Xia Qing quickly greeted the group of women, "Thank you so much for your help, ladies. I am Xia Qing, the head maid of the Li family. If you are not busy, could you please sit with me for a while?"
"I brought some homemade snacks. Let's chat and get to know each other."
"Maybe we'll have a chance to see each other more often in the future."
Today she wore a light green blouse and a pleated skirt, with a silver hairpin in her hair and a delicate silver bracelet on her wrist.
In this conversation and laughter, there was not a trace of arrogance, but rather a greater sense of closeness and friendliness.
The women exchanged glances, and a thought began to form in their minds: to find out about the Li family from Xia Qing.
So they invited Xia Qing to sit under a tree not far away.
There's shade here, so it's not too hot, and you can see what's going on in the small tents. If the masters give any orders, Xia Qing can go and serve them at any time.
As soon as Xia Qing sat down, she opened a small straw basket in her hand.
The basket was lined with white cotton cloth and contained more than twenty shortbreads and a bag of candied peanuts.
This was originally brought by Tao Hongying, intended for Liu Yang and Jiayi.
The two boys weren't home last night, and Grandma Li was worried they hadn't eaten well this morning, so she thought she'd give them something to eat.
Xia Qing took the initiative and distributed the pastries to the women.
The women were initially a little reserved, but blushed when each of them was given two pastries.
These pastries are really good! One is as big as a woman's fist, baked to a golden brown and crispy, layer upon layer, with a glistening oily sheen. If you smell it carefully, it's fragrant and sweet.
One of the women asked, "Where did you buy these pastries? They're even better than the ones sold at Liu's shop near my house!"
Xia Qing smiled smugly and said, "This is homemade. We use much more ingredients than the shops, so it's tastier and more affordable."
"Moreover, this is the simplest kind of snack. My family also has a snack shop called Baiyunjian. The snacks there are really ingenious. Every single one is extremely delicious."
"Sisters-in-law, if you have the chance, you should go and support us. I guarantee you'll like it even more."
"Baiyunjian?" The plump woman wrapped the pastry in a handkerchief, carefully tucked it into her bosom, and prepared to take it back for her child to eat.
When she suddenly heard Xia Qing mention Baiyunjian, she excitedly exclaimed, "I know, I know!"
"My sister-in-law's cousin's brother-in-law works as a shop assistant at Baiyunjian. I heard that the pastries they sell there are specially for important people, and they are so expensive that it's nauseating."
"We wouldn't even dare to step inside, let alone go to show our support!"
The others had also heard about it and nodded in agreement.
Xia Qing opened the bag of candied peanuts again and shared them with the women to sweeten their mouths. "The pastries sold in our shop are indeed a bit expensive, but we use the best ingredients and are honest with everyone!"
"Moreover, even in Xindu, the Emperor would send people to the shop to buy snacks every now and then."
“When our young master Yi came here, the old lady was worried that he wouldn’t be able to eat the snacks from home, so she opened the shop here.”
Everyone listened with envy, and while enjoying the sweet candied peanuts, they started chatting.
Why is Madam Li here? Is she going to marry Coral Girl as General Li's concubine?
The person who asked how many businesses the Li family had in Xindu, and whether they were rolling in money, asked...
Xia Qing responded with a few words to what she could, and for what she couldn't answer, she smiled and changed the subject, asking about the situation in the wounded soldiers' camp, the background of the coral girl, and her usual hobbies.
Leaving aside the lively chatter outside, inside the small tent, Tao Hongying and Madam Wen sat on two simple chairs, quietly observing their surroundings.
The tent was small, containing only a simple wooden bed, a table and chairs, a small stove and some simple basins and buckets in the corner.
The tables, chairs, and wooden bed were all old and worn, but the thin bedding on the bed was extremely clean.
The original blue base has even turned slightly white.
It was clear that the bedding had been hastily folded, yet it was laid out perfectly flat without a single wrinkle.
All of this perfectly illustrates the saying: "Though poor, one is not lazy; clean and efficient!"
Tao Hongying and Madam Wen exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of satisfaction in their eyes.
Tao Hongying, in particular, couldn't help but nod slightly.
Because whether she was at her parents' home or after marrying into the Li family, no matter how difficult life was, she would always keep the house clean.
This isn't being pretentious; it's an attitude towards life!
While busy boiling water to make tea, Coral Girl didn't forget to find a handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose.
When she poured tea for Tao Hongying and Madam Wen, she explained in a hoarse voice, "Please forgive me, Madam, I have caught a cold and cough occasionally."
"To avoid making you two uncomfortable, I've put on this face mask."
"You're too kind, Miss Coral. We're the ones who feel bad. You're sick, and we're the ones who can't get a proper rest because of your visit." Tao Hongying quickly gestured for Coral to sit down.
Unfortunately, there was no third chair in the room.
Coral sat down on the edge of the bed, her legs crossed and resting diagonally on her right side, her hands clasped together, very properly.
Madam Wen then asked, "Miss Coral has excellent manners; she must have learned them from a young age."
A hint of sadness flashed in Coral's eyes. "Thank you for your praise, Madam. My mother came from a branch of a scholarly family and was strict with me from a young age. When I was seven, we hired a governess to teach me manners."
Madam Wen quickly said, "I'm sorry, young lady, I shouldn't have upset you."
“No, Madam, you’re exaggerating.” Coral shook her head, the sadness in her eyes turning into determination. “My parents and family have all passed away; that’s a fact.”
"I have avenged them, and I no longer have any obsession with them."
"But... when I hear people mention it, I can't help but miss it, and I can't help but feel a little sad."
Tao Hongying felt even more pleased with her because of her straightforward and frank manner.
She thought for a moment and then asked, "Miss Coral, I am Li Jiayi's fourth aunt."
"Although Jiayi wasn't my biological son, we raised all the children together since they were little. Jiayi's mother passed away early, so I can shamelessly say that I'm like half a mother to him."
"Before the New Year, when Jiayi returned to Xindu, he mentioned your situation. Since we had nothing to do during the winter off-season, we brought our matriarch, Jiayi's grandmother, along to visit you."
“I should have come to see you before the New Year, but I’ve been busy with people coming and going at home, so I haven’t been able to. That’s why it’s been delayed until today. I hope you don’t mind.”
The coral girl seemed to be thinking of something, and her face gradually turned even paler.
She took a deep breath, looked up and stared directly at Tao Hongying and Madam Wen, and said, word by word, "Fourth Madam, please rest assured and go back to tell the Old Madam."
"I am deeply grateful to General Li for saving my life."
"I will definitely repay this kindness in the future and will never use it to blackmail or pester General Li."
"I keep my word. If Fourth Madam doesn't believe me, she can find someone to testify, or even write it down in black and white!"
Tao Hongying was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved her hand and said, "Miss Coral, you've misunderstood! Our family has no ill intentions towards you."
“Back then, Jia Yi saved you, but he also said that you saved him too.”
"Even the fact that you ended up falling into the water and causing you embarrassment was his mistake."
"In the end, you are a woman, and you have suffered the most and endured the most in this matter."
"Our family feels very guilty and wants to help you in any way we can, as a way of thanking you and making amends!"
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