Chronicle of Farming in Muxianfu

Chapter 77 Visiting the Xiao Mansion
At the beginning of the late hour, two carriages stopped outside the gate of the most prosperous Xianke Building in Kao City, and a young man came down from the first carriage, wearing a fine moon white brocade gown, dark green embroidered with exquisite dark The wide band of the pattern is across the waist, and a creamy and delicate jade pendant hangs from the side. He has a handsome face and deep eyebrows. He is really a rare and handsome nobleman in the world.There was a bold woman passing by who deliberately slowed down, just to catch a glimpse of the shy Duo.

Mu Ai got out of the car, looked around for a while, turned around and reached out to catch Simba, handed it to Chun Equinox who came from behind to hug, and then helped Shuan Shuan to get out of the car.In just a short while, a waiter in Tsing Yi came out from the restaurant to say hello politely, "My lord, welcome to come, please come inside." While talking and smiling, he greeted Mu Ai and his party as they entered the door, and told them He greeted another waiter in blue and continued to walk in, while he turned around and led Ah Er and Mu San to the backyard with a smile to store the car.

Mu Ai walked in front, followed by Chunfen and Shuanshuan, and Ouyang Hu was next to him, with piercing eyes, keeping an eye on the surroundings all the time, for fear that the drunk guest would disturb his master.

It is the first time for Shuan Shuan to come to Huawang City at such a young age, and of course it is also the first time to enter the door of this kind of big restaurant. He was a little timid in his heart. Slightly relieved.

Mu Ai smiled and patted her on the shoulder, reassuring her not to be afraid.A few steps into the hall, passing the counter, the shopkeeper Mo was taking advantage of the leisure time just after the meal to settle the accounts. Seeing a customer coming in, he habitually piled up a smile and greeted him, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was Mr. Mu.Although it was the first time he saw Muai since he bought rice last year, but maybe the first impression was too deep, he recognized it immediately, walked out of the counter quickly, bowed and said hello, "Mr. , It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, how can you come and sit down today?”

"Shopkeeper Mo, it's been a long time. How is your health?" Mu Ai quickly helped him up, returned the salute solemnly, and greeted him aloud.

"Okay, okay, Mr. Mu quickly follow the old man inside." Shopkeeper Mo led Mu Ai and his party upstairs, and at the same time handed the key hanging on his waist to the little boy in blue, "Xiao Shan, hurry up." Go and open the door of the Golden Jade Pavilion."

The little Er'er, who was called Xiao Shan, was obviously taken aback, but he immediately responded loudly, trotting upstairs all the way to open the door.

Jinyu Pavilion, that is the best private room in the Xianke Building of my family. The windows on both sides are facing the street. You can drink while enjoying the bustle of the two streets. There are only a handful of people in Baihua City who are qualified to have a seat here Today, shopkeeper Mo actually opened his mouth and asked him to open the door, he was inevitably curious.

Under the guidance of Shopkeeper Mo, Mu Ai entered the private box. The tables and chairs were arranged, and the decoration of the walls was extremely luxurious. It is said that gold and silver are vulgar, but the layout of this room does not give people the slightest illusion. On the contrary, it only feels that the house is full of gold and jade, and the wealth is boundless.

Mu Ai took a few glances, then withdrew her gaze, there was no surprise on her face except for a little appreciation.Shopkeeper Mo secretly admired it in his heart. This room was carefully decorated by his master at a large price. The people who can come in to eat are either rich or expensive, but which one is not full of surprises when they come in for the first time, but, This Mr. Mu, no, is Mrs. Xian, and he just looked at him a few times, so he really shouldn't be underestimated.

"Mr. Mu, please sit down. The carriage bumped all the way, but you are tired. I will ask someone to report to my master. A few days ago, my master said that he would go to your house to have a look. Unexpectedly, today, the master will arrive first." Shopkeeper Mo bowed down and let Mu Ai take the seat, and then poured her a cup of excellent Biluochun tea with the pot in his hands.

Mu Ai smiled, motioned Shuan Shuan to sit down, and Chun Equinox put Simba beside her, and then said, "Master Mo, don't call my brother over, just send someone to his house to deliver a letter, saying I just want to go to his place to bother him for a few days after dinner. Besides, I just brought my children here today to learn more. You don’t have to worry too much. Just pick up some good dishes and serve them up. good."

"Yes, Mr. Mu, I'll do it right now, wait a moment, and the food will be served right away. Can you try the skill of the chef in this building as much as the autumn equinox girl?" Shopkeeper Mo stepped back with a smile .

Mu Ai looked at the five girls and Ouyang who were quietly standing on both sides of the door, and called them to sit at the table, "I'm going out today, so I don't have to pay too much attention. Besides, this meal is also to reward you for your hard work. Come and eat together."

Chun Equinox took the lead in refusing, obeying the rules and refusing to go forward. Mu Ai had no choice but to say, "Don't make me say any more, the journey is really bumpy and tiring, let's all come to the table. Besides, I am the master, say What, you just obey."

Several people looked at each other and slowly moved over. Ouyang sat on Simba to start, followed by A Ermu San, and the four girls in spring, summer, autumn and winter also sat on Shuan Shuan to start, and at the bottom was Xiao An.The table was huge, even if there were eleven of them sitting, there was still one seat vacant.

Xia Zhi secretly reached out and touched the teapot with a curved handle painted with golden peony flowers in front of him, picked it up carefully, and poured everyone a cup of tea.Just when I looked up to see where I could get some hot water, Xiaoer Er came in smiling from outside the door, quickly bringing up four plates of exquisite snacks and four plates of cooked food such as chicken feet, pig ears and trotters, and she was extremely clever. Help store up the tea.Mu Ai gently ordered Chun Equinox to give him a string of hundreds of copper coins, and he immediately withdrew with a smile on his face.

Both the reward seals and copper coins were wrapped last night, ten strings of hundreds of Wen copper coins were strung together, and ten large, medium and small reward seals were also sealed.Originally, he planned to go to Xiao's mansion to reward the servants, but he didn't expect to send one out here first.

Mu Ai looked carefully at the various snacks on the plate, and greeted everyone, "Don't sit still, you are hungry all the way, eat some to fill your stomach first." She picked out a piece of mung bean cake, and carried Simba to the window By the side, while feeding him snacks, while looking at the bustling street scene with people coming and going.

Everyone at the table watched the master go away, so they boldly took a piece of dim sum and whispered a few words, nothing more than that, this room is too luxurious, how much is this plate worth, and so on, even the always steady spring equinox participated Among them, only Ouyang drank tea slowly, and glanced at the mother and son by the window from time to time.

Shuan Shuan picked up the chopsticks, whose upper half was painted with gold powder, and the lower half was carved from white jade, and stuck out their tongues with Xiao An, who was also secretly looking at the dishes on the opposite side. She saw her elder sister's politeness, so she regained her mind as a little girl, curiously fiddled with all the things she had never seen before, thinking, she would talk to Xiaohong and the others after she went back, she must Let them die with envy.

"Bang, bang." After two gentle knocks on the door, Shopkeeper Mo opened the door again and came in, followed by a few boys in blue clothes carrying trays. Mu Ai hugged Simba and returned to his seat, smiling. He said, "Treasurer Mo, you don't have to greet him personally, just ask the people below to come."

"How can I do that? My master sent a message just now, saying that he has something important to do and can't make it. He told me to take good care of you, and then send someone to take you back to the house." Shopkeeper Mo personally took the dishes out of the tray. Ri took it and put it on the table, and answered with a smile.Mu Ai had no choice but to let him do the work.

Finally, when the dishes were served and the wine was put away, the old shopkeeper took the people out.Mu Ai looked at the dishes on the table, they were all her family's daily food, but she put a lot of effort into the appearance, and the decorations were more delicate and gorgeous.

So, when he first raised his hand to pick up a piece of fish meat with chopsticks, everyone started to eat, Mu Ai took the jug and handed it to Ouyang, "None of us can drink, this sweet-scented osmanthus stuffing is for the three of you, you share it Let's go, but don't get drunk, you'll have to go to Xiao's mansion later, you can't lose your manners."

"Yes, ma'am." Ouyang stood up and picked it up, then turned around and poured a glass for Mu San and Ah Er.I don't know if it was the first time drinking a good wine, or because of the psychological pressure caused by the environment, Mu San's hands trembled a little, and he reluctantly handed it to his mouth and spilled a small half of the glass on his hand, but Ah Er leaned back and drank it dry. Han smiled and praised, and raised his hand to pour another glass.

On the woman's side, Autumn Equinox savored the taste of the dishes carefully, talking to the sisters next to her from time to time, while Mu Ai and Chun Equinox were busy taking care of Shuan Shuan and Simba, and the dinner table was full of harmony.

Half an hour later, everyone was full of wine and food, Mu Ai refused the old shopkeeper's kindness, and resolutely settled the bill with cash, then bid farewell to him, got back in the carriage, and went to Xiao's house under the leadership of a clever young man. go.

Shopkeeper Mo bowed and stood by the side of the street until the carriage disappeared around the corner, then he turned back to the counter, and the little Er'er who was usually his favorite approached him with a smile, and curiously asked the person just now Who is the young master to be so polite to the old shopkeeper.

The old shopkeeper scowled at him with a sullen face, don't talk too much, just remember to entertain this young man when you meet him again.

The little Er'er had a bad nose, and went back to work in embarrassment. The old shopkeeper shook his head. These little bastards are full of curiosity. If you really tell them, the new dishes sold at sky-high prices in this building, no matter the vegetables or the recipes, are from With that Young Master's hand, they might lose their eyeballs.

Kao City, built more than a hundred years ago, is known as the most important place in the north.The surrounding city walls are all built of bluestone with a square meter of one foot, which is thick and simple, and has a magnificent atmosphere.The houses in the city are mostly built of blue bricks or wood, and they are arranged neatly. The main commercial streets in the city are spacious and clean.

It was the end of the hour, and there were a lot of people on the street. Small merchants and hawkers had escaped the heat of the noon, and they all came out to set up stalls to start business again, selling rouge and gouache, wooden hairpins and silver bracelets, green vegetables and tofu, and cloth embroidery thread Shuan Shuan was impatient, so he begged his elder sister to go shopping, but Mu Ai comforted her with a few words. Liniang must be waiting at Xiao's mansion. Getting out of the car to go shopping at this time would make her wait too long. .

Simba was still young, and when he heard the sound outside the car, he leaned over the window to watch the excitement, and was lured by Mu Ai to say a few more words, but he got a kind of reward—a round ball.

The fat boy was greedy, so his first thought was to try a few bites. After being severely warned not to eat, he held the ball in his arms in disappointment and pouted his mouth. With a flick on the floor, it immediately bounced up two feet high, causing Simba to rush to catch it, very happy.

When the carriage got off at the gate of Xiao's mansion, he took the ball and beat it on the ground. Mu Ai was afraid that he would run away and be hit by people or carriages, so he had to hold him in his arms again. , A thin sweat broke out on her forehead.

The two big maids led their group into the second gate, exchanged a few words with Liniang, and then asked Shuan Shuan and Simba to go up to the ceremony, and immediately followed a girl named Qingping to the suitcase that had just been prepared. Washing and changing clothes across the courtyard, leaving the autumn equinox and winter solstice to take care of the tired two children to take a nap, she took the spring equinox and summer solstice after simple grooming, and went to meet Liniang in a refreshed body.

When I sat down to drink tea and chat with Liniang again, I couldn't help complaining to her, "The child is really tiring. I have only taken care of it for less than two months. In the past few years, I am afraid that he has spent more effort."

Liniang covered her mouth and chuckled, seeing that she was wearing a water blue gauze dress, the same simple pearl earrings, an orchid-shaped jade hairpin on her head, and no makeup on her face, but it actually accentuated her eyebrows The elegant temperament in the room is completely different from the handsome nobleman when he just entered the door. I like her appearance that is suitable for both women and men. "Sister-in-law, I envy you. You can dress up as a man and walk around. To tell you the truth , Since the birth of Cheng'er, I have never even been to the temple to offer incense except for the necessary banquets. It is also because I am narrow-minded. No matter where I go, I always seem to hear Cheng'er crying in my ears. The only way is to stay in the mansion every day."

"I'm sorry for the parents of the world. But sister-in-law, I haven't seen you for a few days. Why do I feel that your face is much ruddy than last time? Are you drinking honey water and making facial masks every day?" Mu Ai changed the subject.

Sure enough, the smile on Liniang's face became even happier. When she came back from Mu Ai last time, she dubiously followed what she said, drinking a glass of honey water on an empty stomach every morning, and every two days, using the powder made from small pearls Mix half a teaspoon of honey, mix well, and apply it on the face. Unexpectedly, she persisted for less than a month, and then went to the banquet, and the female relatives who were friends with her on weekdays chased her to ask the secret recipe, which really made her look good.

"Speaking of which, my sister's secret recipe is better. In the past two months, I have been chased by people to ask how my skin became fair and tender. I heard that I used a rare holy product. There are not many bottles in the world. It's a pity. "While talking and looking at Mu Ai with a smile, Mu Ai and her have met for a few times, and the relationship between each other is very harmonious, so I don't want to be polite to her, just say, "Sister-in-law, don't respond randomly, I There are only a few small altars left there, and besides your use here, you also need to prepare them as important gifts in the future, in case you miss the point, your share will have to be distributed.”

　Today is the day when red wine is married and holds a thank-you banquet,
　　Can predict how busy,

　　So, just say a few words and give a pink ticket,

　　Support genuine! ! ! 1
　　
　
(End of this chapter)