Jia'an, Jiaxi, and Maoge'er all had flushed faces, clearly enjoying their shopping trip.
At that moment, the three children ran up to show off their two new balls.
Jia'an and Jiaxi then said, "Second Uncle, when we came back just now, there were some children in the alley. Can we play football with them?"
"Go ahead, but take only one of the two new balls. Take the other one home to play with your friends in the village."
Li Lao Er patted his nephew's hair and instructed him, "Take good care of your younger brother."
"Okay, Second Uncle!" The three boys scurried out, and soon a noisy commotion erupted outside the door, making quite a scene.
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng laughed too, "It's good to be young, you get so excited over just one ball."
Li Lao Er nodded and then asked Wen Hai, "Brother Hai, have you found out anything?"
Wen Hai stepped forward, exchanged the purses containing the silver coins, and said with a smile, "Second Master, there isn't much news outside, but I went to a couple of teahouses and actually found out a few things. Apparently, some people in the city have been saying that there is a descendant of the imperial chef in Suijintan who can cook all the famous dishes in the world, and that the taste is the best in the world."
"Many people say that Suijintan is arrogant and will do anything to attract business. But many people are also eager to try their hand at the chefs' skills, especially some chefs from restaurants. If they weren't tied up, they would all go to Suijintan to take on the challenge."
Li Lao Er frowned. Neither the village nor his Li family had ever said anything so arrogant.
Moreover, the one who first gained fame and was also the most arrogant should have been the old doctor Zhang.
We shouldn't have ignored Doctor Zhang and dragged out the fourth brother's wife who had been working quietly all along.
It's possible that someone was behind this, pushing things along and giving Suijintan a "killing by praising" treatment.
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng clearly understood what was going on, and sneered, "Broken Gold Beach is under the Marquis's name. They dare not make an enemy of the Marquis, so they've resorted to a scheme of flattery to kill him."
"Yes, but it's hard to say whose idea it was. Maybe it was someone who had a grudge against the Marquis's mansion, or maybe it was someone whose business was being taken away by Broken Gold Beach. It's all possible."
Li Lao Er didn't want them to worry, so he laughed and said, "Forget it, they're just a bunch of petty people who only dare to scheme behind people's backs. When I get back, I'll stop the food service in the valley and give Lao Si's wife less work. Lao Si has been away at the military camp lately, and his wife has been quite stressed about it."
"Yes, we should remain unchanged in the face of all changes. No matter how outsiders scheme, as long as no one dares to come to Broken Gold Beach and cause trouble, that's fine." Mr. Wen nodded.
Liu Zhiheng, however, was somewhat reckless and sneered, "If anyone dares to cause trouble, just send someone to my house to shout. I've been in Xindu for so many years, I still have some influence."
Li Lao Er bowed and thanked him. The three of them chatted about some trivial matters until the sun began to set. Liu Zhiheng hurried home, and Li Lao Er also took his three nephews, who were covered in sweat from playing, and said goodbye.
In the new village, at this time of year, every household begins to cook dinner. Wisps of smoke rise and drift amidst the green hills and clear waters, creating an exceptionally tranquil and beautiful scene.
The village chief came out of the riverbank and happened to run into the horse-drawn carriage. He jumped onto the carriage shaft and asked Li Lao Er for his opinion.
Li Lao Er briefly explained the situation, and the village chief, without the slightest reluctance, immediately replied, "It's good to remove the menu. Not only will Lao Si's wife be less tired, but it will also save some manpower. Spring planting is coming soon, and we need people everywhere."
That matter is now settled.
At the dinner table, Li Lao Er also talked about it with his family.
The next morning, when Jiaxi, Jia'an, and Maoge'er carried the new ball to the school, there was a notice posted in the valley that only set meals were sold and no à la carte orders were accepted, and guests were asked to focus on enjoying the scenery and soaking in the hot springs.
Anyone who causes trouble while drunk will never be allowed to enter the valley again.
Some guests said it was good when they saw it, while others said the valley had strict rules.
But no matter what the guests say, this rule is not going to be changed.
Tao Hongying was immediately relieved of her burden, and the number of women helping in the kitchen was reduced from four to two.
Every morning, the women would prepare the ingredients, and Tao Hongying would come over at noon to cook the set meals. Then she could go home in the afternoon.
Tao Hongying wasn't one to take advantage of others, so she voluntarily reduced her daily work points by half.
In this way, she can help her mother-in-law with household chores in the morning and spend time with her daughter and do some needlework in the afternoon.
Her cheeks, which had become thin from being busy and tired, have become fuller again, and she has regained her former cheerful and energetic appearance.
Jiayin has become like a little shadow, following her mother around these past few days, which has made the old lady jealous. She jokingly said that her granddaughter doesn't like her grandmother anymore.
After comforting her mother, Jiayin had to comfort her grandmother, and occasionally keep her aunt company. Like a spinning top, she became a very busy person...
But soon, she couldn't care less.
As the weather gets warmer day by day, spring planting is just around the corner.
She has been cultivating melon seedlings in the nursery of her space vegetable garden, batch after batch.
Because so many were needed, the seeds were planted in the nursery and grew to three inches tall within two days, at which point she moved them to ordinary fields to be raised temporarily. Then she immediately started on the next batch, not daring to delay for even a moment.
There were also quite a few seedlings of various green vegetables.
Seeing that the rice seedlings had quickly covered two acres of land, she started thinking about her uncle again.
If my uncle doesn't bring back corn and potatoes to plant soon, he'll miss the appointed time...
The village has been extremely busy these past few days. The fruit trees on the mountain need to be tended, the riverbank needs to be prepared, and people who want to grow jade melons and golden fruits have come to ask for advice.
For a moment, the pebble beach seemed to be a mess everywhere.
After discussing it with the village chief, Li Lao Er set up a table and chairs under the big tree at the village entrance and began explaining the planting process of the Jade Melon and Golden Fruit every day at 9:00 AM, teaching them free of charge.
The news spread, and countless people gathered there.
Even those who don't have seeds or seedlings at home come to join the fun.
It's as if learning how to plant crops opens up a golden road to huge profits for your family.
The village chief welcomes all who come; anyone who wants to listen is welcome, as long as they don't cause trouble for the village.
Actually, it's not difficult to grow jade melons and golden melons. Choose sandy soil for the field, make sure there is enough water when transplanting, weed regularly, remember to pinch off the tips after the vines start climbing, and pinch off the main root early after the melons grow to avoid affecting the growth of the smaller melons on the other vines.
That's about it. Any experienced farmer will understand it immediately.
So, after five or six days of bustling activity at the village entrance, it finally quieted down.
But the village heads of Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang, and Dahuaishu started coming every day to collect the melon vines.
They were afraid that the new village would back out, and all their hopes would be in vain.
The village chief tried everything to stop them, but to no avail, and in the end, he had no choice but to go to the Li family.
"Has the Marquis said when he'll send the melon seedlings? I'm being harassed to death by these people. They follow me everywhere I go, even more closely than my old woman!"
The others couldn't help but laugh and advised, "They're just after more money, afraid we'll back out."
After saying that, everyone looked at Dongmei. Dongmei was prepared and replied, "The melon seedlings should be delivered in the next few days."
The village chief breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good."
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