Da Suining

Chapter 51 Willow Alley
In spring, wild vegetables are luxuriant, and the servants of Zhuangzi dug shepherd's purse, dandelion, and toon on the treetops early and drove them in a carriage. At least there were two bamboo baskets, which were green and covered with morning dew.

Those fields in Zhuangzi pay according to the seasons, not to mention money, they are vegetables in spring, fruits in summer, and rice in autumn, all of which are inexhaustible. When the bacon is brought in, it is best to make a big pot and eat it around the stove.

Because of Zhuangzi, there are many fresh things in four seasons.

Qiniang in the kitchen led the women to make a few shepherd's purse dumplings covered with curtains early, and personally prepared six cold dishes and sent them to Tang Xiaoniang's room.

The shepherd's purse is fresh and the dumplings are delicious.

After dinner, the women cleared away the dishes, but Qiniang stood there and did not leave.

Tang Xiaoniang looked up at her, pulled out the golden hairpin to pick her teeth, but did not speak.

Qiniang knelt down as soon as her knees softened, Tang Xiaoniang moved back impatiently, and inserted the golden hairpin into her hair again.

"Aunt Tang..." Qiniang promised.

"What Aunt Tang?" Tang Xiaoniang spat: "You are called Xiao Niangzi, Xiao Niang, or Ru Madam, Second Madam, are you afraid that others will not know that I am an aunt?"

"Yes, Auntie."

Tang Xiaoniang's complexion turned dark.

"I'm stupid, but I did everything my aunt told me, but my aunt..."

"My name is Miss Tang."

"Yes, Tang Xiaoniang." Qiniang knelt down and said, "What I told you..."

"The past is the past. Why do you keep mentioning it? Don't you want your tongue?"

Qiniang silenced.

Tang Xiaoniang opened a dark box, picked through a pile of gold and silver jewelry, and finally took out a sling of money from the corner of the box, closed the box, and threw the sling of money in front of Qiniang: "That's all, if you want Just pick it up, don’t want it, there’s nothing.”

"But the little girl promised at the beginning..."

"What did I promise you? Don't be dissatisfied." Tang Xiaoniang leaned on the bench and rubbed her temples, obviously she didn't have the heart to say anything more to Qiniang's servant, seeing Qiniang knelt there and refused to leave, she said He raised his voice: "The kitchen of Xiangfu is a place full of oil and water. How can you be able to manage things in it? Is the monthly salary higher than others? I don't even look at your little ability. , Making a few shepherd's purse dumplings requires negotiating a lot of conditions, don't you want to do it? After collecting the dime, go back to the kitchen and get busy, and make tender toon scrambled eggs at night, and then a dandelion salad."

Qiniang was stunned.

"Don't leave, do you want me to kick you out?"

Qiniang picked up the sling of money and stuffed it into her sleeve, her eyes were red, and tears were about to come out. Seeing Tang Xiaoniang staring at her, she had to put away her tears and walked a long way before standing under a big locust tree and crying .

The pagoda tree in the mansion was planted by Xiang Suining's mother back then, and now it has luxuriant branches and leaves and grows gratifyingly. As soon as the weather is warm, pagoda seed grows on the top of the tree, and as soon as it gets warmer, the pagoda tree will bloom.Sophora japonica, picked from the tree, whether it is porridge or steamed vegetables, is excellent, with a tangy fragrance.

Qiniang leaned against the locust tree and cried.

"It turns out that Qiniang is here." Xiang Suining got out from behind the tree.

Qiniang was taken aback, the slaves were not allowed to cry in the mansion, lest they damage the master's reputation, this is a truth that all the servants know when they enter the mansion.Now that she bumped into Xiang Suining, Qiniang blushed and was blessed with happiness, her voice changed a bit: "So it's the second... girl. Why is the second girl here?"

"This is Xiang's family, the girl can be wherever she wants, and she still needs to explain to you?" Mingzhu said dissatisfied.

Qiniang nodded hurriedly.

Xiang Suining said with a smile: "I see that the weather is getting warmer, and I think the Sophora japonica is about to bloom. I like to eat Sophora japonica since I was a child, so I came here to see it myself."

Qiniang's body trembled slightly, and the handkerchief in her hand trembled slightly, like a dusty butterfly.

"Qiniang is currently in charge of the kitchen, and when the time comes when there are Sophora japonica, you must tell me."

"It's natural, it's natural, you don't need to explain it to the second girl, the slaves know it too." Qiniang bowed her waist, showing a respectful look.

"It's a pity that the Sophora japonica flowers haven't bloomed yet." Xiang Suining went to the small garden in the mansion, turned his head and told Qiniang: "There is a lot of work in the kitchen, so go back and get busy. I'm just hanging out. I don't have anything to do. I don't need you to wait on me." on."

"Yes Yes."

"I ate in the kitchen before, and Qiniang took good care of me at that time. I remember Qiniang you said you lived in Liushu Hutong, do you still live there now?" Xiang Suining asked.

"Yes, yes." Qiniang panicked.Turn around and go into the kitchen.

Xiang Suining stood beside a big rock and watched quietly, Qiniang was in a hurry, now Xiang Suining was staring at her, she should be like a light on her back, right?

Mingzhu grabbed a piece of thatch and whispered to her ears: "Qiniang gave Tang Xiaoniang dumplings stuffed with shepherd's purse. After eating the dumplings, she spent half a stick of incense in Tang Xiaoniang's room, but she couldn't tell that they were in the room. What are you mumbling about?"

Suining had no way of knowing what they were talking about, but Tang Xiaoniang rewarded Qiniang with a hanging copper coin, so she figured it out.

When she was talking just now, Qiniang raised her hands and feet, and there was a "cracking" sound in her sleeves, which was the sound of copper coins.

They serve their masters neatly, why would they carry so many copper coins with them?It is clearly a new reward from the master.

Tang Xiaoniang has always been very picky with her servants, rewarding Qiniang with money, of course not because of the delicious dumplings she made.

"Mingzhu, go and hire a carriage. Let's go to Liushu Alley in the afternoon. If anyone asks, just go out to Yanzhizhai to buy gouache."

Mingzhu nodded and went to do it.

Not long after, there was a carriage waiting at the gate of Xiangfu.

Xiang Suining changed into a gray-blue shirt on purpose, and picked up half-new pearl flowers to wear, like it came from a small family, not eye-catching at all.

Qiniang lived in Liushu Hutong rented, and it was only a stick of incense away from the Prime Minister's mansion.

Normally, those maids signed the deeds of selling their lives and lived in the mansion, and some working women also lived in the servant's room, so that they could be on call at any time, like Qiniang, there were not many who had families outside.

These personnel affairs are registered in the personnel account book of the mansion.

Most of the people living in Liushu Hutong are poor people, and their fate is like a willow tree, very precarious.

The narrow alley is only as wide as a carriage, and there are racks supported by bamboo poles, on which gray-blue cloth clothes are dried, and there are spread oilcloths on which dried radishes are dried, and several old women are sitting leaning against the door. Sole, because they are close to each other, two people facing each other can have a conversation easily.

Several children ran across the alley with a bamboo dragonfly in their hands, a child chased after him with a walnut cart, and the child biting a cornmeal steamed bun sat in the bamboo cart and smiled foolishly.

Xiang Suining got off the carriage at the entrance of the alley, and the women who were wearing their shoes stopped taking their shoes and just stared at her.

There were few strangers in Liushu Hutong, and it was hard to catch a stranger, so he had to look carefully and discuss it. Although Xiang Suining deliberately kept a low profile, he could tell from the way he walked that he came from a well-behaved family.

(End of this chapter)