Upon seeing this, Old Lady Li quickly spoke up.
“Jiahuan, go with your fourth aunt to help out tomorrow night. Yuru, you go too. They've paid so much, it's only right that we do more work.”
Jia Huan nodded repeatedly, and Zhao Yuru echoed, "Okay, Mother, don't worry, we definitely won't slack off."
"Mom! I want to go too! I can help Hongying cook!"
Wu Cuihua quickly finished her rice in a few bites and hurried over to Old Lady Li, clamoring to go together.
That's a wedding banquet, and it'll be a feast for distinguished guests, so there's bound to be lots of delicious food.
When the time comes, sitting in the kitchen, wouldn't you be able to eat as much as you want?
Besides, there are three daughters-in-law in the family, and two of them have gone to the Kong family. She's left to do all the work at home, and she doesn't want to do that.
Old Mrs. Li could easily see through her little scheme, and she refused with a cold face.
"No way! You never lift a finger in the kitchen. What are you going to do there, just to freeload? Stay home and behave yourself. If I find out you've secretly gone along, I'll embarrass you and break your legs!"
Wu Cuihua's face turned ashen from being scolded, and she still wanted to make a scene, but Li Lao Er had already glared at her.
"Mother is right, you should just stay home and do the chores obediently."
"Yes, Second Sister-in-law, the soybean paste blocks that were drying at home yesterday haven't been turned over yet. You can take a look and turn them over the day after tomorrow."
Zhao Yuru was soft-hearted and didn't want Wu Cuihua to cause trouble at home, so she quickly arranged the easiest job for her.
Unfortunately, Wu Cuihua didn't appreciate it and thought everyone was bullying her.
She was so angry that her face turned red. She grabbed a big white pear from the basket on the kang (a heated brick bed), turned around and ran away, disappearing from sight.
Jiayin was lying next to the basket and almost got hit by it. She was so angry that she waved her little fists wildly. This second aunt was really hateful!
Grandma Li quickly picked up her granddaughter, checked her carefully, and then felt relieved.
Li Lao Er also felt that his troublesome wife was too embarrassing. He was already angry and didn't want to upset his mother any further, so he could only lower his head and eat.
That evening, after washing up, he returned to the south room with a dark expression.
Wu Cuihua had gone to bed early, and only turned around to look at Li Lao Er when she heard him making noise.
"Second brother, look at the fourth brother and his wife, always hunting and preparing feasts, trying to curry favor with our mother. They're keeping us and the third branch of the family in check. You'd better come up with a solution! Didn't you say you wanted to go to the city to find a job? Hurry up and go!"
Seeing that Li Lao Er didn't speak, Wu Cuihua assumed he had listened and continued to urge him on.
"If you can earn money in the city, we can finally hold our heads high at home and stop having to put up with their attitudes..."
"Alright, go to sleep. From now on, shut your stinky mouth. If you make your mother angry again, I won't take care of you anymore."
Li Lao Er, impatient, scolded him and turned over to sleep.
Wu Cuihua was so angry that she kept snoring, but she really didn't dare to provoke him. Before long, she was actually snoring away.
In the darkness, Li Lao Er's eyes shone brightly; he truly wanted to go to the city to find a job.
But it wasn't because of what Wu Cuihua said, but because she wanted to support her son's education and to be filial to her mother.
The three brothers share a common destiny, and there is no question of them looking down on each other.
I should try again sometime. If I get a good job, my family will benefit, and my mother will have less to worry about.
The next day, after lunch, Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru finished most of the chores at home and then set off.
Grandma Li was planning to stay overnight at the Kong family's house, so she wanted to leave her granddaughter there, since it wouldn't be convenient for her to do anything outside.
But Jiayin didn't want to miss it. It was her first time witnessing a wedding, and she couldn't possibly miss such a lively event.
So she grabbed her mother's clothes and refused to let go.
Old Mrs. Li loved her dearly and couldn't bear to part with her, so in the end she could only let her stay with her.
Then they picked up Li Laosi and went to continue looking after their daughter...
Jiayin grinned at Grandma Li, waved her little hand goodbye, and giggled excitedly.
Then he lay on his father's back, obedient and well-behaved, looking like an honest child again, which made Grandma Li both laugh and cry.
Sometimes, she really felt that her little granddaughter was incredibly smart, not at all like a child.
But she only thought these words to herself in secret; she would never tell anyone.
Regardless of what her granddaughter is like, even if she's mentally challenged, she's still a child of the Li family.
What's more, he's excessively clever, which is a good thing!
Yes, that's great news!
Leaving aside the psychological preparation Li Laotai made for herself, let's just say that Tao Hongying and the other four adults and one child went to the Kong family again.
Madam Kong was very pleased to see this. Two taels of silver for four people to work was a great deal.
After checking the ingredients and seasonings, Tao Hongying immediately got to washing and preparing the vegetables.
In addition, we need to start heating the pot, because the Kong family will be entertaining relatives and friends who have arrived early tonight, so we need to prepare at least two tables.
Madam Kong sent three old women and two maids from her household to help. The five of them weren't lazy, and they worked together without any quarrels.
After a busy afternoon, by dusk, Kong's relatives and friends had a sneak peek at Tao Hongying's cooking.
Tao Hongying put the pig's head and trotters, which needed to be simmered overnight, into the pot, weighed down the firewood, ate a quick bite of rice, and then went to rest.
The Kong family prepared a side room for the Li family, with a large heated kang bed, enough for the whole family to sleep in.
It was a bit awkward because of the sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephew, but Jiayin helped resolve the issue.
The little chubby girl slept in the middle, with Tao Hongying and Li Yuru on her left, and Li Laosi and Jia Huan on her right, the boundaries were clear yet exceptionally harmonious.
During the night, Li Laosi got up twice to add firewood to the stove.
Before dawn, Tao Hongying and the others got up.
Jiayin was still asleep, so Li Laosi took a nap while watching over his daughter.
When the Kong family got up, Tao Hongying and the others had already been busy in the kitchen for quite some time.
The wontons, filled with pork and scallions, were served in a delicious broth made from pork bones, which pleased the Kong family even more.
Jiayin woke up because she needed to urinate. When she couldn't find her mother, she cried a few times. Li Laosi quickly helped his daughter urinate and then took her to his wife to breastfeed.
Just then, Madam Kong was talking in the kitchen when she saw Jiayin, who was chubby and fair-skinned, with her big eyes following the figures of everyone around her.
She didn't cry or make a fuss, and her red outfit made her look very festive.
She thought that it would be nice if her son had a granddaughter like this as his first child after getting married, so she liked Jiayin even more.
Not only did they hug me for a while, but they also gave me a purse containing two small silver peanuts.
Jiayin, the little money-grubber, was naturally delighted. She danced with joy and kissed Madam Kong's face profusely.
Madam Kong laughed so hard that she ordered the servants to find a lot of her daughter's old clothes and bedding, as well as a newly sewn cloth tiger.
Tao Hongying couldn't refuse, and seeing her daughter's eyes light up, she had no choice but to accept, and she prepared the banquet for the Kong family with even greater care.
The Kong family was generous, providing all the necessary oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, and they didn't restrict the amount used. Tao Hongying rarely had such an opportunity to show off her skills.
Fry, stir-fry, braise, or deep-fry as needed; braise what should be braised, and deep-fry what should be deep-fried.
The aroma quickly filled the entire kitchen and wafted far outside, causing the guests to secretly swallow their saliva.
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