Zhao Xiu didn't know that Gao Zhen was also a guest at Fang's house at this time. She has just welcomed the last guest of today's poetry meeting, Miss Wang, with other ladies.

This Wang girl is actually not a stranger to Zhao Xiu. She is the daughter of Wang Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, and Grandma Wang is her sister-in-law. When Grandma Wang was still in the boudoir in the past, she was friendly with Zhong Yazhi, and on the day she went to Guangping Wangfu to mourn, she also helped the Zhong family to count Zhao Xiu a few words, and was dismissed by Zhao Xiu. Wang Shangshu has never cared about these children's affairs, and does not pay attention to them, the Duwang girl gets along with her sister-in-law day and night, and under the influence of her sister-in-law, she believes that Zhao Xiu is a vulgar and unreasonable person.

In addition, she has another dissatisfaction with Zhao Xiu. Among these girls, she was originally the one with the highest status, except for the two girls of the Fang family who were very likely to marry into the royal family, there was no one else who was more prominent than her. Even Fang Da and Fang Wu, their current identities are not comparable to hers. She is the daughter of the Shangshu Mansion, and she was originally the object of everyone's praise. But today's Laba Poetry Club, Zhao Xiu, as the daughter of the Marquis of Jiannan, has steadily overpowered her. Even if she decided in her heart that the Ministry of Works, which had real power, was much more majestic than an empty marquis, she couldn't stop others from having different opinions. It made her feel even worse.

Fang Er and Fang Si also came to see Zhao Xiu unpleasantly, and Fang Cai Fang Da also privately counted Fang Si down, saying that she didn't take care of her girl and connived at the girl to steal Zhao Xiu's things, Fang Si became even more angry. She thought it was Zhao Xiu who made a false accusation, but in fact it was not like that at all. I couldn't find Ruizhu again, and I was even more depressed. She saw that Miss Wang had a bad impression of Zhao Xiu, so she pulled her sister Fang Er. surrounded each other and said bad things about Zhao Xiu.

Feng Xiuqin couldn't listen to it anymore: "Second cousin, fourth cousin, don't say that." Miss Zhao is actually not as bad as you say. She is also a knowledgeable and polite person, kind and gentle, without a shelf, where is vulgar? ”

Fang Si said: "You girl is too easy to talk to, didn't you sue me last time." said that in the Cao family, she dismissed Cousin Liu so much that she almost couldn't get off the stage? Is this also called kindness and gentleness? ”

Feng Xiuqin's face turned red, and she was embarrassed in her heart. This was what she had told her sister in private, but she complained twice. Why did Fang Si say it in public? If Zhao Xiu knows, how can she meet people? The sisters of the Liu family are also present, don't they have to complain about her talking?

Miss Liu Er was on the side, and she really had a grudge in her heart. But he didn't complain about Feng Xiuqin. Instead, he was not happy to be named by Fang Si: "Don't use me as a raft." One yard to one yard. Although it was a little unpleasant last time, it was just a small bickering. There is no grudge between me and Miss Zhao, and the matter is over. Who would be reluctant to talk to someone for a little thing? ”

Miss Wang said dissatisfiedly: "Who do you say is unforgiving to others for trivial things? If she hadn't been rude to my sister-in-law, I wouldn't have said that about her. You don't know how hateful she is, but I've heard it firsthand. Thinking that she didn't know which wild girl from the countryside she was a few months ago, she relied on her brother to get the knighthood, so she was arrogant. If we don't teach her a lesson, let her know what to do. She may really think that our daughters from famous scholarly families are easy to bully! ”

"Sister Wang is right!" Fang Si diligently agreed, and the two sisters coaxed Miss Wang very happily.

Miss Liu couldn't listen to it. quietly pulled Feng Xiuqin, and the two walked away. Returning to Miss Liu, Miss Liu couldn't help but complain: "I really treat myself as a green onion." Her Wang family was still a farmer thirty years ago, and Jiannan Houfu was already a Hou Mansion thirty years ago, and she was embarrassed to say that the daughter of the Hou Mansion was a wild girl in the countryside? After a century-old poetry and book family like ours, we don't dare to take it like this. Isn't she just a father who is a secretary of the Ministry of Works? The mud on her feet hasn't been washed yet, and her mother is still the daughter of a rich man, who doesn't know that her family is a nouveau riche? She even has the face to say that she is the daughter of a famous scholarly family! ”

Feng Xiuqin tugged at her sleeve and motioned her to be quieter, don't let Miss Wang hear it, she offended people. Miss Liu snorted coldly and said no more.

Miss Liu said coldly: "Isn't it the first time you have dealt with her, haven't you already known about it?" As I told you, stay away from her, don't associate with her too much, and get into the nouveau riche of her family, so you don't have to make yourself vulgar. I don't know what's going on with the fifth cousin, she has never gotten along with Wang Yatou, why did she invite someone today? ”

Miss Wang is the mention of Miss Fang, and it is also the meaning of Fang's family. They don't care about the likes and dislikes of the little girls, Miss Wang is the daughter of the real power Shangshu, which is the most important. Maybe Wang Shangshu, who is a close minister of the Son of Heaven, can also help say good things about Fang Renzhu in front of the emperor?

When Miss Fang heard Yunqu report that she couldn't find Ruizhu no matter how she looked for it, but it was Miss Fang's girl Xin'er who came to wait, and she felt a little resentful in her heart, knowing that there was only the handwriting of the elders in the clan in this matter, otherwise just relying on Ruizhu's little girl, she would definitely not be able to instruct other big girls.

She didn't know what her cousins and aunts were thinking, so she could only come to her cousins with a straight face: "My sisters will be more vigilant for a while, and I don't know what the second sister and fourth sister are thinking." If they want to provoke Miss Zhao again, you should stop them. They are all guests of the Fang family, and if there is any dispute, our family's face will not look good. "The Fang family's face is not good-looking, and the mothers of the Liu and Feng families, who are also the daughters of the Fang family, will naturally have no face.

Liu and Feng nodded in agreement. Miss Liu said again: "My sister just has a good temper and is used to people who are not like words." For example, the girl next to the fourth sister, although it was given to the fourth sister by the fourth aunt, the fourth sister did not change her name, saying that it was originally called Ruizhu, so she continued to call it Ruizhu. Doesn't she know that the word 'bead' rushed to the eldest sister and the fifth sister? Did the fourth sister really not expect it, or did she do it on purpose? My sister also reminded me. Just now she called Ruizhu in front of everyone, and several girls were very surprised, she didn't realize it, I was embarrassed for her. ”

Miss Fang's face was even more unsightly, and her eyebrows were gloomy. Fortunately, this time. Mrs. Fang sent someone to bring laba porridge to the girls, and she squeezed out a smile again, continuing to maintain her elegant and dignified ladylike image.

Miss Fang and Miss Fang Wu greeted the ladies. Come to the two large round tables at the west end of the Asking Heart Hall and sit around and taste porridge. More than 20 girls sat at exactly two tables. The girls were talking and laughing, and it was very lively. Zhao Xiu noticed that everyone was sitting in almost the same order as when they were eating tea in the east, but they would continue to sit with Cao Luo and Feng Xiuqin. Who knew that the girl named Yunqu of the eldest girl Fang came to guide her to guide her, but she was led to Cao Luo's left hand, and Feng Xiuqin was arranged to Cao Luo's right. Although it was just a slight reversal of her position with Cao Luo, the person sitting on the other side of her. But she has become a big girl.

Zhao Xiu actually heard Miss Wang and Fang Er and Fang Si talking bad things about her, they didn't hide it at all, but their voices were not high. She didn't sit far away, and she wasn't deaf, so how could she be ignorant? It's just impatient to argue with people. There are twenty or thirty people here, and there are a lot of them. There are some things that I just turn a blind eye to. Close one eye. I didn't expect to sit with Miss Wang now, and I couldn't turn a blind eye if I wanted to. Zhao Xiu turned his head and only concentrated on talking to Cao Luo and the others, without any intention of maintaining a superficial peace with Miss Wang.

Miss Wang's face was not very good-looking, and she muttered to Miss Fang Si, who was sitting on her left, "Why do you let her sit next to us?" It's not an eyesore! Miss Fang Si glanced at Zhao Xiu, and she was also unimpressed. It wasn't until the girls brought the porridge that she withdrew her gaze.

The Fang family's laba porridge is also famous, using eighteen kinds of dried fruits. It is cooked fragrant, soft and glutinous, sweet and delicious. It also has a little fragrance of lotus leaves.

Zhao Xiu ate it and felt that although this porridge was a little sweeter, it was also a good bowl of porridge. All the ladies present also praised each other.

However, Miss Wang had some different opinions: "There are a little less things in this porridge, and our porridge should be more exquisite, in addition to red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longan, grapes, ginkgo seeds, green silk, roses, red beans, peanuts and other common dried fruits, but also tofu and meat." Recently, there are several kinds of fruits from the West, which are said to be produced by France, and the taste is also good, and they are sold for four or five taels of silver a catty. My mother told someone to break it and put some in the porridge, which was also very delicious to eat. Is this porridge made of eighteen ingredients? There are 36 kinds of feet in our family! ”

When the other girls heard this, they didn't say anything. Laba porridge has its own recipe, put several ingredients, it depends on the preferences of each family. The Fang family used eighteen kinds of dried fruits to make laba porridge, which can be said to be the most common, and the taste is also very good, so there is nothing to find fault with. Miss Wang claimed that her laba porridge used 36 kinds of ingredients, did she want to show off her family's wealth? Although she is the daughter of Shangshufu, the ladies of the scholarly families here still have three words flashing in their minds: nouveau riche.

It's a pity that Miss Wang didn't have any eyes, she didn't notice anything unusual at all, and she squinted at Zhao Xiu beside her and said, "Miss Zhao, I don't know how many ingredients are used in your laba porridge?" However, materials are such things that can be bought with money, and Fangzi is the rarest. The recipe for making Laba porridge in the house, I don't know what the origin is? How about I? The daughter of a scholarly family like us knows nothing about the affairs of the martial family. You're going to give us an insight into the rise, right? ”

Cao Luo moved uneasily. She is also the daughter of a military general, and she has met Miss Wang more than a dozen times, so she has no sense of zài in the eyes of the other party.

Zhao Xiu was much calmer than her, and when she saw that Miss Wang had provoked herself somehow, she smiled lightly: "Don't dare to be, our family's recipe for making Laba porridge actually has no origin, it is a very common practice in the south, and every household is almost the same, and it is not as good as Fang's porridge." She smiled sweetly at Fang Da and Fang Wu, and patted the master's ass slightly, in exchange for the smiles of the two girls of the Fang family.

But then, she changed her tone: "But I'm extremely curious about Miss Wang's Laba porridge recipe, and there are fruits from the West?" Is it French? Our hometown is on the edge of the port of Nanhui, and we have never heard that French merchant ships will carry fruits. Merchant ships departing from Western countries and arriving in China have to travel for at least half a year to a year. I don't know what kind of fruit Miss Wang's family bought, it can be stored for so long, and it is still sweet...... When we were in our hometown, those who were close to the water were at most able to taste the fruits from the South Seas, and the four or five yuan a pound were already the most expensive. I really didn't expect that there are even rarer Western fruits in this world. ”

There was a lady who was secretly snickering, and Miss Wang also heard it, and her face was red and white for a while. How did she know what American fruits? It's just that I tasted some dried fruits sold by foreign goods stores, and remembered that the French perfume that my mother bought at a high price was a very precious thing in the eyes of outsiders, so I casually said it to show off. The girls here are all from scholarly families, they are very familiar with poetry and books, and their family backgrounds are okay, but none of them are rich and unfamiliar with expensive Western goods. Miss Wang thought she was the most expert one, but she never expected to be slapped in the face.

She was unwilling to make a fool of herself, but she didn't know how to take back what she said, so she could only bite the bullet and say: "Today is the Fang family's sister holding a poetry meeting, which is a very elegant thing. How can Miss Zhao open her mouth and shut up the businessman and silver, it is really too beautiful! ”

Someone whispered to a friend beside him, "Didn't she say that the Western fruit costs four or five taels of silver a catty?" Her friend touched her with a smile, and she shut up. Everyone else also understood and secretly smiled.

Zhao Xiu also had a smile on his face: "Miss Wang, you are right, I am just a vulgar person, but I can't compare to your elegance and nobility, and I never say anything about money or money!" She said it funny, and some of the ladies in the audience laughed again, which won her a lot of favor this time.

Miss Wang's face became even more ugly, and she wrung her veil tightly, so angry that she couldn't speak. Miss Fang glanced at Zhao Xiu hatefully, and then shot a protesting glance at the lobby sister opposite. Wang Shangshu's daughter is a distinguished guest of their Fang family, is it really okay to let others offend people so hard in the Fang family?

But Miss Fang didn't receive her cousin's protest, she just exchanged a look with another confidant big girl, Yuege, who retreated silently, and after a while, she led the two little girls to personally deliver freshly brewed fragrant tea to the girls for them to cough after using Laba porridge.

Miss Fang Si failed to communicate with her cousin successfully, and reluctantly withdrew her gaze, looking unhappy. At this time, Miss Fang'er's girl Xin'er stepped forward to bring her a cup of hot tea, and she vented her anger through Xin'er: "What are you doing here?" When did the Fang family run out of manpower and ask the girl in our second room to come to the long room to serve tea and pour water?! ”

Xin'er paused, and when she received the dissatisfied gaze from the serious master Fang Er girl on the opposite side, her heart trembled, and she tried her best to answer Fang Si girl in a calm tone: "The girl is too careful, the slave maid only came to wait for the girl when she saw Rui Zhu's absence." ”

Miss Fang Si pursed her lips: "Why don't you see you so diligent on weekdays?" Now I am diligent. She put the teacup on the table and didn't continue to curse. There are a lot of guests around, and some things have to be done in moderation.

Xin'er held the tea tray and quietly gave Miss Wang a cup, and came to Zhao Xiu. At this time, Yue Ge also gave Cao Luo a bowl of fragrant tea and walked towards Zhao Xiu with a smile. (To be continued......)