Steward Du is a man in his forties, with earnest words and gentle eyes, and he doesn't seem to have any arrogance at all.

After a few glances, Cheng Xi knew that this was a master who was good at using words and clever arguments, if he was kind, anyone could praise him, but once he dealt with people, it was difficult for anyone to parry.

Shen Xingluo's dark eyes drooped slightly, "There is a housekeeper of Laodu." ”

"Yes, the old lady often mentions Shen Gongzi in his letters, and the old man was looking forward to your coming a few days ago."

Passing through a wooden corridor, Steward Du ushered people into the living room, and the two saw an elegant man sitting in the right position, and a beautiful lady next to him also had an outstanding temperament.

There is one serving man behind him, and nothing else.

"Shen Xingluo, a student from Lin'an Mansion, and his wife have met Lord Du, Mrs. Du."

"Xingluo? I haven't seen you grow this big in a few years. It's all your own family, so these false gifts will be waived. ”

Du Yunshan got up and personally helped the person up, staring at Shen Xingluo with a pair of eyes, sighing again and again, and then looking at his side.

"This is your new wife? Sure enough, the temperament is out of the dust! ”

"......"Sure enough, where did the word come from?

She didn't believe it, this Lord Du didn't know that Shen Xingluo was married to the daughter of the dart master of Lin'an Mansion.

Cheng Xi had no mouth in his heart, but he smiled on the surface, "My lord praises it." ”

In four words, I actually took this compliment.

To say that Du Yunshan's words just now were praised for the confidence she exuded around her, then now she was genuinely surprised.

He never expected a woman to react like this, and after a while, he chuckled, and was elegant and handsome.

"Xingluo is so blessed."

As Lin'an Mansion Xie Yuan married the daughter of a dart master, but this wife is still down-and-out and generous, and she has no twisting attitude, isn't it a good blessing.

Du Yunshan and Shen's father were confidants and friends in the academy at the beginning, and they grew up watching Shen Xingluo, and when they knew that Shen Cheng's two families were married, they regretted it for a long time, but they never thought that the daughter of the Cheng family would have such a temperament.

Sure enough, it was Brother Shen, it turned out that he had already taken a good look at his daughter-in-law!

Mrs. Du chuckled lightly on one side, "My brother and sister have praised Mrs. Shen many times in the letter, and when I saw it today, I can see that what I said is true." ”

She took a few steps forward, "I heard my brother and sister say that she called you Sister Xi'er, I am a few years older than my brother and sister, you can also call me a sister." ”

"What? That doesn't work. ”

Du Yunshan really didn't know that there was such a thing, "I have been a confidant with your father for many years, I think you called me uncle at the beginning, how can Xingluo's daughter-in-law call you sister?" ”

This brother and sister are really messing around.

"Why not? Let me ask you, is Xingluo a student of his father? ”

"Of course."

"Since you are your father's student, then you are your junior brother, what about your sister who is a friend of the same generation?"

Mrs. Du leaned slightly sideways towards Cheng Xi, "Don't bother with him, he has become an old pedant after staying in the Ministry of Etiquette for a few years, and he talks about the rules of etiquette all day long, making trouble that the two children are about to be separated from him." ”

Du Yunshan was depressed, but he had no choice but to sigh at his wife.

Cheng Xi said generously, "Then I'll call Sister Lin." ”

When she was in Lin'an Mansion, Mrs. Du deliberately mentioned her, and introduced in detail the family volume of this Du who was an official in Beijing, Du Lin's family was originally a person from Beijing, and his father was a priest from the fourth country, and he would marry the Du family when he caught his son-in-law under the list.

Facts have proved that Lin Xijiu's vision is not wrong at all, Du Yunshan was promoted to the head of the Ministry of Rites ten years after entering the court, which is higher than his father-in-law's official position.

Du Lin smiled and responded, and he liked Cheng Xi even more in his heart.

Du Yunshan was able to do the etiquette waiter's literary style was naturally not bad, and soon took Shen Xingluo to the study, leaving his wife to entertain the female guests.

"Husband, this is an old mistake again, and he likes to discuss those poems and articles when he catches people, let's leave him alone."

Du Lin shook his head helplessly, "Speaking of which, I have already smelled the sweetness, what is in this box?" ”

The two jars of wine in Shen Xingluo's hands were originally sealed, and they never showed any smell, but thanks to its too common packaging, the Du family and his wife knew at a glance that it was wine.

But the wooden box in Cheng Xi's hand is much more mysterious, the boxy red wooden box is carved with a delicate picture, like a fairy running to the moon, even if it is tightly covered, you can smell the sweetness, the closer you get, the more attractive it is.

Cheng Xi handed it to the maid beside Mrs. Du, "It's some moon cakes I made today, and the day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion festival, don't blame the little gift." ”

"You made it yourself?"

Mrs. Du was surprised, "Then I have to taste it, this fragrance is really tempting." ”

The maid of the Du family is also a very eye-catching person, and she wants to open the wooden box, but the bow woven with red silk on the top is too beautiful, and she stands in place for a while and is at a loss.

How do you solve this thing?

What if the solution is wrong and hurts such a beautiful butterfly?

"Mrs. Shen, this ......"

Cheng Xi stretched out his hand and grabbed the side of the bow hanging down with a slight force, and the silk was automatically untied.

The maid's eyes lit up and she gave her a look of adoration, and then opened the lid of the square wooden box, revealing the mooncakes that were all placed inside.

The wooden box has two layers, each with eight mooncakes.

The four corners of the diagonal line are the common orange-yellow baked moon cakes, the style is mainly in color, the four moon cakes have two flavors, and the wooden box below is engraved with the words "jujube paste bean paste" and "sesame egg yolk".

The inner circle is four snowy moon cakes, the style is completely different, there are fat rabbits who can be cute and cute to eat radish, or run under the moon to see the eucalyptus, it looks soft and cute and very attractive.

There is a small delicate wooden knife in the four square card slots in the southeast, north, west and north of the wooden box, and a small circular tray in the middle position.

The master and servant of the Du family actually looked at it, and they didn't know how to describe it for a long time.

"This ......"

Is this a mooncake?

The four in the corner are very familiar, but your filling is not five kernels, not to mention the inner circle, I have never seen it.

And what do you do with the delicate wooden knives and trays?

Confused.

Du Lin felt that he was born in the capital and was already well-informed, but he didn't expect to be dazzled by moon cakes one day.

Seeing this, Cheng Xi picked up the tray and a wooden knife, "The tray can be used to put moon cakes, if you don't eat much, use a wooden knife to divide the moon cakes into small pieces." ”

"I see, it's a little more elegant."

The ancients also used their other hand to prevent debris from falling when eating moon cakes, and if there were trays and wooden knives to help, it would indeed be less troublesome.

The tip of Dulin's nose lingered with the sweet scent, and he suddenly felt hungry in his stomach.

Strange, obviously I've just had breakfast, and I'm hungry now?

Cheng Xi saw her staring at the moon cakes, and she didn't plan to put down the tray in her hand, "Madame, can you choose one to try?" ”

"That's it, jujube paste and bean paste filling."

The mooncakes are placed in small trays, and the filling inside is visible when you cut it with the first knife, the yellow crust is wrapped in a layer of red jujube paste that has been crushed into the shape of a puree, and the middle is a round green bean paste.

Since the mooncakes have not been baked for a long time, the fragrance in the air has become stronger.

Du Lin picked up a quarter of a moon cake and put it in his mouth, and the aroma of the jujube paste mixed with the sweetness of the bean paste was surprisingly delicious.

"The taste is soft, the sweet taste is just right, and there is a bit of heat, which is delicious."

Du Lin is more interested in the snowy skin mooncakes in the inner circle.

Since the middle four were smaller than the baked ones, they could be eaten directly without cutting them with a wooden knife, so she picked up one of the white, almost transparent mooncakes, and was surprised by its Q bomb before she could eat it.

Can mooncakes be so soft?

She put it in her mouth and took a bite, and after the ice skin was drawn, the custard liquid flowed out inside, and the taste was richer than before.

"Is this actually salty? It tastes like egg yolk. ”

"It's really made from salted egg yolk and milk."

Although the mooncakes on the second layer of the wooden box have the same layout, they have different tastes, sweet and salty, there are several kinds of flowing heart alone, and the snowy skin mooncakes are not limited to white, but also yellow, purple and green.

"I didn't expect there to be so many changes in moon cakes, Sister Xi'er is really ingenious."

Du Lin tried four mooncakes in a row, rubbing her gradually bulging belly with regret and chagrin, she really didn't expect to be addicted to eating mooncakes one day.

"In previous years, the moon cakes were either made by the kitchen or bought in a restaurant outside, and they were just for the occasion when admiring the moon, and this year with my sister's gift will be more lively."

Interpersonal communication comes and goes, and gifts naturally pay attention to this.

Du Lin had already begun to think about when to take a trip to the Shen family with gifts.

Cheng Xi saw her mention the Mid-Autumn Festival, so he changed the topic, "This year is the first time that my husband and I have celebrated the festival in the capital, I don't know what was lively on the street that day?" ”

"Then you can ask the right person, there are lanterns for viewing flowers during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and lantern riddles ......"

Eating can shorten the distance between people, Cheng Xi and Du Lin have the intention to make friends, and a topic has changed from the initial strangeness to sympathy.

When the Shen family and his wife left the Du Mansion, she stood beside Du Yunshan and sighed to herself.

"I don't know how much of this Shen Jieyuan's talent is, but Sister Xi'er is the best virtuous helper, and having a wife like this is a blessing in life."

"Oh? Madame has such a high opinion of that Shen Cheng clan? ”

"Sister Xi'er is naturally good, no wonder my younger siblings like it so much."

Du Yunshan shook his head and smiled, but he didn't know that Shen Xingluo's views on today's political affairs were not inferior to him at all, and no one among the younger generations was invincible.

The Shen family's homemade mooncake gift box was delivered to the next door the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

On that day, Qin Zheng pulled Shen Xingluo out of the door early, and did not return to the alley courtyard until sunset, but he came over within a quarter of an hour after entering the door.

"Little sister-in-law, the moon cake gift box is also too delicious!"

At that time, Cheng Xi was watering in the yard with a watering can, and after a few days, the vegetable seeds sprouted one by one and broke through the soil, and they could be picked for cooking soon after.

The water is sprinkled in the soil along the watering can, and after soaking, it leaks out from under the wooden trough and flows down the two sides of the slot to the ground, so you don't have to worry about water accumulation.

Qin Zheng looked at it for a long time and was amazed, "If the water in the fields can also flow out, the people don't have to worry about floods anymore." ”

"What's so hard about that? It's nothing more than digging a few more ditches. ”

Cheng Xi turned around and put the empty watering can on the side, "I didn't expect you to be quite for the country and the people, if you become an official, you will definitely benefit the people." ”

"The Qin family is already flamboyant enough."

Qin Zheng smiled bitterly, the Qin family is the richest man in Dayan, there is an aunt who is a noble concubine in the palace, a fifth prince who can fight, and a princess who is about to die, which can be described as infinitely beautiful.

Behind the scenery, there is the covetousness of the royal family and the families.

Cheng Xi paused when he heard this, and stared at him for a long time thoughtfully.

"That's right!"

Qin Zheng finally remembered, "Little sister-in-law, can you give me a few more boxes of mooncakes?" ”

"Finished eating?"

No, she just sent it.

"I ate a few, and it was delicious, I just wanted to ask for a few boxes to honor my grandfather and grandmother."

Qin Zheng handed over the small wooden box in his arms, "These things are my usual collection, please play with my sister-in-law." ”

"Is this a thank you gift for mooncakes?"

"Yes, I don't know if my sister-in-law can look at it, if you have anything you want, I'll go and find it for you."

"No, you don't."

Cheng Xi pinched a piece of imperial green jade in the wooden box and sighed, "You are reluctant." ”

"My grandfather and grandmother treated me well, and I should honor them."

"You can take the things back, but a few boxes of mooncakes are worthless, how much do you want?"

"Six boxes."

"I'll send it to you early tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Where can Qin Zheng really take back the collection that was sent out, but Cheng Xi is not a person who takes people's favor, one dead or alive wants to send the other dead or alive, Shen Xingluo was speechless when he heard the news.

"Collect it and take it back, and send some good fabrics tomorrow."

"....... "Why didn't he think of it?"

"......." I don't like what I wear is not good-looking, right?

Because the yellow mud oven is so easy to use, it doesn't take much effort to make mooncakes.

Early the next morning, Cheng Xi sent Su Zhan to deliver the Qin family's six boxes of mooncakes to the next door, and then pulled Shen Xingqi out of the door.

"Everyone in the world knows that the capital is prosperous, and today we will see it."

A few days before Beijing, it was just a quick glimpse, where is it more enjoyable than experiencing it in person?

Not only Shen Xingqi was interested here, but even Cheng Xi was a little more interested, this was pure antiquity, and it was a scenery that she couldn't see in that era.

The three women turned out of the alley and walked through two intersections in succession to the main street of the capital.

Most of the shops on both sides of the main street are three-storey, and even two-storey buildings are very rare, which is enough to show how prosperous it is. Teahouses, restaurants, inns and pawnshops are lined with small traders and pedestrians, as well as rouge jewellery shops, embroidery shops, pastry shops and cloth shops frequented by women.

Cheng Xi took the two of them to patronize the family, just to understand the preferences of the women in the capital.

It has been an hour since the rouge shop, pastry shop and embroidery village were strolled down one by one, and Wangshu also had a few more packages on his hand.

Fortunately, after the snow disaster, Shen Xingluo would bring back some silver money for her in a few days, and she didn't have to worry about running out of silver one day.

As for where the money came from?

Cheng Xi really didn't know.

As long as financial freedom is achieved, it is enough.

"Hey, there's juggling here?"

A few people walked through the pedestrians to a space, and saw a few people come out in a circle to play high-altitude bowl throwing.