Chapter 83: Innocence
When Mengxi saw the three girls coming, she sent away the concubines and Hongyu, leaving only the three daughters to play in the upper room. Compared with the scheming concubines, Mengxi liked these three lovely girls more. Being with them always reminded her of the happy childhood in her previous life, which was the only happiness she treasured in her heart in this life. Although the concubines secretly told these children to be on guard against her, the daughters' alienation and vigilance towards her were written on their faces. From time to time, under her sincere guidance, they unconsciously revealed it, which was very cute, making her sigh that they were really teachable. Of course, she was not inducing minors to commit crimes, but only inducing them to learn to treat others with sincerity from an early age. Didn't say, "To cultivate new people, we must start from childhood!"
The three daughters came forward one by one to pay their respects to their mother, and then, under the guidance of the maid, sat aside politely. After these days of contact, the three daughters were no longer as reserved as they were in the beginning when facing their mother. They liked this kind mother from the bottom of their hearts. Not only was she as pleasing to the eyes as a fairy, but she could also tell nice stories, make delicious snacks, always speak softly to them, and occasionally hold them gently in her arms, making them feel a kind of warmth, a kind of affection, and a kind of pampering from the bottom of their hearts. They didn't know why the aunt had to say that such a good mother was bad and that she was as vicious as a snake. This made the three girls rack their brains, but they didn't understand. However, through their own eyes and personal feelings, a cluster of rebellious sparks gradually grew in their young hearts, and they began to know everything that was hidden from their mother in front of the aunt.
Seeing her daughters sitting down, Mengxi told Zhiqiu to give them the scented purses and handkerchiefs that had been prepared long ago, and ordered the maids to serve snacks and fruits. He told the daughters not to be restrained, and then taught them the song of the Seven-Piece Festival:
Beg for dexterity, beg for good looks; beg for understanding, beg for beauty;
I beg my parents to live for a thousand years; I beg my sisters to live for ten million years...
After all, they were children, and soon the atmosphere became lively. Looking at the three girls singing and dancing in the yard, Mengxi regretted that she could not join in and would never be able to feel this innocent happiness again in her life.
After telling Zhichun to take the children out to play, Mengxi led Zhiqiu to the kitchen. When the cook saw the Second Mistress coming over, she hurried forward and said:
"Second Madam, I have prepared the Qiqiao fruit according to your instructions. Second Madam is really thoughtful and has come up with many different designs. The fruit I made according to your instructions is not only fresh in color, but also tastes better than in previous years. By the way, I have also prepared the ingredients according to your requirements. I have put them here. What else do you want to do?"
Mengxi went forward to take a look at them one by one, then ordered the kitchen to pack the prepared Qiqiao fruits into food boxes and send them to each courtyard. Then, she and Zhiqiu used the ingredients prepared in the kitchen to make Qiqiao fruits themselves. She enjoyed the time of cooking herself. Only at this time could she feel a little bit of the breath of life and a little bit of reality.
Mengxi ordered people to melt the cotton sugar in a pot into syrup, and then add flour and sesame seeds. After mixing, they were molded into various patterns of peony, lotus, plum, orchid, and chrysanthemum. Mengxi also tried to mold some small animals, etc., and finally fried them in oil until golden brown. The Qiqiao fruit was done, and he ordered people to pack it in food boxes and deliver it to the old lady and the three girls respectively. The rest was carried by the maids, who followed behind and delivered them to the east wing.
After lunch, Mengxi took a nap in the east wing. After getting up, she began to prepare for the family dinner in the evening. Zhiqiu was skillful and in just a short while, she tied a lily bun for her. She chose a hollow orchid bead hairpin and inserted it diagonally in her temples. She let down a string of beaded curtains, which swung back and forth in front of her forehead as Mengxi moved lightly. Over there, Zhichun had found a bright red peony palace satin wedding dress. Mengxi frowned when she saw it and said,
"It's just a family dinner, and there are no outsiders. There's no need to be so grand. Change this one. The light blue lily brocade wedding dress I wore last time is fine. It's simple and elegant yet decent."
"Second Madam, please stop being like this. Although it's not a big festival, it's a women's festival and all the concubines are invited to participate. Wearing red at this time can show your status and let the concubines know that you are the only one in this courtyard who can afford to wear red. This will also help them to be more restrained."
"The light blue lily brocade wedding dress will do. Hurry up and don't go too late, or the first lady will find fault with it."
Mengxi glanced at the loyal Zhichun and said, her tone was light but full of unquestionable force, "In the Xiao Mansion, the color red does not belong to her !"
Seeing that Second Madam was determined, Zhichun had no choice but to follow Second Madam's wishes, take away the red wedding dress, and help her change clothes.
After everything was packed up, he helped Zhiqiu out of the east wing. Several concubines were already waiting outside, all of them wearing heavy makeup and gorgeous clothes. Several girls also dressed up carefully, wearing new clothes and were led by their mothers.
She looked at others, then lowered her head at herself, and realized that she was a little plain. She really didn't expect that the concubines would attach so much importance to this family dinner. Perhaps they wanted to show off their charm in front of the Second Master at the dinner. She secretly regretted that she was a little careless and forgot the thoughts of the concubines who had not seen the Second Master for some time. Compared with the concubines, she seemed too out of the ordinary. This was not good. She wanted to turn around and change into a more colorful dress, but she felt that it would be too embarrassing and would be laughed at by her aunts. She hesitated for a moment and walked out calmly.
When the eldest aunt saw the second wife coming out, she hurried forward to support her. The group went out of the gate. The sedan chairs had already been prepared outside. They got on the sedan chairs and walked towards Shouxi Hall.
Family banquets in the Xiao family were usually held in the old lady's Shouxi Hall. Only when entertaining guests would they be held in the large guest room outside. When Mengxi brought the third girl and others in, they found that the cousin had already passed by and was sitting next to the old lady talking. It was obvious that she was carefully painted. She was really delicate and charming, more beautiful than flowers.
Mengxi and several concubines came forward to pay their respects, and then sat on the other side of the old lady. Several concubines and Hongyu stood behind her and looked at Miss Xiu. How could this ancient woman who had nothing to do all day long love to dress up so much? It was just a family dinner, and now she seemed a little out of place. Just as she was secretly regretting it, the old lady's words came:
"Xi'er, you are too plain today. Why don't you dress up? Look at how well Miss Xiu paints."
"What the old lady said is right. I am regretting this now. I thought it was just a festival for girls and I didn't dress up much, but I didn't expect it to be so grand. I will be more careful next time."
"You don't usually like to dress up. You're so young, but you always make people feel like you're old. You should be more lively."
The old lady looked at Mengxi and sighed.
Miss Xiu smiled sweetly at her cousin's wife, and coaxed the old lady in a sweet voice. Mengxi just responded carefully from the side.
The three girls clung to the old lady in the morning, calling her "Great Grandma" all the time, which for a moment stole the show from Miss Xiu.
