The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 489: deep
Chapter 489 Deep
Fireflies are either flying among the trees or resting on the green moss at the foot of the trees. Cicadas are chirping and the place is quiet and warm.
Bai Qingyan changed into a water-green dress embroidered with camellias and silver lotus patterns, and a lotus-colored silk skirt, and walked along the lighted corridor to Qinghe Courtyard.
In the upper room, Dong Tingzhen was sitting in front of the soft couch by the window, fiddling with a three-legged gilded auspicious beast incense burner. She replaced the incense with the soothing incense that she had specially prepared for Dong today, and carefully explained to Dong what spices she had used.
Bai Qingyan stood in the yard, looking through the half-open window, and saw Dong Tingzhen sitting under the lamp with a small copper spoon in her hand. She gracefully added incense to the incense burner, closed the lid, and smiled as she let Dong smell it.
Dong leaned forward, held her sleeve with one hand, and fanned herself gently with her hand, praising with a smile: “Hmm, the fragrance is deep and light, very nice.”
“If you like it, I will write down the recipe later. If you don’t want to do it, Tingzhen can do it for you…” Dong Tingzhen put the silver spoon aside and said with a smile.
“The eldest lady is here!” Nanny Qin saw Bai Qingyan and hurriedly opened the curtain to welcome her out, saying with a smile, “Madam is discussing incense with our cousin. Madam was also a master at making incense, but she can only sigh that she is not as good as our cousin!”
Nanny Qin’s words were full of praise for Dong Tingzhen. After all… ever since the incident in the Bai family, Dong rarely smiled. This time Dong Tingzhen came to Shuoyang to accompany Dong, which made Dong very happy. She often recalled some interesting things when she was a girl in the Dong family.
My mother was good at and enjoyed these elegant things, but after she started managing the household, she no longer had time to do them.
Now that I’m back in Shuoyang, it’s not as busy as when I was in the capital city. It’s great to have Tingzhen come and accompany her mother to tune incense and play the piano.
Nanny Qin smiled and opened the curtain for Bai Qingyan, then walked in and bowed to Dong. Dong Tingzhen hurriedly stood up and called her “cousin” happily.
Mrs. Dong seemed to still be thinking about the fragrance. She raised her hand and pointed at the snacks and fruits on the small table: “If Abao is hungry, please eat first. Madam Qin wants to let us taste some exquisite dishes today. You have to wait for a while!”
“That’s right!” Nanny Qin picked up the tea from the black lacquer and gold-painted square tray brought in by the maid and served it to Bai Qingyan. “Young lady, wait a moment. I heard from the maids in the mansion that Shuoyang has a few such dishes. Although the preparation is trivial and troublesome, I think it is fresh and I want to let Madam and the two girls taste it!”
“The elders of the third generation know about clothing, and the elders of the fifth generation know about food. Grandmother is the one who is most proficient in food.” Bai Qingyan sat down on the stool and took the tea handed to her by Nanny Qin with a smile. “Nanny Qin has been with my grandmother since she was a child, so she is naturally good at it…”
Nanny Qin was Dong’s dowry and a servant of the Dong family.
The Dong family also has a very deep family heritage in Dengzhou.
“Whether cousin is praising grandmother and the Dong family, or praising Aunt Qin, Tingzhen would be proud of it… so proud!” Dong Tingzhen smiled with her handkerchief covering her lips.
Just as they were talking about the Dong family, a maid came to the outside of Qinghe Courtyard to deliver a letter, saying it was a letter from the Dong family in Dengzhou.
Nanny Qin went out to receive the letter, brought it back and handed it to Dong. While reading it, she said to Bai Qingyan, “Your uncle sent a letter saying that Changlan is coming to Shuoyang, and your grandmother asked Changlan to send some things over.”
“My aunt’s birthday is in a few days. My grandmother and uncle must have sent Brother Changlan to visit my aunt!” Dong Tingzhen immediately guessed the Dong family’s intention of sending Dong Changlan to Shuoyang.
The Bai family is in mourning this year, so they don’t plan to celebrate Dong’s birthday. They just want their daughter to be around and have a meal with her. However, as a mother, Mrs. Dong is naturally thinking about her daughter.
Dong smiled and read Dong Qingyue’s handwritten letter several times. She calculated the date and confirmed that Dong Changlan would arrive on July 21. Dong looked up at Nanny Qin and said, “Changlan and his wife will arrive the day after tomorrow. Nanny Qin, please order someone to tidy up Junzixuan tomorrow. When Changlan arrives, let him live in Junzixuan.”
Now that the Bai family is full of women, Mrs. Dong is considering who will accompany Dong Changlan. Bai Qingyan put down her teacup and said, “I’ll talk to Bai Qingping later and ask him to come over early to accompany Changlan. Or does mother want to invite more brothers to come?”
“Brother Changlan is not an outsider, so why should you be so formal and find someone to accompany you?” Dong Tingzhen didn’t mind at all. After all, the Dong family was not unaware of the Bai family’s situation, and they had also heard about the Bai clan’s behavior.
Dong felt uncomfortable when she thought of the people of the Bai clan. At present, she only thought that Bai Qingping was still a good child. She waved her hand and said, “Tingzhen is right. Changlan is not an outsider. Just ask Qingping to come over.”
What Nanny Qin served today was the local Wufu Tofu from Shuoyang. The preparation method was quite complicated. The tender tofu was boiled in gravy for a while to soak up the flavor, then drained and cooled. The tofu was fried on both sides until browned, and then neat cuts were made with a knife. It was spread with rose honey paste, smoked and grilled with fruit wood, and dipped in sour plum sauce. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fresh fruity fragrance in the mouth, and melted in the mouth, with endless flavor.
Shuoyang has many famous local dishes, but perhaps not many of them caught Nanny Qin’s eye. This five-blessing tofu… Nanny Qin tasted it and thought it was good, so she dared to put it on the master’s table.
After finishing their meal at Dong’s Qinghe Courtyard, Dong Tingzhen and Bai Qingyan walked side by side. After stepping out of Qinghe Courtyard and entering the corridor, Dong Tingzhen knelt down and saluted towards Bai Qingyan in a formal manner.
“Tingzhen, why are you doing this?” Bai Qingyan thought Dong Tingzhen wanted to ask for something, so he raised his hand to help Dong Tingzhen up, “If you have something to ask, just tell me.”
Dong Tingzhen shook her head, looked up at Bai Qingyan with red eyes and said, “I am grateful to my cousin for giving me a wake-up call on King Liang! Tingzhen is still judging my cousin by her mean mind. If it weren’t for my cousin, I would be trapped in the mud without knowing it, and I would be used by others and think that he has true feelings for me.”
“You and I are sisters. Although we have different surnames, the blood relationship is the deepest bond in the world. I am your cousin… I will protect you!” Bai Qingyan smiled at Dong Tingzhen.
Blood ties are the deepest bond in the world…
Dong Tingzhen listened to Bai Qingyan’s words and remembered what her father once said, that he would let the whole family go through fire and water just for her wish to be with King Liang. But she didn’t even try to stop her father at that time. So where did she put the blood relationship?
The more Dong Tingzhen thought about it, the more guilty she felt. She couldn’t help but burst into tears. She didn’t know how disappointed her father and mother must have been in her at that time.
“Okay!” Bai Qingyan handed the handkerchief to Dong Tingzhen, “As long as you can come back, your uncle and aunt won’t blame you! Relax in Shuoyang for a while, and when the weather gets cooler, ask Xiaowu and Xiaoliu to accompany you wherever you want to go. They love playing with you the most!”
Dong Tingzhen nodded, wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and changed the subject: “I heard that Jinzhi went out today.”
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