care of Jun'er. Why are you here again?"
"Replying to the old lady, I just walked in the garden for a little too long yesterday and got a heat stroke. It's nothing serious. I took some medicine yesterday and slept all night. I'm fine today. I'm unfilial and I'm sorry to bother you, old lady, for worrying about me."
"I'm glad you're okay. Xi'er, just be careful not to overwork yourself."
"Thank you for your concern, old lady"
"Old Madam, we are all young people, not that precious yet. It would be unfilial to make you worry about her. Please don't spoil her."
The eldest wife felt very uncomfortable when she heard what the old lady said, and looked up and said.
The old lady glanced at the first wife and said nothing more.
When the eldest wife saw that the old lady was silent, she signaled the maid to serve the meal.
Xiao Yun looked at his weak and helpless second sister-in-law with a complicated expression , thinking that his second brother had lost his temper with her yesterday. His second brother was so lucky to marry such a beautiful woman, but he didn't know how to cherish her. Sometimes he wanted to use his broad chest to protect her from wind and rain, but he shouldn't be the one to protect her. Thinking of his second brother's cold face, he clenched his fists weakly.
Mengxi saw the eldest wife serving food, so she stood up and helped the old lady to sit at the dining table. She watched the maids put dishes on the table, pointed at a dish and whispered to the old lady:
"I heard that the old lady is going to fast for three days, so my granddaughter-in-law specially made some vegetarian dishes for you today. Old lady, this dish is called fried bamboo shoots with straw mushrooms. First, pick and wash the straw mushrooms, then put the bamboo shoots slices into the wok over high heat and stir-fry them. Then add the vegetarian broth, straw mushrooms, salt and MSG. Bring to a boil, then turn to low heat and cook until the straw mushrooms are seasoned. Thicken with wet starch and then drizzle with some sesame oil and it's done. Old lady, please have a taste of my granddaughter's cooking skills." As she said this, she picked up a small piece of straw mushroom and put it on the old lady's plate.
Mengxi watched the old lady eat and nodded continuously. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to introduce several other dishes she had cooked. She served them to the old lady one by one and also served dishes to the eldest master and the eldest mistress. When the meal was over, the family looked at the leftovers on the table and thought to themselves: Why is everyone following the old lady's lead in eating vegetarian food? The vegetarian dishes cooked by Mengxi are all gone.
After clearing the table, the old lady and the others sat down again. Because Master Xiao Qing was leaving tomorrow, it was rare that the master did not go out, so the eldest lady was here to accompany him. She served tea again and started to chat. She just reminded the master to be careful when he was away from home, to be careful in everything, to be honest when serving as an official, and to ask the eldest lady to take good care of the master. Seeing Mengxi sitting there without saying a word, the old lady thought she was tired, so she said:
"Xi'er is not feeling well, go back early."
Mengxi saw the old lady talking to her, so she walked forward, bowed softly and said:
"Thank you, old lady, for your love. I am not tired. Old lady, now that the second master has recovered from his illness and Hongyu is waiting for him, I would like to ask for your permission to go out for a walk."
After hearing this, the master shook his head, said nothing, and just picked up the tea and started drinking.
When the eldest wife heard this, her face immediately darkened. She thought to herself: She has only been married for a few days and her husband is still sick, but instead of taking good care of him, she just wants to go out and have a look. No wonder it is said in Pingyang City that this woman is spoiled and willful. She is really an unfaithful vixen. She was angry, but could not get angry because her mother-in-law was sitting there.
The old lady was also slightly stunned after hearing this, thinking: This Xier is really ungrateful. She made such a request just a few days after getting married. There is no such rule in a wealthy family. She was about to refuse, but when she looked up and saw Mengxi's timid look, she felt reluctant. This Mengxi was very much in her heart. She often told jokes to make her happy, and especially massaged her back when she had nothing to do, which was very comfortable. She often sent some delicious side dishes, like this morning, the eldest lady didn't even think about eating vegetarian food, but Xier thought about making some delicious meals to honor her.
Looking at Mengxi with a complicated expression, thinking of her birth as a concubine, and recalling the ancestral precepts, this granddaughter-in-law will be divorced sooner or later, she was a little reluctant in her heart. Although it was abominable that the Li family replaced the legitimate daughter with a concubine, it was not Mengxi's intention after all. She was forced to marry, and who would be willing to marry a terminally ill person for the sake of getting married! She was just a poor sacrifice. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh secretly. Forget it, seeing that she didn't have much time in my Xiao Mansion, let her go, and let her be happy for a few days.
Mengxi looked at the old lady with increasingly deep eyes, and was somewhat unable to figure out her thoughts. But seeing that she sat there for a long time without saying anything, she knew that her request was hasty and against the rules. Just as she was about to apologize, the old lady spoke:
"Jun'er is fine these days, just a little weak. He just needs to recover slowly. Hongyu is here to take care of him. Xi'er can go out for a walk, too. Go to the account office tomorrow to get some money. If you see anything new, you can buy it. But Xi'er, be careful about your words and actions when you are outside. Don't break the rules and let people laugh at my Xiao family for not governing the house strictly."
The old lady agreed to Mengxi's request.
These words were like a thunderclap, shocking everyone present, including Mengxi. Seeing the old lady hesitating, she thought it would not work out, but she did not expect that not only would it work out, but she would also get money to spend. Her face actually flushed slightly, and she was so happy that she could not even describe it.
The most surprised were the eldest master and the eldest mistress. They knew that the old lady was very strict about rules. Mengxi had only been married for a few days, and the second master was still ill, but she wanted to leave the house. This was unreasonable. They thought that the old lady would definitely refuse, so they sat there in silence, waiting to see the joke. After hearing what the old lady said, the eldest mistress finally lost her composure and stood up. After she stood up, she remembered that she had overstepped her bounds. She steadied herself, walked slowly forward, bowed gently to the old lady, and said:
"You can't do that, old lady. Second Madam has only been married for a few days, and Jun'er is still sick. There is really no reason for her to leave the house. If Second Madam wants to go out for a stroll, it would be better to wait for some time until Jun'er recovers, and then take her out to play in person. Second Madam is still young and ignorant, and you can't let her do whatever she wants and break the rules."
