Zhumen Chunshen

Chapter 339 Housekeeper ([-])

Opening the thick curtain of the meadow, I felt a wave of warm air rushing towards my face. Hongzao and Bitao untied Yao Cunhui's cloak with lynx, big hair and rose red embroidered brocade, and took the hand stove one by one, seeing that there was nothing around At the same time, they hugged each other like one person.

Many precious flowers are cultivated in the greenhouse, such as peony, peony, hibiscus, crabapple, rhododendron, anthurium, cyclamen, lucky bamboo, clivia, etc., all of which are neatly trimmed and have healthy and lush branches and leaves.The Juhan couple said that in half a month, the flowers will be blooming, just in time for the opening of the Spring Festival.

Yao Cunhui gave a few instructions to take care of her, and suddenly asked with a smile why there are no narcissus?Daffodils are fragrant, elegant and refined, and they are placed together with Xuanshi in white jade plates or dark porcelain plates. They have a unique charm and are loved by wealthy families during the New Year.

Mrs. Han then laughed and said: "I don't know the princess. This narcissus is very easy to stimulate flowers. It's not the time yet! When the days are approaching, I peel off the scales and put them in the water for a while. It only takes two days to pull out the flower spikes, and it will bloom in two or three days!"

"At that time, carve more fresh and auspicious patterns, the old lady likes it! If the old man is happy, she won't be rewarded!" Yao Cunhui nodded and smiled.

Mrs. Han and his wife quickly agreed.

"Where are those bonsai that are put away? Take me to see them too!" Yao Cunhui glanced at them and said again.

"It's in another place, princess, please!" The Han couple hurriedly led the way.

The place where the bonsai is stored is larger and more spacious than the greenhouse for flower urging. The temperature here is not as good as the greenhouse, but compared with the cold wind outside, it is still warm.

Yao Cunhui looked around, and saw that the ground and the stands were covered with large and small bonsai, the big ones were almost taller than a person, planted in huge blue and white porcelain vases; In the small pot, a single bluegrass was planted, dotted with dense moss like needlepoints.

Some of these bonsai can only come out of the greenhouse when the weather is warm in winter, and some are placed before the Spring Festival, and they are basically placed separately.Yao Cunhui came to the bonsai that were to be placed before the Spring Festival, looked at them for a while and asked, "Is there any regulation on which bonsai should be placed?"

Mrs. Han hurriedly laughed and said: "That's not the case! These are all from the public, and don't belong to any house or house. In the past, the second wife asked the opinions of each house, and she was satisfied with what she could satisfy. Some of the second wife directly They were distributed. However, there are also rules, for example, this pot of 'Greeting Pine' is placed in the living room, this pot of 'Ganoderma Lucidum', 'Fugui Yutang' and the pot of 'Red Plums Celebrate Spring' outside. It is the old lady's favorite, and it has been placed at the old lady's place. There is also this "Fu Lu Shou" that the old lady ordered for the lady that year, and the "Cangling Sail" made of mountain stones. The master likes it the most..."

Yao Cunhui listened to them one by one, then smiled at Mrs. Han: "It's hard for you to remember so well, how about it, you think about it carefully, and make a list for me later. Also, make a list of things that need to be arranged before the Spring Festival. Give me a copy of everyone who goes out!"

Mrs. Han quickly agreed, without Yao Cunhui's instructions, she smiled and said that she could send it to the princess when she got it in the future.Yao Cunhui nodded approvingly.

"Yes," Yao Cunhui stopped when he was about to leave, and asked, "I see that the branches and leaves, the dotted rocks, the rockery, and the edges of the flower pots are covered with a lot of dust and mud. Will it be wiped clean?"

"That's natural! How can such things be sent to the masters!" Mrs. Han was also slightly surprised by Yao Cunhui's carefulness, and hurriedly replied: "Princess, don't worry, these bonsai and flowers will be sent to the masters before they are sent to you!" The servants will check it carefully, wipe it clean, trim it neatly, and then dare to send it away. But," Mrs. Han boldly said, "It's just that there are not enough manpower every year, especially wiping flowers and leaves is a delicate job. Son, don’t be in a hurry, especially those precious orchids, you have to wipe the leaves carefully with a damp cloth, neither leaving water marks nor daring to hurt the veins and roots, every few days are so busy that you don’t even have time to sleep If it is convenient, can the princess send a few smart girls over to help?"

Yao Cunhui glanced at the clusters of long and narrow orchid leaves that looked like inverted swords not far away, then nodded and said with a smile: "This is not difficult, and there will be insufficient manpower at that time, just ask someone to tell me!"

Mrs. Han was overjoyed and agreed with a smile.

Yao Cunhui walked forward and saw that there were many large and small bonsai placed in another room, and the layout was similar to what he saw before, so he asked in surprise: "Why are these placed here alone? What are they for? "

Mrs. Han hurriedly replied: "Princess, these are not from the public house, they are sent by each house and courtyard to fertilize and maintain them. After winter, when the weather is warmer, they will be sent back to each house! Wangfei, look, the 'mountain and water Xiu', 'Borrowing the East Wind', and 'Golden Rooster Announcing the Dawn' were sent by Xihetang!"

Yao Cunhui took a closer look, and it was indeed true, so she nodded with a smile, and said: "I think these are the precious things of each house and courtyard, take good care of them, don't be careless!"

"The servant knows!"

Yao Cunhui walked around and saw that all kinds of flowers and trees were neatly prepared. The Mrs. Han and his wife obviously put their minds to it, so they praised it with a smile, and explained it softly and hard. After rewarding 20 taels of silver, they took it with them People go back.

Before leaving, Yao Cunhui suddenly asked Mrs. Han if there are any evergreen flowers and plants such as auspicious grass, nandina, monstera, dripping Guanyin, gladiolus, pine fern, clematis, etc.These are ordinary flowers and plants that are not elegant, and Mrs. Han replied with a smile: "Even if you don't have these things, it's easy to find them. If the concubine wants them and they are useful, the slaves should be careful to get some!"

"That would be the best!" Yao Cunhui was overjoyed, so he explained what he wanted and how to prepare it, and Mrs. Han agreed to everything one by one.

Seeing off Yao Cunhui and his party, Mrs. Han and everyone in the flower garden were very happy. The work of serving flowers and plants is not as decent as that of a groom in a stable.They only care about planting and cultivating. When the flowers and trees grow well, servants will naturally come and carry them to the master. They don't even have a chance to show their face in front of the master. When the masters admire the flowers, they praise the flowers. people.But if you accidentally damage some of the master's delicate breeds, it will be a heinous crime, and heavy fines and monthly money are indispensable!
In the past, when the second lady was in charge, how could she set foot here? The princess actually came and asked so many questions in person. It can be seen that she values ​​their wishes. As long as this errand is done smoothly, there will be only benefits and no harm in the future!
In the evening, Qian Shan came in and replied, saying that the matter had been done as Yao Cunhui said, and he would pay attention to it all the time to ensure that nothing would be missed.Only then did Yao Cunhui feel relieved.

The fifth day of the twelfth lunar month was Shen Quan's birthday, so he simply rested and bathed in the mansion on this day.

Shen Quan is still young, and celebrating birthdays is not yet a major event for the whole family. Seeing that the Chinese New Year is approaching, he doesn't want to be troublesome, so he informed Mrs. Shen a few days ago. Kowtow to the old lady, kowtow to Mrs. Xiao, and then go to the ancestral hall to burn incense, no one need be disturbed.

Mrs. Shen did not agree at first. If Shen Quan hadn't mentioned it in previous years, she might not have remembered it, but now that Shen Quan has become a prince, this matter cannot be settled casually.According to Mrs. Shen, at least each house should show something, and everyone should have a meal together in the evening.

Shen Quan hesitated and said that he wanted to spend time with Yao Cunhui, the old lady Shen Junfang suddenly realized, and let him smile.

On this day, Shen Quan kowtowed to the old matriarch and Mrs. Xiao, received the reward from the old matriarch and Mrs. Xiao, and went to burn incense in the ancestral hall. Colleagues and subordinates who came to congratulate him simply took Yao Cunhui out of the mansion and went to the other courtyard outside for a day.

It was almost dinner time, and the two returned home from the other courtyard.

After returning to the room, she changed her clothes and took off the red gold bracelet inlaid with gemstones. Yao Cunhui went to the small kitchen to make birthday noodles for Shen Quan herself.

Sister-in-law Zhu in the small kitchen has already prepared the noodles and all the ingredients, and is waiting for Yao Cunhui.Seeing her coming, he stepped forward to greet her attentively, and praised with a smile: "Wangfei, you are really caring! After eating the birthday noodles you made with your own hands, the prince is so happy!"

Zhu's sister-in-law turned on the stove quickly while talking, put the cleaned pot on the shelf, and poured clean water to add it.

"Okay, I wish my sister-in-law!" Yao Cunhui hurriedly stopped her, and said with a smile: "Okay, you go out, I will do the rest of the work myself!"

"Here, Princess—" Zhu's sister-in-law was momentarily taken aback.Occasionally, the master of the mansion got interested, didn't he say that he would make some snacks with his own hands, but he just pointed out a few words, and his legs felt sore after standing for a while, and she had never seen someone who actually did it himself Pass.

"You go out, I will do the rest myself!" Yao Cunhui said again with a smile.

Sister-in-law Zhu looked at Yao Cunhui, only to realize that she was wearing a narrow-sleeved beige with orange-red printed bamboo leaf pattern, all the gold bracelets and bracelets on her hands had faded away, and Danko was not painted on her nails, she clearly looked like she was going to cook dress up.Zhu's sister-in-law hurriedly smiled and agreed "yes", afraid that Yao Cunhui would not know how to use the kitchen things or make a fire, so she stepped back and hesitated whether she should go out or not.

Zhu's sister-in-law was struggling, but she saw Shen Quan also stepped in from the outside. Shen Quan seemed to see through her thoughts at a glance, smiled and waved: "You go out, the princess and I know what to do!"

Zhu's sister-in-law smiled, then bowed to salute, and quickly retreated, thought for a while, and closed the door gently.

"Hui'er!" Shen Quan suddenly became excited, walked to the stove and hugged Yao Cunhui and kissed her, and said with a smile, "I really like seeing you cooking for me!"

(End of this chapter)