Chapter 92 Spring
Mei Niang was busy every day. She didn't sleep in and went out early to see her son. Then she went to Ziyun Hall to listen to the mother-in-law's reply and handle affairs. There were many things to do in the Hou Mansion before and after the New Year. Sometimes it was past lunch time after all the big and small things were done. Mother Wang was afraid that she would be hungry, so she directly asked to send the meal to Ziyun Hall. After dinner, she often went to the big garden and the courtyards to walk around and personally inspect some gardens that needed to be repaired or were being repaired. If there was a housekeeper in charge, the old lady had ordered that the housekeeper should pay attention and not be lazy. He should walk around frequently and check around, just as if he was taking a walk. Just take a walk, take a small walk in the Hou Mansion, and sometimes, when the opportunity was right, go directly outside the mansion.
She was busy all the time, and the days passed quickly. She breathed in the air of spring every day, but she didn't notice that Tsinghua Court had quietly put on spring clothes. One day, she suddenly found two trees with tender green branches sprouting by the pond, like two graceful girls standing by the water. She was quite surprised and said loudly to Cui Lian and Cui Si who were following behind her:
"Oh my god, there are two willow trees here."
Cui Si was overjoyed: "Big tits, the two willow trees have always been there."
Cui Lian smiled and said: "Big tits pass by here every day. I didn't pay attention. I guess they thought they were wooden stakes."
Mei Niang smiled: "Isn't it? If I didn't care, I wouldn't pay attention to it. I didn't expect it to sprout branches overnight. It's really beautiful and amazing."
She then pointed to the roses on the opposite side of the pool that had climbed up to the roof and covered an entire wall, and said, "Those flowers have just bloomed, too, haven't they? I haven't seen them for a while. Roses should bloom all year round, but perhaps they were hurt by a few heavy snowfalls before the New Year, and are only now blooming. The roses over here are just forming buds, and the roses over there are already blooming brightly - the two concubines are really good at taking care of things, but they are also very honest. They never go out. What are they doing staying in their rooms all day? Let's go over and pick some flowers to play with, and visit them while we're at it."
Cui Lian said: "It's not good for the grandma to come again. How can a grandma go to see the aunt? They should come to see grandma."
"What's the big deal? Let's go, it's not like you haven't seen it before. I'm just a grandma..."
She stopped in time, sighed and said, "Forget it. The good ones belong to others. If I force them to be picked, they will be ruined after a while. Let's just look at our rose buds."
Cui Si nodded: "How can a rose be better than a rose? It can't be more fragrant."
"You don't understand this. In fact, roses are very good. They are beautiful but not ostentatious, and have a delicate fragrance. Roses are a little too delicate..."
Cui Si was puzzled: "Grandma, you used to love roses the most, but now you say they are not good."
Mei Niang smiled and said, "I love it now too. Who dares to say that roses are not good? You silly girl."
Three women were standing on the same street, with the master and servants standing by the pool pointing and talking and laughing, completely ignoring Xu Junying and Baoju behind them.
Before Xu Junying walked out of the East Courtyard, he heard Mei Niang's exclamation. Baoju behind him couldn't help laughing. Xu Junying lowered his eyes and kept silent: What is she thinking about every day? Is she stupid because of taking care of household chores and looking at boring account books? But those eyes are still dazzling, and her clever mouth can still make the old lady laugh and make her brothers and sisters happy, but they rarely pay attention to him. Now when he eats in the old lady's room, it is Zhuang Yulan who serves him. When Zheng Meiyu came to Tsinghua Courtyard, she was not even allowed to enter the upper room and was sent directly to the East Courtyard. He had no reason to go to the upper room and felt that he shouldn't go, but he couldn't help wondering what she was doing. In order to prevent Zheng Meiyu from coming too often, the small side door of the East Courtyard was locked. He went in and out of the main door every day. In all these days, he only met her once in the courtyard. She was like suddenly discovering the existence of the two willow trees, and said to him in surprise: "Are you going this way today? You took a long detour?"
After saying this, he bowed, apologized, and hurried out to the fourth brother's yard to check the partition wall that needed to be rebuilt.
He felt a sense of loss and sadness he had never felt before, but he forced himself to suppress the negative emotions.
At least he had some hearing ability. Xu Junying looked at Mei Niang and turned her head. Her sparkling eyes were clear and sparkling. She smiled and bowed to him and said:
"Hello, Lord. Will you not attend the court today?"
Xu Junying said: "I'm taking a day off today and tomorrow."
"oh"
Mei Niang responded, but nothing more happened. What did she say? Was she asking him: Lord Hou is taking a two-day break, what activities are there?
That's too gossipy.
But he has two days off, which means he may appear in this courtyard at any time today or tomorrow. What if he wants to ask me something? I want to go out and ask Lu Xiangfeng something tomorrow, mainly about Lin Runan's news. It will take more than a month to get from Lingnan to the capital, right?
But when Xu Junying handed over a red piece of paper, Mei Niang shouted, "No, it's another invitation. The damn flower banquets keep going on. She has attended three or four in a row. She is so fed up with it."
"This is a letter from the wife of Marquis Changle. Go there at noon tomorrow - the peonies in her house are in bloom," said Xu Junying.
Mei Niang slowly took the invitation and pursed her lips gently: Madam Changle Hou, you are such a nice woman, it’s hard to refuse...
She raised her head and looked at Xu Junying: "Is Lord Hou going too?"
Xu Junying nodded slightly: "I am taking a day off at the same time as Changle Hou, and he specifically said that he wants to go too."
Mei Niang's eyes lit up: "If Lord Hou goes, I won't go, right? I...have some unfinished business in the mansion."
After coaxing Xu Junying out of the house, she could do whatever she wanted behind him.
Before Xu Junying could answer, two giggles came from the door: "What are you talking about? Where are you going?"
They both turned their heads at the same time and saw Zheng Meiyu walking slowly towards them with Zhuang Yulan on her arm, followed by three or four old women and maids.
Zheng Meiyu bowed to Xu Junying: "Greetings, cousin"
Zhuang Yulan said: "I hope you are well, Lord Hou."
Xu Junying looked at them and said, "Why don't you two stay with the old lady? Come over now if you have time."
Zhuang Yulan said nothing. Xu Junying had not had dinner at Jinhua Hall for two days. He went there before dawn every day and asked Mother Ji to convey his greetings to the old lady. She was upset because she couldn't see him. Zheng Meiyu came and told her that Master Hou had been visiting Mei Niang these days. She became even more depressed. Unable to bear Zheng Meiyu's instigation, she secretly slipped out with Zheng Meiyu while the old lady was taking a nap.
The old lady had told her that it was not a good idea to come to see her cousin before getting married. Her cousin would always come to Jinhua Hall. Wouldn't it be easy to see him and talk to him? But her cousin had been absent-minded recently. It was better when Mei Niang came to Jinhua Hall, but when Mei Niang didn't come, he lost his smile. Zhuang Yulan felt uneasy: what Ruizhu and Zheng Meiyu said were not credible. If the feelings between Lord Hou and Mei Niang faded and they lived separately for a long time, why did he behave like this? Did he still have Mei Niang in his heart? Zheng Meiyu, that damn girl, had kept her in suspense that day, wanting to say something but not being able to. She coaxed her for a long time but couldn't get a word out of her. Zheng Meiyu only said: Sister Lan knows my feelings. I am willing to serve Lord Hou and Sister Lan. Now is not the time to say it. Wait until Sister Lan gets married, remember me and bring me in. Then I will tell Sister Lan everything and show her my heart.
It would be strange if Zheng Meiyu was willing to reveal her heart. What great secret is there? It's nothing more than making up an excuse to appease herself and give her a status first. Who do you think is a fool? You want to serve me together? Dream on.
Zhuang Yulan hated Zheng Meiyu in her heart, but she didn't show it. Before she married Mr. Hou, she would not do anything. She was a lady from a noble family, a lady from a famous family, and she knew how to maintain her good reputation. After she got married and became the mistress of the house, she could take action, slowly, and clean them up one by one. There would only be one mistress in Tsinghua Courtyard.
Zheng Meiyu was smart and said with a smile: "Sister Lan heard that the roses in Tsinghua University have bloomed, and she wanted to come and see them."
Mei Niang looked at her and said bluntly: "The roses in Qinghua Courtyard only form buds and never bloom, so you can't see them. Look, there are roses in my aunt's yard over there, and they are in full bloom. If you want to see them, go over there."
Zheng Meiyu did not show any weakness. She met Mei Niang's gaze and said, "Sister Lan only goes to the upper room, but Auntie's room is not a place for her to go."
Mei Niang smiled: "How do I know whether Cousin Lan wants to go to my aunt's room? I only invite her to my aunt's courtyard to appreciate the flowers. As for Cousin Yu, she has to stay here and cannot go to my aunt's courtyard. Ruyi told me that the candied fruit that Cousin Yu sent was extremely bitter. She resents you in her heart. If you go there, you will be scolded."
Zheng Meiyu changed her expression: "Cousin's wife"
Mei Niang said: "Come on, cousin, I have had someone pick you up and it's been till today that I finally heard you call me cousin. It's not easy to come back after a Chinese New Year and you only recognize me as your brother and don't call me cousin. I'm tired. I've been busy for a long time and I'm exhausted. I need to take a rest. Please do as you please."
Zheng Meiyu bit her lip. Zhuang Yulan approached Xu Junying with a little grievance and fear: "Cousin, what happened to your cousin's wife today? We just want to come and see the flowers."
Xu Junying stopped Mei Niang and said, "You just said that roses only form buds and never bloom. What does that mean? Since flowers are planted for viewing, why not let them see them?"
There was a flash of joy in Zhuang Yulan's eyes, and a slight smile appeared at the corners of her lips. She glanced at Zheng Meiyu, who nodded knowingly and also smiled.
Mei Niang said lazily: "If you want to see it, go ahead... Lord Hou, please forgive me, my feet hurt, I'll go in first."
Cui Lian helped Mei Niang walk away. Cui Si bowed to Xu Junying and said, "To answer Lord Hou, the roses over there on the rockery haven't really bloomed yet. They're just forming buds. Grandma grows roses to dry for tea and medicine. Before the sun rises tomorrow, all the buds will be cut off. So, the roses in Tsinghua Courtyard only form buds and never bloom. Miss Yubiao, didn't you know this a long time ago?"
Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu were stunned. Zheng Meiyu turned to Xu Junying's right side, gently shook his arm, and said coquettishly: "Cousin, look at this girl..."
Xu Junying pulled his hand back: "In that case, you can just look at the roses. Roses are not only found in Tsinghua Courtyard, aren't there roses in other courtyards?"
Zhuang Yulan said softly, "It's okay. Since we want to use it as medicine, let's go somewhere else. Cousin Yu, I heard that some of Third Grandma's famous orchids will bloom tomorrow. Let's ask my cousin to take us to see them, okay?"
Zheng Meiyu happily responded: "Okay, cousin will take us to see orchids tomorrow."
Xu Junying said: "I am not free tomorrow. My colleague's family has peonies in full bloom and is holding a flower show. He has posted an invitation and I have to go and attend the event."
Zheng Meiyu asked tentatively: "Are you inviting the female relatives? Why don't you take Sister Lan with you, cousin?"
Zhuang Yulan clenched her hands in her sleeves, thinking that if Xu Junying agreed, she would return the favor and ask Zheng Meiyu to accompany her. In this way, with the two cousins accompanying her, no one would have anything to say.
Xu Junying looked at Zheng Meiyu, then at the upper room, and said calmly: "The wife of Marquis Changle invited Mei Niang, and she will go with me."
Zhuang Yulan's nails dug into her flesh, causing her heart-wrenching pain.
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