On Jiang Yueheng’s day off, the two of them went to the Zheng courtyard right after breakfast.
Hou Furen spoke indifferently: “You’re here. Have you eaten breakfast?”
Seeing Jiang Yueheng remain silent, Liu Qingwu put on a standard gentlewoman’s smile: “We’ve already eaten breakfast in our courtyard, Mother.”
Then switching to a thoughtful expression, she asked: “Have you eaten breakfast, Mother?”
Hou Furen had also eaten breakfast. Seeing that she couldn’t avoid the matter, she said with some reluctance: “Are you here to pick up Hao Ge’er?”
Liu Qingwu could sense Hou Furen’s discomfort and understood. After raising her precious grandson for two months, even with prior notice, Hou Furen must feel reluctant to see him go at the last moment.
“Yes, we’ve troubled you all this time, Mother.” Jiang Yueheng nodded.
Liu Qingwu twitched her eyebrow. This man’s personality really was something – couldn’t he say something nicer? Well, since he was her husband, she’d better help smooth things over.
She added understandingly: “Mother, husband was thinking that if Hao Ge’er moves earlier, he’ll have the daytime to adjust.”
Hou Furen glanced at her expressionless son and felt somewhat exasperated. Didn’t she know what her son was like? Never mind, it was good that they got along well.
Hou Furen led them to the side room, picked up Hao Ge’er from his small bed, and ordered everyone to move Hao Ge’er’s familiar belongings to the West Courtyard.
The wet nurse and her maids began packing efficiently. Though Hao Ge’er was small, he had many possessions. Besides daily utensils, they also packed a chest of gifts he’d received since birth.
Fearing the packing noise might startle Hao Ge’er, Hou Furen and the couple waited in the main room with the child.
When everything was packed, the procession made its way to the West Courtyard.
Arriving at the West Courtyard, they passed through the covered corridor. The matron in the rear courtyard had opened the door upon seeing their approach and stood waiting respectfully.
Inside the courtyard, Fuling was waiting at the main door and hurried forward to greet everyone.
Liu Qingwu led the way as the group proceeded directly to the eastern side room.
Upon entering, Hou Furen’s attention was drawn to the abundant fabric padding. Looking around carefully, she noticed the table corners, table legs, bed legs and other edges were all wrapped with cloth.
She gave Liu Qingwu an appreciative glance, nodding inwardly – this child was quite thoughtful.
This was the first time Hao Ge’er had left the Zheng courtyard since opening his eyes. Everything outside was new to him. Along the way, he kicked his little feet while looking around busily, and remained quite lively even after entering the room.
While the wet nurses rearranged the new room and Hou Furen supervised, the task of caring for Hao Ge’er fell to Liu Qingwu.
Liu Qingwu carried the child to the study, where the Anji from the daybed had been removed and replaced with the thin quilt she used for afternoon naps.
Carefully placing Hao Ge’er on the quilt, the toothless child grinned widely, drool trickling down the corner of his mouth.
Eww Liu Qingwu’s eyes flashed with disgust, suddenly reminded of her husband.
“Husband, Hao Ge’er is drooling. Quick, get a handkerchief to wipe it.”
Jiang Yueheng didn’t miss her step backward and stared fixedly at Liu Qingwu.
Lianxin, standing a few steps away, sensed trouble and pulled out Hao Ge’er’s drool cloth, preparing to step forward and wipe.
“I’ll do it.”
Jiang Yueheng naturally took the handkerchief from Lianxin’s hand, while Liu Qingwu stepped aside to make room for him.
He glanced at her, folded the handkerchief into a square, and gently dabbed away the drool from Hao Ge’er’s chin, speaking in a earnest tone, “It’s perfectly normal for young children to have trouble controlling their drool.”
“Yes, husband.”
Liu Qingwu shot Jiang Yueheng a glare. As if I didn’t know children drool—I was clearly disgusted by the smell!
By late morning, the east room was nearly set up, and Hao Ge’er was taken by the wet nurse to be fed.
Liu Qingwu approached Hou Furen with an invitation, “Mother, why not stay for lunch in the West Courtyard?”
Hou Furen hesitated, having spent the entire morning focused on Hao Ge’er’s move to the new courtyard, leaving many matters in the Zheng courtyard unattended.
“Please stay, Mother. The Tangyuan in my small kitchen came with me from the Liu family and has mastered all my culinary secrets,” Liu Qingwu said, her tone full of enticement.
Hou Furen thought of the various novel dishes she had recently encountered and began to waver.
The chef in the Zheng courtyard had once served in the palace and was skilled at preparing exquisite dishes. However, after decades of the same fare, she had grown rather tired of it.
Lately, the foods brought by Liu Qingwu were entirely new to her. Some were simple, even rustic in preparation, but their novelty was irresistible, and Hou Furen had grown quite fond of them.
After some internal debate, Hou Furen made a decision, “Very well, I shall dine in your courtyard.”
“Excellent! Please rest first, Mother. I will go to the kitchen to give some instructions.”
Liu Qingwu turned and went to the study, asking Jiang Yueheng to keep Hou Furen company while she took her maid to the small kitchen.
Since this was Hou Furen’s first meal in the West Courtyard, it was crucial to make a good impression. Liu Qingwu surveyed the fresh ingredients in the kitchen, made on-the-spot selections, and specifically called Tangyuan aside to give detailed instructions.
“Tangyuan, this is Mother’s first time dining in the West Courtyard. She has tasted every delicacy under the sun, so let’s prepare some novel dishes to refresh her palate.”
Tangyuan accepted the order, and the entire small kitchen mobilized as if facing a great challenge, determined to give their all and leave a favorable impression on Hou Furen.
The lunch did not disappoint. One dish in particular, Xihulu Ban Doufu, caught Hou Furen’s attention.
It appeared light and plain in color, but its taste was curiously unique. The moment it entered her mouth, she nearly failed to maintain her composure.
Unbeknownst to her, this dish was “invented” by Liu Qingwu, incorporating crushed seaweed and Jiemo Jiang. This mustard sauce was one of a kind, made from mustard seeds ground into powder and prepared accordingly. Liu Qingwu had stumbled upon the seeds while shopping, mixed in with other varieties unrecognized by the vendor, and claimed them for herself.
Though the flavor was somewhat peculiar, it left a refreshing clarity in her mind after the initial shock, prompting Hou Furen to help herself to two more bites.
Noticing his mother’s reaction, Jiang Yueheng, for reasons unknown, also picked up a portion and put it in his mouth.
His bite was much larger than Hou Furen’s. Before Liu Qingwu could stop him, she watched in horror as he swallowed it whole.
A pungent sensation shot straight into Jiang Yueheng’s nasal passages, bringing tears to his eyes instantly.
Hou Furen stared wide-eyed at the scene—this was the first time she had seen Huaijin cry since he was six years old.
Liu Qingwu panicked, holding a handkerchief to Jiang Yueheng’s mouth, “Husband, spit it out quickly!”
But Jiang Yueheng would not spit it out. He chewed a couple of times and swallowed hastily, then grabbed the bowl of soup Liu Qingwu handed him and gulped down several mouthfuls, finally suppressing the overwhelming sensation.
Liu Qingwu hesitantly offered a clean handkerchief, her face full of guilt.
Jiang Yueheng wiped away the tears that had uncontrollably welled in the corners of her eyes and continued eating in silence, not glancing at Liu Qingwu even once until the meal ended.
After such a face-losing incident occurred, with Jiang Yueheng still refusing to look at her, Liu Qingwu spent the entire lunch feeling uneasy, deeply afraid of being blamed by her mother-in-law and husband.
Hou Furen, however, finished her lunch with complete peace of mind, even feeling somewhat amused midway. Having maintained dignity and propriety for over a decade, Huaijin never expected to witness such a scene after growing up—this meal was truly worth it!