Chapter 63: Persuasion
On the first day after Mengxi's house arrest ended, after serving the Second Master a meal early in the morning, she went straight to Shouxi Hall to pay her respects. When the First Madam saw her come in, her face darkened and she said:
"What time is it?"
When Mengxi heard this, he knelt down on the ground:
"I was late serving Second Master's meal this morning. Please punish me, Madam."
"Has Jun'er finished his breakfast?"
The old lady glanced at the eldest wife and asked.
"Yes, when I was at my parents' home, I often heard my mother say that medicine is three-quarters poison. Thinking that Second Master had been ill for a long time and had just recovered, although he still needed medicine, it would be better to supplement his diet. I made the medicinal food myself this morning, so it was a little late. I will definitely not do that next time."
"Get up and serve the Second Master well."
After the old lady finished speaking, she looked at the eldest wife and said.
"Jun'er's body hasn't recovered yet, let Xi'er take good care of him first."
"Granddaughter-in-law thanks old lady for your understanding"
After saying this, Mengxi remained kneeling there without getting up, looking at the first wife.
"Old lady, don't just pamper her. A family like ours is not as unruly as those of smaller families. We are going to visit the ancestral temple the day after tomorrow. How can we still be so unruly and make people laugh at us? Be more careful next time. Did you hear me? You can't get up now. Didn't you hear what the old lady said?"
"Your mother-in-law said you are doing this for your own good. Xi'er, be more careful next time. Get up quickly. The ground is cold."
Mengxi then agreed, and thanked the old lady for her teachings. With the help of Zhiqiu, she stood up and sat down. She was already sweating. This evil mother-in-law was obviously finding faults. Your son is now alive and well, but he didn't come to pay his respects. I didn't hear you say he was unruly. Being someone's daughter-in-law is really not a job for a human being, even though the salary is high. Of course, Mengxi didn't dare to say it.
After Mengxi sat down, the eldest wife glanced at her, then turned to the old lady and said:
"At present, Concubine Jing has set a date for the Second Madam to worship at the ancestral temple. Normally, the two of them should worship together, but firstly, Jun'er's illness is strange, and secondly, Jun'er's body has not yet recovered. If Jun'er goes to worship at the ancestral temple, it will offend the ancestors, which will be bad . Old Madam, what do you think..."
Mengxi looked at her evil mother-in-law calmly. She was trying her best to draw a clear line between herself and her son.
The old lady shook her head, nodded, shook her head again, pondered for a long time, and finally raised her head and said:
"Just follow my wife's wishes. Find someone to teach Xi'er the rules of worshipping the ancestral temple in the afternoon, and let her go alone."
"I will arrange it right away. If you have nothing else to do, I will take my leave now."
"You go ahead, Xi'er will just stay here and chat with me for a while."
When the eldest wife heard what the old lady said, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a happy face. She stood up, bowed to the old lady, said hello, and walked out.
"What ingredients did Xier use to make the chicken this morning? It tasted good, but I can't figure out what she put in it."
When the old lady saw that the first wife had left, she started chatting with Mengxi.
"I put Polygonatum sibiricum in it. When my granddaughter-in-law was at her parents' home, she heard from her mother that Polygonatum sibiricum has the effects of nourishing the middle , moistening the heart and lungs, and strengthening the tendons and bones. I thought it was just right for Second Master to take, so I made it. The porridge in the morning is also made with Polygonatum sibiricum."
"It's hard for Xi'er to have such a worry. A few days ago, she came back late from leaving the house and was confined for three days. Xi'er won't blame Jun'er, right?"
"Old lady, you think too much. Second Master is doing this for his granddaughter-in-law's sake. He is afraid that she doesn't know the rules when she first enters the mansion and will make big mistakes when walking around in the mansion. Granddaughter-in-law understands Second Master's painstaking efforts, so how could she blame Second Master?" If she understands, it would be strange! Meng Xi added in her heart.
"It's best if Xi'er can think this way. As the saying goes, when a couple quarrels, they make up at the end of the bed. This is how all young people go through. Jun'er is young and reckless, so you should be more tolerant. As a couple, you should always think positively and don't be estranged. It's not good to hold a grudge."
Your grandson is much older than me, why don't you ask him to give in to me! Meng Xi was upset.
"Granddaughter-in-law understands. Thank you for your advice, old lady. Is your shoulder uncomfortable? Granddaughter-in-law can rub it for you?"
"Okay, okay, Xier is still considerate. The massage is so comfortable." The old lady squinted her eyes happily.
"The joke Xier told the other day was really good. Tell me another one."
The old lady felt comfortable with the massage and thought of her joke, so she said:
Mengxi thought for a while and said:
Once upon a time, a man was driving a donkey cart to cross a bridge. The arch at the end of the bridge was not high enough for the donkey cart to pass through, so he took a rivet from the cart and started to knock on the stone of the arch, but the stone was too hard and he couldn't knock it off after a long time of effort.
Someone passing by said, "How can there be such a fool in the world! Wouldn't it be easier if you just scraped off a layer of soil under the arch?"
The driver was not convinced: "You are the fool! It's not because the donkey's legs are too long, but because the donkey's ears are too long."
Then he turned to the donkey and said, "It's all your damn donkey ears that are to blame!"
"Second Madam is such a smart person. No wonder the old lady has been talking about you all the time when you were away for the past two days."
Shihua and Shishu, who were listening at the side, couldn't help laughing. After laughing enough, Shihua said cleverly.
"That's right, Xier is not only good at talking, but also very skillful with her hands. After she rubbed me, I feel comfortable all over," the old lady also agreed.
"I just read some books and said this casually. If you like it, I will come to entertain you often in the future."
Seeing that the old lady gradually fell asleep, the secretary took a blanket and gently covered her with it. He nodded to the second wife, indicating that she should go back first, and Mengxi tiptoed out.
When Mengxi and Zhiqiu returned to Xiaoxiang Courtyard, the concubines had already come to pay their respects. They helped Zhiqiu into the hall and turned around the screen. They saw that the Second Master had made an exception today and did not go to the study. He was sitting in the hall chatting with several concubines. The four concubines and Hongyu were also sitting there for the first time. The family looked very happy.
Mengxi felt out of place for a moment and wanted to turn around and leave. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly walked in. When the four concubines and Hongyu saw the Second Mistress coming in, they hurriedly stood up and came over to greet her. Mengxi raised her hand to signal the concubines to stand up, and then slowly walked forward to greet Xiao Jun:
"Second Master An"
"Get up, grandma, are you feeling well today?"
"The old lady is in high spirits today. She told the second master to just stay in the courtyard and take good care of himself. If he wants anything to eat, just send someone to get it."
Damn, if you really want to be filial, go and see for yourself, why are you pretending here?
As Mengxi spoke, she straightened up and sat down on the chair next to the Second Master. Seeing the Second Madam was there, the four concubines did not dare to sit down and stood on both sides. When the Second Master saw this, his face showed a little displeasure. He coughed and sat there pretending to be dumb.
Mengxi saw all of this, but pretended not to see it. He took the tea from Hongzhu, took a sip, put down the teacup, and asked calmly:
" I just saw Auntie chatting happily. What were they talking about?"
"Just as I was about to say this, Second Madam came in. The Jade Courtyard has been cleaned up. Second Madam, do you want to go and see if there is anything missing and fill it up to see when Hongyu will move in?"
The Queen's aunt glanced at the Second Master and stepped forward and spoke.
Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li also looked at the Second Master. Xiao Jun was stunned when he heard this. He put down the teacup in his hand and looked at Mengxi.
