Jiayin hugged her mother's neck and said, "Mother, we need to find Uncle and Aunt and tell them to come back for meat!"
"Of course, don't worry, I won't forget." Tao Hongying tapped her daughter's little nose and said to the old lady, "Mom, such a happy occasion definitely calls for Third Brother's family to come back so we can all share in the joy."
"And Mr. Peng, he's now our in-law. We should invite him over for a drink on such a joyous occasion, otherwise it would be impolite of us."
Li Lao Er added, "We also need to invite Mr. Wen and Mrs. Cui, as well as the Liu family, who will definitely be hosting a banquet. However, it probably won't start tomorrow, so we need to inform them as well."
"Then let Jinrou go. Madam Liu is a nice person. The two boys from the Liu family get along well with Jia Huan and Jia Xi. Invite them all over to join in the fun." The old lady also instructed, "Da Yong is at the dock. Send someone to fetch him early in the morning. It's fine if he has errands to run, but it would be best if he could come back. Hui Niang and the children haven't seen him for several days!"
"good."
Li Lao Er called his nephews to get pens and ink, and they quickly made a list.
Seeing that there was nothing Jiayin could do to help, she jumped down and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, I want to sleep at my godfather's place."
The old lady asked curiously, "Your godfather is out; he's not coming back tonight."
Standing at the door, Granny He said, "Don't worry, Madam, this old servant will keep watch for Miss."
The old lady thought tomorrow would be hectic, so she said, "Alright, then take Fu Niu'er over there. Make sure she's covered up with a blanket at night so she doesn't get a cold stomach."
"Yes, Madam."
Granny He stepped forward to pay her respects, then bent down and carried Jiayin out on her back, with Shuiling quickly following behind.
Shuiyun stayed behind and went into the west wing.
Hui Niang was in confinement after childbirth and couldn't go out, so she was very anxious in her room.
Hearing Shuiyun mention that the old lady and Li Lao Er had both received honors and that a grand banquet would be held at home tomorrow, and that Li Yong would be invited back, she happily hugged her two children.
"Your father will be back tomorrow. You've been causing trouble, huh? He'll spank you then!"
The two children seemed to understand, and they both started crying loudly, which made Hui Niang and Shui Yun frantically try to comfort them for a long time.
Dongmei had just been kneeling outside the courtyard listening to the imperial decree, so she naturally knew that a grand banquet would be held tomorrow.
Right now, she's opening her suitcase to find clothes for Jiayin.
Tomorrow is not only a happy occasion for the old lady and the second master, but Princess Jiayin is also the main character.
Seeing that Granny He had brought Jiayin over to stay, she knew what was going on. She told Granny He and Shuiling to go and rest first, and that she would keep watch at night.
Before Granny He could refuse, Jiayin put her arm around Dongmei's neck and pointed to a light red outer garment and a skirt with gold embroidery.
Granny He bowed her head and withdrew...
The next morning, before dawn, the entire Broken Gold Beach was already bustling with activity.
Jiayi had already ridden off to Luo'an to deliver the message, while Liu Yang went to the dock camp.
Li Lao Er also personally went to invite Mr. Wen and Mrs. Cui, and also asked Mrs. Cui to visit the Liu family.
Fortunately, today was a day off, so Mr. Wen did not attend court or go to the government office.
As soon as Li Lao Er arrived, he smiled and said, "Congratulations, Uncle Li."
Li Lao Er laughed heartily, "Sir, you're very well-informed!"
"With the new grain harvested and the Emperor bestowing a great reward upon the Li family, how could such a significant event be kept secret?" Mr. Wen laughed. "To be honest, everyone knows that I have frequent interactions with your family. This little courtyard received three groups of guests last night, and we drank two pots of tea."
Li Lao Er sensed that he was testing him, so he said, "As you know, sir, our family doesn't want to get too involved with the families in the city. So, today's banquet will only be for a few close families and our new relative, Mr. Peng. There will be no outsiders."
Mr. Wen nodded in agreement, “That’s how it should be. These people in the city won’t do anything without a profit, so it’s better to ignore them.”
As they talked, the two led Wen Hai to the Cui family's estate. Madam Cui had also heard the good news and was having things loaded onto the carriage in preparation for going to Suijintan.
When Li Lao Er invited her to the Liu family, she readily agreed.
Originally, it was thought that since Liu Zhiheng was not at home, Mrs. Liu would just take the two children with her.
Unexpectedly, Old Master Liu also got on the bus, which meant he was planning to become close friends with the Li family!
Madam Cui was overjoyed and accompanied her all the way to Broken Gold Beach.
In the Broken Gold Beach, the village chief was leading people to move things out of the Ye family's courtyard.
Baskets of chicken and duck eggs, piles of lush green vegetables, several cages of rabbits, a large basin of live fish, and a big fat pig that had run into a car and died!
The village chief beamed with joy and kept praising him.
"The estate that the Marquis gave to Fu Niu'er is really nice. He sent so many things over overnight! Look at these green beans and spinach, they're so fresh!"
"This must be the second crop planted in the summer, and it's just opened for business now! Our village's vegetable gardens are all about to be cleared out; we'll have to try planting a second crop next year!"
As they were talking, the live fish in the basin jumped up and splashed a lot of water, making the old man laugh even harder. "Are there still fishponds in the village? These fish are so lively!"
Dongmei smiled and occasionally responded with a word or two.
No one found it strange, because Dongmei was usually a woman of few words...
After everyone carried the fat pig out, the village chief shouted to the villagers, "Hurry up and bleed it, or the meat will smell fishy if we delay too long."
The villagers laughed heartily, and someone replied, "Don't worry, Uncle. We're experienced pig butchers now. We were reluctant to touch the pigs in our pen, but unexpectedly, they sent some from the village outside."
“Yes,” another villager said, “Does Zhengjiazhuang also raise white pigs? They’re even fatter than ours! But these pigs are a bit fierce; how come one of them died halfway down the road?”
"Oh dear, who cares how it died? We're in for a treat!"
Everyone chatted and laughed, and soon they had moved all the things away.
Dongmei breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and saw Shuiling's eyes darting around, so she patted her head, "Speak less, work more. There are many people today, so you must not leave Miss's side at any time, understand?"
Shui Ling nodded quickly and ran off to the Li family next door.
Jiayin clung to her grandmother's back like a monkey, watching with a grin as the villagers bled and skinned the big fat pig.
Old Li is so shrewd; with just a glance at the vegetables and fish balls, he knew that it was his granddaughter who had done it again.
However, now that Zhengjiazhuang is used as a front, she can openly display it, so she doesn't need to worry so much...
But Old Mrs. Li still smacked the little girl on the back, scolding her, "You still need to be more careful in the future, you know?"
"Okay, Grandma!" Jiayin whispered in her grandmother's ear.
Grandma Li, feeling itchy, moved to the side, and the grandmother and grandson burst into laughter.
Granny He led Shui Ling forward, took Jia Yin, and then advised the old lady, "Madam, the guests will be arriving soon, please change your clothes quickly."
"Alright, I'll dress up nicely today. Even if I don't care about such things, I can't let my children and grandchildren down!"
The old lady walked into the house with a smile, and Jiayin quickly called out to Shuiling to follow her.
Previously, she and her parents and uncles had prepared many clothes and jewelry for the old lady, but unfortunately, the old lady had always kept them at the bottom of her trunk.
Today is a great opportunity; we must bring out all the best stuff and let it see the light of day!
Granny He had served in the palace for most of her life and was very capable. She helped the old lady change her clothes, comb her hair, and choose jewelry with ease.
Half an hour later, the old lady was completely transformed from head to toe, exuding an air of nobility.
Jiayin clapped her hands and cheered, giving her grandmother a big kiss on the cheek. "Grandma is so beautiful, just like the Queen Mother of the West!"
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