With the seats freed up, Ning Shaoyun sat on the left side of the old lady, next to Chenchen, while Xia Mian and Xiao Feng occupied the right side of the main seat.
The old lady frowned at Ning Shaoyun, “Where will Qianqian sit? She needs to serve me the dishes.”
“Oh my, Old Madam,” Xia Mian spoke up, “In prestigious households, those serving dishes to the matriarch do so while standing. That’s what shows grandeur. Serving while sitting would be improper.”
“Besides, aren’t you holding this luncheon to thank me for saving your grandson? Then whoever sits in the place of honor next to me should be more esteemed than your eldest grandson; otherwise, people might think your eldest grandson is less important than an outsider. That surely would make them laugh.”
The old lady’s face turned green at Xia Mian’s words, and her tone was clearly displeased. “Miss Xia is surely knowledgeable.”
Xia Mian cheerfully replied, “Thank you for your praise, Old Madam. Sister Ning specifically told me how you value proper etiquette the most, so I made sure to learn a bit more after receiving today’s invitation. I wanted to show you the utmost respect!”
The old lady pursed her trembling lips, wanting to say something to Ning Shaoyun, but seeing Xia Mian’s intense gaze, she had no choice but to endure it. In the end, she could only squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth, “Serve the dishes!”
When Zhou Qianqian returned downstairs after changing her clothes, she was furious again upon seeing the seating arrangement. However, the old lady, now wary of Xia Mian’s sharp tongue, could only instruct Zhou Qianqian to sit in a lower position and gave her a meaningful look.
Zhou Qianqian sneered and clapped her hands. Several servants filed in, each placing a set of crab-eating tools in front of the guests. She then said to Xia Mian, “Today, the old lady specially had the Chengyang Lake crabs flown in to treat you. I imagine you haven’t had them before, so enjoy.”
“Oh! I’m in for a treat,” Xia Mian said, “Crabs from Chengyang are famously plump and delicious.” She waited for a moment. Then, seeing the servants silently retreating after setting the crab-eating tools, she spoke up again, “Is that it? Where are the hand-washing basins?”
Zhou Qianqian sneered, “You’re really full of yourself. Should we bring out mouthwash for you, too?”
Xia Mian let out a soft, condescending chuckle. “Young Lady Zhou, you’re from the countryside, aren’t you? No wonder you are not aware. In prestigious households, if there’s food that requires using your hands, a small basin is always placed beside the table.”
“Although it’s called a basin, it’s actually a glass bowl containing cool boiled water, served alongside mungbean flour infused with the aroma of chrysanthemum leaves and cassia. After eating the crabs, washing your hands in this water removes the smell and leaves a pleasant fragrance of chrysanthemum and cassia, elegant and sophisticated.”
“Nowadays, things tend to be a bit simpler, though. Infused mungbean flour is hard to prepare, after all, so just a few slices of lemon in the cool boiled water give a similar effect.” Xia Mian spoke with such an air of sophistry that the old lady, although not fully understanding, was nonetheless impressed and listened intently.
“And another thing,” she pointed to the napkins on the side, “This should be a small hand towel, treated with boiling water for sterilization. After peeling the seafood, you wash your hands in the basin, then wipe them with the towel, keeping yourself clean and elegant.”
“Sister, am I right?” Xia Mian looked at Ning Shaoyun.
Then she addressed the old lady, “Sister Ning must have been raised with such grandeur, and the Huo family surely knows this basic etiquette.”
She turned to Zhou Qianqian, “If you don’t know, don’t try to direct things. In Yan City, those who can afford crabs are wealthy, and you won’t see any wealthy family making a mess while eating crabs.”
“Luckily, I don’t mind, but otherwise, you’d be embarrassing the old madam in front of her guests.”
Ning Shaoyun calmly said to Uncle Fu, “Go prepare it.”
Uncle Fu glanced at the old lady before turning to the kitchen. Xia Mian listened with satisfaction to the clatter and chaos inside, but she wasn’t done yet. “Of course, there’s mouthwash too,” she said, casting a glance at Zhou Qianqian, “Young Lady Zhou, you got that right.”
“Mouthwash is usually made with tea. After the meal, a cup of lightly-brewed tea is served. Use it to rinse your mouth, then spit it into the servant’s rinsing bowl, which is then taken away. Only then is the meal considered complete.”
Xia Mian continued, “Then comes the post-meal conversation. Alternatively, the diners can continue with tea and desserts, all done with grace and leisure.”
“Old Madam, am I right?” She looked at the old lady.
The maid standing beside Old Madam Huo quickly frowned and hurried into the kitchen. From the way she scurried away, Xia Mian guessed she was afraid of forgetting the impromptu lesson.
Meanwhile, Ning Shaoyun struggled to hold back her laughter. Anyone who had read ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ would recognize this as the dining process of the Jia family. Back then, they didn’t have toothpaste, so they had to use such elaborate methods.
Even though the old lady vaguely felt something was off, she had no choice but to go along with it to avoid losing face, especially since Xia Mian’s explanation was certainly grand enough.
The servants, knowing their old madam’s temperament well, quickly brought out glass bowls for handwashing and hot towels. The towels were clearly not the right size, so they should have been hastily cut, still with frayed edges.
Xia Mian didn’t mind. As soon as the items were brought out, she imitated Lin Daiyu from the TV drama, washing and wiping her hands before picking up the tools to start peeling the crabs.
Zhou Qianqian, who had been waiting to see Xia Mian making a fool of herself, was instead stunned by the girl’s impressive demeanor and found herself at a loss for words.
The old lady fared better, directing the servants to serve her the crabs. With a trace of a mocking smile, Xia Mian stared at Zhou Qianqian, making it clear that she was anticipating her embarrassment.
Zhou Qianqian was naturally unwilling to back down and tried to push forward, but despite having been trained a few times on how to peel crabs, she could only manage to extract the meat cleanly.
Xia Mian, on the other hand, had thoroughly learned all the fancy crab-peeling techniques from various online tutorials. She methodically reassembled the empty crab shell back into the shape of a whole crab. Looking at the chaotic mess of shells on Zhou Qianqian’s, Xia Mian deliberately let out a soft chuckle.
Zhou Qianqian suddenly found herself unable to continue peeling the half-crab in her hand. Frustrated, she put down the crab and reached her chopsticks toward the abalone and sea cucumber instead. The dishes on the table today were not meant to be delicious but to show grandeur. No matter what Zhou Qianqian ate, Xia Mian’s eyes always carried a mocking look, blatantly telling Zhou Qianqian that she was making a fool of herself.
Xia Mian’s crab-peeling skills were so impressive that even the old lady was taken aback, making her question if there was indeed a particular etiquette for such an expensive delicacy. As a result, she was hesitant to even touch her chopsticks and kept watching Xia Mian, intending to mimic how the girl ate.
But Xia Mian only peeled crabs. Finished with one, she peeled another for Xiao Feng, occasionally flashing a provocative smile at Zhou Qianqian, as if implying that she wouldn’t reveal how to eat the other dishes, deliberately frustrating her!
Irritated by the continuous provocation, Zhou Qianqian angrily slammed her chopsticks down and lashed out, “What do you mean by this?”
The old lady frowned and looked at Xia Mian.
Xia Mian calmly swallowed the crab in her mouth, wiped her lips with a hand towel, and then looked at Zhou Qianqian, “Young Lady Zhou, what’re you angry about this time?”
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