The Xu family attached great importance to Xu Di's marriage. According to the six rites of marriage, they had only reached the fourth rite: betrothal, asking the name, accepting auspicious gifts, and presenting betrothal gifts. They were busy until the end of February before the marriage between Xu Di and Li Yuexi was finally settled.

Looking at the red marriage certificate on the table, Xu Di sighed and said, "My life is settled. When we grow up, I'll marry my little wife and have a few children. Then my life will be complete."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "Once your wife is married into the family, I will hand over the household to her to manage. At that time, I will have time to organize my medical records and publish a medical book."

Xu Rao said, "When that time comes, after Xu Di and his family's child is born, I will take care of the child and give him his early education. As a scholar who passed the imperial examinations twice, it's reasonable for me to give your child his early education, right?"

Xu Di laughed and said, "You two, these are all still unseen things, but you make it sound like they're about to come true. My wife is only ten years old this year, she hasn't even turned eleven yet. I not only have to save money to buy a hot spring resort for my mother, but I also have to take good care of my wife. I'm only a few years old, and I already have so much pressure."

Upon hearing this, Xu Rao said, "Don't tell me you're under a lot of pressure. Tell me, how much money have you and Wei Lang made from your hot pot restaurant since it opened last year? That's pure profit! And you're still complaining about being poor in front of us. How can you be so shameless?"

Xu Di said, "Hot pot restaurants make money because they are rare commodities. If I didn't have chili peppers, where would I get such delicious hot pot broth? How could I open a hot pot restaurant? I can only make a little money in the last two years. Once the chili pepper cultivation technology is cracked, just wait and see, hot pot restaurants will spring up like mushrooms after rain. So, I have already discussed it with the head steward sent by Wei Lang. We will continue to open the hot pot restaurant and make as much money as we can. In the future, we still need to develop new dishes. Those fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing Sichuan and Hunan dishes are unforgettable and leave a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "If you can really develop these dishes, that would be great. I feel like nothing tastes good now. I just realized that it's because I haven't been eating Hunan cuisine regularly to whet my appetite."

Zhang Zhaoci's hometown is in Hunan. He grew up there until he was a teenager, then moved to Beijing with his parents and spent the rest of his life there. However, he still loved the dishes from his hometown that he ate as a child, but he didn't know how to cook them. Xu Rao, who was in charge of cooking at home, was born and raised in Beijing and made authentic Zha Jiang Mian (noodles with soybean paste), but he wasn't very good at cooking Hunan cuisine. Zhang Zhaoci's favorite thing to do was to go to the private restaurants in the alleys and find those that served authentic Hunan dishes.

Xu Di said, "This is still a bit difficult. What I discussed with the head steward is to take the master chefs to visit famous restaurants in various places to see how they make their signature dishes, and then come back to improve them. As long as they taste good and the gourmets like them, how can we not make them classics?"

Xu Rao smiled and said, "I think you're getting bolder and bolder, and you're taking bigger steps. Should we slow down and rest a bit before continuing?"

Xu Di sighed and said, "I would like to take it slow, but there's no time. In the past six months, people have been coming in droves asking about my chili peppers. Some have even gone to the kitchens of hot pot restaurants to steal the broth. It's only because I grow chili peppers here, thousands of miles away, and those chili peppers are processed before being sent to the capital. As long as there's money to be made, who wouldn't be envious? I haven't even saved enough for my wife yet. How can you expect me to slow down?"

Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci both sighed. Xu Rao said, "Xu Di, you don't need to do this. Your marriage is not only our responsibility, but also the Marquis's family. They will have to contribute the lion's share. You are the eldest grandson of the Marquis's family. There is no reason for the Marquis's family to abandon you."

Xu Di said, "But I also know that the Marquis's family probably doesn't like my marriage. I chose the person, but the Marquis's family probably values ​​family background more. They want to increase the influence of the Marquis's family through the marriage of their children. I don't know what will happen when the wedding is about to take place."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "My dowry is left to you and nine-tenths of it. You can take out a portion of it to get married. If you two don't spend this money, who will I leave it to?"

Xu Di looked at his parents, thought for a moment, and said, "Dad, Mom, have you ever thought about having another child?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci angrily slapped Xu Di on the back and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm already this old."

Xu Di said, "You're only in your early thirties, which is the childbearing age for most Chinese women. You see, these days people believe in having many children and many blessings. We only have two children, Xiao Jiu and me. If it comes to dividing the family property or fighting with someone, we'll have one more person to help us, won't we?"

Xu Di kept urging his parents to have another child, and even Xu Rao was somewhat tempted by Xu Di's words, staring longingly at Zhang Zhaoci.

Zhang Zhaoci kept waving his hands, saying, "No, no, I already have a daughter-in-law. What would it look like if I had another child? People would laugh at me."

Xu Rao said, "In the old days, didn't many mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law do postpartum confinement together? To be honest, you're not old at all. Think about it, if we have another girl like Xiao Jiu, we can raise her from such a small age until she grows up tall and graceful. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Zhang Zhaoci was actually somewhat tempted. She liked girls, especially cute and chubby girls, who were just so adorable.

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