A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 14 A Joyful and Harmonious Moment

As night slowly fell, the small kitchen in Wang Qing's courtyard was brightly lit.

The fire on the stove was burning brightly, and Sister Liu moved between the stove and the kitchen, her spatula flying in her hands, the sizzling sound of ingredients going into the pot could be heard from time to time, and the kitchen was filled with the smell of cooking oil and smoke.

The kitchen is small, with the stove taking up most of the space, leaving just enough room for a square table.

Granny Liu and several older women and servants occupied the table, which was already set with seven or eight dishes, both meat and vegetables. They ate and drank heartily with several jugs of cheap liquor.

The little girls couldn't get a turn, so they could only hold their bowls of white rice, stand around the stove, and stare intently at the pot, greedily inhaling the aroma wafting out.

As she stir-fried the vegetables, Sister Liu would occasionally pick some out of the pot and put them into the little girls' bowls so they could taste the saltiness.

"As expected of someone who worked at Rikain, their skills are truly exceptional."

"He who eats another's food is bound to do so," and after several rounds of drinks and dishes, the old women and servants, their mouths greasy with food, began to speak more fluently, a stark contrast to their sarcastic remarks in the afternoon.

An old woman, who was not respectable for her age, was three-quarters drunk. She squinted and looked Liu's wife up and down in front of the stove, saying with a double meaning, "I can't say it, this Master Qing is very lucky to have such a capable wife like Liu. She serves people both in front of others and behind their backs."

The Liu family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were shameless, and she was happy to be shameless as well, making fun of Liu's sister-in-law to make up for her own psychological imbalance.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the old women and servants immediately became ambiguous.

Granny Liu, however, seemed not to understand, nodding in deep agreement and laughing, "Not to brag, but my daughter-in-law's looks, figure... and skills are truly impeccable. If she had connections at home and could speak up inside, she might even be serving the masters in their rooms..."

With over a thousand people, the Rongguo Mansion was practically a small society.

Where there are people, there are top, middle, and bottom; where there are mouths, there are left, middle, and right.

Unfortunately, these servants were the private property of the Rongguo Mansion, which essentially cut off their access to the outside world. As a result, their honor, dignity, and even their livelihood all depended on the few people above them.

The cake is only so big, and there are far more monks than porridge.

As for those powerful and influential stewards in the mansion, whether they were trying to expand their own interests or worried about having their share of the pie taken away, they would be doing well if they weren't thinking about how to weld the car doors shut. Why would they promote unrelated people to dilute their own interests?

They inevitably have to flatter their superiors and suppress potential competitors.

The Rongguo Mansion has enjoyed a century of glory, and the social hierarchy among the lower classes has become extremely rigid.

There were wealthy servants like Lai Da, whose family could afford to build half of the Grand View Garden, but there were also many poor people who lacked food and clothing.

The servants in Wang Qingyuan's courtyard were sent to this remote corner, which clearly indicates that they had no connections or influence in the mansion, and were even less connected than the Liu family.

Hearing Granny Liu's words, I couldn't help but feel a little sad.

The look in his eyes as he looked at the Liu family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was less mocking and more empathetic.

Coincidentally, at that moment, Sister Liu also served the last dish.

One of the old women pointed at Granny Liu and complained on her behalf, "You old hag, why are you only concerned with drinking yourself and not letting your wife have a drink?"

This remark drew agreement from the crowd: "That's right, your wife has been busy all day, she should have a drink with us."

"Quickly, go and get a cup for the Liu family."

The older women immediately told the young girl to fetch the cup.

Unexpectedly, Granny Liu stopped her, saying, "She shouldn't drink it."

Upon hearing this, the old women persisted, saying, "Why shouldn't we drink it?"

"You old fool, all you talk is nice, but you won't even let your wife have a sip of wine?"

"We've got your back today, don't be afraid of this old geezer!"

With everyone urging them on, the atmosphere became increasingly lively. The maids, who were about the same age as Sister Liu, took the wine cups handed to them by the young maid, filled them with wine, lifted Sister Liu up, and poured a mouthful into her mouth.

Seeing this, Granny Liu was so anxious that she jumped up and down, pounding her chest and stamping her feet, saying, "Oh dear! Don't you all know what time it is? The gentleman behind us is not one to sleep in. He has to get up early tomorrow, and we can't let him miss his important business."

"A drop of alcohol won't get her drunk, so how could we possibly get her drunk?"

"Exactly, she's been busy all day, so getting drunk is a good way to go to sleep."

The more Granny Liu objected, the more enthusiastic the crowd became.

Granny Liu stubbornly shook her head: "In another two or three hours, it will be dawn. Tomorrow morning, she still has to go to the back to make the bed for the master. If she drinks again, the smell on her body won't go away. What if she leaves the master's bedding smelling of alcohol?"

Just now, we were all unsuccessful social women in this household. Now, Granny Liu is showing off her daughter-in-law making the bed and folding the quilts, which is clearly a bit out of touch with the masses.

The crowd couldn't help but sarcastically remark, "There are still two or three hours until dawn, what's that smell that won't go away?"

"Exactly, is this old man some kind of dog with a nose? How could he smell the lingering scent of alcohol on your wife?"

"Good wine needs no bush, and the old man might just be able to smell it on Liu's wife."

"So what if I smell it? Who knows, the scent on your wife might even tempt the old man who's always hanging on his body."

That old woman was clearly disrespectful for her age. Instead of keeping her cravings to herself, she insisted on saying they were on her body, and even held up two index fingers to indicate the size.

The servants immediately chimed in, "That's right, what man doesn't like to drink? I think you're worrying unnecessarily. Although the master hasn't drunk any these past few days, he's probably just looking for company. If he smells your wife's scent, he'll probably have to ask her to come to the room tonight and have a couple of drinks with him."

Everyone chimed in, their words becoming increasingly explicit.

Granny Liu seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in her words. Instead, she looked at Sister-in-law Liu with some hesitation and asked tentatively, "How about we have a couple more drinks?"

"Hey! Then I'll start by toasting all of you aunties."

Sister Liu readily agreed, grabbed a wine glass without hesitation, poured herself a cup, and raised it to the group of women, saying, "A toast to all the aunties!"

Having said that, he raised his neck with great pride, drank it all in one gulp, and then turned the glass upside down in front of everyone to show it off.

Then, she picked up the wine pot again, poured another cup, and drank with the maids of similar age. Only then did Sister Liu wipe her lips, still feeling unsatisfied.

After downing three cups in a row, everyone was impressed by her refreshing manner.

Granny Liu snatched the wine cup away, complaining, "All you do is drink! You don't even eat a bite of food. You can't drink anymore, or you'll really get drunk!"

Originally, seeing that Granny Liu insisted on not letting her drink, it seemed a bit like she was deliberately making things difficult for her. But now, seeing that she had a good capacity for alcohol, she was worried that she would drink too much and take away the already limited amount of leftover wine.

For a moment, no one spoke, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Fortunately, Granny Liu didn't notice anything amiss. Instead, she said apologetically, "My daughter-in-law is clumsy with words, but she's a straightforward and easy-going person."

She's always been very kind to everyone, and she remembers all your kindness. Don't worry, as long as she's in charge of the kitchen, she'll make sure to cook a few extra dishes every now and then to treat you all to something nice.

"You keep your word!"

These words instantly dispelled the previous awkward silence, and the atmosphere became lively again.

The worldly-wise old women beamed with delight, flattering her, "Then we're really benefiting from your daughter-in-law's success!"

Granny Liu quickly shook her head, saying solemnly, "You wouldn't dare say that! If Master Qing hadn't moved into our courtyard, how could the manor have allocated so much money for our expenses? And how could we be enjoying such a life of luxury?"

Seeing that she adopted an attitude of blindly following Wang Qing's lead, how could anyone dare to object?

His smile grew increasingly suggestive, but he hurriedly echoed, "Yes, yes, yes! We're just benefiting from this man's fame thanks to your wife!"

"Quickly, quickly! Liu family member, sit down and have some food!"

The old women hurriedly greeted her, and several maids quickly made way for Sister Liu to sit down at the table.

In an instant, the small kitchen was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

……