Da Suining

Chapter 34
"Mother... are you crazy?" Xiang Yan almost cried: "There are only two sets of clothes in total, and you still cut one off."

"You go alone, and it's enough to keep a set of clothes." Tang Xiaoniang put down the scissors, let the serving woman take down the fortune orange and scissors, and wiped her hands with a handkerchief: "Yan'er, take off your clothes." , Chunyu, fold the clothes that the third girl took off."

The next day, Tang Xiaoniang took the clothes in person and went to Mrs. Xiang's Dongkua courtyard.

As soon as Mrs. Xiang got up, Mammy Su was taking care of combing her hair, and Tang Xiaoniang went in, saying, "Greetings, mother."

"Let's go back after drinking tea, it's... dawn."

Tang Xiaoniang's ability to stay in peace and not pick on the backyard's faults is already doing good deeds. Now that she came to pay her respects in person, Mrs. Xiang couldn't speak well.

"First I told my mother that I made two clothes for the girls in the mansion. The second girl brought them in person yesterday, and my mother took a look at them too." Tang Xiaoniang brought the clothes to Mrs. Xianglao.

The oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar in the mansion, what to eat on the first and fifteenth day of the new year, what clothes to change in the four seasons, the types of snacks, what kind of feed the chickens, ducks and geese are fed, big and small things, Tang Xiaoniang has always been arbitrary, when did you ask Mrs. Xiang? Now that he is so considerate, Mrs. Xiang would really think that she is too old to have night dreams if she hadn't watched the sun rise from the sky.

In the past, when I met Tang Xiaoniang, I had to fight before finishing a cup of tea. Mrs. Xiang would only say, "My temple is small here, you stand at the door to block the light, so go away." Not necessarily waiting to see."

This time, a cup of tea was left cold, and Mrs. Xiang didn't speak harshly.

"Mother, how about these two sets of clothes?"

"it is good."

Xiang Suining came and was called by Chunyu.

After the new year, the charcoal basin in the Dongkua courtyard has been removed, and the cotton curtains hung in winter have been replaced with thin ones. Xiang Suining entered the room, took the towel handed over by the maid, and washed Mrs. Xiang's hands. A gold step shaker for Mrs. Xiang to wear.

Mrs. Xiang was served by Xiang Suining, the morning light was faint, quiet and peaceful.

"Since the clothes are all made, Suining, you and the third girl should be in the same suit," Mrs. Xiang ordered.

Before Xiang Suining could pick out the clothes, Tang Xiaoniang stretched out her hand to stop her: "Second Miss, which outfit do you want to wear?"

Xiang Suining gave an answer that could not be picked out: "Let the third girl pick first."

In the past, when there were good things in the mansion, they were usually owned by Xiang Yan alone. If God blesses Xiang Suining, Xiang Yan has to choose first, otherwise she will lose her temper again. Pots and pots are sure to suffer.

When she was eight years old, two baskets of eggs were sent to the village in the spring. Eggs were not expensive items. Tang Xiaoniang told the women in charge to stew cloud leg egg custard for each house while it was fresh.

Xiang Yan picked eggs in the kitchen herself. She picked new eggs, but Xiang Suining was only allowed to pick eggs left over from the previous year. Xiang Suining picked an egg and opened it, but it was double-yellow. If she is willing, she has to force Zhuangzi to lay double yolk eggs for her. How can she do that? It's so frustrating, those hens who stay up all night with the lights on can't do what she wants, so Xiang Yan feels that Xiang Suining has the upper hand After defeating her, he knocked all the eggs sent by Zhuangzi to find double yolks, but when he couldn't find them, the angry egg custard was also spilled.

This time, Xiang Suining asked Xiang Yan to choose first, but Xiang Yan waved her hand instead: "The second girl is older, so the second girl chooses first."

Xiang Suining also stood with his hands down.

I dare not move even if the enemy does not move.

Tang Xiaoniang started talking instead: "My sisters, why are you being so polite? According to me, the second girl is just sprouting, and it's good to wear green. Everyone knows that she likes green. My third girl is very beautiful. , her complexion is ruddy, and the crimson suit complements her, what does mother think?"

After Mrs. Xiang combed her hair, she thought about it and said to Xiang Suining, "In that case, you should wear red."

"Yes." Xiang Suining honestly took the red set.

Xiang Yan obediently accepted Lu's set.

"Mother decides." Tang Xiaoniang looked like a well-behaved daughter-in-law: "On that day, the girls in our house will be more outstanding."

Tang Xiaoniang walked forward, and Madam Xiang asked Madam Su to change Xiang Suining's clothes on her back. The crimson clothes were like the morning mist and the sunset glow. Every step Xiang Suining took, it was as if a crimson cloud had been pushed away, and the whole room was covered by It's red.

"This is very good, this is very good." Mrs. Xiang looked at her and couldn't help admiring: "In my opinion, the second girl is not much worse than the third girl when she dresses up. After all, your father is partial and always says that the third girl is beautiful. "

At the rockery, the old lotus leaves in the small pond withered. In winter, the boys went down and dug up two bags of lotus roots. Now that it’s spring, the women rowed boats and began to clean up the lotus leaves and water plants. The poplar boats swayed slowly. Going far away, with a stroke of the oar, five or six carp seven or eight inches long were startled, and the carp crossed the water surface, causing a series of splashes. A young man had already cast a fishing net, and a dozen of them were caught ashore with one net. The raw fish, shining silver in the sun, were alive and kicking, and the grass on the bank fell down.

"The carps in the small pond are well raised. Let the kitchen make braised fish for dinner at night." Tang Xiaoniang walked across the promenade and sat in the pavilion on the water. When the breeze blew, the fragrance of winter jasmine came over, and Tang Xiaoniang felt very comfortable. Can't help laughing: "These carp can be eaten for a while. I'm tired of eating those chickens and ducks every day. This fish is the freshest."

"Mother can still eat." Xiangyan threw the clothes on the stone table, and sat on the other side of the pavilion to wipe away tears.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you crying on such a good day?"

"My mother also said. Let me take back the clothes that my mother cut off. It will be February [-] in a few days. How can I wear these ragged clothes? I don't even have new clothes. I don't want to go out, lest others joke."

"So it's because of this." Tang Xiaoniang smiled, watching the boys throwing the scattered fish into the wooden barrel from a distance. The fish was big and full of energy. Swimming in the grass, the boy who was splashed all over his body rushed to the ground to catch the fish, which was really embarrassing.

"Mother, you're still laughing." Xiangyan squeezed an orange that Chunyu handed over to her and rubbed it, making her feel more and more uncomfortable. She raised her hand and threw the orange into the small pond. It's not nice: "I won't be beautiful that day, and I can't take advantage of her. I'm going to cut her clothes too."

"How do you say such stupid words?" Tang Xiaoniang stood up, went to sit next to Xiangyan, and whispered to her: "Just now at your grandmother's place, you were very clever? I asked you to choose this set of clothes, you I just picked it, without making a fuss, she really deserves to be my daughter."

"But……"

"Look at that pond." Tang Xiaoniang watched the boys throwing fish, and said to Xiangyan earnestly: "You should have heard of fishing for big fish with a long line. You are my own. How could I take advantage of her?" ?”

(End of this chapter)