Chapter 16 "I drank fruit wine today, you think..."
Zhang Mingyue didn't believe her and asked suspiciously, "Just okay?"
Meng Yuanxiao thought of what she had just said. Back then, when Brother Tang was just bathing in the hot spring with someone, such rumors spread. Would what she said to Mingyue today also spread?
She felt it was still necessary to protect Tang-gege's reputation.
So after a moment's hesitation, she blushed and stammered, "Well, it's more like... a little better than 'okay'."
Zhang Mingyue burst out laughing upon hearing this.
Meng Yuanxiao regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. Seeing her laughing nonstop, he angrily pinched her arm.
Mingyue cried out in pain and only stopped laughing after she had finished.
Since Meng Yuanxiao rarely got out, the two of them didn't want to stay cooped up in the mansion. After informing Madam Feng, they went out to play together.
When they arrived at Xiaoyu Street, it was lunchtime. The two went into Zuiyue Tower, intending to have their meal before going out to play.
Following the waiter up to the second floor, just as they turned the corner of the stairs, Meng Yuanxiao caught a glimpse of a tall, slender figure in indigo blue entering the private room at the very end of the corridor.
She was taken aback.
Mingyue pulled her aside, "What are you daydreaming about?"
Meng Yuanxiao snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and followed Mingyue into the private room at the other end.
Before going in, she couldn't help but ask the waiter, "Who are the people in that private room at the very back?"
"I don't know either," the waiter said.
Meng Yuanxiao ate his lunch absentmindedly, his mind filled with the indigo figure from earlier.
That figure looks a lot like Brother Tang, but didn't he go to the yamen?
After finishing his meal, Meng Yuanxiao subconsciously glanced into the innermost private room. The door was closed, and he didn't know if the person inside was still there.
As they came out of the restaurant, Hongshao exclaimed, "Miss, doesn't that look like Qingzhu?"
Following these words, Meng Yuanxiao looked and saw a servant coming out of a cloth shop in the restaurant.
Judging from its figure and clothes, it does indeed resemble a green bamboo.
Just as Hongshao was about to call out to him, the man turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
Looking up again, the signboard of the cloth shop clearly read "Xinyun Cloth Shop".
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned for a moment, stood there thinking for a while, and then pulled Mingyue into the cloth shop.
As soon as I entered, a woman came to greet me.
The fabric shop was quite large, with all kinds of fabrics and ready-made clothes. Business was booming, but it was hard to tell anything about it.
Meng Yuanxiao glanced at her and said, "Sister, I'd like to buy a dress."
The ready-made clothes were hanging inside, and the woman led her to choose some. Not long after, someone else came in.
"Miss is back!"
The woman who spoke was from the cloth shop. Meng Yuanxiao was taken aback and turned to look outside.
The woman who entered was a few years older than her, wearing a lake-green jacket. She had a quiet and beautiful appearance and a slender and tall figure.
The young woman was followed by a waiter from the restaurant, carrying a food box. "Manager Yun, where would you like to deliver this?"
The young woman said, "Please take it to the backyard."
After saying that, she came over to Meng Yuanxiao and the woman, saying, "I think these two dishes of steamed silver fish and frog are quite good, so I asked someone to make an extra portion and send it over. I'll take care of things here, so you can go to the back and have dinner with Mother."
Steamed silverfish and frog are the signature dishes of Zuiyuelou Restaurant, which Meng Yuanxiao and Mingyue ordered earlier.
For some reason, the image of that indigo blue figure suddenly flashed through Meng Yuanxiao's mind.
The young woman's voice was soft and gentle, and the woman smiled and agreed, then went to the backyard.
The young woman smiled at Meng Yuanxiao, "Has Madam taken a fancy to anything?"
Meng Yuanxiao pointed to a piece of clothing and said, "I want that one."
After leaving the fabric shop, Meng Yuanxiao was somewhat dazed. After finishing her shopping, she hurriedly returned to the Meng residence.
When they arrived, Cui Xintang had already arrived and was talking to Meng Xu in the study.
She went straight into the study. Seeing her come in, Cui Xintang extended his hand to her and said with a smile, "You're back?"
He wore an indigo coat when he went out today, but now he has changed into a light blue coat.
Meng Yuanxiao frowned and asked, pursing her lips, "Brother Tang, where did you go today?"
With a stern face, and her question seemingly out of nowhere, Cui Xintang was taken aback and subconsciously exchanged a glance with Meng Xu.
Meng Xu found it somewhat amusing, "What are you doing?"
Meng Yuanxiao then remembered that her elder brother was still here, and her face flushed with embarrassment.
Cui Xintang stopped teasing her, got up and said "Let's go" to Meng Xu, then came over and took her hand to walk outside.
After leaving the study, Meng Yuanxiao asked, "Brother Tang, why have you changed your clothes?"
Cui Xintang looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected her to notice this.
He grunted, "When I was dining at Zuiyuelou, the waiter accidentally spilled soup on me, and my clothes got dirty. I sent Qingzhu to buy me a new one."
That explanation makes sense.
Meng Yuanxiao thought for a moment, then asked, "Who did you see today?"
Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then said, "Greetings, His Highness Prince Liang."
"..." Meng Yuanxiao was surprised.
Cui Xintang was always busy in the yamen, which was related to the new policies promoted by the Princess, something she knew about.
Although she was unfamiliar with court affairs, she knew that the Prince of Liang and the Princess were not on good terms.
Why would Brother Tang go to see the King of Liang?
Perhaps because she looked too surprised, Cui Xintang glanced at her and explained, "It is Prince Liang who wants to see me, not me who goes to see him."
Having said that, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Want to ask something else?"
Meng Yuanxiao felt embarrassed and pursed her lips, remaining silent.
*
Before we knew it, it was the end of the month.
Since Cui Xintang spoke to Madam Wu that day, Madam Wu has indeed relaxed her control over Meng Yuanxiao.
Once Meng Yuanxiao relaxed, he became as joyful as a bird that had suddenly broken free from its restraints.
Aside from frequently learning household management from Madam Chen and occasionally meeting with the managers of the shops and estates with her mother-in-law, she would spend the rest of her time going out to eat and drink with Mingyue, which was very enjoyable.
Perhaps because she had too much free time, she had a dream that night.
In her dream, Cui Xintang, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, stood with his back to her in front of the bridal bed, holding a steelyard in his hand, and gently lifted the veil from the bride's head.
The bridal veil was lifted, and the bride's face was blurred and unclear; it was definitely not her.
She stood there dumbfounded, watching as the bride on the bed covered her mouth and giggled a few times. The sleeve of her red wedding dress slipped down, revealing a section of her fair wrist with a jade bracelet hanging on it.
“Cui Lang and I were engaged long ago. If it weren’t for that incident back then, we would have been married long ago, and our child could call you sister.”
"Cui Lang married you because of me. You're naive and easily fooled, that's why he married you. Otherwise, why do you think he would suddenly want to marry you?"
Could it really be because I like you?
Meng Yuanxiao was so angry that he woke up abruptly. When he sat up in bed, his forehead was covered in sweat.
She felt like she had gone mad, having such an absurd dream after listening to Qin's instigation and Hui Niang's affair.
She had never even met the older sister whom her brother Tang had been engaged to before; she didn't know where the woman had been exiled to, yet she could still dream about that older sister.
It was already broad daylight, and Cui Xintang had long since left for his official duties. Meng Yuanxiao glanced at the empty space beside him, feeling rather bored.
That's so pathetic.
Hearing the noise, Hongshao knocked on the door and came in. She lifted the bed curtains and saw that the young lady was covered in sweat. She asked in surprise, "Miss, what's wrong?"
After saying that, he took a handkerchief and wiped her sweat.
Meng Yuanxiao's face flushed red. "Has Sister Chen arrived?"
She must have been slacking off these past few days and her brain has gotten messed up from being so idle.
“No,” Hongshao said, increasingly puzzled. “Miss, weren’t you the last person who wanted Madam Chen to come?”
Meng Yuanxiao said, "Go and invite Sister Chen over later."
She suddenly became very diligent, which surprised not only Hongshao but also Chen.
After seeing Chen off, Hongshao ran over excitedly and said, "Miss, the bookstore sent word that all the paintings you consigned there have been bought, and they want you to come and settle the accounts!"
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned. She had wanted to know how her paintings were doing, and she also thought it would be fun, so she secretly picked out a few of her paintings and sent them to the bookstore, asking the bookstore to sell them on her behalf.
I hadn't paid any attention to it at first, but they were all sold out?
She was both surprised and delighted, and immediately sent someone to inform her mother-in-law before taking Hongshao out.
Upon arriving at the bookstore, the shopkeeper handed over the account book with a smile.
Meng Yuanxiao initially handed over four paintings and one fan painting to the bookstore, which sold for a total of thirty-five taels.
As agreed, the bookstore's fee was five taels, and Meng Yuanxiao's was thirty taels.
Moreover, one painting even sold for a high price of fifteen taels of silver.
Meng Yuanxiao flipped through the account books, beaming with delight. "Shopkeeper, do you know which people bought my paintings?"
That's really an excellent eye.
"I can't quite remember," the shopkeeper said. "But I do remember that the fan you sent was bought by the second young master of the Lu family."
"Lu Erlang?" Meng Yuanxiao asked in surprise.
"Indeed. Young Master Lu is a frequent visitor to our shop. The other day he came to buy books, but ended up buying a fan instead."
Meng Yuanxiao had spent time with Lu Erlang several times, and Lu Erlang had seen her paintings, so it was not impossible that he could recognize her.
She didn't think much about it; as long as she got the money, that was all that mattered.
Emerging from the bookstore, Meng Yuanxiao was overjoyed with the silver in her hands. She immediately took a carriage back to her residence and sent invitations to her girlfriends, inviting them to dine at a restaurant.
The next day, when they arrived at the restaurant, Meng Yuanxiao was very generous, ordering all the expensive dishes and even serving several jugs of the most expensive fruit wine.
Thirty taels of silver wasn't enough; we had to add another ten taels to make it.
When it came time to pay the bill, Meng Yuanxiao felt a pang of regret, thinking that he would definitely make it up to Tang-gege when he got back.
After a hearty meal and drinks, the young ladies played together until late afternoon. Back at the Cui residence, Cui Xintang's carriage had already returned.
Meng Yuanxiao's eyes lit up, "Brother Tang is back?"
"Reporting to the young mistress, the eldest young master has just returned," the gatekeeper said.
Meng Yuanxiao immediately ran to the study, but found no one there, so he went to the backyard.
Back in the room, Cui Xintang had already changed his clothes and was leaning against the wooden couch, holding a letter in his hand and lighting it over the silver lamp.
He was handsome, dressed in a moon-white robe, his long hair cascading down his back. His profile was fair and jade-like, with a high nose bridge and superior bone structure.
According to Meng Yuanxiao, there was no man in the capital city more handsome than her brother Tang.
Meng Yuanxiao hadn't spoken to him properly for several days, and upon seeing him, she didn't even bother to wash her hands before running towards him.
The letter burned out just as Cui Xintang caught her, letting her playfully tumble around on him, and asked with a smile, "Have you been drinking?"
"Hmm." Meng Yuanxiao raised her head in his arms, turning to look at the ashes on the burnt-out silver lamp. "Brother Tang, what is that?"
“A letter from my father,” Cui Xintang said.
Why burn the letter from my father-in-law?
Meng Yuanxiao was puzzled but didn't think too much about it. Although she had only drunk a little wine, she had a low alcohol tolerance.
Perhaps it was the aftereffects of the wine taking effect, but the Tang brother in front of me suddenly matched the Tang brother in my dream, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, lifting up someone else's wedding veil.
Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips, shook her head, and banished the image of her beloved Tang-gege in his wedding attire from her mind.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes were moist, filled with a mixture of grievance and excitement.
"Brother Tang, I drank some fruit wine today, it was so sweet, would you like to try some?"
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