After dark, Qin Lian took Dabao and the others back to Cyclamen. After dinner, she accompanied them to complete the homework assigned by the master.
"Dabao, Erbao, it's getting late. You should go freshen up first and go to bed early."
"Okay." Dabao responded.
Erbao looked out the door from time to time, with worry on her fair and tender face, "Aunt Lianlian, why isn't mother back at this hour? Is she going to rest at the Silk Satin Mansion today?"
"should be."
Qin Lian knew that she missed Su Liuye, so she held the child in her arms and comforted her softly, "Er Bao, let's go to bed early today. When you and Dabao come back from school tomorrow, I will take you to find A Liu. In the past few days, The Silk Satin Mansion is very busy, so A Liu probably won’t have time to come back.”
"Oh well."
Erbao pouted, came out of Qin Lian's arms, and consciously went over to get his clothes.
Qin Lian helped her wash up, put the two children to sleep, and added some charcoal to the charcoal stove to warm up the temperature in the room.
Thinking that there were still things to deal with in the store, Qin Lian opened the window a little and went to the store to do some business. When she came out, it was already quiet outside.
She was about to go back to rest when she saw a carriage parked outside the backyard door.
Qin Liang was just wondering who would come to Xiankelai at such a late hour when he saw Chu Yan getting out of the carriage, and there seemed to be someone else inside.
Chu Yan said a few words to the man before walking towards the backyard.
"Brother Chu, are you back so late?"
Qin Lian said hello.
"Yes." Chu Yan glanced in her direction, with a look of solemnity in his stern brows.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Qin Lian seemed to smell a faint smell of blood. She was very familiar with this smell. Occasionally when she was helping in the kitchen, she could smell this smell from the freshly killed chickens and ducks in the stone cracks.
But it seems... the smell on Chu Yan's body is stronger.
What does this smell like?
Before Qin Lian could think clearly, the man walked into the room with a cold face.
Chu Yan's room is on one side alone.
The door closed, and dim candlelight soon lit up inside.
Qin Lian frowned, wondering if she had smelled it wrong just now. Maybe the smell was coming from the kitchen.
The weather has been cold recently, and many diners come here to eat hot pot. The kitchen has to kill chickens and ducks every day to make soup. The smell of chicken and duck blood is very strong.
Qin Lian didn't think much about it. She also knew that Chu Yan was helping the government recently, so it was normal for him to smell a little like blood.
Back in the room, she simply wiped her body with hot water and went to sleep.
Liu's winter banquet was scheduled for next month. During this time, Qin Lian was busy buying ingredients. Some ingredients had to be shipped by ship, and it took half a month to purchase them. During this period, Shi Feng was in the kitchen studying the cooking process of the dishes.
In the midst of the busyness, the banquet at the Liu Mansion arrived soon.
The Liu Mansion holds such a banquet every year, and the banquet guests are all families who have good relations with the Liu family. Even some dignitaries from Beijing specially send people to attend, which can be said to be completely concealed.
Su Liuye had come back a few days early to deal with the matter, and even took Qin Lian to Liu Mansion for a few rounds.
The banquet hall where the Liu Mansion holds banquets is in the banquet hall, where many tables can be placed.
Su Liuye looked at the situation at the scene and told the accompanying waiters some things to pay attention to. On the day of the banquet, they need to decorate the scene.
"Have you heard? Madam seems to want Miss Song to marry Third Young Master!"
"Really? Where did you hear that?"
Qin Lian was watching nearby and suddenly heard two little maids who were cleaning the yard whispering under their breath.
"All the maids in Madam's yard say so! Isn't it obvious that Madam has taken Miss Song to live here for so long? She just wants Miss Song to marry the Third Young Master, but the Third Young Master seems unwilling and is now making trouble with Madam. !”
"No way, didn't the madam and the young master quarrel because of that girl from the silk shop? I also heard what the maid in the madam's yard said."
Hearing this, the other maid's face showed confusion. After being stunned for a moment, she said, "Is she the woman who came to the house last time to give clothes to the third young master? I remember she seems to be from Jinxiufang."
"Jinxiu Fang has become very popular in the town recently. Many people go to buy clothes from them, but I heard that the shopkeeper of Jinxiu Fang is the one who had a conflict with Third Master before!"
"Then Madam..."
"The madam is naturally angry. She even had a quarrel with the young master that day!"
"No wonder the maids in Madam's yard have been very cautious recently. It turns out it's because of this."
"Yes, we have to be more careful recently and don't anger Madam..."
Hearing the maid's words, Qin Lian's eyes flickered. If she guessed correctly, she should be the person they were talking about.
Did Liu Yuan quarrel with his mother because of her?
Qin Lian was a little surprised, but thinking about Liu Yuan saying that she looked like the rabbit he used to raise, she suddenly felt angry in her heart.
Perhaps in these eyes, she is just a pet, they like to pester her when they have nothing to do, and they don't consider how much trouble it will cause her.
"Lianlian, we are going back."
Su Liuye took a look at the banquet hall and planned to go back if there was nothing wrong.
"Okay." Qin Lian agreed and followed her back.
The night before the winter banquet, Su Liuye brought Shi Feng and a few assistant cooks to the Liu family's kitchen, leaving Zhou and others to stay in Cyclamen.
There were too many dishes to prepare for the Liu family's winter banquet, and they had to come one day in advance to prepare.
Qin Lian originally thought that she had just met Mrs. Liu not long ago, and Mrs. Liu also misunderstood her relationship with Liu Yuan. If she went there at this time, she might anger Mrs. Liu, so she didn't plan to go there.
But seeing so many things that needed to be prepared, it was difficult for Su Liuye to handle them alone, so she had no choice but to follow them, not daring to run around the whole time, and just stayed busy in the kitchen.
"Alian, you go out and get some well water." Shi Feng handed her the bucket, "The water in the kitchen is about to run out. Come back quickly, I still need it urgently."
"……Fine."
Seeing that the water tank was indeed empty, Qin Lian didn't say much and took a few cooks to the well in the courtyard to fetch water.
The well is in the kitchen, so you won't meet anyone else here, right?
Several little cooks were busy fetching water, while Qin Lian watched worriedly, fearing that she would run into Liu Yuan and Song Xiao again.
"Miss Qin, okay, let's go back."
"OK……"
"You guys don't leave yet."
Just as Qin Lian was about to take the bucket and leave, an older-looking woman suddenly came over and stopped her. The woman's eyes looked a little stern, and when they fell on Qin Lian, she looked even more appraisingly.
