The oil bottle of the Red Chamber

Ever since the Chen Manor received the invitation from the Zhang family to visit, Mrs. Feng has been busy for two or three days with all the people in the family. ——But no matter how hard you try, due to the limitations of the Chen family's family, they are all common ingredients such as chicken, duck and fish, which are not as brilliant as the mountain delicacies sent by the Zhang family.

Fortunately, Xu Zichuan learned that the Chen family wanted to borrow Xiaoxier to take care of their in-laws, and the Zhang family had such a background.Then on a whim, after discussing with Fa's wife, he ordered the boy in the family to send the most proud chef in his family over to support the Chen family.

Let's talk about the master chef in Xu's residence, whose surname is Shen Mingshun. Although he is not an imperial cook in the palace, he is also a well-known figure in the south of the Yangtze River.With good cooking skills, it is even rarer to have exquisite knife skills. The carved flowers are lifelike, just like the real ones.

This Master Shen was originally not surnamed Shen, but because he was enshrined in the Shen family of a well-known salt merchant in the south of the Yangtze River, he got the owner's favor and gave him the surname Shen.Later, Master Shen San, the patriarch of the Shen family, fell in love with Xu Zichuan, who was still a poor scholar at that time, not only subsidized him to study, but also married Xu Zichuan, the jewel in his palm.Later, when Xu Zichuan went to Beijing to rush for the exam, Shen was worried that Xu Zichuan would go on the road alone, so she accompanied her maid and two cooks who were accustomed to his skills to Beijing.

Later, Xu Zichuan was nominated on the gold list, and because his ranking in the exam was not bad, he was hand-picked by today as a good scholar, and he stayed in the capital logically.Shen and everyone in the family also stayed.Until Xu Zichuan wandered in the Hanlin Academy for three years, and then worked as a clerk in the household department, and by accident, he became a colleague with his classmate Chen Gui again——

Speaking of this incident, Xu Zichuan's father-in-law, Mr. Shen San, wanted to make some effort to ask his son-in-law to return to Yangzhou to be on duty.One is that Yangzhou is a rich land, and the other is that the third master Shen is a local snake. He asked his son-in-law to return to Yangzhou. Not only can the family reunite, but also take care of the family's business and the future of the son-in-law. It is really cheap for both.

However, Xu Zichuan is a man of integrity and insists on not allowing it.The heart of a cow is average, and he insists on entering Yushitai, which is not lucrative and frequently offends others.Third Master Shen was born in a merchant, and what he believed most in his life was that harmony can make money. Moreover, the situation in the court is complicated. Although Third Master Shen is far away in the south of the Yangtze River, he also knows the danger of the adult princes in the court seizing the throne.And he also knows that his son-in-law's temper is the easiest to offend others.Therefore, Third Master Shen certainly did not allow his son-in-law to enter this dangerous situation.So she tried her best to persuade her again and again, and even forced her daughter to threaten her life.In the end, Weng and his son-in-law compromised for the time being, neither going to Yushitai nor returning to Yangzhou.But by mistake, he stayed in the household department, and because he refused to flatter Shangfeng, he was not favored by others, and he is still at the same level until now.

But having said that, Xu Zichuan's temperament is also strange.It is said that he is noble and self-proclaimed, and his eyes are clean, but he does not shy away from the criticism of the world, and is willing to marry the daughter of a salt merchant, and even refute the matchmaker of Ye Shibao.If it is said that he envies wealth and honor and flatters him, he is like a stinking stone in a latrine no matter whether he is in the Imperial Academy or in the household department.

Therefore, Chen Gui often said that if he was willing to give in even a little bit, he would not be where he is now - he is very talented, and his father-in-law has such a background. No embarrassment, no embarrassment; living in Gaoliang Jinxiu, apart from the daily food and clothing expenses at home, I don’t want to use every needle and thread at home. Ken put down some airs, but the housekeeper opened his mouth.

But we can't talk about these for the time being.Besides, since Xu Zichuan sent his family boy to bring this chef from Jiangnan, since there was such a real Buddha sitting in the kitchen of Chen's family, he naturally compromised and thoughtful about everything.Because of the admonition of the masters in the family, the master knew that the relationship between his son-in-law and the Chen family's uncle was irresistible, so he was willing to put down his posture and carefully train some of them.Although he didn't reveal his secrets, but he used to live in a fertile place in the south of the Yangtze River, and the salt merchants and tea merchants in the south of the Yangtze River are the most fond of fighting for wealth, so he has seen a lot of knowledge on weekdays.With just a few words, the cooks in Chen's mansion felt that they had benefited a lot.The dishes presented at the end are even more attractive in color, fragrance and taste.

The Qiu family and Sister Yan are not crazy people, and the masters of Xu's mansion are exquisite in craftsmanship.Therefore, after sitting at the table, Mrs. Qiu praised the chefs of the Chen family for their excellent craftsmanship, especially the two Jiangnan dishes that the chef is good at, and said, "The dishes are so elegant, not only delicious, but also beautiful, we can't bear to eat them." Put down the chopsticks."

Feng Shi smiled and said a few words.He said again: "There is nothing good for a poor family. It's just the usual food during the New Year's Eve. I only put a little effort into the knife and cooking. It's just a new idea."

Mrs. Qiu laughed and said, "There is a saying that beautiful food can be eaten. I didn't understand it before, but now I see it. It turns out that there is a master with a good knife skill, who can make dishes like paintings. It's called People can’t love well, but how can they be willing to stutter.”

Feng Shi was very proud of hearing Qiu Shi's praise.In his mouth, he said a few more words in a more humble manner, and served food and wine. This meal was a joy for both the host and the guest.

After eating for a while, I rinsed my mouth and cleaned my hands.Everyone attended and returned to the hall to speak.A little girl has long offered tea and fruit snacks.

Mrs. Chen ate tea once, and asked Qiu Shi with a smile: "I heard that my brother from the family is also here, but I have never seen it before."

Mrs. Qiu understood, glanced at Mrs. Chen, and replied with a smile: "I have heard that the old lady is a benevolent person. Brother Hua also wanted to come to see the old lady. It's just because he is a foreigner, and now he is ten years old. He is a young man, it is not good to go in and out of the inner courtyard at will, so as not to offend the girls in the house. Therefore, he was told to follow his father to the outer study to greet the old lady and the uncle."

Old Mrs. Chen laughed and said: "Since the two families are connected by in-laws, even though they have never met before, now that they see a contract, it is a good family relationship. There is no need to be so cautious, why don't you ask the men to come in and talk?"

That's why even Zhang Yun asked to come in.Seeing this, Mrs. Qiu was naturally satisfied, thanked her in her mouth, and let Mrs. Chen order her maid to pass the message to the outer study.

All of a sudden, Chen Gui came in with Zhang Yun and his son talking and laughing.Because Mrs. Chen was old, and the weather was cold and the road was slippery, the road was difficult to walk, so Chen Gui ordered the boys from the outer study room to bring over the bamboo chairs, Mrs. Chen sat on them, and was carried all the way in.

All the way to the front of the hall, Chen Gui first helped old Mrs. Chen get off the small bamboo chair, then smiled and let Zhang Yun back, and then brought them into the main hall.

In the hall, apart from Mrs. Chen, all the female relatives also stood up to greet her.Zhang Yun, Zhang Hua and his son first passed Mrs. Chen—then ordered Zhang Hua and Mrs. Chen to kowtow—and met with all the female relatives before they sat down.A little girl offered tea.

Mrs. Chen took Zhang Yun's son Zhang Hua's hand and said with a smile: "Sure enough, he is a complete child."

He also asked Zhang Hua how old he was, where he studied, and what books he had read now.Zhang Hua answered one by one.Mrs. Chen pointed to her little grandson, Chen Yu, and said: "Our little grandson is 12 years old this year, and he is still studying, and his homework is not bad. Since you are about the same age, you often visit each other. What's wrong with your homework?" Yes, just ask your brother."

Zhang Hua obediently agreed, and thanked Mrs. Chen again.

Seeing that the adults are chatting affectionately, they don't care about the children for a while.Sister Yan of the Zhang family whispered something to her mother, Mrs. Qiu, and said to the eldest sister of the Zhao family because of a smile: "I just finished eating and had tea again. I want to go out for a walk. You can accompany me." ?”

The eldest sister understood and naturally agreed.Taking advantage of the fact that everyone in the hall didn't care, they came out together holding the second sister's hand.

After changing clothes for a while, the little girls who followed had brought warm water and mung bean noodles smoked with osmanthus pistils, and the three girls cleaned their hands.The eldest sister used the excuse that she had just eaten and had to walk around to reduce food intake, and asked the maids serving around her to leave for the time being, or follow her from afar.

Only then did Sister Yan quietly hold the elder sister's hand, because she said, "I haven't told you yet. Last spring, your family held a funeral. I was ill, so I never went. I was thinking about the future." I'm sorry for you, but I didn't expect that so many things happened one after another, and we sisters didn't see each other for more than half a year. I wanted to beg my mother to take you to Zhuangzi to relax, but my mother said that you and The second sister has to keep her filial piety and can't go out. Tell me not to come up with random ideas. It would be bad for your reputation if you get tired, so I let it go. It's hard to see you again at the end of the year. How are you now? You live here Are you still used to it?"

Back then, the Zhao family and the Zhang family were good friends, and Zhao Chen and Zhang Yun were inseparable from each other. This is how the eldest sister and Zhang Hua's baby relatives came to be.Although Zhang Jiayan's sister is older than the eldest sister, the relationship between the two is good.Xiang Rili also had nothing to say, so the eldest sister held Yan's hand and replied, "I'm fine. My grandparents, uncles and aunts treat us well, and my cousins ​​are also very good, and never bully me and me. For the second sister, I don’t say those crooked and stupid things. This winter, when we make winter clothes at home, my aunt even specially ordered the needleworkers to make me and the second sister’s. It’s much better than when we were in Zhao’s house.”

When the eldest sister and the second sister were in the Zhao family, because Mrs. Zhao was patriarchal and hated the eldest family in the past, she often came up with various excuses to deduct the expenses of the eldest family, and she was unwilling to spend money on the two sisters easily. .Fortunately, Mrs. Chen is strong in pinching the sharp point, and has never been willing to swallow her anger and suffer.Every time the whole family gets into trouble, they can always get back what the eldest family deserves.If this is the case, the Chen mother and daughter will also have to listen to the words of the old lady Zhao, the second wife of the Zhao family, and even the aunts of the first house.

At that time, the second sister was young and didn't remember anything, but the eldest sister clearly remembered the faces of those people.She has a weak nature and is submissive, but she also knows what is good and what is bad.Now that she heard sister Yan's questioning, she naturally refused to speak ill of the Chen family.Instead, he continued to explain his confession.

Seeing that the eldest sister is so sincere, sister Yan, who has a heavy responsibility, is relieved.Yin smiled and said: "Now it's all right. Our two families have contacts again. From now on, I will come to see you often. If there is anything you want to eat or play, if you don't want to tell the Chen family, just tell me." Me. I’ll ask Brother Hua to beg my parents to search for it and hand it over to you.”

Originally, Sister Yan wanted to say that she begged her parents.But somehow, God sent a ghost, and Zhang Hua came out of the words.Sure enough, after hearing this speech, the eldest sister blushed and lowered her head to fiddle with her belt, without saying a word.

Sister Yan snickered, and glanced at the second sister who was silent and giggling, because she said: "Second sister is also, if there is anything you want to eat or play, it's not easy to tell others. tell me."

After a pause, Sister Yan seemed to think of something again, and said with a sigh of relief: "Seeing Second Sister this time, it is quite different from before."