Chapter 50 Everything depends on her
At the same time, the Song family in the capital was also having breakfast. Having finally gotten his sweetheart, Song Yunhe naturally treated her like the apple of his eye, eating and sleeping at the same table with her.
The morning light streamed through the carved window lattices onto the elm wood table. Song Yunhe personally pushed a bowl of Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup in front of Xi Qingtong, his eyes filled with tenderness. "I asked the kitchen to make this specifically. Try it and see if it suits your taste."
Xi Qingtong held the silver spoon and gently stirred the soup in the bowl. Her expression showed no joy or anger, but it also revealed her true feelings.
The white fungus was stewed until soft and glutinous, and the lotus seeds were carefully prepared, but in her eyes, it was just ordinary food. Since she entered the Eastern Palace, she had been served bird's nest porridge carefully prepared by the Eastern Palace chef every morning. It used yellow swallows and imperial rice tributed from Suzhou and Lake Tai. How could it be so... ordinary?
But Xi Qingtong also knew that it was not good to be too obvious since she was new here, so she said lightly: "It tastes okay."
She took a spoonful of it and glanced at the other dishes on the table. The roasted lamb was cut too roughly, obviously bought outside. The Dingsheng cake was also not in good shape, not to mention the plate of pickled cucumbers. How could such side dishes be served on her table?
Frowning, she seemed to explain, "Tong'er is just a little uncomfortable. After all, in the past, Tong'er used yellow bird's nests supplemented with Nanzhao flower sauce, which was light and sweet. The ones my cousin usually uses are a bit greasy for Tong'er."
Even though the excuse was greasy, how could Song Yunhe not understand the underlying meaning? He had once been a child of an aristocratic family, so he knew what aristocratic families ate. However, after his family had fallen on hard times for so many years, he had inevitably adopted the ways of the common people.
He forgot that Qingtong had never lived such a life. As a girl from a noble family, she always had a refined taste for food.
Song Yunhe's smile faltered slightly, and he said apologetically, "I was negligent. I'll ask the cook to prepare some exquisite meals today."
His eyes were full of flattery. "I heard that a new dim sum shop opened in the west of the city. I'll have someone go buy some new dishes later."
Xi Qingtong wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and didn't respond. So what if it was a shop in the west of the city? It was just ordinary stuff anyone could buy.
She looked out the window and saw that she could walk to the outer courtyard in just a dozen steps. She looked at the palm-sized flowerbed in the garden, with a few lonely peonies blooming in it. It was far smaller than the Xi family's garden, and its varieties were not as good as the Xi family's, not to mention the rare and precious herbs in the East Palace.
Even though she knew she had made the best choice, Xi Qingtong still felt a sense of disappointment. She used to go in and out in a sedan chair made of rosewood and sandalwood, and wear jade and pearls. Although she now has no worries about food and clothing in the Song family, she always feels shabby everywhere.
This is not the life she wants.
Thinking of this, Xi Qingtong looked at Song Yunhe, "Cousin." Her voice was sweet and a little coquettish, "Can I make a meal plan?"
Song Yunhe looked at Xi Qingtong's beautiful face and saw the jade bracelet on her wrist, which was obviously worth a lot of money. He paused and said, "Of course I can."
He held Xi Qingtong's hand and said softly, "Qingtong, eat whatever you want. My Song family can afford it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xi Qingtong showed an obvious smile on her face. She gently placed the handkerchief on the corner of the table, held his hand back and shook it gently, and made another request.
"Then, cousin, I want to make a few new dresses. These dresses are all... because we have different body shapes and preferences..."
This was half true and half false. The main reason was that Xi Qingtong disliked Qingwu's clothes because they were too plain and the fabrics were too ordinary. They were just ordinary Wu Ling, Hua Luo, etc. She wanted to travel through time and weave gold brocade.
Song Yunhe still agreed with a smile, "Of course, if you like it, you can make a few more. Summer is almost here, and Yueluo is as light and transparent as smoke, which is very cool."
Hearing this, Xi Qingtong immediately stood up and returned to the bedroom. Within five breaths, her voice could be heard, "Golden beads, silver beads, this one, this one, these clothes are all given to you."
As he walked towards Song Yunhe's bedroom, the smile on his face gradually faded. He stood up and went to the study, called the old housekeeper and told him Xi Qingtong's request.
Listening to those requests, the wrinkles on the old butler's forehead became deeper than before, and doubts suddenly arose in his heart.
Why did Madam suddenly make these demands? Wasn't Madam very frugal in the past? She had never offered anything to him since she married into the Song family, and neither had her husband. Why did she suddenly agree to such a large expense?
Thinking about the fact that the husband had stayed overnight in the lady's room for the past two days, the old housekeeper began to understand a little. The couple was in the midst of love and affection after consummating their marriage.
This is a good thing, but the old butler still has to say some things.
"My dear, it's a good thing that you care for Madam, but..." The old housekeeper flipped open the account book, "Just the meal Madam had this morning, if the same specifications are repeated for a month, it will cost one and a half taels of silver."
His voice trembled, and his bony fingers pointed at the accounts he had calculated. "Not to mention that lunch and dinner are both more sumptuous than breakfast. Madam asked to write the bill herself, so our Song family will spend more than five taels of silver on food every month."
Song Yunhe didn't take it seriously. He frowned slightly and said, "Could it be that the Song family can't come up with five taels of silver a month?"
"My dear, this is just for food. There's also clothing. You know, the Song family doesn't have many shops anymore, and their monthly profit is only about one hundred taels. Don't forget, the betrothal gift for your wedding consumed most of the surplus over the years. The other day you mentioned an expense of two hundred taels, which needs to be paid in advance. Now there are only six thousand taels left in the treasury, and you'll have a lot of things to manage in your future career..."
The old housekeeper's words almost said that he wanted to save money, and a basin of cold water was instantly poured on Song Yunhe's heart. But when he thought of that beautiful face, her past life, and the jade bracelet that was obviously from the East Palace, he thought of it.
Song Yunhe's deep resentment was aroused. His Adam's apple rolled as he said in a harsh voice, "Could it be that I, Song Yunhe, can't even support my wife? My Song family is also an aristocratic family. If we can't even provide for my wife, it will be a joke if it gets out."
Seeing that the old housekeeper wanted to speak, Song Yunhe interrupted him, "Enough!"
"We'll talk about it later. Let's make Madam happy first."
He took a deep breath, his voice filled with unquestionable firmness, "Madam, whatever you want to eat or use, it's up to her. You don't have to report to me. I'm going out to socialize with my classmates. Give me ten taels of silver."
The old butler had no choice but to go to the inner treasury to get the money. As soon as he received the money bag, Song Yunhe turned and left. The old butler looked at his receding back, stroked the account book with his withered hands, and sighed heavily.
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