The cook is very busy

Chapter 44

The fragrance bursts, the breeze is slow, and the bamboo house is still leisurely, with green bamboos in the quiet path, green waves playing with fish, and it is more elegant and affectionate.

Mu Shaoyi wore Tsing Yi, and sat by the window holding a book, accompanied by sandalwood. She was cold and arrogant, just like green plums in winter, elegant and fragrant, just like the painting.

However, with such a picture scroll, he called out abruptly, "Hey, Fourth Young Master, you really don't plan to attend?"

Ren Xiaoran was lazily lying on a soft couch, her eyebrows raised slightly, she was very comfortable, completely different from the previous gentleness and elegance.

Mu Shaoyi said without raising her head, "With this, you won't be hungry."

When Ren Xiaoran heard this, he sighed resentfully. Yesterday he received a letter saying that Uncle Mu would return to the residence today, so he would visit the residence early in the morning.

But who would have asked Brother Mu to block the entrance of the courtyard, saying that there was a banquet at noon, and asked him to bring Shaoyi as much as possible.

After all, at the family banquet, the three sons were present in the high hall, but only one son was missing. This made the servants watch, how can they say it.

But he Ren Xiaoran knew that Shaoyi would still take these things into consideration in the past, but now, this kid is really hateful!

Mu Shaoyi heard nothing, so she raised her eyes and saw Ren Xiaoran lying on the soft couch, looking thoughtfully at the green bamboo in his yard.

How could he not know about his affection since he was a child, although Ren Xiaoran was born in a family of officials, but his temperament is free and easy, and he can't stand a little restraint.

If not, how could he run away from the mansion that paved his official career and come here to hide himself.

Right now, it's better for him to stay in Zhuwanju and be with him, and it's better to go out to deal with those people and say something on the scene.

"Master," Mu Qing and three servants came in with food boxes, bowed to Ren Xiaoran and Mu Shaoyi, and asked if they wanted to pass on the food.

Mu Shaoyi responded, and ordered him to put it outside.

Just as Mu Qing opened the food box, Ren Xiaoran smelled a scent, "Well, what kind of food is only so fresh?"

A servant in the front was tactful, and put a soup on the table, "Young master, this is Guishen eel soup. Today, a new eel from the back kitchen, I specially made it to taste it with the young master."

Ren Xiaoran suddenly smiled, sat up, took out a piece of broken silver, and threw it away, "Okay, he can talk, I reward you."

The young man hurriedly took it and kept bowing to thank him. Ren Xiaoran looked at them and asked again.

"Why are you four today, isn't there a little girl, why doesn't she come to serve?"

Mu Qing then said that they originally came back with Magpie, but met Mrs. Zhang, who was in the back kitchen, on the way. She asked Magpie to go to the back kitchen and call the new fire-burning girl, saying that the master wanted to see her.

Ren Xiaoran just asked casually, but when he heard this, he became interested, "Uncle Mu, why do you want to meet a burning girl?"

"Master, I don't know. It's just that the magpie pestered Mrs. Zhang to ask all the time, and then I heard something. It seems that the newcomer messed up a fish dish that the master likes to eat, and was about to call him for questioning..."

"Master, lunch is ready, where are you going!"

When Ren Xiaoran heard halfway, Mu Qing yelled. He looked back and saw that Mu Shaoyi, who was dressed in green, had put down the scroll and went out slowly.

Mu Qing hurriedly left the work in hand to follow, Ren Xiaoran was surprised for a moment, then stood up, and the three servants watched and hurriedly stepped forward to serve.

"Hurry up."

Ren Xiaoran urged him, and after the boy had tidied up his clothes, he couldn't wait to chase him out.

----------

"Sister, do you really want to go?" Xi Que and Zi Qing walked on the corridor, seeing no one around, asked again.

Ziqing smiled, "Sister, I told you that you can't pretend to be sick. This is the master calling me. Can I not go?"

Magpie's pretty face collapsed, "What can I do? How about, sister, I'll go and beg Fourth Young Master, the master loves Fourth Young Master the most, as long as Fourth Young Master speaks, sister will be exempted from punishment!"

Ziqing just said no need, but the magpie just listened to what Zhang Meng's family said, and didn't listen to the whole thing. Maybe Zhang Meng's family was trying to scare her. Taste it, it tastes good, how can you be punished.

Could it be that the master's tongue is different from other people's, that he can taste sweet things from salty ones?
Ziqing didn't bother with this anymore, and started another conversation with the magpie, "Sister, did you say that there is a banquet in the front yard? Why is it outside? There are guests at the house?"

The magpie shook his head and said, "Today the master is holding a family banquet at the Shitai Waterside Pavilion. Except for the four young masters who are entertaining guests in Wanju, everyone else will be present."

Ziqing responded perfunctorily, and she didn't know about the rest. Since she entered Mu's mansion, she seldom inquired about the front yard. Mouth, the master Mu Guanxiong and the old lady have three daughters and four sons. Except for the four young children, they are all married by family.

Seeing that Ziqing was confused, Magpie said again that the eldest and third daughters of the family all married into merchants' homes, and they were far away and seldom returned home. The second daughter married the eldest son of the Ministry of Rites, and the Mu and Ren families are family friends. , often have contacts.

Moreover, the second young master and the fourth young master grew up together, and their friendship is extremely good, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are brothers.

Hearing this, Ziqing suddenly thought of that prodigal who made things difficult for her in the garden and made her target him. The Fourth Young Master also accompanied him in the pavilion that day. Could it be that that person is the second son of Shangshu? ?
On the spur of the moment, she wanted to ask the prodigal man's name, but before she could speak, she heard Magpie say, "Sister, we're here."

Walking along the veranda to the end, and entering a round door, Ziqing saw Qingchi on the opposite side at a glance.

There are many stone slabs built in the clear blue water, which look like lotus leaves floating up from the shore from left to right, surrounding the huge stone platform in the middle.

A table was set up on the stone platform, several people were seated, except for a few maidservants serving in front of the table, those little maids carrying food boxes stayed on the shore, and hid in the shade of trees to avoid the sun.

So some people wondered, if the stone platform stands in the pool, the trees and willows on the left and right cannot be seen, so the people on the table are forced to be exposed to the scorching sun?

The wonderful thing is that here, after many years of exhaustion, I don’t know how the two ancient pines on the bank grow. Facing the scorching sun, or greedy for the cool water in the pool, the longer they grow, the taller the pine branches are. .

It happened to cover the stone platform and leave a shade.

Ziqing looked at it for a while and sighed, "Oh, this Master Mu is quite coquettish, isn't it just a place for watching fish, a place for eating, and it's so...so..."

"Ingenious, unique!"

"Yes, yes, just these two words..."

Ziqing smiled with crooked eyebrows, nodded his head like a pounding garlic, and looked back, almost biting his own tongue.

The magpie on the side was also taken aback, and hurriedly saluted the two, "Fourth Young Master Fu'an, Young Master Ren Fu'an."

Ziqing was stunned for a while, and forgot to salute, so he hurriedly lowered his head and retreated behind the magpie.

Ren Xiaoran stood upright, wearing a cobalt blue gown that was extremely elegant, and the fine silk and silver thread borders echoed the jade ornaments on his waist.

"Sister Magpie, why are you here? Just now in Wanju, there was no one there. It's really easy for me to find."

There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes were focused on the bewildered figure.

Mu Shaoyi was dressed in Tsing Yi, she was very handsome, and her eyes were on the same person.

Ren Xiaoran's gentle laughter made Magpie blush with embarrassment, and he hesitated a few times before telling Master Mu that he wanted Ziqing to come and question him.

Ren Xiaoran smiled, "It's just right, your young master and I will also go there, let's go together."

As he spoke, he looked at Mu Shaoyi who was on the side. The cold person was still speechless, he just gave him a faint look, and then he and Mu Qing walked towards the waterside pavilion.

Magpie watched the two elegant and elegant young masters go away, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "Sister, we also... Sister, are you hot, you're sweating."

"Yes, it's a bit hot, let's go, let's go." Ziqing said softly, wiping his sweat with his sleeves.

Mu Shaoyi and Ren Xiaoran walked in front of the banquet from the bridge formed by those stone slabs.

Feeling fresh, Ziqing wanted to follow in a daze, but was stopped by Magpie.

"Sister Ziqing, we can't pass here," the magpie dragged Ziqing along the edge of the pool to the other side. There was a lot of women and maids standing there. Zhuo Ziqing walked onto another stone bridge.

Coming from here, it was just behind the banquet, and beside the stone platform, Ziqing could only watch a few richly dressed people sitting on it, eating and drinking, and if he knew him, only the old lady, the eldest grandma, There were also four young people who were seated later.

Zhang Meng's family was standing by, seeing the magpie Ziqing approaching, their eyes flashed, they didn't say anything, they just told them to wait.

"Oh, I said fourth brother, you really make people wait, we are a big family, but you are the only one waiting, isn't it, third sister?"

A woman in a red butterfly brocade robe spoke first. Holding a cup, she pulled the seductive woman beside her and said, perhaps Gao Tang is here today, that woman has restrained herself a lot, her demeanor looks dignified, but she is a bit out of place.

She curled her lips into a smile, "What the second sister-in-law says, it is what it is."

The men beside the two all tightened their faces and let out a wink, then chatted and laughed.

A maid stepped forward to pour wine, and Mu Shaoyi smiled faintly, "If Shaoyi doesn't come, the second sister-in-law will also have a feast, so why say so much."

[-]/ After receiving this sentence, grandma couldn't get down immediately. She didn't want this little uncle to be out for a year and a half, still like this, but became more and more indifferent, showing no affection in front of everyone!

Mu Guanxiong, who was sitting in the front seat, didn't care about these things. He was quite relieved that his youngest son could clean up the dust for him.

Ren Xiaoran laughed loudly, "Second sister-in-law said that, isn't she chasing me away, Shaoyi was late when she was enjoying the scenery with me in Wanju, and so on, how will Xiaoran come next time?"

"Oh, what do you say, Mr. Ren can't invite you because of love, how can I have such a meaning, come here, get the wine, and the second sister-in-law will pay you for it."

As he said that, everyone was laughing again, Ziqing wondered, this is not good, why did you ask her to come here.

After drinking for a while, the old lady suddenly said, "Master, what's the matter with you today, you added two bowls of rice, the boat is exhausting, don't hold on."

Yo, this old man has a good appetite, her father only eats half a bowl at home.

Ziqing raised her eyes, looked at the bowl, she was happy, just like a handful, it was like a teacup in her house.

Mu Guanxiong just smiled, and still called Sheng to come, "It's okay, it's okay."

[-]/Grandma sees that the old lady is starting, so she must not let it go. Just now, the master took a sip of the three silks, and immediately asked someone to go to the back kitchen. If the fourth brother hadn't come over to make such a fuss, Dafang would still be like this now idle?

"Old lady, the master may have eaten something bad, so he took this fragrant rice and pressed it. Look, how many bowls are these?"

The third grandma covered her red lips halfway with a silk handkerchief, and said with a giggle, "Second sister-in-law, if you want to ask why this dish is so rotten, we can eat it, but whether it is good or not, you have to ask sister-in-law, After all, my sister-in-law is in charge of the back kitchen, how could our old lady know."

The grandma put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a silk handkerchief, and looked at the two sisters-in-law coldly, "Third sister, if you have any dissatisfaction, just speak up. We are a family, so why are you beating around the bush like this? Which dish spoils my sister's mouth, my sister will order it for me!"

The third grandma smiled again, and took a piece of Longjing shrimp for her man, "Shaokang, I'm eating it, and I think this dish is good, you can try it."

Ren Xiaoran probably watched too much, and only cared about drinking by herself, as if he would stop arguing and I would be free and easy, but his eyes were looking for the insider, and he almost spit out the wine.

Mu Shaoyi gave him a disgusted look, then looked at him, and frowned, did this woman see the situation clearly!
Ziqing hid in the back and watched happily. The third grandma succeeded. She pulled everyone who should be dragged into the water, but she got away and ran away. Gouging her out is just ignoring her.

In the village, sisters-in-law fights, aunts-in-law quarrel, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarrel, all of which are open swords and guns placed on the table to choke the fire. She really didn't see such a soft knife secretly.

Mu Guanxiong frowned slightly, knowing that he was here, the three daughters-in-law did not dare to do anything wrong, it was nothing more than a quarrel between the mother-in-law and his wife, he never cared about such trivial matters, but today's dish is really...

The old lady watched and winked at Du Juan beside her. Du Juan understood and came to the meeting, "Sister-in-law Zhang, is the cooking girl here?"

(End of this chapter)