Chapter 53 Juggling
Upon hearing Yuan Hongqu's words, Shi Xiangyun quickly replied,
"Granny, I've already had plenty of snacks at the old lady's place, so there's no need to trouble yourself. I'll just play with my sisters for a while."
"Good sister, don't be so formal. You'll definitely regret it if you don't eat the milk ice cream!" Daiyu said with a smile, taking Shi Xiangyun's hand.
Seeing Daiyu's amiable manner, Shi Xiangyun smiled as well.
“I had heard that the old lady had a granddaughter who was as beautiful as a fairy, and I had always wanted to meet her. Today, after seeing her, I felt that the fairy in the sky had a real appearance, just like my sister.”
Xiangyun has always been straightforward and outspoken, and she adores Daiyu. She used to pride herself on her good looks, but after meeting Daiyu, she realized how ignorant she had been.
These words made Daiyu blush with embarrassment.
Baoyu, however, continued to support the event.
"I was right, wasn't I? Lin Daiyu is like a fairy, and you all say I've never seen a fairy."
"Brother Bao, even you are making fun of me!" Daiyu protested angrily, stamping her foot.
"Don't come begging me for help with any homework or articles you don't understand from now on. I'm never helping you again, hmph!"
The three sisters laughed, saying that Baoyu had shot himself in the foot, and then coaxed Daiyu not to be angry.
Daiyu was more embarrassed than angry, and after the commotion, it all passed.
Yuan Hongqu asked Xiangtao to take out the milk ice cream that had been made that morning but had been frozen in an ice basin, to let it soften a little.
I was originally going to make mochi this afternoon, and all the ingredients were readily available.
Following the steps taught by Yuan Hongqu, Xiangtao first placed the extremely thin mochi skin in a small bowl, then added milk ice cream, followed by finely diced strawberries, and finally wrapped it up like a bun, placing it seam-side down on a porcelain plate.
The translucent mochi, with its glimpses of snow-white ice cream and bright red strawberry pieces, looks incredibly refreshing.
In addition to milk ice cream mochi, I also made cream strawberry daifuku, peach flavor, and matcha flavor.
The strawberry daifuku contains a whole strawberry, covered with a thin layer of cream, and then covered with a mochi skin, making it look like the strawberry is wrapped in a mochi coating.
The peach flavor is shaped like a peach, and the filling is made of diced peach pieces mixed with cream. The skin is also a pinkish peach color.
As for the matcha flavor, it has a green shaved ice skin. The cream inside is mixed with matcha powder and a little bit of red bean paste, which neutralizes the slight bitterness of the matcha. The refreshing color is especially suitable for summer.
The jade mat on the ground had been put away and replaced with a large table, on which Yuan Hongqu and Xiangtao set out afternoon tea.
This was also one of the most important activities for Daiyu and her friends to cool off on summer afternoons.
They ate heartily, while the people who had brought Xiangyun to Grandmother Jia's courtyard were on their way back to Rongqing Hall.
Daiyu thought the matcha-flavored daifuku was delicious, and the peach-flavored one was also quite good, with a nice meaning.
"Granny, I'd like to send some of these two pastries to my grandmother to try. She'll definitely like them."
"No wonder the matriarch dotes on Sister Lin the most. We used to ask the old lady for food, and rarely gave her any. But since Sister Lin came, she sends food to Rongqing Hall every few days. The food at Rongyue Courtyard is so exquisite and delicious. I think the matriarch is starting to become picky about food now. She eats less of the dishes sent from the main kitchen!"
Tan Chun has a sharp tongue, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, it carries a hint of sourness.
"Third sister, we can't send it even if we wanted to. We don't have a kitchen there, and no one has the same skills as Granny Yuan. If we make something and send it over ourselves, people will laugh at us." Xichun said clearly while eating her milk ice cream.
Tan Chun glanced at her but didn't say anything more.
Xiangyun was new and didn't know the specifics of Rongyue Courtyard, but that didn't stop her from supporting Daiyu.
“Sister Lin, I also think that the Ancestor would like these two items. Since they are going back anyway, let them take them back with them. It will save you the trouble of sending someone on a trip, especially since it's so hot under the sun.”
Daiyu thought to herself, "How wonderful this new little sister is!"
Yuan Hongqu had always been fiercely protective of Daiyu. After the children finished speaking, she spoke up.
"These peaches were sent over a long time ago, so there's no need to trouble the people in the old lady's yard. You can just enjoy yourselves. The old lady is very happy with your filial piety. She also sent word over to ask if you want to see a variety show in the evening. She's called a small troupe of performers for you. You can request the program in advance so the troupe can prepare early."
Yuan Hongqu never interfered in the interactions between children.
Each of these people has their own destiny. Yuan Hongqu's self-positioning is to not interfere and mainly observe, but when necessary, although she does not want to get involved in karma, she will still make many good connections.
Just like Wang Xifeng now, her fate with her has spanned two lifetimes, and it's impossible for Yuan Hongqu to ignore it.
With both of them now involved in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, who knows what will happen next!
The children were more excited about the acrobatic performances than the opera.
The group started chattering and discussing what shows they wanted to watch.
Finally, they settled on a few things, including magic tricks, somersaults, sword swallowing, tightrope walking, and handstands.
Because Baoyu had been to Tianqiao and seen the magic shows there, he knew more about them and added the tricks of juggling wine jars, breathing fire, and dogs jumping through fire hoops.
They discussed it and had someone write up a list to send to Sister Feng.
The variety show troupe needed a lot of space, so the show was set up on a stage in the garden.
As night fell and a cool breeze blew, Grandmother Jia led a group of people to the stage to watch the variety show.
The area behind the stage was already crowded with unemployed maids and servants. Those who could enter the inner courtyard to watch the acrobatics were all people of importance, but even so, there was still a huge crowd behind the stage.
The seats in front were all empty. After Grandmother Jia and a few younger relatives sat down in the front row, the two ladies of Xing and Wang also sat down. They weren't very interested in the acrobatics, but they came over to serve their mother-in-law because she was interested in it.
Wang Xifeng sat in the second row, in a convenient position to enter and exit, and Yuan Hongqu sat next to her.
The two whispered a few words to each other, and no one else could hear what they were saying.
Yuan Hongqu's expression was not very clear, but Wang Xifeng's face was full of excitement, which was quite intriguing.
Yuan Hongqu glanced at Wang Xifeng and inexplicably recalled a saying: "Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge brings deep fear."
Wang Xifeng just told her that there is a magician named Jiang Yuhan in this acrobatic troupe. He has an excellent voice, and the troupe wants to take him away. They are waiting at their doorstep now!
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