Chapter 62: End of the House Arrest
Seeing that Concubine Jing's instruction was to re-select the date for the ancestral temple worship, Xiao Jun thought to himself that she would be the happiest person after hearing this news, so he looked at Mengxi with a happy expression, but saw that she was still sitting there calmly, without a trace of joy, as if she was listening to someone else's story. A surge of anger rose for no reason, and her face darkened instantly. Mengxi felt the gaze of the Second Master, raised her eyes to meet him, but saw that his face was as cold as ice, as if his mother had died. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart:
"It seems that they really have a deep brother-sister relationship. One of them will never marry until her death, and the other will do this when she hears that Concubine Jing has recognized her identity."
She just shook her head gently and sat there demurely, pretending to be a lady.
Finally, it was the old lady who broke the silence in the room:
"Originally, seeing that Jun'er is in good health these past two days, I also wanted to choose a day for Xi'er to worship at the ancestral temple. Since the Soft Heaven Supervisor thinks that the 23rd is a good day, let's do it according to Concubine Jing's wishes. The eldest master and the eldest mistress will make arrangements in the next two days, and Xi'er should also prepare."
The eldest master and the eldest mistress responded quickly.
…
After Mengxi and Xiaojun returned to Xiaoxiangyuan together, Xiaojun went directly to the main hall, while Mengxi returned to the east wing to continue fighting with her big character.
In the evening, Xiao Jun sat at the dinner table, watching Hongzhu directing the little maid to set the table. Hongyu washed her hands like she did yesterday and came over to serve him the dishes. When she didn't see Mengxi, she couldn't help but ask:
"Where's the Second Grandma?"
"Second Master, Second Mistress is still under house arrest and won't be released until tomorrow."
Hongzhu glanced at Hongyu and said.
Xiao Jun threw the chopsticks onto the table with a "bang". He thought she was deliberately going against him. This afternoon, they went together to receive the imperial concubine's oral order. Although he didn't say anything, he thought that the house arrest was over and she should come to serve him. Today, he suddenly found that he and her were too unfamiliar. He didn't want this to happen and wanted to have a good chat with her, so when he came back in the afternoon, he didn't go to the study, but went directly to the upper room. He glanced at her and went back to the east wing. He thought she just went back to change clothes, so he didn't say anything. As a result, when it was time for dinner, there was no sign of her. The resentment that had accumulated for the afternoon finally erupted.
Hongyu and Hongzhu looked at each other and thought, why is he still angry when the Second Mistress is already under house arrest? Both of them were silent, but they felt in their hearts that this master has become more and more difficult to serve since he woke up.
Mengxi was unaware of this, and slept soundly until dawn. She was woken up by Zhiqiu in a daze:
"Second Madam, it's time to get up. Today's house arrest is over. Second Madam has to get up and serve Second Master."
Mengxi opened his eyes dazedly and sighed:
"Oh my god, the holiday is over so quickly and it's time to go back to work. How annoying"
"Second grandma, what's vacation and what's work?"
After hearing Zhiqiu's words, Mengxi came back to her senses. Why did he start speaking modern language? She didn't know how to respond for a moment, so she closed her eyes and let Zhiqiu help her put on her clothes.
After getting dressed, Mengxi stretched her body and finally became more awake. Zhiqiu couldn't help but laugh. This Second Madam was not as dignified as when she set rules for the aunt. She was just a lazy cat. It seemed that the Second Madam was using the house arrest as a vacation. It was estimated that even if she was confined for another month, she would not feel bored and would probably sleep until dark every day.
Mengxi and Zhiqiu came to the small kitchen together. When the cook saw Second Grandma coming, her eyes immediately lit up, as friendly as a cat seeing fish or a mouse seeing rice:
"Second Madam, you finally came out. I have been suffering these past few days . Second Master is so picky. No matter what I cook, it doesn't suit his taste. He is always nitpicking. If you don't come over, I will be dead. Second Madam, please see what I should make for Second Master this morning..."
The two men were busy working around the second grandmother, complaining at the same time.
When Mengxi saw the chicken prepared in the kitchen, she remembered that she had seen Polygonatum sibiricum planted in the garden a few days ago, so she told the maid to pick some, wash it and cut it into pieces. She blanched the chicken prepared in the kitchen in boiling water to remove the blood, took it out and washed it with clean water, then put the chicken, Polygonatum sibiricum and various seasonings into the pot, first boiled it over high heat, then simmered it over low heat until the chicken was cooked through. Finally, she picked out the Polygonatum sibiricum, green onion and ginger and made a Polygonatum sibiricum chicken. Then she made four side dishes including fried enoki mushrooms with chicken liver, and two cold dishes. At this time, the Polygonatum sibiricum porridge was also ready, and the steamed cakes of several colors were also out of the oven. She ordered people to pick some, put them in food boxes together with the dishes, and send a portion to the old lady. Then she ordered people to bring the second master's meal to the upper room.
Xiao Jun was sitting in the hall drinking tea, while Hongyu and Hongzhu were standing on the side. When they saw the Second Madam come in, they hurried forward to greet her . Mengxi motioned for them to do nothing, and stepped forward to bow gently to the Second Master:
"Second Master An"
Xiao Jun was slightly stunned when he saw Meng Xi coming in. When he saw her coming forward to greet him, he said calmly:
“Get up!”
"Second Master, I have prepared breakfast. Would you like to eat now?"
Xiao Jun nodded and thought, you brought it in by yourself, why are you asking me that? You are just making small talk. Thinking of this, he was stunned. He and she really didn't have any topics to talk about, so he sat there dryly, watching the maid serve the meal.
Hongyu and Hongzhu insisted that silence was golden. The room suddenly became quiet, and only the maids' deliberately light footsteps and the sound of putting down the tableware could be heard. Mengxi saw that the Second Master didn't speak, and felt that there was nothing to say. Seeing Zhichun bring water, she washed her hands, took the handkerchief handed over by Zhiqiu, wiped her hands, and glanced at Hongyu. Hongyu saw that the Second Madam was looking at her, so she quickly stepped aside. Mengxi came over, took the chopsticks handed over by Hongyu, and began to serve the Second Master. Mengxi first served a small bowl of porridge, placed it in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and said softly:
"Second Master, I saw some Polygonatum odoratum planted in the garden a few days ago. My mother told me that Polygonatum odoratum has the effects of nourishing the middle qi, moistening the heart and lungs, and strengthening the bones and muscles. Since you have just recovered from a long illness, it is just right to eat it, so I made Polygonatum odoratum porridge and Polygonatum odoratum stewed chicken for you. Second Master, please try it and see how it tastes."
Xiao Jun glanced at her and nodded. Mengxi breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if Li Lianying had also worked so hard serving the Empress Dowager.
After the meal, Xiao Jun drank some tea and then got up and went to the study. Mengxi also ate a small bite and remembered that since the ban had been lifted, it was time to go to the upper room. So, with Zhiqiu's help, she tidied herself up again, changed into a water-red camellia floral brocade wedding dress, and went to Shouxi Hall with Zhiqiu.
Arriving at Shouxi Hall, she asked the maid to pass on the message. After a while, Shihua came out and saw the Second Madam standing outside the door. She stepped forward and said:
"Second Madam, please go in quickly. The old lady and the first wife are both inside."
Mengxi hurriedly responded, supported Zhiqiu, and followed Shihua into the house. Turning around the screen, she saw the old lady and the first wife sitting there chatting. It seemed that they had already had breakfast. Mengxi slowly walked forward to greet the old lady and the first wife. When the first wife saw her come in, her face darkened:
"What time is it?"
