Qiu Xiao greeted her and said with a smile: "I blame me. I am unfamiliar with this place. I have been waiting for my sister to come back so that we can talk. I didn't expect that my sister would sleep well, so I had to go outside to enjoy the air to relieve my boredom."
"Feiyue, please stay with the girl. The water is ready. I'll go to the stove and look at the snacks. Mother Xue said that she was probably a little tired of lunch and wanted to make corn cakes for the lady." Feiyun felt blessed and waved sideways. , took two villa maids who made tea and went down with them.
In mid-autumn, Xiao was waiting in front of the Arhat's bed. The earth dragons and the stove made her body feel hot. Fortunately, she didn't wear thick clothes, so she wouldn't be dripping with sweat.
She looked at Mo Changyan. The beauty who was sitting sideways was wearing a squirrel armor and a blanket on her legs. Her face was rosy. Obviously, for her, this temperature was just right.
Although guests were told to do as they pleased, Sheng Qiu Xiao hesitated and still sat sideways on the bed, not taking off her embroidered shoes like the host did. Feiyue brought a red flower plate and offered two hot and fragrant cups. New tea.
Shen Yuan didn't care at all whether Qiu Xiao was cautious or not. He was just curious about what she wanted to say when she came here before, but she didn't look at the real master. Instead, she turned to Xiao Ju and said: "Your sister is also very careful, and she taught you to know the rules." .”
Xiaoju was shocked when she was called upon. She quickly bowed her knees deeply and bowed: "Young lady is so complimentary, I don't dare to accept it as a slave."
"Am I so scary? You should train them well so that the people under your command don't become too timid." Shen Yuan stopped paying attention to the maid and started talking to Qiu Xiao, "What did you do to come to me just now? "
"It's nothing important. I'm just bored alone. I don't recognize anyone else when I leave the house. I just want to wait for my sister to come back so that we can be companions together." Qiu Xiao smiled, slightly showing her thin white glutinous rice teeth, "Sister It's not that she's scary, but she's not angry and intimidating - this girl really respects you and doesn't dare to make a mistake in front of you."
The words were polite, but they were not necessarily adulterated. Shen Yuan just listened to them and didn't take them to heart: "Respect or disrespect does not come from these false gifts. Since I have given her to you, you can take it with you." , if you feel like it, I'm too lazy to take care of it." After saying that, he closed the chinchilla leather on the front of his body, looked at Qiu Xiao with deep eyes, and said leisurely: "You too, now I feel that I have no one to accompany me, at noon At that time, when I came to invite you and saw that you were resisting, were you trying to avoid suspicion? Master Yin is not that pedantic and bitter person, you don't have to worry so much."
After listening to this, Qiu Xiao's eyes flickered a little. She hid her right hand in her sleeve and suddenly pinched the fabric. "Sister taught me this..." She pursed her lips tightly and trembled a few times helplessly before slowly returning to calmness. , lowered his eyes and continued shyly, "But with my status, I should stay safe in the building. It was all because of my sister's pity that she took me out. Even if they don't dislike it, I should be cautious and humble instead of going. In public."
Shen Yuan raised his eyebrows, with a pair of small dimples on his cheeks, and pretended to laugh and curse: "You heartless little hoof, who restrained you from keeping your duties? My mother took you to the longevity temple, and you still wore a red tie. Sheng'er, I don't know what I'm asking for, but now I've forgotten about it?"
"Pfft", Qiu Xiao couldn't hold it anymore, and apologized cheerfully: "Yes, yes, I am the most heartless, sister, don't argue with me. If you want to live your life, you will always think about the hardships all day long, but you have to If you're going to die, it's better to be heartless."
"Hey...it's really lively. What are the girls saying?" The door curtain was opened, and Feiyun came in holding a hexagonal food box. He heard his voice before seeing him.
"You are said to be hard-working and good at making snacks. You are about to catch up with Mother Xue." Shen Yuan watched the maid approach and smiled angrily, stretching out his fingertips to tap her forehead.
Feiyun put down the food box, opened the lid engraved with cloud peonies, and said eloquently: "This slave has been doing rough work since childhood, such as combing hair, embroidering, and making snacks. It was only when I got to the young lady that I slowly learned how to do it. Dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with Mama Xue."
The corn cakes are golden and soft, exuding the unique fragrance of corn, lying quietly in the food box. The newly harvested corns are dried in the sun, ground into coarse powder, mixed with a little sugar to wake up into a ball, beaten repeatedly, and cut with a large knife. Blocks are pressed into the mold carefully to form a shape, then steamed in a basket.
"Mother Xue said that she smelled of firewood, so she didn't come in to say hello to the young lady. She also told the slaves that the corn cakes are the sweetest when they are fresh out of the pot, so please eat them while they are hot." Feiyun's message was thoughtful and appropriate, and her words were precise. I respect Mama Xue very much.
It was not too long at noon, and they talked for a long time. Shen Yuan was not tired and was not greedy for a snack. Because Xue's mother was old and powerful, she deserved enough face, so she pushed the conversation to Sheng Qiu Xiao On the body: "In the villa, Mother Xue is the first in terms of cooking skills. Come on, try it. You won't be able to use it elsewhere."
Qiu Xiao smiled brightly, nodded and said, "Following my sister out here is really eye-opening. Then I'd rather be respectful than obey your orders. I just made a promise in advance that if I accidentally take a few more bites, my sister won't laugh at me."
"You are so smart, I want to laugh at you, and I don't have to wait for this." Shen Yuan was very satisfied with Qiu Xiao's approach. The two of them each took a piece of pastry in their hands and tasted it with the fragrant tea. Even the maid below also enjoyed the taste. .
There are many delicate and exquisite snacks in the capital. The corn cakes naturally reveal a rustic taste. The tea in the cup with blue and white patterns and golden dragon heart is also an elegant thing. It is soft, sweet and slightly astringent, with a sweet aftertaste and a refreshing taste. Qiu Xiao used half a piece, laughing. It is said that the mother in the villa is indeed very skilled in craftsmanship, even better than Guixingzhai in the city at the foot of the mountain.
Shen Yuan returned a look of praise, and his brows gradually softened as he talked and laughed: "Guixingzhai is good. Relying on a century of inheritance, it has its own secrets that are not disclosed to outsiders. After decades of rise and fall, Zhoulai Villa has become a great place. The people employed here have also taken root here from generation to generation, and we don’t know many of their skills that have been passed down from generation to generation.”
"Yes, it's not like us. Since we were young in Lengxiang, we have learned strange and obscene skills in order to please our benefactors. How could we know that the world outside is so vast." Qiu Xiao took a sip of tea to moisten her throat. It was because I was too relaxed in this atmosphere that I accidentally said something sad again.
She consciously lost her words, and her heart twitched violently, as if she was caught by something, and she quickly raised her eyes to look at the oiran lady opposite. Adding calmness to her panic, Sheng's skills that she had practiced year after year were extremely good, and she had a steady grasp. He was holding the tea cup without spilling the tea soup, nor did he accidentally drop it to the ground.
"Sister, this place is clean and comfortable. On a whim, I dared to talk nonsense." The room seemed quiet. Qiu Xiao was full of guilt and stretched out her hand towards the little master of Lengxiang Pavilion, "I lost my sense of proportion." , but it’s just to feel sad for myself, and I really don’t mean to say goodbye. If my sister is angry, she can hit me a few times, so don’t take it to heart.”