Peasant Girl Bookseller

Chapter 290

Mai Xiang received a bunch of meeting gifts, but it was not good to leave immediately. Mrs. Pei took the opportunity to talk to Mai Xiang again. She didn't ask how Mai Xiang met Prince Li, but asked how old Mai Xiang was. What books do you have, what hobbies do you usually have, and what people at home.

Although Mai Xiang didn't know what the other party meant, she answered politely.

Although Jiang Shi was anxious at the side, she didn't dare to press any more. Naturally, Mai Xiang didn't miss her increasingly ugly face, stood up on her own initiative, and said with a smile: "The theater troupe that my mother hired with great difficulty, a big I got up early and have been busy till now, please move on, ladies and wives, to sit in the flower hall."

"This kid is really a smart talker." Mrs. Kang shook her head and smiled. It has been a long time since Mai Xiang has shown her ability, so there is nothing Kang Yi has to do. Even though the meeting gift is double, there is no one for Mai Xiang. Servings are heavy.

Mai Xiang heard the sour taste in Mrs. Kang's mouth, she smiled, but didn't answer, went to support the old lady, and said with a smile: "Grandmother, let me help you go to the theater. If I don't understand, grandma Tell me about it, and it will save me from listening to heavenly scriptures."

Seeing that Mai Xiang gave her face like this, the old lady quickly reached out and patted Mai Xiang's hand, and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, it's up to you."

It didn't matter that the old lady stretched out her hand, a faint fragrance came from her wrist, which alarmed the two wives around her.

"Hey, old lady, this string of beads in your hand has some origins." A sharp-nosed and sharp-eyed man saw the agarwood beads on the old lady's wrist.

"This one, my little granddaughter-in-law honored me, and said that wearing it would help me sleep peacefully. I tried it, and it was true."

"This is really a good thing. Judging by the workmanship, luster, texture, and aroma, I'm afraid it came from the palace, right?" Mrs. Pei is more knowledgeable after all.

Now the old lady's face really turned into a flower, "It didn't come from the palace, Prince Fujin gifted it to my little granddaughter-in-law, so the child was given to me."

Mrs. Pei glanced at Jiang and Mai Xiang, but said nothing.

Instead, the old lady's interest was aroused, and she helped Mai Xiang, talking and laughing with these officials and wives, going out all the way to the flower hall.

In recent years, she has not been respected by these officials and wives. She was born in a merchant and married to a merchant, so naturally she has no status.Unlike the Jiang family, although her natal father is a poor master, she can barely be regarded as an official lady. In addition, she has practiced in the officialdom with Wan Chengyao these years and paved the way with money, which has won some popularity.

When we arrived at the Flower Hall, the central seat was originally reserved for Mrs. Pei, but Mrs. Pei refused to sit, saying that she is a junior, how could she be so frivolous?

As a result, the old lady was a little embarrassed, she was a court wife, she was just a civilian woman, and her son's official career had to be pointed at her.

Fortunately, Mrs. Pei is also transparent, seeing the old lady in a difficult situation, she smiled and said: "Why don't I accompany the old lady and listen to the old lady tell us operas."

"Ma'am, you really spoil my old lady. I don't know any operas. Please tell me more about me, Mrs. Pei. Don't make fun of us country people who don't know much." The old lady was satisfied, and it was the first time that she was on an equal footing with a third-rank lady.

Jiang Shi was not happy anymore, she managed to invite Mrs. Pei here, she originally planned to be her own company, to have a good relationship with her, but she was disturbed by this old lady.

Thinking of this, Jiang couldn't help but glared at Mai Xiang, if it wasn't for Mai Xiang, these situations wouldn't have happened.What's even more troublesome is that she still has to think about how to return Mrs. Pei's generous gift today.Mai Xiang doesn't know, but she knows that the pair of bracelets in Mrs. Pei's hands was when Wan Chengyao's accident happened. She found out that Mrs. Pei likes to collect jade bracelets, and spent more than 200 taels of silver to find this pair. The top-grade mutton fat jade was given away, I'm afraid Mrs. Pei would have forgotten it now, and she didn't expect Mai Xiang to be cheaper.

Mai Xiang will be standing in front of the old lady to wait on the show. Originally, she is not proficient in the opera at all, but it happens that the song "Legend of Leifeng Pagoda" will be sung on stage. My mother's torment, I have read "Legend of the New White Snake" no less than ten times, and I can recite the stories in it backwards and forwards.

During the intermission, Mai Xiang exchanged cups of hot tea for the two.

"New daughter-in-law, do you also like to go to the theater?" Mrs. Pei asked with a smile when she saw Mai Xiang humming.

"Ah? No, I seldom go to theaters." Mai Xiang hurriedly shook her head, and she actually hummed the prelude to "Waiting Once in a Millennium" while pouring tea.

"Oh, I think you understand it very well. Have you seen this play?"

"No, but I know something about this story."

"That's right, it's an old-fashioned story, adapted from "The Story of the Three Towers of the West Lake" written by the Song people. It's "A Dream of Red Mansions" that was popular in Beijing last year. It's a new story. Every time I read it, I feel heartbroken. I don’t know how many handkerchiefs are wet from crying.”

"Mrs. Pei is still lucky. We want to see it now, but we don't have the chance. When it comes to festivals, the people in this troupe are too busy. The dignitaries in the capital invite them home one after another. Small things like us It's a small family, and you can't invite people at all." Mrs. Kang heard it from the side, and said with a smile.

"I also happened to watch it twice at someone else's house. I heard that the troupe is not available during the first month. After the first month, I will set up a wine at home. I invite you to watch it once. Everyone present here will go." Mrs. Pei laughed. road.

"That's a good idea. According to me, the few of us will take turns to be hosts, and we often get together when we have nothing to do. I suggested that we will be at our house in three days. It will be lively." Mrs. Kang laughed.

Among these official wives, apart from Mrs. Pei's husband, who is a third-rank official, there are two other five-rank officials, and the others are also fifth-rank officials. Only Wan Chengyao is a sixth-rank official, so Mrs. Kang naturally has to help out. up.

"Okay, that's it. Your family is on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month. Our family should be on the eighteenth day of the first month." Someone echoed.

The New Year's wine for each family has not yet been set, and the play on the stage has begun again, this time it is "The Peony Pavilion".

It was so easy to hear the babbling on the stage, Mai Xiang's legs were almost sore from standing, and the remote Jiang family was setting up meals again, so Mai Xiang had to work hard as a cloth vegetable girl again.

After dinner, these ladies still refused to leave. After drinking tea, they wiped dominoes in the flower hall again. Mai Xiang stood behind the old lady again, and became a maid who shuffled cards, took out money, and collected money. It's enough for the old lady's face.

The old lady was happy this day, but Mai Xiang suffered a lot. She had stood for three or four hours, and felt that her legs were not her own. She went back to her kang, lay down and fell asleep, and didn't bother to think about Jiang. Shi's stinky face.

Three days later, Jiang took the old lady and Kang Yi to Kang's house as guests. She didn't even ask Mai Xiang. Fortunately, Mai Xiang didn't want to join in the fun anymore, and was happy to be at home.

It's just that when she came back that night, Mai Xiang found that there seemed to be something weird between the old lady and the Jiang family. In short, it was not harmonious.

The old lady didn't follow the gatherings in the next few parties, and Mai Xiang naturally didn't bother to join in the fun. Huaici still went to visit Ji Xiaolan and Acton every day to discuss knowledge, and Mai Xiang was in her yard every day except to say hello to the room. I was busy packing things for Huaici's exam preparation.

In a blink of an eye, it was the end of the month. After dinner, the whole family was still chatting and laughing in the warm pavilion in the upper room. The old lady suddenly said: "Everyone is complete today. Let me tell you something. Because the eldest granddaughter-in-law is pregnant, I also want to go out to eat small stoves. Zhigao's mother mentioned this before. I discussed it with the old man and thought about it after the first month. Today is the end of the month. We are thinking that starting from tomorrow, the food in her yard Let them take care of their clothes and clothes, and the same goes for the family of Xiaosun’s daughter-in-law, Zhigao’s mother, you will close the account later, and settle the money with the two of them on a monthly basis.”

Wan Zhigao was taken aback when he heard this. Although Kang Yi had mentioned this to him, he didn't want to separate. After all, he had a deep relationship with the two old people, and he was afraid that the two old people would disappoint him.

"Grandmother, didn't you say that you would separate me when I have to rush for the exam? What's the rush now?" Wan Zhigao asked.

"Grand grandson, it's fine, just eat and make clothes separately, Kang Yi is pregnant now, it's more convenient for her to open a small stove, and it saves her from running around, and we will spend the New Year together in the future. "The old lady spoke to Wan Zhigao in a much more gentle tone.

"Father, mother, according to me, it's better not to separate. Zhiyuan just wants to read a book and be quiet, and he will try it in just over a month. When he finishes his test, he will have dinner with everyone. Our family It’s so hard to get all together, why are you splitting up? It’s not the first time that Brother You and his mother have children. Didn’t you eat with everyone before? It’s really not possible. If you want to eat, just open the kitchen alone Just one copy." Wan Chengyao said, a little displeased with Kang Yi's hypocrisy.

"Grandfather, grandmother, father, I..." Kang Yi was pushed into a dilemma.

"Hey, I'm also to blame for this. It's because I feel sorry for Kang Yi that it's inconvenient for her child to eat with the big kitchen, so I brought it up to my mother. It's not really a separation. It's just that we don't eat together, and everything else remains the same. Since If the master can't say it well, forget it." Mrs. Jiang hastily interrupted Kang Yi's words.

"Forget it, it's all agreed to share, let's share. This is also good. In the future, the eldest granddaughter-in-law can honor me for whatever delicious food she cooks. I took advantage of it." The old lady glanced at the old man and smiled. road.

From time to time, Mai Xiang would honor her with a good dish, so the old lady also made a joke in order to ease the atmosphere.

"Then what about Zhiyuan's family?" Wan Chengyao asked.

"It's okay, let them eat like this. I heard that many big families also open small stoves like this. It's easy to worry about, and they can eat whatever they want." The old lady said.

"No, the old lady understands that if someone is willing to save, he can save a few extra money, and if someone is willing to eat good food, he will pay the monthly money to make up for it. No one is in the way." Jiang laughed hurriedly. road.

"By the way, speaking of monthly money, Mr., didn't you have monthly money before? How come when I first met you, you couldn't even afford to eat, and pawned your biological mother's belongings?" Mai Xiang suddenly said Huaici asked.

The sound was not too loud, just enough that everyone in the room could hear it.

(End of this chapter)