Chapter 64 The New Year's Eve Dinner at Songhe Hall
When they came out of the main courtyard, Weijia told Ajiu to go ahead and go back to inform Ayi.
Ayi was a maid who entered the manor at the same time as Weijia and Ajiu. She was fifteen years old, slightly older than most. However, she was known for her composure and thoroughness. She had been promoted by Weijia to assist her earlier. Usually, when Weijia and Granny Fang were not around, Ayi was in charge of managing Songhe Hall.
When Min Qiao returned to Songhe Hall, Ayi had just finished setting the New Year's Eve dinner prepared for her on the table.
During the day, Wei Jia had instructed the small kitchen to prepare a New Year's Eve dinner for Min Qiao Shi.
It wasn't that Wei Jia foresaw something going wrong at the main courtyard, but rather that she anticipated Min Qiaoshi wouldn't be eating well there.
There was no way around it; Madam Min's appetite had been spoiled by the small kitchen in Songhe Hall. Not only could Madam Min not stomach the food prepared in the main kitchen, but even the maids in Songhe Hall didn't like it.
Moreover, after the poisoning incident in the main kitchen, everyone at Songhetang kept their distance from anything from it.
The New Year's Eve dinner at Songhetang was set up in the West Warm Pavilion.
The warm room was cozy and cozy, and the New Year's Eve dinner, laid out on a large round table, was steaming and emitting an enticing aroma.
A dozen or so girls, big and small, were smiling and gathered around.
"Madam, are you hungry? Please sit down and have something to eat."
"Madam, are you bored? I can sing a song, shall I sing one for you?"
"Oh dear, what kind of singing is that? Aren't you afraid of frightening the Old Madam? Let Sister Shuang read to the Old Madam instead!"
“Yes, yes, let Sister Shuang read the picture book to the Grand Madam! We can listen together too.”
...
Everyone was talking at once, without any regard for seniority or hierarchy. They all seemed afraid that the warm pavilion would be too quiet, chattering incessantly.
Wei Jia raised her hand to stop the noise, helped Min Qiaoshi sit down, and then said with a smile, "Madam, everyone is worried that it will be too lonely for you to eat New Year's Eve dinner alone. Why don't you let them keep you company and talk to you to keep you company?"
"You want them to keep me company and keep me entertained?" Madam Min glared at Wei Jia with annoyance. "I'm sitting while they're standing? I'm eating while they're watching?"
"Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, how could you even think of that!"
Then, he directly instructed everyone, "Alright, everyone stop standing. The warm pavilion is big enough, so let's set up a few more tables and everyone can take a seat together. Today, we, the people of Songhe Hall, are having a reunion for the New Year and staying up all night together."
Everyone was taken aback.
Wei Jia was the first to react, and she quickly instructed everyone to move tables and chairs or serve dishes.
Before long, three more tables were set up in the warm pavilion, forming a protective arrangement with Min Qiao's table.
The dishes laid out on the three tables included fish, meat, chicken, and duck—a very lavish spread. But it still couldn't compare to the feast laid out on Min Qiao's table.
Madam Min Qiao glanced at the maids surrounding the three tables, then at her own lonely table, and glared at them, saying, "You all have quite a lively gathering, but I'm all alone at my table! Come over here and sit with me."
The crowd looked at each other, none of them daring to go over.
Being able to sit in the same room and eat with the Grand Madam is already an overstepping of bounds; how dare I eat at the same table with her?
Everyone looked at Wei Jia with pleading expressions.
Before Wei Jia could speak, A Jiu had already carried her bowl past everyone and was the first to run to Min Qiao's table.
Madam Min Qiao looked at Ajiu with a smile and sincerely praised, "Ajiu is still the most lovable."
Ajiu nodded very seriously, and then said in an extremely sincere tone, "The Grand Madam is the best Grand Madam in the world!"
Madam Min was secretly pleased. It turned out that Ajiu was not only skilled in martial arts, but also very eloquent. Hmm, she would train him well, and after Weijia got married in a few years, she would let Ajiu take over Weijia's position.
While Madam Min was planning Ah Jiu's future, Ah Jiu's eyes darted back and forth among the various delicacies on the table.
With Ajiu taking the lead, Weijia no longer hesitated and moved to Min Qiaoshi's table with Ayi, A Shuang, and Aqi.
Madam Min looked at the group of people Wei Jia had brought; they were among the most outstanding of this batch of people.
Ayi is meticulous in her work and has already begun to assist Weijia in managing Songhetang.
Ah Shuang is in charge of reading to her; she's a very ambitious person. It's said she's even learning storytelling from a storyteller at a teahouse, hoping to make her readings less hypnotic.
Actually, Madam Min didn't care how well Ah Shuang studied. As long as the meaning was there, that was enough.
What truly drew her attention to A Shuang was A Shuang's offer to use her spare time to teach the illiterate maids at Songhetang to read.
With this attitude and awareness, Madam Min should remember this maid and give her the position of a first-class maid.
The last one, Aqi, is only ten years old, but she is already a first-class maid in Songhe Hall who can handle things on her own.
Speaking of which, Aqi is the most distinctive of all the maids in Songhe Hall!
Her most prominent trait is that she's stingy!
Ah-Chi is in charge of tea, so he is also responsible for managing the tea at Songhetang.
Aqi may not be able to tell the difference between good and bad tea, but that doesn't stop her from remembering the different prices of all the teas!
Since taking on this job, Aqi has visited every tea shop in the capital, big and small, and memorized the prices of all kinds of tea.
After returning home, I checked the prices one by one and categorized Songhetang's tea into different grades.
Different people are served different teas. Moreover, the amount of tea leaves used in each cup is precisely measured, down to the almost identical number of leaves. Anyone who manages to drink even one extra tea leaf loses!
Therefore, Ah Qi's speed in serving tea was comparable to that of a snail.
Many times, the guests have already left, but she still hasn't served the tea.
Several times, Wei Jia would run over to question her about what was going on after the guests left.
But it turned out that the girl was still counting the tea leaves and hadn't even brewed the tea yet!
Wei Jia was so angry she almost fainted.
But Ah Qi said, "Madam's tea is so expensive, wouldn't it be a waste to give it to outsiders?"
Besides, the Dowager Madam doesn't like being disturbed. If visitors don't even get a cup of tea, they certainly won't stay long. If they never get tea, they'll understand that the Dowager Madam doesn't want to be bothered, and maybe they won't come anymore! That way, the Dowager Madam can have some peace and quiet!
Wei Jia was furious at these fallacies and heresies. But Min Qiao Shi, upon hearing A Qi's sophistry, found it quite reasonable.
From then on, almost 90% of the people who came to Songhetang never got to drink Min Qiao's tea.
Of course, Ah Qi's stinginess was directed at outsiders. When Madam Min wanted tea, Ah Qi served it quickly and frequently. If she wanted West Lake Longjing tea, she would never serve Junshan Yinzhen. Her main focus was precise service.
Anyway, Madam Min really liked this girl. She had personality, was lively, and knew how to read the room!
Others might not have noticed, but Madam Min Qiao observed that whenever someone she favored visited, Aqi served tea with lightning speed. For example, Madam Zheng.
She didn't want to deal with people who came to her door, so Ah Qi served tea at a snail's pace. Whether or not someone got tea depended entirely on how long they stayed at Songhetang. For example, Yang Shi, Lin Shi, and Min Yuexi.
For those whom Madam Min Qiao completely disliked, Aqi wouldn't serve tea at all. For example: Madam An'nan, Madam Wang Zhang, Madam Wu, Min Rong, Min Hui... Ever since Aqi took charge of the tea service, none of these people had ever tasted Songhetang's tea.
Madam Min Qiao has no ambitions now; she just wants to eat, drink, and have fun, doing whatever she pleases. She also believes it's good that the maids around her each have their own personalities. Therefore, she's quite happy to indulge Aqi's unrestrained behavior.
More than twenty people, including the master and servants of Songhetang, ate a lively reunion dinner. After cleaning up the table, they set out tea and snacks again, listened to Ashuang tell stories, and listened to Asi sing songs. They stayed up all night together in a lively atmosphere.
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