tallest building

Chapter 18: Feast for Guests

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Zhang Ma cleared her throat and continued, "We servants don't seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes. If things aren't done well and the guests laugh at us, we'll all be ashamed."

Butler Chen has already given me the roster. Now I need to find a few of the heads who usually manage various departments, ask them some questions, and then gather everyone together to assign tasks.

He then called out the names of several people and took them aside to discuss matters.

"This old woman is actually quite skilled!"

"After all, Madam is a lady from a respectable family, and she has managed the household before."

"Let's wait and see! We'll know exactly what it's made of in the end."

The people below were whispering among themselves, but the wind had already begun to shift.

When Zhang Ma returned to Yunfengzhai, it was already evening.

"How was it?" Wen Mingqian asked her with a smile, "Did it intimidate you?"

Aunt Zhang scoffed, "What big waves can these little mudskippers possibly make? They're a piece of cake."

"Zhang Ma, I want to eat braised bamboo shoots," Gong Chang'an said, tugging at Zhang Ma in a coquettish manner. "And a small bowl of braised pork hock as well."

"My little darling, you can't eat such greasy food for dinner. How about I make you some fresh bamboo shoots with shrimp and cured pork with green beans? And a bowl of tofu soup with it."

“Listen to Zhang Ma! We’ll have pork hock for lunch tomorrow,” Wen Mingqian said, patting his son’s head. “I want to eat shrimp and green beans.”

“Alright,” Gong Chang’an said without the slightest displeasure, “I want to eat whatever Mother wants to eat.”

"You have such a sweet tongue." Wen Mingqian pulled him into his arms and kissed his forehead. "You've known how to make me happy ever since you could talk."

So Zhang Ma went to cook herself, and called two old women to help her.

The two old women were willing.

It's nothing else, but Zhang Ma's cooking skills are truly superb.

Wen Mingqian always asked Zhang Ma to cook more food than usual, and then he would distribute the rest to the servants.

Although it wasn't quite enough, the food brought from the kitchen was sufficient, so the food in the courtyard was actually better than before.

As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to him," so even though they were on the side of the Song family, they still showed due respect to Wen Mingqian and his mother.

The day finally arrived, and the mansion gates opened early. Wen Mingqian and his son greeted the guests in the banquet hall.

The first to arrive was Liu Cuiyi. Gong Chang'an ran up to her, took Liu's hand affectionately, and said, "Aunt Liu, thank you for the gift. Why didn't your two younger sisters come?"

Liu Cuiyi herself had no son, but she took a special liking to Gong Chang'an. She stroked his little hand and said, "Good boy, they're all at home. I'll bring them over to play with you another day."

“You look much better,” Wen Mingqian said with a smile as he stepped forward. “You’re the first one to arrive, which shows you really value me.”

“Since my sister is treating us, I naturally have to come early and not be late at all.” Liu touched her face and said, “They also said that I look better, which is probably because of what my sister gave me.” “It’s nothing, I’ll give you some more later.” Wen Mingqian took her hand and led her into the house. “Please sit down and have a cup of tea.”

"Isn't Consort Song in the mansion?" Liu asked, looking around.

“She went back to her parents’ home a few days ago,” Wen Mingqian said. “Her sister-in-law is about to give birth.”

Madam Liu nodded, asked no further questions, and slowly finished her cup of tea before saying, "I thought that with Aunt Song gone, the servants in the mansion would be mostly unruly! But from the moment I entered, I observed that everything was perfectly orderly. Sister, you manage the household well."

"This is not my achievement; it's all Zhang Ma's responsibility," Wen Mingqian said, not taking credit. "She assigned specific tasks to every servant in this mansion. Everyone is in charge of their own job, and they only need to do what they are responsible for. Everything else is irrelevant to them."

But if they made mistakes in their work, breaking or damaging things, they had to pay for it; if they were late, their wages would be deducted. Given all this, those people naturally dared not do it.

Liu was greatly surprised to hear this: "Zhang Ma is amazing, she's full of brilliant ideas. What's rare is that she can put aside her pride, unlike me who is always soft-hearted. Over time, people have come to know that I'm easy to talk to, so they don't take what I say to heart anymore."

As the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, Liu was naturally expected to manage some affairs. However, she was gentle by nature, disliked by her mother-in-law, and her husband did not support her, so she was unable to control the servants.

"You know, Zhang Ma never cares about saving face. Everyone in the manor knows she's shrewish and doesn't dare to mess with her," Wen Mingqian said with a smile in a low voice.

Several more guests arrived, and the flower hall gradually became lively.

On the day Wen Mingqian returned, most of the guests in the mansion came. Those who were absent sent their servants to deliver gifts and explain the reason for their absence.

High-ranking families place great importance on etiquette, and they would rather go to great lengths than fail to observe proper etiquette.

"Second Madam, I've come uninvited today. You won't be upset, will you?"

A soft laugh drew everyone's attention, and a young woman dressed in a very elegant and eye-catching manner walked in, leading a child who looked about eight or nine years old.

"This is Madam Wu, the young mistress of the Duke of Feng's family. She is very close to Madam Song," Liu Cuiyi whispered in Wen Mingqian's ear.

The Feng family had only moved to the capital five years ago, so Wen Mingqian had naturally never met this young lady.

"So it's the young mistress and the young master. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough face, so I didn't dare to invite them. I'm overjoyed that the young mistress has come today! Please have a seat." Wen Mingqian welcomed them with a smile, knowing that this young mistress was probably up to no good.

"I've long admired Madam Gong's reputation, but have never had the chance to meet her." Madam Wu sized up Wen Mingqian, a half-smile on her face. "I've heard that you've been cultivating in seclusion at Shuangxi all these years. You probably wouldn't look down on us commoners, would you?"

“Young Madam is joking. My seclusion is merely for the sake of calming my mind, not for escaping the world, and I certainly don’t use it to boast. On the contrary, Young Madam, please don’t take offense at my lack of manners due to my long-term residence in a remote area.” Wen Mingqian spoke gently and calmly, making it difficult for Madam Wu to retaliate.

"The Second Madam has been away from the capital for a long time, so this invitation was made with sincerity, which may have been somewhat imperfect. I hope everyone can understand," said Madam Qian, the wife of Marquis Jiangxia, trying to smooth things over. "It's been a long time since I've seen the young master. He's grown taller and looks just like the Duke."

Upon hearing others praise her son, Madam Wu immediately became happy. Looking at her son, Feng Tianzhu, as if he were a dragon steed or a phoenix egg, she couldn't help but exclaim, "This child is the most filial! A few days ago, when the Duke had a slight cough, he was so worried he cried!"

Everyone knew that their child was spoiled rotten and could only listen to kind words, so they simply said a few perfunctory words, saying that the child was sensible.

"Second Madam, what about your fourth young master? He's about the same age as the young master, so they should get along well," Cui Baozhu suddenly interjected.

One sentence made Feng Tianzhu's eyes widen, and he shouted, "Where is he? Let me see him!"

(End of this chapter)