Chapter 62 The Influence of Granny Ma
"Granny, don't try to fool me. I didn't taste any radish at all when I ate it just now." Daiyu felt a little disgusted when she heard that it was radish cake, but then she remembered that she had eaten it just now and did not feel that strange, astringent taste of radish. On the contrary, it was very refreshing.
Even now that she knows radish is the main ingredient, she still wants to eat some more.
Yuan Hongqu used radishes that grew naturally in the space to make this pastry. Not only does it lack the astringent taste of ordinary radishes, but it also has a refreshing sweetness.
“I’ve specially treated these radishes. The radishes in our field grow so well, they’ll grow to taste exactly what Daiyu likes,” Yuan Hongqu joked.
"Granny, you're making fun of me again." Daiyu protested, but picked up a piece of radish cake and took a bite.
"Since I look so delicious, I can't let them down. I'll eat them all!"
Yuan Hongqu chuckled softly.
"This also contains Jinhua ham, dried shrimp, scallops, and shiitake mushrooms. There's an old saying, 'Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer, and you won't need a doctor's prescription.' Today, on the day of the Beginning of Winter, let's eat some radish cake for good luck."
"Mmm..." Daiyu nodded vaguely, with a radish cake still in her mouth.
The Rongyue Courtyard was filled with joy. After having breakfast, Daiyu went to school with the three sisters.
Meanwhile, Baoyu, who was studying at home, felt restless all morning. He couldn't remember his dream from last night, and his head felt like it was filled with mush, completely confused.
Jia Zheng only went to test their studies just before the end of the school term.
In the Rongguo Mansion's family school, there were many who just coasted along and few who studied seriously.
Although Baoyu was also in a daze today, he was still slightly better than the others.
He finally managed to get away with it.
When school ended, Mingyan picked up Baoyu, and Xiren was already waiting at the second gate to take Baoyu home.
When Xiren saw Baoyu, she was startled. Baoyu was walking unsteadily, as if he had lost his soul, and his eyes were dark-rimmed. He no longer had his usual spirited appearance.
"Second Master?" she called out tentatively.
“Hmm,” Baoyu replied casually, “Let’s go and pay our respects to the old lady first.”
Upon hearing this, Xiren felt relieved. It seemed that the Second Master had simply had a nightmare last night and hadn't slept well, and was otherwise fine.
Upon arriving at Rongqing Hall, Baoyu stepped forward.
"Baoyu has arrived," the maids announced, lifting the curtain.
There was a Taoist nun talking to Grandmother Jia, and Madam Wang and Madam Xing were also present, but Feng Jie was nowhere to be seen.
Baoyu bowed to Grandmother Jia and then greeted his mother and aunt.
At this moment, the old woman came over; she was none other than Baoyu's godmother, Ma Daopo.
"Young man, did you have a nightmare last night? You don't look well."
Baoyu thought for a moment and replied,
"No, I just stayed up late yesterday because I was playing around."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang glared at Xiren and Sheyue, who were following behind.
"Who is trying to seduce Baoyu?"
The two men quickly knelt down, bowing their heads and not daring to answer.
“Mother, it’s not their business. I just got a new chess set yesterday, so I asked them to play chess with me, which is why I’m late.”
The root of this matter is related to the original red lotus.
Yuan Hongqu had a set of checkers made for Daiyu to play, because Go was too mentally taxing and once you understood it, that was enough. Checkers and similar games were more suitable for children.
Of course, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get Daiyu to play both Animal Chess and Ludo, but Yuan Hongqu thought about it and decided against it.
This set of checkers is far from enough for the three sisters, Daiyu, Baoyu, and the others; everyone wants a set.
Yuan Hongqu then had several more sets made, giving one to each of them, so that they could play with the maids even in their own rooms.
Last night, as soon as Baoyu got the checkers set, he pestered several maids to play checkers with him. The maids didn't know the rules, so he taught them for a long time before going to bed late.
As for the dream he had last night, he vaguely remembered that he had a dream, but he couldn't remember what he dreamed about at all.
Therefore, no matter what Granny Ma said, he would always answer no and that he didn't know.
This rendered Granny Ma's skills useless. She had originally planned to trick Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang into lighting a large lantern to earn some money from incense offerings, but because Jia Baoyu refused to drink a drop of water, she had to return empty-handed.
After leaving Rongqing Hall, Lady Wang scolded Baoyu a few more times and then berated the people who were with him.
Baoyu couldn't protect much, so he went back to his room and fell asleep immediately, without having any dreams.
When Wang Xifeng heard that Granny Ma had left, she hurried to Rongyue Courtyard to find Yuan Hongqu.
"Sister, I'm really scared now. Granny Ma is really capable. If she had noticed anything wrong with me, it would have been terrible."
Yuan Hongqu was speechless.
"You're so scared over such a small matter. Didn't I already tell you that Granny Ma is a fraud? Haven't you seen enough of these kinds of scams? Her skills are nothing compared to yours."
Early in the morning, Wang Xifeng hurriedly asked someone to call her over. When she arrived, she was told that Madam Wang had asked her to invite Granny Ma. She had heard that Granny Ma was skilled in spirit writing and divination... These kinds of people were what Wang Xifeng feared most these days.
She saw herself as a ghost resurrected from another body, fearing that someone might pull her away with a flick of a whisk and she would be utterly destroyed.
When Granny Ma arrived, Wang Xifeng excused herself from feeling unwell and did not show up.
Even after Granny Ma left, she still felt unsettled and immediately went to Rongyue Courtyard to ask Yuan Hongqu for advice.
Wang Xifeng intuitively felt that although Yuan Hongqu had never said it, she seemed to have a great backing. Moreover, based on what she knew about Yuan Hongqu's childhood experiences in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, Wang Xifeng judged that Yuan Hongqu was likely a reincarnation.
Being reborn as a child means you're already a native resident, so naturally you have nothing to fear.
It doesn't seem like her; she's all alone.
Yuan Hongqu was utterly helpless regarding Wang Xifeng's perception of her.
“Feng’er, you can rest assured, you are Wang Xifeng, and Wang Xifeng is you! From now on, just treat these superstitious things as other people talking nonsense, and if you hear them, just throw them out! What kind of person are you, Wang Xifeng? Have you forgotten what you said before?”
Yuan Hongqu had no choice but to give her a shot in the arm, quoting Wang Xifeng's original words from the novel.
"You said you never believed in any hell or retribution, so why should you do something just because you say so!"
"Why are you afraid of Granny Ma, who can say such things!"
Wang Xifeng calmed down, but looked very tired, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Sister, I'm still scared..."
She has developed feelings for Jia Lian. If Jia Lian finds out that she is not the original Wang Xifeng, he might despise her.
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