Chapter 89: Admitting Mistakes (Part 2)

Cui Xi brought two bowls of tea, placed them in front of Xu Junying and Mei Niang respectively, and then stepped aside.

There were two identical white porcelain blue-and-white covered bowls. Xu Junying watched Mei Niang open the lid and saw emerald green tea soup. He also opened his own tea bowl and saw amber tea soup. He was stunned for a moment:

“Why isn’t it the same tea?”

Mei Niang was holding a sip of tea in her mouth, and before she could answer, Cui Xi quickly responded: "The Lord drinks black tea, and the Grandma drinks green tea."

Xu Junying said: "I don't drink black tea, give me green tea"

Mei Niang swallowed the tea and asked, "Why does Lord Hou dislike black tea and only like green tea?"

Xu Junying glanced at her and said, "Green tea clears away heat. I only drink green tea."

Mei Niang covered the tea bowl and said to him, "I asked Cui Xi to get you black tea. Black tea is warm in nature, can dispel coldness and warm the stomach. If you don't like it, you can slowly get used to it. Once you get used to it, it will be fine. Green tea is cool in nature, can clear away heat, so..."

She was going to say: With your current stomach condition, you shouldn't drink often. But then she thought, this might not be the right thing to say. Xu Junying wasn't too sensitive, but no man would be willing to admit that he had a bad constitution, right? He got drunk so many times, and he looked strong and healthy, but his stomach was in a worrying condition. She had to remind him to ask his old friends Lingxuzi and Zhang Jingyun to take his pulse and check his body. He was not a bad person, so he shouldn't ruin his body at such a young age. This was also a kind gesture.

Seeing that Xu Junying was waiting for the next words, he continued, "During those years when Lord Hou was fighting at the border, his diet was irregular, and the temperature was unstable, which hurt his stomach... In fact, black tea is more suitable for you. Green tea should also be fine, but it's best not to drink it when you are hungry... I don't quite understand this. Lord Hou's friends, Lingxuzi and Zhang Jingyun, are not good at medicine? See them on the second day and let them examine you. They will always tell Lord Hou some dietary taboos."

Xu Junying looked at her: "Lingxuzi and Zhang Jingyun, do you still remember them?"

Did you see anything? Mei Niang saw that Xu Junying had a strange expression, so she lowered her eyes guiltily.

"I...I have always wanted to ask them to diagnose my brother."

Was she blaming herself for stopping that thing and extinguishing her hope? Xu Junying picked up the tea bowl and drank tea: "Isn't your brother better?"

"Thanks to Lord Hou, my sister-in-law invited a famous doctor to cure my brother."

Xu Junying raised an eyebrow: "You, have you met your brother and sister-in-law?"

"No, I was really worried. I asked Cuixi to go back after the New Year to check on her. Cuixi told me this when she came back."

She glanced at Cui Xi, and Cui Xi gave her a knowing look and lowered her head.

Xu Junying remained silent, and Mei Niang didn't dare to say anything more, as it would be bad if she let something slip.

In silence, perhaps feeling uncomfortable with the silence, Xu Junying frowned and scolded: "What's wrong with your dizziness? You got it when you were fine, and it's gone in the blink of an eye. You even dared to take the old lady's medicine and deceive the elders."

Mei Niang looked away: "I didn't, I didn't dare to lie to the old lady, I just wanted to try her medicine to see what effect it has. It really works. I was fine after taking it when I came back."

Xu Junying snorted, "They are all pills from the palace. I gave two boxes to the old lady before, and I brought back a new box a few days ago. Didn't the little girl give it to you?"

Mei Niang lowered her head: "You mean the medicine that Cheng'er gave me... Well, I didn't get sick after I got it, so I didn't take it. I didn't know it was the same as the old lady's medicine."

He ordered Cui Si, who had been standing beside him like a wooden man, "Go get that box of medicine and show it to Lord Hou."

“No need”

Xu Junying said impatiently: "If you are sick, you should get treatment. You lie down every other day and don't go to Jinhua Hall to take care of things. But you let the old lady worry about you. What is that? You are..."

He didn't say the three words "eldest grandson's wife". He paused for a while, then jumped over and said, "And the few words you and your servant just said are not only rude, but also - treasonous. You must remember this: control yourself, and also control the people around you. If you keep talking nonsense like that..."

Mei Niang admitted her mistake again: "I dare not do that anymore. We never say such rude words, but I don't know what happened tonight..."

Cheng'er's crisp voice came from outside the door: "Where are the people? Where did they go?"

Ping Er shouted, "Is there anyone breathing? Come out and squeak!"

Lively, innocent, and confident, these are the two little girls that I usually pamper. I like their innocence and straightforwardness. Let's run into the trap together tonight.

Mei Niang bit her lip and lowered her head over the tea bowl. Cui Xi and Cui Si knelt down and bowed to the two of them at the same time, then ran out quickly. There was a sound of a door opening, and Cui Lian ran out from the next room, lowering her voice and mumbling something. Cui Xi and Cui Si joined in, and then a little girl let out a soft "ah", probably because she was pinched.

Xu Junying said: "You can't teach the little girl, and Wang's mother doesn't seem to be able to help either. Let's find someone capable to teach her and bring her in tomorrow."

Mei Niang took a while to answer: "It all depends on you, Lord Hou."

I have made up my mind. Come on, let's see who will teach whom. The grandmother in charge is not a pushover. She will find someone who made a mistake and send him away. If you dare to complain, you will be punished and it will be inconvenient for you to walk.

Xu Junying looked at Mei Niang. She sat upright, quiet and gentle, with her eyelids drooping. Her thick and long eyelashes covered her lively eyes. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking from her face.

Cui Xi and Cui Lian brought in food boxes, but Cui Si was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone to teach the little girls a lesson. Leaving the two little girls to Cui Si would be like sending sheep into a tiger's mouth. Tomorrow, there will definitely be a few pinch marks on the backs of Cheng'er and Ping'er's white and tender hands.

Cui Xi said, "Master Hou, Grandma, you had dinner too early. You must be hungry. How about some snacks?"

Mei Niang said nothing, hoping that Xu Junying would say: I'm not hungry. Then he stood up and said goodbye and left.

Unexpectedly, Xu Junying pointed at the round table and told Cuixi: "Put it over there."

Cui Xi laid out the steaming, fragrant and tempting dishes and snacks one by one, including West Lake vinegar fish, Yangzhou lion head, Kung Pao chicken, stir-fried lamb with green onions, Mapo tofu, stir-fried vegetables, a plate of steamed dumplings, two plates of pancakes in different styles, a small casserole of fragrant rice, and finally what she took out was a brass pot.

Cui Xi said: "This is bone soup."

Mei Niang was already starving. Looking at the table full of dishes, her eyes were dazzled. She asked Xu Junying uncertainly, "Does Lord Hou want to eat something too?"

Xu Junying said "hmm", Cuilian brought hot water over, Mei Niang said: "Serve the master, I will go in and wash myself"

Xu Junying watched Mei Niang walk into the inner room and asked Cui Lian: "Does your grandma always have to eat something before going to bed at night?"

Cui Lian replied: "To reply to Lord Hou: Grandma doesn't often eat at night."

She would never tell Master Hou: After grandma sorted out the account books every night, she always had to eat something before she could fall asleep. In the kitchen, Aunt Cai prepared midnight snacks, stewed soup, or steamed a dish of dim sum, waiting for Cheng'er to take it.

Xu Junying didn't believe Cui Lian's words either. He had always been unwilling to easily trust the people in Mei Niang's room and knew it was useless to ask.

Mei Niang washed her hands and came out, then walked to the table and sat opposite Xu Junying. Cui Xi served them both a bowl of soup. Mei Niang took a sip and said with a smile:

"It's delicious, drink it while it's hot, sir."

Xu Junying said: "If we cook so many dishes and can't finish them, isn't it a waste?"

Mei Niang nodded and said seriously: "Yes, it's not good to waste it. Cui Xi and Cui Lian, share half of the soup. Lord Hou ate too much for dinner, and he probably won't eat anything but soup. Take the tofu, mutton, lion's head, pancakes, and dumplings. Call Cheng'er and the others to eat in the other room. We don't need to serve you here, just come and clean the table later."

Cui Xi glanced at Xu Junying and hesitated. Xu Junying said, "Go ahead. I want to talk to your grandma."

Cui Xi used a large bowl to divide half of the bone soup and took it to the next room. Cui Lian put the dishes back into the lunch box. Just as she picked up the plate of dumplings, Mei Niang said, "Wait, I want a dumpling."

Cui Lian said: "Grandma likes it, so leave it here."

Mei Niang smiled and said, "One is enough. I ate one at dinner."

Cui Lian picked up a dumpling with chopsticks and put it in her bowl. Mei Niang picked it up and took a bite. Cui Lian looked at it and said happily:

"It's red dates stuffing, so grandma will have good luck."

Mei Niang thought of Xu Xiaomin's words, shook her head and said, "This is yours because you brought it to me."

Cui Lian smiled and said: "I just listened to grandma and picked one at random. It's grandma's luck."

The two argued, and Xu Junying said, "I want one too."

Mei Niang was startled: "Master Hou, you have already eaten dinner. You will get sick of this if you eat too much."

There are only eight pieces in a plate, and he wants one too, otherwise there won’t be enough to share with the others later.

Xu Junying picked up the chopsticks and said, "I didn't eat dinner. The dishes didn't suit my appetite. I only ate half a bowl of rice."

Mei Niang had no choice but to leave the lion's head and asked Cui Lian to serve a bowl of rice to each person and took away the casserole of rice.

Cui Lian took the lunch box and left. The two ate in silence. Mei Niang liked spicy food and only ate Kung Pao Chicken and vegetarian dishes. Xu Junying only ate lion head and vegetarian dishes. The fish was not touched. Mei Niang pushed the fish in front of Xu Junying and said:

"This is delicious, eat more, sir."

Xu Junying pushed back: "I don't like fish."

Mei Niang pursed her lips and smiled. Fools who don’t like to eat fish usually had a fish bone stuck in their throat when they were young, which left a psychological trauma.

He picked the fish meat and ate it, saying: "This fish is really good and delicious. It must be a Qingjiang fish caught today."

After hearing this, Xu Junying also picked up a piece of rice with chopsticks, put it into his mouth and chewed it, and asked, "Qingjiang? Which river is called Qingjiang?"

Mei Niang was busy picking fish bones and answered casually: "Isn't there a river outside the city called Qingjiang? Hasn't your Majesty heard of it?"

"There are three or four rivers outside the city, but I have never heard of one called Qingjiang."

Xu Junying still thinks the lion head is delicious. It is the first time he has eaten such delicious meat dumplings.

Who knows which river is called Qingjiang? It's just a random name. Mei Niang continued to deal with the fish. She ate half of the fish, which weighed more than a pound. Xu Junying was stunned when he saw the fish bones that had been removed cleanly.

A bowl of soup, a bowl of rice, half a plate of Kung Pao Chicken, half a fish, and half a vegetarian dish. How can she eat so much?

In the old lady's room, she would always just drink two sips of soup and eat a few bites of vegetables before she would complain of being full.

It turned out to be all an illusion. He returned to his room, had someone prepare delicious food and soup, and ate and drank to his heart's content behind closed doors.

Xu Junying tapped the empty plate with his chopsticks and asked, "Who made this meat dumpling?"

Mei Niang laughed: "This is called Lion's Head, a famous Huaiyang dish. I just found the recipe and asked the kitchen to learn how to make it."

Xu Junying said: "This is good. Let's have someone make it for the old lady and the wife to try tomorrow."

"Okay, let's learn how to make it now. Once they get the hang of the heat, we can serve it."

Mei Niang thought that this man was truly a filial child. Whenever he ate something delicious, he would think of his family. Unfortunately, those people at home might not always consider him.

In her previous life, she had eaten many kinds of delicious dishes. After running Xiankelai, she slowly thought about it and wrote down a dozen dishes. She handed them over to the Xiankelai kitchen and asked the chefs to think about how to make them. Because the names of the dishes were unique, elegant and interesting, the ingredients were fresh and high-quality, and the chefs made them attentively, the taste was pure and delicious, and they were very popular with customers. Among them, Yangzhou Lion Head was the most famous. After eating it, many Yangzhou customers chased Lu Xiangfeng and asked: Why is it called Yangzhou Lion Head? Is it from Yangzhou? But they have never seen this dish in the restaurants in their hometown.

Mei Niang had no way to explain it, so she just smiled. Who would bother to find out where this dish came from? Anyway, it is called Yangzhou Lion Head.

She brought back a few lion heads from the cyclamen and gave them to Mother Cai to eat. She told her what ingredients to use, and Mother Cai learned to make them, and surprisingly she made them very well. She asked Mother Cai to learn to make lion heads just so that Ning Rulan and Heng'er could eat them anytime. Ning Rulan loved meatballs, and Heng'er's teeth had not grown fully, so he needed to eat meat to grow. This delicious lion head could improve their taste.

Mei Niang asked Xu Junying: "Didn't Lord Hou say he had something to tell me?"

Xu Junying took out a card from his sleeve and handed it to her: "Tomorrow the Duke Dingguo's mansion will hold a banquet for guests. The Duke Dingguo personally gave me the card today and insisted that you attend the banquet."

Tomorrow? Grandma finally pretended to be sick and coaxed Ning Rulan to go to Ziyuntang to serve as a director tomorrow morning. She was just about to sneak out of the house, but how come such a mess happened?

Mei Niang held her forehead and said, "I feel a little dizzy. I don't know if I can get up tomorrow."

Xu Junying said: "Take a pill before going to bed tonight, and you will be fine."

Mei Niang looked at him strangely: "Didn't the Lord say that I can't just accept other people's invitations casually?"

"I'll take you there and pick you up in the afternoon."

That is to say, he let her go to the flower party alone and he did not participate.

Xu Junying did not expect that Duke Dingguo would bring the letter directly to the court. After the court was dismissed, he chased him, stuffed the letter into his hand, and said with a smile: "My wife said: the letter must be handed over to the Marquis of Weiyuan in person. If the Marquis of Weiyuan does not come, she will drive a carriage into the mansion to arrest people."

He was somewhat helpless. Qin Mei Niang took the initiative in everything. From her resurrection to now, she had quickly occupied several positions. His original intention of restraining her and hiding her away was being changed.