Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 17: Cow Chewing Peony
Compared with the list Zhu Ying made, the things sent by Duke Zhao's Mansion this time were only more, not less.
The eldest daughter's clothes alone numbered six boxes, of which four boxes were new summer clothes for this year, and two boxes were old autumn clothes from last year, in case the weather suddenly turned cold. Of course, although they were old, Zhu Ying had never worn them.
As for winter clothes, according to Zhan Jin and Liu Yin, firstly, winter is still far away, and secondly, if autumn really comes, the eldest lady's autumn clothes will still need to be tailored by a tailor, let alone winter clothes?
The books, utensils, and jewelry that Zhu Ying specifically requested were eight more boxes, all of which filled three carriages.
So, when reorganizing the boxes , the two maids Zhanjin and Liuyin couldn't help but frown, thinking that the main room of the Zhang family was too small and there were too few cabinets... In a word, there was no place to put so many things!
However, Zhu Ying had secretly warned them not to complain, so they could only sulk in their stomachs. They felt that Wu, who was trying to please the eldest lady in every possible way, did not look like a mistress at all.
This discontent and resentment disappeared only when there was a cough outside the door, followed by the young man who seemed to bring light to the dim room. Even though they knew that this young man was just raised in the countryside, they still couldn't help but look at his face. It took them a long time to realize that staring at him like this was really unfair to their young lady.
"Ah Shou, why did you come back so late?!"
Wu, who had been trying to appease Zhu Ying, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She glared at Zhang Shou who had come into the room, but before he could open his mouth to defend himself, she said bluntly, "Just stay with Yingying and talk to her. I'll go to the kitchen and ask Aunt Liu to serve the sweet soup!"
Seeing that Wu left immediately after she finished speaking, without giving him any chance to refuse, Zhang Shou could not help but wipe the sweat off his forehead. But the next moment, he only heard Zhu Ying order: "Zhan Jin, why don't you go and wring out a wet towel, look at how sweaty he is!"
Zhan Jin quickly agreed, but when she soaked the soft towel with well water in the basin, wrung it out, and brought it to Zhang Shou, she heard the thank you and glimpsed the handsome face of the future son-in-law. She couldn't help blushing and even retreated to the inner room without even answering, pretending to pack up her things. But then she heard Zhu Ying's crisp laughter.
"This girl, why is she running so fast? Liuyin, go and bring him a cup of tea."
After wiping his face, Zhang Shou heard Zhu Ying's instructions and saw Liu Yin gave him tea. Sure enough, he also ran to the inner room and refused to come out. He was so angry and amused.
How could such a bold and reckless young lady be such an easily shy girl?
He found a chair and sat down with the tea in his hand. After taking a sip, he could not help but feel moved. The next moment, Zhu Ying asked, "How is this year's pre-tea? Thanks to Zhan Jin and Liu Yin for being so thoughtful and bringing me the new tea that the Queen Mother gave me."
" Tea before the Spring Festival?" Zhang Shou couldn't help but hesitate. The so-called "tea before the Spring Festival" refers to the tea produced before the Spring Festival, that is, before the Spring Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Spring Festival. Most of them are even picked around the Spring Equinox, half a month earlier than the Qingming Festival. At this time, the tea leaves are tender and the production is very small. They are more precious than before the Qingming Festival. The so-called first batch of tribute tea is like this.
He tasted it carefully again, and couldn't help but think: "Gongcha must be early, and the production of Sheqian tea is small and only for the upper class, so it must be a treasure."
Zhu Ying's intention was not to show off, but Zhang Shou was indifferent. However, she was a little unhappy and asked unconvincedly: "Then what kind of tea do you think is better?"
"Most of the tea in my village is old tea. I have never tasted good tea. How can I know whether the tea is good or bad?" Zhang Shou laughed and said as if he didn't care. "Besides, I don't like drinking tea very much. The tea leaves are just for quenching thirst. It would be a waste of good tea for me to drink."
Zhu Ying was very happy, and she said proudly: "What's the use of waste? Tea is meant to be drunk. It would be a pity to leave it alone!"
"Many varieties of Sheqian tea are different from Mingqian and Yuqian tea. When brewed that year, the taste is not the best. On the contrary, sometimes it takes three to five years to develop its fragrance. When you drink it at that time, the fragrance lingers on your teeth and cheeks, which is better than new tea." Although Zhang Shou said this, he drank the tea in one breath, and then laughed, "And people like me who drink Sheqian new tea like a cow will inevitably be ridiculed as a fool chewing a peony."
As he was saying this, the two girls, Zhanjin and Liuyin, who had just hidden inside, suddenly poked their heads out from the east study. Liuyin was more lively, but she smiled and said, "Mr. Shou's habit is really similar to that of the eldest lady. She also said that she only drinks tea to quench her thirst. No matter what kind of tea it is, it tastes almost the same."
Although Liuyin was helping her, Miss Zhu still glared at her: "You are so talkative!"
However, the smiling expression on her face revealed her very good mood.
"My second brother said that the tribute tea from previous years was treasured by many people outside. Sometimes he even stole it from me and exchanged it with those people who wanted it. Then he made exquisite jewelry to please me. I turned a blind eye to it. Anyway, I couldn't taste the tea before the community. I usually just threw it into a jar. Only Zhan Jin and Liu Yin thought it was precious and brought it here specially!"
As she spoke, Zhu Ying smiled at Zhang Shou and said, "I didn't expect there would be someone who is as obsessed with peony as I am!"
Zhang Shou saw Zhu Ying blinking at him, as if he had finally found a confidant. At that moment, he felt that all his efforts to make fun of himself had gone to waste.
I thought a daughter of a rich family must be very particular, so I wanted to dress myself up as a vulgar person who didn't understand elegance. Who knew I would end up making things worse?
Thinking of the conversation he heard in Carpenter Xu's backyard, Zhang Shou didn't respond, but put the teacup on the high table beside him, and then looked at the two girls with interest . He didn't ask with a smile until he was so excited that he asked, "Since you were blocked by Madam Zhao today, and brought her and the guards here, wouldn't it cause a big commotion?"
Zhan Jin and Liu Yin looked at each other, and seeing that Zhu Ying did not stop them, Zhan Jin, who was more stable, finally spoke up, "It was quite a commotion. The eldest daughter is very famous in the capital. When they heard that it was our family's business, they gathered around us in three layers, all to watch the fun. That's why Madam Li didn't arrest Madam Zhao and the others on the spot, but agreed to bring her here."
"Oh?" Zhang Shou touched his chin thoughtfully, and then asked another question, "Since your eldest daughter is the most beautiful among all the beauties, then she must have countless admirers in the capital, right?"
