By Jia Xiuzhen

During dinner, Li Wan and Jia Lan set up charcoal grills in the east room. Aunt Chang and the others used them because there were many people using them, and the burners were also large, so they put them in the room because they felt the smoke, so they decided to put them in the west wing. A countertop was set up in the empty room.The Yujiao mutton kitchen cut thick slices, even the belly sliced ​​fish, and a large plate of mutton, mixed with sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, balsamic vinegar, autumn oil, sweet sauce, shrimp stew, pepper water, green onions Ginger juice, sprinkled with shredded green onion and ginger rice, and using the three-chambered leg of lamb—Nurse Chang is a master at this, so she can't go wrong.

Li Wan asked them to take them all away, leaving only a plate of jade-horned mutton and a small portion of mutton leg, and made it clear that he wanted to have a small meal with Jia Lan. Aunt Chang and the others knew that Li Wan had no lies in this matter. After serving the charcoal fire, they all went to the West Wing to have fun, leaving only a little girl to spread the word outside.

The primroses beside Jialan also went, and he came to the east room after adjusting his breath, and saw a charcoal stove on the waist table, and a few plain thick porcelain plates beside it, containing some unknown things .Li Wan asked him to sit down, handed him a pot of green lotus dew, and said: "We eat vegetables from our private house here, and your nuns all go to the west wing to eat. The things I have here are not suitable for them, but for you." Physical exercise is very beneficial. It's agreed, eat what you eat, don't go around shouting. If people ask, just say eat some fish or meat."

Jia Lan also received a lot of things that Li Wan told him were "not humane", so he nodded in agreement, first took the long ebony chopsticks and picked out slices of mutton that he could understand and put them on the broiler. With a sound of "嗞啦", the fragrance rose up with the heat, and I couldn't help swallowing.Li Wan took another pair of chopsticks and took a piece of palm-sized "thick meat" with red noodles and white lining from the big plate, put it on the broiler, and picked up a few more slices of thick pink meat to roast together.

Before Jialan's mutton was cooked, the aroma from the other ingredients on the grill caught his nose and tongue. He took a deep breath and asked, "Mother, what kind of meat is this? It's so fragrant! I can't bear to let it float away." Li Wan laughed and said, "This is a piece of crab meat, and the pink one is stone tiger meat."

Jia Lan shook his head and said, "What kind of crab has such a large piece of meat? Stone tiger? Never heard of it, only gecko."

Li Wan frowned and said: "Shut up, shut up, what kind of gecko, bad guy's appetite! I don't know what it is, and I don't have anywhere to ask, just eat it."

Put the piece of crab leg meat with red face and white face on the big plate, cut it in two with a dark silver dagger, and put one piece on Jalan's plate.Jia Lan watched the gravy oozing out from the section, but the skin was slightly burnt. He picked up a piece along the shredded meat with chopsticks and brought it to his mouth. The silky meat is soft and elastic, every time you chew, the gravy seems to overflow a little more, with a bit of charcoal-grilled and slightly burnt aroma of the outer skin, almost swallowing your tongue.

The stone tiger meat is even better, the fine oily flowers melt in the mouth, the pure meat aroma has a silky cheese taste, and the little green salt sprinkled on the surface by Li Wan brings out the taste even more.As he ate with his head down, Li Wan put things on the broiler in different ways, pheasant wing shrimp and fish pieces, sprinkled with salt, pepper and drizzled with sauce, salty fresh pepper sauce and sweet, enough to eat those big plates to the bottom. Slow down the chopsticks.

Li Wan poured him another cup of green lotus dew, Jia Lan took a sip and exhaled, feeling so dissatisfied that he couldn't hold back for a while, hiccupped, and blushed immediately.Li Wan patted his hands and smiled: "Nothing, nothing, it's because I'm full, it's a natural thing, there's nothing to be ashamed about."

Jia Lan said in a low voice, "Mammy is going to be anxious again."

Li Wan knew that Madam Yan had always been strict in rules, so she couldn't help but say a few more words, saying: "This rule has its roots in the past, and there is no reason for it. The rules of eating, 'Eat without talking, sleep without talking, chew carefully. "Swallow slowly, don't overeat" are all to maintain the body; hiccups are caused by overeating, or stagnant gas after eating too much, so there are rules for it, but it is not hiccups If you are not allowed to hit, then you will stick to it. If it is reversed, it will hurt your body. Therefore, if we want to talk about the rules, we still have to talk about it at the root. This is 'overeating'. I am also wrong. It depends on how you eat. , accidentally fed too much."

After talking and laughing, Jia Lan listened carefully to Li Wan's words, and she realized something, so she stopped staring at the hiccup, and had time to ask, "Mother, where did this come from? I've never seen it before." , Mammy, what do they eat?"

Li Wan took two freshly roasted mushrooms with sauce for him, and replied: "It's not common, so it's a private house. Nunnies eat those two kinds of mutton." Jia Lan heard so, Pointing to the mutton plate of the Yujiao sheep, he said: "This tastes good, tender and fragrant, and I have never eaten it before."

Li Wan said with a smile: "We have a lot of things that are not commonly found in the mansion, and there are not many of them. Moreover, these things are so strong that ordinary people are not easy to digest. You can eat some now, but some Good point. It’s just that in the eyes of others it’s unavoidable to be troublesome. That’s why I told you not to yell around.” After thinking for a while, he added, “Don’t talk too much even with Brother Zhu.” Jia Lan recalled earlier The bath medicine package that disturbed the wind and rain came, and the harmful Jia Zhu's almost lifeless body training technique, nodded immediately.

Not to mention the small fire party in Li Wan's courtyard, Jia Zheng and all the guests spent most of the day drinking and listening to operas, and for dinner they only drank some porridge in the study, and the alcohol was still not gone. Going to the courtyard, I didn't want to face Mrs. Wang's wooden face, so I went to Aunt Zhao's.But after listening to a few words about the use of things in the mansion, he went to Mrs. Wang's yard after asking Mrs. Jia's greetings. He didn't know what he said, and finally stayed in Aunt Zhao's room at night.

The next day, Zhou Rui's family took his wife to send some ermine and raccoon skins to Aunt Zhao, and two dorokin ruler heads. After leaving the courtyard, he turned around, glanced at the corner of the door, spat at the corner, and bared his teeth: "What is it, you are returning the snow coat, and you don't even look at whether you are worthy!" The woman who followed immediately said: "Our wife is too kind, if you think so, you can ask for whatever you want, and you can give whatever you want. What a talk!"

Zhou Rui's family said angrily: "I don't even look at what has changed, but I stare at Second Master Bao all day long, how can I compare?! I will blow the pillow with the wind, and look at my wife with a kind face and a soft heart, so I can handle it." A woman said: "If you want me to tell you, just pick up two pieces of sheepskin and give it to me. My wife is kind!"

Zhou Rui's family nuzui said: "What do you know! There are no such things in the brother's case in this mansion! She insisted, so why did she let the wife break the ancestor's rules for her?! It's not like you can only use the wife's dowry to subsidize it he!"

After listening to the Buddha's recitation, the woman said, "Oh, Amitabha, you have come here in order to squeeze your wife's dowry and private property! If you want me to say it, the old man's ears are soft..." "Bah!"

Zhou Rui's family spat, "You can talk nonsense about this?! Master, we can't talk about it!" Several people whispered all the way and went to the courtyard to tell Mrs. Wang about it.

In the evening, when Jia Zheng went to the main house for dinner, Mrs. Wang said that she had sent the materials for the snow gown to Aunt Zhao.Aunt Zhou made some tea, which Jia Zheng liked best, and she chatted about it.

Just talking about the heavy snow in the past two days, Aunt Zhou said lightly: "How many things have happened in this snow. The day before yesterday, I wanted to hang out, but I bumped into Third Master Huan and his aunt, but it was because I wanted to see Second Master Bao Because of the big clothes. I would like to persuade you, but I will not listen. The wife is the most fair and just, and there will be no difference in the rules. The second master Bao is no different.

The exception is the rewards from the old ladies and uncles. The children are so good, how can they be loved by relatives and friends?This caused a commotion, but what to do?Is it possible to ask the relatives and wives next to the old lady's uncle and wife, and ask why they don't have the role of Mr. Huan?I don't know what to think, it's really hard for my wife.

No, today I saw that it was ordered and delivered. There is no such thing as a public order, so where did these things come from?Could it be that the wife can only use her private house to subsidize it!That is to say, in our mansion, there is such a kind wife. "

After Jia Zheng heard this, his originally relaxed face gradually tightened. Aunt Zhou frowned and covered her mouth, "Could it be that the master said something?"

Jia Zheng quickly shook his head and said, "What can I say, cough, cough, but I didn't expect you to mention this private house share."

Aunt Zhou sifted tea for him again, and sighed, "There are so many things going on inside and outside the lord's yamen, how do you know the trivial matters in the inner house, there are not all rules, if anyone wants what he wants, who dares to take care of this house?" , After all, there is never enough time for people's hearts..." Jia Zheng thought about it, and stayed in the main house the next day.

On this day, Zhou Rui's family brought another little girl into Aunt Zhou's house with a bundle, and said with a smile on her face, "Madam said, a bowl of water is flat, there is no reason why one gets it and the other is missing. Your reward." Aunt Zhou quickly picked it up, and said: "My wife's kindness and concubine will be kept in mind." Zhou Rui's family nodded and said: "You are a worry-free person."

Aunt Zhou handed the package to the little maid, took out a small package from the cabinet, held it in both hands and handed it to Zhou Rui's family, and said with a smile: "I can't bring out anything that can catch my sister-in-law's eyes, I just made it A muff, you can take it as a reward." Zhou Rui's family also smiled and took it, and said: "I haven't thanked you for the letter last time, but sure enough, there are many fragments brought out from the palace, I don't understand Those, only my son-in-law has become a treasure, I have to thank you very much."

Aunt Zhou hurriedly said: "I'm ashamed to death, it's just gossip among the people we served before, and you have a discerning person, or eight or ten people know this, so it's just a matter of hearing it." .”

The two of them exchanged some polite words, Aunt Zhou took someone away, and before leaving, Aunt Zhou asked Rui'er to give the little girl a hundred dollars.Waiting for someone to walk away, he opened the bundle and saw that there was a piece of official fine brocade, some dark squirrel skins, and a small silk bag with two red golden hairpins inside.Sighing, she asked Rui'er to put it away, made a pot of tea by herself, and sat under the window to take a sip slowly, the cold outside was getting strong.

That Jia Huan received Mrs. Wang's reward and went to kowtow excitedly. Regardless of Mrs. Wang's calm face, she hurried back and urged Aunt Zhao to make clothes for him.Aunt Zhao was very skillful, and after two days of hard work, she made him an Luo Hantong robe with half sheepskin and half ermine, and made a pair of dark green duoluo snow jacket with raccoon dogs and sheepskin.

Although Jia Huan was not happy that it was not a whole piece of fur, he had no choice but to look at the ermine fur.Just as the snow was melting outside, I put on my robe and gown and rushed to school.

A group of children in the school, since they were born in this big family, they are very clear about hot and cold, red and white.When Jia Huan didn't show his face in the mansion, he originally thought that he could be counted as the first in the ethnology, and he was the master of the Rongguo mansion by Zhenjing.

Unexpectedly, there is Jia Qiang from the East Mansion, who is also a decent great-grandson of the Jia family, and is favored by Jia Zhen, spends a lot of money, and his daily food is not a bit better than himself.Moreover, Jia Zhen is the head of the clan, Jia Qiang is raised in the East Mansion, and has a lot of contact with the clan members. He is also a well-known person, and the crowd are willing to regard him as the leader, but Jia Huan, the "elder", is compared to Jia Huan.

Anyway, Jia Qiang is a few years older, and she still has a breath to swallow.Who would have thought that Jia Lan would come again later, which would allow people to see the behavior of the direct descendants of Jia's family, not to mention the number of servants and long-term followers, the food that was renewed every day, and the clothes that did not recognize the name, I don't know how many streets Jiahuan left.

Originally, according to Jia's family style, children were not allowed to wear furs before they became adults. Firstly, they were afraid of developing an extravagant temperament.In the beginning, even silk was not allowed, and it was the rule changed when the old lady was in charge of the house.

Therefore, according to the rules of the mansion, before they were adults, none of the buddies wore the things that Baoyu is wearing now.When the original man made a joke about Jia Huan wearing a sheepskin, Jia Huan would use the words taught by Aunt Zhao to laugh at him, to show that the family tradition in the mansion respects gold and wealth, which is not comparable to these bumpkin upstarts in front of him.

But who would have thought that there would be a Jialan comparison.Thinking about Jia Lan, he was doing well in the past few years, and he was happy to be his company. In the past two years, for some reason, he has been better than Baoyu. It's also inlaid with jewels - every time I see it, I feel that it's more intrusive than before.

After such a comparison, the group of people laughed at him: "It turns out that the rules of the third master Huan are different from those of the brothers in the mansion." No one would admit it, twisted his neck and said: "The rules were only changed this year. I got it too, but it’s too hot, so I don’t like to wear it.” There was a lot of laughter.Finally got these two outfits, put them on quickly, entered the school, didn't talk much, walked in with eyes towards the sky.

Those who underestimated him, seeing him dressed in fine leather now, secretly hated him—even though he is not good, he is still a junior of everyone, he is incomparable to himself, so they just snorted and turned their heads away.Jia Huan felt at ease, and during the lunch break, he went over to talk nicely to Jia Lan, which made Jia Lan confused.