June 19th is Meng Anzhi's birthday.
Anzhi Hall closed down for the day, Jin Shanyao bought three sheep, asking Zhou Xiaosi and Qing Yang to go to the estate to slaughter them ahead of time.
Qing He harnessed the oxcart and called into the house, "Master, preparations are almost complete, we should go."
After shouting, he began to lay out the mat. Looking up, he saw Meng Anzhi wearing a red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with an apricot-colored short shirt and pearl flowers in her hair, walking out of the house.
Her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Young master... you're so beautiful! Let me see you..."
Qing He circled Meng Anzhi twice, saying with satisfaction, "My daughter has grown up, charming and lovely, a beauty that could topple cities."
Meng Anzhi blushed at her praise. She had wanted to ride a horse to the estate, but her aunt disagreed, saying that riding a horse was fine for routine medical consultations.
Today is my birthday, so I can't just dress casually; I have to dress festively...
Meng Anci and the others waited outside the courtyard. Only after seeing the group come out did they mount their horses and follow the oxcart towards the estate.
As soon as they reached the city gate, they saw Shi Household carriages and the Zhao Household carriage waiting there.
Shiyan, standing excitedly on the carriage, exclaimed, "They're here! They're here..."
Zhao Zhiyuan glanced over instinctively and saw Meng Anzhi sitting gracefully in an oxcart, dressed in red, with a hint of barely perceptible joy in her eyes.
Hearing the noise, Zhao Yushan stuck his head out of the carriage. "Where? Where is he?"
Meng Anci saw them and shouted, "Follow them!"
"Sigh..." Shiyan responded, urging the driver to follow behind the oxcart.
Zhuangzi, Part 1.
Wu Yong was waiting at the door early in the morning. He instructed his servants to take the guests' carriages to the stables and then led them inside.
Having visited Shiyan several times, he remained composed. Zhao Zhiyuan and Zhao Yushan, however, were visiting for the first time. Looking up, they saw rows of houses and distant green mountains like a screen, and they were secretly amazed.
In the backyard, the three sheep had already been cleaned, Qing Yang was leading two nannies to cook mutton soup. Seeing Meng Anzhi arrive, they all called out, "Happy birthday, young mistress!"
Meng Anzhi smiled and said, "What can I do?"
The people on the estate dared not order her around, and all laughed and said, "Young mistress is the birthday girl, she doesn't need to do anything, just wait for the dishes to be served."
These words drew agreement from the crowd, just as Fan Er came over carrying a bowl of mutton.
" Qing Yang, the meat is cut into chunks. Shall we skewer it now?"
Meng Anzhi interjected, "Give it to me, you can go do other things."
Without thinking much, Fan Er handed the basin to Meng Anzhi, but it was taken by a boy next to him.
Zhao Zhiyuan, holding a basin, smiled and asked, "Sister Anzhi, where shall we go to get some skewers?"
Shiyan looked him over suspiciously, then slapped Zhao Zhiyuan on the back, making him stagger and almost knock the basin to the ground.
Meng Anzhi quickly supported him, "Are you alright?"
Zhao Zhiyuan forced a smile, "It's nothing."
Meng Anzhi glanced at the impetuous Shiyan, said nothing, and turned to lead Zhao Zhiyuan down the corridor.
Shiyan stood there, hands raised, staring at his palm and muttering, "When did I become so strong?"
He waved his hand in the air twice as he spoke. Only after everyone had walked far away did he cry out and chase after them.
A charcoal stove has been set up in the backyard, with a pile of glowing charcoal behind it, and a rack above it for roasting a whole lamb.
Meng Anci and Zhao Yushan happily gathered around Jin Shanyao, watching her brush honey onto the whole sheep.
Dahuang Xiaoli kept sniffing the air, occasionally circling the whole sheep twice.
The mutton was greasy, Zhao Zhiyuan let Meng Anzhi touch it. He sat under the eaves and skewered the meat himself.
Halfway through the process, she ran out of slips of paper, so Meng Anzhi got up and went to the kitchen to get more.
At this point, only Zhao Zhiyuan and Shiyan remained.
Shiyan suddenly became serious, his eyes turning sinister as he said, "Something's not right. You're definitely up to something."
Zhao Zhiyuan replied, "What problem could I possibly have?"
"Your health has deteriorated. Before, when I slapped you, you wouldn't even flinch, but today you almost fell."
Suddenly, Shiyan raised his hand and struck Zhao Zhiyuan from behind. Zhao Zhiyuan instinctively tried to block, but his sleeve caught on the edge of the basin, and with a thud, half a basin of meat fell to the ground.
Shiyan Yan jumped three feet high, pointing at Zhao Zhiyuan.
"Ah... you knocked it over."
Zhao Zhiyuan smiled, "It's just the two of us here. Who can prove that I knocked it over?"
Shiyan was taken aback. He caught a glimpse of Meng Anzhi's clothes out of the corner of his eye, and on a sudden impulse, he quickly hid in the side room.
He covered his mouth and chuckled, "Zhao Zhiyuan, you're dead this time."
Shiyan pressed his ear against the door and vaguely heard, "Never mind, if I hadn't raised my hand to block it, the basin wouldn't have gotten caught... Shiyan was just afraid you'd scold him, that's why he hid."
Hiding in the house, Shiyan Yan was stunned for a long time... He had actually been tricked by Zhao Zhiyuan.
Only after Meng Anzhi left did Shiyan walk out dejectedly and sit under the eaves with an unreadable expression.
Meng Anci and Zhao Yushan ran over, looking dejected. "Why are you sitting here by yourself? Where's Zhao Zhiyuan? The charcoal is ready, let's go grill some skewers."
Shiyan stared intently at Meng Anci, " Anci, I've been tricked by Zhao Zhiyuan, and I think I'm going to turn to the dark side..."
Meng Anci patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "You and Zhao Zhiyuan are not on the same level to begin with. Turning to the dark side will not make you smarter."
You might get called bad and stupid. Trust me... just be yourself. At least kindness is a virtue.
Shiyan's heart was shattered into pieces. Her watery eyes looked at Meng Anci, " Anci... I think you've hurt me."
Meng Anci pulled him towards the charcoal stove, "Good medicine tastes bitter, but it's good for you. I believe in you... a couple of bites of lamb skewers will do the trick."
With the imperial examinations just around the corner, this was a rare opportunity for them to relax, and they cherished it all. They gathered around the charcoal grill, grilling skewers while chatting and laughing.
Zhao Zhiyuan handed the grilled lamb skewers to Meng Anzhi, "Try it... I wonder if you put too much salt in it?"
Shiyan, his lips charred from eating, snatched the skewer and took a big bite. "It's just right, not too salty..." he said, then handed the skewer back to Zhao Zhiyuan.
"Eat them all if you like," Zhao Zhiyuan said, handing the meat skewers back to Shiyan.
Shiyan asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to eat?"
"You eat..." Zhao Zhiyuan said, then lowered his head and continued grilling meat skewers.
Shiyan put down the meat skewers and took out the crab roe pomegranate buns he had prepared beforehand.
Happy birthday, Anzhi!
"Thanks..."
Zhao Yushan took out a porcelain pulse pillow, saying, "Thank you for your care during this epidemic, Doctor Meng."
Meng Anzhi, "Young Master Zhao, you're too kind."
Zhao Zhiyuan gave her a nine-linked ring puzzle. It was the first time Meng Anzhi had ever seen one, and she didn't know how to play it. The two of them studied it together for a long time before they finally solved it.
The banquet officially began, and the servants from the estate lined up to celebrate Meng Anzhi's birthday.
The adopted children, one by one, held water cups and solemnly offered their congratulations, "Happy birthday, Sister Anzhi!"
The oldest of these children was no more than eight years old, and the youngest was only two or three. A group of little rascals chattered and scurried around Meng Anzhi.
Lin Yue took out a purse she had embroidered, "Happy birthday, young master."
Meng Anzhi took it and smiled, "It's beautifully embroidered, you put a lot of thought into it."
Lin Yue smiled shyly, "If it weren't for the young master taking me in, I'm afraid I'd be..."
Lin Mo quickly interrupted her, saying that one should not say unlucky things on one's birthday.
Lin Mo took out a wooden pulse pillow, looking slightly embarrassed. He hadn't expected to give a duplicate gift.
"I made this myself. Happy birthday."
Meng Anzhi smiled and accepted it, "Thank you, this pulse pillow is very beautiful."
Meng Anci sat by the charcoal stove, his eyes sharp as knives as he looked at this person and that person.
He then pulled up a small stool and sat down next to his sister.