Chapter 504: Lady Shi’s Two Banquets at the Grand View Garden (Part 1)
There were more than ten people in this bustling crowd, and with the presence of a stranger like Sun Shaozong, it was not appropriate for them to eat at the same table.
Therefore, three tables were set up in the hall, with a screen erected in the middle. Grandmother Jia, Shi Xiangyun, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai took one seat; Mrs. Wang and Aunt Xue sat at the same table with Jia Tanchun and Jia Xichun .
As for the table outside the screen, it was naturally left to Sun Shaozong and Jia Baoyu.
As for Wang Xifeng and Li Wan, one had to take care of the old lady and the other was with her mother-in-law, so they had to wait on the side first and wait until everyone had finished eating before sitting down to eat.
Without mentioning what happened inside, Jia Baoyu picked up the silver pot outside and filled the wine glasses in front of the two people. He couldn't help but listen curiously and asked, "Did Second Brother find any clues later?"
"There are two traces of people climbing over the wall in the northeast corner, one in and one out, and there are three pairs of footprints." Sun Shaozong picked up a piece of eggplant with chopsticks and put it in his mouth to chew. It tasted like meat with distinct layers. He couldn't help but praise: "Every time I come back to your house, the food here is never the same."
"Then the second brother still comes less often."
Jia Baoyu had no interest in the food and did not even touch his chopsticks. He asked again, "So, those thieves have already escaped?"
"It's probably true, but it may be a trick."
"Then can Second Brother..."
Jia Baoyu drooled, as if he had something to ask for, but before he could finish, he heard someone shouting from behind the screen: "Lao Liu, Lao Liu, you have a big appetite like a cow, you can eat a sow without even lifting your head!"
Then there was a burst of laughter from inside. Jia Baoyu looked out curiously, but saw Shi Xiangyun spitting out a mouthful of rice; Lin Daiyu laughed so hard that she choked and leaned over the table and groaned; Mrs. Wang pointed at Sister Feng with her finger and laughed, but could not utter a word; even Aunt Xue could not hold it in anymore and the tea in her mouth sprayed all over Tanchun's skirt; Tanchun threw the bowl in her hand on Xichun; Xichun simply left her seat and asked the wet nurse to rub her intestines.
All the maids in the room were laughing so hard that they were bent over. Some hid outside and squatted to laugh, while others came up to change their sisters' clothes while holding back their laughter. Only Feng Ji was the only one who held on and just let Granny Liu eat her meal.
Then Granny Liu picked up her chopsticks and said, "The chickens here are pretty, and they lay small, pretty eggs. Let me have one!"
Everyone had just stopped laughing, but when they heard this they couldn't stop smiling .
Seeing that Jia's mother was laughing till tears came out, Jia Baoyu returned to the table with a flat mouth, but he became more and more indignant and said angrily: "This old woman is pretending to be crazy, but she is really putting on a good show!"
Sun Shaozong had already seen Wang Xifeng and Jia Tanchun pointing and talking to Granny Liu as if they were planning something, so he shook his head and said, "It's not necessarily that she is performing a one-man show. I'm afraid your second sister-in-law saw that the show was so good that she forced her to perform an extra scene."
As soon as the voice fell, Jia's mother laughed and said, "This must be the mischievous girl Feng's doing. Don't believe her words."
Seeing that Sun Shaozong had predicted the matter correctly, Jia Baoyu, in addition to his admiration, could not help but sigh: "They say that those who perform are crazy and those who watch are fools - we have ears on the other side of the wall, but I don't know what to say."
Because he heard Wang Xifeng say that the quail eggs cost one tael of silver each, Sun Shaozong skewered two with chopsticks and dropped them into Jia Baoyu's bowl, saying with a smile, "She is singing her own song, why do you care so much? Aren't these golden eggs worth one tael of silver each enough to keep you quiet?"
Jia Baoyu finally couldn't help laughing, picked up the two quail eggs and ate them, then finished what he had just said.
It turned out that he saw that although his sisters didn't say anything, they were all nervous inside, so he hoped that Sun Shaozong could stay in the garden for one night to prevent everyone from worrying.
Sun Shaozong did not agree to this immediately. He originally wanted to take Jia Yingchun away from this dangerous place in the afternoon. If they had to stay in the garden at night, it would be difficult for Jia Yingchun to go home alone.
But Jia Yingchun was pregnant after all, so how could she bear such a frightening shock?
After telling Jia Baoyu about these concerns, Jia Baoyu also felt that his second sister should not be involved, so he quickly said that it was enough for him to be in the garden, and there was no need to trouble Brother Sun.
Putting this aside for the moment, Baoyu picked up some delicious food and quickly filled his stomach. Looking at Sun Shaozong who was eating very fast and finished several bowls of rice in the blink of an eye, he couldn't help but envy his appetite.
"That's right."
After a while, Jia Baoyu suddenly remembered a doubt, so he asked curiously: "What did Second Brother Lian mean by those words this morning?"
"Well……"
Sun Shaozong almost choked and wanted to cover it up, but then he changed his mind and realized that with Jia Lian's attitude, this matter might not be kept secret for long. Instead of hiding it now and then revealing his despicable nature later, it would be better to be selective and honest to avoid embarrassment to each other in the future.
Besides, this matter was caused by Jia Baoyu sleeping with Prince Beijing's concubine, so there was no need to worry about him getting angry.
So Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, then said, "Actually, after you got drunk yesterday at noon, your maid Xiaohong was ordered to go to Yihong Courtyard to pass on a message that Second Brother Lian was probably influenced by Prince Beijing, and actually asked Xiaohong to serve me. I declined again and again, but still..."
"oops!"
Sun Shaozong was just speaking here when Jia Baoyu suddenly made a bird cry. Not only was Sun Shaozong startled by him, but even Jia's mother and Mrs. Wang inside were alarmed and asked what was going on through the screen.
Jia Baoyu knew that he had gotten into trouble, and hurriedly explained: "It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of an important thing and forgot to do it."
He turned around with a bitter face and said, "We had agreed to go visit Sister Qiulian early this morning, but now... Alas."
It turned out that I remembered this matter.
Sun Shaozong consoled him, "It happened for a reason. It wasn't your intention. Besides, one day's delay is nothing."
Jia Baoyu really "listened to advice" and immediately decided to go to Prince Beijing's mansion to visit his concubine Qiulian early the next morning.
Then he hesitated and said, "Brother, I'd better not go to the full moon banquet tomorrow night, so as not to make my niece sick."
"What are you afraid of?"
Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "It's cold at night now, so I didn't plan to bring the child out to show you guys."
After thinking about it, he reminded her again, "However, Xue Pan was ill a few days ago and is still very weak. When you come out of Prince Beijing's Mansion, you might as well go home to take a bath and change clothes, and then go over to have a drink."
However, Jia Baoyu had not heard of this matter, so he took the opportunity to ask what happened. He could not help but blame Aunt Xue and Baochai for not revealing any information at all, otherwise he, as their cousin, should have gone to take a look.
But after only a few complaints, he turned to the issue he was most concerned about: "Second brother, have you found out anything in the past few days?"
Sun Shaozong shook his head: "Na Yun'er, who was supported by Xue Datou, did have a lover in private, but he was a weak scholar, and his family had no power , so he should have nothing to do with this matter."
"As for the rest... Xue Datou has been much more honest recently than before. At least on the surface, he hasn't offended any enemies."
As they were talking, they heard that the banquet had ended. Grandmother Jia led everyone out, and after reminding Sun Shaozong to eat and drink enough, she went to Jia Tanchun's boudoir to chat.
There was no sign of Granny Liu among them, presumably because this old country lady had not yet eaten and drunk her fill - Wang Xifeng and Li Wan also stayed inside to have their meal.
Because he was always disturbed by Jia Baoyu, Sun Shaozong only ate half of his fill. Naturally, he was unwilling to let himself suffer. Just as he was about to sit down to continue eating and drinking, he heard Granny Liu sighing from behind the screen, "Anything else is fine, but I just love the way your family does things. No wonder they say 'courtesy comes from the rich'."
What a great gift from everyone!
This is clearly a violation of the etiquette of the Rongguo Mansion!
Sun Shaozong had originally thought more highly of this old lady than others, but after hearing these four words, he realized that he had still underestimated her!
These four words were like a thorn in the flesh, pointing out that he was not unaware of the trick and was just acting according to his master's wishes.
The timing was grasped just right. A moment earlier would disrupt the situation, and a moment later would make it less important. If one is not insightful about the world, one will definitely not be able to grasp this measure!
At that moment, Wang Xifeng was heard apologizing and instructing the maid to serve tea to Granny Liu. However, Granny Liu hid her edge and spoke in a simple and honest manner.
Outside, Jia Baoyu was stunned for a long while, then he smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "My second brother said yesterday that I was not as good as her, and I was still very dissatisfied in my heart. Now that I think about it, I really looked down on others."
Sun Shaozong couldn't stand his cowardly and hesitant attitude, but he liked his character of never glossing over his mistakes, so he smiled and said, "It is said that 'knowledge of worldly affairs is learning, and understanding of human nature is writing'. How many years have you lived? You will understand more after you experience more."
Jia Baoyu nodded in response, and suddenly felt that he seemed to have seen this sentence somewhere, but he could not remember where it came from. Thinking that he might have seen it in a book, he did not spend much time thinking about it.
But when Sun Shaozong was about 80% full, he saw Granny Liu, accompanied by Li Wan, going to Jia Tanchun's boudoir, so he stood up and said, "Come on, let's go outside to eat first."
"Wait a minute!"
Before Jia Baoyu could respond, Wang Xifeng suddenly appeared from behind the screen and said with a cold face, "I have a few words to say to Erlang face to face. Brother Bao, please wait outside first."
Although they are related by marriage, it is still taboo to talk about them in private.
If it were a mature and prudent person, he would probably have given some advice in a tactful way, but Jia Baoyu was not a man who followed the rules and disdained the strict separation between men and women, so after only a slight hesitation, he lifted the curtain and went outside.
So, only Sun Shaozong and Wang Xifeng were left in Xiaocuitang.
