[Red Mansions] The big maid struggles daily

When she got up the next day, Xue Baochai came to the upper room to say hello. Although the sky was already bright, Rongqing hall was quiet, and the old lady hadn't got up yet.

Yuanyang asked Xue Baochai to sit down in the small flower hall, and ordered the girl to serve tea and fruit. Baochai waved his hands hurriedly and said, "Sister, don't be busy."

Xue Baochai didn't drink tea either, she just covered the water surface with the tea cover with one hand and gently scraped it, and the straight and sharp tea leaves turned upside down.While playing with his hands, he looks very leisurely; while looking at the furniture inside and outside the hall with his eyes, the maids and daughter-in-laws wear words and deeds.

Zhu Xiu came in from the front with a plate with a red magpie and peony pattern, walked to the flower hall, and saw Xue Baochai sitting on it, busy and happy.

Xue Baochai still remembered this girl, she was the one who offered a cup of fragrant tea yesterday, she thought it was because of the richness of Rongguo Mansion, even the tea she used was better than the one at home.But when I come over at night at my aunt's place, if the tea served is not as fragrant, I know that there is an expert in making tea in this room.

Mother Jia got up early every day, wiped her teeth with green salt, and rinsed her teeth with a cup of good tea after the first mouthful of water.She didn't think too much about it at the time, she only took her first sip of tea this morning, and according to her own words, it was meant to be used, and it had to be sweet, mellow, and just right.In the past, it was this cup of tea that allowed Zhu Xiu to gain a firm foothold in Rongqing Hall.

After Jiamu finished washing, Jade came up to comb her hair, and a plantain-leaf-shaped Jade plate was brought out of the glass, filled with various kinds of broken-twig roses.Mother Jia picked a red silk brocade, and Jade hurriedly gave her a hairpin on her temples.

All the colors are ready, the old lady's expressionless face shows a smile when she wakes up every day, Yuanyang only said Xue Baochai's greetings in the morning at this time.

Jia Mu nodded, came out of the green gauze cupboard, and sat down on the couch in the open room. A little girl hurriedly went to invite Xue Baochai.

Xue Baochai came in, and said with a well-behaved body, "I respect Hu'an." Jia Mu asked to sit down without courtesy, and then returned to her seat with the girl's hand.

There was such a scene last night, and it was a newcomer, so any young lady in the family would definitely feel offended.But this Miss Xue, as if nothing happened, greeted Jia Baoyu with a smile.

At this moment, Jia Baoyu is still asleep in the green gauze cupboard, and Xiangyun in the warm pavilion on the other side is still awake, a grandson and a grandniece, these two are not as good as those who come from outside with the "morning and evening peace".

"Your children are all sleepy. I won't let the nanny wake up their sisters, and they have nothing to do when they get up early. You don't have to be restrained, just treat it as your own home."

After a long while, the chiming clock struck again, and it was two quarters of an hour until the time of Chen, and there was no movement from the Bisha cabinet and the Nuan Pavilion on both sides.The chiming bell rang, Sanchun came hand in hand, Baoyu and Xiangyun also came to pay their respects.Only then did Xue Baochai know that the time when Jia's family greeted him was also different from his family's.

Just after breakfast, Jia's mother ordered Sanchun not to go to school, but to have fun with Xiangyun, Baochai and Baoyu for a day.I cried so hard yesterday, Xiangyun's eyes were still slightly swollen, she is not a crybaby, she was really scared last night, she has been here for a year, and when she first came, she was told by Mother Jia not to mention that jade I once heard a girl say that Baoyu loves to throw his jade, but I have never seen it with my own eyes.

Xiangyun rubbed his eyelids, Pearl hurriedly approached and whispered: "The girl's temples are looser, should I sip it for the girl?"

Xiangyun nodded, and entered the room with Zhuzhu. Zhuzhu hurriedly twisted the handkerchief and covered it on the ice, and put a cold handkerchief on her eyes, so she couldn't see it for a while.Xiang Yun thought about Xue Baochai's appearance of a decent big sister just now, and angrily pushed down the burden of the mirror: It was clear that she caused the trouble, but now he pretends to be a normal person!

However, she can't complain to the old lady and wife, but she hates Baoyu for chasing after her to make a small fu low apology. The big guys think that she recruited Baoyu!

This Miss Xue is amazing!Zhu Xiu heard her talking in a moderate voice about the local customs and customs along the way, and after only one day, she found out Jia Baoyu's preferences clearly.

Shi Xiangyun has been going in for a while. In the past, the second master Bao couldn't bear to chase him in, but he was addicted to talking to Miss Xue, and he didn't even notice that his sister Yun was not here.

Zhu Xiu was listening, when she saw Yuanyang gesturing to her from a distance, knowing that someone was looking for her outside, she quietly turned out from the small door at the back.

I thought it was Qingjin or the girl next to her, but unexpectedly it was Pinger.

-

In order to live comfortably in this mansion, there are two people who have to make friends with each other. For the master, it is Wang Xifeng, and for the slave, it is Ping'er.

When Wang Xifeng was in charge, she was unreliable and didn't plan to show her off; when she gained a firm foothold in the upper court, Wang Xifeng became pregnant again, and because it was her first child, she vomited very hard. When she came to the Upper Court, she became acquainted with Ping'er at this time.That is, yesterday, Wang Xifeng remembered it because she was prevented from eating lotus seeds.

Ping'er came here now, just to beg Zhu Xiu to fix some meals, "Seeing that the day is coming soon, but it's so hot this year, Grandma can't eat well and sleep well, others will be heavier this month, but hers My waist has been reduced compared to last month, we are in such a hurry."

"Yesterday, I ate a plate of grape cake at the old lady's place, and said it was better. Who knows that you are so caring, and last night, I brought over Amomum crucian carp soup. Grandma drank that soup, and it was really good. She even ate it extra. Half a bowl of food. Dear sister, my grandma sent me over this morning. She told me again and again that I know that you have to take care of the old lady’s taste. I just ask you to prepare some meals for our grandma when you have time, whether it’s a soup or a dish. ..."

It was only then that Zhu Xiu remembered that sister Jia Qiao's birthday was on July [-]th, and it was almost time, so she quickly agreed, and then asked Ping'er, "Second Grandma is about to give birth, why didn't you invite a doctor by your side?" ?” It’s such a big month, and I’m still confused about what I can’t eat during pregnancy.

Ping'er pursed her lips in embarrassment, pulled Zhu Xiu into the corner and said: "This is for our good, I believe in your character, put this in your heart, don't tell others: Our grandma was not pregnant when she was pregnant." Coincidentally, the eldest girl just entered the palace on the Qixi Festival of last year. In the second half of the year, the old lady and the wife were feeling uncomfortable. The second grandma was diagnosed as pregnant. This was originally a happy event, and the second grandma made the old lady happy for a while. After the new year, I was a little popular, so I invited the imperial physician to see it. I thought about preparing the doctor's wife, pacifier, and nanny. Unexpectedly, the imperial physician said it was a female fetus. This is usually invited for the old lady. The imperial doctor who sees a doctor can't hide it even if he wants to..."

Ping'er's eye circles turned red as he spoke, and he gritted his teeth and said, "The old lady hasn't said anything yet, but the little guy with the screwdriver is jumping up and down and disobedient. Even the second master doesn't like it very much..." Thinking of this The words should not be said, and he covered his mouth again.

"...Second Mistress, you know her temper. You have to be strong. The more people laugh at her, she wants to give birth to a daughter, but she just insists and refuses to lose face. You see, in the past six months, the housekeeper and director have not left their hands, even hard-nosed people can't stand it." Ah, what's more..." Ping'er whispered: "I've only seen Hong three or four times, thanks to her strong body."

Zhu Xiu's eyes widened in dismay: "You should try to persuade her, the body belongs to Second Mistress herself, even if she is angry, she can't risk herself. It's this time, don't you even have Mrs. Wen on your side? Didn't you come in?"

Ping'er wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and said bitterly: "That's not true! I heard that it was a female fetus. Even the old servants like Mama Lai didn't care much about it. It's just that the doctor's wife is hard to find. Please. The old lady Wen didn't have any skills at all, and the second mistress dismissed her after asking her once, saying that she would invite her again, but it has been four or five days, and there is no sign of anyone."

"My ancestor! It is said that she was pregnant in October. Your master was pregnant at the beginning of October last year, right? Do the math, isn't it just a few days?"

Ping'er turned pale when he thought of the doctor's estimated date of delivery last year, and was so flustered that he couldn't stand up any longer, and hurried back.

Zhu Xiu hurriedly stopped and instructed: "Qing Jin in the madam's courtyard, her mother is Wen Po, I know what she used to say, please write it down: Second Grandma is about to give birth, she needs to eat some energy-saving food Meals, noodle soup, meat porridge, snacks, apples, milk, sour lemon... eat these things in a variety of ways, don't worry about three meals, five or six meals a day, eat when you are hungry."

He took her to his room again, took out a lotus root powder wrapped in oil paper from the cabinet, handed it to Ping'er and said, "This is West Lake lotus root powder. My mother sent it to someone. You washed it with boiling water and gave it to Second Grandma. Maybe I can eat it."

While sending Ping'er out, he said: "The fried food that Second Mistress usually likes to eat should be stopped, and the beans can't be eaten... Hurry up and hire an experienced woman, it's better than anything else, listen to what others say Said, preparation is serious."

Ping'er went there with a thousand thanks. When he arrived at Sister Feng's residence, he saw that the room was quiet, so he made a bowl of lotus root noodles first, and then went in to report to Sister Feng.

After serving Sister Feng to eat, I said Zhu Xiu's words one by one.

Sister Feng really benefited from eating, a bowl of warm food in her belly, and the faint pain of falling these days has also relieved a lot, she sighed: "Good girl! She values ​​love and righteousness, no wonder she is the only one with such good luck. "

Ping'er said anxiously: "My grandma, you still care about other people! What a good girl she is, you can quickly discuss the rules, it is serious for us to hire a good woman!"

Sister Feng gave her a white look: "You are in a hurry again!"

The corners of Ping'er's mouth turned into blisters, and with red eyes, he said: "Who am I here for! They say that once you are pregnant and give birth in October, the door of hell will be closed and you will walk away... Bah, bah, bah!"

Ping'er slapped her mouth, and Wang Xifeng also knew that she was devoted to herself, so she hurriedly took her hand, saw that the surroundings of her mouth were red, and her eyes were also red and said: "I know your heart, don't worry, I I have already told your second master that before he leaves, he promises to invite back the best Mrs. Wen in the capital..."

Ping'er was anxious, this second master seemed to have lost his hand, is it reliable?

... Regardless of the lawsuit on Sister Wang Feng's side, Zhu Xiu sent Ping'er away, and went back to check the cabinet. Sure enough, there was only one bag of lotus root powder left.

This lotus root powder is actually made by herself, but the lotus root is indeed West Lake lotus root.Her uncle is a seasoned businessman. Once he ate the local product sent by his sister from Yangzhou, he thought the lotus root here was really good. After asking, he found out that it was the lotus root from West Lake.

He arranged for his subordinates to bring lotus root in the cabin when they transported silk and brocade from Suzhou and Hangzhou.Those precious cloths are afraid of getting wet, and the cabin at the bottom is often empty.

This West Lake lotus root is really easy to sell, and Zhu Xiu also got a lot of it. She couldn't eat it, so she put some of it in Cuihua's pouch to nourish it, and some of it made lotus root powder with water from bamboo tubes.

The latter was for Ping'er, and Zhu Xiu planned to use the nourished lotus root to make some lotus root starch and send some to Muma, uncle and Lin's family.

Take out another piece to make a pot of lotus root pork ribs soup, which is suitable for the elderly and pregnant women.

While preparing, I asked someone to call the old lady who was familiar with the place, and said: "You changed the clothes you went out, went to Gulou West Street, and asked my uncle for some West Lake lotus roots. I slept late yesterday, and I have no appetite. You go and come back quickly, I will wait for your lotus root to make soup." She can't conjure lotus root out of thin air, and what's more, she used the one in Cuihua's pouch, which needs to be replenished. Come on, this lotus root is a good thing.

Then he took out a large and a small box and said: "Give these to my uncle for me. A box of smoked pills can repel mosquitoes. In the other box is a bottle of fruit wine I brewed. Tell the old man that the brewing is not good. Tell him to drink it." Just drink it."

The old woman delivered cooked things for Zhu Xiu, and she was honest and responsible.Zhu Xiu wrapped the box with a bundle, and the woman put on the bundle, took another cloth bag from Zhu Xiu, and hurried away.

After going out, he opened the cloth pocket, and saw a handful of copper coins and two small porcelain bottles in it, knowing that it was for himself.When she got in the car and went out, she casually stuffed this pocket to her man. Her man was the boss at the door, and no one checked her when she came out.