Chapter 539 Daily Life in Sun Mansion
Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly on the dish, cover the pot and simmer for about two minutes. Then the cook Chuntao wraps the handles of the wok with a wet towel and lifts it to the edge of the stove.
The maid who was helping in the kitchen hurriedly changed the big pot for boiling water and handed over a brand new spatula.
Chuntao opened the lid of the pot, picked out most of the chopped garlic and threw it into the泔水桶. She then stirred the remaining chopped garlic until no trace of it could be seen. Only then did she put it on the plate and garnished it with a few sprigs of celery.
"Send it to the main room."
As she gave the instructions, she pulled off the sleeves on her arms and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the lining of her apron. She waited until the maid came out of the kitchen with the dishes and then sat down on the small stool.
While hitting her sore calves with her fists, Chuntao cursed Caixia over and over again in her heart.
If it weren't for that little rascal who insisted on making trouble and ended up being beaten so that he couldn't get out of bed for several days, there should have been two kitchen helpers on duty in this small kitchen. Why would he have exhausted himself to such an extent?
Just as she was complaining, someone suddenly came into the kitchen through the curtain. At first, Chuntao thought it was just the maid who came back to deliver the dishes, so she didn't pay much attention to it. Unexpectedly, she heard the person asking, "Sister Chuntao, is there any black chicken soup left?"
"Oh, it's Miss Qingwen!"
Chuntao cried out, and quickly jumped up from the small stool, saying with a smile, "Yes, yes, yes, you told us to make more black chicken soup at noon, so how dare we neglect it?"
As he spoke, he pointed to the clay pot simmering over charcoal on the stove next to him: "Look, it has been simmering over a low fire until now, and there are still about two or three bowls of food left."
"Thank you for your trouble, sister."
Qingwen took out dozens of large coins from her sleeve and handed them forward. Chuntao kept saying "I can't do that", but she had already collected the coins in her hand and counted them out roughly.
When Chuntao found out that the reward was nearly times more than what Third Sister You had given her last time, the smile on her face became even warmer.
She turned around and took out the food box, spoon, chopsticks and other things from the cupboard next to her, and put the whole small clay pot in it. She smiled and said, "This clay pot is not very heavy anyway, so why don't you take it all away, and you can return it when you are free."
Qingwen thanked her and walked out of the small kitchen with the food box. However, she did not go to the main room where people were gathering or leaving, nor did she return to the west wing where she lived. Instead, she walked straight out of the courtyard.
"stop!"
Just at this moment, a sharp shout suddenly came from the dark corridor.
Then, Furong, the maidservant beside Ruan Rong, came out from the corridor and stopped in front of Qingwen with a sneer. She glanced at the food box with her narrow triangular eyes and asked with a pout, "What's in it?"
As early as when Qingwen was in charge of taking care of Sun Chengyi, the two of them had been at odds with each other, so when she saw that it was her who blocked her way, Qingwen naturally didn't have a good face for her. She stared at her coldly for a long while, and then uttered three words in a bland tone: "Black chicken soup."
"ha!"
Furong had lost some momentum in the stalemate just now, but when she heard the words "black chicken soup", she was immediately full of energy and shouted: "This black chicken soup was originally made by the concubine to show her care for concubine Zhen, so she asked the stove to simmer two bowls for her every day. How could it be your turn to steal it as a favor?"
Without waiting for Qingwen to refute, she sneered and said, "Especially since Caixia was ordered by Second Master himself, where do you put Second Master when you rush to visit her?"
In fact, it was Xiangling who took the initiative to suggest sending black chicken soup to Caixia to nourish her body.
But seeing that Furong had brought up Sun Shaozong first, Qingwen was unwilling to use Xiangling as a shield. She was just thinking about whether there was any other way, when she suddenly heard someone behind her shouting, "Furong, where were you just now? You didn't even dare to go back and serve!"
Before he finished speaking, Shi Liu came rushing over, grabbed Furong without saying a word, and ran into the main room.
Furong stumbled a few steps as she pulled her, and finally managed to stand on her feet. She couldn't help but said angrily, "Why are you pulling me? This little rascal stole the black chicken soup from the kitchen and wants to..."
"Shut up!"
Shi Liu scolded her, but turned around and said to Qingwen with a flattering smile, "Don't be upset, sister. This crazy girl always believes everything she hears. She didn't mean to make things difficult for you."
As he spoke, he reminded her earnestly, "Although it's only a few steps away, you should at least bring a lantern with you. Otherwise, what will happen if you bump into something?"
These words confused Qingwen.
Although Shi Liu didn't target her like Furong did, she had never given her a good look before. But today she kept calling her sister, which was really puzzling.
Could it be that he is confused due to hysteria and fever?
Even after watching Shi Liu and Fu Rong return to the main room, Qingwen was still confused. She stood in the yard for a long time thinking before she remembered that she still had to bring black chicken soup to Caixia.
So she temporarily suppressed her doubts and hurried out of the yard with the food box.
After wandering around, I arrived at an inconspicuous courtyard in the northwest corner. I saw a gray room at the back with only a bean-sized oil lamp on. Looking inside through the window paper, it was so dim that it seemed like a ghost light.
This situation and this scene made Qingwen's mind full of the portrayal of "loneliness and desolation" even though she had not seen the person yet.
Why bother?
To be honest, although they were both in the Rongguo Mansion and had a lover whom they could not let go of, Qingwen really could not understand Caixia's infatuation with Jia Huan.
In terms of character, knowledge, appearance, background, and future, what is outstanding about Jia Huan?
Not to mention that he is only eleven years old!
perhaps……
This must be the legendary evil fate.
Shaking her head and sighing, Qingwen lifted the curtain and went into the inner room. Then, with the dim light, she swept around the room and finally found Caixia's figure on the hard bed in the northwest corner.
"Qingwen?"
Caixia had already noticed Qingwen by then. She got up from the bed and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
"Aunt Zhen heard that your injury has not healed completely, so she asked me to bring some donkey-hide gelatin and black chicken soup to replenish blood and qi."
As Qingwen spoke, she walked to the hard bed. Seeing that there was no table or chair around, she put the food box on the ground, lifted a corner of the mattress on the bed, took out the casserole and put it on the bed, then handed the chopsticks and soup spoon to Caixia.
"Here, it's still being simmered over charcoal fire. Drink more while it's hot."
Caixia was stunned for a long while holding the soup spoon and chopsticks, and then she sighed softly: "It's rare that she still remembers the past affection."
"Yuanyang remembers it too!"
Qingwen said angrily, "If she hadn't begged for mercy, you would still be outside chopping wood and carrying water. How could you have the chance to help in the kitchen? But you've just arrived at the small kitchen... Forget it, you might not listen to anything I say."
Halfway through the conversation, she suddenly lost interest when she saw Caixia's indifferent expression. She lifted the lid of the casserole and said, "If there is any leftover, put it under the bed first. I will heat it up for you tomorrow. If anyone asks, just blame me."
After saying that, he stood up and went back to the backyard.
"Qingwen!"
When she was about to step out of the door with one foot in, Caixia suddenly called her. Qingwen looked back suspiciously, only to hear Caixia say solemnly, "Second Master Bao is different from Third Master Bao. Even without you by his side, he can still enjoy wealth and prosperity."
What does this mean?
Is he mocking himself? !
Qingwen couldn't help but frown and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing else."
Caixia then continued, "I was thinking that as long as that person lives a stable and comfortable life, we slaves should be content. Why do we have to force anything?"
At first glance, this seems a bit ridiculous - isn't it Caixia herself who is really forcing something?
However, upon careful consideration, although Caixia had appeared in front of Sun Shaozong twice, she never expected to return to Jia Huan. She just hoped to guide Jia Huan back to the right path and not delay his future.
Thinking of this, Qingwen suddenly became a little flustered, because she suddenly realized that her feelings for Baoyu were not as pure as Caixia's feelings for Jia Huan!
But this was something she was absolutely unwilling to admit.
So in a panic, she responded casually and ran away in a hurry.
Qingwen's heart was in a mess when she reached the west wing of the backyard. She sat in the living room in a daze for a long time until she heard several calls in her ears. Then she realized that it was Xiangling who came back after dinner.
"What happened to my sister?"
Xiangling asked doubtfully, "Could it be that Caixia said something unpleasant?"
“That…that’s not the case.”
Although Xiangling treated her like a sister, Qingwen did not want Xiangling to know her inner struggle, so she forced a smile and said, "It's just that I had a quarrel with Furong before leaving, and I feel a little unhappy."
When Xiangling heard that the matter concerned Ruan Rong's head maid, she immediately became conflicted. She wanted to persuade Qingwen to calm down, but she knew Qingwen 's temper and would never change her ways easily.
Just as he was helpless, he suddenly remembered what Ruan Rong had told him, and hurriedly said, "Oh, I have an important matter to discuss with my sister. When the Second Master went to the palace to meet the Emperor today, he got news that the court might send the Second Master to Huguang to quell the rebellion."
"This trip will take at least a year, or at most two or three years, so Second Master will need someone to take care of him. But Sister Ruan and I have to stay at home to take care of the children, so only Aunt You can go south with Second Master."
"However, Aunt You was worried that the maidservants around her were not serving her well, so she specially recommended my sister..."
"She recommended me? Why?!"
Qingwen was stunned when she heard this. She had no connection with You Erjie. Why would You Erjie suddenly recommend her to go out as an official with Sun Shaozong for no reason?
Xiangling smiled and said mischievously, "Sister, you have always been smart. Why are you so confused now? I think when the Second Master returns victorious, it will be justified for me to call you 'sister' again."
After hearing this, how could Qingwen not understand?
Obviously, the word "serve" is not as simple as serving tea and water and making beds.
The reason why You Erjie recommended herself was, firstly, she was afraid of making Ruan Rong jealous, after all, the lesson of Aunt Zhao was not far away; secondly, since she took the initiative to recommend herself, if she really became favored in the future, she would inevitably owe her a favor.
No wonder Shi Liu’s attitude changed drastically before. It seems that she was afraid that she would become famous overnight and would take revenge on the two of them!
only……
Qingwen twisted her ten slender jade fingers into a knot and shook her head with difficulty, saying, "I'm afraid this won't work."
Although when she was completely desperate in Rongguo Mansion, she even thought about joining Ping'er and Xiaohong to fight against Lu Bu together, it was just a momentary impulse.
Now that she heard that Sun Shaozong intended to win her over, Qingwen's heart was filled with the shadow of Jia Baoyu. Although she knew that the hope was slim, how could she be willing to give herself up so easily?
Xiangling saw her panic and resentful look, and the joy on her face disappeared immediately. She stepped forward and hugged Qingwen's shoulders, saying softly: "Sister, I can roughly understand your thoughts. Thinking back to the time when Master Xue..."
Now that Xue Pan was mentioned again, she actually felt a little uncomfortable, but she calmed down a little and continued, "When Master Xue gave me to the Second Master, I was actually very nervous, but with our backgrounds, how could we go against the wishes of the master?"
"But after spending more time with Second Master, I felt very lucky. To be honest, I have secretly thanked the Buddha several times for letting me meet Second Master in this life."
"Sister, you have been in our house for some time. I don't need to tell you what kind of person the Second Master is. You must know it well. Since you can no longer rely on Young Master Jia, is it an insult to you to entrust your life to a man like this?"
These words alone might not have shaken Qingwen's mind, but when combined with Caixia's words "don't force it", it really made Qingwen hesitate.
Sometimes she thought that she might as well just go with the flow and put an end to her obsession with Jia Baoyu; sometimes she thought of the carefree years she spent with Jia Baoyu.
In the end, she still couldn't make up her mind. Instead, she suddenly thought of someone and asked, " Since you want to choose someone who can serve others, why didn't you choose Yuanyang?"
Xiangling had also heard rumors about the mansion, so she was not surprised that Qingwen mentioned Yuanyang at this time, but she shook her head and said, "Right now, the eldest lady relies on his help to manage the mansion in an orderly manner. How can she be separated from him for a moment?"
Qingwen was actually just saying this casually, trying to take the opportunity to change the subject, but when she saw Xiangling deny it in a few words, she suddenly fell silent again.
Xiangling didn't know how to persuade her, so she could only stay by her side silently.
The two of them sat facing each other like this for about a quarter of an hour, when they suddenly heard a faint knock on the door, followed by Shi Liu's respectful voice: "Aunt Zhen, the Second Master wants you to come over and talk."
The master and servant in the house finally came to their senses. Xiangling hurried forward, opened the door, and prepared to follow Shiliu to the main room.
Unexpectedly, Shi Liu stood at the door but was in no hurry to leave. Instead, she smiled at Qing Wen and said, "Sister, just lock the door. Aunt Zhen may not come back tonight."
