Chapter 6 Borrowing a Stove
"Miss Lin, the old lady wants you and the second master to come over for dinner."
The curtain of the green gauze wardrobe was lifted, and Dongqin, a second-class maidservant of Grandmother Jia, came to invite Daiyu to dinner.
This was arranged yesterday. Daiyu would stay at Grandmother Jia's place, eating and sleeping in the same place as Baoyu.
Baoyu had already finished tidying up and was sitting in the outer room, while Xiren stood beside him, glancing at the green gauze curtain from time to time.
When Jia Baoyu woke up in the morning, he had already forgotten Lin Daiyu's down-to-earth remarks from their first meeting yesterday.
All he remembered was that she was a younger sister who looked like a fairy.
Even if this younger sister is tainted by the mundane world, she is still a celestial being from the heavens!
Therefore, he was excited and wanted to go to the gauze-covered wardrobe to wake Daiyu up and go eat together.
However, to their surprise, there was a maid guarding outside the green gauze curtain.
The girl looked burly and strong, but she was incredibly strong. She reached out and stopped him, saying in a serious tone:
"This is the young lady's residence; Master Bao, you cannot enter."
Upon hearing this, Xiren burst out laughing.
"Walnut, Master Bao is still a child. Besides, Miss Lin and Master Bao are like siblings, there's no need for so much taboo."
The chubby girl nicknamed Walnut remains unmoved by reason:
"The teacher taught that boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven, not even siblings. Second Master and our girl are not related by blood."
She had just finished speaking when Dongqin, who had come to invite the two of them to dinner, walked in.
Dongqin, presumably having overheard the commotion inside from the doorway, smiled slightly at Walnut:
"Walnut, the old lady asked me to come and see if the girl has gotten up yet, so she can call her over for dinner."
Walnut glanced at Chunqin before stepping aside to let Dongqin in.
Not long after Dongqin went in, Daiyu and Xueyan came out with her.
Xiren had wanted to follow him in, but Baoyu's failure to get in was a rare blow to him.
He wanted to lose his temper, but he was afraid that if the fairy sister came out and saw him throwing a tantrum, she would misunderstand and think he was difficult to get along with...
But if I don't lose my temper, I feel suffocated inside.
He sat sullenly to one side, refusing to go to Grandmother Jia's place for dinner, and Xiren didn't know how to coax this stubborn young master.
When Daiyu came out, Jia Baoyu happened to glance at the green gauze curtain.
Just as Xiren was about to speak up to remind him, she saw Jia Baoyu, who was sitting on the chair, rush to Lin Daiyu's side like an arrow released from a bow:
"Did you sleep well last night, little sister? The climate in the capital is quite different from Yangzhou. If you're not used to it, just tell me, and I'll find a way to make sure you eat well, stay comfortably, and have fun..."
"Thank you for your concern, Second Brother. Daiyu slept very well. Although the capital and Yangzhou are different, each place has its own advantages. I will get used to it eventually."
Lin Daiyu spoke slowly and deliberately, showing no trace of the childish behavior she had displayed when she woke up, crying and wanting to find Granny Yuan.
When Grandmother Jia saw the two of them come in together, she was all smiles.
She looked at the two of them; they were childhood sweethearts, as perfect as spring flowers and autumn moon.
Grandmother Jia had a thought in her mind, and quite a few people knew about it.
She thought to herself that if she could realize this dream in her lifetime, she would have no regrets even if she died.
Grandmother Jia took one in each hand and led them to sit down at the dining table.
In the mornings, she didn't like her daughters-in-law to come and serve her, as they each had their own things to do, such as serving the men to court or going out to do errands.
She herself had been through that time; being a wife is the busiest time of the morning.
Jia Baoyu glanced at the food on the table and pretended to be angry:
"Our ancestors were indeed biased; most of the dishes this morning were of southern flavor."
He complained, “I was just thinking of having a snack, but Sister Feng complained that it was too complicated to make and that I could have made a whole table of dishes with that time.”
Grandmother Jia smiled:
"Even Feng'er finds it troublesome, so what kind of crazy idea have you come up with to make things difficult for her? Don't tell anyone and I'll beat you up."
Jia Baoyu noticed that Daiyu also looked curious, as if she wanted to ask him what kind of snack it was.
Seeing that these words would both please his grandmother and pique Lin Daiyu's curiosity, he secretly felt pleased and said:
"It's just a Phoenix Soaring Together dish. I've mentioned it to Sister Feng three or four times, but she always says she doesn't have the time."
"You really deserve a beating! Not to mention that Feng'er refused three or four times, even if she told me, you would have to wait three or four months to get to eat it!" Grandmother Jia pretended to be angry.
Baoyu chuckled, about to explain to Daiyu what kind of dish "Phoenixes Flying Together" was, when he heard laughter coming from outside the door, and then saw Wang Xifeng walk in gracefully.
"What is our ancestors talking about me about now? I heard it all outside."
The person following behind Wang Xifeng was not Ping'er, who was usually by her side, but Yuan Hongqu, who had gone to the main kitchen early in the morning.
Yuan Hongqu had told Wang Xifeng yesterday that she wanted to borrow a stove in the kitchen to cook something for their young lady.
She didn't care about rules or regulations, nor did she care about the servants complaining that they were making such a fuss when they went out as guests.
Nothing is more important than Daiyu's health!
Yuan Hongqu had two capable assistants in the Lin family, and she brought them with her from the capital.
These were carefully selected from among the maids in the Lin family. One was a cook named Xiangtao, and the other was Hetao, who guarded the green gauze cabinet.
In the morning, Yuan Hongqu took Xiangtao to the kitchen and told Hetao to guard the door.
When the two arrived at the main kitchen, all the chefs of the Rongguo Mansion were already busy at work.
The head of the main kitchen was notified yesterday that a stove should be reserved for the former nanny who came from Yangzhou.
The masters' breakfasts are not very varied, so there's plenty of space in the stove. It's not a big deal to let a busybody use it for a while.
The kitchen manager was dissatisfied.
Their Rongguo Mansion's banquets are among the best in the capital, but a cousin who came to visit even brought her own chef!
This is really embarrassing for them.
The kitchen manager thought to himself: "They really are from a small town. They don't know any manners at all. Don't they even know the saying 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'?"
Yuan Hongqu secretly observed all of this, knowing that she would have to deal with these people quite a bit in the future.
I've heard that the servants of the Rongguo Mansion can be bribed with money.
Hopefully, the articles she reads won't mislead her.
Yuan Hongqu didn't go to the stove she had reserved for her. Instead, she had Xiangtao behind her take out a bag and start handing out gifts.
The steward received a dark red purse, and the second and third stewards also received different purses. The remaining kitchen helpers all received one, and even the fire- tending uncle got a purse.
Feng Dajia, the head of the kitchen, had never handled so much silver before.
The head steward received ten taels of silver, the second and third stewards each received five taels, and the servants and kitchen helpers each received one tael.
While winning hearts and minds is paramount, to gain universal praise, one must still distribute generously.
"Gentlemen, our Miss Lin has been frail since childhood, so her eating habits are quite different from those of ordinary people. However, we will only cook for her occasionally, and most of the time we will have to rely on your hard work. So please bear with us, and our master will surely repay you handsomely in the future."
Yuan Hongqu said solemnly.
The Lin family is not short of money, especially since Lin Daiyu is their only heir. Who else but her would be worthy of using their vast fortune?
This isn't about competing with the Xue family who came later; the Xue family isn't worthy!
The Xue family is just a merchant family, yet they can still gain a good reputation in the Rongguo Mansion. Xue Baochai is even more praised by the servants who fawn over her and belittle her. Why should our Daiyu be known for being sour? All she does is spend money!
The Lin family has been marquises for four generations, and the wealth they have accumulated is something the Xue family can never match!
Sure enough, as soon as the greeting gifts were distributed, the expressions of everyone in the kitchen changed quite a bit.
"Don't worry, Granny Yuan, we will make sure you feel just like you are at home. If you want anything to eat, just send a maid over and let me know, and I will make it for you personally and send it over."
"There's no need for that trouble. Xiangtao will tell Steward Feng about our girl's eating habits and dietary restrictions in a little while."
“Alright, Granny Yuan, then please have Miss Xiangtao explain in detail, and we will all write it down.”
As Yuan Hongqu was speaking, a servant went over and wiped the stove they were going to use clean again.
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