Yinyin led Xu Jiang around the garden. Even though Xu Jiang had good endurance, her legs and feet could not bear it anymore, so they found a waterside pavilion to rest. Yinyin saw that she was tired, so she helped her sit down, then squatted down and massaged her legs.
Xu Jiang quickly pulled her back and said, "Don't do that now."
Yin Yin said, "Don't worry, sister. I'm used to serving others. Our garden is big. If I don't give you a massage after walking around, your legs will hurt tomorrow."
Xu Jiang refused to let her beat him, and with a sudden effort, she pushed her down onto the chair, scolding her with a smile: "I'm not your master, how can I ask you to serve me? If you don't beat me, my legs will hurt at most, but if you beat me, my life will be shortened. I won't do this business that will make me lose money."
"I'm not good at talking and can't beat my sister." Yin Yin couldn't persuade her and had to give up. However, she couldn't beat her legs, so she pulled her hand over and pinched it, which made Xu Jiang feel comfortable.
Xu Jiang was afraid that if she refused again, it would hurt her, so she let her go.
"Sister, you have so many calluses on your hands." Yinyin turned over her fingers and looked at them one by one. "How did they get here?"
"Copying books, carving woodblocks, repairing, mounting... As long as you do any work, you will get calluses after a long time." She looked at Yin Yin's white and tender little hands and thought to herself that her hands were no different from others, just like chicken claws.
"I have a cream that the master gave me. It's very effective when applied to hands. It can make calluses and frostbite disappear with just one application. I'll bring it to you later. Take it home and apply it daily. The calluses will soon disappear."
"Since it was a reward from your master, it must be a good thing. You are reluctant to use it yourself, so you give it to me?"
"I get along well with you, sister, and I'm happy to be your servant."
"When the calluses fall off, new ones will grow, unless you stop working. I appreciate your kindness, but it would be a waste of such good ointment if you gave it to me. Yinyin, keep it for yourself."
"Sister, don't you like it?"
Xu Jiang pinched her face and said, "If you don't like it, I won't waste my words on you. It's really unnecessary."
"Okay then." Yin Yin laughed because of her pinch.
"Who's there?" A voice suddenly came from outside the pavilion. Yinyin went out to take a look and said in surprise, "Sister Liu."
"So it's you, you damned girl, hiding out here and taking a break?" The voice came from far away and approached. When the person entered the pavilion, he saw that there was someone else inside. He was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward to greet her, "Greetings, my lady."
Xu Jiang stood up and returned the greeting.
Yin Yin introduced, "Sister Liu, this is Shopkeeper Xu, the one the master hired to frame the painting."
Sister Liu pulled Xu Jiang over, looked her over, and sighed, "I just heard about it in the backyard. I thought she was an old woman, but I didn't expect she was actually a pretty lady."
"Sister Xu, this is Sister Liu Mei who serves in the Madam's courtyard."
Xu Jiang smiled and said hello, "Hello, Miss Liu."
"The more I look at it, the more I like it." Liu Mei held her hand tightly, "I heard that the master invited you to the banquet. Since the banquet is about to start, don't sit here anymore. I will lead you there."
"Then I'll trouble you, young lady."
Xu Jiang was held by two men, walking through the corridor and crossing the white stone bridge, arriving at a quiet house. She looked up and could not help but exclaim, "What an elegant place!"
In front of us, there are green bamboos, banana trees covering the walls, and a few houses vaguely visible.
The three of them walked out of the corridor, crossed a small bridge, and the white gravel road under their feet went straight to the banana tree, then coiled up along the bamboo and led directly to a small courtyard.
There was a wooden sign on the gate of the courtyard with the three words "Zi Ran Xuan" inscribed on it, serving as a plaque. Its simple and ancient style was quite similar to her "Zhan Chun Shu Si".
Entering the courtyard and looking around, there are five houses, a large house in the middle, and two small houses on each side. Each room is furnished with a bed, a table, and chairs, all of which are simple and plain.
There is a small door in the inner room of the big house, which leads to the backyard. The yard is not big, with only a few pear trees and a few beds of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Xu Jiang looked at the ripe pears and couldn't help swallowing.
"Madam, please wait here for a while. The master and his guests will be here soon." Liu Mei led her to a pear tree, where there was a stone table and stone bench, and then invited her to sit down.
Seeing that she was staring at the pears on the tree, Yin Yin asked, "Sister, do you want to eat some pears?"
Xu Jiang looked away awkwardly, shaking her head repeatedly. Yin Yin smiled, then walked around to the back of the pear tree, took out a bamboo basket, and said to Xu Jiang, "I'll pick two big ones for you."
Liu Mei also smiled, "These pears are sweet. The girls and boys in the garden have been thinking about them a lot. Master doesn't care. Just eat them."
"Are we allowed to pick the persimmons in Mingshi Pavilion?"
"I let you pick them, but the persimmons look beautiful, but they're really astringent. I don't know how they grow, they're so hard, and no matter how hard you try, they won't ripen. Every year, we pick them and use them for compost. But the young master loves the tree and won't let us cut it down. Otherwise, how would we keep these things that look good but are not edible?"
Xu Jiang thought to herself: Fortunately, it was not chopped off.
"Because it's a hard persimmon, it needs to be pickled in a special way. Once pickled, it's sweeter than honey."
Liu Mei said happily, "Madam, do you know it? That's great. I'll have the servants pick some and send them to you later. If it's cooked, let us try it. If it tastes good, I'll come and learn from you, so that I don't have to see it produce so much every year and not be able to eat it, and get annoyed."
Xu Jiang had been craving the persimmon for a long time, and after hearing what she said, she agreed without hesitation.
"Sister, eat pears." Yin Yin held two big yellow pears and placed them in front of Xu Jiang, then took out a handkerchief to wipe them clean for her.
Xu Jiang was truly thirsty. She picked up a pear and took a bite. The skin was thin, the flesh was tender, and the juice was sweet. It was a delicious pear. She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and took several more bites, her cheeks puffing out.
Yinyin swallowed her saliva, picked two more, and she and Liumei each held one and started to eat them together.
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