Chapter 123: Offering Congee (Part 1)

  I've revised the previous text a bit...... ⊙﹏⊙ sweat!

  "Great!" Hearing Shi Yiniang ask about something she was familiar with, Xu Lingyi came back to her senses, with a satisfied look in her eyes. "The porridge sheds of each household have all been set up, and tomorrow morning they will start serving porridge... I've checked the grain preparations of each household, supporting them for a month won't be difficult."

  The eleventh girl nodded: "That's good! As long as we can get through this winter, it will be better when spring comes next year."

  Xu Lingyi nodded and took a sip of tea, saying: "Someone from our house has been sent to help cook the porridge."

  Since the Xu family's womenfolk had to participate in setting up a porridge shed to do good deeds, how could they not be involved? But it was impossible for them to go out and distribute the porridge. In this way, they had to think of an alternative solution. Each house sent their most dignified mothers to help with distributing the porridge. These mothers simply sat in a small, windproof compartment inside the shed, chatting idly while watching the rough-handed servants do the work on the side.

  "Our house is Tao Mama!" said Eleventh Sister with a smile, "Second Aunt's side is Xiang Mama, Third Aunt is Gan Mama, and Fifth Brother and Sister sent Shi Mama."

  Xu Lingyi murmured a response, and Eleventh Sister called in Chunmo to help him change clothes, while she herself used a hand warmer to warm the bed and waited on Xu Lingyi as he rested.

  The next morning, Du's mother took Item Mother and others to the congee shed. The rough servants and young boys at the bottom were sharp-eyed and quickly surrounded their sedan chairs. After getting off the sedan chair, they were welcomed into a small shed on one side to rest.

  Gan's mother had someone bring over a deck of cards: "......Everyone else might as well not just sit there."

  Everyone looked at Du's mother.

  Now it's the turn of the three madams to take charge, and Du Mama also didn't want to lose face in front of Gan Mama, so she smiled and agreed.

  In such cold weather, who doesn't want to stay hidden?

  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and each took out some silver coins to gamble with leaf cards.

  The time to distribute the porridge had arrived, and everyone threw away their cards and went to the front of the shed to urge the old women and young servants to distribute the porridge. The tattered men, women, and children crowded together and surged forward, while the powerful bailiffs cracked their whips in the air, making a loud "cracking" sound that intimidated the swarming refugees and shouted at them to line up.

  Those who had received hot porridge from her took the mothers standing beside the porridge shed, dressed in gold and silver, to be Madam Xu's female relatives and kowtowed to thank them.

  No matter who would inevitably feel a few smug under such an atmosphere.

  At night, they returned home and vividly told their wives about it.

  The eleventh girl smiled and said: "If so, mom will work harder for a few days!"

  "Don't worry, ma'am," said Mrs. Tao with a smile. "I will work together with several mothers."

  The eleventh girl nodded.

  "Did Master Hou say anything?"

  "Didn't you say anything?" Eleventh Sister thought of him being the same as last night, "I was thinking of asking Mother if we should send a few more clothes to Lord Hou!"

  "That's not necessary." Tao Mama said with a smile, "Master Hou originally had clothes in each of the houses."

  The eleventh girl let out a sigh of relief.

  If you still want to bring clothes along, isn't it like moving house?

  In the evening, the two of them went to Tai Furen's place for dinner. Everyone was talking about Shi Zhou's affair, and San Lao Ye and San Tai Tai were the main characters this time, so they couldn't help but be excited and returned a bit late. Qin Yiniang had already brought Xiao Yazi to wait at the East Angle Gate. Seeing Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang, she hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects.

  The eleventh girl smiled and parted with Xu Lingyi at Dongjiaomen, and went straight back home.

  Amber was about to move onto her bed for a night shift when she was chased back to the eastern wing by Eleventh Sister: "You weren't this diligent before!"

  She was at a loss for words.

  Eleventh Girl didn't know what was on her mind. She said seriously, "You go to sleep! I'm not a naive little girl who doesn't understand the ways of the world, I have my own thoughts!" And then she laughed and said, "If you're bored, call me in the middle of the night to chat, but don't be lazy and not answer."

  Amber saw that she still had a joking mood, put down her guard, nodded repeatedly and went to the east wing.

  A person slept on a wide bed, missing the one who breathed together with her, making it feel somewhat desolate. At first, Eleventh Sister really couldn't get used to it. But thinking that tomorrow morning she still had to go pay respects to Madame, and thinking about how many people were waiting to see her expression, she fell asleep counting sheep.

  The next day, I woke up at Chou time, and it was quiet all around. However, I faintly heard the sound of someone serving Xu Lingyi getting out of bed and washing up from the east side.

  Separated by an alley, how could I possibly hear it!

  Habits are truly terrifying things!

  The eleventh girl closed her eyes and snuggled into the warm quilt, falling asleep again.

  It was already dawn, and I woke up automatically again.

  Amber and Green Cloud had already prepared the water for washing her face and heated up her clothes, waiting for her to get out of bed.

  "Master Hou has already gone to the early court." Amber helped the eleventh lady dress, "She had breakfast at Qin's place. There was a message from the small kitchen that Qin's side asked for water in the middle of the night."

  "Got it!" Jing nodded and thought it was inappropriate for Amber to pass on such a message, "Don't bother with these things again in the future!"

  Amber wanted to speak but stopped herself, and finally nodded in agreement.

  After dressing up, Qin Yiniang and Wen Yiniang came to pay their respects.

  Qin's face was red, with a hint of shyness, while Wen's eyes were fixed on her face, as if trying to discern something from it.

  Eleventh Girl smiled faintly and asked about Qiao Lianfang's illness as usual, chatted with the two for a few words, and then went to Tai Furen's place.

  It's so cold outside, both Third Lady and Fifth Lady arrived earlier than Eleventh Miss.

  The two of them greeted Shiyi Niang with a smile, but their expressions were tinged with a hint of inquiry.

  The eleventh girl found it somewhat amusing.

  When I married into this family, I already knew that Xu Lingyi had concubines and children. Is it just because what I heard became what I saw, and now I have to cry and make a fuss? People often can't see their own situation clearly as circumstances change, forget their original intention, lose their goal, and don't know what they really want. That's the real danger!

  She had never forgotten the kind of mood she had when she married into the Xu family!

  The eleventh girl greeted the two of them with a big smile and went together to see Madame Tai.

  The old lady was sitting on a large kang by the window, watching Tongge and Zhenjie playing with skipping ropes.

  As soon as she entered, her gaze fell straight on Eleven.

  Another probing...

  The eleventh girl smiled and greeted Madam Tai with a bow, asking about her well-being without revealing any emotions.

  The old lady saw her smile warmly, with a calm and composed expression, and couldn't help but nod slightly, with an undisguised sense of satisfaction and relief in her smile.

  The eleventh girl let out a quiet sigh of relief, knowing she had passed the test.

  While Wang Er and Zhen Jie saw the elders coming in, they hurriedly got down from the kang to pay their respects to everyone, and then the little maidservants brought in embroidered stools and placed them in front of the kang.

  The third lady mentioned the matter of providing gruel: “...It's too cold, I want to give each of the mothers and young servants who help with the gruel shed thirty cents a day as an allowance…Although they are family members, we can't let them work for nothing. What do you think? Can this be done?”

  "Your abacus skills are quite impressive." Madam Tai smiled, "We don't lack this small amount of money. Let you go earn some dignity instead."

  The three wives listened and quickly got up to thank the old lady: "You really have a Bodhisattva's heart."

  Old Lady asked about Second Lady's personal maid, Itemama: "Just to make a show of it, let her return to Xishan early! Yizhen's side originally had few people, and yet they dragged her over from Xishan."

  "Who says it isn't." The third madam smiled, "It's just that this is a great virtuous deed, and Second Sister also wants to join in the celebration." She also mentioned Du Mama, "...she's getting older too, and going out in the wind and snow every day like this, if she catches a cold it won't be good!"

  Madam nodded: "You've thought it through very thoroughly!"

  The three madams then told Item Mom what the head madam meant and sent someone to escort Item Mom back to West Mountain. They also discussed with Tao Mom and Shi Mom: "Starting tomorrow, Du Mom won't be going to the congee shed... The two moms might as well go take a look every other day, anyway Gan Mom is there."

  Everyone was relieved, Tao's mother and Shi's mother exchanged a smile, thanked the Third Lady, and dispersed.

  "Does it look like there's anything unstable in this?" The fifth lady stroked her slightly protruding belly and said casually.

  The stone mother handed her a crystal plate of sliced apples: "Madam San has always been cautious, now it's hard to say!"

  The fifth lady pinched a blue enamel fork and handed an apple to her mouth: "You watch Tao's mother. If she goes, you still go every day. If she goes for a few days, you can also go for a few days."

  The stone mother smiled and nodded "yes".

  "Go for a few days?" Eleventh Girl was somewhat surprised, "Was it originally like this with rice porridge, or was it Third Madam's idea?"

  "It turns out that serving gruel is also like this." Tao's mother smiled, "With the New Year approaching, there are too many things to do at home, and special people have been sent to work there. Who has the time to go every day? It seems that it was enough to just visit once every few days."

  Eleventh girl nodded: "Then follow the old rules. However, you also need to be more careful, in case Stone Mom goes and you stay at home. It's always not good."

  "Ma'am, don't worry. We won't be the first or the last. Otherwise, there might be rumors spreading around, thinking that we are competing with the third madam."

  "It's all right as long as Mother knows!" said Eleventh Sister, just then Hsüeh P'an came back.

  Mother Tao hurriedly retreated.

  Eleventh Young Lady then called out for Xia Yi to serve him in changing his clothes.

  "What are you doing at home today?" Xu Lingyi wiped her face with a hot towel and glanced at the needlework basket on the kang, "Doing needlework again at home?"

  "In the afternoon, I did some needlework." Shíyī Niáng said with a smile, "This morning, I went to Mother's place and sat for a while."

  Xu Lingyi nodded and changed her clothes with Shiyi Niang before heading to Tai Furen's place.

  As soon as she entered the door, Eleventh Sister heard Old Madam's hearty laughter.

  She couldn't help but feel surprised.

  I don't know who it is, but someone has managed to make Tai Furen this happy.

  As soon as the curtain was lifted and they entered the western wing, Eleventh Sister saw a strange woman wearing a pink jacket sitting on the footstool beside Madame Wang's kang, chatting with her.

  Seeing Tai Fu Ren lift her head towards Xu Ling Yi and Eleventh Lady, she immediately stood up: "Hou Ye! Slave girl Xiang Yi, greets you!" As she spoke, she deeply curtsied and kowtowed.

  Xu Lingyi smiled and nodded: "So it's Xiang Yu after all!" Rarely so familiar.

  The eleventh girl couldn't help but size up the woman.

  Around forty years old, with a square and honest face, tall and sturdy in build, looking somewhat robust.

  Du's mother saw the curious look on Eleven's face and hurriedly smiled: "Fourth Lady, this is Xiangying who served in front of Old Lady before. You haven't seen her. Nowadays, they are managing our Xu family's estate in Henan with her husband. I heard that Lord Hou married a new wife and took the opportunity to come and pay his respects to you while delivering New Year's goods."