Everyone in the family, young and old, had been busy all day and didn't have the energy to prepare dinner.
Sister-in-law Qiong and Dongmei, along with Shuiyun and two others, made bone broth, cooked noodles, and served some side dishes. After everyone had eaten their fill, they all went to bed early.
Jiayin is sleeping in the Cui family's courtyard tonight. During the day, her aunt had shown her power and vented her anger, so of course she had to return the favor by acting cute.
Thus, Madam Cui truly experienced the pain and joy of being a mother.
The little chubby girl ate slowly at dinner, but now, sitting in her lap, she's happily sneaking snacks, her little mouth nibbling away like a rabbit, and she even remembers to share a bite with her every now and then.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the aunt and nephew went to the public bathhouse for a soak.
The little girl's hands couldn't get wet while holding the rice dumpling, so Madam Cui helped her scrub them.
Occasionally, when her skin gets tickled, the chubby, white girl giggles and tries to dodge.
Madam Cui would grab people all over the bath, bring them back, and continue scrubbing them until they ran away, then grab them again...
After finally getting clean and into bed, Madam Cui was so tired that she could barely lift her arms.
Unfortunately, the chubby girl wanted to hear a bedtime story again.
Madam Cui could only rack her brains to find some interesting anecdotes that the child could hear. Halfway through her story, the chubby girl, who hadn't fallen asleep yet, started snoring...
Jiayin tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She regretted sneaking snacks behind her grandmother's and mother's backs, which made her stomach feel a little uncomfortable.
She couldn't fall asleep for a while, and her mind wandered around the small courtyard in the space.
In her previous life, she lived a semi-secluded life in her hometown courtyard. Besides growing vegetables and raising chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep, she spent most of her free time reading.
There are different worlds in the book. Every time I finish reading one, it feels like I have experienced a lifetime with the protagonist.
Those joys and sorrows made her laugh and cry, and the happy ending gave her immense comfort...
All of this made her forget the loneliness in reality and the indelible pain left by her broken family of origin.
The courtyard has three main rooms. The east room is her bedroom, and the west room is her study. There are many books, some new and some old, on the shelves against the wall.
Today, her focus is on a few of her most treasured cookbooks!
Before returning to her hometown to live in seclusion, she also wanted to be a sophisticated, bourgeois woman.
He has a wide range of interests, including the eight major cuisines of China, noodles, braised dishes, and even Chinese pastries and Western-style baked goods.
Unfortunately, every time I buy the materials and tools, I give up before I even start because of laziness.
They claimed they were too busy with work to pay attention...
After returning to her hometown, she had a lot of free time, but she also preferred to eat more simple, unprocessed food, as she spent her days cooking on a traditional earthen stove and growing her own vegetables and grains.
For example, you can boil tender corn in a big pot of water, then steam some tender eggplants and potatoes on a steamer rack. It's a simple yet nutritious meal...
So, those recipes and tools were still left to gather dust in a corner.
These days, it's really not easy to search through boxes and drawers...
Upon waking early, Madam Cui was reluctantly awakened by the chirping of unidentified birds outside her window, as if they were right next to her ear.
She yawned and instinctively tried to get up, only to find that her arms felt heavy.
She turned her head and saw the chubby girl with her hair down, her injured little hand raised, and her other hand wrapped around her arm, like a little monkey climbing a big tree, dependent and affectionate.
Perhaps she was dreaming about eating, because the chubby girl's little mouth kept making gurgling noises, which was extremely cute.
Madam Cui quickly lay down, gently pulled her arm out, and half-embraced the chubby girl in her arms, even breathing softly, for fear of waking the child from her sweet dream.
When they divorced, she vowed never to remarry, preferring to live alone for the rest of her life and never trust any man again.
After all, her ex-husband was very caring and devoted to her at the beginning, but in the end they still hated each other and became like mortal enemies.
But over this period of time, she gradually changed her mind.
If she were to remarry, she would like to have a child, a chubby baby like Fu Niu'er.
Even if she's incredibly unlucky and ends up with a heartless man, she won't be so lonely for the rest of her life because she has children to accompany her...
Besides, surely she wouldn't be blind twice, would she?
A handsome, tall figure suddenly flashed through her mind, and she slowly blushed...
Jiayin was unaware that while she was sleeping in, her aunt had already found a new goal and direction in life.
When she woke up, her family had already gone to the city again.
Today marks the official opening of the restaurant, making it an even busier day.
Fortunately, the old lady and Mrs. Cui continued baking mooncakes in the courtyard, planning to give two jin to each household in the village to add to the festive atmosphere.
Mooncakes actually need to be sealed and left for a few days after baking to allow the oil to seep back into the mooncakes, making them more appetizing with a glossy surface.
But Jiayin just loves freshly baked food, that warm, sweet aroma, which is absolutely delicious.
That morning, she followed behind her grandmother and her aunt, acting cute and charming, and managed to get two small pieces of mooncake.
Naturally, she didn't eat much for lunch.
So, that afternoon she was resolutely kicked out of the Cui family's courtyard!
In the evening, Mr. Wen and the Li family returned from the city together.
As soon as he stepped off the carriage, he saw his junior sister carrying a plate of mooncakes, so he greeted her with a smile, "Junior sister, these are mooncakes you baked, do you have any with five-nut filling?"
Madam Cui blushed slightly, seemingly lost in thought, and hurriedly entered the Li family's courtyard after giving a reply.
Mr. Wen was a little confused. He looked down at his clothes and saw that there was nothing wrong with them. So why was his junior sister blushing...?
Li Zhensheng had run Sihaiju for many years when he was with the Wang family, and it had a very good reputation.
In addition, he was almost murdered before, and it was only with great difficulty that he returned to the Li family, which was a well-known incident.
So now that Sihaiju has been renamed Xiankelai and reopened, the whole of Xindu is filled with curiosity and also misses the original old flavor.
Today, as the restaurant opened, friends and relatives came to offer their congratulations and support, along with other diners, filling all three floors to capacity.
Tao Hongying and Jia Huan, along with Chef Zhang from the south, were so exhausted they almost collapsed.
But the guests raved about it!
Since this is inland, seafood is not plentiful, so everyone finds it quite novel.
In addition, Tao Hongying introduced several new dishes that the guests had never seen or tasted before.
Some people love spicy food to death, while others hate it and find it unbearable.
But whether you love it or not, the bright red dishes are certainly eye-catching.
Several traditional specialty dishes were also made to taste excellent.
All of these combined truly satisfy everyone's taste buds and curiosity.
For at least a month afterward, cyclamen will be a hot topic both inside and outside the city!
The village chief, Uncle Zhao, Liu the镖头 (bodyguard), and others all knew that Li Zhensheng's restaurant was opening today.
They wanted to help, but were powerless to do so; they could only keep thinking about it.
Upon hearing that everyone had returned, they quickly came over to ask a few questions.
Grandma Li invited them to stay for dinner, setting up a table in the main room and another in the east room.
The men were in the main room, and the women and children were in the east room.
The meal wasn't particularly lavish, but the freshly steamed buns were soft and fluffy, and the stewed radish and mutton in the big pot was fragrant and delicious.
The meal included stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with eggs, cabbage with pork belly, and a cold spicy and sour cabbage salad to whet the appetite and cut through the richness. It was enough to fill everyone up.
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