A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 66 Hospitality

Wang Xifeng entered Rongxi Hall, gave a graceful bow, and said with lowered eyes, "Did Madam need to see me?"

Madam Wang asked in a serious tone, "How's the matter the old lady instructed you to handle?"

"Preparations are already underway. Although it's winter now, there aren't many things we can prepare, but the advantage is that they're easy to store..."

She recounted every detail, down to the smallest detail.

After hearing this, Madam Wang frowned and asked, "Have you asked Qing-ge'er what he likes to eat?"

"This..." Wang Xifeng was speechless for a moment.

The Rongguo Mansion has always been meticulous about food, and the carefully prepared banquet naturally covered every aspect.

Moreover, such banquets are often more about appearances than substance; even if one or two dishes don't suit your taste, you can always find something suitable.

But such an answer is clearly too perfunctory.

In addition, Wang Xifeng guessed that Madam Wang might have asked this question simply to express her attitude.

She quickly replied, "It was my niece's oversight! I'll send someone over right away..."

Before he could even ask, Madam Wang interrupted, "This matter cannot be taken lightly. Servants are bound to try to cheat. You must go there yourself and ask Qing-ge'er directly. Come back and report to me once you've found out the truth!"

If there's anything difficult to prepare, try to get the kitchen to make all his favorite dishes as soon as possible. When serving the food, remember to put them close by so he can easily reach them with his chopsticks...

I originally thought it was just a formality to show the government's attitude.

Unexpectedly, not only were they serious about it, but they were also incredibly meticulous and thoughtful.

I'm afraid even Jia Baoyu might not have received such an honor, which made Lady Wang go to great lengths.

Wang Xifeng was secretly alarmed and quickly accepted the order to take her leave.

As the sun began to set, he took Ping'er and several other maids and rushed to Wang Qing's courtyard right on time.

Although since Madam Wang set the precedent, other ladies and grandmothers have come in droves, Wang Xifeng has always been strict. All the servants are afraid of being found fault with by her, so they all perk up and pretend to be busy.

On the contrary, the Liu family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law did not join in the fun.

On the one hand, with Wang Qing's promise, there was no need to continue to please this second mistress.

On the other hand, Sister Liu and Ping'er were both afraid of each other. She felt that Ping'er had come under orders and had almost been ruined by her. She didn't know if Ping'er had reported the truth, so she thought she should avoid it if possible.

She herself did not want to show herself and was also worried that Liu Wu'er would be questioned, so she asked Granny Liu to invite Xiangling over to serve tea.

"Grandma, please have some tea!"

Wang Xifeng accepted the tea offered by Xiangling and took a sip.

He glanced at Xiangling's tied-up hair, then looked at Ping'er beside her, and couldn't help but frown.

Just as I was about to ask a few questions, I heard someone outside say, "The old man is back!"

Wang Xifeng quickly put down her teacup and got up to go out to greet them.

"Brother Qing is truly a busy man, making his wife wait quite a while!"

While others would make excuses about arriving just as they were waiting, she did the opposite.

Unaware of the situation, Wang Qing quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, sister-in-law!"

As he spoke, he gave Ping'er a look full of affection.

Wang Xifeng, seeing this, laughed and said, "Wenlong has fought countless famines, and Auntie hasn't given up on him, yet she's given Xiangling to Brother Qing to be his maid!"

As the saying goes, "A woman follows her husband after marriage." Although Aunt Xue was her aunt, Wang Xifeng still followed Jia Lian and addressed her as "Aunt."

She deliberately emphasized the words "open face," clearly implying something.

"I couldn't refuse your kind invitation, sister-in-law, please forgive my rudeness!"

Wang Qing, however, showed no embarrassment. He casually replied with a perfunctory answer and then asked, "Did your wife want to see me about something?"

Wang Xifeng inquired further, then chuckled and said, "Isn't it that Master's birthday is approaching? I wanted to ask Brother Qing if he has any dietary restrictions!"

Although Madam Wang had instructed her to come and inquire about Wang Qing's favorite foods, it was somewhat disrespectful for the household to come all this way just to find out this.

Wang Qing, unsuspecting, laughed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law. I have a good appetite and I eat everything!"

Wang Xifeng pretended to ponder for a moment and said, "In that case, Brother Qing, why don't you name two more dishes you like to eat? I'll then instruct the kitchen to prepare them!"

Wang Qing wasn't a picky eater, nor did he have any particular favorites. However, after a slight pause, he said with a double meaning, "I don't have any particular favorites, but the braised ham hock that Brother Lian didn't get to eat last time was so delicious, it melted in my mouth, fragrant and tender, and left me wanting more..."

He feigned infatuation, his gaze sweeping over Ping'er's plump, slender legs.

He secretly grumbled to himself that Jia Lian was wasting his talents by ignoring Wang Xifeng and instead lingering on Feng Shi and that Bao Er's wife in Jinxiang Courtyard.

Although Wang Xifeng didn't see him glance at her out of the corner of her eye, she sensed the hidden meaning in his words. Raising an eyebrow, she smiled and said, "It's just a braised ham hock, yet Brother Qing is so fond of it. Why don't you name two more, so Brother Qing won't run out of things to drink with!"

Although Wang Xifeng tried her best to cover it up, she still had to complete the task.

Previously, Wang Qing thought it might just be polite talk, but now he realized something was amiss.

So, he smiled and tentatively said, "Since you asked, I can't think of anything right now. Why don't you let Sister Ping'er stay here? If I remember something later, I'll have her write it down and then go back to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng's lips twitched slightly. She then pressed down on the armrest of her chair, abruptly stood up, and said with a smile, "Then let Ping'er stay here for now, and see what Brother Qing usually eats. Once this matter is settled, she can return to report!"

Wang Xifeng knew perfectly well why Wang Qing kept Ping'er.

Given her personality, she wouldn't be so straightforward; she would at least try to negotiate.

Nothing new happens in a grand mansion. The Xue family giving Xiangling to Wang Qing was naturally not kept from Wang Xifeng.

However, she never expected that Wang Qing would be in such a hurry to take Xiangling as his concubine.

Grandmother Jia gave Wang Qing the old Duke's divine bow, no longer hoping to obtain the wisdom mark from him.

However, the attitudes of Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang are quite intriguing.

Wang Xifeng hoped to obtain more information through Ping'er, and even if she couldn't use Ping'er for her own purposes, she hoped that he could help her at crucial moments.

As she rose to take her leave, she glanced at Wang Qing, seemingly instructing Ping'er, saying, "Come back as soon as you've finished your business, don't linger too long!"

"Sister-in-law, don't be impatient; haste makes waste!"

Wang Qing, taking advantage of the situation, gave Wang Xifeng a warning with a wicked grin, then added, "Sister Ping'er is acting under orders this time, so please be understanding, sister-in-law!"

Wang Xifeng naturally understood what it meant to act on orders. She couldn't get angry at Wang Qing, so she could only glare at Ping'er.

Ping'er looked aggrieved and said, "Grandma...I..."

Wang Xifeng said irritably, "Alright! Stop acting innocent after getting the benefit!"

Wang Qing instantly seized on the loophole in her words and quickly laughed, "We're all family, what's there to gain or lose!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng paused for a moment, and then a red mark appeared on her ear, which quickly turned purple.

With a stomp of her foot, she turned around, her back to Wang Qing, and with a stride of her long, well-proportioned legs, drifted away.

However, this approach neglects the bigger picture.

Unlike a cheongsam, the long coat had a high slit, allowing her two long legs to stride out, crisscrossing behind her. Her two firm, round breasts bounced and swayed with each step.

Wang Qing hurriedly followed Wang Xifeng and escorted her out of the courtyard.

Wang Xifeng's figure disappeared through the back door.

Wang Qing turned around and looked at Ping'er with tender affection, saying, "I happen to have some things to take care of. Why don't you come with me to the study for a while, sister?"

Then he strode straight to the backyard and instructed, "Send the food to the study later. I want to treat Sister Ping'er to a good meal."

……