Chapter 67 Chapter 67: Busy Spring Outing in Fantai
But on this day, Fang Ying finally went to bed early - because her long-delayed period finally came.
When she discovered it, she was with Yue Qing'e, who smiled and said, "That's good. You're here today, and you can rest at home for a day tomorrow. It shouldn't be a problem the day after tomorrow."
"Yeah, I was afraid of traveling on the day after tomorrow." Fang Ying's dysmenorrhea was not very serious, but the amount of menstrual blood was relatively heavy. It would be very troublesome to travel on the first day of her period.
As the matter they were about to discuss was almost finished, Yue Qing'e asked Fang Ying to go back and rest first, and reported to Li on her behalf. Li simply sent someone to tell Fang Ying and Ji Yanlang to stay in the room for dinner and not to go over.
Fang Ying rested soundly in her room for two nights and one day. When she woke up on the morning of the tenth day, Ji Yanlang was no longer by her side.
"My dear, you are practicing boxing," Lichun reported as he hung up the tent. "The weather outside is very nice."
They had been worried about the bad weather on the holiday, so Fang Ying was relieved when she heard this.
She got dressed, washed her face, and sat in front of the dressing table to put on makeup. Ji Yanlang also finished boxing and came in from outside to wash his face and change his clothes.
The two of them had to go to Fantai first to watch the servants make the arrangements, so they put on the new clothes they had prepared for the trip, had a simple breakfast in Li's room, said goodbye to their mother, and went out first.
It was almost the end of the hour of Mao, which was the time when Ji Yanlang usually went to the camp. It was still early, but there were already many vehicles and pedestrians on the road, and it was obvious that they were all out of the city to enjoy the spring.
When the couple arrived at Fantai, looking down at the inner city from a high vantage point, they saw that the number of carriages and horses had doubled.
"Fortunately, we asked them to take the furniture and furnishings out early." Fang Ying said thankfully.
"Well, I think I should send someone back to tell mother to let them go out later. It's still a bit cold on the platform now."
It was still early, and the high platform was exposed to the wind, making it a bit chilly. Fang Ying nodded in agreement. Ji Yanlang squeezed her fingertips, feeling the coldness. He said quickly, "Put on a cloak and sit inside the curtains. I'll keep an eye on them."
Seeing that the steward and the servants were busy in an organized manner, and since Fang Ying did feel a little unwell on the way here, she agreed, went in and sat down behind the curtain, holding a hot water bottle, and drank a cup of brown sugar ginger water. When she felt better, she helped Lichun to get up and directed the maids to lay out the felt carpets, tables and other things.
When everything was almost ready, Ji Yanlang came in to look for her. "A message came from the mansion that my mother has already boarded the sedan chair and left." He pointed to the side corner and said, "The dressing area for the women has been separated. Take a look and see if anything is missing."
Fang Ying agreed and walked towards the dressing area while asking, "Has the area for the cook been separated?"
"It's well separated. It's on the west side. The cook is cleaning it herself."
Fang Ying turned around and instructed Lichun, "Send someone to tell Madam Tong to quickly order the ingredients she brought. If there's anything she forgot or is missing, send someone to buy it right away."
Lichun responded and went to do it. Fang Ying said to Ji Yanlang, "You don't have to accompany me. If you have nothing to do outside, go to Tianqing Temple first."
When Li mentioned that she wanted to add incense oil to Tianqing Temple, Ji Yanlang stopped and said, "Okay, I'll be back soon. If you're tired, take a rest. Send the maids and servants to run errands. Don't run around by yourself."
Fang Ying didn't want to walk back and forth by herself - it was not for any other reason, but that if she moved now, she would feel her menstrual blood gushing out, and she was afraid that her sanitary belt would be soaked and stain her skirt, so she went to the changing room, changed her sanitary belt first, sat down and watched the maids set up, then helped Lichun out, wanting to go and check on the cook.
Unexpectedly, just when he was halfway there, he ran into Ji Yanlang who was returning. "You don't have to go. I just came from there. We are short of some food. I have sent the steward to buy some. Don't worry."
Fang Ying asked what was missing, but he didn't remember. "Several things. There are a lot of people enjoying the spring outing today, and there are vendors downstairs selling all kinds of fresh food. I've instructed that even if you can't find what's in short supply, you can buy some ready-made food."
"Let's go there on the beginning of spring and check the menu with Madam Tong." Fang Ying was still worried, "Come back and report to me as soon as possible."
Ji Yanlang watched Lichun go and answer the call. He held his wife's hand and urged her, "Have a drink of water and take a break. You won't be able to rest until everyone arrives."
Fang Ying went back with him to the seat for the women. The two chatted for a while about where Li and the others were and how long it would take them to arrive. Then a servant came to report that the seventh son of the Sun family and the eleventh son of the Yu family had heard that the sixth son was here and had come to ask to see him.
"You go." Fang Ying said.
We are all childhood playmates, so when we meet here, we always exchange a few words.
Ji Yanlang got up and went out. A moment later, Lichun came back and reported, "Madam Tong, please rest assured. The few things missing won't affect the banquet menu. She's already busy boiling water on the stove."
Fang Ying nodded. The maids and servants came one after another to report various things, so she no longer paid attention to the cook.
After a while, someone came to report that the lady and her entourage had arrived at the outer city, and Liu Lang went to pick them up personally.
Fang Ying hurriedly asked Lichun to take out a mirror and fix her makeup, then inspected every place and ordered people to boil mountain spring water for making tea, and then went to the high platform to wait.
Soon the whole family came up with Li. Fang Ying stepped forward to support her mother-in-law, and asked with a smile if she was tired, and whether she wanted to have a cup of tea and rest, or take a walk and enjoy the scenery first.
"I'm not tired, let's take a walk first."
It was a rare occasion for her to go out, and Li was in good spirits. She sent her sons out to socialize - they had just met many relatives and old friends on the way up - and took her daughters-in-law and grandchildren to overlook the imperial capital, then walked around the peach forest before going in and sitting down behind the curtain.
The adults wanted to have tea and take a break, but the children hadn't played enough. Yue Qing'e knew that Fang Ying was not feeling well, so she asked her to stay with Li and her three sisters-in-law, and she took Ji Si Niang with her to take the children to fly kites.
The mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and sisters-in-law in the family usually face each other at home every day and don’t have much to talk about, so after a cup of tea, they started a card game.
Fang Ying sat next to Li, watching her and her three sisters-in-law play cards. Occasionally, a servant would come over to ask something, and Li would smile and say, "Okay, I won't tie you up anymore. Go and do your own thing first."
"Mom is right. We don't need to keep the person, just the money." An joked.
Fang Ying stood up and said with a smile, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I'll come and win your money when I'm free."
An waved her hand and told her to leave quickly. Fang Ying left the table and walked to the side. The housekeeper came up to report, "Liu Lang sent someone to say that several women from different families will come to see Madam later."
After Fang Ying listened to her tell her which families they were, she nodded to indicate that she understood. She then reminded her of a few things and then took the time to report back to Li.
Li had anticipated this. "They know I'm here, so they'll definitely come to talk. That's good, it'll be more lively with more people."
"You're right, mother. I've already asked them to prepare some snacks for the guests," Fang Ying said.
Cheng waited for them to finish talking, then waved to Fang Ying to play a few games for her while she went to change her clothes.
Fang Ying sat down next to An and played a few hands of cards with her while arguing with her.
Later, Cheng came back but didn't want to play cards anymore. She went for a walk to enjoy the scenery. Yue Qing'e handed the children to the servants and came over with Ji Si Niang. Fang Ying handed the cards to her second sister-in-law, went to the changing room to check her menstrual belt, and when she came out, the guests had arrived.
The first family to arrive were also relatives by marriage. They were Yue Qing'e's cousin and her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. There were four adults in the group, and they also brought two little girls who were seven or eight years old.
Fang Ying and Yue Qing'e had always been close, and she knew that she and her cousin were just ordinary relatives and didn't interact much with each other. So she walked up to her and greeted her, then sat next to Ji Si Niang and listened to the elder's words.
Cousin Yue also married into a family of military generals. Her father-in-law, like Ji Guangting and his son, is still stationed in the north to guard against the Hu people.
"A letter came back a few days ago saying that he is loyal to his country and cannot be away. My youngest son's fiancée has been delayed for two years due to mourning, and she is already quite old. Don't delay the wedding because he is not at home. So I asked someone to choose an auspicious date, and the wedding will be held on the 26th of next month. If you are free then, please come and have a drink." My cousin Yue's mother-in-law invited with a smile.
"This is a great event, congratulations to you. Even if I can't go, I will definitely ask Second Mother and others to go and congratulate you." Li smiled and pointed at Yue Qing'e.
After all, they were relatives from a distant family, and the other party did not expect Li to agree to go in person. After a few polite words, he said goodbye.
Mrs. Li asked Yue Qing'e to see the guests off, but she didn't expect that after she saw them off once, a few more came back. After three groups of guests came and went like this, it was almost noon.
Fang Ying figured everyone was feeling hungry, so she told the maid to pass on a message: "Tell the cook to bring up the cheese and tofu pudding first."
The maid responded and soon returned with a few people carrying food boxes. She first went to Fang Ying to answer, "Sixth Lady, Madam Tong said that when they were moving the tofu pudding to the high platform this morning, they knocked over the bucket and the tofu pudding went bad. She made a few bowls of yogurt without the rice wine..."
"Is this a matter of whether to add wine or not?" Fang Ying was furious. "I'm not..."
Before she finished speaking, Ji Yanlang came in from outside. Seeing that she looked unhappy, he interrupted and asked, "What happened?"
Fang Ying frowned and said, "I specifically told the cook that Fourth Sister and Huaizhi have poor stomachs and can't digest milk or drink alcohol, so I'm only making sweet syrup tofu pudding for Fourth Sister and my nieces..."
"Oh, I remember now. The cook told me that the bucket of tofu pudding had been overturned."
"You knew, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Fang Ying was anxious.
Seeing that the third and fourth sisters-in-law were looking at them and whispering to each other, Ji Yanlang quickly signaled Fang Ying to lower her voice and lowered his own voice, "I thought there was a replacement, so I didn't say much, for fear of upsetting you again."
Fang Ying was so angry that she felt dizzy. Had she not told him earlier because she was afraid of upsetting her? Wouldn't it be even more annoying for her if he told her right at the last minute?
Ji Yanlang was still trying to persuade her: "If you have a bad stomach, it won't be a problem if you eat a few bites less..."
"What do you know?" Fang Ying couldn't contain her anger, and her tone became aggressive. "What do you mean by eating a few bites is okay? Did you know that some people will experience rumbling in their stomachs and excessive gas after just a few sips of milk? Fourth sister is a young lady, shy by nature, and she knows the condition of her stomach. When she sees the cheese in front of her, will she eat it?"
Ji Yanlang was speechless because of her question. Fortunately, Yue Qing'e also noticed something unusual and came over to ask, which saved him.
"This matter is not Liu Lang's fault, he didn't know. It's still Madam Tong's fault. Didn't you tell her?" After hearing the whole story, Yue Qing'e took Fang Ying's hand and gently persuaded her, "Don't worry, here's how, someone go and ask Madam Tong to quickly cook a few bowls of glutinous rice balls and bring them over."
The maid who had answered earlier hurriedly responded.
Fang Ying calmed down a little, "Thank you, second sister-in-law, I..."
Yue Qing'e held her hand and said, "Why are you being so polite to me? Go and take a seat first. Liu Lang, go too. I'll keep an eye on the kitchen."
Fang Ying was about to refuse, but Yue Qing'e pushed her away: "You are not feeling well, don't argue with me at this time. Go ahead and serve your mother a bowl of yogurt yourself."
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The author has something to say: The cheese in this article is a dairy product
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2021-09-04 01:12:04 and 2021-09-29 00:57:13~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: avahgao 60 bottles; Chense Weixun 30 bottles; Hua Suhuai and Yuanlu 20 bottles; Wang Nannan 10 bottles;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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