Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 226 Huiwen and Yingniang

The next day, Daiyu, who had drunk too much the night before and slept until noon, drank the sobering soup that was sent to her and couldn't help frowning:

"This is not the work of Sister Liu. Who made it?"

Zijuan smiled and said, "The girl has a very clever tongue. Sister Liu is not here, so Sister Du did it."

"Not here? Where did he go?" Daiyu was surprised.

Qingwen laughed and said, "Sister Liu came back last night and was a little drunk. She was crying while holding the spatula in the kitchen.

"She said that after eating all the food on the boat, she realized how wronged the girl had been eating the food she cooked all these years. She said that she no longer had the face to cook for the girl.

"Mrs. Du found out what was going on and advised her that if she was not satisfied with her own cooking skills, she should just learn. She also promised that she could treat her to fresh river food.

"Who knew that when Aunt Meng heard about it, she immediately took two hundred taels of silver and gave it to Sister Liu, saying:

"When we get back to Beijing, we'll cook all the dishes from last night for her, except for the raw and pickled ones, which can't be made without good fish or shrimp.

"She also said that my aunt paid for all the money I spent on cooking in Jiangnan these days. I'll spend the two hundred taels first, and then ask her for more when I'm done!"

Daiyu was stunned: "So, Sister Liu went out to eat?"

"That's right!" Qingwen covered her mouth and laughed.

Zijuan also laughed: "The kitchen was filled with cheers. Sister Liu has been learning how to make Jiangnan dim sum these days, and I don't know how many times she has tried.

"At first, Jing Bo felt bad about the money he spent on the ingredients, but after eating the snacks a few times, he stopped talking."

Qingwen came closer and whispered, "If you ask me, Jingbo is really stingy! He only eats and praises, but when it comes to opening up and trying to make it, he won't say a word.

"Otherwise, I'm afraid Sister Liu would have gone out to visit restaurants and try dishes as soon as she arrived!"

Xiaohong and Xueyan both smiled softly, and then quickly looked to see if there was anyone outside.

Daiyu was both angry and amused: "If that's the case, why didn't you tell me earlier?" She hurriedly ordered Xiaohong, "Take the silver and return it to Aunt Meng! This money should be paid out of the public account."

Xiaohong agreed with a smile.

When the news that Daiyu had sobered up spread outside, Jing Bo handed in an invitation: "Because the princess has returned, the clan plans to hold a grand Xiayuan Festival this year, but I don't know if the princess is willing to agree."

Daiyu looked at the note in silence for a stick of incense before she reluctantly nodded: "I can go, but please ask Jingbo to tell them that it will be the same this year as it was in previous years. As for how much each family should pay, let Yun'er and Du Hu go and ask."

Jing Bo was immediately delighted: "Great! That's great! They wanted to cheat the princess out of her money, but Second Master Yun is not a pushover! They used to bully me because I was old and my eyes were blurry, but this year, forget it!"

He happily took the invitation and went out.

Zijuan and Qingwen looked at the old man's back and laughed with their hands covering their mouths: "No wonder the young lady said that Lin Hun's family couldn't get much money from Jing Bo before!"

Daiyu then quietly told them: "My father has many concubines in the backyard, but none of them can get an extra penny from Jingbo!

"I heard from my wet nurse that many people who really love jewelry and clothes would embroider their own things and secretly go out to exchange them for money. But Jing Bo doesn't care about this!"

Several girls giggled and followed suit.

Only Daiyu herself was stunned after saying this. After a while, she looked at Xueyan and said, "Do you still remember which aunt in the backyard loves to embroider things and sell them for money?"

Xueyan was at a loss for a moment before she said uncertainly, "I remember it was an aunt named Zhen.

"When my wife saw her, she sighed and said she was pitiful, and she didn't pay much attention to her. She was very good at embroidery, and could even embroider on both sides!"

Daiyu closed her eyes and tried her best to recall. Suddenly she opened her eyes and looked at Xueyan: "Is her name Yingniang?!"

"Yes! Call her Yingniang!!! The girl has a really good memory!" Xueyan smiled brightly.

Daiyu took a deep breath and waved her hand to let them go first.

Everyone was stunned.

Zijuan noticed something was wrong and hurriedly asked Qingwen and Xueyan to go to the kitchen to see if Sister Liu had returned, and ordered Xiaohong to guard the door.

He helped Daiyu lie on the couch and asked in a low voice, "Miss, what's wrong?"

Daiyu bit her lip for a long while before she whispered, "Do you still remember the screen with Huiwen at home?"

Zijuan was stunned: "I remember. What's wrong?"

"I felt a sense of familiarity with this Huiwen from the first day I saw it. It is only now that I remember that my concubine Zhen's embroidery skills, although not as good as Huiwen's, are very similar to hers!"

Daiyu spoke in a low voice.

Zijuan was shocked: "So the Hui Niang from many years ago was actually from the Zhen family in Jinling?"

"How many years ago?" Daiyu smiled bitterly, "It was only about twenty years ago..."

Zijuan fell silent.

“I remember this because when my mother was telling me about the old relatives in Jinling when I was young, she hesitated for a moment and then skipped over the Zhen family.

"I asked the other day: Are you from the same family as Aunt Zhen?

"After asking, my father walked in, but he was not embarrassed at all. My father touched my head and asked with a smile: Your mother's surname is Jia, and the aunt's surname is Zhen. Do you think it's fun?

"I clapped my hands and laughed for a long time..." Daiyu recalled carefully and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Then I finally saw my mother's unhappy face, and I stopped laughing."

Daiyu counted the years on her fingers and shook her head in confusion: "Huiwen has only been known for 20 to 30 years. But it has always been said that she was from Gusu, so how could she be related to the Zhen family name?"

Seeing that she was making wild guesses, Zijuan advised softly, "If it has nothing to do with the late Marquis, you'd better not pursue it.

"If you really think it's very relevant and want to investigate, why not ask Jing Bo to ask? Why waste your time and energy guessing blindly?"

Daiyu hesitated for a long time, but finally nodded: "Okay, please invite Jingbo to the flower hall."

The south of the Yangtze River is damp and cold, so a charcoal basin was prepared in the flower hall early.

As she was only going to see Lin Jing, Daiyu did not put up the screen.

When Lin Jing came, he asked him to sit down again, and then he brought up the topic and asked about Zhen Yingniang: "Where is she from?"

Lin Jing's expression changed immediately, and he said awkwardly, "It's not your place to worry about those people's affairs. Don't ask anymore."

Daiyu thought about it and used another thing to persuade the old man: "Last year during the New Year, His Majesty gave me a treasure.

“These are the four-leafed doors with plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum patterns that my grandmother once kept.

"I think Jing Bo should know that this wisdom pattern comes from our Gusu. I felt it was predestined at that time.

"Then I thought about it, our Zhen Yingniang has a similar name to Huiniang, and her embroidery skills are also quite good.

"Uncle Jing, if there is any story you should tell me, you must tell me. Otherwise, if I say something wrong while talking outside, I might lose my life!"