A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 40 A Different Taste

Considering that Pear Fragrance Courtyard was right next door, Madam Wang did not make a big fuss. She only took Liu Wu'er and four maids, Jin Chuan, Yu Chuan, Cai Xia, and Cai Yun, and traveled lightly through the back gate to Wang Qing's courtyard.

As luck would have it, Wang Qing had worked overtime last night and, wanting to make his way with Wang Xifeng, decided to slack off.

In the backyard of the Rongguo Mansion, apart from Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang held the highest position.

The master's reputation is the servant's dignity.

The servants in Wang Qingyuan's courtyard might not see Madam Wang even once every few years. When they saw her coming in person, they immediately ran around shouting and scrambling to go to the back to inform her.

When the Liu family mother and daughter-in-law saw Liu Wu'er following behind Madam Wang, they were overjoyed and wept tears of joy.

Although she was unhappy that someone was rushing to curry favor with Wang Qing, she couldn't just leave Liu Wu'er behind since Madam Wang had brought her along, so she could only express her deepest gratitude.

Madam Wang, however, did not take credit. She glanced at Sister Liu a few more times and said meaningfully, "It's rare that Qing-ge'er thinks highly of her. Don't forget the rules of our household. Teach your daughter a good lesson and tell her to pay more attention and make sure she serves Qing-ge'er well!"

Upon hearing this, Sister Liu felt extremely embarrassed.

Madam Wang was unaware that Wang Qing and Liu Wu'er had never met, but she knew perfectly well what was going on.

A while ago, knowing that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had embezzled money, he not only did not pursue the matter, but also arranged for Liu Wu'er to receive medical treatment and brought her to his own courtyard. He even went so far as to alarm Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang.

After discussing it, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law concluded that Wang Qing intended to do a favor so that Sister Liu would be grateful and offer herself to him.

Now that Madam Wang has brought up the rules of the mansion again, Sister Liu panicked.

Madam Wang thought she was too lenient and was about to scold her when she saw Wang Qing hopping and skipping from the backyard.

He hurriedly left Sister Liu behind and went to greet her.

Wang Qing skipped and hopped as he put on his shoes, then came before Madam Wang and bowed deeply: "I was unaware of your arrival, Second Madam. Please forgive my failure to greet you properly!"

He is an early riser, so he would never be in such a flustered state; he was just deliberately trying to appear flattered.

"Qing-ge'er, don't be so polite!"

Madam Wang smiled and pointed behind her, saying, "Fifth Sister is much better now. I was thinking of sending her to Qing-ge'er, but I didn't expect to find you at home!"

Wang Qing looked in the direction of Madam Wang and saw a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old with a sickly and delicate appearance standing between Sister Liu and Granny Liu.

The girl was tall and slender, but her figure was not yet fully developed, and she was far less voluptuous than Sister Liu.

Her face was slightly pale, and she looked somewhat delicate, quite different from Sister Liu's simple and capable image, but her eyebrows and eyes still bore some resemblance to Sister Liu's.

Her eyes, seemingly filled with autumn water, lowered her head and pursed her lips when she saw Wang Qing looking over. Her fingers twisted her clothes, as if she was at a loss.

Liu Wu'er isn't even a third-class maid, so why would Madam Wang need to personally deliver her? Wang Qing naturally didn't believe it.

But the smile on Madam Wang's face was incredibly genuine, a stark contrast to her previous forced smile. And the way she looked at me even seemed to hold a hint of eager anticipation, as if she had found a treasure.

Just as he was wondering, Madam Wang continued, "Perfect timing! The other day, my husband said that he's been very busy with official duties at the yamen and hasn't had a chance to see you. He asked me to ask when you'd be free so you could come to my place and have a couple of drinks with him."

For their first meeting, Jia Zheng instructed that they should meet at Mengpo Studio, but Lady Wang, having tasted the sweetness of success, was unwilling to miss such an opportunity.

Wang Qing respectfully replied, "It is my honor to receive your guidance, Second Master. I will follow your instructions without question!"

"Alright! Then... I'll ask the master later, and once the date is set, I'll have Jin Chuan tell you."

Originally, Jia Zheng asked Wang Qing to choose a date, and Lady Wang could have set it directly.

But as the words were about to come out, he felt that he might as well use this as an excuse to invite Jia Zheng over again, so he changed his mind at the last minute.

Madam Wang did not linger. After asking a few more questions and making polite remarks about whether she needed anything, she took her leave.

After seeing Madam Wang off, a slight smile appeared on Wang Qing's lips.

Despite his humble words, he was secretly pleased with himself.

Indeed, there is no progress without competition.

It seems that apologizing to Grandmother Jia was indeed the right approach. With Jia Zhen causing trouble, Grandmother Jia was indeed flustered and busy.

If it had been Jia She and Madam Xing who had invited him, Wang Qing might have been suspicious.

After all, Grandmother Jia was always biased; she herself was a rare commodity, so the benefits naturally didn't go to the eldest son's family.

Now, however, he is wondering if he can take bigger steps.

Thinking of this, he gave up the idea of ​​conspiring with Wang Xifeng and was about to go back to his room to change into his official robes.

But then the three members of the Liu family knelt down with a thud: "Thank you, sir, for saving our lives!"

"Alright! I'm short-handed at home, so since you're here, settle in first..."

Wang Qing paused for a moment, then said, "However, don't be reckless. You can handle it yourselves. If there's nothing seriously wrong, go inside and serve them."

Although Liu Wu'er is not yet of harvest age and her figure is not fully developed, it is still harmless for her to warm the bed or make a human hot water bottle.

However, Wang Qing was not good at the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine, so considering that Liu Wu'er had just recovered from a serious illness, he left it to them to decide.

The speaker has no intention, the listener has the heart.

When Sister Liu saw him asking for her opinion, she felt even more strongly that he was hinting at something to avoid any inconvenience for her daughter when she entered the house.

She hurriedly said, "Fifth Sister has just recovered from a serious illness. Please allow her to rest for a few more days, Master. I'll take over for her a little longer..."

At this point, a deep hatred welled up on her face. She kowtowed heavily, pleading, "Please, sir, do justice for Wu'er!"

"Make the decision?" Wang Qing asked, puzzled. "What else is there?"

"Reporting to you, sir, Wu'er's illness wasn't serious at all. It was Manager Hu of Huichuntang who harbored malicious intentions and tampered with the medicine, which is why it's been delayed until now..."

When Madam Wang consulted a doctor for Liu Wu'er, Liu's sister-in-law naturally inquired about her condition. The doctor was also puzzled by Liu Wu'er's prolonged illness, so he looked at the previous medicines and prescriptions.

However, Manager Hu had some unorthodox methods, and Jia She often went to Huichuntang to buy tonics such as sea dog penis.

Sister Liu was worried about putting Wang Qing in a difficult position, and even more afraid of offending Jia She, so she kept it to herself.

Now that Madam Wang has personally come to invite us, why should we have any reservations about the matter of purchasing medicine?

Since we've already gone all out, why not take revenge?

However, this move was, after all, a bargaining tactic. Sister Liu briefly recounted the whole story, still feeling somewhat uneasy.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qing was overjoyed.

With the help of thieves and environmental cleanup, he strengthened public security and urban management, and was now worried about how to intervene in industrial and commercial administration.

This matter is clearly an excellent example and a perfect starting point.

He nodded with a forced smile and sneered, "Dare to touch my man! Bring me the dregs and the remaining medicine packets, and I'll go get him right now!"

That shout, "Dare to touch my people?" resonated differently with Sister Liu and Liu Wu'er.

……

The rear building of Rongxi Hall has three attached porches.

"What's going on with you, Madam? Why are you changing your mind every single day?"

Ping'er breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that she no longer needed to make exceptions for the Xue family. She carefully said, "I heard from Zhou Rui's wife that Master went to Madam's room last night, perhaps..."

"How could that be?" Wang Xifeng immediately denied. "Master has always considered himself superior; how could he tolerate such nonsense?"

Before she could finish speaking, a maid's voice came from outside: "Grandma...Grandma..."

"Come in! What's wrong, you all flustered?"

Sister Shan hurriedly went inside to report: "Madam...Madam has gone to Master Qing's courtyard."

Even if Lady Wang travels with minimal entourage, she cannot possibly hide the truth from Wang Xifeng.

"What? What did you go to do?"

"He took Liu Wu'er with him..." Sister Shan hesitated for a moment, then continued, "However, I asked and they said that Master also invited Master Qing to a banquet."

"How is this possible!" Wang Xifeng exclaimed as if she had seen a ghost, and suddenly jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

Sister Shan was taken aback by her strong reaction and was at a loss for what to do when she saw Ping'er wave her hand almost imperceptibly. She quickly retreated with a sigh of relief.

After Sister Shan left, Wang Xifeng murmured, "There must be something she doesn't know about me!"

She muttered only one sentence before hurriedly ordering, "Go! Send someone outside to inquire, and don't forget to tell the shops back home!"

Ping'er was about to accept the order, but then hesitated and said, "What about Second Master..."

"He was willing to speak to the Xue family anyway, but telling them would only cause trouble, so it's better to keep quiet!"

"Hey!~"

……