At the end of the day, Shen Wanzhen fell asleep with her face facing in, Qiao Shan sat on the edge of the kang and half-closed her eyes, shaking the fan for a while, and Xiuju sat on the pestle in front of the window to do needlework, at this time, a little girl crept in, came to Xiuju, and whispered in her ear: "Sister Qiuxiang is here."

Xiuju hurriedly put down the needle and thread in her hand, and saw Qiu Xiang, the little girl in Wu's room, standing in front of the wall, she walked over quickly, and pulled Qiu Xiang to the back of the west wing, Qiu Xiang didn't care about saying anything else, and whispered: "The master and the wife are discussing the marriage of the three girls, and I heard what Qiao Qianhu said." ”

Xiuju was stunned when she heard this.

Qiu Xiang said again: "Sister tell the girl, plan ahead."

Xiuju grabbed her hand and said, "Sister Xie came to tell me about this important matter, sit in my sister's room, and wait for me to go back to the girl."

Qiu Xiang said: "I'll sneak out, I'm afraid that Sister Su Lan will find me for a while, and I won't be able to stay longer", said it, and hurriedly left.

Send away Qiu Xiang, embroidered chrysanthemum from the west corridor to the upper room, this news should be told to the girl, this is also the girl Su Ri in this heart, so that the silver is dotted, there is a secret news from the girl.

Shen Wanzhen just woke up, sat up and stretched, saw Xiuju coming in, looked at the room, as if she had something on her mind, and saw that Qiao Shan was there, so she didn't squeak.

Wanzhen said to Qiao Shan: "You go to the big kitchen to urge, is the bird's nest stewed ready, I want to eat this bite today."

Xiuju saw that Qiaoshan was gone, and said Qiu Xiang's words again.

Juan Zhen's heart sighed, Yanggu is a small place, and there are only a handful of eunuchs, she knows that this Qiao Qianhu is not young, and his wife is gone, but there are seven or eight concubines and concubines in the house alone, and there is a litter of children.

"Master, what should I do? Someone is looking for Yan's mother to come back? ”

Wanzhen swept her black hair, her fingertips were cold, "Don't make a noise yet, the master only mentioned something, the matter has not yet been decided, and you can't shout it yourself."

The little maid came in with water, Xiuju returned the bracelet to the girl, rolled up her sleeves, and asked, "Why haven't you seen Chun Tao for half a day?" ”

Xiuju pursed her lips and said dissatisfiedly: "Open your eyes and leave, who knows where to go?" ”

Before the words fell, a spill woman's voice outside the door continued: "What is in your way when I go there?" Chewing maggots in front of the master behind his back. ”

As soon as the bead curtain sounded, a rather beautiful maid wearing willow yellow satin pinching her teeth and shoulders walked in, looking straight at the face of the embroidered chrysanthemum, the willow eyebrows were upside down, the momentum was compelling, and she was going to talk about it.

Shen Wanzhen coughed twice, her face was already stiff, because of her wife's reward, it was not good for her, but she was thinking in her heart, this girl couldn't stay, and she found a chance to send it down

Chun Tao glanced at the embroidered chrysanthemum, muttered, did not dare to make a sound, after the master recovered from his illness, his temperament changed greatly, although the surface was weak, but it was not like dough to be kneaded.

Wanzhen read the book for a while, and the little girl came in and replied, "The big kitchen has sent dinner."

Wanzhen closed the book and said, "Set the meal."

Xiuju took the girl to put the food in the hall.

Shen's meals are tonic according to the seasonal solar terms, and the summer dishes are light, which is just in line with Shen Juan's appetite, she ate a small half bowl of stalk rice, picked up vegetables and sandwiched a few chopsticks.

Xiuju said: "This soup looks good today, do you want a bowl of girl", seeing that Wanzhen did not object, she served a bowl of soup in a sweet white glazed small porcelain bowl, and Wanzhen drank a few mouthfuls of loofah lotus soup, and then put it away.

Xiuju took the little maids to pick up the table, Chun Tao poured the residual tea at the door, washed the tea cup with clean water, took out the teapot from the tea cover, poured the tea, and held it flatteringly: "Master, this is the Longjing before the rain that was boiled in snow and water by picking plum petals last year, smelling all the fragrance." ”

Shen Wanzhen poked out the tip of the bamboo shoot from her sleeve, lifted the lid of the tea cup, and the soup in the mutton fat white jade inlaid with gold edge tea cup was clear, wafting out a light aroma, bowed her head slightly, and took a small sip.

The room was a little stuffy, Chun Tao had very good eyes and fanned, the thin moonlight silk painted plum bamboo cold bird picture fan shook out a little cool, Shen Xuanzhen glanced at the embroidered chrysanthemum who was not idle, Chun Tao has always been unforgiving, picking up the Qiaozong who served tea and water, unlike the embroidered chrysanthemum.

Wanzhen pinched her fingers to calculate the days, and Mama Yan would definitely come back in the next two days.

Shen Mansion is large, the population is large, noon, the big kitchen of the back house in the house is busy, the kitchen is busy with the lunch of the masters at the moment, a dozen pots and stoves are set up, the flames in the stove lick the bottom of the pot, only to hear the sound of the tinkling spoon touching the edge of the pot, frying and cooking and stir-frying, the fragrance comes out, a few cooks who are busy on the stove are wearing jackets, sweat the middle clothes are through, this year the sky is hotter than in previous years, just into June, the kitchen can not stand the heat, but a lot of news in the house is sprinkled from this.

Don't look at this busyness, but a few maids in the master's room gathered leisurely at the door of the kitchen to gossip about the words of the master.

A maid cleverly looked left and right, and whispered: "I heard that Sister Duchun went up this time, and she will open her face in two days to be half a master. ”

The person who spoke was a little maid in the big room named Feng'er.

The third sister of the third room smirked stupidly, and said in an urn voice: "Our lord has long taken a fancy to Sister Duchun, and Mrs. has watched it closely, and my lord climbs the window into Sister Duchun's house every night, and Mrs. Zhidao has taken off Sister Duchun's clothes in public, hehe!" Sister Twilight Spring's fine skin and white meat, the milk on her chest. sub-bulging".

Everyone sneered, and teased her, "What else do you see?" ”

The third sister smirked and said, "That night, I went out to Dengdong, I heard movement in the firewood room, and I looked inside through the crack in the door.

The crowd said with great interest: "What happened later, my wife went around her."

The third sister smirked again: "Mrs. asked her to change into coarse cloth clothes and do rough work like me."

The goddaughter of the Jiang family, who is in charge of the kitchen rice and vegetables, called Jiu'er and said: "Listen to my godmother, this time it is the third wife who begged Sister Duchun, Sister Duchun took it upside down, and refused to do so, and the third wife also sent people to each room to inform her.

Shen Wanqing leaned on the vermilion lacquer pillar and listened to Qiao Shan learn the new things in the house.

Shen Wanzhen looked at her, this girl has a fast mouth, but her small eyes are clever, and she can't stop talking to herself

Xiuju came out of the main house and said to Qiaoshan: "The monthly money has been sent down this month in the upper room, you ran errands and took our house to the house."

Qiao Shan responded and went out, and Wan Zhen's ears were clear.

The sky was slightly cloudy, and as soon as there was movement in the west of Shen Wanzhen's sleep, the maids were already ready to wait outside, carrying a kettle, holding a copper basin, a towel, a grate, a fragrant pancreas, and came in to serve.

As soon as the meal was put on the table, I heard the little girl under the porch say immaturely and flatteringly: "Mom is back, the girl has been talking about Mom for the past two days!" ”

When Shen Wanzhen heard this, she didn't need to ask if it must be Mrs. Yan who came back, she wished that this old woman would come back two days late, she was good, this old woman knew that she would ask his wife to say goodbye today, and she would come back on a good day.

As soon as the bamboo curtain sounded, a mother-in-law of about forty came in, dressed in an old oily green square victory pattern cotton silk placket, combed a smooth bun, and obliquely inserted the old crow scoop foot golden hairpin, the old woman pulled out a half-star smile on her face, and bowed to the girl uprightly, and said: "The old slave gives the girl a greeting." ”

Shen Wanzhen has always been in awe of Mama Yan, and hurriedly greeted the maid and said, "Help my mother up, my mother has worked hard all the way." ”

Mama Yan got up and said, "How can the old slave be harder than the girl." ”

Shen Wanzhen secretly said ashamed, Mama Yan has been gone for a few days, and she has not been noisy with this old woman, only eating and sleeping for two serious things.

After breakfast, Mama Yan said: "The Shen family has left Beijing, the old lady is old, she likes a clean day, and she doesn't want people to disturb her, so she picks up one day in January and lets her daughter-in-law and granddaughters come over to have a lively time, and the wife also follows the old lady, saying, on a cold day, I have had breakfast in my room and ask for peace in the upper room, which is also the grace of the wife, sympathetic to the girls."

Chun Tao said: "The master didn't go to the yamen today, and rested in the upper room last night."

Wanzhen combed in the mirror, embroidered chrysanthemums skillfully, combed a new style of hair for the girl, and took photos before and after holding the bronze mirror.

Qiao Shan held a few shirts in her hand and asked, "What is the girl wearing?" ”

Wanzhen pointed to a single shirt with tulle decorated with crystal pearls after the rain and said, "That's it."

This pearl shirt is embellished with hundreds of beaded crystals, and a huge night pearl is inlaid in the center of the neckline, which shines at night.

Qiao Shan took it with her hand, she didn't think that the girl would wear it, which was also rewarded by her wife.

Wanzhen said again: "You find out the golden skirt of the bird weave that my birthday wife rewarded." ”

Xiuju hurriedly said: "I'll go!" ”

Qiao Shan took the copper basin out of the bowl and poured water.

Xiuju went into the west room, and the mahogany cabinet against the wall was rummaging in the white bird skirt that the girl said, and it was easy to turn it out at the bottom of the box, and she breathed a sigh of relief and muttered in a low voice: "Why did the girl think of this now, fortunately I found it in this box, and I saved my effort." ”

Take it in your hand, a room of brilliance, this skirt is worth platinum, it is woven of kingfisher feathers, face up, side view, day, shadow, each is a color, the skirt and show the shape of a hundred birds, the imitation technique is superb, the effect is only slightly inferior to the genuine bird skirt in the palace, do not look carefully, can not distinguish the authenticity.

In order to show mercy, the mother-in-law rewarded her with this treasure, which was the Wu family's dowry.

Xiuju was puzzled and said: "The girl didn't say that she was too gorgeous, she wore it to be eye-catching, why do you want to wear it today." ”

"If it's too low-key, you won't have a sense of existence."

Chun Tao embellished the girl's bright blue silk with a double fish white jade pressure skirt, and said enviously: "The girl is so beautiful, no worse than those in the two courtyards."

Mama Yan sank her face and said: "What does the little girl know, a woman marries a woman, she is virtuous, generous, housekeeper, husband and child."

Wanzhen knew that although this old woman had a plain face, she was loyal to her, Mama Yan was in the Shen family when she was young, and she had seen all the things in the inner house, and the wife rewarded her to the three girls, one loss and one appearance, if the three girls were defeated, she would have no face, and she would have no place to stand in the wife's house.

As he was talking, Qiao Shan's round little face came in from the side of the flower curtain in the inner door, her eyes were full of light, and she said, "Girl, hurry up, the slave maid just saw that the fifth girl and the sixth girl had passed in front of the door." ”

Wanzhen happened to pick up neatly, took the hand of embroidered chrysanthemum, and slowly walked out of the door, and Mama Yan followed behind the girl and went to the upper room together.