"Of course, otherwise how could he be called a miracle doctor?" Old Mrs. Li had been saved by Dr. Zhang twice, and she held the old man in high esteem.

But thinking of the Guo family, she asked, "How was Guo Qing sentenced? Old Master Guo is paralyzed now, and what will happen to his little grandson?"

Jiayin touched the little wooden horse tucked in her purse, also thinking of Guo Wenhao.

Li Laosi replied, "Guo Qing has been sentenced to death, and those江湖人 (jianghu people) are also making arrests. The Guo family is not short of money, and Mr. Guo has a few friends, so things shouldn't be too bad for them in the future. At least they can raise their children. But how many more years Mr. Guo can hold on is anyone's guess."

Everyone sighed, "The most pitiful ones are the children."

"Yes, it's a terrible thing."

"This Guo Qing is really too immoral. Although he has received his retribution, he has also harmed many people. The Guo family will not survive."

Grandma Li suddenly remembered her eldest grandson and became worried again, "The Guo family has had an accident and can no longer run the academy. Where will Jiaren go to study?"

Madam Cui smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, Auntie. Jiangnan has a thriving literary culture and there are already many academies. There will be no shortage of places for Jiaren to study. Besides, there's his senior brother. He will definitely make arrangements for Jiaren."

Grandma Li was relieved, but Zhao Yuru brought up another matter: "Won't those martial arts figures who are being investigated come to retaliate against our village?"

Li Laosi nodded, "Third Sister-in-law, don't worry. Mr. Wen also thought of this. He hid our village when he was at the government office. Outsiders only know that we happened to meet the murdered Guo family and helped with the burial. They don't know that we were the ones who exposed Guo Qing."

"That's how it is. Old Master Guo suspects us of murder and robbery, but we can't say it outright, which indirectly helps him. However, our village is safer now. Liu the镖头 and I have met with the village chief. We should be extra careful in this area of ​​the village, just in case."

"Okay, we should tell the children at home not to run around and let others take advantage of them."

"We need to be extra careful when welcoming guests to the valley tomorrow."

After a brief discussion, everyone agreed that they had a general idea and that was enough.

The next morning, before dawn, the whole village got up.

After cleaning the courtyard and sweeping the roads, boiling water for dinner, we went to the valley to welcome our guests.

Of course, it's impossible for over a hundred people to crowd into the valley to work. Most of the manpower should go to the fields or the orchards where they are supposed to go.

In the valley, only Li Lao Er led the way, with a dozen or so half-grown boys including Jia An and Jia Xi, plus seven or eight neatly dressed women.

The sun was high in the sky when the first wave of guests arrived.

The couple had a little girl with them, along with four servants.

The seven people gave the food as an entrance fee and were then led inside.

They booked a small cabin, but it was actually quite spacious, with three rooms.

One room has a stone pool for bathing, another is an inner room for resting, and the third is for receiving guests.

Young Master Yan found a craftsman from who-knows-where; his craftsmanship was exceptional.

The bathing room has a window covered by a specially woven straw curtain. You can see clearly from the inside out, and the steam can escape, but you can't see anything inside from the outside.

As long as a maid is assigned to guard the window, the mistress inside can freely take a bath, enjoy the scenery, and watch the festivities without worrying about being exposed.

The bathing pool is paved with bluestone, and the water is constantly flowing, ensuring it remains warm and clean at all times.

Upon entering, half the room was shrouded in mist, and the pool was filled with hot spring water, making one wish to jump in immediately.

The man wasn't afraid of being exposed or impolite; he preferred to be spacious and comfortable, so he took the gauze dress and went to the other side of the pond.

There were many large stones placed on one side of the pool. When you sat on them, the spring water reached just below your chest.

Sipping tea and chatting, basking in the sun, surrounded by wildflowers and pools of water—it couldn't be more pleasant.

On the other side, there are several small canoes, prepared for children to play in. Because they are tied with ropes, they can only paddle a few meters, but there is no fear of them running into deep water and having an accident.

As the family of four strolled through the valley, the other guests arrived one after another.

Soon, all the courtyards and cabins were filled with guests.

Some came with many servants, while others came quietly with just one master and one servant.

Some people didn't book the cabins and courtyards; they just wanted to come in and see something new.

Li Lao Er only accepted about thirty individual customers before closing the gate.

It's not that we don't want to collect grain or make money, but too many people can easily lead to trouble.

In particular, the most important thing in the entire valley is bathing. If something goes wrong, it will either ruin a woman's reputation or destroy a man's honor.

Fortunately, the thirty or so individual tourists who were allowed in would come out at dusk without staying overnight. Those who had booked cabins and courtyards could then wander around the valley more freely.

With more people, there are naturally more things to do.

This little cabin needs mosquito coils, that little courtyard needs clean water, and the pond needs tea.

The mischievous boys, including Jia'an and Jiaxi, have been promoted from melon-watching farmers to errand runners, and they've become even busier.

Jiaren helps his father with the bookkeeping, while Jiayi and Liuyang become the leaders of the mischievous boys.

The women were responsible for brewing tea and taking care of the female guests.

Although it was everyone's first time on the job and they were a bit flustered, fortunately everyone was there to relax and no one was in a particular hurry.

They won't complain if the tea is a little late or if something is delivered by mistake.

By the pool, the men sat side by side, having removed their outer garments. They all seemed to have become the same, with no distinction between high and low, noble and lowly.

They share a pot of tea when they're thirsty, and chat about trivial things when they're bored; there's a strange kind of closeness between them.

As noon approached, someone called to the waiter, "We didn't bring a cook or any women with us. Do you provide meals here?"

Before the waiter could speak, someone else chimed in, "Yes, that's right! I was chatting and drinking tea with some friends the other day, and we heard that there's a descendant of an imperial chef in Suijintan with excellent cooking skills. I'm really looking forward to trying it!"

"Really? There are descendants of imperial chefs here? We're in for a treat!"

Everyone was delighted and urged the young waiter to inquire.

This young man was Jia'an. He was naturally happy that someone had praised his mother, and he practically ran to the hut at the mouth of the valley to deliver the news.

Li Lao Er was in a real bind. He had assumed the guests would bring their own snacks and food, but now that they were suddenly eating here, it was a bit of a hassle to arrange.

After thinking for a moment, he had someone call the village chief and Tao Hongying over.

Jiayin was bored at home, so she begged her mother to come to the valley to see the excitement. Tao Hongying was busy, so she carried her daughter on her back and coaxed her while she worked.

Just then, Li Lao Er asked Tao Hongying to be a cook, which made Jiayin extremely happy.

Helpless, Tao Hongying patted her daughter reproachfully, told Old Lady Li, and went to the valley.

The village chief is a man of action; he has already led people to start building earthen stoves, while Li Laosan has already driven his mule cart to Xiaowang Village to buy ingredients.

Fortunately, we slaughtered a pig the day before yesterday and had some pork and scraps left over, which we can use in this emergency.

Tao Hongying immediately prepared a menu, all of which were simple to make, delicious, and perfect with rice.

After all, this place is too simple to cook anything too complicated...

Minced meat and tofu, stir-fried wild leeks with eggs, stewed chicken with mushrooms, stir-fried cabbage and wood ear fungus, and radish ball soup.

Today's menu is tentatively set at five dishes. The ingredients are easy to buy, and there is a good mix of meat and vegetables. It can also be combined to create four different set meals.