Chapter 14 Afternoon Tea for the Girls
In Yingchun's opinion, Rongyue Courtyard was the quietest place in the Rongguo Mansion, especially the small pavilion, which was an excellent place for playing chess or reading.
In Tan Chun's view, Rongyue Courtyard is grand and spacious, with a refined touch in every detail. This style of decoration best suits her aesthetic, and she feels refreshed and relaxed as soon as she arrives here.
As for Xichun, she felt that every place here was a scenic spot, a painting, and that she could create a painting with just a few strokes of her pen, which was truly rare!
As the three were sighing, they saw Daiyu walking over, surrounded by Xueyan and two other maids.
"Hello, Second Sister, Third Sister, and Fourth Sister, I'm late," Daiyu said apologetically, though there was no trace of remorse on her face; her little face still showed the innocent look of someone who had just woken up.
"We wanted to see Rongyue Courtyard, so we came ahead of time without telling you," Yingchun said hastily. It was their presumptuousness to come, and she felt bad if her younger sister felt guilty because of it.
"Sister Yingchun, I was really being presumptuous. All the other sisters have come, but I was still sleeping. Granny Yuan, you'll have to wake me up next time." Daiyu apologized while also complaining to Yuan Hongqu in a coquettish tone.
"You're still young, and your health wasn't very good before. Now is the time for you to take care of your health. In a family like ours, we don't need you to study hard and take exams. You just need to sleep well and take care of your health. Health is the foundation of everything."
It wasn't that Yuan Hongqu was being untimely in educating Lin Daiyu, but rather that such a precedent absolutely could not be set in the Rongguo Mansion. If this precedent were set, Daiyu might not even be able to take a nap in the future.
She wanted everyone in the Rongguo Mansion to know that no one should even think about disturbing the Lin family's young lady when she was sleeping!
After Yuan Hongqu finished speaking, she looked at the three sisters who were looking at each other and smiled, "When Daiyu was at home, she had the habit of taking a nap. She was not in good health and slept little at night, so she had to take a nap during the day. If she didn't sleep well, her chronic illness would flare up more often."
"In that case, Sister Lin's health is naturally more important."
Tan Chun hurriedly said that if they let Granny Yuan continue, she might complain that the three of them had come at the wrong time, causing Sister Lin to even have to change her afternoon nap habit, which was not their intention.
"It's so enviable that Granny Yuan cares so much about Sister Lin." Little Xichun said with envy. She lost her mother at a young age, and having a father was no different from not having one.
Although she had a wet nurse to take care of her, there was still a difference between master and servant, and Xichun had never felt such care and attention before.
This also fostered her cold and indifferent personality from a young age; almost no one around her could attract her attention or make her worry.
“Sister,” Daiyu reached out and took Xichun’s small hand. Her hand had only been out of the quilt for a short while, and her warm little hand held Xichun’s hand. Xichun seemed to feel a surge of warmth in her heart as well.
"My nanny is such a kind person. If you like her, please come here to play more often." Daiyu was quite generous, sharing Yuan Hongqu right away.
"Sister, then I won't stand on ceremony." Xichun was still a child at heart, the most innocent of all. As she spoke, she looked at Yuan Hongqu. She saw that Yuan's mother had a gentle gaze, somewhat similar to the mother she had seen in her dream, making her want to get closer to her.
Yingchun was a dull and taciturn person. When she heard her younger sister say such things, she wanted to stop her, but she didn't know how to start.
Although Tan Chun was quick-witted, the old lady had just instructed them to learn more from Yuan Hongqu. Since Xi Chun had already set a good example, it would be natural for them to come over often in the future. Therefore, Tan Chun kept her mouth shut and did not say a word.
The group entered the living room, which was the daughter's residence. Although the family did entertain guests, they were all women.
So, apart from the meticulous furnishings, the living room is also very spacious, with tables, chairs, and couches all provided.
This is an excellent place for girls to chat, laugh, write, and draw together.
When Daiyu woke up, Xiangtao had already brought people to set out all the pastries she had prepared.
After they sat down, they brought over freshly made milk tea.
The porcelain cup is so thin it's almost translucent, and its texture is like white jade.
This is the white porcelain cup that Daiyu usually uses.
This type of cup has a large belly and a slightly smaller opening, which helps to keep the milk tea inside warm.
The tea used is Siamese tea. The dried tea leaves are sweetened and slowly roasted over low heat until they develop a caramelized aroma. Then, boiling water and milk are added, and after boiling, the tea leaves are filtered out. The tea is then filtered again through fine gauze for a smoother texture.
Daiyu really liked the taste, but Yuan Hongqu always forbade her to drink too much. She could only ask for milk tea when Sanchun came over.
The original Red Lotus only provided the basic version.
As for sago pearls, taro balls, and tapioca pearls, Daiyu had tried them when she was at the Lin family home. After arriving at the Rongguo Mansion, she didn't want to bring out these snacks so early.
When the servants outside the Lin family start purchasing for Rongyue Courtyard, they will slowly bring out the items one by one.
They had just taken a sip of milk tea and were still savoring the taste when the snacks and pastries laid out on the table drew their attention.
They were young ladies from the Duke's mansion, and were quite knowledgeable, yet they had never seen most of these pastries before.
"Sister Lin, these must have been made by your cooks from the South. All the cooks in this mansion are from the North, and they've never seen such exquisite pastries before."
Xichun ate while sighing.
"These are all Yuan Mama's specialty snacks. Sister, you should try those crab roe and jade shrimp dumplings. I guarantee you'll find them incredibly delicious!" Daiyu was never stingy with praise for good things.
Xichun took a bite and praised it highly.
"The younger sisters have already started eating, and they didn't even invite me." Light footsteps sounded outside the door, and then a handsome young man with a rosy face walked in.
Who else could it be but Jia Baoyu!
"Baoyu, didn't you go to class? Are you skipping class again? I'm going to tell Father, and he'll give you a beating."
Tan Chun wasn't interested in the crab roe and jade shrimp dumplings, but the flower tea pear jelly did pique her curiosity.
How was this made? It looks crystal clear, and it's incredibly smooth and soft to eat, with a rich, sweet pear flavor. Moreover, there's no discernible secret to its preparation. Tan Chun was truly puzzled, but too embarrassed to ask Yuan Hongqu directly.
Just then, Baoyu arrived, and Tanchun gave him a good scolding.
Baoyu also felt wronged. The teacher said he had something to do in the afternoon and told them to go home and study on their own.
"Third sister, the teacher didn't come this afternoon; he said we can go home from school now..."
"Oh, in that case, why aren't you studying in your room? What are you doing here?"
"I've come to bring some snacks for Lin Daiyu!" Jia Baoyu pointed to a plate of snacks he had just placed on the table, which included chicken feet pastries, gourd cakes, and egg rolls.
"Our ancestor said he wanted to personally deliver it to Lin Daiyu. I've come with a mission!"
Tan Chun nodded. So it was sent by her grandmother. How long was her grandmother going to spoil Lin Daiyu like this?
They've only been here for less than two days. As they spend more time together, they'll probably find out everything about the old lady's possessions, and Grandmother Jia will still be happy about it.
As soon as the pastries were ready at Rongyue Courtyard, Xiangtao immediately took a portion of each pastry as instructed by Yuan Hongqu and delivered them to Grandmother Jia's courtyard. At that time, Grandmother Jia had not yet gotten up from her afternoon nap.
It seems that Grandmother Jia has woken up and was moved when she saw the gifts her granddaughter had given her. She packed up some of her favorite snacks and had Jia Baoyu bring them over.
Then Jia Baoyu was added to the list. Seeing that the young lady didn't chase him away, Xiangtao quickly made another cup of milk tea and brought it to Baoyu.
Then I saw a few people, heads together, whispering something to each other. When they got to the part, they all burst into laughter.
Daiyu had a very fulfilling afternoon, chatting with the others and losing track of time.
When the conversation finally ended, the sun was setting outside the window.
They then went to Grandmother Jia's place. Whenever the weather was suitable, they would usually have dinner with Grandmother Jia, and today was no exception.
Because of the heavy use of oil and salt in northern cuisine, Daiyu was not used to it and needed to eat it again after returning home.
In the long run, this will definitely not be good for your health.
Yuan Hongqu was pondering how to discuss Daiyu's eating habits with Grandmother Jia when she heard a maidservant outside the door reply:
"Second Madam has arrived, but she only brought Ping'er with her."
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