Chapter 16 Warehouse
There was a report from outside, it was Madam Dingxiang coming.
"Deng Deng, do you have some free time? I'd like to discuss some matters at the palace with you." Her expression was gentle, as if she had completely forgotten the awkwardness of yesterday. "I'm here to assist with your mother's funeral, but when I counted the burial objects, I found that she's still missing some jewelry and headgear. According to etiquette and the Madam's rules, we shouldn't skimp on this."
"Of course not. It's just that when the rebellion broke out, the first thing they looted was the palace's treasury. To protect the valuables, Aunt Yingluo and her men hid the imperial gifts, as well as gold, silver, and jade artifacts, in the cellar. They haven't been cleared out yet."
Mother's funeral is naturally the top priority. Qiandeng rubbed his brows and stood up: "Auntie reminded us, let's go to the warehouse and take a look."
The warehouse was inside a thick courtyard wall. Before Qiandeng got close, he heard the noisy sound of construction.
The rebel army found nothing useful in the mansion that day, and in anger they raided and burned the warehouse. When Chang'an was pacified, the city was hit by floods again, and rainwater, mud, and fire ashes all poured into the warehouse cellar. Now the sewage below is a mess and there is no way to clean it up.
Because gold, silver, and jade are not afraid of fire or water, and since we have been busy with other things and are in mourning, we have not been able to clean up the house and have only locked the warehouse and courtyard door. Now that the funeral is about to take place, as the dead are like the living, it is natural to clear out the jewelry and toys that my mother cherished during her lifetime and take them with her.
I could hear the sound of ping-pong. The Jin family's construction team was moving bricks and stones, cutting wood and beams, and rebuilding the warehouse.
"These bricks won't do! They're not wide enough, nor thick enough. Listen to Master Liu and get five-foot bricks! This is the palace's treasury. It needs to be solid for a hundred years, weatherproof and weatherproof!"
Jin Tang was on the scene, shouting at the supervisors. Turning around, he saw Qian Deng approaching and immediately greeted him eagerly, "County Lady, the palace has received many gifts from the emperor. I'm worried that the workers might be dishonest, so I've specially selected the most trustworthy people. I'm also here to personally supervise and ensure that all the artifacts in the palace are complete and that nothing goes wrong!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Jin." Qiandeng knew that he had always worked hard for the palace. Now the palace has basically returned to its original state before the looting, which made her feel moved.
"I am happy to serve the county lady!" Jin Tang smiled foolishly at her, with a lot of mud and dust on his fair face. It was obvious that this spoiled son of the richest man was also doing something big for the first time.
Qian Deng nodded at him and said, "I'm not busy with other things. Do you think we can clean out the things in the cellar in the next two days?"
The workers gathered around the cellar and saw it was filled with sewage. The water was filled with broken bricks, tiles, mud, and rotten wood. They all choked in frustration, saying, "This... I'm afraid it's going to be difficult to deal with in a short while."
Jin Tang didn't hesitate and opened his palm to everyone: "If you empty the cellar of debris and sewage before dark, I will give each of you five strings of cash. If you clean up the water, you will get another five strings of cash."
Before he could finish his words, a group of people rushed to the cellar, some fetching buckets, some making ladders, some tying ropes, all scrambling to jump in, not afraid of the cold weather, wading through chest-deep dirty water to clean up the debris.
Seeing that the progress was smooth, Jin Tang showed a proud look on his face and happily assured Qian Deng that he would send someone to count the property in the warehouse tomorrow.
Qiandeng discussed with Lady Dingxiang again. It was okay for the other valuables inside, but the things given by the emperor must not be lost. Otherwise, if the court blamed them, no one could bear the responsibility.
Finally, it was agreed that Aunt Yingluo and Jintang would be responsible for checking the valuables taken out of the cellar and sending them to the remaining wing room in the corner of the courtyard. Lady Dingxiang would then lead the maids in the wing room with Aunt Xuanji to clean and list them to prevent any loss.
By the time everything was settled, it was almost noon. The kitchen had prepared the meal and set it up in the small hall in the west courtyard. Qiandeng changed his clothes and ate with his aunt.
Because it was the mourning period, they didn't prepare any rich fish or meat, but the dishes the cooks created were exquisite. One of them, Luoyang bird's nest, was particularly delicious. Lady Dingxiang was pleasantly surprised when she tasted it. "This is the flavor your mother and I ate when we were little! In Luoyang, we're the only ones who use finely shredded flower mushrooms from Funiu Mountain in bird's nest. Did your mother teach the cooks at the mansion to make it this way?"
Qian Deng didn't know about this. The waiter, Amber, went to the kitchen to inquire. She came back and led Shi Jingning in with a smile, saying, "So this dish was made by Master Shi. No wonder."
"Yes, because Madam is from Guozhou, I've noticed the flavors there before." Shi Jingning greeted Qian Deng and Madam Dingxiang with a smile, "This is my first time making this too. I hope the County Lady and Madam Dingxiang won't look down on my poor skills."
Qian Deng said, "Mr. Shi is the Minister of Cuisine in the Guanglu Temple. Naturally, his cooking skills are superb. There is no need to be so modest."
Madam Dingxiang looked at Shi Jingning. Although he came from the kitchen and was only wearing a simple narrow-sleeved cloth, his features were still handsome and elegant. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Can the palace even employ the imperial chef from the Guanglu Temple?"
"Young Master Shi now lives in my backyard, and only occasionally shows off his skills in his free time," Qian Deng introduced. "When it comes to being considerate and thoughtful, he's the best among all the young masters, and I often benefit from his kindness."
Seeing the county lady praising him so highly, Shi Jingning lowered his head and smiled: "County lady, you are too kind."
Hearing that this man was also one of Qiandeng's candidates for husband, Lady Dingxiang couldn't help but take another look at him. She secretly compared him with Yang Huaijiang and felt depressed.
In terms of status, he was an official of the Guanglu Temple, while his son was just a commoner; in terms of temperament, he was gentle and reserved, while his son was a playboy; in terms of affection, he was cheerful and talkative, while his son had offended the county lady the moment he arrived...
What's even more incomparable is that Shi Jingning is elegant and handsome, like Gui Ruolan, while her son used to be pretty good-looking, but now his face has become like a calico cat's, making him almost unappearable.
Her face and heart sank, and she didn't even bother to eat the bird's nest dish. After Shi Jingning left, she said, "A grown man doing kitchen work is ultimately not up to par."
"Really? I have a different opinion from my aunt." Qiandeng picked up two chopsticks of bird's nest and ate casually. "Young Master Shi is diligent and ambitious. Although his parents died early, he supported the entire family by the time he was in his teens, taking care of everyone, young and old. His four younger siblings are all well-behaved and sensible. With his brother's words and deeds, they have been brought up better than other children. Such character and character are unmatched by ordinary young masters."
"Aunt, I think you're overthinking it. Whoever marries him in the future will be responsible for supporting his entire family. I'm sure there will be a lot of worries," Madam Dingxiang said angrily. "But if you marry into the Yang family, you'll live a life of luxury and won't need to worry about all this..."
"Aunt, before my mother died, she designated a husband for me." Qiandeng lowered her eyes and calmly drank a sip of soup. "At that time, the gentlemen designated by the court were in the outer hall. My mother pointed to one of them and chose one for me. Although it was so hasty, I still don't know who she pointed to, but my cousin was definitely not one of them."
"Then...then when you were little, your mother also said that you and Huaijiang were a good match, and that you could become a closer marriage in the future." Madam Dingxiang refused to let her go and insisted, "Dengdeng, I'm an experienced person, and I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart. Men are actually all the same. Your cousin may not be a good man, but men, after a few years of wandering around in their youth, will become more stable once they have a family, right?"
Qiandeng didn't know how to answer, but she felt her hand tighten. Madam Dingxiang held her hand.
"Deng Deng, your aunt is sincerely planning for you. I've looked at your potential husbands. After all, you've only known them for a short time. Unlike your cousin, your family knows him well, so there's no need to worry. Instead of letting those men in your backyard get jealous and laugh at you, it's better to let your aunt give you peace of mind. When you marry in, your aunt will definitely stand by you in everything and manage Huaijiang for you. As long as your aunt is here, she will never let you be dissatisfied!"
She sold out her old feelings and played the victim, even swearing and making a vow, Qian Deng understood everything.
Her aunt was now determined to take advantage of her, to send her good-for-nothing son into official career, and to help her control and suppress her rebellious son, so that she could have a smooth and stable life in the second half of her life.
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