[Red Mansions] The big maid struggles daily

When everyone was still taking a nap, the old lady came back quietly, and Zhu Xiu moved almost a cartful of lotus roots into the small pharmacy, and it took several trips to get it done.

"Why did you get so many?" Zhu Xiu was also surprised when he saw the lotus root that was half-spread on the floor.

The old lady laughed and said, "I went over and told my uncle, and my uncle immediately ordered the lotus root car going out from the backyard to stop, and moved all the lotus root on it for me."

Pointing to those lotus root, she praised: "Miss Wei Dao doesn't use the lotus root bought in our house. This lotus root is really good. I haven't seen such a good lotus root in several years." He picked up one and said: " Girl, look, this is a white lotus root, people say 'red lotus pod and white lotus root', the lotus root of this white lotus is nine-hole lotus root, the joints are fat and sweet..."

Zhu Xiu saw that the pole she was holding had four or five knots, so she smiled and said, "Mama, please go, take this lotus root back and mix it with a side dish. Listening to your old man, it seems that you know about these field affairs?"

The old woman narrowed her eyes with a smile, and she didn't pay attention to it. She broke off a small piece of lotus root, carved the skin with her teeth, and ate a big mouthful. , the things here are old-fashioned, and I can almost tell whether the things are good or not... Sigh, why don't you say that the West Lake produces the best white lotus root? Look at this, Kong Xiao , fleshy, sweet, and mellow..."

When the old woman went to Ou's house with the pole in her arms, she said, "Don't worry, the people at the door are all asleep. My old man opened the door...the two doors are dozing off, no one is paying attention... "

Zhu Xiu thanked her again, in fact she was really not afraid of this, after all how much lotus root powder a catty of lotus root produces, the girls in the upper courtyard are so pampered, they don't even know how to look at silver pots, let alone expect them to know this.It's just that it's inconvenient not to have a place of my own. For example, the families in this mansion usually have a small yard in the back street of Ningrong, and they can go home after work, so it's easy to do everything.

Sending off the mother-in-law, Zhu Xiu came back to clean up these lotus roots. I don't know how my uncle got them. The lotus roots were still very fresh. Zhu Xiu closed the door of the pharmacy and put more than half of the lotus roots in the Cuihua pouch. In winter, eating it to clear away heat and moisten the lungs, cool the blood and relieve stasis, is nothing more than a nourishing food.

Ever since I touched the psychic gem with my own hands, not only has the space in her Cuihua pouch been twice as large, but the divisions have also become much larger. Now, a two-meter-long lotus root can be directly put into the grid for this [-]th pole. In the pile, there are dozens of them in the pile, but the grid is still not full.

He also took out some preserved lotus roots and put them in a single basket. These lotus roots were made for his family, so they should not be confused.

Zhu Xiu didn't stop, and immediately started washing lotus roots. There was a well in the corner in the backyard of the upper house where she lived, and there were two huge peace jars in the middle of the courtyard.

Zhu Xiu took out two large wooden basins from the pharmacy, broke off the joints, and washed them quickly.After a while, the lunch breakers woke up and saw that she was busy, so they all came to help.Someone told Qing Jin that she didn't have a job in the afternoon, so she also came to help.

Zhu Xiu thanked everyone with a smile, and said that it was ready for everyone to taste.Let others wash a few baskets of lotus roots, and she and Qingjin will only wash the marked basket.

Qingjin has grown for some reason, and her strength is getting stronger and stronger. It is said that Zhu Xiu did not lose her strength, but her strength is inferior to Qingjin, so she has two shares.

Without seeing it at a glance, the girl picked up the big wooden basin by herself to pour water, and Zhu Xiu was so surprised that she threw the lotus root in her hand and went to help.

Qing Jin also said: "I'm moving..." Zhu Xiu gave her a hard look before she reacted and stuck out her tongue.

"Oh, it's too heavy. Ladies, put it down quickly. It's so painful that I won't be able to lift it up tomorrow!" A woman saw it by the side of the mortise tank, and several people hurried over to take it.That basin of children can take a bath.

The women chatted happily while helping out.This one said: "These two girls are not so delicate, they can do anything."

The one said: "No, not the frivolous person who doesn't touch the needle or the thread."

"Good looking but not tricky, not like those 'deputies', the girls in our house are not as delicate as them!"

"If you point her to us as a daughter-in-law in the future, it will really be the grandma of the God of Wealth-a fortune descended from the sky!"

"Bah! The toad wants to eat swan meat! The old lady said that Miss Xiu is going to be released. That Miss Jin is as close as she is, like her own sister. If she can't keep it all, she will also take the little sister out..."

Qing Jin has been fed by Zhu Xiu in the past few years, she looks white and tender, and her ears are much better. She also heard the murmurs of those women and laughed.

Zhu Xiu gave her a white look, sat on the steps of the pharmacy, and hummed: "What's wrong? What they said is wrong, or are you unwilling to go out with me in the future?" Zhu Xiu recognized Zhu Nai, and never forgot this little girl who was in the same trouble. Sister, I told her early in the morning that I would take her out too.

Otherwise, what would Zhu Xiu do to curry favor with Wang Xifeng, because she was afraid that Wang Xifeng would also take advantage of others like in the book, just like Caixia was assigned to the ugly, alcoholic and gambling son of Wang'er, and randomly assigned Qingjin to someone.

Qingjin's hands were covered with muddy water, so she grinned and rubbed her head against Zhu Xiu's body, and pulled Chang Yang'er as if begging for a beating, yelling in a low voice: "Xiuer...mother..."

Pooh!Who is your mother!

Everyone gathered firewood with high flames, and in a short time, the lotus root of more than one hundred catties was washed clean.

These women are all good at the stove at home, and they know what to do after hearing Zhu Xiu say it once, and they are very willing in their hearts. Didn't they learn the craft of making lotus root noodles again?

Chop the washed lotus root and grind it into lotus root pulp with a stone mill.

Those women ordered people to bring a larger stone mill from other places, and Zhu Xiuqingjin and the two used the small stone mill in the pharmacy.

When refining, you have to add water while adding lotus root ingredients. The big stone mill adds sweet well water from the small tea house. For the small stone mill, Zhu Xiu took a few large bamboo tubes from the medicine cabinet and added bamboo tubes. water.

The sisters were in the pharmacy, and there was no one else around, so Qingjin started to work, the small stone mill that was turning was slippery, and the red embroidery couldn't keep up with the addition of materials, and she was so hot that she was sweating profusely.After patting Qing Jin twice, the silly girl smiled slowly.Seeing that there was not much water left in the bamboo tube, when Zhu Xiu was not paying attention, he snatched it and poured it into his mouth.

The angry Zhu Xiu laughed neither annoyed nor angry: "Did I drink your water because I was short of you? This water is raw, so you dare to drink it! There is my cup on the table, and you drank the whole teapot. "

Qing Jin smashed it and said with a smile: "When I think of it, Xiu'er saved it from lotus leaves little by little, I think it's delicious."

Zhu Xiu sprayed her: "You didn't read the characters I taught you carefully! Look at the bamboo tube, what is engraved here, read it to me."

Qingjin's face was bitter, and she smiled again when she saw those words: "I know these few, rainwater...is this rainwater?"

Zhu Xiu snorted and laughed.It's not rainwater. When it's raining heavily, it can take a big basin in half an hour...

After grinding the lotus root pulp, pour it into a white gauze bag for washing, and then use a clean wooden basin to continue until there is only lotus root dregs left in the white cloth bag, and the slurry flows into the basin.

The mother-in-law outside also worked hard, the lotus root pulp was ground finely and evenly, and a lot of slurry was produced.

Just comparing the two compartments, Zhu Xiu found that the accumulated lotus root had a lot of pulp. There were six pots outside, and I got two pots for one basket on my side.

After the pulp is filtered, it is waiting for the bleaching pulp, which has to wait for it to settle.The two basins in the house sank well and quickly, and there was no need to take the powder slurry from the top and use another basin to rinse it again.The outside is almost the same, you have to take the middle slurry and put it in another basin to continue stirring with clean water and then settle.

The precipitated lotus root powder is wrapped in a cloth bag. After draining the water, the wet lotus root powder has to be exposed to the sun until the lotus root powder is broken when touched by hand.

The rest took time, so Zhu Xiu asked the mother-in-law who helped them to leave, and brought them some yellow peaches in syrup, and each of them shared a bowl.Qing Jin is not greedy for this, she ate too much in private, and tormented Zhu Xiu to agree that Ming'er would not be busy until she came, so she ran away.

Seeing this, Zhu Xiu divided the remaining half of the jar of sugar water and yellow peaches, and those rough girls ate them in groups with their own small bowls.

"You are very generous, the old lady likes to eat yellow peaches in syrup, so you will share them all." Yuanyang came into the courtyard through the small gate and said with a smile.

Zhu Xiu didn't care, "I can't let it go this season anyway, they are little ones, they just love to eat these sweet things. The old lady loves to eat them, I will make some more in autumn, and I can eat these peaches in winter." He asked her again, "You are not in front of the old lady right now, what are you doing running back?"

Yuanyang spread her hands and said with a smile: "It's not you, what are you doing in such a hurry, the old lady knows, she said that the bowl of lotus root pork ribs soup at noon is really good, don't ask me to come and see what delicious food you cook up?" !"

Zhu Xiu took advantage of the opportunity to pass the lotus root and lotus root powder across Ming Road.

The mandarin duck went back, with a clever mouth, and a few words coaxed Jia Mu to smile, and said that she would reward Zhuxiu with three or five taels of silver, so she couldn't make her bother and suffer.

-

On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, Zhu Xiu wondered why there was still no movement from Wang Xifeng's place, and at the same time tied the wires for Jiamu's glasses case.Seeing Jia Baoyu rushing into the flower hall excitedly, he was dressed as brightly as ever, and the "Magpie Bridge Fairy Club" purse on his waist was particularly conspicuous.

It's the occasion, but how old is Jia Baoyu, so there's no use for it.Zhu Xiu looked at it attentively, it was not Qingwen's job.It's just that the girls who follow Jia Baoyu, except Qingwen, who is the best girl, are mediocre and can't embroider this vivid purse, so who made it?

Once the doubt was over in his mind, Zhu Xiu ignored it.It was just before noon, when she was sitting by the window on one side of the flower hall, she heard Jia Baoyu's sighing voice from under the wall behind: "The wife took the purse away, saying that I can't take it, so the master can see it." angry."

Another voice became anxious: "What else did the madam say?...Second master...you told the madam that I embroidered it indiscriminately?"

"How can it be? I asked you for it when I saw Kankan. How dare you say it. My wife asked, and I said I got it from Sister Feng."

The voice was obviously relieved: "Today is the day for my daughter to beg for art and pay respects to the moon. I embroidered that just to respond to this scene..."

"Magpie Bridge Fairy Meeting" and "Qiqiao Worshiping the Moon" are not at all compatible, and this is too far-fetched.But this Jia Baoyu is indeed a sweet pastry, Tang monk meat, there used to be sister Yun, and sister Bao just came a while ago, and now there is Huizhu who is watching eagerly.

As soon as Zhu Xiu heard it, she knew that the person who spoke was Huazhu. She usually said that Qingwen's embroidery was good. When I saw her today, she found that Pearl's work was not bad, and Jia Baoyu liked the color scheme even more.

It's just that Wang Xifeng is a bit miserable. Seeing that the childbirth is about to happen, how can she have the heart to prepare for these little fun between men and women. Before she knew it, she was held in a shit basin by her double-kissed brother.

Zhu Xiu glanced out of the window, there are two side rooms separated from the two whispering places, it is a corner surrounded by walls on three sides, ordinary people can't hear it in the side room, I have to say that this flower pearl will choose a place.It's just that she made a wrong calculation today. As long as Wang Xifeng made a move, Mrs. Wang would be able to guess that Jia Baoyu had lied immediately after hearing the letter.

Sure enough, at noon, Sister Feng mobilized, and the whole house was alarmed.Mrs. Jia, Mrs. Wang, and Mrs. Xing all sent their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to visit and comfort her, but none of them went there in person. Mrs. Xing had a crush on Wang Xifeng, the second wife's niece, and she was forgiven if she didn't go, but Mrs. Wang, who usually said that she loved Sister Feng more than her daughter, only sent Zhou Rui's family to visit.

Zhu Xiu also heard her say to the people around her: "The eldest wife hasn't gone there, so it's not easy for me to go. I want to go with the old lady, but I'm afraid that she will be ruined by the little family..."

People give birth there, and you will be lucky if you are here.Even if Mrs. Xing is a mother-in-law, you are still an aunt. Besides, who doesn't know that Sister Feng and her husband live with their uncle.

Using the tea stove, Zhu Xiu washed a bowl of lotus root starch with brown sugar water for herself, and made another bowl of red ginseng water, and put them together in a suitcase and delivered them to her personally.