Jiayin shook her head with a grin, refusing to admit that she was a foodie.
Because she prefers the title of "money-grubber" to "foodie".
Just now, she left more than a thousand cantaloupes and winter melons in Dongmei's courtyard.
This is all silver, pure white silver, about to flow into her purse.
Just thinking about this makes her eat anything, even if it's a stone, with relish, let alone a snack!
Li Lao Er chased Jia Yi and Liu Yang off the cart and made them walk with the mule cart, unwilling to see their dejected appearance.
The two boys didn't understand any profound principles, nor did they feel that they were responsible for the women's tragic fate.
But ultimately, they were also partly to blame for what started.
Having been slapped in the mouth before, and now having to walk home, the pain in their mouths and the exhaustion in their legs strangely made them feel much better.
It's as if they've already paid the price for their mistakes, so there's no need for them to stay in their hearts anymore.
Of course, the lesson learned this time has deeply ingrained the importance of being cautious in speech and action in their minds.
The village chief and Uncle Zhao, among others, knew why the Li family had gone to the city and were concerned about it, so they waited at the crossroads.
Finally, the Li family returned, and their first question was, "Well, has the Marquis's reputation been cleared?"
Li Lao Er dared not trouble the old folks, so he quickly explained the matter in a simple and clear sentence.
The village chief and the others breathed a sigh of relief. "That's how it should be. The Marquis is out fighting, and not just anyone can throw mud at him!"
At this moment, Doctor Zhang, with his hands behind his back, offered his hindsight advice: "I told you not to worry, but you didn't believe me. Don't let Ye's unassuming appearance fool you; he has some powerful backers."
The village chief and several other old men rolled their eyes. "Yeah, you knew all along, so what were you waiting for here? Your neck is stretched longer than a turtle's."
Doctor Zhang blushed with anger and tried to explain, "I'm only doing this to keep you company, otherwise I'd be just wasting my time."
Grandma Li quickly smoothed things over, laughing, "We're not hungry at all; our stomachs have been growling the whole way. Let Hongying prepare some dishes, and we'll all come to our house for dinner tonight."
"Alright, I'll carry the wine jar over, let's celebrate as if it were a celebration."
The village chief agreed, and since Uncle Zhao and the others were eating with the Li family anyway, they didn't object.
When it got dark, two tables were set up in the Li family's courtyard. Li Laosi then invited Liu Biaotou's family of three, and they filled both tables to the brim before starting their meal.
As everyone ate, drank, and chatted, the topic of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival came up, and Li Lao Er suggested distributing some food and drinks to each household in the village.
Since it's not yet time to pay wages, it's not good to break the rules, but we should always celebrate during the holidays.
The village chief said, "Then let's make it according to the number of people. Two ounces of meat and half a pound of fine flour per person, that's enough for every family to have a meal of dumplings. As for chicken, duck, fish and meat, each family can prepare as much as they can."
Li Lao Er nodded, "Then let's listen to Uncle. Every family has its own way of living. Some people are frugal, while others are extravagant. If we can see the difference now, we'll have a better understanding of the future."
“Yes,” the village chief thought so too. “Everyone’s life will get better and better in the future, and they will have more money in their hands. We should keep a close eye on them so they don’t get arrogant.”
We ate dinner until almost midnight, and with the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, the moon in the sky was exceptionally bright.
Previously, there weren't many guests scheduled to come from the valley for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so Li Lao Er simply turned them all down, letting the villagers rest for a day. Those who wanted to have fun could also soak in the pool in the valley.
So everyone is really looking forward to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
On August 13th, Ye Shan and Dong Mei returned, bringing two boxes and some food such as chicken, fish, meat, and eggs.
Chicken, fish, meat, and eggs were naturally delivered to the Li family's kitchen. When Old Mrs. Li heard that it was Young Master Ye who had instructed her to do so, she did not refuse.
She was thinking of hurrying up the long gown she was sewing in the next few days, so that she could wear it when Young Master Ye came to stay for a while after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Little did she know, the two boxes were the real highlight, and they had already been put away by her beloved granddaughter.
Jiayin, under the pretext of needing a nap, secretly ran into the space, grabbed two boxes of silver, and was hopping around excitedly like a frog.
"We're rich! We're rich!"
You should know that when they risked taking out those small pills before, they only got about two hundred taels from Young Master Ye. Now, they've suddenly made more than two thousand taels!
If she weren't worried that her grandmother would be scared if she found out she was missing, she would really like to sleep with all this money in her arms!
At lunchtime, there weren't many people eating at home, only the old lady, Ye Shan Dongmei, Li Lao Er and Li Lao Si, but everyone kept staring at Jia Yin.
Li Laosi frowned deeply, so worried that he didn't even pick up his rice bowl.
"Mother, what's wrong with Fu Niu? She hasn't drooled in a long time, but today she just can't stop drooling no matter how much we wipe it away?"
The old lady touched her granddaughter's forehead and felt it wasn't hot, but she was still unsure. "After dinner, I'll take Fu Niu to see Doctor Zhang."
Dongmei and Yeshan exchanged a quick glance, but neither of them spoke. They simply lowered their heads and ate their food in silence.
They know the reason, but they can't say it.
Upon hearing the name "Dr. Zhang," Jiayin immediately recalled her uncle's head full of gold needles. Startled, she snapped out of her daze and hugged her grandmother's neck.
"Grandma, Fu Niu wants to eat meat, she wants to eat dumplings!"
"This girl, is she craving meat?" Grandma Li was both amused and exasperated. She gently pinched her chubby granddaughter's cheek and said, "I'll have your dad go buy meat this afternoon, and we'll make dumplings tonight."
Li Laosi replied, "Sure, I don't have any work this afternoon, I'll go check out Xiaowang Village."
Li Lao Er, however, started to argue, "I'll go to Xiao Wang Village and buy a pig to slaughter. The village needs to distribute meat anyway. If you have time, go for a walk in the mountains. If you come across a pheasant, hunt one and make soup for Mother and Fu Niu to nourish them. We were worried about you encountering danger in the mountains, and Mother and Fu Niu have both lost weight."
"Okay, okay, I'll go in a bit," Li Laosi quickly replied.
Li Lao Er and Li Lao Si left right after they finished eating.
A carriage arrived at the Li family's gate. Old Mrs. Li assumed it was someone sent by Madam Cui and Mr. Wen to deliver holiday gifts, so she carried Jiayin out to greet them.
It turned out that it was Master Wang who jumped out of the carriage.
Grandma Li hadn't seen him for several days, so she went up to him and asked, "Elder brother, have you been very busy lately? You always come for acupuncture and then leave right away. I never see you."
Master Wang stepped forward to receive Jiayin, gave her a small jade goldfish, and replied with a smile, "Dr. Zhang said that my head injury is healing well, and I have indeed had fewer headaches recently, so I changed to coming every three days. I have some business to attend to in the city, and I only just found some free time, so I bought some food and other necessities to send over."
When Grandma Li saw that Wang Fu was carrying out bamboo baskets filled with half a pig, whole chickens, and whole fish, she felt sorry that her son was spending too much money.
"You could have just come and taken a look. Why did you buy so much stuff? Earning money is hard work, it's not good to waste it like this!"
Master Wang was touched, but he smiled and said, "It's just some simple ingredients, it won't cost much money. Besides, this is also to thank Doctor Zhang for treating my illness."
As he spoke, he personally took out a large brocade box from the carriage. "I've also found an extra century-old ginseng. I wonder if Doctor Zhang will like it?"
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