Xiao Ju was delighted to hear the patriarch's praise. She smiled and explained, "I heard from the Imperial Concubine that the name Biluo comes from Persia... Patriarch, if you pronounce Biluo faster, does it sound like Persia?"
"Biluo, Biluo..." Zhang Shixun did as he said. He read it over and over again. It didn't look very similar, but he still said to the little girl, "It does look a bit like it."
Xiaoju squinted her eyes and smiled, revealing a row of small white teeth.
Seeing that none of them had picked up their chopsticks, Zhang Shixun said, "Don't just stand there and watch. Eat too."
The women nodded stiffly but didn't pick up their chopsticks.
"Yuanyuan, you're the oldest, right?" Zhang Shixun asked Zheng Yuanyuan. Seeing her nod, he ordered, "You take the lead in eating."
Zheng Yuanyuan had no choice but to pick up a small piece of mutton with her chopsticks and take a bite.
Zhang Shixun glanced at the other four people and said, "It's your turn."
Ding Dusai watched from the side and couldn't help laughing, "How can you force people to eat like this?"
Zhang Shixun looked at her and said, "Don't laugh, eat too."
The girls looked at each other, all with strange expressions.
Xiaoju couldn't help it first, she lay on the table, shrugging her shoulders and giggling.
When she smiled like that, the others couldn't hold back any longer and started laughing along with her.
Zhang Shixun also laughed and pointed at them, wanting to say something, but he had nothing to say. He had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks and start eating as if no one was around.
Ding Dusai also picked up a piece of Taiping Biluo and ate it slowly.
Zheng Yuanyuan was a sensible person and joined in the eating.
Seeing this, the other four girls dared to pick up their chopsticks.
Although everyone started eating, no one said a word.
Zheng Yuanyuan and others have been influenced by court etiquette and strictly abide by the etiquette of "no talking while eating and no talking while sleeping".
Zhang Shixun deliberately avoided looking at them and continued eating, "Speaking of which, not talking while eating is a virtue, but it depends on the occasion. It's fine to follow this rule in the palace, after all, it's the royal family. However, if ordinary people also follow this rule, it would seem too pretentious. I like to chat about trivial matters while eating, and I hope you don't mind."
"Well, just say it. After a long time, we will get used to it." Ding Dusai took a sip of soup slowly and said with a smile, "In our family, we all eat separately. My father likes to squat at the door with his bowl and eat alone. My mother eats in the kitchen while she cooks. Only I can sit at the table and eat peacefully."
"What if we perform at the Peony Pavilion?" Zhang Shixun picked up a piece of mutton and asked her while eating.
"That's even more casual. We can just ask people to buy whatever they want to eat, and then we can eat together as a team."
"That would be even more lively, wouldn't it?"
"Of course." Ding Dusai couldn't help but smile as he recalled the scenes of his usual meals. "It's so lively during meals, with gossip about other people's affairs and whatever comes to mind."
"In our First Army, things are completely different from the outside world. Talking is strictly prohibited during meals. If anyone violates this rule, they will be punished with a military stick."
Zheng Yuanyuan couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going to hit me?"
"Really!" Zhang Shixun nodded and said, "I don't know how other armies eat, but we in the First Army eat in a large shed. There are military judges on duty patrolling. If anyone breaks the rules and speaks, they will be beaten with a stick without saying a word."
"Oh! That's too scary. What if someone gets hurt?"
"It can't be broken. The military judge used a thin short stick during meals, which is different from the military sticks we usually use." Zhang Shixun stretched out his hand to gesture, "It's not much thicker than a feather duster."
Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered the so-called military sticks in Gao Yanei's family and couldn't help laughing.
Ding Dusai asked in confusion, "Sir, why are you laughing while you're talking?"
"I suddenly remembered General Gao's military stick," Zhang Shixun explained. "There's something special about his military stick."
"How is it special?"
"What he calls a military stick is actually a feather duster, specially made for Gao Yanei."
All the girls laughed together.
The meal was finished while we were chatting and laughing.
Zhang Shixun pushed the bowl aside, crossed his legs and watched the women clean up the dishes.
It feels great, I'm finally in charge.
While they were in the kitchen, Ding Dusai said, "My lord, I must go home."
"I remember you told Madam Feng that you would go home after the Lantern Festival." Zhang Shixun was reluctant to let her go.
"Yes! But I can't stay with you, can I?"
"Why can't they stay with me? We have three courtyards, are you worried about having no place to sleep? Oh, and how are they going to arrange it? Where are they going to sleep?"
"They have arranged everything themselves in the second courtyard. The backyard is of course reserved for you, the head of the family."
"I can give you the backyard and sleep in the guest room in the front yard."
"No, we haven't...haven't we done that yet? If it gets out, people will gossip."
"Don't worry about what others say. Just live here peacefully." Zhang Shixun pointed to the kitchen. "Don't forget what we agreed on. Let them form a small choir. I'll leave this to you."
"This..." Ding Dusai hesitated. The matter of the small choir was indeed serious.
Zhang Shixun waved his hand and said, "It's settled."
Zheng Yuanyuan and a few others quickly cleaned up the kitchen, returned to the living room, lined up in a row, and stood there to set the rules.
Zhang Shixun found their behavior ridiculous, but as the host he couldn't say anything.
After coughing lightly, Zhang Shixun asked Zheng Yuanyuan, "Can you guys sing?"
Zheng Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment and said, "I know a little bit."
"Where are the instruments?"
Zheng Yuanyuan replied: "I can play the zheng, but I'm not very good."
Xiaomei: "I can play the flute."
Xiaolan: "I can ring the bell."
Xiaoqiu: "I can play the Jiqin."
Zhang Shixun and Ding Dusai looked at each other with smiles in their eyes.
What a surprise.
Zhao Ji is worthy of being the emperor with the highest artistic achievements. Even the palace maids have artistic talent.
Zhang Shixun became interested. It was New Year's Day and he had nothing to do anyway, so he decided to sing and play music with a group of beautiful women.
"Saisai, take Yuanyuan and the others to the street." Zhang Shixun stood up from the stool and said excitedly.
"Go to the street?" Ding Dusai couldn't figure out what this gentleman was going to do.
"I went to the streets to buy musical instruments. I bought qin, zheng, xiao, bell, jiqin, pipa... I bought all the instruments I could."
"That... okay." Ding Dusai nodded in agreement.
Zheng Yuanyuan and her companions had lived in the palace for a long time and had almost no freedom of movement. Going shopping was even more of a luxury. When they heard that Zhang Shixun was going to take them shopping, they were overjoyed.
Ding Dusai stood up and said, "Sir, please wait a moment. I will take them to change clothes."
"Go quickly! Go quickly! I'll be waiting for you in the front yard."
Several women went to the backyard to change clothes.
Zhang Shixun sat in the living room drinking tea alone. He thought it wouldn't take them long to change clothes, but he didn't expect them to come back after a long while.
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