The next day, after the members of each group were confirmed in the morning, and it was announced that the three teams could start taking orders, Wang Aiju brought two orders, both for wedding banquets. Coincidentally, the dates were the same, both the first day of the eleventh lunar month.

This can be considered a great start.

Xia Xintian assigned two teams, led by Aunt Lihua and Xia Mingshi, to handle these two orders.

The main reason is that they went to the county town to make longevity peach buns, so they are quite familiar with the county town.

With some time still remaining before they take charge of cooking, they quickly practiced again, hoping to make a name for themselves and open up the market in the county.

With diligent study and practice, and by applying what they've learned to other situations, plus Xia Chunmei's occasional guidance, their skills have improved even further.

Their confidence soared.

The result, of course, lived up to expectations!

Banquet orders in the county are increasing.

Even in November, when the weather got colder and snow started falling heavily, it still didn't stop everyone from making money.

The eleventh and twelfth months are peak wedding seasons, and the three groups barely rested throughout November. They were exhausted, but they made money.

Xia Hongfen didn't have any business at first, since no one there had ever tasted her cooking before, so it was normal that the market couldn't open up immediately.

But November is peak season for banquets, and many families have happy occasions. So she used Xia Chunmei's idea to offer the first banquet for free. The clients were happy because they saved money.

Because of this banquet, people in the area learned about her culinary skills, and business boomed immediately.

Xia Hongfen received nine orders throughout November. Xia Chunmei had also taught her how to sprout beans, so she earned some money by selling bean sprouts. In total, her family's net income this month was more than one tael.

Xia Hongfen wept with joy, and the Xiao family was also extremely grateful to Xia Chunmei. They thought that since it was almost Chinese New Year, they would send Xia Chunmei more chickens and ducks. They didn't have anything else, but they raised quite a few poultry.

Xia Chunmei has been very busy this past month.

She taught the pastry chefs at Juxianglou how to make longevity peach buns, and her two wives had also learned how to make them by the end of October, and by November they had already started taking orders in the county town.

Dongmei and Qiumei have also been sent to school. They weren't used to it at first, but they're gradually getting used to it now.

The two types of ginger candy from the Jin family also officially went on sale on the first day of November, and business was booming, selling out every day.

The main ingredient in ginger candy is ginger. The Jin family made a large purchase last month. In addition, this year is unusually cold, and ginger is an important ingredient for dispelling cold, so the price of ginger has soared.

Charcoal firewood and cotton wadding, which are used for keeping warm, are also ridiculously expensive.

That is why the people of Yijia Village are especially grateful to Xia Chunmei.

Xia Chunmei had informed everyone before the start of autumn to prepare more firewood and winter clothes.

The few who didn't believe Xia Chunmei are now filled with regret.

Time flies and it's already the Little New Year.

Xia Chunmei's belly was already showing, and with the snow outside being quite thick, she rarely went out. She also wore loose clothing, so her two younger sisters, who lived under the same roof, didn't know that Xia Chunmei was pregnant. They only thought that their older sister seemed to have gained weight.

During the Little New Year, my two younger sisters also started their holiday. They were eager to go back to the countryside to visit their friends, but the snow was too deep and the horse-drawn carriage couldn't move, so they had to wait for the snow to melt before they could go back.

On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Xu family and Jin Yuntian both sent generous New Year's gifts.

Tea, fabrics, clothing, furs, and jewelry, etc.

Xia Chunmei's house was piled high with fabrics and clothes.

Many of the fabrics and clothes that Jin Yuntian sent over the first time were still unworn.

Xia Chunmei picked out five new sets, and bought five catties of brown sugar and ten catties of red dates. She divided them into five equal portions and, taking advantage of the fact that it hadn't snowed in the past few days, had San Tiao ride horses to deliver them to Xia Xintian, Aunt Lihua, Xia Mingshi, Chen Jinlian and their families.

The people of Yijia Village also planned to send something to Xia Chunmei, but the snow was too thick and they had to postpone it.

Unexpectedly, Xia Chunmei actually sent someone to deliver New Year's gifts to them!

The families quickly packed up the chickens, ducks, and eggs and had San Tiao take them back.

I didn't want to take the three, but the villagers were too enthusiastic.

Xia Chunmei didn't send any to Xia Hongfen's side because it was too far away and the snow hadn't melted, making it inconvenient.

Xia Chunmei was afraid that after the snow melted after the New Year, villagers would come to see her, and then she would be unable to hide her pregnancy.

So after the New Year, Xia Chunmei sent her two younger sisters to her teacher's place.

Some of the business in the county town was handed over to Su Xuedan. In the past few months, she has been following Xia Chunmei and has made great progress. She has become much more cheerful and is quite interested in doing business.

Then she sent three messages to the village, saying that she had gone to Xiangzhou with Baili Xiao.

Xia Chunmei and Baili Xiao actually lived in a manor in the suburbs.

They stayed together for more than two months, and Xia Chunmei and Baili Xiao's relationship quickly warmed up. Xia Chunmei no longer mentioned the fake things that she used to say all the time.

It has a strong sense that the act is becoming real.

On the first day of the third lunar month, under bright sunshine, Xia Chunmei, after a day of labor pains, gave birth to a big, healthy baby boy at 9 PM.

After the child was born, Baili Xiao took great care of the child and Xia Chunmei during her postpartum period. The nanny he bought sometimes felt like she was going to lose her job.

Otherwise, why would the master keep taking her jobs?

After giving birth, Xia Chunmei completely saw through Baili Xiao and decided she was the one for him.

On the first day after giving birth, Xia Chunmei took the initiative to ask, "I don't want to be a fake couple with you. I want our relationship to become real. Do you think I'm good enough for you? Am I worthy of you?"

Baili Xiao was stunned for a long time by Xia Chunmei's sudden words.

Her response was a passionate and domineering kiss.

That very night, the two engaged in a fierce battle for hundreds of rounds, becoming completely intimate.

After the exhilarating moment, Baili Xiao told Xia Chunmei very seriously:

First of all, you are outstanding, surpassing millions of women in the world, and there is no question of us being unworthy of each other.

Secondly, I never intended to be your fake husband and wife.

Finally, you are the mother of my child and my wife. If anyone brings up your background, tell me, and I will teach them a lesson!

...

On the Dragon Boat Festival, Baili Xiao received a letter from the emperor.

The emperor was furious when he found out he had gotten married.

They were ordered to return to the capital as soon as possible.

The "they" here refers, of course, to Baili Xiao's family.

But the child is still young and should not travel long distances.

The matter of returning home will be postponed for now.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xia Chunmei and Baili Xiao took their children and sisters to visit Xia Hongfen to celebrate the festival and say goodbye.

The following day, Xia Chunmei, her family of three, along with Su Xuedan and her three younger sisters, set off for the capital to begin a new journey...

(The story ends here, and I didn't want it to end. According to my original plan, it could have been over a million words, but the book didn't do well, and the website announced at the end of last month that it would end on the 20th, so I had to end it hastily. Thank you to everyone who read this far, see you in the next book, and I wish you all great wealth and beauty!)