Madam Cui, her cheeks half-red, secretly glanced at her senior brother sitting opposite her.

Perhaps it was a telepathic connection, but Mr. Wen happened to look over as well, and their eyes met, causing their faces to turn completely red.

While the crowd chatted idly, they had actually seen through their little antics and were all trying their best to suppress their laughter.

Perhaps, after Jia Huan gets married, this couple will soon have good news!

Grandma Li quickly shooed her granddaughter away, "Grandma's tired, go let your aunt hold you for a while!"

Jiayin knew perfectly well what her grandmother was up to; she wanted her aunt to share in her good fortune.

She happened to be a little thirsty, so she ran over, sat in her aunt's lap, and had her aunt pour her some tea.

Madam Cui picked up a teacup and fed Jiayin small sips, afraid that she would choke, and then pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.

Mr. Wen couldn't help but stare, completely mesmerized.

If they had a child, my junior sister would definitely be a good mother...

Soon, the food was served, at two tables, one inside and one outside, as usual.

The men drank and chatted in the main room, while the women ate and took care of the children in the other room.

Sister Liu, Madam Cui, Hui Niang, and Aunt Wu all congratulated Tao Hongying on the great success of her private cooking.

These days, it's already quite difficult for rural women to avoid being beaten and to be able to take charge of their households.

Tao Hongying has managed to secure a place among male chefs in a place like Xindu, thanks to her excellent culinary skills, and is highly regarded for it.

This is not just Tao Hongying's glory, but the glory of all the sisters of Suijintan, and also the shared glory of all the women of Tianwu!

Tao Hongying was happy, and although she said a few modest words, she kept putting food on her mother-in-law's and daughter's plates.

Without her mother-in-law's support and her daughter's incredible help, she wouldn't be where she is today...

The meal lasted until it was completely dark before they finally parted ways.

Mr. Wen stayed at the Li family's house and slept on the same kang (a heated brick bed) with Li Lao Er.

Madam Cui, holding Jiayin's hand, went back to the next house.

Needless to say, Madam Cui secretly delivered goods to Jia Yin's secret stash again.

Sometimes it's small jewelry, sometimes it's fine materials; in short, she never comes to Suijintan empty-handed.

In addition to providing food and supplies for the Li family, they will also prepare an extra portion for their little niece.

Grandma Li and Tao Hongying naturally knew, but neither of them stopped them, nor could they stop them anyway.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had already discussed it and decided to give a generous gift when Mrs. Cui and Mr. Wen got married. Judging from the current situation, this generous gift should be prepared well in advance.

Perhaps, good news is closer than they think!

The next morning, Li Laosi carried a basket of food and a large package, and rode his horse to the dock.

Tao Hongying prepared the food, and Jiayin also added some fresh fruit.

The package contained the fruits of Li's labor over a month: wolf-skin knee pads, a down vest, and a down mattress.

Needless to say, the down vest and mattress were also Jia Yin's idea.

Lately, my home and the restaurant have become a hellish place for ducks.

They consume more than a dozen ducks a day, almost wiping out all the ducks near Xindu.

It would be a waste to waste duck down, so Jiayin persuaded her mother to help collect all the duck down.

Then she spoke, and her grandmother did the work. After several days of effort, they actually managed to make two finished products.

Therefore, Mrs. Li deliberately did not heat the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and slept on a down mattress for one night, which was very warm.

She wished she could make another set of down jacket and trousers for the Marquis, but unfortunately there wasn't enough down.

It should be noted that while Lao Si and Da Yong could take turns returning to rest, only Hou Ye remained steadfastly at the camp.

In winter like this, the campsite doesn't even have a heated kang (traditional heated bed); I don't know how they'll suffer.

That afternoon, Li Yong rode back on horseback.

Despite her attempts to restrain herself, Hui Niang couldn't help but beam with joy. That evening, the couple naturally ate dinner at the Li family's house again.

Although they are not related by blood, Li Yong truly considers himself the fifth son of the Li family.

When he returns from his trip, he always makes sure to greet Mrs. Li and have a family reunion dinner...

Happy days always fly by, and three or four days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Tao Hongying went to the restaurant to cook, while Hui Niang, Sister Liu, and several other women from the village, including Sister Sun Ersao, came to the Li family to help decorate the new house.

Although the bedding and wooden furniture were prepared by the Peng family, the window paper needed to be re-pasted and the kang mat needed to be replaced.

Wipe everything down, and clean the dust off the roof beams.

Jiayin was unusually well-behaved, running around to help hand over small items, which earned her praise from the women.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the courtyard.

Old Mrs. Li peeked out and saw that Jiaren and the other children had returned!

She happily rushed out to greet them, asking, "Is the academy on winter break?"

"grandmother!"

"Grandma, I miss you!"

"Grandma, I want to eat your steamed egg custard!"

The boys surrounded their grandmother, one hugging her arm, another around her waist, as if they wanted to cling to her.

"Oh dear, oh dear, Grandma's old bones can't take your fussing anymore!" Old Mrs. Li scolded each of them, but her smile only grew wider.

Jiaren searched around and saw Jiayin come out of the house. He picked her up and gave her a big kiss. Then he called to his younger brothers, "Stop fooling around, or you'll trip Grandma."

The boys then dispersed and turned to snatch the younger sister.

"Little sister, have you missed your big brother? Big brother brought you sticky rice cakes!"

"Let me hug you! Let me hug my little sister too!"

"Hey, don't grab it! Don't grab it!"

The boys really didn't know how to express their joy at being home; they were practically making a huge fuss.

As usual, Jia Huan and Jia Xi put their hands together to make a sedan chair, carrying their younger sister around the yard. Jia Yin was both frightened and happy, clinging tightly to her brother's neck and screaming incessantly.

Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er followed behind with smiles, and soon disappeared into the west room.

Jiaren was the most sensible one; he helped his grandmother into the kitchen.

Grandma Li wanted to start a fire to steam egg custard for her grandchildren. Shuiyun wanted to help, but Jiaren refused. He rolled up his sleeves and started the fire while chatting with his grandmother.

Let me tell you about some interesting things that happened at the college, and then I'll tell you that my third uncle and aunt are tidying up the courtyard and won't be back until tomorrow.

Grandma Li was busy with her work, but the smile on her face never stopped.

Meanwhile, in the west room of the main house, Cat Brother had already deftly locked the door and then quickly climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

The four boys, two adults and two children, sat in a row, all gazing longingly at their little sister, each with a beaming smile.

Jiayin readily opened her purse and took out four candies.

The boys cheered, then quickly lowered their voices, afraid of being overheard by outsiders.

"Don't eat yet, there's more good stuff." Jiayin waved her little hand, then ran to the end of the kang (heated brick bed) and opened the chest lid.

Using the box as cover, she took out a few melons from her storage space.

The boys were even happier, and too lazy to wash them, they just wiped them casually on their clothes and started eating them with gusto.

When Cat Brother saw that his sister wasn't eating, he thought she was annoyed that the melon wasn't washed. So, he picked up the melon, licked it with his saliva, rubbed it vigorously on his clothes, and then stuffed it into his sister's hand, grinning and saying, "It's clean now, sister, eat it!"

Jiayin was carrying a melon when countless crows flew overhead.

She wanted to say... she wasn't thirsty, she wasn't hungry, she didn't want to eat!

But her brother watched longingly, so all she could do was pick up the melon and take a big bite!

Eat up, eat up! This isn't just a flavorful melon; it's your brother's overflowing love!

Leaving aside the children playing happily inside, just as Grandma Li's steamed egg custard was about to be ready, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Hearing the commotion, Hui Niang and the others, having just finished their work, went to open the courtyard gate...