Do you know? Do you know? It should be Green Fat Red Thin Episode 26

  Unlike her two sisters, Minglan heard that she didn't have to attend classes and the first thing she did was ask Xiaotao to go to the dormitory to submit a leave application - early self-study suspended for three days, I want to rest and recover.

  Yao Yiyi had read books for over a decade and was fed up with it. At first, she attended Mr. Zhuang's class to learn more about the things of this era. After all, she couldn't just grab an old lady from the inner courtyard and ask her what the emperor's name was today. But after reading books for these years, she had already known everything she needed to know about worldly affairs. Recently, Mr. Zhuang has been emphasizing the importance of writing eight-legged essays and policy debates. Minglan only knew how to write court records, which didn't require parallelism or antithesis, and there was no word limit. From the very beginning of Mr. Zhuang's class, she felt drowsy and had long wanted to slip away unnoticed.

  After dinner, I pushed the book away, washed my little face and feet, and went to see Old Man Zhou with a happy heart. There was no burden of getting up early the next day, and I slept soundly until I woke up feeling refreshed and stretched my little waist, feeling invigorated.

  It was just the time of summer and autumn, the sky was clear and bright, Minglan was like a child who had just finished his summer vacation, after asking for peace, he asked Mrs. Cui for a fishing rod and a fish basket to go to the lotus pond in the mansion to fish, Mrs. Cui knew that Minglan was usually well-behaved and clever, these years saw her studying hard and teaching her younger brother, so she agreed, and also gave a bowl of bait, and carefully instructed Danju and Xiaotao to take good care of Minglan, to stay away from the edge of the pond, lest they fall in and be eaten by fish, etc., Minglan nodded like a garlic press.

  Inside the Sheng mansion, there were two ponds. One was larger and closer to the main residence of Sheng Hong's wives and concubines. The other was only about the size of a palm and was located near the Shou'an Hall and the family school. The large pond had lotus flowers, water lilies, fish, and shrimp that were all taken care of by someone. Minglan thought for a moment before rushing to the small pond. She chose a spot, and Danju set up a small bamboo chair and held up a large parasol for her. Yancuo and Qinsang each carried tea, water, and snacks, placing them on a small bamboo table. Seeing that they had made such a big fuss, Minglan felt that she couldn't just catch a few fish without trying hard enough. However, the more anxious she became, the less movement there was in the water. Fortunately, Xiaotao was originally from the countryside and had the most experience with fishing and catching shrimp. She taught Minglan how to hang bait and watch for bites. Under her guidance, they quickly caught two fish. The fish in the small pond were lazy and had never been caught before, so they were very easy to catch. Within half an hour, Minglan had caught a dozen or so fish. Minglan was thrilled, but then she saw something black floating in the clear water of the pond. She felt a sudden movement in her heart and took up a long-handled net. With Xiaotao's help, they scooped up the object with great force several times before lifting it out of the water. When everyone looked, they saw that it was a large-headed, big-eared soft-shelled turtle, which was stuck in the net with a stupid expression on its face. Minglan laughed and waved her hand, gathering up the fish and the turtle before rushing off towards the small kitchen on the west side.

  After Lin's aunt successfully entered the house, due to various reasons, Old Lady Sheng became increasingly unwilling to socialize with people. She claimed that she wanted to become a vegetarian and set up a small kitchen with only five or six stoves, completely isolating herself from the rest of the household. This habit was also brought to Dengzhou. The small kitchen was in charge of managing the food for the people in Shou'antang. Whenever Sixth Miss, whom Old Lady Sheng doted on, came, they would respectfully smile and pay their respects.

  Minglan poured out the fish basket, and Danju took a few carp and the turtle back to get water to raise them. The five crucian carps were taken to make dishes. Two were boiled into two bowls of crucian carp soup, and three were made into two portions of scallion-flavored crucian carp jerky. Minglan followed her memories from the past to guide Cook Mom in making them. When it was time for lunch, one portion of soup and fish jerky was sent to the dining table, and the other portion was sent to Cui's mother and Danju Xiaotao to eat.

  Minglan sat at the table with a fluttering heart, her big eyes blinking as she looked at Old Lady Sheng. But to her surprise, the old lady didn't say anything about starting dinner and just kept looking out the door. In a large household like theirs, there were rules to follow, and juniors couldn't start eating until their elders did. Minglan couldn't even touch her chopsticks yet. Just as she was about to ask her grandmother what was going on, the curtain at the doorway suddenly lifted, and a tall figure glided in. As soon as Minglan saw who it was, her mouth fell open...

  "Qiheng, eat some more, you still have to study later, make sure to eat your fill. Consider this place as your own home." Old Lady Sheng said kindly to Qiheng, and instructed Housekeeper Fang to serve him dishes. Qiheng's lips were red and his teeth were white, he smiled politely: "This fish is really delicious, Ancestor, you should have some too... Hmm? Why isn't Little Sixth eating?"

  Minglan kept her head down and buried in her bowl, only slightly raising it, with a forced smile she said: "You eat, you eat."

  Old Mrs. Sheng smiled and said, "These two fish dishes are indeed Ming Yatou's intention today. The fish was caught by her, and she also instructed to do so. It really tastes good."

  The wild carp was originally delicious, and the carp soup was made by lightly frying the carp in a pot until it turned golden yellow, then immediately adding sliced bamboo shoots, fresh mushrooms, and tender tofu. The mixture was seasoned with fragrant ginger and simmered on a small clay stove for two hours, until the tofu had fully absorbed the flavors. The resulting broth was milky white, refreshing, and deliciously savory. Both Old Lady Sheng and Qi Heng couldn't help but drink two small bowls of it.

  There's also the scallion flavored fish floss, which is made by slicing the fish meat and marinating it in a mixture of salt, ginger juice, and wine for an hour. Then, small peppercorns and scallions are added to warm oil and stir-fried repeatedly until fragrant. The aroma is rich and savory, slightly spicy and salty, with a hint of acidity and sweetness. It's extremely appetizing and delicious, and I couldn't help but devour two bowls of rice without realizing it. This ruined his elegant and refined image, leaving only the servant behind him staring in amazement.

  After dinner, tea was served. Qiheng sat on a wicker high stool at the lower end of Sheng Lao Tai Tai's seat, elegantly wiping his fingers and picking up his teacup: "Thanks so much to Sixth Sister for going to such trouble for me."

  Damn it! Minglan was sitting in a luxurious ebony chair with three sides surrounded by rich flowers, alongside Qi Heng, her short legs dangling in the air as she stared at the rattan stool under Qi Heng's feet, where she usually sat. She chuckled to herself: "What a coincidence, what a coincidence." A soft snickering sound escaped her lips.

  The old lady smiled and said, "This little monkey is so mischievous! Yesterday, she said she didn't want to go to school, and today she's gone fishing with a fish basket on her back. She just wants to have fun, don't thank her, Heng!"

  "Sixth sister, what shall we eat tomorrow?"

  West Lake vinegar fish and clear stewed turtle soup, but you won't have the chance, they'll be served tonight! Minglan secretly made up her mind, with a naive smile on her face: "Yuanruo brother asked well, I'll go to the kitchen later to ask around."

  The old lady suddenly remembered something and said: "How did I hear that you raised a few live carp and a turtle in the yard?"

  Qī Hué immediately gazed at Minglan with piercing eyes, and Minglan could only smile foolishly again, reluctantly admitting, making an excuse: "…carp and soft-shell turtle need to be raised for two days, waiting for them to spit out all the mud and sand before they can be cooked..."

  "When can we finally get rid of all this mud and sand?" Zhi Heng asked, suddenly seeming to take a great interest in food.

  Minglan muttered under her breath, "You're going to starve to death and be reborn as a ghost!" but all she could say out loud was: "About... probably... roughly the day after tomorrow, hehe..."

  "Alright then, it's settled! We'll have carp and soft-shell turtle the day after tomorrow! Don't be stingy and refuse to bring them out, little sister!"

  Minglan smiled a few times, lowered her head and took a big bite of the loquat fruit, turned it over in her mouth for a while, then looked up innocently and asked: "Grandma, will Yuan Ruo's brother be having lunch here from now on?"

  Old Mrs. Sheng's eyes flashed, and she smiled: "Heng and your elder brother are about to take the imperial examination, so you must focus on your studies. For now, he will eat here first, and when the family school is set up, he will have meals with your two brothers there."

  Minglan was overjoyed and immediately turned to Qi Heng, clapping her hands and saying: "Great! Great! Mr. Zhuang said that Confucius said in the Analects, 'When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher.' If Brother Yuan and Big Brother work hard together to study and explore knowledge, they will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort, and in the future, they will surely pass the exam together!"

  Qī Huò was delighted and reached out to pinch the bun on Minglan's head, feeling that it was quite good: "Thank you for your kind words, sister."

  Minglan's head was moved by the soil, her depressed little face was red and puffy, she pouted and said that she wouldn't speak anymore, didn't want to look at Qi Heng, but couldn't help touching her head again.

  After having tea, Mrs. Fang arranged for Qi Heng to take a nap in the right wing of the house, and instructed several maids to prepare water and towels for him to get familiar with. Minglan originally wanted to chat with Old Lady Sheng about their daily arrangements after not reading books, but now that there was a big trouble sleeping in the next room, she had no mood and returned to her own room, Li Huafang.

  Cui's mother had laid out the bedding, and then took little Tao to iron clothes. The four green ones were resting outside, while Danju helped Minglan undress and wash her hair. The room was quiet and warm, with only the sound of Danju softly whispering in her ear: "...Miss is already grown up, why are you still wearing this childish hairstyle? It's really ridiculous! Housekeeper Wang taught me how to style hair a long time ago, I'll help Miss style a beautiful braid later, and adorn it with some hairpins and pearls, wouldn't that look good?"

  Minglan made a face in front of the mirror and Danju, sighing: "Let's take our time; this small bun is more convenient."

  "Seems like Danju thought of something, and whispered to Minglan: '...That young master Qi is a nice person, I think he likes you, why are you being so cold and distant?'"

  Ming Lan turned her head, looking at Dan Ju with a face full of sisterly concern, and in a very low voice, she said seriously: "I know you're kind-hearted, but don't you think about it too? He's the son of a noble family, while I'm just a humble daughter of a county magistrate. With an older sister and a talented younger sister above me, this kind of unnecessary closeness will only bring trouble."

  It's really embarrassing, she is a pragmatic modern person. With Qi Heng and her having no relationship by blood or marriage, and it being impossible for him to marry her, in this ancient society with strict etiquette, how could the two of them possibly develop a pure 'friendship'? Even if she became his sister-in-law, she would still have to avoid suspicion. No matter how you think about it, there's no need to be friends with this kid, and instead, there are dangers everywhere. If things go wrong, it will provoke those two sisters who are already developing feelings for him, which would be disastrous.

  Tangerine is a clever person, and as soon as he thought about it, his face turned pale, and he said in a low voice: "...It's just a pity, I was thinking for the sake of the young lady, that Young Master Qi is indeed a good..."

  Minglan looked at Danju for a while, smiled and shook her head, pulled Danju to sit together, and said in a low voice: "Sister Danju, you are good to me, I know that. Now we are all growing up day by day, today I want to entrust you with a few words."

  Dan Ju sat up straight, looking at Ming Lan's eyes seriously and said in a soft voice: "As a girl, our reputation is the most important. A few words of gossip can be fatal. I am just a person who relies on the kindness of the old lady to live a decent life. Whether it is for myself or for the sake of the kind old lady, my behavior and actions must be cautious and respectful. Every word and deed should not bring shame to the old lady, even if it cannot bring her glory."

  "Listen, sister is the first person in this house, not only do I rely on sister, but also those four green ones need to be controlled by sister. In the future, if there are a few more little maids, I won't be able to scold them myself, so it will be up to sister to take care of them. Sister must first get a grip on things and not let the younger maids mess with the rules and cause trouble; I'm entrusting this to sister."

  Her words were sincere and serious, and towards the end, they carried a few hints of sternness. Danju knew that Minglan was acknowledging her position, so she felt both happy and burdened, and nodded solemnly.

  ……

  Mrs. Fang settled down and Qi Heng went to the Buddhist hall, where he saw a small incense burner made of white jade with two dragons spitting out beads, surrounded by swirling incense smoke. On the table in front was a silver tray with fresh fruit on it. Old Lady Sheng sat beside it, with an open Buddhist scripture in front of her and a string of familiar purple sandalwood beads in her hand, her eyes slightly closed, but not reciting the scriptures.

  The housekeeper came in and smiled: "Old lady's eyes are not good, it's better to ask Sixth Miss to read Buddhist scriptures. The miss has a nice voice, clear and pleasant to listen to, even I like listening to her."

  The old lady smiled: "Let her sleep, children need to sleep more to grow taller; besides, she's been worried about the lawsuit for the past few days, let her rest well."

  The housekeeper heard a faint smile: "Today, that young master Qi came to eat, the old lady saw the girl's surprised look, her eyes almost fell into the bowl, it was really funny. But thinking carefully, the girl is indeed a sensible person, not in vain for the old lady to love her so much."

  The old lady opened her eyes, turned a page of the Buddhist scriptures: "Lao Ye's name is well-started, she sees things clearly and carefully considers them, avoiding suspicion, worthy of the character 'ming'."