Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Celebrate a Birthday

In the past few months since she came into the book, Lin Si has done a lot of things and has been busy every day, so busy that she even forgot her own birthday.

It was only when Chunyi and Wang Ying asked him in advance what he wanted to eat or play on his birthday that Lin Si realized that he was going to be turning eleven.

The original owner’s birthday is the same day as Lin Si’s.

In the past, when the original owner celebrated his birthday, although there were no gifts or prayers, there were still music, dance and a banquet.

The situation is different now than it was in Anjing, and Lin Si doesn't want to waste money, so finding music and dance is even more unrealistic.

Seeing that Lin Si was becoming more sensible and tired, Wang Ying felt deeply sad. There wasn't much she could do but to make more delicious food for Lin Si.

Lin Si lowered his eyelashes and thought for a while, then raised his eyes: "It's a birthday, so just have a bowl of longevity noodles and a birthday cake."

Wang Ying was a little confused. "Birthday... cake? What is a cake?"

Making a cake is not difficult, and the ingredients don’t need to be too complicated. Just eggs, flour, and steam it in a pot.

After hearing this, Wang Ying felt that the birthday cake was too simple to make, and not as complicated as some pastries. How could it be worthy of the word "birthday" and how could it be accepted by Lin Si.

Lin Si had no choice but to say, then spread some cheese cream on it and add some small pieces of nuts and fruits as decoration.

Only then did Wang Ying accept it and felt that this dessert was worthy of the name of birthday.

After Lin Si finished the work at the paper-making workshop, she gave herself a three-day holiday, waiting for her birthday. She had not had a rest in the long time she had been in the book, and she was making plans for six years later every day.

By the way, on the birthday, give red envelopes to the servants in the county lord's mansion and the children in the manor to make it lively.

But after eating and sleeping for a whole day in the County Lady's Mansion, Lin Si could no longer sit still.

Lin Si was surprised. She had turned into a working machine. This was not acceptable. She needed to combine work and rest.

Lin Si simply took Chunyi and Nanqiao with him and planned to go out for a walk.

After the "evil method" that Nan Qiao and Nan Shuang had developed last time was rejected by Lin Si, the two sisters were devastated.

They didn't understand why Lin Si would not adopt any other tactics except attacking the lower body.

What a great way to kill someone.

Madam Zhu is simply a genius.

Lin Si had only been in Li County for a few months, but the appearance of the people in Li County was completely different from before.

At least when Lin Si was wearing a veil and walking on the street, he could see hope on the faces of the people.

"Did you know that Lan Niang from the Wang family entered the county lady's workshop?"

"The Jinniang from the Shi family was also selected."

"What kind of wealth is this? My daughter-in-law also went, but she wasn't selected."

"But didn't the county magistrate say that there would be more workshops that would only hire girls?"

"It would be great if it were true. These days, it's not easy for a girl to find a job."

Lin Si moved among the people and listened to their discussions.

Going further, there is a trading market. It used to be deserted here, but now it finally looks like a market, and the variety of things has increased. Of course, the butcher's stall still has the best business.

Chunyi hadn't been out for a long time with Lin Si, and she suddenly felt her eyes were blurry.

Is this still the same Li County they first came here? How could so many changes have taken place in just five months?

Lin Si is very satisfied with the changes in his territory, and it will naturally get better in the future.

Next to the butcher's stall, a young man skillfully placed a few rabbits on the table. He didn't even shout out his wares, but just sat there leisurely, not in the least bit flustered.

A young man came forward to ask the price, and perhaps because he felt it was a bit expensive, he started to bargain.

Unexpectedly, the young man raised his head and refused to pay even a penny less.

The angry young man said, "There's not much rabbit meat. Who would buy it if you sell it so expensively?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Si saw the servants in the mansion come forward and said, "Excuse me, sir. Let me take it as usual. I want both."

The young man's face instantly turned extremely ugly. "Spending so much money on rabbit? Why not go to the stall next door and buy some pork?"

The servant smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. I'll buy the rabbit."

The man, who failed to buy the rabbit, angrily went to the pork stall next door to buy some meat and showed off to the servants.

Lin Si enjoyed watching this kind of urban fun with great interest.

Lin Si strolled around the market and finally bought some fresh fruits.

The fruit seller was worried she wouldn't be able to sell any of the fruit, so she asked crisply, "Do you want all of these?"

Lin Si nodded, "I want them all."

After the young lady sold all the fruits, she happily went home carrying her basket on her back.

In the end, Lin Si did not use up her three-day vacation. She continued to work on the day she returned to the county lord's mansion from the market.

Seeing Li County's current state gave her such a sense of accomplishment that she couldn't help but want to continue working to make Li County a better place.

Oh no, she seems to be addicted to infrastructure!

*

Lin Si invited Liang Nian and Zuo You to his birthday party.

There are other reasons. It’s okay to eat alone on normal days, but eating longevity noodles and birthday cake alone always feels a bit too lonely.

When Liang Nian learned that it was an invitation to Lin Si’s birthday, he was anxiously running around in the county government office.

This invitation came so suddenly.

She was thinking about what gift she should prepare. After much deliberation, she returned to the county magistrate's residence from the county government office and asked Yao Niang to help her make a few hairbands out of silk. She then planned to pick out some jewelry suitable for the young lady.

Liang Nian looked at the paper-cut plum blossom hairpin and the gold-decorated comb in his hands, and a trace of bitterness rose in his heart.

These jewelries were bought when she was Lin Si's age. In the dead of night, she would quietly comb her hair into a bun and put on the jewelries.

Because she knew that she would never have the chance to wear a skirt and these jewelry openly in her life.

Being a man alone was not enough. Countless people coveted the property left by her father. She had no choice but to take the risk and pass the imperial examination to become an official in order to protect herself and her mother.

It would look good on Lin Si.

Liang Nian couldn't help but think.

Liang Nian packed the hairband and jewelry in a box, as if it was a birthday gift from an elder sister to her younger sister.

Zuo You was also thinking about what to give Lin Si, so she simply made some cakes to give during the New Year, and Lin Si liked them very much.

The mother and daughter went to visit together. When they saw Lin Si, they handed her gifts and congratulated her on her 1,000th birthday.

As Zuo You entered the door, he saw a round pastry on the table. It seemed to be spread with cheese cream, and there were some small pieces of dried fruits and fresh fruits as decoration.

Zuo You was curious: "County Lady, this snack in the middle is so novel, I've never seen it before."

Lin Si asked the two to sit down and pointed at the birthday cake. "This is called a birthday cake. It is eaten on birthdays."

Zuo You and Liang Nian both thought that this birthday cake was a snack that An Jing had recently become popular with, so they didn't ask too many questions.

Today is Lin Si’s birthday, and the dishes on the table are richer than usual, and every dish is Lin Si’s favorite.

Chunyi took the gift from Liang Nian and took it into the house.

Liang Nian's eyes fell on Lin Si's hair, and he felt that the two pieces of jewelry he had chosen were indeed very suitable for her.

The three of them ate and drank for a while, and inevitably turned the topic to Li County.

Lin Si went out for a walk two days ago. The lively appearance of the people in Li County made her feel very happy, so her next plan for Li County will still focus on storing grain.

Liang Nian thought that Li County's current harvest was the highest in history, so he asked if there was any way to break through.

Lin Si blinked his eyes. "Of course we need a breakthrough. We're just at the beginning. Productivity hasn't even been liberated yet."

Seeing that Lin Si started to speak Dachen's words that he had never heard before, Liang Nian was already used to it and didn't even intend to ask any more questions.

Anyway, Lin Si was like that, and he even brought Zuo You along to speak some Dachen dialect that she couldn't understand.

While eating, Zuo You sighed that An Jing's cook's cooking was delicious, and at the same time he mentioned the children in the manor practicing calligraphy.

"It is always better to practice writing on paper than on tree bark. The children studied hard and used a piece of paper until it could no longer be used. They only threw it away after filling both sides with writing."

After finishing lunch, Lin Si started cutting the birthday cake.

Cheese paste is similar to modern cream and is a rare thing in Li County. After all, its raw material is milk.

It was only then that Wang Ying sent his servants to Shizhou and bought it at a high price.

Liang Nian picked up a small spoon and put the cheese paste mixed with the cake base into his mouth. The soft cake almost melted in his mouth. Liang Nian had never tasted such a texture before.

It was the first time for Zuo You and Liang Nian to eat such a novel snack.

Zuo You couldn't help but praise, "The things in the County Lord's Mansion are indeed all good. If it weren't for the County Lord, how could we have tasted such exotic and delicious snacks today?"

Liang Nian and Zuo You each cut another piece and ate it all.

The birthday party was not over until we finished eating longevity noodles in the evening.

Lin Si looked at himself in the bronze mirror again and again, and felt that children change a lot. An eleven-year-old looked much older than a ten-year-old.

All the servants in the county lord's mansion received red envelopes. After Liang Nian and Zuo You left, they were all led by Chunyi to run to congratulate Lin Si on his birthday.

Their congratulations are all sincere. Where can you find a master who gives big red envelopes to his servants on their birthdays?

"Congratulations, my lady, to you, may you live a long and healthy life."

Dozens of servants crowded in front of Lin Si's door, bowing and congratulating him in unison.

Qian then completed the ceremony and stepped forward.

"The children of the manor also wish the county lady good fortune as vast as the ocean and a long life as long as the mountains."

Lin Si had received many birthday wishes today and was in a good mood. He waved his hand and asked them all to leave.

After a while, Zhu Shixi came to ask for a meeting. Perhaps because he had something to ask for, his attitude was a little awkward.

Lin Si said directly: "I saw the servants buying rabbits at the market two days ago, but they were not enough."

Zhu Shixi shook his head, his big eyes blinking, "County Lady, I want to go to Enzhou."

Lin Si didn't understand why the medical geek was acting out of character today. He didn't want the rabbit or the corpse, but wanted to go to Enzhou.

"Why do you suddenly want to go to Enzhou?" Lin Si asked.

Zhu Shixi bit her lower lip. "I've recently learned about women's stubborn illnesses, and I've been deeply moved. However, there are so few examples I can come across. There's a woman named Song in Enzhou who specializes in treating women's illnesses. I want to..."

Lin Si understood now. Academic exchanges among colleagues are very rare, and it is rare to have such a eagerness to learn.

"Yes."

Zhu Shixi's eyes almost narrowed with laughter, and even the ends of her hair were fluttering with joy, "Thank you, County Master."

"You definitely can't go alone. I'll ask Nan Shuang or Nan Qiao, plus a few servants, to escort you."

Zhu Shixi nodded.

I wanted Zhu Shixi to go back directly, but Lin Si suddenly remembered something and asked.

"Do you still remember what the first words I said to you were after you arrived at the County Lord's Mansion?"

Zhu Shixi replied softly, "Remember, you can't pick up an injured man."

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A plum blossom hairpin made of tongcao (a type of bamboo shoot) and a comb decorated with gold curtains and beads. From "Illustrated Guide to Traditional Chinese Clothing: What I Wore in the Song Dynasty"