Chapter 37: Banquet

Eleven Niang heard that there was something in those words.

The fifth master of the Xu family, Xu Lingkuan, is only eighteen years old this year. He serves as the commander-in-chief of the Tiance Camp of the Royal Forest Army and is a fourth-grade military attaché. Three years ago, he married the daughter-in-law of Sun Kang, the Marquis of Dingnan. In the eyes of the eldest wife, this Xu Lingkuan is uneducated and unskilled.

, a dandy son who relies on the shadow of his ancestors and only knows how to fly like an eagle and run like a horse.

Could it be that Mrs. Qiao is talking about Xu Lingkuan?

The lady smiled but did not answer, and led everyone into the flower hall.

There are earth dragons in the flower hall, which is as warm as spring. The table is placed in the west room of the flower hall. Dishes and chopsticks have already been laid out, and the serving maids and women are standing aside solemnly.

The third lady warmly greeted everyone to sit down.

After some pushing and shoving, the wife, the eldest wife, Mrs. Qiao, and the third wife sat at the same table.

The fifth daughter of the Luo family and the sixth and eleventh daughter of the Qiao family sat at the same table.

Aunt Wen hid outside the hall.

The maids brought water soaked in sweet-scented osmanthus for everyone to cleanse their hands with. Junshan Silver Needles were placed on the table for Mrs. Luo, and Lushan Cloud Mist was placed on Madam Luo’s table. Then the maids served snacks, assorted dishes, cold dishes, hot dishes, and hotpots.

Continuously hold it up.

The third lady poured Jinhua wine for the eldest wife and the others.

The wife politely said to the eldest wife that it was a common meal, please don’t take it personally, madam, and then raised a glass and gave everyone a small cup.

The eldest lady and Mrs. Qiao responded.

The banquet officially begins.

Although there are many dishes on Eleven Niang's side, no one is too embarrassed to stare at the person helping to serve the dishes from a distance. If they see them, they will definitely stretch out their long chopsticks to pick them up, which will inevitably give people a feeling of gluttony. So everyone

They all ate the dishes in front of them in a good manner.

As for the Tai Madam, she excused herself from poor health, so she kept her company for a small cup, then put down her glass and stopped drinking, leaving the Third Madam to accompany her. Although the Tai Madam looked about the same age as the eldest wife, she was actually over sixty years old.

, no one dared to persuade her. The eldest lady just stared at Mrs. Qiao. After a few glasses of wine, Mrs. Qiao's face turned red, but the eldest lady's expression remained the same.

I didn’t expect that the eldest lady has a good drinking capacity.

Eleven Niang sat aside and watched the show.

After a while, Mrs. Qiao was speechless.

Seeing that something was wrong, the eldest wife winked at the third lady repeatedly. The third lady took the wine cup and was about to drink for Mrs. Qiao. The eldest lady didn't want to cause trouble at the in-laws' banquet, so she gave up.

After the meal was over, it was already the end of the day, so everyone moved to the west room to drink tea.

Perhaps because of drinking, Mrs. Qiao talked a lot.

Anyone who can be your in-law is blessed. If nothing else, let’s talk about the Sun family. If it weren’t for your mother-in-law, how could her married daughter live half a month in her husband’s family and half a month in her natal family.

The madam laughed, seeing the confusion on the eldest madam's face, and explained: Dingnan Marquis only has this daughter, who is as precious as a treasure. She can marry our family because we have many sons, and her daughter and son-in-law will be able to marry her in the future.

I often go to my parents' house. I am also a person who raises children. I have pitiful parents in the world. Let them live at home for half a month and go to Dingnanhou Mansion in Hongdeng Hutong for another half month. Both parties are trying to keep things fresh. You

Unfortunately, it is the second half of the month, and they are still in Dingnanhou Mansion. Wait for them to come back and ask them to greet you.

I don’t dare, I don’t dare. The eldest lady hurriedly said, the fifth lady is the head of Danyang County granted by the late emperor. She has a distinguished status. How can I ask her to pay my respects to me?

Dingnanhou's sister was the late emperor's favored concubine, and she had nothing to show for her. When she was still alive, she often announced that the Sun family would accompany her to the palace. The late emperor liked her and made her the princess of Danyang County.

.

The in-laws are too polite. Mrs. Qiao smiled and said, the emperor has several poor relatives, not to mention you and me, our princess is a first-class virtuous person. Ever since she married into the Xu family, no one has ever called her her.

The county magistrate has always been generous to relatives and friends and is liked by everyone.

The eldest wife listened to what she said more and more outrageous, and she was angry in her heart, but because it was difficult to be a guest at the dowager's house, she just sneered in her heart.

He is really a frog in the well, and he is arrogant. It has been more than a hundred years since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. In the so-called founding achievements, in his later years, Taizong had used King Zheng An to plot against An, either killing, demoting, or seizing the title. Many family assets were given to the public or sold off, and the remaining families were as trembling as a bereaved dog.

Not all day long. Finally, during the Xiaozong period, although a few people regained their titles, they were already frightened. They wanted to save their lives and did not dare to make contributions to the court. After more than a hundred years, most of them were strong outsiders and hardworking, and could barely maintain their daily income by relying on their ancestral land.

Du. How can it be compared to a family of officials like them, whose descendants have grown up, not only owning land and opening shops, but also receiving money from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to do business. If Cheng Guogong hadn't made some money in the Northwest Army in those years, the Qiao family would be just one of them.

He actually spoke nonsense in front of her

The more she thought about it, the worse her face became.

The madam saw it clearly, sighed secretly in her heart, and stood up with a smile: why not go and see the newly built stage to relax?

The eldest lady knew that the madam was rescuing her from the siege, so she looked at the eldest lady gratefully, and the group went to the newly built stage.

The stage is very small, with two rooms, with white walls and gray tiles, and the four corners of the eaves are as high as flying swallows. The screen wall of the stage is painted with large peonies in five colors, which is very gorgeous. Behind the stage is a row of seven rooms.

There are three wing rooms on the left, a hallway on the right, and seven main rooms on the opposite side, with verandahs and rolling sheds on all sides.

The third lady smiled and said: Fifth Master's idea. In summer, a curtain fan is hung on the eaves of the rolling shed, and the breeze is gentle, which can relieve the summer heat. In winter, you can hang plywood curtains, either hanging down or rolled up, and then raised.

Fire plate, roasted sweet potatoes and beans, playful and carefree

Luo Da Nai repeatedly praised: It is really a wonderful idea.

Everyone also said yes.

Wu Niang's eyes were full of envy, Miss Qiao Liu smiled faintly, and Eleven Niang carefully looked at the surrounding furnishings.

Doors, rails, and windows are all made of colorful gold, and some are carved with flowers, birds, beasts, hundreds of babies, or Bogu. They are very different from the commonly used patterns of five bats celebrating longevity or five sons celebrating their birth.

.There is solemnity in the excitement. It can be seen that it took a lot of effort.

The madam laughed: I don’t know how much effort has been spent on this stage. As she said that, she pointed to the seven rooms behind the stage: either this row was built or they lead directly to the garden. She also pointed to the corridor, where the small

Si's study was also demolished in half. Fortunately, he has a good temper. If he meets the old Marquis, he will probably have to eat a meal.

Mrs. Qiao said "Oh" and turned her eyes: "Well, if there is a drama here, why don't you disturb the Marquis?"

What's the fuss about? Mrs. Tai smiled and said, they moved a long time ago. They moved when Xiao Wu got his wife, and moved to Ban Yue Pan in the back garden. Otherwise, Xiao Wu wouldn't dare to build a lot of construction here even if he had the guts to do so.

Everyone laughed.

The madam simply led them into the hall.

There is a small courtyard inside, with only three main rooms facing north and south, with gray tiles and pink walls, black painted floor-to-ceiling columns, and white lattice window paper. There are some Taihu stones in the middle of the courtyard, a few bamboo shoots planted on the left, and a few banana plants planted on the right.

, quiet and elegant.

The eldest lady praised the place.

No. The Madam looked at the Third Madam with a smile. If the Mistress hadn't stopped her and said that if any distinguished guests came, they could come here to rest, Xiao Wu would have done it long ago.

The third lady covered her mouth and smiled: Our master saw that Mr. Hou's face was green, so he came out to stop him.

Everyone laughed and walked out of the yard, out of the wing room behind the stage, and walked up a corridor paved with bluestones. On the left side of the corridor is a window wall with round, square, or crabapple-shaped windows. You can see the green mountains in the garden.

The clear springs and strange rocks along the way give you a feeling of a Jiangnan garden with every window and view.

Mrs. Qiao smiled and said: Master Wu has really put in the effort to even change this wall.

The madam laughed and pointed to a few green branches sticking out of the white wall not far to the right: that was Lao Wu's residence.

Eleven Niang looked over and saw a five-step staircase, where two or three little maids with no hair left were throwing sandbags.

Seeing the Madam approaching, they all stepped forward to salute the Madam. Next to the Madam, a woman in her fifties wearing a lilac face and a flowered gown took some candy from her purse and took it out to reward the little maids. The little maids were all smiling.

Then she ran away. The lady pointed to a section of white wall in front of her: that is Yuan Niang's yard.

Bamboo shoots are exposed on the wall.

The third lady smiled and pointed to the pink wall at the end of the corridor: I live there.

Behind the wife's house is the flower hall. Next to the flower hall lives Xu Lingkuan. Next to Xu Lingkuan is Xu Lingyi. Next to it is Xu Lingning. There should be a widow in the Xu family. I don't know where she lives.

Eleven Niang thought about it. After walking through Yuan Niang's yard, she saw that there were three main entrances on the window wall, and there were side doors on the left and right. The main entrance and the side door on the left were closed, and the side door on the right was opened, and two women were sitting there.

While talking on the spring bench in front of the door, when he saw the Dowager Madam, he immediately ran over to say hello.

The lady said a few words to the two women in a friendly manner, and the third lady smiled and said: After walking for a while, why not go in and have a cup of tea?

The madam looked at the eldest lady. The eldest lady was afraid that the madam would be tired, so she smiled and said: Okay.

They headed south along the pink pavilion that the third lady pointed out just now, and arrived at the third lady's residence.

The third lady's residence has five rooms and four rooms, which is larger than the Luo family's house in Gongxian Hutong. It has whitewashed walls and gray tiles, and a black-lacquered Ruyi door. The reverse seat divides it into a study and a flower hall, and is facing a hallway. Entering the hall, there is a cross bluestone corridor.

Banana and apricot trees were planted and flower stands were set up. There were three main rooms with wing rooms, and a corridor connected the east and west wing rooms. Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian, the grandsons of Xu's parents, lived in the third room. Xu Lingning and his wife lived in the third room, and magnolia trees and pines and cypresses were planted in the yard.

The fourth entrance is the back room.

They were drinking tea in the main room where the third lady lived.

The clear and bright light golden tea soup is embellished with green leaves, and there are wisps of fragrant osmanthus fragrance.

Eleven Niang was slightly startled.

Take a gentle sip.

The unique aroma of bean flowers and sweet osmanthus in Longjing are intertwined, making it mellow and sweet, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.

It's osmanthus scented tea.

Although the taste is unique, she doesn't like it.

Eleven Niang likes tea. Tea has its own temperament. If other things are mixed in, it always feels like it is missing its original purity.

She was thinking about it, and someone already commented: It’s really good tea.

Eleven Niang turned out to be the sixth lady of the Qiao family.

This is Lingxiulou's new scented tea this year. She narrowed her eyes slightly with a satisfied expression.

The third lady smiled and said: My sister is really elegant. However, this is not the tea from Lingxiu Tower. It was made by the second sister-in-law herself who picked the flowers from the century-old osmanthus tree in the garden last autumn.
Chapter completed!