Madam Hou

Chapter 43

Heavy snow fell for several days one after another, and the entire capital city was covered with snow-white patches.

Yongning Hou Mansion.

There was also a thick layer of snow in the yards and gardens, and thick sweeping women sprinkled salt on the road to sweep away the snow.

Yinniang half-lyed on the bed bored, playing with her fingers for a while, and looking at the gauze curtain of green peonies on the bed.Qingteng stood in the corner of the room where the brazier was placed, and took the pliers to stir the gradually extinguished charcoal fire in it, and then added frost charcoal to it after the sparks were drawn out.Qinghua took Zhang Xiaozi, sat next to Yinniang and told jokes to relieve her boredom, but unfortunately the jokes she told were colder than the white snow outside, after Yinniang reluctantly joined in for a few times, she couldn't stand it any longer. Then he continued to play with his fingers and hope for the sky.

Caizhu came in from the outside, holding a pineapple wood tray filled with lacquered patterns of flowers and birds. On the tray was a crock pot, which contained decoctions for expelling wind and cold, and the smell of the decoctions wafted from afar.Caizhu walked around a large screen with twelve wings embroidered with flowers and grass, and then entered the inner room.

Seeing Caizhu come in with the medicine, Qingteng asked her, "Why is the medicine so late?"

Cai Zhu said: "Madam is also sick, and Madam's medicine must be decocted in the kitchen first."

Qingteng's mind was not on the right track, since there was only one stove, why did he need to line up to decoct the medicine, but it was all about pushing the highs and stepping down the lows.Although Qingteng thought so in her heart, she didn't show it on her face. She nodded to show that she understood, and then helped to remove the dregs from the medicine.After the bowl of medicine was filtered, Qingteng took the medicine and brought it to Yinniang, saying: "Miss, I've taken the medicine."

Yes, Yinniang was indeed sick.Yinniang has been in good health since she was a child, and she seldom gets sick, but a few days ago, Yinniang went out in the wind and snow, and when she came back, she went to greet Mrs. Linhou, but was stopped by Mrs. Lin on the grounds that she did not want to see anyone. After waiting for nearly an hour in the cold wind, he fell ill after returning from Tangrong Courtyard.

Yin Niang looked at the steaming medicine in the bowl, pursed her lips and frowned, Qing Teng persuaded her when she saw it: "Miss, the good medicine is bitter, drink it quickly."

Yinniang pinched her nose unwillingly, drank the medicine in one gulp, took the candied fruit that Qinghua brought over, and ate a few pieces before suppressing the taste of the medicine in her mouth.

Just after drinking the medicine, Caishou, another second-class maid serving in the inner room of Jingxiang Court, brought in Bingyue, the maidservant next to the eldest lady Dong Shi, and Bingyue greeted Yinniang on the bed, "Hello, Miss Yin! "

Yinniang quickly asked Qingteng to help her up, and asked Bingyue politely: "Sister Bingyue, what can you do here?"

Bingyue said: "It's nothing special, it's the Da Furen who heard that Miss Yin is sick, she misses Miss Yin, the Da Furen is unable to come because of rheumatism, so she asked the servant to come and see the miss on her behalf." After finishing speaking, she looked at Miss Yin Seeing Cai Zhu who was packing up the medicine bowls and jars, she couldn't help asking in doubt: "Why is Miss Yin taking medicine at this hour?"

Yin Niang did not answer her last sentence, but expressed her concern for the eldest lady very appropriately as a junior: "Then the eldest lady is in better health, but does she take medicine? I heard people say that rheumatism is the most difficult to cure." Madam, you should pay more attention to your health. When I get better, I will go to greet Madam."

Bingyue said: "Yes, Second Miss Xie is concerned." I don't know if the 'some' she said meant that Mrs. Lin was in better health or that she had taken medicine.Bingyue glanced at the medicine bowl and jar again, showing a clear expression, and then said to Yinniang with some compassion: "Miss Yin, the third lady is the elder, and the big kitchen in front may be busy with the medicine of the third lady Decoction, your medicine will often be delayed, if Miss doesn’t mind it, in the future, your medicine might as well be decocted in the small kitchen of Qingheyuan, Da Furen also needs to decoct medicine, after all, it’s just a matter of adding an extra medicine stove.”

"Thank you Sister Bingyue, if necessary, I will definitely go to my sister for help."

Even if she tactfully refused, Bingyue was not annoyed, she still smiled and said some other words to express the eldest lady's concern for her, and then left.

After Bingyue left, Qinghua looked at Bingyue's back and said with emotion: "This lady is really a good person, she is really kind to Miss, and she is much better than Mrs. Hou."

Qingteng hurriedly interrupted Qinghua's words: "Qinghua, what nonsense are you talking about..." After speaking, she turned her eyes and took a peek at Caizhu next to her.Caizhu acted as if she didn't hear anything, she went out with her medicine jar and bowl with her head down, and closed the door carefully for them after she went out.Qingteng is a little annoyed that Qinghua is simple-minded, Mrs. Lin Hou is Yinniang's future decent mother-in-law, and when there are other maids in the room, she actually said that others treat Yinniang better than her future mother-in-law treats Yinniang. Mrs. Lin Hou has an ambiguous rivalry with Mrs. Lin. If this word reaches Mrs. Lin Hou's ears, it will bring trouble to Yin Niang.

Qinghua didn't figure out the connection, but because Qingteng served Mrs. Chen before she was older, she was more in awe, so she didn't dare to refute, but she still whispered aggrieved: "It was originally, why shouldn't it be allowed?" People say."

Seeing Qinghua's appearance, Qingteng shook her head in her heart.With such a temperament, how can I help the lady in the future, it would be nice not to hold her back.

Yinniang also sighed in her heart, after all, Qinghua is young, she is only 13 years old this year, and she is still a few months younger than her in months, and she has never experienced too violent internal strife with her since she was a child. In terms of appearance, it is much worse than the 18-year-old Qingteng who stayed in the official's house and was later sold to her family.

But after all, Qinghua grew up with her, and her feelings are much deeper than others or even Qingteng, so she is willing to guide her patiently, and said to her: "The eldest lady doesn't care about me, she asked Bingyue to come over Here to sow dissension. You see, Bingyue said earlier that the big kitchen had to hold Mrs. Hou’s medicine first, so it often delayed my medicine. Later, she said that I should go to the small kitchen of Qingheyuan to decoct medicine, saying that Mrs. Hou also needs to decoct anyway. Yes, it's just a problem of multiple stoves, don't you just want to say that Mrs. Hou is deliberately making things difficult for me, my future daughter-in-law, not to cook my medicine."

Qing Hua always felt that Yin Niang's words were correct, and after hearing her words, she couldn't help saying: "Ah, so the eldest lady is so bad, fortunately, Miss saw through them and was not fooled by them."

"That's not necessarily true. I'm afraid the eldest lady doesn't mean to let me see through such a little trick, but so what? Some are making things difficult for me. Mrs. Hou is my future mother-in-law. I always hope to get along well with her. Now that I hear her words like this, I will inevitably leave a knot in my heart, which will cause discord between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the future. In this way, Mrs. Lin's The goal has been achieved.”

Qing Hua listened, only felt that one head was bigger than two, as if one head was not enough.He sighed in his heart, why did the wife of Hou Menli have so many twists and turns in her intestines.

Yinniang asked Qingteng to open the window, looking at the white snow outside the window, she couldn't help muttering to herself: "Sister Yun said she would come to see me today, but I don't know if she has come."

Just as I was talking, Sister Yun's voice came from outside: "Didn't it mean that Yinniang is sick, why is there no one to wait on her yard, and the snow in this yard has turned into ice slag, No one sweeps it, what if Yinniang falls while walking?"

The one who led Sister Yun over was another person in charge of personnel affairs next to Mrs. Linhou, Yunmeme.Listening to Sister Yun's words, Yun Meme showed a simple and honest smile, and said: "It must be that the waiters in the yard have been lazy again. These maids and women will play tricks as soon as no one is watching. Someone must teach them." The subtext, it's not that no one came to serve, it's because the owner of the yard is not strict, which caused all the maids and women to have no rules, and even the discipline of the servants requires others to help, This is no wonder.

Sister Yun has always been straight-hearted, and she didn't understand the twists and turns in these words, but she felt that what she said always made people feel uncomfortable, and she couldn't explain why, so she turned her head and looked at Yunmo, really want to If there is nothing wrong, I turn around and continue walking.But Qingteng in the room understood the meaning of Yun Momo outside, and curled her lips in disdain.

Sister Yun stepped over the threshold, entered the hall from the outside, and walked around a Duobao Pavilion and a large screen before entering the inner room.As soon as he saw Yinniang lying on the bed, his watery eyes shone brightly, and he ran over with a peach-red chisel silver mouse skirt, bent down and asked Yinniang: "Yinniang, I heard that you are sick. , are you feeling better?"

Yin Niang replied: "After taking the medicine for a few days, it's much better now."

"Why do you think you are sick? How uncomfortable it is to be sick in the winter! A few days ago we went to Princess Cao Yang's house to enjoy the snow plum blossoms. The scenery was beautiful, but it's a pity that you are not here. The Lord Mingyu went to pick you up, only to find out later that he had posted a post for you, but you couldn’t come because you were sick..." There was so much chatter, Yin Niang didn’t even have room to interject, she was so dry After my tongue was dry, I asked the original question again: "By the way, you haven't told me how you got sick yet?"

Qing Hua has held back for a long time and wanted to talk a long time ago, now when Sister Yun stopped, she hurriedly said: "Isn't that day..."

"Cough, cough." Before Qing Hua finished speaking, Qingteng immediately interrupted Qing Hua with two coughing sounds.Qingteng's eyes glanced at Yun Meme who was standing next to her. Seeing Qingteng's movements, Sister Yun finally understood that there was still a spy in the room, and she had to avoid some things before she could say them. So he said to Yun Momo: "Yun Momo, hurry up and get busy with your own affairs, I'll just talk to Yin Niang myself."

Yun Meme smiled and said: "How can this be done? Miss Jiang is a guest of the Hou Mansion. If there is no guest here, the servants will leave you alone."

Sister Yun stared and said angrily: "I want to have a private conversation with Yin Niang, and you stand by and listen, what's the reason for that? Is this the way of hospitality in the Yongning Marquis Mansion?"

After all, Sister Yun is the young lady of the Hou Mansion. Although she usually has few tendons, but she really wants to take out the young lady's money, she has a certain bearing, and Sister Yun has nothing to criticize. He couldn't come up with anything to refute, but he couldn't bear to leave, so he stood there hesitantly, whether he was going or not.

Seeing this, Qingteng took Yun Momo's hand and said, "Meh, I think I'll go out with you, and let Qinghua and Caizhu stay in the house to serve you, you see."

Yun Momo thought about it, and thought it was okay, anyway, Caizhu also belonged to Mrs. Linhou's country, so just ask Caizhu later.

But Cai Zhu stood there, wishing that a gust of wind would blow her away.What is this called? Immortals fight and little ghosts suffer. She doesn't want to be involved in the war between their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

(End of this chapter)