Chapter 124 A dusty pearl, bah!
Luo Baiqiong’s smile froze on her face and opened her eyes widely. She looked around, finding that everyone, besides Peng Jian, was spitting the tea out into their mugs. And the cousin called Peng Jian spayed the tea on Peng Shi’s face, which irritated Peng Shi.
Luo Baiqiong was confused. Then she drank the tea and spat it out on the fine carpet immediately. “Bah, what’s wrong with it? Mammy, you said this tea was...” Her voice became higher and was quite different from her gentle voice just now. She was scared and looked at Mammy Tang. Then she looked at Madam Luo who sat in the main seat. And finally, she turned her head and stared at He Danggui.
He Danggui was puzzled about their response. For ten years, no one had responded like this to her Hawthorn tea. But why did eight persons spit out her tea today? Therefore, she picked up her cup and tasted the tea with doubt. Then she was stunned.
Madam Luo was extremely angry to see the tea show being screwing up. She stared at He Danggui who sat at the lowest seat, “Yi, what’s the matter?!”
What was the matter? He Danggui also wanted to know why the Hawthorn tea tasted awfully sweet. If those people didn’t add too much sugar to the tea, it was because she had added too much sugar when she had made tea, wasn’t it?
Since she had moved into the Tao Yao Yard, He Danggui and her servants had their own large and bright kitchen. Although the main kitchen sent three tasteless meals a day, they were not worried about it. Only by giving some money to Wang Buliuxing who worked in food material room sometimes, they could buy any food materials they wanted in double price.
Unfortunately, although He Danggui didn’t lack of money now, and even had more sliver than Luo Baiqiong, she had no chance to slip out the Mansion to money shops to deposit large amount of cheques and change money. Over ten liang was left in the bag of sliver which had changed in Tu’er Town. In order to deal with the emergency which needed money, she could not run it out. It meant that they needed to save money before He Danggui tried to slip out the Mansion. Therefore, He Danggui gave two liang to Chan Yi to stock some necessary foods in their new kitchen and let her find Wang Buliuxing to purchase some important materials, such as rice, noodles, vegetables and fruits. They would buy some “luxuries” like chicken, duck, fish and meat later for the lack of change.
Chan Yi followed her orders, but she bought one more thing – sugar. She bought four terrines of sugar. Chan Yi said proudly that she had bought all sugar in food material room! He Danggui estimated that the sugar was about seven or eight jin in each terrine, and about thirty jin in total. He Danggui asked Chan Yi amazingly about why she bought too much sugar. Chan Yi replied that sugar was so sweet!
Then He Danggui remembered that several days ago she asked Chan Yi to help her care for the fire when she fried tea. And she remembered that Chan Yi had given her a cup of awfully sweet chrysanthemum tea before she went to the feast. Because Chan Yi favored sugar, she might put more sugar into the Hawthorn tea that was about to be sent to Madam Luo, which made the tea so sweet.
As for He Danggui, this tea was not so bad to be spitted out immediately. These great people had been used to delicious foods and beautiful clothes, so they could not accept something bad. Besides, before they drank the Hawthorn tea, they were attracted by Luo Baiqiong’s description. When they tasted the bad tea, they felt so disappointed. Therefore, they spat it immediately.
He Danggui sneered. If the tea was tasty like before, it would be none of her business. Luo Baiqiong would be appreciated by Madam Luo and other guests. But now there was something wrong with the tea. Luo Baiqiong not only asked for help from Madam Luo by eye contacting, but also stared at He Danggui which revealed Luo Baiqiong had known who was the real maker of this tea. Luo Baiqiong was so thick-skinned to say that the tea was made by her and to introduce it in public! Besides, Madam Luo denounced He Danggui immediately. He Danggui wondered whether she would take the responsibilities and tell a lie that she had put too much sugar in it. Then, she would be blamed by Madam.
Although Mammy Tang didn’t drink the tea, she knew there was something wrong from their response. She looked at silent Third Miss and became anxious, “Third Miss, what’s wrong with this tea?”
On hearing their query on Miss Luo who was sitting at the corner, the guests were confused. Then Peng Jian asked, “This tea is made and sent by Second Miss, and it’s none of business about Third Miss. Why did you blame her?” Madam Luo and Mammy Tang couldn’t answer it. They only stared at He Danggui as if they wanted to find an answer from He Danggui’s head. Therefore, all guests looked at He Danggui.
He Danggui finally put up her head and looked at Mammy Tang in a surprise, “Mammy, is it… the Hawthorn tea?” Mammy Tang nodded with hesitation. Then He Danggui stood up slowly and went to the center of the hall gently. She took a white gauze handkerchief and gave a salute to Madam Luo, “Madam Luo, there are some differences between this Hawthorn tea and the last one. The ways of making the tea are also different. A few days ago, before the tea was sent, I had written the way of making this tea down on the oiled paper which was used to pack the tea up. Maybe the maids had transmitted wrong ways to each other when they were shifting. Only by seeing that paper can we make it clear.”
Gan Cao replied immediately, “Madam Luo, there were too many people in the tea room, and I was so busy that day. Therefore, I didn’t hear clearly what the maid says. As for that paper, after we poured the tea into the caddy, I threw it.” Then she turned to He Danggui and apologized, “I’m sorry, Third Miss! We don’t know that you had written the methods on that paper, so I threw it.”
“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t do it on purpose. You don’t need to apologize!” In fact, that paper was useless.
He Danggui smiled. She knew the tea room of Madam Luo was in perfect order. The tea leaves and tea fruits from outside would be stored in storage room in time. Those with strong flavors would be store in caddies, and others would be put in the drawers which were numbered like those in herbal medicine shop with their original packages. Because the Hawthorn tea had a strong flavor, He Danggui bet that maids would throw that package after putting the tea into a caddy. She told a lie that she had written a way of making the tea on the paper. And she put the blame on the shift. There were about twenty maids in tea room. Therefore, no one would be blamed.
Of course, with too much sugar, the Hawthorn tea would have a bad taste no matter what methods were used. With her good ears, He Danggui heard some people walking quickly from a distance. She thought that the banquet would begin, and the thing would be forgotten soon. As expected, with the footsteps coming closer, the good smell of food also came. Madam Luo took the opportunity and began entertaining the guests to drink and eat as soon as the first round of foods were served. She acted as if that thing hadn’t happened. She didn’t stop childes to drink, and let maids serve wine to everyone.
Mammy Tang led Luo Baiqiong to sit beside Peng Shi and Peng Jian and comforted her that it was an accident, and never mind about that.
Luo Baiqiong could only suffer in silence, because she did it on the spur of the moment. For several months, she had constantly attended classes of “Cha Wu Xiang” Master Huang who was a famous tea master. She thought that she had a good comprehension on tea art and could even recite the expression of serving tea, so she wanted to show herself in big occasions. Because of the death of younger uncle, her mother would not hold parties of poetry and tea in months to let her show herself. It made her feel unhappy and thought that she was like a dusty pearl.
Today, after hearing that Earl Baoding Meng Shan and Seventh Childe Meng came, and Madam Luo were going to entertain the guests, she immediately began to dress up. But she took a long time in preparing the clothes and accessories for dinner. When she was outside the Xin Rong Hall, she met with Mammy Tang who was planning to serve tea.
Luo Baiqiong knew that Earl Baoding was the most important guest today. She regretted to be late on such an important occasion. Suddenly, she saw the hot porcelain bottle in Gan Cao’s hands giving off a sweet smell. She immediately had an idea to give a unique tea show. As it known to all, a daughter of a family with superb tea art was the first choice for all the rich childes. If she could show her herself in front of the guests, she could lift her social status and attracted cousin Pen Shi’s special attention!
Knowing her plan, Mammy Tang told her with hesitation that what was in the porcelain bottle was not ordinary tea, but the Hawthorn tea made by Third Miss. And it might not be polite to pretend that the Hawthorn tea was made by her. After hearing this, her eyes were even brighter. She happened to recite an introduction of fragrant fruit tea several days ago. She was so lucky! She could use it in this occasion. But finally, her wonderful performance was screwed up by the tea of “the wild He Danggui”, which drove her crazy!
Sitting in the hall, Luo Baiqiong only felt embarrassed. She believed that these people in the hall must laugh at her. She blamed all the fault on “the wild He Danggui”!
Many people, such as Second Madam, First Master, First Miss and Master Guan who had planned three days ago to pay a visit, didn’t show up at the feast. So, there were so many vacancies in the hall. After Mammy Tang comforted Luo Baiqiong, she let He Danggui move from the last seat to the upper seat. The feast would be more exciting if people sat closer to each other. As a result, He Danggui was moved to the opposite of Luo Baiqiong. They hated each other and felt that the good dishes were tasteless.
The feast started. In the center of the main seat was Madam Luo. There were two rows of seats under the stairs of five. In the left row, the first was Meng Shan and his son, the second was Peng Shi and Peng Jian, the third was Luo Baiqiong. In the right row, the first was Ning Yuan and his servant, the second was Guan Bai, who hadn’t been present, and the third was He Danggui.
These people were either strangers who met for the first time, for example, Meng Shan and his son were strangers to Peng Shi and Peng Jian. And Peng Shi and Pen Jian didn’t know Ning Yuan and his servant; or familiar strangers, like He Danggui and Luo Baiqiong; or someone was eager to treat others as strangers, like Peng Shi’s attitude towards Luo Baiqiong. These “strangers” seated beside their own tables, drinking and eating. It was not a feast at all. Madam felt so anxious that she began to chat with them one by one. She firstly asked whether Meng Xuan was engaged, and then asked whether Pend Shi and Peng Jian were satisfied with Xi Chang Yard, and finally asked whether Luo Baiqiong had enough food. But she only got simple answers like “Yes” or “No”. All of them were not in the mood.
Madam Luo turned to the right and wanted to talk to Ning Yuan again, because she had a good talking to Ning Yuan last time. But before she spoke, Ning Yuan suddenly stood up and said, “Excuse me, I’m going to change my clothes.” Madam Luo nodded and wanted to talk with fake Feng Yang. But fake Feng Yang, who was patted by Ning Yuan, immediately stood up, “I’m also going to change my clothes! Help yourself!” Then, they rushed out of the side door.
Were two men going to change clothes together? Their actions attracted the rest in the hall immediately and the atmosphere of the feast became more interesting. Peng Jian turned to his elder brother and said with a smile, “Brother, is Feng Yang really the newly-appeared ‘Fuliu Swordsman’? Why does he act like a lady?”
Before Peng Shi answered, Meng Xuan suddenly interrupted, “I saw ‘Fuliu Swordsman’ a few months ago, and he looked the same as this Feng Yang.”
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