"Miss, Old Madam Jiang has sent Granny Zhao. She has gone to the main hall."
Upon hearing that Granny Zhao had arrived, Shen Danru immediately stood up:
"Let's go see Granny Zhao."
She only mentioned it to Old Madam Jiang, but unexpectedly, Granny Zhao came the next day.
After leaving Liu Yishou's residence, Shen Danru went directly to the Duke of Xingguo's mansion.
Because the old lady Jiang's maid had already given instructions that if Miss Shen came, she should be led directly to the old lady's courtyard.
The servants dared not neglect them. Upon hearing that they were from the Shen family, they immediately brought Shen Danru to the old lady's courtyard.
Old Madam Jiang kept telling Zhao Mama that she wondered if Ru'er had finished her work yet, and why she hadn't seen her for several days since arriving in Shengjing.
Granny Zhao advised her, "Miss Chen must also be thinking of you, Madam. Just wait a bit, and she'll definitely come to see you once she's finished with her work."
After much anticipation, Madam Jiang finally welcomed Shen Danru.
As soon as Shen Danru entered the room, Old Madam Jiang immediately grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go.
After Shen Danru explained her purpose, Old Madam Jiang sighed inwardly. It seemed that this girl didn't miss her; she probably had something to ask of her.
However, whatever the reason, as long as this girl comes, that's fine.
The next day, she sent her most capable maid, Zhao, to the Shen family.
Granny Zhao was an old servant of hers. If you were to ask who Old Madam Jiang trusted, besides her grandson, it would be Granny Zhao.
As soon as Shen Danru entered the main hall, she saw Granny Zhao chatting with Zhou Shi. Zhou Shi seemed petty and timid, with a hint of fear in her eyes.
Shen Yulan, on the other hand, sat there very gracefully and appropriately.
Upon seeing Shen Danru arrive, Zhou seemed to relax considerably.
Shen Danru bowed slightly: "I'm sorry to trouble you these days, Granny."
Granny Zhao bowed in return, saying, "You're too kind, Miss."
Then Shen Danru solemnly instructed Zhou Shi and Shen Yulan: "Mother, eldest sister, Grandfather will be back soon, and we will definitely move into the Duke's Mansion. Things will not be the same as before. Your every move and word will represent the image of the Duke's Mansion. You have suffered a bit these past few days, but for Grandfather and for Father, you must also learn proper manners."
Zhou and Shen Yulan nodded.
Shen Danru's biggest worry was her mother; her eldest sister was alright.
As for her father and elder brother, Shen Danru had no worries about Yu Yan. Her elder brother had stayed in Shengjing the longest and had met many noble young men, so he already knew how to deal with them.
Knowing that he was to take up his post at the Ministry of Revenue, Shen Cheng consulted his daughter whenever he had a spare moment on his journey back to Shengjing from Ningzhou.
Over the past ten years, Shen Danru's status has been different from others. She was not only taught by the palace matrons. While in the Marquis's mansion, she was also taught by the Marquis of Xuanping and knew a lot about court affairs. Shen Danru told her father all of this.
Shen Yuyan was listening nearby at the time. He was more perceptive than Shen Cheng. He could apply what Shen Cheng couldn't understand to other situations.
Now that Granny Zhao is there to teach her mother and eldest sister, Shen Danru can finally relax.
Shen Danru thought to herself that Zhao Mama could only teach her mother for a short time.
She'll be returning to the Duke of Xingguo's mansion at any time, so it would be best to hire a nanny for her mother to constantly remind her and prevent her from making any mistakes.
But this is a bit difficult. Those nannies are usually trained by wealthy and powerful families. Unless they make a big mistake, no one would be willing to sell them off.
Even the character of the person being sold must be considered, and Shen Danru still dared not use them lightly.
This matter cannot be rushed; we can only wait for an opportunity in the future.
Seven days later, it was the flower-viewing banquet hosted by Madam Jiang.
The banquet, personally hosted by Madam Jiang of the Xingguo Duke's Mansion, sent invitations to most of the noble ladies, noble sons, and young ladies of Shengjing. This was a very rare opportunity.
Some speculate that it must be that Madam Jiang wanted to find a good match for her most beloved grandson.
Some speculate that Madam Jiang may have found some relatives, and this banquet was held for those relatives.
Some people said, "Stop making wild guesses. If it's a banquet for relatives, it must be a family reunion banquet, not a flower viewing banquet. I heard that Madam Jiang has recovered from her illness, so she wanted to hold a banquet to celebrate."
Some even say that the flower-viewing banquet is purely for the purpose of appreciating flowers.
Indeed, on this day, the servants of the Duke of Xingguo's mansion moved all the flowers from each household to the back garden, and this flower-viewing banquet truly looked like a flower-viewing banquet.
Fortunately, the back garden of the Duke of Xingguo's mansion was large enough; otherwise, there would have been no place to accommodate so many flowers and so many people.
Each pavilion was equipped with tea, fruit, and snacks, and even more so with bowls of ice that emitted a refreshing breeze, instantly cooling down the restless mood of summer.
"I didn't expect the Duke of Xingguo's mansion to be so generous, giving away ice like it's free."
"Yes, I was worried that my carefully applied makeup would be ruined, but I didn't expect the Duke's mansion to be so icy. It doesn't feel hot at all in the summer. It's even more comfortable than at home."
These young ladies from wealthy families had never experienced hardship at home. On their way here, they were complaining about whether it was really possible to enjoy flowers in such hot weather.
However, they also wanted to take this opportunity to choose a good husband they liked, so they naturally came even in the hottest weather.
But to my surprise, this trip was definitely the right one.
The Duke's mansion not only had a pavilion, but also several large nets.
Sheets of black cloth completely blocked out the scorching sun. They asked the servants of the Duke's mansion and learned that they were called shade nets.
They stopped the servants and asked where they bought the item. The servants smiled and said that it was not sold on the market. It was made by the cousin whom the old lady of the Duke's mansion had just recognized.
And what are these milk tea and ice cream on the table? And these snacks are things they've never tried before.
There was also a yellow food, which came in strips and slices, and was very popular with the ladies.
Did that Miss Cousin also make this?
Even before the banquet began, they were already filled with curiosity about the mysterious cousin of the Duke's mansion.
Only Shen Yingxue curled her lips. What kind of cousin was she? She was just a lowly cook. How could a real young lady do such vulgar work? Shouldn't this be done by a servant?
After arriving in Shengjing, Song Yuqing made two close female friends, though their family backgrounds were not as prestigious as those of the Marquis of Xuanping.
While these two people secretly disliked Song Yuqing for growing up in a crude country, they also treated her with utmost respect and flattery.
If it weren't for the fact that Song Yuqing still had a chance to be betrothed to the Crown Prince, they wouldn't even bother to look at her.
Shao Qianhua picked up a French fry, put it in her mouth, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Sister Shiyue, try this. This snack is really delicious. I just asked the servants at the Jiang residence, and they said it's called fries. I don't know what it's made of, but it's so delicious."
Yuan Jinghe chimed in, "I heard it's from that cousin, who grows her own crop called potatoes. These fries are made from those potatoes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
