In the small hut, the aroma of food has already filled the air.
Ah Qing originally wanted to help her mother carry the dishes, but her father took this job away. She was also happy to have some leisure time. She sat down next to Ruan Yuyi and asked questions about the capital.
Ruan Yuyi also answered them one by one.
When she met someone who could interject, Mu Xiang would add a sentence from time to time. It didn't take long for the girls to become familiar with each other.
The dishes are ordinary, even a bit simple, with not much oil and water visible. The only meat dish is still seen by guests. The chicken is stewed tightly, and its color and fragrance cannot be compared with that of the royal chef in the palace.
But she knew that it was because of their arrival that she killed a new chicken as a treat.
She was a little embarrassed and didn't touch the meat dish, just using the plate in front of her.
Ah Qing stopped her chopsticks suddenly, her eyes glistening, and she looked sideways at Mu Xiang, "Isn't this sister going to eat?"
Mu Xiang smiled and shook her head, "I'll wait until Madam is finished eating before eating. Miss A-Qing doesn't have to worry about it."
Ah Qing didn't know what to say for a moment. She thought to herself that this person was working in this sister's house. When she saw her clothes, she thought she was a young lady.
She took two bites of rice, but she still wasn't used to someone watching her, even though she knew Mu Xiang's eyes never fell on her.
She frequently used her peripheral vision to take aim.
Ruan Yuyi noticed her little movements and was afraid that she would use other people's food and make her host uncomfortable, so she said, "Muxiang, you can eat too."
Mu Xiang often shared the same table with her on weekdays, but that was always when no one else was around, which was against the rules after all.
She had no choice but to say, "Madam, I'm not hungry."
Walking such a long way, every step and breathing are all consumed, so there is no reason not to be hungry.
Ruan Yuyi knew that she was concerned about the rules, so she joked, "You are standing aside like a Buddha. Miss Aqing is only paying attention to you. She has no intention of eating. Just let her go."
Ah Qing covered her mouth and smiled, and agreed a few words, and Mu Xiang finally agreed.
She was afraid that Mu Xiang might still have some scruples, so she changed the serving chopsticks and picked up two chopsticks for her. She didn't look away until she ate.
But she saw a few extra pieces of chicken in her bowl, and some oily spots floating in the rice with the soup. She looked sideways.
Maybe there was nothing important at work, Jiang Huaiyang was using it slowly, with his slender hand holding a bamboo chopstick with a blackened tail, picking a few strands of vegetable leaves, as if picking up some gold and silver thread.
She secretly found it funny and took some for him.
Ruan Yuyi did not have the habit of talking during meals, but Ah Qing's family was much more casual, chatting casually while eating, but it was not a lively affair.
Ah Qing seemed to have suddenly remembered something, and spread her hands to her brother, "Brother, you need my new hairpin. I won't chop the firewood in front of you in vain."
"Ah," Brother Ah Qing clearly remembered it, but pretended to have forgotten it. "Next time, I will definitely remember it next time." He looked annoyed.
"Next time, always next time.
"Do you have to carry me away in a sedan chair before you can remember me?"
Ah Qing puffed up her cheeks and lowered her head in silence, with tears clearly filling her eyes.
Her marriage to the scholar in the village was originally scheduled for later in the year, but because this year's harvest was not good and she couldn't come up with the money to pay for the wedding, it was postponed. But she thought about how she would not be able to see her parents every day in the future.
, but still sad.
Now that she saw her brother being so careless, the more she thought about it, the more she felt aggrieved. The porridge in her mouth seemed to be stained with the salt of tears, so she simply buried her head and sobbed.
Brother Ah Qing took a look and realized that he had teased me. He quickly took out a peach wood hairpin from his clothes and said, "Remember it, remember it, collect the golden beans."
A-Qing's parents thought that their daughter was about to get married, so they were particularly spoiled. Seeing her like this, A-Qing's face darkened, and she went over her husband to pinch her son.
He frowned, but he couldn't say those words of pain.
Ah Qing caught a glimpse of her brother's appearance between her fingers, with tears still hanging down her cheeks, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
When A-Qing saw that her daughter was well, she let go and coaxed her with a few gentle words.
She personally put the wooden hairpin in her daughter's hair, and the more she looked at it, the more satisfied she became.
Ruan Yuyi saw this, thought for a moment, and took off the jade bracelet on her hand, "I don't know that my sister is so happy, but she doesn't have any appropriate gifts on her, just a bracelet to express her feelings."
The jade bracelet lay in her white and rosy palm. The pattern was new and delicate, and the jade quality was clear and lint-free. One glance showed that it was worth a lot.
Ah Qing was taken aback and refused again and again. I don't know if this bracelet could last for several years of their family's meals.
"Just think of it as a blessing," she said warmly, "Besides, if we don't live and eat with you, it would be nice to stay there."
A-Qing looked at her mother inquiringly, saw her nodding, and then she accepted it, thanking her profusely.
Ah Qing's frame is slightly thicker, so the bracelet does not sway as much as Ruan Yuyi's. It even slips to her elbows when she raises her hand.
She had never seen such exquisite things before, and she kept looking at them with her eyes while eating. The newly acquired objects were still unfamiliar, and she felt a little unfamiliar and shy, so she didn't dare to look at them more, so she hid them for the time being.
In the sleeves.
.
At night, A-Qing made a new room for them and came out, while Muxiang huddled with A-Qing for the time being.
The room was filled with a faint smell of decay, and the furnishings were simple, with just a bed, a few chairs, and a bed. The bed could barely sleep two people next to each other, but it was much better than sleeping outdoors in the wind and snow.
Mu Xiang brought hot water in, and Ruan Yuyi sent her out.
She was not in a hurry to wash up and rest, but was afraid of the cold. She sat on Jiang Huaiyang's lap, twirling his hair in circles on her fingertips, "Would you be unhappy, husband?"
He smelled the sweet fragrance on her neck and asked, "What are you unhappy about?"
"I gave the gift given by the emperor to someone else." She stopped making small movements with her fingertips and spoke in a low voice.
His voice was lazy and scornful, "My lady has done the right thing. You must repay your kindness." But it was a pity that he could never find the person who saved him when Gong Bian was there, otherwise he would have been able to repay the grace of saving his life.
What's more, it's just a small bracelet. These gold and jade objects are impersonal and cold. They are indispensable in the palace. Not to mention a bracelet, even if she wants a jade seal, he can probably give it to her.
She plays with it.
What he lacks is——
Jiang Huaiyang nudged the young lady's snowy neck with his teeth, causing her to tremble slightly. He changed the place again and left a mark on her shoulder. He listened to her moans and moans of pain before he stopped.
, and dropped a kiss there to express comfort.
She lay down on the small bed made of wooden boards. The mattress underneath was thin and the wooden boards hurt her.
He untied the two-finger-wide long croaker from her wrist, wound it twice around the bright eyes that were so natural and always dazzled him, and tied a slip knot on the back of her head with his fingertips.
Her eyesight dimmed, and she could only hold on to his wrist to barely tell where he was.