After some self-comfort, Xia Mang accepted the tasks one by one, feeling a little uneasy at the end.
After all, Xiang Xiukai's tasks were playing with fire, and Qiao Yuandong was not a fool.
If she mistakenly thought that Xia Mang was interested in her, then Xia Mang would no longer have to stay in the Duke's Mansion.
Xia Mang completely ignored the possibility that Qiao Yuandong would develop feelings for him after this series of coquettish moves.
Just kidding, could Madam be like that?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Now that the task is over, where should we start?
Since the stars and moon can only be seen at night, Xia Mang decided to cook for his wife first.
Compared to the others, this task is much simpler in nature.
Anyway, the maids often bring food to Qiao Yuandong from the kitchen. Xia Mang only needs to go to the kitchen to make something edible and bring it to Qiao Yuandong to eat.
The process was reasonable and reasonable. Xia Mang did not need to explain at all, and Qiao Yuandong would not misunderstand.
The only problem is that Xia Mang doesn't know how to cook.
However, this did not trouble Xia Mang at all. Anyway, the task only required cooking, but it did not specify what kind of dish to make.
So, the resourceful Xia Mang boiled a pot of water in the kitchen.
Let’s just say this counts as cooking, right?
When Xia Mang was first transferred to Qiao Yuandong's yard, she worked in the tea room. She had a strong say in the matter of boiling water.
In order to make the pot of water look less shabby, Xia Mang added some ingredients to it, and a fragrant red date and longan tea was freshly baked.
Xia Mang took a red glazed porcelain cup to put tea in. The reddish tea swirled in the porcelain cup with a sweet smell.
In this cool October weather, this is the most suitable drink. Xia Mang went to find Qiao Yuandong with tea.
Qiao Yuandong didn't have much appetite for lunch, so he only ate half a bowl of japonica rice with the newly pickled assorted side dishes.
After dinner, she leaned on the imperial concubine's couch and flipped through a book leisurely. When she was dozing off, Xia Mang's shout came from outside the door.
Qiao Yuandong heard the sound and looked up at the door. Xia Mang's people hadn't come in yet.
She heard He Huan who was guarding the door say: "Madam is resting in the room right now. What do you want to see her for?"
Xia Mang's crisp voice was filled with reluctance: "Ah! Are you sleeping? Let me take a look."
Before He Huan could stop him, Qiao Yuandong saw a little head peeking out of the door, and she met Xia Mang's round eyes.
"Ah! Madam is not asleep yet!" Xia Mang was obviously very surprised by his discovery.
"Come in." Qiao Yuandong put down the book and called the person in.
Xia Mang approached Qiao Yuandong with tea. Qiao Yuandong saw the tea cup in her tray and frowned slightly: "I don't drink tea."
It is difficult for people to fall asleep after eating tea, so Qiao Yuandong never drinks tea before taking a nap.
This girl has been following him for so long, yet she still makes such an oversight.
Humph, I really don’t care about her master at all!
Qiao Yuandong was so depressed that he didn't want to talk to Xia Mang. As a result, Xia Mang brought the tea cup to Qiao Yuandong and opened the lid to Qiao Yuandong like a treasure.
"Madam, I didn't add tea leaves to it. Zhuangzi sent us dates. I cooked them with dates and longan, and a little dried osmanthus. It's warm and helps you sleep. Smell it, it's delicious!"< br>
Xia Mang always has a knack for making food and drink taste more delicious once she tells her about it.
There was a huge bright red date lying in the red glazed cup, and there was a crystal clear longan meat next to it. Although the osmanthus was not visible, the fragrance of the osmanthus could be clearly smelled.
It was clearly just an ordinary cup of tea. Qiao Yuandong smelled the unique sweet smell of mixed flowers and red dates, and still reached out to take it.
She took a sip, and the temperature was just right. The warm tea flowed into her stomach, and the heat made her eyebrows widen.
Seeing Qiao Yuandong couldn't help but take another sip, Xia Mang said happily: "Not bad, right?"
Qiao Yuandong said honestly: "Although they are ordinary things, they are still edible."
Xia Mang was very happy to receive the leader's approval. After hearing the wonderful sound of the points arriving, Xia Mang became even happier.
She smiled and rolled her eyes and said: "There is truth in ordinary things."
"Nobility is more valuable than having no demands, richness is more than contentment, but you are very transparent." Qiao Yuandong looked at Xia Mang and said this, with a little admiration and appreciation in his eyes.
Xia Mang said smoothly: "My wife taught me well!"
Qiao Yuandong knew that Xia Mang was complimenting her. He wanted to laugh but was quickly suppressed by himself.
She put down the tea cup, lowered her eyes and caressed the fine lines on the fish scale skirt, and said as if unintentionally: "Why, you were so calm before, did you think of me today?"
Xia Mang saw that Qiao Yuandong had been kind and gentle before, but now he suddenly returned to his indifferent attitude. After hearing her words again, Xia Mang finally understood what the problem was.
Due to the sanctions imposed by the host a while ago, Xia Mang had no points to earn, so he was no longer as attentive as before, and there were also fewer people hanging around Qiao Yuandong.
Isn’t this just too lazy to cause problems?
Doesn't the leader imply that her attitude is not correct?
Realizing the crux of the problem, Xia Mang immediately said with a smile on his face: "Madam, you have a kind heart. I just had fun and avoided laziness for a few days. I will never do it again in the future!"
Qiao Yuandong was still a little unhappy at first, but seeing Xia Mang thumping his legs and squeezing his shoulders to sell the goods, the unhappiness had long since disappeared.
Why! She is still a child who loves to play, so why bother with her?
But you still have to be punished.
"That's all, you read and listen to me." Qiao Yuandong pointed to an embroidered pillar and told Xia Mang to sit down.
Xia Mang followed his words and sat on the embroidered pier, looking at Qiao Yuandong eagerly: "Madam, I can't read."
The last time he volunteered to read to Qiao Yuandong, he made people laugh. Xia Mang still remembers this embarrassing thing!
Seeing Xia Mang's reaction, Qiao Yuandong obviously thought of that incident. The corners of her lips turned up visibly, "It doesn't matter, just read it more and you'll understand."
have to! The leaders have already spoken, what else can be done?
Xia Mang accepted the book handed over by Qiao Yuandong resignedly. This time it was not the "Zhou Ji" by Lao Shizi. She immediately recognized the three big characters on the cover.
"Tao Te Ching."
very good! I’ve heard of this!
Xia Mang opened the first page of "De Chapter". She glanced at it briefly and found that there were no complicated and uncommon words. She basically recognized them, and her confidence instantly increased a lot. After clearing his throat, Xia Mang began to read vertically from left to right.
"To be virtuous is to be virtuous, and to be virtuous is to be virtuous; to be virtuous is to be virtuous, and to be virtuous is to be virtuous."
What's the meaning?
Xia Mang didn't know it at all, but that didn't stop her from reading it seriously.
Qiao Yuandong fell silent when he heard the first sentence.
As Xia Mang saw, all the books she saw in this era did not have sentence reading marks, and she had no idea where to break sentences.
This led to the fact that after she read it for a while, even Qiao Yuandong could not remember the content of the original book.
Listening to Xia Mang's eloquent reading, Qiao Yuandong couldn't figure out who she was punishing by asking her to study.
But how can you take back what you say?
If you tell this girl not to read now, doesn't it mean that she is clearly telling her that she doesn't read well?
Qiao Yuandong endured and listened. The more Xia Mang read, the more outrageous it became. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore.
When Xia Mang was told to stop by Qiao Yuandong, his tongue was tied up by the words "moral, not moral, not moral".
"Madam, won't you listen?" Xia Mang looked at Qiao Yuandong expectantly.
Qiao Yuandong rubbed his eyebrows, feeling a little reluctant to see Xia Mang for a moment.
But after listening to the messy Tao Te Ching in her head, she felt that if she just let Xia Mang go, she would not be able to sleep during the afternoon nap.
"Come here and I'll teach you how to read." Qiao Yuandong glared at Xia Mang and said helplessly.
Xia Mang handed the book to Qiao Yuandong. Qiao Yuandong patted the couch and motioned for her to sit next to him. Xia Mang sat down calmly.
The two were reading a book together, so Xia Mang was very close to her. Qiao Yuandong saw her shoulders leaning against his and said nothing.
"This sentence, reading virtuous is not virtuous." When she was reading, her voice was a little more frustrated than usual, looking serious and serious.
Xia Mang read along faithfully, even imitating Qiao Yuandong's frustrated tone.
From the corner of his eye, Qiao Yuandong watched Xia Mang read the book carefully, nodding her head a little when she needed to emphasize her intonation.
It's so, so cute!
So, as if he had discovered something interesting, Qiao Yuandong taught her to read three or four pages in a row, and did not stop until his mouth felt dry.
She reached out to pick up the tea at hand to take a sip to soothe her throat. Xia Mang immediately said: "Madam, this tea is cold. I'll get you a hot cup."
Now that the weather has turned cold, Qiao Yuandong also knows that he can't drink herbal tea, so he leaves Xia Mang to drink hot tea.
After having tea, Qiao Yuandong's sleepiness was over, and she didn't mind it. At worst, she could just go to bed early at night.
However, it was impossible for Xia Mang to let her go to bed early. She also had to look at the stars and the moon at night!
If the moon is bright, the stars must be sparse. If you look at the moon, you cannot see it as stars.
Tonight, the moon is dim and the stars are bright. After the sky turns dark, stars appear one after another, gradually dyeing the night into a mysterious gray-blue.
A faint Milky Way belt stretches across the sky, exuding a pearl-like luster, hazy and romantic, and dazzlingly beautiful.
Qiao Yuandong washed up early and yawned before going to bed.
As usual, she had to read a page of a book before going to bed. Qiao Yuandong was sitting by the window reading under the light, when Xia Mang ran in to look for her with a book in his hands.
"Madam, look what I found?" Xia Mang's tone was full of joy, as if he had found some strange treasure.
Qiao Yuandong put down the book and went to see Xia Mang. Xia Mang was holding a copy of "Gan Shi Xing Jing" in his hand and was happily turning it over to Qiao Yuandong.
"Madam, I can understand this book!"
Are you happy about this?
Qiao Yuandong: ".Are you interested in astrology?"
Xia Mang nodded hard: "Yes!"
That’s weird!
This was Xia Mang's idea to coax Qiao Yuandong out to watch the stars. She even found this book from Xiang Xiu'an's study.
Xia Mang led Qiao Yuandong to read the "Gan Shi Star Book", and she said: "Look at the movement patterns of the stars above and what meanings they represent. They are all clearly written."
Qiao Yuandong said nonchalantly: "I have already read that book."
Xia Mang's eyes lit up: "It turns out that Madam has done a lot of research on this subject. I happen to have something I don't understand. Why don't Madam explain it to me?"
It was rare for Qiao Yuandong to see Xia Mang be so interested in books, so he couldn't bear to dampen her thirst for knowledge.
She looked at the stars outside the window and simply said: "There are so many stars today, why not go to the yard and I will point them to you."
oh! My dear lady!
Xia Mang didn't even need to look for excuses now. She hugged the soft cushion and spread it on the stone bench in the courtyard.
Qiao Yuandong sat down slowly. Seeing that Xia Mang wanted to hold up a lamp to illuminate it, he hurriedly said: "Idiot, you can't see the stars if you light up the lamp."
Xia Mang, who had never seen stars in his two lifetimes combined, put away the lamp and came over in the dark to sit next to Qiao Yuandong.
As his eyes gradually adapted to the night, Xia Mang saw the stars in the sky, as if a large handful of fine crystals were sprinkled on the dark sky, bright and dreamy.
She said "Wow" sincerely: "It turns out to be so beautiful!"
Qiao Yuandong gave Xia Mang a funny look: "Why, you have never seen the starry sky?"
Xia Mang was embarrassed to admit that she had never seen it. She changed the subject and said: "Madam, I heard that if you see a shooting star at night, you can dream of Chen Zhen by making a wish on it!"
"What shooting star?"
After Xia Mang explained, Qiao Yuandong understood.
"Are you talking about flying stars?" She smiled and said: "These kind of words are mostly lies spread in the market. How can they be true? Not to mention that flying stars can be encountered all the time. Even if they are encountered, they are just useless. How can a fleshless dead thing care about the wishes of mortals like us?”
Xia Mang: "."
Damn it, Madam has no romantic qualities.
(End of chapter)
The author said: Okay, I bent one, and there is still one left. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution during the period of 2024-07-0119:49:09~2024-07-0321:54:31. ~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigate the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of Maizi and Halia; 351811729 bottles; 28536221, another day for book lovers, 5 bottles; Youxi 3 bottles;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!