Wen Ye suppressed the random thoughts that suddenly popped up in her mind, and said to herself, "Well, it's getting late, my dear, please wash up and go to bed."
Although being a widow has its own joys, Wen Ye doesn't want to become a widow so early.
Xu Yuejia: "......"
The weird feeling came back.
After the lively and bustling New Year, Wen Ye finally witnessed with his own eyes how powerful the Lu family was.
After the third day, the fifth day is the birthday of Duke Xu and Xu Yuxuan. Coincidentally, the uncle and nephew were born on the same day. Wen Ye also found out about it on Xu Yuxuan’s birthday.
After their birthdays, many guests came one after another. They were all court officials from several families that Xu Yuejia and his brother were on good terms with.
Fortunately, with the Lu family, Wen Ye only needed to be a well-behaved companion on the side. Perhaps because of the special nature of Xu Yuejia's official position, not many people came for him.
The person who impressed Wen Ye the most was Lord Wang, the Prefect of Jingzhao, who was an interesting person.
However, being a wife of a noble family is not an easy thing. Others gain three pounds during the holidays, but Lu is different. Wen Ye went to the main courtyard these days and saw that she was getting thinner day by day. She was obviously less than 26 years old, but as she got older, her face no longer had the radiance it used to have.
This also made Wen Ye more determined to hold on to Lu's golden thigh.
She decided not to live that kind of life in her life.
Thinking about it this way, Wen Ye felt that she was somewhat unqualified as a younger sister, and felt a little guilty.
Of course, I don't feel much guilt.
In less than two months, Xu Jingrong would be sent to Songshan College. After the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, he would come to the West Courtyard from time to time and sigh in front of Wen Ye.
This is the third time today.
Today, Xu Jingrong was followed by two little followers and they arrived at the West Courtyard on time at 9:00 p.m.
When Wen Ye saw three boys standing in a row, each one shorter and rounder than the other, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
He called them "Second Aunt" and "Mother" one by one.
It was windy in the yard, so Wen Ye asked Taozhi to take out the box of toys they had collected earlier and let the two little ones go into the house to play.
Xu Jingrong was so familiar with the place that he went into the hall on his own, brought out a stool, put it next to Wen Ye who was sitting on the swing, and then sat down on it.
He held his chin with his hands and rested them on his knees, and sighed heavily as if he had a huge worry on his shoulders.
Wen Ye put down the teacup, glanced at him, and said, "Is it so bad to go to the academy?"
Xu Jingrong said with a worried look on his face, "Of course it's not good. I heard that Songshan Academy doesn't even allow servants or book boys to be brought in. Everything has to be done by oneself. I also heard that there are many acres of land in the academy. All students who are over 12 years old have to work in the fields."
He would soon be nine years old, and only a few years away from twelve. Given his qualifications, he would probably have to stay in Songshan Academy for six or seven years before he could barely pass the examination to become a student.
Xu Jingrong had never washed his own clothes, but he had seen the tenants on the farm. They were all dark and thin. He didn't want to become like them when he grew up. It would be so difficult to find a wife.
Wen Ye didn't know about Songshan Academy opened by the Xu family in Lancheng, but after hearing what Xu Jingrong said, she thought it was not bad.
The imperial examination is not easy at all. If the students are unable to carry anything on their shoulders or hands, they may not be able to make it through the first day of the examination.
Xu Jingrong looked at Wen Ye suspiciously and said, "Second Aunt, why do I feel like you seem very happy?"
Of course Wen Ye would not admit it: "You are wrong."
Xu Jingrong thought to himself, I'm not blind, but when he thought about the purpose of his visit today, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
"Second aunt, my nephew is going to suffer soon." Xu Jingrong began to perform, but his acting was a bit unpleasant.
Wen Ye couldn't bear to look directly at him and said, "Can you please talk properly?"
Xu Jingrong choked and said, "I just want to eat roasted lamb chops and roasted pig's trotters before leaving."
He still can't forget the taste of that time, but unfortunately he has never tasted it again since then.
After hearing this, Wen Ye raised his eyebrows and looked at him and said, "I was wondering why you kept going to the West Courtyard in recent days. It turns out that this is your idea."
Xu Jingrong acted like a spoiled child: "No, I just want to come to the West Courtyard to accompany you because I like Second Auntie."
Wen Ye chuckled and thought, I would feel more comfortable if you weren't here.
She closed the storybook and said, "There are no lamb chops or pig's feet today, but I, your aunt, decided to treat you to a barbecue. Do you want to?"
The food during the Chinese New Year was so good that Wen Ye gained a lot of weight. She plans to eat a light diet for a month and get back to the figure she had before the New Year.
So she has to avoid grilled lamb chops and grilled pig's trotters. She can't eat them, and naturally she doesn't want others to eat them in front of her.
There are many options for grilling. You can eat more vegetables and less meat. It's only one meal, so it won't have much of an impact.
Xu Jingrong nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes!"
Although there were no grilled lamb chops and pork trotters, it was nice to be able to eat barbecue. Last time he only focused on eating lamb chops and pork trotters, and didn't even enjoy the barbecue.
Wen Ye immediately asked Taozhi to instruct the small kitchen to prepare it.
Since he had made up his mind to keep relying on Lu, Wen Ye planned to take advantage of his free time to research some soups to nourish Lu.
But before that, she still needed to understand Lu's taste in advance, and learn about his mother's taste habits from her son Xu Jingrong.
Just right.
Grilling is simple. Just wash the vegetables and meat, cut them into cubes or slices, put them on skewers, heat them over charcoal, brush a layer of oil on the wire mesh, and then put the skewers on to grill.
Swirl around occasionally and sprinkle with cumin and chili powder.
When the meat skewers are sizzling with oil and have a light burnt aroma, they are almost ready to eat. If you can eat spicy food, sprinkle some ground chili powder on it before eating.
When he heard that they would have barbecue for lunch, Xu Jinglin gave up his toys and just followed his eldest brother, fearing that he would be left behind.
In just over a month, Xu Jinglin will be six years old. Wen Ye's attitude towards children is that after the age of five, as long as it is not poisonous, he can eat whatever he wants and she will not stop him.
As for the period before the age of five, one can only learn her specialty and muddle through.
So when Xu Yuxuan stuttered and said he also wanted to have barbecue with his brothers, Wen Ye gently touched his head and agreed without hesitation: "Don't worry, mother will never forget Xuan'er no matter who she forgets."
However, after she finished speaking, she asked Hong Xing to prepare some steamed buns with milk flavor, fried meat slices, and stir-fried cabbage, each with a few skewers.
How could Xu Yuxuan notice this? He thought Wen Ye loved him and smiled with his teeth showing.
Nanny Ji at the side sighed deeply in her heart again. She didn't know when their young master would be able to see through the Second Madam's evil ideas.
To be honest, in all the years she had been a servant, this was the first time she had encountered a woman with the Second Madam's personality. Her behavior might be inappropriate, but she always found just the right measure.
And the starting point is all for the good of the young master, it's just a little unconventional.
Nanny Ji went from being nervous and frightened at the beginning to being calm now, and she even had some sympathy for the young master.
The food grilled for Xu Jinglin was cumin-flavored, while Xu Yuxuan ate the milk-flavored steamed buns that Wen Ye had slid over the charcoal fire, as well as his own special skewers of meat and cabbage. Xu Jingrong had a strong taste, so he sprinkled a layer of chili powder on the skewers, just like Wen Ye.
Xu Jingrong couldn't stand the spiciness and kept sucking.
The two little ones didn't like the food, but they followed his example and slurped it up.
The scene was quite funny for a while.
Wen Ye naturally laughed out loud without giving any face.
Xu Jingrong: "......"
Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, he gulped down the milk tea in the cup, turned his grief and anger into appetite, and then took a big bite of the beef skewer.
After learning about Lu's exact taste from Xu Jingrong, Wen Ye began to prepare.
Wen Ye planned to prepare food for Mrs. Lu in person. This would not only show her sincerity, but also be extremely helpful to Mrs. Lu's plan to curry favor with her when she heard about it.
Fortunately, cooking is not difficult, so she just treats it as a game to pass the time.
Lu prefers light taste and rarely eats oily food. He prefers food that is fresh, crispy and tender.
No wonder she has always been so thin, this won’t do, Wen Ye pondered, and researched some meat dishes that are refreshing and not greasy, as well as some tonic soups that are good for the body.
After a few days of research, the results were quite effective. Wen Ye planned to send two to Lu's tomorrow.
The Great Jin Dynasty did not resume court until after the Lantern Festival, but Xu Yuejia resumed his habit of reporting for duty at the Ministry of Justice on the seventh day of the first lunar month.
Today, Xu Yuejia returned to the West Courtyard at 10 p.m., which was later than the previous two days.
Wen Ye finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas. Xu Yuejia just walked into the inner room, and Wen Ye immediately called out, "My dear, you're back."
Xu Yuejia hummed and said, "There are some gifts outside, remember to collect them."
"Yu Ci?" Wen Ye put on an outer coat and walked out of the inner room, and saw several large wooden boxes filling the main room.
She turned around and asked Xu Yuejia: "Are they all awarded by the emperor?"
Xu Yuejia: "There is also a share for the Queen."
Wen Yefuzhi was very excited and asked, "Specially for me?"
Xu Yuejia hummed again.
Wen Ye was not so narcissistic as to think that the queen liked him so much that she gave him so many things at once when she had never even seen him.
The reason can only be Xu Yuejia. Even if they are a royal couple, they will follow the custom that the husband sings and the wife follows.
Although he knew the root cause, Wen Ye was still a little dazed when he looked at the several large boxes in front of him.
She had several nearby boxes opened, which contained countless gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, as well as several precious medicinal herbs and top-quality bird's nests exclusively for the royal family.
The reward was so generous that Wen Ye couldn't help but think sinisterly, could it be that the emperor wanted to fatten up Xu Yuejia and then kill her?
But a sharp blade will eventually have a crack...
Xu Yuejia caught a glimpse of Wen Ye's 'overthinking' expression, and said with a slight twitch of the corners of her lips: "The Emperor's thoughts are not as complicated as you think, just accept it with peace of mind."
Wen Ye said calmly, "I haven't thought about it that way."
Xu Yuejia did not argue with her: "...Keep these. Remember, gifts cannot be sold."
Wen Ye was immediately dissatisfied and asked, "Who do you think I am, my dear?"
Xu Yuejia, who finally managed to pull one back, turned away and said with a barely perceptible smile, "I'm just giving you a friendly reminder."
Wen Ye gritted her teeth and sneered, "Thank you so much for your concern, my dear."
In that case, he would have no share of the ginseng herbs and bird's nests.
The next day, Wen Ye personally prepared some tonic food and brought it to the main courtyard, which really surprised Mrs. Lu. She looked at the table of food and looked at Wen Ye frequently, wondering in her heart if she had been possessed by some wandering ghost.
Facing Lu's suspicious gaze, Wen Ye calmly said, "I saw that my sister-in-law was really tired these days, so I thought of making some nourishing and medicinal meals for her to replenish her body."
Her tone was gentle and kind, which made Lu gradually put aside her doubts. Perhaps she was sincere.
The aroma of the food on the table whetted Lu's appetite.
You know, she has been so busy these days that her appetite has been poor. It's rare that she has some appetite today.
Lu slowly tasted a few dishes, which were all different from the meals she usually had, which was enough to show that Wen had put a lot of thought into them.
Mrs. Lu had a big appetite. After eating half of her meal, she slowly slowed down her eating speed. She looked at Wen Ye with a look full of satisfaction. She said, "Is this bowl of bird's nest a gift from the Lord?"
Wen Ye frowned: "It's true that nothing can be hidden from my sister-in-law."
Lu smiled and said, "When I entered the palace, the Empress also rewarded me some."
Wen Ye said truthfully, "I asked someone to try stewing a pot of it this morning. It tasted good, so I sent some to my sister-in-law."
Lu put down the spoon, looked at Wen Ye and said, "I have everything I need, you can keep it for yourself."
Then he said meaningfully, "It's not easy for your mother, Shen, to manage the entire Wen family."
People who are in similar situations can always empathize with each other.
Mrs. Lu didn't explain it very clearly, but fortunately Wen Ye could understand it.
She curved her lips slightly and said, "I will listen to my sister-in-law."
After delivering several days of food supplements, Wen Ye looked at the remaining bird's nests and called Yunzhi and Taozhi. Suddenly, she began to reflect on herself: "You tell me, was I a worry in the past? My mother and aunt must have done something wrong in their past lives to have a daughter like me."
Taozhi and Yunzhi looked at each other and decided to remain silent.
Just listen to what the lady says, and never respond, because the lady is always just talking.
However, many of the things the lady said were correct and to the point.
Wen Ye did not expect them to answer anything. He just asked them to divide the bird's nests into three portions and asked Yunzhi to go back to the Wen Mansion tomorrow to deliver the three portions of bird's nests.
Taozhi counted them and found only three. She couldn't help but ask, "Madam, aren't there any for Auntie and Fifth Miss?"
Wen Ye glanced at the remaining bird's nests in the box and said, "No hurry. After my second sister-in-law gives birth, I will go back for the feast and bring some for my aunt and my younger sister."
These good things won't go through the Shen family's obvious route.
Although the Wen family is in harmony at the moment, she still doesn't want her aunt and younger sister to enter the sight of the Wen family. It would be better for them to live their own lives in peace.
The next day, in the main courtyard of the Wen family.
Shen called her two daughters-in-law over and said, "These are the bird's nests that your fourth sister sent. Each of you can take one back."
Yang and Liu were surprised and delighted. Yang asked, "Is it the bird's nest that Yu Ci gave me?"
Shen nodded lightly. In fact, she couldn't figure out what Wen Ye meant at the moment.
She looked through the gift list and found that there were indeed only three gifts, so it was obvious that there was no gift for Aunt Chang. In that case, why would she bother to have someone deliver it?
Could it be that her character, which had always been one of not wanting to be taken advantage of, changed after she got married?
Regardless of what Shen was thinking, she remained calm and said, "Since it is your fourth sister's intention, you should accept it and remember her kindness."
Both Yang and Liu should agree.
For lunch, Shen invited her two daughters-in-law to have lunch with her. During the meal, a maid brought a bowl of bird's nest to the table. Shen asked the maid to serve a bowl to each of her two daughters-in-law.
Shen drank a bowl herself. The more she drank, the more uneasy she felt.
Suddenly, I remembered what Aunt Chang mentioned a few days ago, that she wanted to give a set of clothes to the young master of the Duke's Mansion in her name.
She agreed at the time, but it was just a verbal agreement without any other expression.
Shen looked at the swallow's nest in the bowl and thought, there are two pieces of brocade shipped from Suzhou in the warehouse, so she can take one to make clothes for Aunt Chang.
Otherwise, she would not feel at ease eating the bird's nest.
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