The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 120 Lotus Seed Soup

fight?

Jia Zhen inevitably thought of the things sealed deep inside the warehouse.

He is afraid!
That thing is something the Jia family really can't touch for the time being.

"Mother……"

Jia Zhen said cautiously, "Have you forgotten that Second Brother Lian is now a physician in the Arsenal? The Arsenal is in charge of military supplies." He emphasized military supplies, "As long as he doesn't cause trouble, no matter how much war there is, our family will be fine."

As an arms officer, it's perfectly fine for me to offer suggestions to the master gun makers.

Although the credit will ultimately go to them, at least their family is safe!

Shen Ning looked at her eldest son and finally understood, "...That makes sense!"

Sure enough, she was blinded by concern.

There's still plenty of time; she can take her time.

"Have you had breakfast yet? If not, bring your food over and we can eat together!"

"Nope."

Madam You waved to her maid Xi'er, who bowed slightly and quickly went out. "Mother, please try this lotus leaf soup," she said, pointing to the soup that Shen Ning hadn't touched yet, which was floating with what looked like small lotus leaves, lotus flowers, and even small lotus pods. "I don't know where Aunt Li found the mold. I heard that the noodles she made were infused with the fragrance of fresh lotus leaves, and she also used old duck soup. It looks novel and delicious."

"...Yes, it's really good!"

Shen Ning tasted a small lotus flower, but didn't expect it to have some filling inside. "Huh? What kind of filling is inside? I only tasted amaranth, and there's another one... I can't tell."

The red color of the lotus flowers was also achieved by dyeing them with amaranth; Aunt Li truly put her heart into it.

"I'll try it."

Jia Zhen came over and, with the help of You Shi, ate two small lotus flowers from the spoon. "There should have been lotus flowers added too, right?"

When he was little, his aunt Min took him to eat this.

The dozen or so silver molds in our house were also made during that time.

"Mother, don't you think so?"

Jia Zhen smiled at his mother.

Shen Ning tasted another one from the small bowl that Qingzhu brought over, "It really is a lotus flower."

When I first read Dream of the Red Chamber, although I was also fascinated by the food, I was most focused on the love between Bao and Dai. I only glanced at the lotus flower and lotus leaf soup that Jia Baoyu liked. I didn't expect it to be even better than described in the book. "It's really refreshing to eat at this time."

She smiled and said, "Ask Aunt Li if she has any more. If she does, send some to the West Mansion."

"there must be."

Madam You laughed, "Aunt Li said that there are many good ones made from the same mold."

"Then what are you all standing there for? Sit down, everyone, eat mine first, and then I'll eat yours."

The original owner of this body was not the type to torment his wife, and Shen Ning is even less likely to do so.

When Grandmother Jia of the Rongguo Mansion ate, her two daughters-in-law had to serve her, so she was never present in the room.

After all, her mother-in-law only had her as a daughter-in-law and treated her almost like a daughter.

"Haha, then we'll listen to Mother."

Jia Zhen and You Shi sat down as expected.

The lotus leaf soup was already plentiful today, and by the time their breakfast arrived, she hadn't even finished hers.

Shen Ning tried their shrimp ball and chicken skin soup, plus a tofu skin bun, but couldn't eat anymore. She just watched Jia Zhen clean up the mess.

Sure enough, men can really eat. He ate the equivalent of both her and Madam You's portions, and then took a different route.

"We still have to eat at Mother's!"

Jia Zhen rinsed his mouth with satisfaction, "Even ordinary food tastes exceptionally sweet when it comes to you."

"Just keep trying to appease me!"

Shen Ning laughed, "In the future, save some of the skills you use to coax me for your wife. Also, since Romance of the Three Kingdoms is so good, go to the school and ask the teachers if they can put a few copies there so the children can take them and read them."

"Yes! Son will take care of it right away."

This is business.

“We would send two books from our family collection to the school every month so that children from poorer families could copy them. They would be given three or five hundred yuan for each book they copied, which relieved them of their worries and enriched the school’s collection.”

"Yes!"

Jia Zhen nodded in agreement, chatted and laughed with them for a few more minutes, and then went to do his work.

"You go ahead and get busy!"

Knowing that Madam You still had family matters to attend to, Shen Ning stood up and said, "I'll take your sister for a stroll in the garden."

This is a daily routine for them.

Little Yueyue is a little older now and prefers to wander around outside.

Even if she falls asleep while being rocked, she's still willing to be outside.

"Yes!"

Madam You smiled and agreed, "The screen windows over at the waterside pavilion have already been made. In a few days, the younger sisters will be able to come and study. As for Mr. Zhan Xue, we'll need to trouble Mother to personally send him an invitation."

She could also send out invitations, but the idea of ​​having Yingchun and Tanchun come to study was her mother's, so it would be more respectful for her mother to send out the invitations.

After all, the little sister will be with Mr. Zhan for many more years to come.

"to make!"

Shen Ning smiled, "I'll write the post first."

The wet nurse had already brought her daughter over. She kissed her cheek, washed her hands, and then picked up the pen and ink that Qingzhu had prepared. She personally wrote a letter to Mr. Zhan Xue, who had taught many daughters of the Red Chamber, earnestly asking her to come over. Everything was prepared at the Ningguo Mansion.

"Qingzhu, prepare the six finest gifts, plus a bolt of Yuhua brocade, a bolt of single-layered silk gauze, and a set of good stationery. You can deliver them in person later."

"……Yes!"

The gift was a bit too much.

When the Western Mansion invited people, although they had the six rites and writing materials, they were all very ordinary.

The old lady and her two wives didn't pay much attention to the girls' studies; they could be called back at any time if there were guests at home.

Qingzhu and Madam You exchanged a glance, and both couldn't help but elevate Mr. Zhan Xue's status even further.

By this time, Zhan Xue had already learned from the maids that she might be transferred to teach at Ningguo Mansion.

Although Yingchun and Tanchun are still being taught, Jia Yue from Ningguo Mansion... how old is he?
When she learned from Yingchun that Madam Shen wanted to leave her child to crawl around and listen to lessons, she was speechless.

She had been in the Jia family for two years, but she hadn't felt that the old lady and the two ladies cared much about Yingchun and Tanchun.

Both children were born out of wedlock, unloved by their parents, and the Rongguo Mansion was in chaos... Zhan Xue couldn't interfere much, she could only teach them what they liked to learn.

Hopefully, they can refine their skills based on their own interests.

Any field of study, once mastered to a certain extent and learned to integrate knowledge, can lead to success even in the most remote and secluded areas of the household.

Zhan Xue couldn't help but sigh.

The path of women in the inner quarters is actually not easy to walk; many people end up becoming repulsive as they go along.

"gentlemen!"

The maid, Wei Dong, knew what was on her mind and said, "Are you worried that Fourth Miss is too young and difficult to teach?"

"...Is he easy to teach?"

"Maybe we're just overthinking it."

She advised, "Madam Shen of Ningguo Mansion had a daughter late in life. For this child, she completely destroyed the Jia family's school. How could she bear to abandon her child and let her go to school?"

It's impossible no matter how you think about it.

Even the second and third daughters, who were not valued, were not sent to school by the Jia family just because they couldn't walk.

"You do not understand!"

Zhan Xue sighed again.

Madam Shen must have loved her children, but she was certainly not an ordinary woman.

Having experienced the ups and downs of life, returning from the Taoist temple, overturning the school, confiscating the rats, paying off the debts, and then quietly reorganizing the Rongguo Mansion, none of these were things an ordinary woman could do.

The Jia family has been manipulated and neglected by her several times; barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should prosper for at least two more generations.

This was beneficial to her two students, and she was initially happy for them, especially after hearing that the two families had separated their dowry money, which belonged to the two children, and that the two families had been given separate dowries.

In this way, even if the old lady passes away, and the stepmother doesn't care and the father doesn't inquire, they will still have a means to make a living.

But I never expected that Madam Shen would send the fourth young lady, the second young lady, and the third young lady to the other mansion when the fourth young lady was so young.

"Never mind, get ready, the two children will be here soon." She might also have to teach her aunt's daughter.

Jia Min's reputation as a talented woman and Lin Ruhai's reputation as a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations were once widely known.

She also felt some pressure teaching their children.

After all, she just wanted to live a simple life here, earn some money for retirement, find a reliable adopted son, buy a yard, and collect rent.

Becoming a renowned figure in the capital was something I never even considered.

Zhan Xue didn't want to cause trouble.

After all, even someone as powerful as Li Jijiu's daughter has to restrain herself and behave like a proper wife in this household.

With two mothers-in-law living on top, those days...

When Li Wan saw her husband, who had come to say goodbye, at the old lady's place, her expression became even more indifferent.

"Go on, go on, your mother is hoping you'll study hard."

The old lady didn't have much to say.

No matter how much she loved her grandson, she couldn't ignore the future of the second branch of the family, and she knew that Li Shi hadn't even let her grandson into her courtyard yesterday.

That foolish woman, Wang, would rather have that maid Caishan serve her than have Li and her grandson get too close.

This is because she's afraid her grandson will forget his mother once he gets married!

The old lady didn't know what to say to her.

Although she had done this before, their statuses were different!

The second wife's future is now entirely dependent on Zhu'er.

If Zhu'er wants to succeed, the Jia family can offer too little help; she has to rely on her in-laws, the Li family.

The young couple's relationship was strained, so why would Li's in-laws offer any significant assistance?

"Talk to your wife for a bit, then you can go!"

"Yes!"

Jia Zhu cupped his hands and said, "Mother, your son is leaving. Li, please come out for a moment."

Li Wan: "..."

She really didn't want to send it.

But this isn't a place where you can be willful.

Li Wan bowed to the elders and walked out with him.

"Don't worry." After leaving the courtyard, Jia Zhu squeezed his wife's hand. "I didn't touch the colorful fan yesterday."

Li Wan: "..."

Looking at her husband, a hint of tears slowly welled up in her eyes.

"Your wife is a bit stubborn. If she ever makes things difficult for you, please consider my feelings..."

"I know!"

As long as her husband has her in his heart, she is willing to take good care of the family for him. "Don't study too hard. You can go and have fun with him, like riding horses and shooting arrows."

My husband used to be under a lot of pressure.

Now... the master and mistress are keeping a closer eye on him, and Li Wan is also worried that he will tire himself out.

"Hmm~"

Jia Zhu smiled, “My younger sister is getting married soon. Spend more time with her. She’s been in the palace for several years, so she must have learned something.”

When he looked at his sister just now, she looked at him with a disappointed expression.

Jia Zhu felt that her mother hadn't made a fuss yesterday mainly because her younger sister had kept her in check.

"And there's my aunt, who keeps me company and gives me lots of advice."

Unlike her mother and Aunt Xing, neither of them had anything a daughter-in-law could learn.

"it is good!"

Li Wan agreed.

"wait for me!"

Jia Zhu knew he couldn't stay long, or his mother would find fault with his daughter-in-law again. "Next time you have a day off, you can't send me away again."

"...Okay, let's go!"

Li Wan lowered her head and gave him a soft push.

Jia Zhu smiled, then turned around and strode away.

Li Wan quickly took a deep breath, pressed her eyes with a handkerchief, and then went back inside.

Yuan Chun already knew that her brother wasn't at her sister-in-law's place yesterday, so when her brother looked at her just now, she didn't even bother to look at her.

Unexpectedly, my sister-in-law went out with a stern face, but when she came back... she seemed to have been coaxed.

hum~
Yuan Chun was on high alert, determined not to end up like her sister-in-law, so easily seduced by a man.

After all, no matter how much you try to coax someone, it will only last for a while, not forever.

When I'm fully awake...

Yuan Chun sighed softly.

Jia Min heard this and glanced at her with a smile.

My niece was raised by my mother from a young age, and she cried several times when my niece got married.

Although it had been more than ten years since they last met, her niece spoke to her last night just like when they were little, showing great affection.

Moreover, she could clearly sense that her niece was very angry because of her sister-in-law's outburst.

"Try this lotus leaf and lotus seed soup. I had my family experiment with it when I was at home."

"Mmm, elegant and delicious."

Everything tastes delicious at home.

Whenever there was something delicious in either household, they would send a portion to the other.

Yuan Chun liked this kind of home and couldn't understand why her mother was always dissatisfied and kept arguing.

She argued with her aunts, then with her uncles on behalf of her father, and later with her siblings and their brothers from the next branch of the family...

Even when her aunt isn't in the house, she still secretly competes for power.

It's fortunate that I married into this family; if I had entered the palace...

"Aunt, let's make some at home too! I think my cousin and sister really like it."

Baoyu liked it too.

Yuan Chun noticed that her little brother wasn't eating anything else and had already had a second bowl. "Especially this lotus flower dish, it's the most exquisitely made."

"Haha, kids will definitely like these."

My daughter also had an extra half bowl.

"Don't worry, little sister, I've already given the instructions to the kitchen."

Wang Xifeng, who was also serving there, smiled and said, "We'll make it too, Aunt. Since you're the one who experimented with this, could you give us some pointers?"

"Okay!"

Jia Min has loved making these things since she was a child.

After arriving in Jiangnan, she found there were many flowers and plants, and she made all her own rouge and other cosmetics.

Last year, I even brought my daughter along to work with me.

"After you've eaten, have the women bring the boat over. I'll take you to pick lotus flowers first."

"to make!"

Wang Xifeng said with great interest, "Ping'er, have the servants prepare it."

"Yes!"

Ping'er went out with a smile.

Wang, who was focused on serving food to Grandmother Jia, only smiled and did not participate in the entire process.

But in reality, she was always involved.

Especially since Jia Min has been married for so many years and has remained like this, it made her both envious and displeased.