Chapter 62: New Year’s Eve

Chapter 62: New Year's Eve

Ying Shi returned to the mansion by carriage, originally planning to tidy up in her own courtyard before paying respects to the old madam.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she alighted from the carriage, she saw the matron from Madame Wei's household waiting at the mansion gate, seemingly specifically for her.

Ying Shi's smile faltered slightly as the matron bowed and approached: "The ladies are all in the old madam's courtyard, talking about you. Upon hearing that Third Madam would return today, they instructed me to fetch you to join them in conversation."

Seeing this, Ying Shi had to abandon her plans to rest. She let Xiang Yao drape her in a cloak and place a hand warmer in her hands, then followed the matron towards Rongshou Hall.

The winter wind in the capital was biting, gusts hitting her face.

The matron chatted politely with Ying Shi along the way: "Third Madam looks much better than before."

Ying Shi smiled faintly. In this life, she had little interaction with this matron named Chunniang from Madame Wei's side, but in her previous life, they had seen each other frequently.

This person was Madame Wei's primary watchdog, every word likely instructed by Madame Wei herself. Ying Shi remained vigilant, silent throughout the journey.

Entering Rongshou Hall, the maids lifted the door curtain in surprise. Inside the modest main room, a group of ladies sat, adorned with pearls and jade, a splendid sight.

The room was warmed by red charcoal, a sharp contrast to the cold outside, as if they were in another world.

Madame Wei and Lady Xiao sat in turn on the left side of the old madam's divan, while three ladies sat on the other side, each with two maids standing behind them.

There had likely been laughter earlier, but as Ying Shi, who shouldn't have been there, entered, some faces froze, while others fell.

Clearly, no one had expected Ying Shi to come. The ladies of the Duke's mansion exchanged glances, hiding their discomfort.

Ying Shi immediately realized she had fallen into Madame Wei's trap.

Sure enough, the old madam's voice came next.

"Today, the Duke's mansion has many guests. You should go sit by your mother."

Since Ying Shi had already arrived, it would be inappropriate to hastily find an excuse to leave. Her heart sank as the maids took off her cloak. After paying respects, she sat where the old madam pointed, next to Madame Wei.

The two ladies chatting softly with the old madam were vaguely familiar to Ying Shi—they were the Duke's wife and daughter-in-law.

As for the other young lady, dressed in a pomegranate-red silk jacket with cloud patterns and a white butterfly-patterned satin skirt, with long eyebrows and a small mouth, her face as full as the moon, she was clearly from a noble family, intelligent and virtuous.

As Ying Shi observed her, she too was sizing up Ying Shi.

Their gazes met in the air, both knowingly avoiding each other.

The ladies of the Duke's mansion were quite graceful, perhaps maintaining their dignity, not wanting to lower themselves, they no longer looked at Ying Shi, treating her as if she were invisible.

While the mistresses were graceful, the maids who followed were somewhat clueless, especially the two maids behind the Duke's daughter. If looks could kill, Ying Shi felt she would have been riddled with holes from head to toe by their gazes.

During the conversation between the old madam and the Duke's ladies, Ying Shi overheard a few words, all about marriage discussions. Given her current status, listening to these was naturally quite awkward.

Madame Wei glanced at Ying Shi's uneasy expression and finally whispered: "The Duke's daughter knows about our family's dual inheritance, saying she doesn't mind such trivialities and still wishes to marry the eldest son."

Those trivialities clearly referred to Ying Shi herself.

Although Ying Shi knew these might not be the exact words, likely Madame Wei's deliberate hint, she was still quite shocked.

What did trivialities mean?

Had Liang Yun not slept with me many times? Why is it still considered "empty"?

Then what is "real"?

Knowing her past life, Ying Shi naturally didn’t feel she had stolen someone else’s future husband. How could she not understand the deeper meaning behind Madame Wei summoning her here?

It was probably to provoke the Duke’s household. By having the unmarried young lady see her, wasn’t it a clear message to Miss Yuan that they would be equals in the future, addressing each other as sisters-in-law? She might even have a child before Miss Yuan. With this provocation, Madame Wei hoped to sabotage the marriage?

Secondly, it was an opportunity to warn her, fearing that she might develop feelings for Liang Yun after spending so many nights together.

Though Ying Shi was seething with resentment, she managed to hold back her anger.

The female relatives of the Duke’s household were still chatting with the elderly lady. Since the marriage would not happen anyway, if she said too much, she would certainly not benefit from it.

She could only swallow her frustration, forcing a smile at Madame Wei, "Thank you, Mother, for calling me here."

Madame Wei’s face flickered with embarrassment at Ying Shi’s words, but she hid her displeasure, lowering her eyes and sipping her tea. She used the moment of skimming the tea foam to say, "Don’t blame me. The Duke’s household has been visiting often lately, and the elderly lady is especially fond of Chunhua. It was only a matter of time before you two met. I won’t favor anyone now, but I was young once too. I fear that you, being young and inexperienced, might act rashly, losing your head over a man."

Ying Shi was utterly disgusted by her.

She had always known Madame Wei to be hypocritical, but she didn’t expect her to be so shameless.

Who was it that had sweet-talked her daughter-in-law, persuading her with the benefits of a shared household, always painting everything in the best possible light? When she refused, Madame Wei was furious, wishing she could tie her to the bed and have her bear a grandson immediately.

And now? After just four months, Madame Wei had completely changed her tune, no longer even bothering to pretend.

"What isn’t mine, I have never coveted, nor would I stoop to take it. The same goes for people," Ying Shi said, holding the scalding cup, tearing off Madame Wei’s veil of pretense. "I was content to remain a widow, but it was only after hearing Mother’s earnest pleas that I was moved to pity, intending to leave a descendant for the Third Master through the Duke. My heart has always been with the Third Master, even at the cost of my own reputation. I have done a great service to the Third Household. What does Mother mean by this? Instead of supporting me, you’re now warning me? I don’t like this kind of talk."

Madame Wei was deeply embarrassed but also afraid of this daughter-in-law who didn’t follow the usual rules, fearing she might cause a scene in front of others again, leaving her with no face. She had to go along with Ying Shi’s words, "No, I’m not warning you. How could I not understand your feelings for Shun Gong? How could I bear to warn you? I know the grievances you’ve suffered. Poor Shun Gong left us early, leaving us as widows and orphans, both pitiful..."

Ying Shi, seeing her about to repeat the same old story, which she had heard countless times from Madame Wei, her ears almost calloused, rubbed her earlobe and suddenly said seriously, "If I have a child, I will only focus on raising the child. In the future, the eldest brother’s affairs will have nothing to do with me."

She wasn’t making this promise to Madame Wei but to herself.

Madame Wei felt somewhat relieved hearing this and smiled again, insincerely saying, "I know you’re a sensible and well-mannered child. The eldest brother must feel the same way. He’s a very proper person. Once he gives you a child, he will naturally keep his distance. In the future, just focus on doing what you should, raising the child with me, and no one will mistreat you. Good child, your blessings are yet to come."

The same old words, over and over.

The room was warm from the burning charcoal, and Ying Shi felt drowsy.

She didn’t want to stay by Madame Wei’s side any longer. As it was almost time for dinner, she quickly found an excuse to leave.

Stepping into the snowy garden, the first thing Ying Shi asked Xiang Yao was, "Has that koi been put into the pond?"

Xiang Yao pointed to the pond, "Look, isn’t that the most lively one in there? The Duke was right, this fish is wild, it can survive even in muddy water."

Ying Shi, thoroughly chilled, hurried into the house, where Gui Niang handed her a bowl of steaming hot red bean paste and rice cake soup.

Cooked to perfection, the sticky red bean paste was filled with soft, white rice cakes, steaming hot.

The steam blurred Ying Shi’s eyes.

Ying Shi picked up a spoon and found a piece of rice cake covered in red bean paste. Despite the heat, she took a bite, savoring it in her mouth for a while, and then smiled warmly.

She always remembered the taste of this red bean soup, never forgetting it.

Gui Niang only made it for her every winter. As a child, she didn’t think much of it, but later, during the winter of her death, she could never forget its taste.

Ying Shi smiled and said, "When I was a child, every time I ate the red bean paste cooked by Gui Niang, I knew it was time for the New Year. The thing I looked forward to the most as a child was the New Year."

Each year, I grew a year older.

Growing a year older meant I could get married.

...

As the saying goes, time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was already New Year's Eve.

The Liang family placed great importance on New Year's Eve, decorating the house with festive touches a day in advance.

On New Year's Eve, the family replaced the door gods, couplets, and the peach wood charms with newly painted ones. Hundreds of maids and servants in the house were each given a new set of clothes, transforming the entire house into a fresh and vibrant space.

From the main gate to the main hall, the doors were wide open, with bright red lanterns hanging on both sides of the steps.

Ying Shi also began to meticulously adorn her courtyard. She personally wrote the Spring Festival couplets, while Gui Niang, Chun Lan, and Xiang Yao cut various patterns out of red paper to decorate the windows with paper cutouts.

Xiao Qiongyu was approaching her delivery month, and with her pale face and swollen belly, no one dared to let her endure the harsh winter weather to labor. Naturally, the responsibility for the New Year's Eve feast fell on Ying Shi.

Fortunately, Ying Shi had experience in managing banquets from her previous life, so she wasn't completely in the dark.

Ying Shi rose before dawn and led Gui Niang to the main kitchen with a long list to check the ingredients for the cold and hot dishes for New Year's Eve.

Many of the kitchen staff were seeing Ying Shi for the first time. She was dressed in a dignified blue jacket with a floral pattern, with gold hairpins inlaid with rubies on her temples and a hand warmer in her hands, giving her youthful face a more mature appearance.

As soon as Third Madam entered, she began inspecting the cold dishes and checking the list with a serious demeanor, making the young kitchen staff too intimidated to speak.

After finishing her inspection, Ying Shi saw that the cold dishes were mostly ready, with only a few hot dishes still simmering in the pots. She had also overheard some of the whispers when she entered, so she asked, "Don't be afraid, I'm not a tiger and I won't eat you. If there are any mistakes or things you can't handle, tell me early. There's still time, and we can find substitutes for anything. Don't wait until it's time to serve the dishes and panic, because I won't be able to cover for you then."

Hearing this, the kitchen staff finally gathered the courage to speak: "For the New Year's Eve family banquet, we have two tables, one for the masters and one for the ladies. Each table has seven cold dishes, twenty-one hot dishes, two plates of auspicious dishes, and six boxes of midnight snacks. Everything else is ready, but for the fresh shrimp and fish maw dish, the shrimp that was delivered last night was stolen by a wild cat, which opened the lid. When we checked just now, half of it was gone, and the rest was frozen to death..."

Even if it hadn't frozen to death, no one would dare to serve shrimp that had been touched by a cat to the masters and ladies.

But the shrimp had been specially purchased from Jingkou, rushed to the house as soon as it was caught. Where could they find time to buy more shrimp now? And who would be catching shrimp during the New Year?

Ying Shi went over to take a look and was immediately overwhelmed by the fishy smell, waving her hand to have it taken away and thrown far.

"If there's no river shrimp, use dried shrimp. Soak it early."