Chapter 39.039 Big Cherries, Princess Fu
After playing cards for a full hour, Luo Fu deliberately only won small hands and not big ones, thus losing a total of more than four ounces.
Princess Kangping laughed at her: "It's obvious you've just learned how to play. You can't wait to discard your cards when you see a small hand, and you don't know how to build a big hand."
Luo Fu blushed and said, "I was happy that the three princes are all noble people who don't care about losing money, and I was eager to win your silver. I didn't expect to be showing off my skills in front of an expert."
Princess Shun, who had lost more, immediately retorted, "If you're showing off your limited skills in front of an expert, then I'm just showing off my axe skills in front of Guan Yu. We're evenly matched."
The big winner, Princess Fu, just smiled faintly. She had a cool and aloof appearance, and her smile made Luo Fu feel a foolish thought that it would be worth losing money to her.
The maids brought four basins of water and helped the mistresses wash their hands. After they had cleaned up in the side hall's washroom, Princess Kangping led the three of them to the main hall for lunch.
Last year, Luo Fu learned the elegant manners of the young ladies in the capital when dining and drinking tea. However, in front of the three noble ladies, Luo Fu did not try too hard to appear dignified. She would show amazement at any new dishes that the maids brought her and eat them with great enjoyment. The dishes were small and exquisite. While the princesses only ate a bite or two of each dish, she could eat almost half of it.
As they ate, Luo Fu stopped picking up food as frequently.
Princess Kangping, who had been keeping a close eye on the new guests, asked with a hint of doubt, "Don't these two dishes suit your taste, Madam?"
Luo Fu said rather embarrassedly, "Yes, but I ate too much earlier and am almost full, so I deliberately saved room for the later dishes."
Princess Shun choked directly, while Princess Kangping laughed out loud without any attempt to hide her laughter. Just as she found Luo Fu simple and adorable, Luo Fu saw the princess merely as amused by her frankness, without any hint of contempt or mockery. The only one who didn't laugh, however, seemed to harbor a heavy, unfathomable emotion in her brief glance.
Before Luo Fu could take a closer look, Princess Fu continued to admire the graceful dance of the courtesans in the palace.
After the banquet, Luo Fu was satisfied with the food and the dance performance. There were also singers and dancers at Empress Gao's small flower banquet in April, but that was in the palace, where the rules were stricter. The atmosphere at the princess's residence was much more relaxed, especially after the four of them had just played cards for a full hour.
The midday sun was scorching, and Princess Kangping didn't sincerely apologize, only instructing her head maid to escort the three out.
On the way out, without the talkative and cheerful Princess Kangping, Luo Fu took on the responsibility of enlivening the atmosphere. She quietly asked the seemingly more approachable Princess Shun about a hand that looked like it could give her a big win. Upon learning that there was indeed a chance for a big win, Luo Fu regretted her decision and wished she could drag the three of them into another round. Princess Shun laughed and said that she also had a big win, but unfortunately, it was stolen by Princess Fu, who was sitting to her left.
Both of them went to see Princess Fu, who was holding a blue silk umbrella.
Princess Fu said with a hint of helplessness, "Alright, alright, next time I'll host the banquet for you, so that Third Sister-in-law won't keep holding a grudge about this."
Amidst laughter and conversation, they arrived at the entrance. Three carriages were already lined up. Luo Fu smiled and watched the two princesses board their carriages. Only after the carriages of the nobles slowly moved forward did Luo Fu look at her own carriage.
At this moment, another old woman came out, followed by two maids carrying things.
"His Highness said that the Lady is a food lover just like her. Fortunately, the manor has some cherries that His Majesty and His Highness just bestowed upon us, as well as some new desserts that the Imperial Kitchen has developed. Both of the Princesses have these, so His Highness just sent them to the Lady to try."
Luo Fu thanked her repeatedly, then boarded the carriage with a small basket of bright red cherries and a food box.
Before stepping into the carriage, Luo Fu turned back to look at the old woman.
The old woman was about to turn and go inside when she saw this and asked with a smile, "Does Madam have any instructions?"
Luo Fu pointed to the food box in her hand, her cheeks as red as the cherries in the basket: "This is the first time I've received a gift like this, packaged in a food box. May I ask, do I need to return it later? It's not that I want to covet the princess's things, but I don't know if the princess would mind..."
The old woman suppressed a smile and said, "No need to return it. If Madam likes it, she can keep it for herself."
Luo Fu thanked her shyly.
Because of this, the nanny stood outside the door for a while longer. When she returned to report to Princess Kangping, she mentioned the incident as if it were a joke.
Princess Kangping listened with great interest, casually tying her hair while remarking with curiosity, "So this is how interesting the women from humble families are."
The nanny, fearing that her princess might befriend other officials' wives of similar backgrounds on a whim because of the Third Madam of the Xiao family, quickly explained, "The same rice feeds a hundred families. It's because the Third Madam is interesting that Your Highness likes her. If it were a girl from a humble family, she might not be so appealing to you."
Princess Kangping nodded. Let alone women from humble families, even among the many noble ladies in the capital, only a handful could she truly like and be close to.
.
Luo Fu returned to the Marquis's residence and went directly to Wanhe Hall with two gifts to present to her mother-in-law.
Deng's temperament was still much the same as when she was a peasant woman, but her palate had long since tasted all sorts of exotic things that only the powerful and wealthy in the capital were entitled to enjoy. Like these big cherries and palace pastries, even if she only ate them once or twice a year, after more than 20 years, they no longer felt fresh.
"Have someone wash two plates of cherries later and send them to your sisters-in-law to try. You can keep the rest for yourselves. You're going to town to look at houses tomorrow, so take the cherries with you as a snack on the way."
The house the two sisters built for their parents in town was completed at the end of April, and they have been moving their belongings in recently. The whole thing was handled by the most relaxed Roland, but Luo Fu wanted to see the new house in person. As her son-in-law, Xiao Yu wanted to accompany his wife to do his part. So the two sisters agreed to bring their husbands with them.
Luo Fu took two gifts as instructed by her mother-in-law, and then asked the kitchen to wash six plates of cherries. Each of the four women—the mother-in-law, her daughter-in-law, and the two families' nephews—was given a plate of cherries and a plate of pastries.
The pastries should not be kept until tomorrow. The remaining cherries should be hung in the well and washed again tomorrow morning; they will still be fresh.
When Xiao Yu returned to the mansion in the evening, he first asked Chao Sheng, who had been waiting in the front yard, "How did Madam look when she returned from the Princess's residence? Was she happy or worried?"
Chao Sheng: "...I'm quite happy. They even rewarded us with pastries and cherries that the princess gave us."
Xiao Yu, who had been worried about it all day, finally felt relieved. After taking a bath and changing his clothes, he went to the central courtyard to ask his wife for the tribute cherries.
Luo Fu had eaten most of a plate of cherries at noon and was already tired of them, so she just asked the maid to wash a plate for her husband who had been busy all day.
A low table was placed on the couch in the east side room. Xiao Yu took off his shoes and sat down. Seeing that his wife was still lying lazily on the pillow, Xiao Yu pointed to the cherries on the table and asked, "Isn't Madam eating any?"
Luo Fu tapped her face: "I ate too much at the princess's residence at noon, my face is getting chubby. You can eat by yourself."
Xiao Yu patted his leg, gesturing for his wife to lie down here.
Luo Fu really wanted to chat with him, so she got up and moved over, resting her head on Xiao Yu's right leg with her head facing the window.
Xiao Yu picked up a cherry, looked at it, then at his wife's cherry-red but softer lips. He scooped her up with his large hand, lifted her to his chest, and leaned down to kiss her, kissing her with even more focus and seriousness than when Luo Fu ate a cherry.
As the days grew longer, dinner time was delayed. The Xiao family's top scholar, who was always particular about cleanliness, stopped eating cherries and didn't care that his socks would get dirty. He took his wife, who was dizzy and had a seductive look in her eyes from his kisses, to the inner room, feeling that his wife's whole body was exuding an alluring cherry sweetness.
"Did you suffer any injustice over there?"
After a long while, Xiao Yu finally embraced his wife, who was as sweet as honey, and asked.
Luo Fu shook her head weakly and said in a hoarse voice, "I just don't dare to win big, because I lose more than four ounces."
Xiao Yu immediately said, "I'll give you my salary; I don't need it anyway."
On the first day of the fourth month, after receiving his monthly allowance, he saved up a hundred taels of his own money and gave it all to his wife.
On the first day of May, his wife took his monthly allowance directly, and continued to do so thereafter, saying that the nine taels of silver he received each month would be left to him as his private savings, and he could ask her for more if he needed it.
Xiao Yu originally thought that he could give half of his salary to his wife, but now that his wife had lost money, Xiao Yu suddenly realized that he should keep more money in his own hands. That way, if his wife lost money next time, he could subsidize her and make her happy instead of not being able to come up with a single penny.
Luo Fu wasn't so stingy with her sensible and frugal husband. She leaned against his shoulder and smiled, "Keep it. Spend it as you see fit. If you want to save, save up another round number for me. Don't think I'm upset about losing money. I'm actually happy that I was able to get closer to the princess and the two queens with just four taels of silver."
Xiao Yu reminded his wife, "Women's mahjong partners are just as unreliable as men's drinking buddies."
The cold water splashed on him, and Luo Fu reached out and pinched his waist.
Xiao Yu: "...Get up." He wanted to eat cherries.
Luo Fu pressed him down and asked him something serious: "I've noticed that Princess Fu seems to have something on her mind. Do you know what's going on?"
She had just received the invitation the day before yesterday, and she asked her sister-in-law about the backgrounds and personalities of Princess Shun, Princess Fu, and Princess Qi, who was not invited by Princess Kangping. Perhaps out of respect for the nobles, her sister-in-law only gave a brief overview and did not go into too much detail.
Xiao Yu thought for a moment and said, "Princess Fu's grandfather, Elder Xie, was the governor of Jingzhou. He passed away two years ago. Perhaps the princess hasn't completely forgotten him?"
Luo Fu suddenly realized.
My sister-in-law once said that Princess Fu's parents died early, and she was raised by Mr. and Mrs. Xie, who served as the governor of Jingzhou. So, when Princess Fu married far away to the capital, she first had a longing for her hometown for more than ten years. After Mr. Xie left, it was even more normal for Princess Fu to be depressed.
Noticing that his wife was interested in the Princess Consort of Fu, Xiao Yu talked more about the Xie family.
When Emperor Yongcheng launched his southern campaign against the Wu Kingdom, Xie Lao served as the governor of Jingzhou. He was beloved by all the people of Jingzhou for his care for the people, and the father of Princess Fu died young while saving the people during a flood. As war was about to break out, facing the wise and invincible Emperor Zhou and the decadent former ruler who had been indulging in pleasure for years, Xie Lao persuaded the general leading the troops at the front to surrender to Emperor Yongcheng, in order to save the people of Jingzhou from the ravages of war. Both the civil and military generals surrendered to Emperor Yongcheng.
Xie Lao's surrender allowed Emperor Yongcheng to win over the hearts of the people of Jingzhou without firing a single shot.
"I heard that when Elder Xie passed away, all the people of Jingzhou wore mourning clothes, and the streets and alleys were filled with mourning cries." At this point, Xiao Yu also let out a long sigh.
Luo Fu had never met Old Xie, but a vague yet kind image of an elderly and thin local official appeared in her mind.
"Sigh, I suddenly miss my dad and mom so much."
Having felt pity for the Princess Consort of Fu who had lost her beloved family, Luo Fu longed to reunite with her parents as soon as possible.
Xiao Yu patted her head and coaxed her softly, "It'll be soon, at most five or six more days."
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Author's Note: Luo Song: I'm not going. Anyway, nobody misses me. [Clown]
Haha, 100 little red envelopes! See you at midnight tonight!
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