After the show is over, according to the rules, the troupe leader and the leading actors will kowtow to the audience on the stage, and the audience will give these people money. Usually the host pays the most, and the others can give whatever they want.
Seeing that Cai Bojie was about to take the two ladies back home, the Fifth Lady became anxious.
The lady has not shown up yet, and she has brought all the maids and mothers who have a say to her to the courtyard. She has no idea who will get the reward money.
There is also my third sister-in-law, Gan.
In the past, the fourth sister-in-law had always been the head of the family. After the New Year, the fourth sister-in-law's spirit became worse and worse, so she took the initiative to ask the third sister-in-law to take charge of the family affairs. At that time, the third sister-in-law was overjoyed and couldn't help but smile. This was her first time to host a family dinner. Logically, she should have been trembling with fear and giving it her all. How come she sent the young ladies of the Gan and Luo families to fly kites, and the young ladies of the Gan and Luo families came back, but she herself disappeared...
But no matter what, he is always one of the masters of the Xu family. He can't let the situation become cold just because the two people in charge are not here, right?
She immediately whispered to her personal maid He Ye to go back to her room and open the boxes to get three hundred taels of silver for emergency use. She also told another personal maid He Xiang to go and tell the people in the courtyard that the show in Dianchun Hall had ended.
The two maids responded and left in a flash, and she finally felt relieved.
What happened to Fourth Sister-in-law?
If she was sick, she had been ill for more than a day or two, so she wouldn't have to avoid me.
Or, did you have a dispute with the Marquis?
The thought flashed through her mind, and she felt that what she was thinking made sense.
Everyone treats their husbands with respect, except the fourth sister-in-law, who seems to be polite to the Marquis and arranges his food, clothing, housing and transportation very well. But for some reason, she always feels that something is missing between them. At least it's not like her and the fifth master, who ignore each other when they quarrel, but when things get better, it's hard to be apart for a moment...
Thinking of this, she blushed slightly, and then she heard a shout from the stage: "The Deyin Troupe kowtows to all the ladies, grandmothers, and young ladies."
The Fifth Lady was startled when she heard this, and saw Lady Zheng, who was sitting alone on the short couch, giving her an awkward smile.
But the lotus leaf hasn’t come yet!
She walked forward with a headache and started chatting with the people in the German music class.
"...Master Zhou, you have worked hard. When I heard Wu Niang singing in the ruined temple, her voice was gentle and beautiful, which was very different from the previous sonorous and powerful voice. I wonder why this happened?"
Zhou Huide, who played Zhao Wuniang, knelt in the center of the stage and said respectfully, "That is my humble opinion. I think Wuniang is a gentle person with a strong side. She buried her parents-in-law in a hemp skirt, which is already a strong and chaste character. Therefore, when singing in the ruined temple, the singing tone was much more gentle, letting everyone know that Wuniang not only has a strong and chaste side, but also a gentle and docile side..."
The people in the side room nodded continuously as they listened.
Mrs. Lin even asked him, "You have a loud voice and your singing style is beautiful. I wonder who your teacher is?" It seemed as if he was very familiar with the opera troupe.
Zhou Huide said: "My master is Xiao Huilan."
"Is it Xiao Huilan from the Sanqing Troupe?" Mrs. Lin asked curiously, "I also listened to his operas when I was a child. Your singing is different from his, isn't it?"
Zhou Huide said hurriedly: "I used to travel around with my master. One time, I passed by a stone tablet and heard someone singing Nuo opera..."
Everyone listened to him talking, but Eleventh Lady seemed a little absent-minded.
The lady hasn't come back yet, and I don't know what's going on in the courtyard?
But please don’t let anything happen again?
I still want to leave the Xu family safely!
As she was thinking, she saw the pretty maidservant beside the Fifth Madam standing at the door of the wing room holding a tray painted with red lacquer and gold-painted crabapple flowers. Thirty silver ingots were neatly stacked on the tray.
When Mrs. Wu saw the lotus leaves, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief, interrupted Zhou Huide at the right time, and raised her voice slightly and said the word "reward".
Zhou Huide immediately led the people in the Deyin class to prostrate themselves on the ground while expressing their gratitude.
He Ye stepped forward and handed the tray to a young maidservant who was standing by the stage. The young maidservant passed it to the boy serving at the stage. The boy was only about ten years old. The two of them carried the tray to the stage, one on each side.
Zhou Huide thanked him again, then stood up and respectfully took the tray.
Madam Zheng, Madam Huang and others in the side room also gave tips, and Zhou Huide thanked them again and again.
Just as the party was getting lively, a clear and cheerful voice came over with a laugh: "Oh, mother is really amazing. She invited the German music troupe to perform in the party, and everyone was reluctant to leave after the show. I had someone steam the shad in time. Now I'm afraid it's over-steamed..." As she glanced at the Fifth Lady standing in front of the short couch, her voice got stuck in her throat.
"Where's mom?" Her smile was a little stiff.
How come Danyang is the host here to entertain these old friends... Thinking of what happened in the kitchen, he couldn't help but smile coldly.
Everyone only saw that the mother beside the Fourth Lady sent two plates of peaches for everyone to taste according to the Fourth Lady's order. After eating two bites, the old lady felt uncomfortable and asked the Fifth Lady to accompany her out. Everyone guessed that she had a stomachache and went to the toilet... Later, when the Fifth Lady came back, no one cared - people are particularly concerned about face when they get old. Although the Fifth Lady is a daughter-in-law, she is also a county lady... When she saw Eleventh Lady come in, she didn't care too much. The Fourth Lady was weak and she might lose her energy after talking a few words. She couldn't just rest by herself and leave her sister there like a maid!
Since the two of them were going to the same place, it was not surprising for them to come in together.
Now that the Third Lady asked, everyone realized that the Lady had been gone for too long.
"Danyang," said Madam Zheng worriedly, "You were the one who accompanied the Madam out just now... Is she okay?"
"The Madam asked me to come back first!" The Fifth Madam said vaguely, "How about I go and take a look - Third Sister-in-law happens to be here."
She was also worried as to why He Xiang had not come back for such a long time. Besides, now that the Third Madam was here, there was someone to take charge of the situation, so it didn't matter if she was not there.
But the Third Lady was confused and looked at Madam Zheng and then at the Fifth Lady with a bewildered look on her face.
Madam Huang explained, "Just now, Madam Four brought some peaches for us to taste..."
The Third Lady couldn't help but say angrily, "The Madam is old, how can she eat these things?" But she looked at the Fifth Lady with a hint of blame in her eyes.
Who knew that the Fifth Lady looked calm after hearing what she said, but the First Lady was very uncomfortable. She frowned and was about to say a few words to defend her daughter, but when she looked up, she saw the Tai Madam walking in with a little maid's hand on her shoulders: "You are old, old. After eating a few peaches, your stomach is like turning upside down." However, He Xiang, who was sent by the Fifth Lady, was not seen.
"Mom!" The third and fifth wives ran to the first wife at the same time.
The third wife was closer and supported the old lady's left hand first, while the fifth wife was farther away and supported the old lady's right hand a step later. The two of them helped the old lady into the wing room.
Everyone came forward to greet the old lady. She laughed and kept saying, "It's all right, it's all right." Then she said, "Is the show over? The reward money hasn't been paid yet, right?"
Madam Wu hurriedly said, "I gave it to you, I gave it to you!"
The lady patted the back of the fifth lady's hand gently and said with a smile, "In that case, let's go to the flower hall - I've even asked someone to set off fireworks."
Everyone in the room responded "yes" with a smile and surrounded the lady to go to the flower hall.
Mrs. Qiao suddenly asked, "Should we send someone to tell the Fourth Madam? It's not easy for her to come out."
"No, no." The lady smiled, "I just went to see her. She was feeling a little uncomfortable and just took some medicine and went to bed."
The eldest wife heard the exclamation of "Ah" and asked, "What's wrong with her?"
The lady smiled and said, "She is weak and naturally feels uncomfortable with all the commotion here. She took some tranquilizers. It's nothing serious. I was afraid that she couldn't stand this, so I specially asked someone to bring Zhun Ge to my place to keep Zhen Jie company. Let her rest in the courtyard tonight."
Mother and daughter are connected by heart. No matter how well the old lady said, the eldest wife was still worried.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I'd better go see her!"
Eleventh Lady noticed that the lady's eyes swept quickly across everyone's faces, and she said with a smile: "My parents-in-law have entrusted their daughter to me, and I love her as my own daughter. Why should I be worried? Besides, Xiao Si is watching over there. You can just come with me to have dinner without worry. Whether it's serving tea or pouring water, let the couple take care of themselves." As she said this, she smiled with a look of relief.
"The Marquis is here!" The eldest wife was very surprised.
"That's right!" The lady smiled brightly, "Otherwise, how could a mother-in-law like me come over here as if nothing had happened?"
Eleventh Lady couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart when she saw this.
The Madam...is also very powerful!
She couldn't help but look for Qiao Lianfang in the crowd.
The lights were dim. Miss Lin was dressed as white as snow, Wu Niang was dignified and reserved, Shi Niang was aloof and bright, Miss Tang was graceful and charming, Miss Gan San was honest and steady, and Miss Gan Qi was lively and pretty, but the gentle and beautiful Qiao Lianfang was nowhere to be seen.
The old lady had already taken the eldest lady's hand and walked out: "Come on, let's go have dinner. The younger generations should take care of their own affairs. There will never be an end to meddling in other people's affairs..." There was some joy in her tone, as if she had no worries at all.
The eldest wife nodded, and the group went to the flower hall chatting and laughing.
Eleventh Lady was silent.
How many things must one have gone through to develop the ability to remain calm like the lady!
The lights in the flower hall were on brightly, and the black lacquered square table was bright enough to reflect one's own reflection.
She sat at a table with Shi Niang and the two young ladies of the Gan family, while Wu Niang sat at a table with the two young ladies Lin and Tang. Famous teas, snacks, seasonal fresh vegetables, and delicacies from land and sea were served one after another.
Miss Lin asked curiously, "Hey, where is the lotus room?"
Miss Tang asked, "You were walking behind me just now?"
The lady listened with narrowed eyes and said with a smile: "Go and look for it quickly. It's dark here, don't bump into anything!"
The third lady stood up immediately: "I'll go take a look!"
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Suddenly I found that there were so many tickets...