Daiyu of the Red Chamber raised a cat

Zhou Hang didn't come empty-handed, he also brought a gift.

In addition to the exquisite desserts and cakes in the palace, such as lotus root powder osmanthus cake, rose lotus paste cake, and emerald green bean cake, there are also ten pieces of silver ice charcoal, which are packed in small huanghuali boxes.Daiyu laughed when she saw it, took out the four pieces that Li Xu had given her, and showed him the small stove.

Zhou Hang said: "Uncle Huang really loves you, there are only five in total, he didn't keep one, and gave it to you."

Daiyu said: "The father-in-law only got five, why did you get ten?"

Zhou Hang laughed and said: "There are only thirty rules. The Holy One, the Supreme Emperor, and the Empress Dowager each got five. The uncle also got five, and I also got five. The remaining princes and princesses each got one, and the imperial concubine got one. They are gone. I am not going to go to my father today. Did you eat Laba porridge with him in the imperial palace, so he gave me his five. I am very angry, and I am not afraid of the cold in winter. Didn’t you say that you don’t want to go out before, and when you go out, your hands and feet are cold? You don’t like it. Holding the hand stove, he said that the smoke was choking. With this carbon, it is warm and has no smell of smoke, and it is convenient to carry.”

One can burn for 20 days, and ten is [-] days.

Ertiao Daiyu made a rough calculation, and if only the hand furnace is used, it can last for three hundred days.

"I don't need so much. Most of the winter is over, where will I be frozen?" She took two of the silver ice charcoal that Zhou Hang had already taken out, and put the rest back into the huanghuali box, "Father" I’ve already given you five, I’ll take you two more, it’s enough, you can keep the rest for yourself. The palace you live in is big, it’s empty and cold, so you can keep it for yourself.”

"Since I have brought it, there is no reason to take it back. Otherwise, what would I bother to do? I have done the calculation for you. Today, Laba will be cold for at least forty days when the flowers bloom in spring. If it catches up with the cold spring, it will take more than fifty days. You need to use a hand stove and a foot stove, and you can also use this charcoal for the smoker cage. Besides, Mr. Lin is an elderly person, so he is inevitably afraid of the cold, so he also needs to use it Yes. With this calculation, don’t say too much, it’s not enough.”

As he spoke, he sighed: "Unfortunately, there are only so many. I will find a way to get more next year."

If it is said who knows Zhou Hang best in the world, Daiyu is the second, and no one dares to be the first.When he came to this point, he refused to take it back no matter what. Knowing that it would be futile to say it, Daiyu didn't say any more, just put the box away.

Thinking of Zhou Hang's phrase "get more next year", Daiyu laughed: "You treat this thing as rice in the rice field, pick up as much as you want! This year there are thirty, so there may not be more next year."

Thirty, Lin Daiyu alone got fifteen, accounting for half of the total, and the Supreme Emperor and Empress Dowager each had no more than five.Daiyu, who was holding a small hand stove burning silver ice and charcoal, couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy.

Zhou Hangdao: "It doesn't matter what good it is, it's always made by humans. At worst, I'll go to Karasuma to get it."

"The more you talk, the more outrageous it becomes. As the crown prince, every move you make is related to the foundation of the country. Could it be that you can travel across mountains and rivers to a small border country to show off?"

Then Daiyu gave a long lecture to Zhou Hang, citing scriptures and telling him that as a prince, he must have the consciousness of being a prince.In the past, you were not a prince, so naturally you could do whatever you wanted, go wherever you wanted, you could protect yourself wisely, you could stay out of things, she didn't care.

However, Daiyu made a turning point when she was in charge of seeking power in her position:

"Brother Hang, you are the supreme prince now. What is a prince? That is the foundation of the country. If the foundation of the country is shaken, you are not the only one involved. Therefore, in the future, you must not only care about your own happiness. You have to think about the overall situation and your own interests. People, your people are responsible!"

Then he listed many examples in history of princes who did not cherish being captured by enemy countries and brought serious disasters to their own countries.

Hearing that Zhou Hang was one head and two big, he really wanted to shout: "I won't be the prince anymore, okay!"

Too bad he didn't dare...

He's not a coward, it's just that he was uncontrollably timid in front of Sister Lin——

That's all -

"Brother Hang, do you remember everything I said?" Daiyu blinked and asked innocently.

"Remember...forget it." Zhou Hang said firmly, uh, firmly, well, he admitted that he had a little guilty conscience.Just a little bit, he didn't lose his mind, and he didn't stare at Sister Lin's beaming eyes, he promised.

"Then repeat it again." Daiyu frowned.

"Uh...this..."

Daiyu turned her head: "I knew you didn't listen at all!"

Zhou Hang hurriedly grabbed Daiyu's arm, and explained anxiously: "I have listened, I have listened, I promise, you said that you want me to be a good prince, to love the people, to be diligent, to learn the way of an emperor, to care The most important thing for your own people is to protect yourself and be alert to the past... and... what else?" He looked at Daiyu.

Daiyu laughed "puchi".

She pointed at Zhou Hang: "Why do I feel that you have suddenly become stupid?"

The first thought that popped up in Zhou Hang's mind was the 21st century. I don't know which great person said the famous saying "People who are in love are idiots". It's so incisive!

Zhou Hang scratched his head.

Daiyu covered her eyes, she became even more stupid, it was almost unbearable to look directly at.

She also knew that Zhou Hang's stupidity was just in front of her.In front of outsiders, he looks smart and mature, and even Lin Ruhai frequently praised him in private as "children can be taught".Thinking that this kind of demeanor belonged only to her, Daiyu felt an indescribable emotion in her heart, like joy, sweetness, a little bit of shyness, a little bit of indescribable.

Daiyu was still immersed in her little emotions, and Zhou Hang was also entangled in the fact that he had committed another crime in front of Sister Lin.

Both of them pursed their lips in remorse and regret, and the room fell silent for a while.

After a long time, Zhou Hang opened his mouth to break the silence.

"Yu'er, where is the Laba porridge I asked you to keep?" he asked.

"Originally, I left half of the pot for you, but my adoptive father came to ask for it, and took it away."

"Is there any left?"

"Not at all." Daiyu nodded heavily.

"Uncle Huang is so reserved." Zhou Hang muttered, curling his lips.Dai Yuyin said: "I've thought about it, just take it away. No matter how good the porridge is, the more cooks make it, the more meaningful it is to make it yourself. Now that I have all the ingredients, I have a porridge in my room. The stove and the pot are ready-made for the stove with little tea on weekdays. Why don’t we enter the space? Today is the Laba Festival, and we always have to celebrate. Although cultivation is important, it’s nothing more than reason. We don’t need to practice today, just put Playing a game of chess, smelling the aroma of the five grains and playing chess, isn't it also a happy thing?"

"It's Yu'er who is leisurely and elegant." Zhou Hang said, holding the stove and pot, and brought Daiyu to play chess into the space.As soon as she arrived in the space, Daiyu stomped her feet and rebuked Zhou Hang for being too impatient. Before anyone could finish speaking, the various ingredients for making eight-treasure porridge had not yet been picked up.The two had no choice but to go out again to get various kinds of rice, chestnuts, red beans, almonds, peanuts, melon seeds and other things.

Everything is carefully packed in a small purse, colorful, and it is colorful when poured out, very beautiful.There are five kinds of rice alone, including yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, and water chestnut rice.Daiyu carefully peeled the red dates with a pair of small scissors, put them together with various kinds of rice, chestnuts, and red beans, and washed them clean.

Zhou Hang set up the stove and went to clean the pot.

Everything is ready, put the ingredients into the pot, add water, and cover the pot.

Zhou Hang sighed with emotion that Daiyu, a lady in a deep boudoir, used to not touch the spring water with her ten fingers, but now she washes her hands and makes soup for herself. Before eating the porridge, she is very moved.

The stove stood on the green grass, and the two of them sat on the ground without laying a blanket, listening to the sound of water gurgling in the pot, and smelling the aroma of whole grains and porridge, playing chess in a leisurely manner.The big black cat also seemed to smell the aroma of porridge, and walked around the stove in small steps, not daring to make too much noise.

Zhou Hang felt that although this day was for cultivation, it was a very fulfilling one.

The aroma became more and more intense, Zhou Hang's greedy worms had already been hooked before the porridge was ready.

The cooking skills of the imperial cooks in the palace are not bad, but compared with Daiyu, they are like heaven and earth.Even if you haven't eaten it yet, the natural fragrance of porridge alone is far superior.Only when you have eaten it will you know what is called whole happiness.

What is happiness?

Many people don’t know how to answer. In fact, happiness can also be embodied. For example, eating a bowl of delicious porridge, especially if the porridge is cooked by someone you care about. That kind of feeling can’t be exchanged for anything.

Daiyu was full for dinner, and she only tasted some, but refused to eat any more.

Zhou Hang was not satisfied after eating two bowls, and threatened to take away the rest, but finally gave up because he escaped secretly, and it was not appropriate to bring too big things.

After Laba, the taste of the New Year is getting stronger and stronger, and every household has begun to decorate with lanterns and festoons.

There was a light snowfall on the tenth day of the lunar new year, and it was already covered in silver when I woke up the next day.The yard is a vast expanse of whiteness, only a few pines and cypresses still a little green, standing like canopies in the vast whiteness of the yard, a bit abrupt and stubborn.

Daiyu looked at it for a while, then pointed to her servant girl and said, "Look, these pines and cypresses are beautiful after snow has fallen."

Xueyan said: "That's right. Originally, the note was still upturned, and it fell down under the weight of snow, like layers of umbrella covers, like window grilles pasted during the New Year."

Hui'er stared at the cypress pointed by Xueyan, and said it was beautiful, then looked into the plum grove nearby, and sighed: "It's a pity that the plum blossoms in our garden haven't bloomed, otherwise it might be A few flakes of snow on the red or pink Petal Mountains are crystal clear, so they are beautiful."

Just as he was talking, a little girl came to report that Prince Jing's mansion had sent someone.

Daiyu didn't care about admiring the snow, so please come in quickly.

Two old mothers came here, one of them served Li Xu since childhood, she was an old mother in the palace for many years, her status was supernatural, even princes and concubines gave her some face, her surname was Li, everyone was called Li mother ma.

Daiyu hurriedly asked Nanny Li to sit down, and brought a bowl of Laojunmei with her own hands.

Nanny Li got up and said, "Young lady has beaten this old slave."

Daiyu said: "Mammy is serious. The elder is the elder. You watched your adoptive father grow up. No matter how filial Daiyu is, you should be filial." This sentence means to treat Mammy Li as an elder. .

Nanny Li said she didn't dare, but she was already happy in her heart.

She watched the prince grow up and was named master and servant, but in her heart she had already dared to treat the prince as a son.She went from a court lady to a nanny, never married in her life, let alone have children, and cared about only one master.That's why she can arrange everything in a thoughtful and thoughtful way. She can think of what others think of, and she can think of what others can't think of.The lord and the lord look close to each other, although the son is the lord's own son, he is a man after all, and it is limited to meet the inner women.Now that the prince recognizes his adoptive daughter and treats her as his own daughter, she is naturally sincere.

In the eyes of Nanny Li, Lin Daiyu is the dignified little master of the palace.

"Why did Mammy come here in person? If there's anything you need, just send someone to give me an order. It's freezing, why do you need to go all this way? It's only snowing and the ground is slippery. If you fall all over, wouldn't it be my fault?" guilty?"

Nanny Li smiled and waved her hands: "To tell you the truth, my old bones are fine, so I won't fall. It turned out that the winter plum blossoms in our mansion were in bloom. The prince said that the plum blossoms look best in this snowy day. Miss Su Wen is an elegant person, she especially likes the four gentlemen among the plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, so she sent an old slave to invite her."

Daiyu said: "I shouldn't refuse the kindness of my adoptive father. It's just snowing and the road is really difficult. Why don't we go another day."

"The lord has set up an air stove in the plum garden to cook tea, and he is waiting now. The old slave boasted in front of the lord, saying that he will definitely invite the girl. If the girl doesn't go, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the old slave?" Thinking of Dai Yu went there a few times before, and the princess was not very enthusiastic, thinking that she was uncomfortable, "The princess has a cold and is resting in the house." The implication is that the princess will not show up.

Since Nanny Li has already said so much, it is not appropriate for her to refuse.Remembering that I promised Zheng Lihua to take her to the palace, I asked Nanny Li, and Nanny Li said: "Since it's the girl's handkerchief, it's okay to ask for it together. The son is going hunting outside the city. It won't be long after a while." Can't come back."

Since the son is not here, there is no need to worry.

Daiyu ordered Zicuckoo to pass on the message, and sent two women to Zheng's mansion, telling the Zheng family girl to pack up and get ready, and send someone to pick her up in a while.Here, Daiyu also went back to change her clothes. As for Nanny Li and the other woman, they were served tea in the hall by maids.

Daiyu was wearing a pure white fox fur cloak, made of fox fur hunted by Zhou Hang, carefully tailored by the sewing room in the mansion, with floral patterns embroidered by Huier herself, and a pale pink ribbon tied around her neck. A bow tie made Daiyu more red-faced and white-toothed, charming and charming, like a new willow in February, graceful and charming.

Nanny Li stepped forward to touch it, and praised the leather twice, and the white fox is very rare, it is rare outside the royal enclosure.

As she spoke, she helped Daiyu to go out. The carriages and horses were all ready. Daiyu was riding in a green-covered and pearl-covered eight-treasure chariot. She invited Mammy Li to sit with her, but the latter refused.Passing the hand stove to Daiyu, Nanny Li smiled and pulled up the curtain, and got into a black-painted horse-drawn carriage behind her.

Daiyu secretly praised Nanny Li for being low-key and safe. No matter how much favor the master gave, she was always so flattered, still doing what she should do, and would not deceive her superiors and subordinates if she didn't come.It's not like the gang of Jia's people, who are rampant when they succeed, the slaves are domineering, even more powerful than their masters!

She originally thought that all servants were like that, but after leaving Jia's mansion and seeing more of the world, she realized that those were only some of them, not all of them.What kind of slaves are taught by what masters, and slaves like this can see the quality of their masters.

Lin's Mansion is not far from Prince Jing's Mansion, only one street away, and it only takes a stick of incense to take a carriage.

But Zheng's Mansion is a bit far away, you have to walk three or four streets, and you have to go through a section of the bustling area.For this reason, Daiyu didn't like to take a detour to pick up a section, and met Zheng's chariots and horses in front of a jewelry shop on Kangtai Street.

Zheng Lihua was dressed more gorgeously than usual. Her upper body was a garnet-red plain Hangzhou silk jacket, a white silk trimmed jacket, and a few plum blossoms embroidered on the neckline, which seemed very appropriate. Wearing a gorilla felt cloak.

After getting into the carriage, Zheng Lihua asked: "Sister, do you want to go to the palace with this dress? Don't be rude."

Daiyu knew that she had never been to the prince's house, and had never seen any princes, princes and other nobles, so she must be nervous when going to the palace suddenly, so she comforted her: "This body is very good, let alone go When the palace sees the prince, even the face saint is enough."

Her words are not meant to be flattering, in fact Zheng Lihua's outfit today is really good, even if she is a young lady of an aristocratic family, it is nothing more than that when she goes out.Only later did she know that this was a new dress specially made for her by her mother in order to meet guests during the Chinese New Year.It was the first time for the Zheng family to celebrate the New Year in the capital, and they paid special attention to it.

Zheng Lihua turned pale with shock: "Why, do you still want to see the prince?"

"nature."

Zheng Lihua frowned, almost crying out of anxiety: "My good sister, can I see the prince? I have grown up so much, the biggest official I have ever met is your father. Last time my sister said that she would take me to the palace, I still Being a sister is a joke, but who knows it's true. Just going to the palace makes me so nervous..."

As she said that, she suddenly took Daiyu's hand and put it on her chest, "Sister, touch it, my heart is beating so hard. It's just like this when I go to the palace. Goodbye, my lord, it won't jump out yet."

Daiyu was suddenly pulled by her, pressed to a piece of softness, froze for a moment, realized that she couldn't help pulling her hand away, and said: "Aren't you usually quite courageous? Why, this time it's not going to work!"

Zheng Lihua begged: "Sister, don't laugh at me!"

Daiyu had no choice but to comfort her by holding her hand, saying that the prince is actually very kind, and although the princess looks cold, she is not mean and will not make things difficult for her.What's more, there are many good cooks in the palace, some of them are imperial cooks from the palace, and the cakes they make are delicious.

When it comes to food, Zheng Lihua's whole aura has changed.I am no longer afraid, but ask questions.Ask the name of the most delicious pastry in Prince Daiyu's Mansion, and what ingredients are used to make it; also ask how the food is, whether the table is full of delicacies from mountains and seas.

Daiyu held back her smile and painted a beautiful blueprint of inexhaustible delicacy, which made Zheng Lihua salivate, and had long forgotten the tension of seeing the prince.

The days in winter are short, it seems that it is just dawn, and it is time to have lunch not long after waking up.After lunch, I can't embroider one pattern well, it's already dark, and it's time for dinner again.

After Lin Daiyu and Zheng Lihua struggled a lot, it was almost noon when they arrived at the palace.

Although people in the world pay attention to the defense of men and women, they don't have so many scruples when they meet the elders.Therefore, Daiyu took Zheng Lihua directly to Meiyuan.

Li Xu blew the cold wind in the plum garden for more than an hour, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, no matter how tempting the fragrance was, he couldn't bear it.Seeing Daiyu exchanging greetings, Zheng Lihua went up to meet her. He ordered someone to give a gift, asked Daiyu to taste the good tea he had cooked, and then got up and left.

Zheng Lihua was holding two horseshoes and two purses, in a daze.

She still couldn't believe that she met the prince just like this, and the prince even rewarded her with a gift.She lowered her head the whole time, she didn't dare to move her eyeballs, and she didn't even see what the prince looked like, only vaguely saw the corner of his clothes with dark purple lines.

It's all so unreal...

It wasn't until Daiyu pushed her, saying that it was reasonable to go to see the princess first, and then enjoy it, that she raised her head with an "ah".