I heard that the lady would go to the Huguo Temple to hold a religious ceremony on the fourth day of August, and that all the masters, ladies and daughters of each room would accompany her, so the maids and old women were all quite excited.
Such an opportunity is really rare.
Everyone rushed to serve. When the people were chosen, the chosen ones were very excited, rummaging through boxes and cabinets to find clothes, and discussing how to style their hair and what jewelry to wear; while the unchosen ones were inevitably a little listless, and made some sarcastic remarks on the side.
Yanrong took the initiative to stay in Shiyi Niang's room.
"The ones left behind are a few ignorant little maids. They need someone to help look after them!" As she spoke, her eyes looked towards the east courtyard.
Eleventh Lady was moved.
This Yan Rong is not simple.
Whenever she encountered something that offended people and was not pleasing, she not only did not avoid it, but faced it head-on. Speaking of the several maids in her house, everyone thought that Amber was powerful, Zhuxiang was easy-going, Luyun was honest, Hongxiu was cowardly, and Yanrong was cold and indifferent. At this moment, Shiyi Niang vaguely understood what Yanrong meant.
She was originally left behind by Yuanniang, without any background, but she stayed with Shiyi Niang by chance. She didn't have the affection between her and Amber and Zhuxiang, nor the luck that Luyun and Hongxiu had. If she wanted to stand out, she had to take a different path.
Yan Rong has honed himself into a knife, and it is a knife that he feels fits in his hand.
"Then you can stay!" Eleventh Lady looked at her with admiration.
Not everyone can survive from a desperate situation in the workplace.
Yanrong was neither surprised nor happy. He bent his knees respectfully and quietly stepped aside.
Eleventh Lady went to Xu Sijie.
"The weather is cold in the morning and evening. Did you bring a cloak?" She looked at the things Nan Yong's wife prepared for the trip.
"I brought them." Nan Yong's wife followed two steps behind her, lowering her eyebrows and saying graciously, "I brought the teacup, teacup lid, and medicine towel just as Mama Song asked."
Eleventh Lady nodded and said with a smile: "Take Niu'er with you! It's a rare opportunity to go out."
Nan Yong's wife was startled when she heard this. A happy smile appeared on her honest face, but then she withdrew her expression and said hesitantly, "Thank you, ma'am. But the girl is still young..."
"It's okay," Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "Shuangyu and Xiu'er will help!"
After Xiu'er from Chang Jiuhe's family learned the rules, she was moved to Xu Sijie's room by Shiyi Niang.
Nan Yong's wife couldn't help but be moved. She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist the urge to go out, so she agreed.
On the day of departure, the gates of Yongping Marquis's mansion were wide open. The Madam Dowager, accompanied by Madam Du, sat in the first carriage. The maids Ge Jin and Yu Ban followed with a few close servants in a smaller carriage. Behind them came the carriages of Eleventh Lady, Second Madam, and Fifth Madam. The brothers Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan and Mr. Zhao were all dressed in casual clothes and rode sideways. The guards surrounded them in three layers, and there was a ceremonial guard in front to lead the way. The group of people went to the Huguo Temple in a mighty manner.
The Xu family sent a steward to Huguo Temple the day before, and before dawn, the temple sent strong monks to guard the gate to prevent anyone from entering. The abbot wore a black cassock with gold all over it, held a gilded Zen staff that shone with golden light, and waited in front of the memorial archway with the steward of the Xu family. When the servant leading the way came to report that the carriage would arrive soon, the abbot stroked his silver-white beard and went to greet it with the steward of the Xu family.
After getting off the carriage, I greeted the Buddha and paid respects to the statue of Sakyamuni in the main hall and donated money for incense. The sun gradually rose and the sunlight began to be a little dazzling.
The abbot personally welcomed the lady and others to rest in a side room in the backyard of the Zen temple. He left two little monks, who were only seven or eight years old, to serve in the room, and went to drink tea with the brothers Xu Lingyi, Xu Lingkuan, Mr. Zhao and others.
After all, she was old, and the lady looked tired, but the children became more and more lively, chattering about what they had seen along the way, and telling the story of Virūpākṣa and Ananda Buddha, very excitedly.
While Eleventh Lady was instructing Zhen Jie'er to take care of her younger brother and not let the children run around, she and Mother Du were busy helping the lady to wash and rest.
Seeing this, the tired Fifth Madam hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Fourth sister-in-law, how about I take the children to sit in the pavilion nearby? The only place with water in the Huguo Temple is the Release Pond."
Eleventh Lady was a little surprised and gave her a kind smile: "Then I'll trouble you, Fifth Sister-in-law!"
"It's okay!" Madam Wu's expression relaxed and she said with a smile, "I just want to take Sister Xin out for a walk as well."
Eleventh Lady looked at Xin Jie'er twisting and turning in the wet nurse's arms and gave an "understanding" smile.
The Second Lady, who was sitting beside the Luohan bed peeling oranges for the Lady Dowager, smiled at her, and the Lady Dowager's eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
After resting for a while and having a vegetarian meal, everyone took a short nap, and the women in the Xu family prepared to go to the release pond to release the animals.
A servant came running in: "The Marquis asked the two young masters to go out and meet the guests."
"Oh!" The lady asked curiously, "Whose family is this master from?"
"Liu Tongzhi and several colleagues from the Xishan Camp." The servant said with a smile, "I heard that the Marquis is here, so I came here to say hello."
Eleventh Lady hurriedly called Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie to her side and looked them over. Seeing that they were both dressed neatly and their hands and faces were clean, she asked them to go to Xu Lingyi's place. Then she told the maid to inform the accompanying steward to prepare for the release.
The second and fifth wives helped the old lady in washing and dressing.
Everyone had packed up and waited for a cup of tea before Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie came back.
The two of them held a bunch of gifts in their hands.
"Mother, mother," Xu Sijie threw himself into Shiyi Niang's arms and showed her some gold locks and jade plaques, "Lord Liu praised me for being smart."
Xu Sizhun hurriedly pulled him aside and said, "Don't be overly happy when things go your way, and don't be discouraged when things go your way. Why are you so flamboyant? You don't look like a scholar from a wealthy family! If you want to say something, wait until there's no one around."
This made everyone laugh.
Xu Sijie blushed and lowered his head.
The lady asked Xu Sizun, "Are there many people at your father's place?"
Xu Sizhun nodded and said in confusion: "They all speak very loudly. But when Daddy talks to them, they all lower their voices, as if they are very afraid of Daddy."
The lady listened and sighed softly.
The Second Lady hurriedly comforted the Grand Lady: "The Marquis has been staying at home for the past two years, so it's not easy to see him. And they are all old subordinates, so it's not good to offend him too much."
"I know." The lady sighed, "It's just that it's hard to feel sad for him. Even if I go out to relax, I won't be able to have peace of mind."
Eleventh Lady smiled and changed the subject: "Mother, it's getting late, let's go to the release pond!" She then said to the children, "There are four little red carps prepared for you. Remember to put them into the release pond yourself when the time comes!"
When the brothers Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie heard this, they jumped for joy and ran out holding hands.
Zhen Jie'er thought about how Shiyi Niang wanted her to look after her two younger brothers, so she got anxious and followed them, holding up her skirt. "Zhun'er, Jie'er, go slower. Watch your step."
The maids and old women who served the three men did not dare to be slow and followed them all. The scene suddenly became much quieter.
Xin Jie'er, who was held by her nurse, started to cry loudly and shouted in the direction where Xu Sizun was going away: "Brother, brother..."
The wet nurse hurriedly coaxed her: "Let's go find the young master and the young lady right away, let's go find the young master and the young lady right away..." As she spoke, she quickened her pace and followed.
The lady laughed when she saw this: "These kids are even more naughty than their father!"
Although he said these words in an angry tone, there was relief in his voice and a relieved smile on his face.
The second wife smiled and walked forward to support the old lady, and a group of people surrounded the old lady and went to the release pond.
Several children had already gathered around the bucket of red carp, talking among themselves. When they saw the adults coming, some called out "grandma" and some called out "mother". It was very lively and made people feel happy just by watching.
The servant boy carried the bucket and threw the fish into the release pond.
The splashing water and the lively fish made the children noisy again.
After the performance, everyone walked back to their rooms, stopping and starting.
The lady leaned on the pillow of the Luohan bed and talked to everyone: "...When I came out, I was thinking about coming out, but when I really came out, I felt more comfortable at home. I don't know if it's because I'm old and my body can't take it anymore? Or is this person no longer interested in anything when he's old?"
Mrs. Wu and Mother Du served the children tea and snacks.
"For most things in the world, seeing them in person is not as good as hearing about them." The Second Lady smiled and echoed the words of the Grand Lady, "But if you don't go and see them, you will always be thinking about them. So, there is no perfect thing in this world!"
During this time, a maid came in to refill the tea and winked at Eleventh Lady.
Eleventh Lady remained calm, drank a few sips of tea and then stood up: "I'll go out and take a look."
She is the mistress of the family. With such a large family, there are naturally many trivial matters to deal with.
A few people responded indifferently.
Eleventh Lady left the room.
I saw Xu Lingyi's servant standing under a big tree.
Seeing her, the servant came running over.
"Madam," he whispered, "the Marquis asked you to go to the stele tower."
"Go to the stele tower?" Someone once found a stone stele from the previous dynasty in the vegetable field next to the Huguo Temple. The Huguo Temple built a stele tower in the bamboo forest in the backyard, which became a scenic spot of the Huguo Temple. Eleventh Lady pondered, "What else did the Marquis say?"
"Nothing else was said." The servant said respectfully.
Eleventh Lady was silent for a moment: "Have the guests from the Marquis dispersed?"
"The commander of the Beijing camp and Liu Tongzhi are still here."
Eleventh Lady couldn't understand why Xu Lingyi wanted to go to the stele tower alone.
She asked Mother Song and Amber to accompany her to the stele tower.
The bamboos in autumn are at their most green and upright. When the breeze blows, they dance gracefully, making rustling sounds, making you feel like walking in an oasis, relaxing and happy.
When we arrived at the tower with flying eaves and brackets, there was no one there.
The servant who led the way was also very surprised and kept saying, "Madam, this is really what the Marquis asked me to say..."
"I understand." Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Just stand by and watch."
The servant nodded and stepped aside.
Eleventh Lady thought that the stele in the Huguo Temple was always visited by many people, and she had never had the chance to see it, so she carefully looked at the stone stele from the previous dynasty.
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Zhigong has scheduled the surgery for tomorrow, hope everything goes well!