Chapter 417: The Expectation of More
Rongguo Mansion, Grand View Garden, and Ouxiangxie.
Qingwen absentmindedly placed a few river lanterns on the bamboo bridge. Noticing that the wick of one of the lanterns was a little crooked, she inserted her three-inch-long red fingernail into it and carefully straightened the wick.
Then she stared at the wick, blankly.
Qiu Wen and Bi Yue saw this from behind. Knowing that she was unhappy recently, they did not dare to approach her and provoke her. They just led a few maids and quietly placed hundreds of river lanterns on both sides of the main bridge.
"Finally it's done."
About half an hour later, Qiu Wen couldn't help but cheer , pounding her lower back and complaining half-seriously, "This is really the master just talking and the servant running herself to pieces!"
Because Jia Baoyu was going to host a banquet for Sun Shaozong in the peach blossom forest in the evening, and he felt that the scenery was lacking a bit, he had a sudden idea and ordered people to prepare a batch of river lanterns on the bamboo bridge upstream, and then set them off one by one during the dinner, and then let them float downstream, which added a little fun.
However, this sudden little interest of his had cost him more than ten taels of silver, plus the maids' hard work for half a day.
Qiu Wen was complaining when she suddenly heard Qing Wen sighing, "As servants, why should we be afraid of running ourselves to pieces? We are only afraid of running ourselves to pieces and then being blamed for it!"
Qiu Wen stuck out her tongue with her back to her, but didn't dare to say a word.
Half a month ago, Jia Baoyu was beaten. Mrs. Wang felt distressed, but she couldn't quarrel with Jia Zheng, so she took out her anger on the senior maids in the Yihong Courtyard, scolding them for not guiding Jia Baoyu well enough and allowing him to develop many bad habits.
It was common for masters to vent their anger on their servants in large mansions, and it was not a big deal - it was just that Mrs. Wang had always disliked Qingwen, so most of her sarcastic remarks were directed at her.
Although Qingwen was a maid, she was very proud. She was so angry at the sarcasm and ridicule that she didn't dare to open her mouth to refute, but she refused to say another word to show her submission.
What is Mrs. Wang’s identity?
How could he tolerate a mere maid being so disobedient and angry in front of him? !
If Yuanyang had not happened to come to visit and said a few good words for Qingwen, she would have been driven out immediately!
Because of this incident, Qingwen's temper has become more and more unpredictable recently. If it weren't Baoyu's fault, how could others dare to provoke her?
But Qingwen saw that Qiu Wen was listless and didn't know how to respond, so she got stuck in a rut again. She thought to herself that Xiren, Qiu Wen and Biyue had all had sexual intercourse with Baoyu, and she was the only one mixed up in it, making her a complete outsider.
Thinking of this, I felt very bored.
So he straightened his clothes and said calmly, "You guys stay here and wait for the second master to send someone to pass on the message. Then, follow the previous instructions and start releasing the river lanterns."
After the maids all responded obediently, Qingwen did not even say hello to Qiu Wen and Bi Yue, and went straight downstairs.
"Sister Qingwen is really something."
When she left on her own, Bi Yue couldn't help but complain, "It's not our fault that Madam punished her. Who is she showing off to all day long?"
Qiu Wen hurriedly pushed her and glanced at the maids. Only then did Bi Yue shut her mouth in dissatisfaction and caught up with Qiu Wen.
But the three of them arrived at the peach blossom forest one after another, and saw Jia Baoyu wandering around in the pavilion like an ant on hot pan, while his adopted godson Jia Yun was kneeling in front of him, looking at a loss as to what to do .
What is going on?
Qingwen and others hurried forward to find Xiren to find out what happened.
After asking, they found out that something fishy happened in the kitchen. All the food and wine that had been prepared were taken away by someone.
The more wealthy the family, the more elaborate the banquet, and the more particular the cooking time. It was difficult to prepare it in such a hurry - not to mention that in addition to the food and wine, even the several chefs in the villa had been seconded!
"Who is so brave?!"
Bi Yue said indignantly: "Isn't this a deliberate attempt to deceive our Second Master?"
Xiren smiled bitterly and shook her head, "It may not be aimed at our Second Master..."
Before Biyue could figure out what this meant, Qingwen had already realized it. She pointed to the southeast and whispered, "Could it be that Master Lian is jealous again?"
Xiren smiled bitterly again, but she agreed.
Since Jia Lian was behind all this, it was no wonder that Jia Baoyu was so anxious that he was running around in the pavilion, but it was difficult for him to go and get the food and wine back.
But just when everyone was at a loss, they saw another group of people walking towards them from afar, led by none other than Xue Baochai and her servant Ying'er.
Xiren, Qingwen and the others hurried forward to greet her. Jia Baoyu, who was in the pavilion, saw that it was her and hurried out to greet her, asking curiously, "Why is Sister Bao here?"
Xue Baochai covered her mouth with a round fan and smiled, "I heard that Brother Bao personally cooked a pot of half-cooked rice to entertain his lifesaver. I was very curious, so I came here to take a look."
Jia Baoyu blushed and smiled awkwardly: "I am almost dying of worry, why is Sister Bao still making fun of me?"
Ying'er laughed at the side and said crisply, "Second Master, you have misunderstood our girl. When our girl heard that you were in trouble, she quickly sent someone to bring your belongings over to rescue you."
"Don't talk nonsense. What's the point of rescuing or not rescuing?"
Xue Baochai waved her fan behind her, pointing to the maids carrying bamboo baskets and said, "What a coincidence! Your elder brother Xue just sent over a few baskets of shrimps. I wanted to share some with my sisters, but now I can lend them to you to help me out in an emergency."
After a pause, she continued, "Although this thing is not expensive, it is not common in the capital. Besides, I have heard from my brother that Lord Sun loves seafood the most, so I think this thing should suit his appetite."
After hearing this, Jia Baoyu ran over and opened the bamboo basket to check. He saw that it was filled with claws and fangs of mantis shrimps, and covered with ice cubes. It looked very fresh.
He was overjoyed, turned around and grabbed Xue Baochai's soft hands, blurting out: "Sister is really a living Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering. Today I accept your kindness, and I will thank you very much someday!"
Although they were cousins, Xue Baochai couldn't help blushing when Jia Baoyu suddenly grabbed her hand. She stamped her feet and spat, "Bah! You don't even know how to control your mouth. You're offending the Bodhisattva for no reason."
This shame and spitting immediately overflowed with the charm of the masses.
Jia Baoyu saw that her face was like a silver basin, her eyes were like water apricots, her lips were red without any makeup, and her eyebrows were green without any makeup. She was more charming and elegant than Lin Daiyu. Thinking of the gold and jade saying, he was stunned for a moment.
Xue Baochai felt even more embarrassed when he looked at her. She wanted to pull her hand out, but she couldn't. At this dilemma, she suddenly heard Qingwen exclaim in surprise, "Ah! Miss Lin, when did you come?!"
Jia Baoyu suddenly felt as if he had been electrocuted, and hurriedly let go of Xue Baochai's soft hand.
Looking back, he saw Lin Daiyu standing not far away, with a happy smile on her face, but her slender fingers were twisting the handkerchief into wrinkles.
"Sister Lin, I just..."
"I came at the wrong time."
Jia Baoyu tried to explain himself, but Lin Daiyu didn't even look at him. She just smiled and said to Baochai, "Otherwise, Sister Bao's Buddha's light would be just enough to convert a stupid swallow!"
Xue Baochai shook her head and laughed, "He's talking nonsense. How come my sister is making fun of the Bodhisattva?"
Lin Daiyu covered her mouth and said with a giggle, "What's the point of a Bodhisattva? If I give him a few more baskets of crabs, I'm afraid even Tathagata Buddha will be possessed!"
The two of them were chatting and laughing, and Jia Baoyu was caught in the middle, feeling very uncomfortable.
