Chapter 13 Sending and opening red envelopes

Chen Jingyan listened to the old ancestor's words, and then took the opportunity to jokingly tell her that the military camp affairs were busy and they could talk about it when they were not busy.

But the ancestors would never let him drag on like this.

The old ancestor was about to say something when she heard singing again on the stage. The singing was so cheerful that the old lady's attention was also attracted.

The matter of urging marriage was put to rest.

Halfway through dinner, the old lady began to feel tired and sleepy, so she called a few of her grandchildren over, said some festive words, and gave each of them a big red envelope.

Then he stood up.

"I'm old and can't stand it anymore. You guys continue playing, I'm going back to my room to lie down."

When the old lady stood up, she saw the table sitting in the corner, and her eyes immediately fell on Yun Qiao, who was dressed simply.

"Go check the backyard tonight, and don't make me unhappy..."

Chen Jingyan followed the old lady's gaze and saw a little gray quail eating heartily among the flowers.

To be honest, the food for a concubine is really average, mostly vegetarian dishes. Yun Qiao feels like she is almost turning into a little white rabbit. Others are getting plumper, but she is getting thinner. However, today's New Year's Eve dinner is quite sumptuous.

Although they are concubines, the ingredients on their table are all top-notch.

Especially this pot of food.

There are abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber, scallop and extremely rare beef, as well as chicken, duck, goose and fried spare ribs, neatly arranged in a bowl.

There are naturally other options besides the hot pot.

There are a total of eighteen dishes, including both meat and vegetables, not including pastries.

In short, every dish was delicious and touched Yunqiao's heart, and she liked them very much.

While everyone was staring at the stage watching the show, she did not forget to eat a few more bites.

She had a poor appetite this morning, but she even ate two pieces of hawthorn on purpose. Now her appetite has been stimulated, and she ate a lot of meat, even finishing the dish of cold-mixed cabbage hearts in front of her.

Fang Jia, who was sitting next to Yun Qiao, nudged her with her elbow and whispered, "Sister Qiao, please stop eating. The old lady has left..."

Yun Qiao quickly ate a piece of pork ribs. The ribs were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and tasted fragrant but not greasy. There was also a layer of cooked sesame seeds on the outside of the ribs. Yun Qiao couldn't help but eat a few more pieces.

Hearing Fang Jia's words, Yun Qiao said, "I'll finish eating right away."

"You're so skinny, why don't you eat more?"

Fang Jia's eyes flickered. She wanted to eat a few more bites, but seeing that the people around her ate so little, she felt embarrassed to keep picking up food.

Sister Qiao was really not polite and ate with relish.

She really envied Sister Qiao's good attitude.

So many people were staring at them, especially the old lady, who glanced at them when she left. She felt a little uneasy.

She was afraid that the old lady would focus on her.

Everyone thought that the Marquis had gone to her room for one night, but how could outsiders know that the Marquis had done nothing after going to her room. He even asked her to cut her palm and stain the white cloth with blood. Even if she didn't understand, she knew what the Marquis meant.

He simply looked down on her.

To be honest, she didn't like the Marquis either. The Marquis was very outstanding, but he was ruthless and loveless to her. Why did she love him so much?

She was certainly not like Sister Mei. She didn't say it, but her eyes and eyebrows showed her admiration for the Marquis.

Yun Qiao quickly finished the food in front of her, looked up, and saw Fang Jia staring at her. She quickly picked up a handkerchief and wiped the corner of her mouth.

"It must be because I ate too unrefinedly and made Sister Fang Jia laugh at me."

"No, you're eating with relish. Seeing you eating with such gusto, I'm getting hungry too..."

Yun Qiao wiped the corner of her mouth and saw that the fruits on the table were not finished. Thinking that Xiao Tao had not eaten yet, she quietly picked up two big red apples, as well as some rare southern fruits such as oranges and grapefruits. The grapefruits were too big to hold in her mouth, but the oranges were okay.

Yun Qiao quietly stuffed the apples and oranges into her sleeves and pinched a few pieces of cake.

This year, the pastries for the New Year's Eve dinner at the Marquis' Mansion were prepared by a former imperial chef from the imperial kitchen. The golden shrimp rolls were especially delicious. There was a plate of eight of them on each table.

Yun Qiao ate three herself and took two away.

Chen Jingyan was standing at a distance looking at the table of his concubines. When he saw the only concubine who was wearing a gray robe that looked like a Taoist robe, he saw that she was not only eating and drinking by herself, but also stuffing things into her sleeves.

Is it possible that there is such a shortage of food and drink in the inner quarters of his mansion?

However, Chen Jingyan remembered the woman in the gray Taoist robe.

In the evening he returned to the main courtyard, thinking over and over again, with his grandmother's words flashing in his mind.

If he didn't go to the backyard tonight, he was afraid that his grandmother would be unhappy if she knew about it tomorrow morning. His grandmother was old, and he couldn't always make her unhappy, so he got up.

The attendants who were serving him immediately lit the lamps and came forward.

"My Lord..."

"To the backyard."

The attendant held the lamp and walked towards the backyard.

Yun Qiao came back to Xiaoxiang Garden with all the sisters. Cheng Danmei was the first one to arrive in Xiaoxiang Garden and was also the oldest. She was the big sister here and everyone listened to her.

"Everyone is tired tonight, so let's not gather today. Let's choose a day when the Marquis' Mansion is less busy and have a small gathering in Xiaoxiang Garden."

"I'll give everyone a red envelope. I'm afraid I'll be up late tomorrow morning, so you don't have to come."

Cheng Danmei said this clearly.

Red envelopes are usually given early in the morning, but some people like to give them earlier.

Our ancestors would give money on New Year’s Eve every year, and would give another one the next morning. The reason was simply to encourage people to do good deeds and have a festive occasion.

Cheng Danmei was in poor health and rarely got up early in the morning.

The people below accepted the red envelopes given by Cheng Danmei and said Happy New Year with a smile.

He urged Cheng Danmei to go back to her room and lie down.

Yun Qiao is three months older than Fang Jia, so she is also an older sister. Apart from giving a red envelope to Fang Jia, she received all the other red envelopes from others.

As an older sister, it is the one who gives out red envelopes.

After returning to the house, Yun Qiao leaned back on the soft couch. She had just eaten too much. The New Year's Eve dinner in the Marquis' Mansion was really sumptuous. She thought about how she had lived in the Chen family for nearly ten years and had never eaten any good food. The most sumptuous meal was when she was twelve years old. Someone gave her a piece of Jinhua ham, and she shared some of it.

I ate a little too much today and drank a little too much.

There were six kinds of wine on the New Year’s Eve dinner table.

Peach blossom wine, apricot blossom wine, hibiscus fragrance, daughter red wine, apricot sake, and sauce-flavored liquor.

Yun Qiao naturally didn't like drinking, but since several sisters were drinking, she drank some too. Especially the peach blossom wine, which had a fragrant taste, sweet taste, and a pink color. It looked harmless to humans and animals, but who knew that after drinking it, it would have such a strong aftereffect.