In the Yishou Courtyard where Mrs. Meng lives, arrangements for entertaining guests began early in the morning.
When Miss Ninth came, the menu was being laid out in the small kitchen, and was then shown to Mrs. Meng.
Old Mrs. Meng crossed out a dish of soy pork liver and added a dish of crab roe and lion head.
"This is the time to eat crabs. I'll give it a try today as a treat."
Miss Ninth saw that her grandmother was in a good mood, so she said coquettishly: "Grandma, how about adding crabmeal and tofu! What if Mrs. Shen doesn't like to eat meat?"
"I think your plan for Mrs. Shen is fake, but you really want to satisfy your appetite." Old Mrs. Meng smiled and glanced at her granddaughter, "Okay, then add a dish of crab powder and tofu. But crab is cold in nature, so you don't want to eat too much." "
Miss Jiu said: "I understand, grandma. I definitely don't dare to eat too much. Otherwise, if I get a stomachache later, grandma will feel sorry for me again."
When the grandfather and grandson were having a good time, they heard the following person reply: "Ms. Shen is here, she is at the second gate now!"
Miss Ninth stood up and said, "Grandma, I'm going to pick you up. Later, you have to ask someone to make a cup of ginger tea to warm us up."
Before she could finish saying this, Miss Ninth jumped out of the room.
Shen Xiu came in through the side door of Meng's house. She followed the two servants for a while before arriving at the second door.
Inside these two gates is the inner courtyard.
It's a long way to go from the inner courtyard to Mrs. Meng's Yishou courtyard.
Originally, Shen Xiu was a guest and could go there in a soft sedan. But she couldn't get used to it, so she planned to walk there.
Before they were even halfway there, Miss Ninth came up with someone to greet her.
With Nine Girls as our companions, the journey will be much more lively.
As she walked, she pointed out the houses on the roadside to Shen Xiu.
As a direct branch of the Meng family, the house in the eldest house is taller and more spacious than the fifth house where Lu Caiwei lives.
Of course, the scenery in the inner courtyard is also more beautiful, with tall trees and exquisite rockeries everywhere.
After walking a stick of incense and arriving at Yishouyuan where Mrs. Meng lived, Shen Xiucai truly saw what it means to be a century-old family.
Yishouyuan occupies a very large area, more than half an acre of land. The first thing that catches your eye is an old courtyard door with three large characters engraved on the door plaque, "Yishouyuan".
Miss Jiu quietly told Shen Xiu, "These three characters were inscribed by my great-grandfather himself. They have always been the residence of our old lady."
A maid next to her was afraid that Shen Xiu wouldn't know, so she added another sentence after the ninth girl, "The girl's great-grandfather is the deceased Wen Yigong."
Shen Xiu didn't know the identity of Wen Yi Gong, but when he heard the name Wen Yi Gong, it was a posthumous title. Among ministers, those who can receive posthumous titles are either extremely popular ministers or have outstanding achievements.
When she looked at the plaque again, she realized the faint pride of the ninth girl and the maid.
The maid opened the courtyard door. Unlike Shen Xiu's expectation, she did not see the entire courtyard, but first saw a screen wall.
Behind the screen wall is a large patio, in which there are two thick sycamore trees surrounded by several people.
After passing the patio and passing through the hall, we arrived at the five upper rooms where Mrs. Meng lived.
Whether it's the patio or the hall, there are many servants standing there.
But when Shen Xiu entered, she couldn't hear any human sounds. The maids and servants all held their breath and held their breath. It was obvious that they had received strict training.
Shen Xiu sighed as she followed Miss Ninth into the upper room.
The upper room is another story.
Everything was different from what Shen Xiu thought. The furnishings in the room were not magnificent. Except for a pair of ancient porcelain vases and a jade mountain, there were almost nothing of value. The brocade cushions on the chairs were neither old nor new.
.
Shen Xiu looked away from the Jade Mountain. She didn't understand the quality of jade, but she knew that the base under the Jade Mountain was made of fine red sandalwood.
From this point of view, even if the Jade Mountain is not priceless, it should be worth a lot.
Such a low-key yet luxurious style is indeed what a century-old family should do.
Just as she was thinking this, Miss Ninth had already led her to the east room, where Mrs. Meng lived daily.
The maid lifted up the curtain in the east room, and Miss Ninth stepped forward and called out, "Grandma, I've brought you here."
"Be careful and don't let the guests laugh." As a kind voice sounded, a very rich old lady came into Shen Xiu's eyes.
Mrs. Meng is over fifty years old, but because she takes good care of herself, she looks like she is only in her fifties. She has a strong body and not a single gray hair on her head.
In order to meet the guests, she wore a newly made azurite trousers embroidered with plum blossoms today. She only wore a gold hairpin on her black head.
Such a simple dress is not much different from those respectable women outside.
But such a simple dress, paired with her demeanor, was extremely harmonious.
With his outstanding demeanor, he looked like someone who grew up in a wealthy family. He was used to being in groups of slaves and giving orders since childhood.
Therefore, even if she does not use fancy clothes, gold, silver and jade ornaments, it will not affect her natural noble status at all.
Her voice was also very gentle and low. After Shen Xiu saluted, she smiled and said: "Being famous is not as good as meeting her. I didn't expect Mrs. Shen to be so young. It's really beyond my expectation."
Shen Xiuhan said with a smile: "The old lady is much younger than I thought. Those who didn't know better thought you and Miss Jiu were mother and daughter!"
Old Mrs. Meng smiled: "Mrs. Shen is really good at praising people. My old lady is so old, how can she be so young?"
Even though she said this, Mrs. Meng was very happy.
Compared with other people's flattery, Shen Xiu was flattered by her maintenance skills, and as a woman, no one doesn't like to hear others praise her youth.
Shen Xiu's words hit the heart of Mrs. Meng.
When Shen Xiu saw Mrs. Meng's smile, she knew this was the right direction.
When the maid brought tea and snacks, Shen Xiu asked about Mrs. Meng's maintenance skills.
This topic successfully alleviated the unfamiliarity between the two when they first met.
Mrs. Meng said with great interest: "When I gave birth to Jiu Yatou's father, someone sent me some donkey-hide gelatin and told me a recipe that said it could nourish yin blood. Since then, I have started taking it every day.
With this recipe, my hair that was originally white turned black."
"Besides this prescription, I also listened to Dr. Zhong's advice and drank wolfberry leaf water every day." Old Mrs. Meng said with a smile: "There is nothing else, but eating less cold food and more light food."
Eating more donkey-hide gelatin is very beneficial. No wonder Mrs. Meng maintains such good health.
Shen Xiu secretly made a note in her mind that she could try these two recipes when she has time in the future.
After talking about maintenance techniques, the topic turned to embroidery.
Old Mrs. Meng was full of praise for Shen Xiuxiu's orchid embroidery screen, "It's difficult for you to be so young, but your embroidery skills are so superb, and you can combine the strengths of the three families. If only Jiu Yatou had half of your embroidery skills."
"Grandma, since you think Mrs. Shen's embroidery skills are good, why not ask her to be my embroidery master!" Miss Ninth interjected, "Don't you always think that my embroidery is not good? If Mrs. Shen teaches me If so, my popularity as a female celebrity will definitely improve by leaps and bounds."
Mrs. Meng's heart moved and she thought this idea was a good one. She looked at Shen Xiu with a smile and said, "Then it's up to Madam Shen. I'm afraid Madam Shen thinks you are stupid and won't accept you as her disciple."