Colorful

Chapter 191 Let You Be Alone (1)
It was late at night, when Chu De was supposed to be hugging his daughter-in-law and warming the bed, but Chu De was alone in Jingxiang Courtyard, drinking wine.He just returned to Beijing from the south a few days ago, so there must be no sign of Xiao Shi'er, and even Xiao Jiu'er hadn't been hugged for two days before he was dug out of the bed by Shen Che again.

That's all, being a brother feels uncomfortable, and he also has the loyalty to stab his brother, but Chu Deqi is angry that Shen Che dug him out on Qixi Festival but left him alone in the Jingxiangyuan. Ran.

The more Chu De drank, the angrier he became. Not even the leading female historian of Jingxiangyuan could appease his irritable heart, which was so irritable that he wanted a glass of wine to poison Shen Che to death.

To be honest, Chu De felt that Shen Che had changed from an "inhumane" normal person to an "inhumane" eunuch. In short, he just didn't see good people, especially he couldn't see that he could hug the boss, the second child... Xiao Jiuerlun Fandi's business of giving birth to a son spoils his good deeds every time.

When Chu De was thinking about what kind of poison would be most suitable for the "eunuch" Shen Che, he saw Shen Che coming in with a magpie lantern in his hand. Water was still dripping from the bottom of the lantern, and it looked like it was fished out of the river. of.

"Don't tell me that if you throw me here to drink alone, you're fishing for river lanterns." Chu De looked at Shen Che coldly.

Shen Che said indifferently: "Didn't Aunt Hua take good care of you?"

Chu De thought to himself: What I want is Xiao Jiuer, not Hua Gu, okay?However, Hua Gu was sitting next to Chu De at this time, and he was always sympathetic and cherished jade, and he was too embarrassed to say it, so he could only hold back his anger.

It was only Chu De who decided to forgive Shen Che in a high-spirited manner, but in the end he heard Shen Che say: "I'm not in the mood to drink anymore, let's go."

Chu De didn't want to do it now, and said furiously: "Shen Che, you treat me like a dog, and if you recruit him, he will come and wave him away?"

Shen Che didn't speak, but only took a slow look at Chu De's figure, how could there be such a fat dog in the world?
Chu De and Shen Che have been brothers and sisters for so many years, how could he fail to read what he meant, and immediately jumped up again: "Okay, okay, I'm a dog who takes a mouse, and a good heart treats it like a donkey's liver and lungs. Shen Che, next time you If you dare to pull me up in the middle of the night, I will never end with you."

Shen Che twitched the corners of his lips and said, "I just like to see you looking like you want to get angry and have nothing to do with me."

Chu De screamed wildly, turned his head and left.He was extremely hurt in his heart, but he had to admit that that bitch Shen Che was telling the truth. He really wanted to bite him to death. He didn't have such virtues before, and it became more and more weird recently.

Chu De got into the carriage, and after getting angry, he thought, God knows, Ji Cheng deserves to come out to deal with this bitch.Fortunately, he hated Ji Cheng in the past, but now that he thinks about it, he is really a slut and needs to be tortured by evil people. Not only should he not hate Ji Cheng, but he should also give her a plaque that says "eliminate all evil and all affairs", and give her another one. Just write "punish evil and promote good".

As soon as Chu De left, Hua Gu stayed where she was and left.She can't afford to offend this Second Young Master in front of her. Uncle Zhongyi has just been granted the title of Marquis, and the Shen family is very popular now, so Second Young Master Shen can walk sideways in the capital without any problem.

It's not that Hua Gu doesn't want to get close to Shen Che, it's because she wants to be so handsome, with a simian arm and wasp waist, just by looking at it, she knows that women will be happy, but her temper is too weird, and she never reaches out when she comes to this place of looking for flowers, you stick it upside down , he mocked you instead.

"Go down." Shen Che's words undoubtedly relieved Hua Gu.

It's just that I can't just leave like this, since it's a distinguished guest, Hua Gu asked cautiously: "My lord, can I send some snacks from the kitchen?"

In fact, when Hua Gu said these words, she was also worried, and she couldn't understand Shen Che's emotions, and she was afraid that she would be superfluous and annoy him instead.

Unexpectedly, not only did Shen Che not think she was noisy this time, but he turned his head and smiled lightly: "Okay, please trouble girl."

Hua Gu was taken aback by this smile, and only recovered after a while, and hurried out in response.Hua Gu touched her hot face with her hands, what was this? After all, she had experienced fifty men if not a hundred, and she was still dazed at a man's smiling face like a little girl.

After Hua Gu went out, Shen Che gently pushed aside the wick of the magpie lamp with his hand, and the paper bird's body was already wet with water and sticky into a ball.

There is no wishing note in the wick that ordinary girls like to put.Ji Cheng complained that there was nothing to complain, and he couldn't even sort out his own thoughts, so there was only a group of five-color wisps wet by water in the lamp.

The needles had already been taken away by Ji Cheng, she had worn 99 of them, removed 99 more, and finally sent away all these troubled threads with a lamp.

Under the lamp, Shen Che carefully sorted out the tangled strands of five colors, a total of 99 strands, spread side by side on the table one by one.Shen Che looked at it for a long time, then grabbed the five-color strands and went out.

Hua Gu didn't sleep all night, and her clothes were crooked on the couch in the outer room. Seeing Shen Che going out, she hurriedly sent it to the gate respectfully, and then went back to bed to catch up on sleep.

The little girl who served Hua Gu came in with a smile on her face and said to Hua Gu: "Sister, the Second Young Master is really generous. He rewarded two ingots of ingots. This month we won't have to worry about expenses."

Hua Gu yawned and also smiled, was it because of that face that she offered to the Second Young Master so carefully?Of course it is for silver.

Aunt Hua suddenly thought in a half-dream and half-awake state that she was really not outstanding among the women's historians in the capital. Although the Jingxiang Courtyard was indeed prosperous for a while, as she got old and faded, the business was not as good as before. I really don't know why. Why did the second son suddenly fall in love with their small yard recently?

Hua Gu didn't dare to put gold on her face, she was just a little confused.

But Ji Cheng was still sleepless when she returned home after setting off the lights by the river. Although the five-color strands drifted away with the current, her troubles remained undiminished.Thinking that when she and Shen Che faced each other at night, he didn't avoid him. Is there a possibility that he was waiting for her to speak?
Otherwise, according to Shen Che's usual ignorance of her, he should turn around and leave at that time.

The more Ji Cheng thought about it, the more she felt dizzy at the time, but she didn't grasp such a good opportunity.In fact, after returning from beyond the Great Wall, Ji Cheng almost never found a suitable opportunity to talk to Shen Che, it was really an excellent opportunity before.

Thinking of this, Ji Cheng looked at the light snow sword on the table, and made a plan in his heart, he lifted the sword and went out the door to go up the mountain again.

But what Ji Cheng never expected was that there was already a lock on the firewood door leading to the top courtyard. The copper lock was small, and with the sharpness of Qingxue sword, it could definitely be cut off.

Ji Cheng stared blankly at the copper lock, and couldn't help but smile, but the smile was uglier than crying, how naive she was, just now she thought that she and Shen Che could have a better chance.

Once the Qixi Festival is over, Mid-Autumn Festival will follow, Qiu Wei is also in August, and Shen Xun's marriage is approaching. Ji Cheng is so busy that he has less time to worry about love, and even sleeps better. At least two hours of sleep.

It's really a gratifying change, but what's even more gratifying is that Shen Che didn't know what happened during this period of time, and he didn't go out early and return late, and he would definitely return home at the beginning of Haishi at the latest.

Every night when Shen Che came back, Ji Cheng knew it.Because Nishang's house is next to the path, she must wait for Shen Che to come back every night, and then rest after helping him change and wash.

Although Nishang's voice was very low and Shen Che's movements were very light, Ji Cheng could still sense the movement.Sometimes she almost thought that Shen Che would come to Woyuntang, but soon she heard his footsteps going to the top courtyard.

For Ji Cheng, nothing has changed.

But other people's lives are not as stagnant as hers.Sister Yu gave birth for a month, and the full moon wine was very lively. Everyone envied that Li Rui gave birth to a daughter, and she was so liked by her in-laws, of course, mainly because of the old lady.

Ji Cheng gave Sister Yu an eight-two-weight longevity golden lock. Of course, such a heavy thing is not for children to wear, it's just for show.Because there are too many people giving longevity locks, how can children wear them?

Li Rui took it and said with a smile: "I know my sister-in-law's family is rich in gold and silver, but there is no need to spend so much money on Sister Yu. She is only a little older, so such heavy gold will not crush her?"

Ji Cheng was not as knowledgeable as Li Rui, and when he walked out of Li Rui's room, he saw Shen Jing hurriedly chasing him out.

"Sister Cheng, don't take it to heart, Ah Rui has that kind of temper, and she doesn't know what is good or bad." Shen Jing said with a blushing face, not because she saw Ji Cheng blushing, but because of Li Rui's ignorance. blushing.

Ji Cheng shook his head and smiled, "I won't take it to heart."

Shen Jing said again: "The last time you asked Dad to inquire about something, there is already news. The emperor probably intends to let Zhang Xueshi from the Wenhua Palace be the chief examiner of the capital and rural examination."

Ji Cheng was about to thank Shen Jing, when he saw Li Rui's girl, Caixia, came out of the door and called out: "Mr. Lang, Young Mistress said that her chest is tight."

Shen Jing frowned slightly, and a look of impatience appeared on his face.

Ji Cheng was afraid of causing gossip again, so he hurriedly said, "Fourth brother, thank you so much this time, I will ask my elder brother to thank you well in another day. The fourth brother and sister are looking for you, so go quickly."

Seeing Ji Cheng walking very fast, Shen Jing also knew that she was avoiding suspicion, and he hated Li Rui even more in his heart. He really always made petty temper regardless of the occasion or the person.

In fact, Ji Cheng understood very well why Li Rui looked down on him so much, and didn't even care about his sister-in-law's affection.Firstly, Li Rui is the daughter of the Marquis Mansion, while Ji Cheng is just a merchant girl, and secondly, Ji Cheng is more liked by the old lady than her, but these are not the point, the point is that Ji Cheng's husband, Shen Che, did not regard him as a man at all. Seeing it in my eyes, I can't even win over my own husband, so it's no wonder that outsiders stepped on her.

Thinking of Shen Che, Ji Cheng's heart throbbed with pain. It's really strange that he didn't like it very much in the past, but after turning against him, recalling the little bit of sweetness in the past actually got deeper and deeper. .

"Young Mistress wants to cook and make mooncakes by herself? That's a good thing, we can learn from Young Mistress." Aunt Huang in the kitchen was very fond of Ji Cheng.Everyone knows that the kitchen is a place with a lot of oil and water. It's not all because of Ji Cheng's words that she can take charge of the kitchen now.

Ordinarily, Ji Cheng no longer needs to go to the kitchen to make moon cakes to show her courtesy, because her identity is there, if she does this now, maybe people will say that she is too courteous.

But when Ji Cheng is upset, she likes to do things. Although she can't say that she loves cooking very much, this place can undoubtedly allow her to escape from reality for a short time.

Naturally, Ji Cheng still has an inhumane psychology, even she herself is unwilling to admit it, that is, she always wants to let Shen Che eat a bite of the moon cake she made, which is considered her wish.

Although Ji Cheng had learned a little pastry from Chef Liu back then, she hadn't dabbled in mooncakes. Fortunately, she was already talented in cooking, so she learned it all morning with the cook invited by the mansion.

The cook prepared three kinds of mooncake skins, pulp skin, meringue skin and mixed sugar skin.The old lady likes creamy skin, and Ji Cheng likes puff pastry herself, but she was really not sure what kind of skin Shen Che liked, so they each made some.

The mooncakes had a variety of fillings, Ji Cheng made sweet mooncakes with red bean paste, lotus seed paste, and taro paste; as for the salty ones, he chose ham and fresh meat.

In fact, the moon cakes have been eaten for so many years, and the skins and fillings are similar, even the shape is poured into pastry molds and compacted.

In order to distinguish his own mooncakes, Ji Cheng gave the old lady mooncakes with eight characters of "Shou" written by Ji Cheng himself in different fonts on the skin, and the rest of them were "Xi". The only special thing is I gave it to Brother Hong.

Speaking of which, Ji Cheng may not have seen Brother Hong for a long time, because when Ji Cheng married into Shen's residence, Brother Hong had already been sent to Jingwu Academy to study at a young age, and he would not return to the residence except for the New Year's Eve .But even if they met in the Shen Mansion, Brother Hong is no longer the ignorant child of the past, he is almost ten years old now, and his words and deeds already have the demeanor of his father. Not so close anymore.

The mooncakes Ji Cheng made for Brother Hong were shaped like eagles by her skillful hands. He loved eagles when he was a child, and even made paper kites in the shape of eagles.

Aunt Huang looked at Ji Cheng's slender fingers and squeezed out an eagle within a few turns, she was so admired: "It's a good thing that the young mistress is the master, otherwise we would have no face to say that we are serving in the kitchen." It's gone."

Ji Cheng smiled: "You guys have been working all day, go out and rest for a while."

The masters are still making moon cakes conscientiously, and the servants dare not rest, Aunt Huang quickly shook her head.

Ji Cheng said: "You don't need to be restrained just because I'm here. This person is not a cow, how can he not rest?" Ji Cheng turned his head and said to Yu Qian'er, "Just as I said, the cooks have worked hard these few days , you take some money to add a few dishes to them, forget about the wine, wait for the moon cakes to be ready and put them in a box, and then buy a table of wine and food to reward them."

Aunt Huang took the maids and mother-in-law in the kitchen to thank for the reward.

After the cook left, Ji Cheng started making mooncakes for Shen Che.In order to shape the shape, she used paste skin. Ji Cheng squeezed the skin into a camellia shape and stuffed it with fillings. She kneaded nine neat camellias with different fillings. , there is always one thing that Shen Che is sure to enter.

This camellia flower takes the most effort to knead, and if it breaks a little, Ji Cheng starts all over again, and there is a whole pot of mooncake skins that were destroyed by her.

Yu Qian'er looked at the newly baked box of nine camellia mooncakes, and couldn't help swallowing: "Girl, this looks so beautiful, how can anyone be willing to eat it?"

Ji Cheng stroked his chin and said, "It doesn't look like mooncakes."

Yu Qian'er thought of Ji Cheng's frenzied rework in the afternoon and said, "Why is it different? The pancakes made during the Mid-Autumn Festival are all mooncakes. No one stipulates that mooncakes must be round. The moon still has a time to change into a crescent." .”

Ji Cheng looked at Yu Qian'er appreciatively, and could speak.

Ji Cheng worked hard for several days. Not only did he make mooncakes himself, but he also made a list of mooncakes for distribution. There is a custom of giving mooncakes to each other in the capital family. As the wife of Duke Qi, this is the first time that Ji Cheng is in charge of this matter. So I checked the list three or four times carefully, and after confirming that there were no omissions, I sent the list.

Of course, the mooncakes distributed to relatives and friends were all made by the chef in the big kitchen, and the ones given to the master of the Shen family were made with Ji Cheng's kindness.

After eating two mooncakes with red bean filling, the old lady said: "I even forgot that your cooking skills have always been good. I have eaten this mooncake for decades, and I am not praising you. This filling is the best I have ever eaten." Fragrant, not greasy, and a little sweet and sour."

Ji Cheng said: "I see that although your old man likes desserts, he doesn't like the greasy sweet ones, so we added a little lime sauce to this stuffing."

"You have a heart." The old lady smiled.

As soon as Ji Cheng returned to Jiuliyuan, An He and Princess Wei Yu came in from the outside to greet her: "Young Mistress, the Princess ate the mooncakes you sent, and asked the servant to ask, is there more?"

Who are Ann and Princess?That mouth has long been spoiled by the imperial chef, I haven't eaten any good things, and now I ask the girl to ask for moon cakes, which shows that I really like it.

Ji Cheng said: "Yes, I made an extra box yesterday." Ji Cheng turned his head to look at Yu Qian'er, who immediately took Xiao Yu to get the mooncake knowingly.Ji Cheng also put his heart into the mooncakes given to Anhe. The fillings were made with wine, with a fruity and boozy aroma.

All the masters in the mansion received the mooncakes from Ji Cheng, and almost none of them didn't like it.Even at Shen Yu's place, although he didn't like desserts, he still ate one.

Cui Long rubbed her stomach beside her and said with a smile: "Second brother and sister are really caring. They know that I am disgusted. This mooncake is made of plum filling. I don't know how she made it. I ate two of them today and I didn't feel sick. , I guess the little thing in my belly likes it too."

Shen Yu asked suspiciously: "Did she do it herself?"

Cui Long nodded: "That's right, I really didn't expect the second sibling to have such a skill."

Shen Yu tilted his head and said to the girl who was waiting next to him: "Go to Jiuliyuan and ask the Second Young Mistress, is there any more mooncakes?" It's rare.

Cui Long smiled and said: "Mr. Lang, don't bother, the second sibling has a lot of chores."

Shen Yu said: "It's okay, I also like to eat."

(End of this chapter)