Chapter 69 Chapter 69 He had planned this important event of returning home...
Duan Zhiwei wanted to thank the person who invented the custom of "returning home", which meant that she was finally saved and could go out.
Going back to one's parents' home was a big event, so she solemnly chose a pomegranate red blouse with narrow sleeves and a beaded gamboge skirt. She carefully made a bun for herself and paired it with the pearl hairpin given by Yuan Shenji. She felt it was too plain, so she put on a red peony silk flower.
By the time I put on my makeup, the sun had risen higher.
Yuan Shenji leaned against the pillar at the door and stared at her. When he saw her stand up, he handed her the shawl with floral patterns that had fallen from the mahogany frame.
Duan Zhiwei took it, crumpled it into a ball and threw it back to him. He didn't get angry, but just smiled and helped her put the shawl on: "It's not the same one. The one from last night was pink."
"You're still talking." Duan Zhiwei blushed and tiptoed to cover his mouth.
This man was very good at kidnapping people and had a quick mind. He knew how to use whatever was available and used the same tactics he had used on the Turkic captives on her. Although the gauze that tied her ankles to the bedpost didn't hurt at all and it looked like it was just tied in a loose bow, she was completely unable to get it free.
This man was still stubborn and just said that he was afraid that she wouldn't pay attention, so he kicked him in the face, but she didn't believe him.
Duan Zhiwei used to think that Yuan Shenji was a cold-faced but warm-hearted person, upright and incorruptible, and that he exuded the aura of a reliable, positive person. However, after marrying him, she had a new understanding of this person.
For example, on the second morning after their wedding, an emergency occurred in their hometown and the old housekeeper and his wife were forced to return home for a week. This gave him the opportunity to do whatever he wanted anytime and anywhere in the waterside pavilion, the rockery cave, and the garden swing.
For example, he was not satisfied with just looking at the "Youxianku" that Dalala placed next to the couch, and he had to drag her to watch and learn together.
Duan Zhiwei sighed and could only comfort herself, forget it, she's already married, what's the point of getting divorced?
After hesitating for half a day, he finally got out of the door. Yuan Shenji had ordered a small carriage the day before. He sat in the front driving the horse, and Duan Zhiwei was in the carriage at the back.
Although the carriage is small, it has everything it needs. The seats inside are carefully covered with brocade cushions, which are very comfortable to sit on, and there is no bumpy feeling when driving on the loess land.
First, we have to go to the Du Mansion. Minister Du and his wife helped a lot in the Yuan Mansion's wedding. The three books and six ceremonies, as well as the Yuan Mansion's wedding banquet were all handled by Liu.
The two came to express their gratitude this time, and in addition to the usual gifts, Duan Zhiwei also brought the flower essence cakes that he made himself because he heard from Du Yourong that Mrs. Du loved to eat sweet cakes.
The two masters of the Du Mansion felt a little uncomfortable about the fact that Yuan Shenji did not want a lady from an aristocratic family and insisted on marrying a merchant. But today, they saw that Duan Zhiwei was well-behaved and smart, had good manners in dealing with people, and was very humorous in her words. The two elders laughed out loud. Mrs. Du glanced at Yuan Shenji, whose expression had softened, and couldn't help feeling relieved.
After the two men left, Mrs. Du went to see the flower essence cake. It was already half eaten by Minister Du, and the red rose jam filling was still stuck to his beard.
Madam Du was so angry that she slammed the table and said, "Da Lang's new wife is considerate. She knows that I like to eat sweet cakes, so she made them specially for me. You, an old man, must have eaten a lot of flower cakes at the banquets in the palace. Do you want to snatch them from me?"
Minister Du said: "The cake at the palace banquet looked fancy, but it was actually just a rice cake with some flowers. This cake has stuffing, so it tastes better."
Mrs. Du took the cake. The outer layer of the rice cake was snow-white. When she broke it open, the rose sauce inside flowed out. The rich sweet rose fragrance filled her nose. She chewed it and felt it was very sweet. She couldn't help but sighed, "Da Lang still knows how to choose a bride."
On the other side, Duan Zhiwei asked through the curtain: "How was my performance today?"
Yuan Shenji nodded: "Very good."
Duan Zhiwei lowered her head to admire the bracelet that Madam Du had given her. Strictly speaking, in this dynasty, the ladies in Chang'an preferred bracelets worn on their arms rather than on their wrists, so the bracelet that Madam Du gave her was also a gold and jade bracelet, which was coiled in a spiral shape and worn on her upper arm.
She was fair and her skin was whiter than snow, and the armlet fit her arm very well.
It's just hidden by the sleeves.
This armlet only looks good when worn at certain times. For example, when Hu women perform the Hu Xuan dance, they need to wear dance costumes that reveal their arms. Wearing an armlet shows off the fullness and roundness of their upper arms. The ladies in Chang'an like to wear extremely thin and transparent lotus-colored shirts in the hot summer, which makes the armlet slightly visible, which also looks good.
However, it is not quite appropriate to wear that kind of shirt in Chang'an in May. Duan Zhiwei has to wait another two months until midsummer to wear it. He feels a little regretful.
Yuan Shenji glanced at her and said, "Why feel sorry? Just wear it for me to see at night, and I will definitely appreciate it carefully."
"You wish." Duan Zhiwei spat at him and lowered the curtain.
Duan Zhiwei originally thought that without him, the restaurant's business would decline, but unexpectedly, not only did it not decline, but the door was even crowded with people. Aunt Duan was sitting on the small Hu bed at the door, drinking a drink and waiting for the two men to come back. When she saw the carriage, she immediately smiled happily.
Yuan Shenji got off the carriage first and saluted him, then carried Duan Zhiwei out of the carriage.
Aunt Duan was very pleased to see the two of them in love, and couldn't wait to tell Duan Zhiwei: "We hired a new cook these two days. The meat she cooks is so delicious. Customers line up every day."
Duan Zhiwei was very curious, are there such people?
Aunt Duan rubbed her hands, and then said embarrassedly: "It was the lady who came to our restaurant to find fault with the food that day."
Duan Zhiwei knew who that person was.
After lunch was over and the diners left, everyone finally sat down to have a good meal.
On the table were soft and dense braised pork, steamed duck and steamed fish, as well as spring bamboo shoots, ham and shrimp casserole bubbling in the casserole.
Duan Zhiwei picked up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks and smelled the rich aroma of sauce and sweetness. The meat had been stewed for a long time, the skin was very elastic, and the inside was rich in fat.
The spring bamboo shoots, ham and shrimp stew was so delicious that it made Duan Zhiwei drop his eyebrows. He had never thought of putting these three ingredients together. The salty fragrance of the ham, the sweetness of the spring bamboo shoots and the freshness of the shrimp complemented each other, achieving a delicate balance. After stewing, the soup was also golden and rich, absorbing the deliciousness of the three ingredients. It felt like he could drink three big bowls of it.
Duan Zhiwei was a little shocked.
Yuan Shenji held her hand under the food table and said, "I still like your cooking better."
"Cough cough." Aunt Duan coughed lightly, glanced at Pu Tao and Xiao Lang with a blink of her eyes, and the two of them quickly let go.
Finally, the cook came out of the kitchen carrying washed fruits. Duan Zhiwei hurriedly said, "This dish is so delicious. May I ask your name?"
When the cook saw Duan Zhiwei and Yuan Shenji, she put down the fruit and bowed deeply to them.
Duan Zhiwei was very surprised and hurried to help her: "What are you doing?"
Aunt Duan sighed and said, "She is helping here just to wait for you, and wants to ask you for help." Then she recounted what had happened.
The cook's name was Chen Guifang, and she had an older brother named Chen Wei. During the Shangsi Festival two years ago, Chen Wei and his family went for an outing by the Wei River and met Madam He from the family of Taishi Ling. Chen Wei and Madam He fell in love at first sight and promised to spend their lives together.
Chen Guifang was quite angry when she mentioned this: "Unexpectedly, at the beginning of the year, He Qiongzhu was favored by the young master of the Wang family of Langya. He wanted to part ways with my brother and marry a rich man. My brother was very sad for a long time. He just said he was going out to relax, but he disappeared and hasn't come back since."
She wiped her tears and said, "I went to Chang'an County and the Dali Temple, but I couldn't find my brother at all. I even suspected that he was murdered by the Wang family."
That day, she followed He Qiongzhu to Yunxiang Paixi, and followed Duan Zhiwei to the restaurant, and listened to Duan Zhiwei's explanation. That day, Madam He really just gave a piece of sky-blue Paixi to Duan Zhiwei, and the two had no other interactions.
Chen Guifang was a little skeptical, so she went to a brothel in Xuanyangfang to ask around, only to find out that Duan Zhiwei was telling the truth and that she was indeed going to get married soon.
Madam Lin from the Xuanyangfang meat shop was chopping meat while sighing, "Same person, different fate. I am chopping meat here all day, while Madam Duan is marrying a high-ranking official of the Jinwu Guard."
Chen Guifang's heart moved. The Chang'an County Magistrate was unwilling to take care of her brother's disappearance, and the Dali Temple ignored her. If she went to ask Madam Duan to ask Madam Duan's husband to go to the Dali Temple...
Chen Guifang was about to kneel down, but Duan Zhiwei quickly stopped her. She said, "My father was a cook in a restaurant when he was alive, and I can cook a few dishes. If Madam Duan helps me find my brother, I am willing to help in the restaurant without any wages."
Duan Zhiwei was very excited to hear this offer, and Aunt Duan chimed in: "She came to help for a few days, the food was delicious, and she really didn't charge any money."
She turned to look at Yuan Shenji and gently pinched the hem of his clothes under the food table. He looked at her and said, "In this case, I will go to the Dali Temple to ask when I have time."
He and the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple often competed in martial arts together in the military training ground, and occasionally went to a tavern to drink together. They had a pretty good relationship.
The restaurant had a new extremely reliable employee. Duan Zhiwei was very happy and whispered in Yuan Shenji's ear: "Thank you, Yuan Lang."
Yuan Shenji looked at her and said, "Verbal thanks are not enough." Then he was stepped on.
The two stayed in the restaurant for a while, and Duan Zhiwei took him to the backyard for a walk. Because they had bought the rouge shop before, the wall between the two shops was broken up, and everyone else in the restaurant moved to the other side, leaving only her and Yuan Shenji here.
Her original small bedroom was expanded and her bed was replaced with a larger one, so that they could usually live in the backyard here and return to Yuan's mansion when they had free time.
Seeing the smooth bluestone slabs in the backyard, the large wisteria spreading like mist on the flower stand, the various fruits and vegetables in the vegetable garden, and the morning glory quietly climbing in the corner, Yuan Shenji said, "This is great. When I was in the military camp, I occasionally thought about returning to the countryside, and I wanted a small yard like this to grow some fruits and vegetables."
Duan Zhiwei took his hand and said with a smile: "Now, isn't everything fulfilled? And you have a beautiful wife too."
Yuan Shenji laughed: "That's right, this courtyard must not be without a beautiful lady like me."
The two walked around again, stood up and said goodbye to everyone. Seeing Chen Guifang's eyes asking for help, Duan Zhiwei comforted her, "Don't worry, my Yuan Lang will be on leave these few days. I will take care of him and go to the Dali Temple tomorrow."
Chen Guifang nodded gratefully.
Yuan Shenji suddenly asked: "Does your brother have any special characteristics?"
Chen Guifang was stunned for a moment and said, "Brother, there is a birthmark on your left leg that looks like a firework."
Yuan Shenji nodded, helped Duan Zhiwei into the car, and left in one breath.
Duan Zhiwei asked through the curtain: "You asked her about her brother's characteristics, right..."
Yuan Shenji said as he drove: "The father and son of the Wang family have committed many evil deeds and disregarded the lives of the people. If they knew that the new bride they were going to marry had had an affair with a commoner, they would probably..."
I'm afraid it's more dangerous than good.
The two returned to Yuan's Mansion. Duan Zhiwei sighed, took off her jewelry and shawl, and prepared to wash. There were no servants in the Yuan Mansion, so it was quite troublesome to boil a large pot of hot water by herself.
Yuan Shenji came over and said, "Let me do this." Then he rolled up his sleeves and started to boil water. Duan Zhiwei discussed with him, "How about hiring a few long-term workers?"
She definitely couldn't do something like buying slaves, so she would feel more at ease if she spent money to hire people.
Yuan Shenji smiled and said, "You are the master of Yuan Mansion, I will listen to you."
Pouring a large pot of hot water into a bathtub and adding cold water is indeed quite troublesome, so Duan Zhiwei decided to hire someone tomorrow.
She had just taken off her shawl and turned around to see that Yuan Shenji refused to leave, so she had to chase him away.
How could she be a match for him? He put his arm around her waist and brought her behind the screen. Before Duan Zhiwei could react, she was kissed and her body softened in his arms. His hand then touched the pearl and jade belt of her skirt and gently pulled it down.
I just found a carpenter to make a boxwood barrel a few days ago. The barrel hoops are made of wrought iron. It is very strong and has a special space.
When Duan Zhiwei struggled in the bucket for a long time and finally had no choice but to wrap her arms around his waist and hang on him, Yuan Shenji revealed a smile that he had planned for a long time and was satisfied with the result.
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