To Hold One’s Joy

  Chapter 23 Reciprocate

  Luo Sheng returned to the room as if nothing had happened, while Sheng Jiayu knelt in front of the eldest wife and wept bitterly.

   "Mother, it's useless to be a daughter, I didn't stop my cousin—"

  Looking at her daughter whose eyes were red from crying, the eldest wife felt distressed and depressed.

  I thought Sheng Jialan's scandal would be suppressed, but now it's become known to everyone, why are these girls so disturbing!

   Feeling stuck for a while, the eldest lady got up: "It's about the reputation of the Sheng Mansion, follow me to your grandmother's place."

  Sheng Jiayu followed the eldest wife to Funing Hall step by step.

  Old lady Sheng was used to the food delivered by Luo Sheng for the past two days, but today she suddenly felt that the food was not delivered, so she heard the eldest maid Caixia report that the eldest lady was here.

  The old lady raised her eyelids: "Please come in."

   A moment later, the bead curtain slammed lightly, and the eldest wife walked in with Sheng Jiayu.

  Old lady Sheng glanced at Sheng Jiayu's red eyes, and couldn't help frowning: "What's wrong?"

   "I still haven't apologized to your grandmother." The eldest lady scolded, and told the old lady Sheng the whole story.

  Old lady Sheng's face turned black after hearing this.

   It has only been quiet for a few days, why is there another moth again!

  Since the granddaughter came, Sheng Fu was actually laughed at by outsiders many times, but at most Xiao Sheng Fu was unlucky and had an ignorant cousin, but this time the joke was made by Sheng Fu himself.

  Old lady Sheng was frustrated for a while, and gave the eldest wife a look: "Boss daughter-in-law, you should bear most of the responsibility for this matter."

  The eldest wife nodded in embarrassment: "It is true that the daughter-in-law is lax in running the family and letting those servants gossip about what happened today."

  If it weren't for those servants who spread the rumor that the cousin girl pushed Sheng Jialan into the lake and it was too much for others, there would be no such thing as Miss Su's fight for Sheng Jialan today.

  After that day, those servants who knew the inside story were beaten and shut their mouths tightly, but the servants who only saw the cousin girl and the second girl fell into the lake together but didn't know the inside story chewed their tongues behind their backs.

  There is no impenetrable wall in the world, rumors quickly spread outside the mansion, and it was too late to stop the eldest wife when she heard about it.

  For the sake of the Sheng family's reputation, it is impossible for her to stand up and tell the truth, and a few gossiping servants broke out. The eldest wife can only secretly hope that this turmoil will pass quickly.

   Never thought that Cousin would be a person who would not take advantage of a little loss, so she made things clear when she stood on the street.

  Old Mrs. Sheng seemed to guess what the eldest lady was thinking. She glanced at her and said, "If you sow melons, you will reap melons, and if you sow beans, you will reap beans. Sheng'er can't blame what happened today."

   "My daughter-in-law understands."

  Sheng Jiayu was a little unconvinced: "Grandma, my cousin never thought about our family's reputation—"

  Old lady Sheng's complexion was gloomy: "Jiayu, you are thinking in your heart that anyway, your cousin has a bad reputation, and it doesn't matter if there is another scandal?"

  Sheng Jiayu froze and lowered her eyes.

   I have to say that she really has such an idea in her heart.

  Anyway, Luo Sheng has a bad reputation, so there is nothing to lose if he bears another notoriety, it is better than taking the Sheng Mansion in.

  Old lady Sheng shook her head: "It's your grandmother and your parents who dote on you too much."

   "Grandmother?" Sheng Jiayu looked up in surprise.

The old lady Sheng's expression became more solemn, and she could not hide her disappointment when she looked at her granddaughter: "Grandmother thought that telling right from wrong is a principle you should learn since childhood. Your cousin came to Jinsha with a bad reputation, which was caused by her improper words and deeds. She should bear the consequences. But Jialan's business is to pour sewage on her body, so you are holding a washbasin and pouring sewage on her body, and you are not allowed to hide?"

   "I—" Sheng Jiayu opened her mouth, unable to speak.

  Old lady Sheng's tone became severe: "Jiayu, remember, it's not so terrible to have a bad reputation in the eyes of outsiders, what's scary is to bend your own bones!"

  Sheng Jiayu was so ashamed of being told, she stared at the ground and wished she could find a crack to get in.

   Is she really as bad as her grandmother said?

  Tears of grievance rolled down from the corner of Sheng Jiayu's eyes.

  The eldest wife sighed: "Don't worry, my daughter-in-law will definitely discipline this girl in the future."

The old lady Sheng nodded slightly: "Those servants should sell what they should sell, and they should be punished. I don't want to see such things happen again in the future. Boss daughter-in-law, I entrusted the house to you to eat two more bowls of rice, no? To add to the congestion."

   After dismissing the eldest wife, mother and daughter, old lady Sheng ordered Caixia to invite Luo Sheng over.

   "Sheng'er, do you know why grandma called you here?"

  Luo Sheng asked without thinking: "Is it because of a dispute with the girl from the Su family?"

  Old lady Sheng shook her head: "No."

  Luo Sheng was stunned.

   What else could it be if it wasn’t this?

  Old lady Sheng cleared her throat, showing a look of indifference: "Grandmother just wanted to ask, is lunch still delivered?"

  Luo Sheng was dumbfounded.

  The old lady Sheng explained seriously: "Diligent and thrifty housekeeping has always been the family tradition of the Sheng family. If the big kitchen delivers too many dishes, you will send them here again. It will not be a waste."

  Luo Sheng twitched the corners of his mouth slightly.

   Seeing the serious look of the old lady, she almost believed it.

   "Lunch will not be delivered, Sheng'er has other things to do."

  Old lady Sheng covered her heart when she heard this.

   "Grandma isn't feeling well?"

  Old lady Sheng let out a long sigh: "Jialan's incident is known to everyone, and the Sheng family has lost face. Just thinking about this, grandma can't eat a bite of food. She will have no face to see her ancestors in the future—"

   Seeing that the old lady had no intention of stopping, Luo Sheng admitted defeat and said, "Send."

  Old lady Sheng suddenly stopped and sighed, coughed and said, "Braised pork is suitable for elderly people with bad teeth."

  Luo Sheng lowered his eyes: "I will give you the braised pork."

  The old lady Sheng was satisfied and let her granddaughter go.

  If something bad happens and you don’t want to eat something delicious, life will be too difficult.

  Luo Sheng sat in a daze for a while after returning to the room.

  She thought that Mrs. Sheng would accuse her, but she didn't expect this to be the result.

  Pick me a peach and repay it with Qiongyao. Since Mrs. Sheng treats me generously, let her cook a pot of braised pork.

  Luo Sheng walked into the small kitchen and started making this braised pork dish.

  Braised pork is difficult to say, a pot of red meat is always unpalatable, but there are many tricks to cook it well.

  First of all, choose the meat, only choose the pork belly with seven layers of fat and thin skin inside, and the taste will be lost if one layer is missing.

  Luo Sheng soaked the pork belly cut into uniform cubes in cold water to soak in bleeding water, put them in a hot pan and stir-fried.

  Hongdou watched curiously, and couldn't help asking: "Girl, why don't you use oil for your roast meat?"

"No oil, no water, so that the cooked meat is delicious." Luo Sheng explained casually. When the skin of the meat turned yellow, he poured hot water, green onion, ginger, vinegar and other seasonings, and when the water boiled, he ordered light red to cook. Take a spoon and skim off the froth.

   This process lasted for a full quarter of an hour, and Luo Sheng didn't stop until the water stopped foaming.

  Put in the bamboo shoots, cover them, and simmer for a long time on low heat. When the meat skin can be easily poked through with chopsticks, add rock sugar. After the juice is collected, a pot of braised pork that is crystal clear like amber is ready.

  Put the cooked braised pork into a shallow black clay pot, sprinkle with finely chopped green onions, Luo Sheng bent his lips: "Send it to Funing Hall."

   Thought it had been updated. . . . . The current memory is terrible.

  (end of this chapter)