"Yes, I'll take my leave." Pang Yi looked at the bowl of cold medicine on the table and wanted to remind Zhong Mingwei to get up and drink the medicine, but he gave up.
Gu Changlin was right. Zhong Mingwei was suffering from a heart fire. It would be futile for him to drink more medicine.
…
The fifth day of the fifth month in the thirty-third year of Jiasheng.
Dragon Boat Festival.
Jixian Book House.
Early in the morning, Chen Qingxuan drove a donkey cart to take Meiya and Grandma Chen to Jixian Book House. He then returned to the village. There were still some books and gifts to be transported from home, so Meiya and Grandma Chen stayed in the private school to make zongzi.
"Girl, who did you learn this skill of making zongzi from?" Grandma Chen looked at Mei Ya making triangular and long zongzi and praised her endlessly, "They are really beautiful."
"I learned it from my elders in the capital." Mei Ya smiled and continued to wrap the zongzi with reed leaves. "She is very skillful. She also taught me how to embroider."
In the past, when I was working in the laundry department, every Dragon Boat Festival, I would also be given some reed leaves and glutinous rice. Other palace maids were too lazy to make dumplings, but Mei Ya liked to make them the most. She felt very accomplished when she made dumplings out of the scattered glutinous rice. And the dumplings were delicious. As a palace maid, it was rare for her to eat glutinous rice once a year, so Mei Ya cherished them very much. But Xiang Ma said she was stupid. Others were too lazy to make dumplings, but she had to make dumplings for dozens of people. But despite that, Xiang Ma still patiently taught her how to make dumplings.
Aunt Xiang knows so much, Mei Ya is still impressed by it.
"Girl, who are your relatives at home?" Grandma Chen put down the rice dumplings in her hand and looked at Mei Ya.
Grandma Chen had wanted to ask this for a long time, but had never had the right opportunity. Now that Chen Qingxuan was away and there were only the two of them at home, Grandma Chen hurriedly asked. Ever since Mei Ya moved into her house, Grandma Chen had become more and more interested. She saw that the two children seemed to be a perfect match. Moreover, Chen Qingxuan, who had looked down on everyone before, obviously cared about Mei Ya very much. Grandma Chen was naturally overjoyed and now wanted to ask about Mei Ya's family situation so that she could prepare a betrothal gift in the future.
"My family..." Meiya obviously couldn't guess what Grandma Chen meant, so she put the wrapped rice dumplings in the basin and said with a drooping brow, "I'm the only one in my family."
"What...what does this mean?" Grandma Chen was really shocked. After a pause, she asked Meiya cautiously, "Girl, where are your...parents?"
"My parents died early," Meiya said in a deep voice, "I was sold to a wealthy family as a maid."
"So that's how it is," Grandma Chen sighed, patting Meiya's hand, "Girl, it's okay, you still have us. Aren't Qingxuan and I your family?"
"Yes," Meiya nodded with a smile, "Grandma, I have always been grateful to you and Mr. Chen."
"If you are really grateful, then don't call him Mr. Chen anymore. It sounds so distant," Grandma Chen deliberately joked. "Girl, if you are not used to calling him brother, then just call him by his full name, or Qingxuan!"
"How can this be possible?" Meiya was startled and waved her hands hurriedly, "Grandma, please stop joking with me."
"I'm not kidding, I'm serious," said Grandma Chen, smiling brightly. She took a reed leaf and scooped some glutinous rice into the pot. After a pause, she asked Meiya casually, "By the way, girl, since you have no relatives, who is that gentleman on the mountain? Is he your uncle?"
Meiya was startled, and the spoon in her hand fell to the ground. She hurriedly picked it up, then went to the kitchen to rinse it, and then sat down again: "He is not my uncle."
"Who is that?" Grandma Chen looked at Mei Ya, "Could it be your master?"
"Yes, he is my master." Mei Ya nodded, thinking silently, if Miss Duan had not committed suicide, but had successfully come to Ningguta, then Zhong Mingwei would not be her master? But Miss Duan did commit suicide, and she actually forgot her original identity...
Grandma Chen paused, and a handful of rice grains leaked out from the reed leaves. She hurriedly took a piece of straw, tied the rice dumpling, and put it in the basin.
Grandma Chen's mind was in a mess. She thought about the lame man's attitude towards Meiya that morning, and the scene when the two were alone in a room later. The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. In the past, she only thought that the lame man was Meiya's uncle and didn't take it seriously. But now that she knew that the two were just master and servant, Grandma Chen naturally had a lot of questions. She looked at Meiya who was wrapping zongzi skillfully, with a look of wanting to say something but stopping herself. But in the end, Grandma Chen still asked, "Girl, why did you suddenly want to stay at our house this time?"
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