Li Hongxing collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Amidst Li Erniang's wailing and crying, the family hurriedly carried Li Hongxing to bed and then called a doctor.
"It's nothing serious, it's just that my body has been depleted for too long, and I need to slowly replenish it to recover."
"Oh God, my poor daughter, it's all my fault for being a useless father, that you can't even fill your stomach."
As Li Hongxing fainted, Li Erzhu sobered up a bit and knew this was a good opportunity to play the victim.
Li Youran saw the doctor out and paid the consultation fee. When she returned, she heard Li Erzhu and Li Erniang crying and wailing.
“Hongxing is getting on in years. Her mother and I are thinking that if she can find a husband, she won’t have to suffer with us.”
“My husband and I don’t have any requirements. We just want Hongxing to be able to eat and dress warmly after she marries into the family.”
Li Erzhu and Li Erniang, a married couple, sang in unison.
The couple couldn't make ends meet, so they came to Li Dazhu for help. They had two purposes in coming: one was to get some money from Li Dazhu, and the other was to resolve their daughter's and son's marriage problems.
After all, Li Dazhu has lived here for many years. With Li Dazhu's help, at least his daughter can be married into a family that can make a living, and it would be even better if the family had some money.
Although there's no rush for my son's marriage, it will have to be put on the agenda sooner or later. Getting more things from Li Dazhu will help me prepare a dowry for my son and find him a daughter from a wealthy family.
"His second uncle and his second sister-in-law, marriage is a serious matter, not something to be taken lightly. They can't find a suitable match in such a short time, so let's wait until after the New Year!"
Lady Li looked troubled and frowned as she spoke.
Although it is simpler for a woman to get married than for a man to find a wife, it is not an easy matter, and the process is quite complicated.
If she didn't give a good introduction, Li Erzhu's family would naturally blame her. Li Niangzi then realized that their visit wasn't so simple.
"Since Second Aunt has said so, then we shall do as Second Aunt says."
"You Ran is such a thoughtful child."
Seeing Li Youran speak up for her, Li Erniang's face wrinkled up, thinking that children are easy to fool.
"Since Second Aunt wants to find a husband for Hongxing, then just take Second Aunt to find a matchmaker. What kind of family do you want? Let the matchmaker introduce you."
"Mother, let's do as my little sister suggests. We're just a poor family, and we don't know anyone who can introduce Hongxing to someone. Why don't we take Second Aunt to find a matchmaker? She has so many sons from wealthy and powerful families; what kind of young man can't she have?"
Zhao Lanzhi went along with it.
"This..." Li Erniang did not expect that this matter would be pushed aside like this.
If she goes to find a matchmaker herself, wouldn't she be unable to blame the eldest son's family?
"Let's do as You Ran said and find a matchmaker. Anyway, we don't want anything from them. As long as our daughter can marry well and live a stable life, that's all that matters."
Li Erzhu interrupted Li Erniang and continued.
"Brother, I'd like to borrow some money from you to get Hongxing a new outfit. They say clothes make the man, and if she dresses well for her blind date, she can find a good family."
Li Dazhu couldn't bring himself to refuse Li Erzhu, so he could only nod in agreement.
Li Youran thought to herself, "This is really bad. I didn't even get my hands on the new clothes, and now they're asking for money. It seems my skills are still lacking!"
Although many shops have already closed and taken early holidays as the year draws to a close, the pancake shop is experiencing its busiest days of the year.
Fortunately, the pancake shop was expanded; otherwise, it would have been too busy to keep up with demand.
Many people buy steamed buns, and even more people place orders. Steamed bun shops naturally close for the few days of the Lunar New Year, but people who are used to eating steamed buns cannot do without them at home, so many families order dozens at a time, and wealthy families even order hundreds of steamed buns. At the same time, some restaurants also place orders for steamed buns.
Originally, Li's Pancake Shop was just a small storefront. Now, Li's Pancake Shop has taken over both of the two shops next door, creating a three-storey complex that looks quite impressive.
Originally, the family made and sold steamed buns at a shop. Now that the shop has expanded and business has increased, they have hired a few women to cook the buns and a few more to knead the dough.
The skill of making steamed buns cannot be easily passed on to others, so two young apprentices were hired to help.
Li Niangzi and her second daughter-in-law, Zhao Lanzhi, were responsible for selling sesame cakes and collecting money. Compared to their previous work, their jobs had become much easier.
After Li Erniang arrived, she wanted to go and collect the money, but Zhao Lanzhi stopped her.
Although she was unwilling, she knew that Zhao Lanzhi was not as easily fooled as Li Niangzi. If she angered her, her whole family might not be able to stay in the pancake shop. Thinking of this, she held back and followed the other women to start the fire.
While tending the fire, he didn't forget to chat with several women, asking them in various ways if there were any unmarried young men from wealthy families nearby.
Li Erzhu's life was not so good. He kneaded dough with the master kneader, and soon he could not straighten his back and his arms were sore.
But seeing how well the pancake shop was doing, Li Erzhu endured it for the sake of his long-term plan.
"Lanzhi, it's all my fault for causing you trouble."
"Mother, what are you saying?" Zhao Lanzhi turned to look at Li Erzhu and his wife, who were taking advantage of the situation, and whispered to Li Niangzi, "We just need to keep an eye on the money bag. The two of them won't be here for long."
Zhao Lanzhi was an outsider, much more clear-headed than Li Dazhu; she knew her uncle was unreliable.
Tomorrow is the Little New Year, so Li Youran spent the afternoon cleaning her house and preparing ingredients for tomorrow.
Is Miss Li home?
The door banged loudly, and Li Youran flicked the feather duster in her hand and shouted loudly.
"They're here, they're here."
"Young Master Liu, what brings you here?"
Li Youran was somewhat surprised to see Liu Zhiyuan when she opened the door.
Liu Zhiyuan was dressed in a white robe. He had previously given the white cloak that matched his clothes to Li Youran, but today he changed into a dark gray cloak.
"We bought a lot of New Year's goods at home, and we accidentally bought too much. It would be a waste to leave them at home, so I thought I'd send some to you."
Liu Zhiyuan pretended to be troubled and looked at Li Youran before continuing.
"You have to help me. If my dad finds out that I can't even handle something as simple as buying New Year's goods, he'll definitely give me a good scolding."
Liu Zhiyuan thought his excuse was flawless, but Li Youran saw through his intentions at a glance.
Hidden behind the gate, Li Hongxing and Li Hongchao stared at Liu Zhiyuan and the car with gleaming eyes.
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