On Laba Festival, we drink Laba porridge, and each person in the lady's courtyard was also given a few zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
It's a rice dumpling with meat filling, supposedly sent back by my uncle from the south.
Hearing the people in the courtyard talking about how none of them had ever eaten it, Wang Yan ate one herself and took the remaining three to give to her older brother and sister.
Upon arriving at Moyuan Courtyard, Granny Shi smiled and let her in. Wang Yan took out a few coins and offered them to her. Granny Shi refused to accept them.
Then, turning his back and sulking, he said loudly, "We're not as good as some 'lackeys' at currying favor and using baseless accusations to put people down."
"Girl, you can't accept this money from Granny Qian. If you do, someone might start gossiping about you and kick you while you're down."
Upon hearing this, Wang Yan knew there was something fishy going on. Not wanting to simply go along with her, she gave her a salted meat rice dumpling.
"This was a gift from Madam; having one won't hurt."
"Since it's a gift from Madam, Mother-in-law will accept it." She then sneered coldly, "Let's see which little slut dares to talk nonsense about Madam's reward!"
Wang Yan was surprised to find her sister missing after entering; Wang Ying and Fang Li were taking inventory of the storeroom in the backyard. Other unrelated personnel were not allowed to go in.
So Manjing led her to a small teahouse, where she could drink two cups of tea and eat some snacks.
It was lunch break time, and Chun'er, hearing that Wang Ying's sister had arrived, ran to the small tea room.
"You're Yingjie's sister? Wait here, I'll get you a beaded necklace I just strung together."
Before Wang Yan could even thank her, she ran off, and a short while later returned with a red beaded bracelet and put it on Wang Yan's wrist.
Xingzi looked reluctant and secretly gave her a wink, but she didn't openly show it to Luo Chun'er. She still remembered Manjing's advice from last time.
Her older sister had spoken well of Xingzi a few times at home, and she knew that Xingzi didn't seem like the type to cause trouble, but Chun'er's attitude was also good.
Though puzzled, he remained outwardly calm, smiling gently and nodding in thanks.
When they arrived, Wang Ying was not there. Instead, Wang Xing accompanied the young master to see the second wife and then came to collect the things.
Wang Xing also gave his younger sister a purse containing "winter medicine" made from Chinese medicinal herbs such as Tiger Head Pill, Eight Gods, and Tusu, for good luck and to ensure she wouldn't get sick after the twelfth lunar month.
Wang Pangzi specially went out to buy them two days ago, and he happened to run into them today and brought them back. One for each of the three siblings.
When Wang Ying heard about this that evening, she went back and returned a silver lilac painting to Chun'er as a gift.
She took it hesitantly, lowered her head, and went to bed to rest.
She was unhappy, and that feeling was evident on her face the next day when she served him.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Xiang'er asked with concern.
After hesitating for a moment, Chun'er dejectedly told him about her grievances.
Xiang'er turned around, took her hand, and comforted her with a smile, "How could this happen? It was because I was blinded by greed last time and said some bad things about Wang Ying and Manjing."
I genuinely want to make amends. It doesn't matter if they can't see my attitude, but you're with them every day, and this can't go on forever.
Then, casually, she mentioned, "Now you're quite adept at beadwork, embroidery, tea making, and hair combing."
"It's just that Fangtang, who's not taking responsibility, is blocking the way. If Manjing and the other two don't get promoted next year, you'll be stuck here feeling frustrated. It's a real shame."
Thinking of Fangtang's usual domineering and mean-spirited manner, Chun'er couldn't help but echo her sentiments. She felt indignant.
………………
The weather cleared up for a few days, then it started snowing heavily again.
Wang Yan and the other sweepers work very hard. Every day after sweeping, they have to wipe the floor again with a dry mop to prevent it from slipping.
Chunlan had been mocking them a few days ago, but she hasn't had a moment's peace these past two days either.
Whenever Granny Hua was about to leave the room, she would first mop the floor with a mop. Then she would kneel on the ground, take a handkerchief, and wipe away the remaining water.
Although it was just a narrow path, it was much more tiring than the one Chunye and the others had to take, as they had to be extremely careful.
Even in winter, Granny Hua doesn't like to wander around too much, but she needs to keep accounts and take stock of the storeroom.
She inevitably has to go out two or three times a day, so she has to kneel at the door and wipe the floor anytime, anywhere.
To make sure the road was dry when Granny Hua came out, he wanted to go up and have Chunye help him wipe it, but Chunye dismissed her by saying she needed to mop other places.
As the weather gets colder, the demand for spicy strips skyrockets, and the number of people coming to order them from various courtyards has increased significantly.
Each person gets a small bag, and after working for a while, they eat two of these; the spiciness warms them up from head to toe.
Even the gatekeeper of the outer courtyard ordered a basket of flour a few days ago. It must have weighed about fifty pounds. Because of the large quantity, they delivered the flour themselves.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, which is the Little New Year, the kitchen staff brought down a feast: braised pork, glutinous rice balls, eggplant with meat filling, cold shredded chicken salad, a vegetable dish, and a soup.
Two tables were set up in the small kitchen in the backyard. Chunye grabbed a steamed bun and ate large mouthfuls of braised pork while whispering to her...
"I heard that they give out ten dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner. The New Year is so great!"
"I remember you jumped up and down about eight times while I was sweeping today, yelling that spring would come soon and it would be warmer."
Chunye clicked her tongue. "These two things are unrelated. How wonderful it would be if spring were the season for the New Year."
"Hahaha." Wang Yan couldn't help but laugh.
Come quickly and get some candy. Grandma Sun's small kitchen is also holding a kitchen festival, so none of the servants in the main kitchen have gone to get candy.
In Mo Yuan Courtyard, Fang Tang went to collect the candied melons. The moment she stepped into the courtyard, Liu Xiang'er snatched two away and sweetly presented them to the Third Young Master.
"This was taken from the altar of the Kitchen God. Eating it will bring you peace and safety. Young master, please have a taste."
Fang Tang frowned, but since she had given it to the Third Young Master, she couldn't do anything about it.
Angrily, he turned back and distributed the food to everyone. When it came to Chun'er, he casually tossed one to her, but she didn't catch it and it fell to the ground.
Fang Tang then started cursing, "What a clumsy and stupid girl..."
"Shut up!" Fangli saw this and quickly walked over to stop her from cursing. She then bent down to pick up the candy melon and handed it to Chun'er, saying, "Go play!"
Seeing my own stupid younger sister, who is so dumb, yet still has the nerve to call others stupid, I felt a tightness in my chest from anger.
Liu Xiang'er saw everything clearly from inside the room. Her face was filled with worry, but she forced a smile and comforted Chun'er.
"You've become angry with this too. I'm really afraid that if things continue like this, you might be kicked out after the New Year."
Chun'er stood there with her hands hanging down, not saying a word after hearing these words.
What a fool! Liu Xiang'er thought to herself with resentment. After teaching him for so many days, he still looked timid and cowardly!
"Go and have fun by yourself, and take this box of snacks with you to share."
Chun'er smiled and ran off to play with Xingzi. Xingzi had been treating her well lately, but they weren't really close friends.
Two days later, Fangtang lost a small bell that was tied to a bracelet in the yard.
I searched everywhere but couldn't find it. Somehow, I remembered sitting in Chun'er's...
It was found on the dining table.
Fang Tang exploded, "You little brat who's only a few years old, and you're already a thief! Just wait until after the New Year, I'll give you a good beating and kick you out!"
He scolded Chun'er until she trembled all over and cried incessantly, then he walked away with a satisfied look on his face.
This caused everyone in the courtyard to gossip about her, saying that a bell wasn't worth much, and that she was being unreasonable. There was no evidence that Chun'er had stolen it.
That was incredibly arrogant, but who could have predicted that Fang Tang would run into trouble just two days later?
Two days later, Fangtang was ordered to go out and deliver something to Aunt Yang. She accidentally fell to the ground.
Unfortunately, there was a rock nearby, and he hit his head on it, bleeding profusely. Luckily, someone was passing by, or he would have been dead!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com