Chapter 274 First Meeting with Granny Liu
The commotion from Wang Xifeng caught the attention of Grandmother Jia. Seeing her eagerly anticipating the scene, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but feel curious.
"Feng-ge'er, are you waiting for Lian'er to come home? Oh my, look at your eyes, they're going to melt this snow."
Upon hearing this, Baoyu and the others couldn't help but laugh.
Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "He is so lucky that I am here waiting for him. Grandmother, I am waiting for an old man to come over."
Grandmother Jia was puzzled.
"This is strange today, are there other people coming to your housewarming party?"
"Indeed, this is to bring good fortune to my family," Wang Xifeng said with a smile.
"Come over here quickly so I can see. This smile is so sweet, it must be bringing you a fortune!" Grandmother Jia joked, though she was also filled with curiosity about the old man who was about to arrive.
Having received Grandmother Jia's instructions, a maidservant went to the door and led Zhou Rui's wife there when she arrived.
For a moment, everyone in the pavilion wondered which old man Wang Xifeng was referring to as the one who brought good fortune.
Is she an old noblewoman from some family, or an old nanny from the palace?
From afar, they saw Zhou Rui's wife leading an old woman dressed in dusty clothes and a chubby-faced little child over.
They were both slightly disappointed, and when the two people arrived, their disappointment was palpable.
This old woman is not even as good as the rough housekeeper who chops wood and tends the fire in their house. How come the Second Madam treats her as an honored guest? Could she have been tricked?
Wang Xifeng grew increasingly pleased with the old woman. This old lady was the lucky star of her eldest daughter, the one who saved her eldest daughter in the original book. The original author even said that it was very likely that Granny Liu was the one who collected Wang Xifeng's body in the original story.
Looking at the crowd in the pavilion, Granny Liu almost thought she had entered some kind of fairy cave. How could there be so many fairies? And the one sitting in the middle, could she be the Queen Mother of the West?
In a daze, she pulled Ban'er to kneel down and kowtow, muttering incantations.
"May the Queen Mother of the West be merciful, may all the fairies be merciful, this old woman has mistakenly entered this blessed land, it was not an intentional offense, please forgive me."
Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Quickly help the old lady up, don't frighten her. Old lady, look carefully, this is not some paradise."
Grandma Liu timidly raised her head, looked around, and saw everyone smiling at her. She also saw the familiar Aunt Zhou and the girl Ping who had brought her in earlier. Only then did she feel at ease.
Wang Xifeng felt a pang of sadness for no apparent reason, and hurriedly stepped forward, not minding the grime, to personally help Granny Liu up.
"Grandma, this is Second Madam, whom I told you about before. Second Madam is the kindest person imaginable. The money she gives away in charity each year is enough to support dozens of villages." Zhou Rui's wife introduced Wang Xifeng while praising her, her flattery blatant and shameless.
Of course, Wang Xifeng herself didn't feel embarrassed at all. That's just how it is, so why should she be embarrassed?
Granny Liu panicked even more and hurriedly hid, saying, "Second Grandma, this old woman is dirty, don't get your hands dirty."
"What's there to be afraid of? I think Granny Liu is perfectly clean." Wang Xifeng smiled, pulled Granny Liu to Grandmother Jia, introduced Granny Liu's background, and then said...
"Grandma, I heard that Grandma is even older than you, but look how healthy she is. We've been telling you to move around more often, but you wouldn't listen. Now you believe us, right?"
Grandmother Jia, however, did not believe it. "Old lady, how old are you this year?"
Grandma Liu quickly stood up and said, "I am seventy-five years old this year."
"He's several years older than me. When I get that age, I'm afraid I won't be able to move at all."
Seeing that Grandmother Jia was somewhat sad, Daiyu comforted her,
"Grandma, you should start practicing Baduanjin for a while every day from today. When you reach Grandma's age, you'll definitely be even stronger than her. Not only will you be able to walk, but you might even be able to run!"
This remark made everyone laugh again.
"Sister Lin, you tell everyone that practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade is very effective. I also practiced it for a while, but why can't I fly over rooftops like you?" Shi Xiangyun pointed at Daiyu. "Is it because you kept it from me and didn't teach me anything good at all?"
"Pah! Why hide something as simple as the Eight Pieces of Brocade?" Daiyu pouted.
"The Eight Pieces of Brocade is just for building a foundation; I've also learned other things!" Daiyu raised her eyebrows, quite proud of herself.
“Now my dad has started practicing Baduanjin every day, and I heard he can eat an extra bowl of rice this month.”
"Alright, alright, I'll follow suit and try to eat an extra bowl of rice at every meal!" Grandmother Jia laughed heartily.
After everyone had finished laughing, Grandmother Jia's sadness vanished, and she exchanged a few more words with Granny Liu, joking around for a while.
Yuan Hongqu also took some grilled meat skewers from the table and gave them to the boy. Seeing that he was eating with relish, she quietly asked someone to brew some tea to strengthen his spleen and stomach.
This child rarely eats meat, and eating too much at once might damage his spleen and stomach; he'll probably get an upset stomach later.
Ban'er accepted everything offered, even finishing the bitter tea.
“Grandma rarely comes to visit, and with such heavy snow and difficult roads, why don’t you stay at my house for a couple of days?” Grandmother Jia said with a smile. “I was just looking for an old lady with a long history to talk to, and you just happened to come.”
Wang Xifeng had originally intended for Granny Liu to stay, and the old lady's suggestion suited her perfectly.
After Wang Xifeng had Ping'er take the two of them to eat, she went to take a bath. After the bath, the old lady felt as if she had lost several pounds.
Ping'er went to find suitable clothes and changed into a new outfit from head to toe.
Granny Liu stayed at Rongguo Mansion that day. Rongyue Courtyard was a large place with several guest rooms, so Granny Liu and her granddaughter settled there.
As evening fell, the snow lessened, and Daiyu took the opportunity to leave with Yuan Hongqu. Even though Grandmother Jia jokingly scolded her behind her for being "heartless," Daiyu didn't care.
Back home, Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go to the Star Gazing Pavilion.
Today, the Star Gazing Pavilion is practically a transit station between the world of Dream of the Red Chamber and other spaces.
Daiyu almost always came here before going to the space.
When she went in, she saw that the old woman was almost completely sunk into the sofa.
“Granny,” Daiyu sat down beside her, “Sister Feng suddenly treated that grandmother and grandson to a good meal today, and even had them bathe and change clothes. It’s quite unusual. Although Sister Feng is charitable, she doesn’t help everyone she meets…”
“If I am Daiyu’s guardian, then Granny Liu is also the guardian of Wang Xifeng and her daughter. It’s not an exaggeration for your sister Feng to treat her this way.”
"Then I understand. No wonder Sister Feng protects her so much!"
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