“Yes, as long as we are in the right, we have nothing to fear!” Grandma Li kissed her granddaughter. “At worst, we can give up the shop and stay home to study and do needlework. We’re not short of food, and you don’t need to do business to earn money.”
After exchanging a few more casual words, dinner was almost ready.
The lamb leg that the Marquis brought back was frozen by Old Lady Li in the snowdrift in the corner of the yard, to be roasted again tomorrow.
In the afternoon, with nothing much to do at home, we made a lot of dumplings.
At this moment, the whole family sat around the table, enjoying the steaming white dumplings. Lord Hou, Li Lao Er, and Li Lao Si had also drunk a few cups of wine.
After the meal, everyone dispersed.
Jiayin, unusually, went back to the house with her mother and then stuffed the rest of the things in the box into her mother's hands.
She understood and was happy that her grandmother doted on her wholeheartedly and wanted to give her all the good things.
But she wasn't the only daughter in their fourth branch of the family; she also had an older brother named Jia'an.
Moreover, the good things that Father fought so hard to earn, the ones that were previously distributed, should be left to the public treasury, and the rest should be kept by Mother.
Tao Hongying didn't think too much about it. In any case, it would be used as a dowry for her daughter, so there was no difference between her keeping it and her daughter keeping it.
But Jiayin insisted, "Mother, it's not too late to give it to me when I get married. But if my brother brings a sister-in-law back in the future, you, as the mother-in-law, can't be unprepared."
Tao Hongying thought for a moment and then put the box away. "Okay, then I'll keep it for now. Some of the gold jewelry needs to be refurbished. I'll give it to you when it's all sorted out."
"Don't worry, Mother. Besides, those gold and silver ingots are all small and have auspicious meanings. Keep some for when you go out to socialize and give gifts to the children."
"As for the rest, you might consider buying a small shop in the city."
Jiayin gave her mother a little pointers: "Our family's pickles and braised dishes are delicious, but they're not suitable for selling at Uncle's restaurant. Why not open your own small shop and earn some pocket money?"
This really touched Tao Hongying's heart.
She had a natural love for food, otherwise she wouldn't have had maids at home and would have cooked every day herself.
Now her recipes are gradually increasing, and she has taken on three apprentices at Cyclamen. Preparing a private meal every five days is a piece of cake for her.
Sometimes when I'm at home and the kids aren't around, I cook something delicious but there's no one to enjoy it, which can be quite boring.
If I could open a pickle shop, not only would I make money, but at least I'd have something to do to pass the time.
“Okay, let me think about what to sell.” Tao Hongying agreed immediately.
Jiayin said, "I want to eat spicy kimchi. Mom will call me tomorrow, and we can figure it out together. This dish is both spicy and sweet, and it's perfect with rice."
"Okay, you little glutton." Tao Hongying rubbed her daughter's head and urged, "Go back to sleep, don't be naughty. Tomorrow, Madam Xing and Miss Wan'er are going back to the city, so don't oversleep and make people laugh at you."
Jiayin lingered in her mother's arms for a while before returning to her own room.
When Li Laosi returned from the hot springs, he was quite surprised to see his wife happily fiddling with a box.
When he heard what had happened, he smiled and said, "Our daughter has really grown up and become sensible. She knows how to coax her mother and how to be filial to you."
"Absolutely! The luckiest thing in my life is giving birth to this daughter," Tao Hongying exclaimed. "She's like a fairy from heaven reincarnated into my womb."
Li Laosi leaned closer to his wife and joked, "I deserve some credit for that too, right? Should we try and have another one?"
Tao Hongying blushed and glared at him reproachfully...
The next day, after breakfast, as expected, Madam Xing brought her daughter, accompanied by Madam Wen, to the Li family's courtyard to say goodbye.
After half a month of acupuncture and herbal medicine, Madam Xing was not completely cured, but she was much better than when she first arrived.
At least he no longer needs help to walk a few steps, and his pale complexion has faded, showing a clear return to life.
It must be said that Dr. Zhang's medical skills are remarkable.
Of course, Jia Yin also contributed a lot.
She continuously delivered the fruits and vegetables from the space to the Wen family.
Madam Xing initially couldn't eat, so Jiayin taught Wan'er to make fruit juice, trying every possible way to get Madam Xing to eat more.
The land itself is magical, brimming with vitality, which can accelerate plant growth and aid in plant evolution.
The grains, vegetables, and fruits produced in this space, while not having an immediate or miraculous effect when consumed, nourish the body subtly and quietly, like spring rain.
All the members of the Li family, as well as Uncle Zhao and the others who ate with the Li family, almost never sneezed more than once throughout the year.
Madam Xing held Old Lady Li's hand and thanked her again and again.
With tears in her eyes, Xing Wan'er knelt down and kowtowed to Old Lady Li.
A child's dependence on and closeness to their mother is innate.
No one can bear the fear of losing their mother!
The Li family not only hired a renowned doctor to treat her, but also took great care of her and her daughter for the past two weeks, for which Xing Wan'er was extremely grateful.
Grandma Li personally helped the good girl up, then took out the pair of red coral hairpins inlaid with broken gemstones that Jiayin had picked out last night, and put them in her hair. She smiled and said, "Good child, go home with your mother and take good care of yourself. We'll have plenty of time to spend together in the future, won't we?"
Wan'er blushed and turned to look at her mother.
Madam Xing smiled and nodded, then bowed to thank Old Lady Li for the hairpin.
Grandma Li couldn't stop smiling; her future granddaughter-in-law was settled, there was no escaping her.
Once Jiaren returns before the New Year, we'll find another opportunity for him to deliver a New Year's gift to the Xing family. After the New Year, we can proceed with the engagement and betrothal.
Thinking this, Old Lady Li wished her grandson would grow wings and fly back as soon as possible.
After delivering the Xing family mother and daughter, Tao Hongying immediately got her daughter involved in figuring out how to make pickles.
With a fleet of boats traveling to and from Quanzhou, the family naturally had no shortage of seafood, including fish sauce and shrimp paste.
Therefore, making kimchi is easy.
On the lunch table, a plate of kimchi became the main dish.
Lord Hou, Li Lao Er, and Mr. Wen all went into the city, while Li Lao Si returned to the military camp.
There were only elderly women and children at home, so we didn't make any fancy dishes.
It was just a pot of white rice porridge, some steamed buns with bean paste filling, and some spicy cabbage, but in the end, everyone ate until they were stuffed.
Especially Mrs. Wen and Wenjuan, who both had twins, kept saying that the kimchi was made too late.
If they had been pickled a few months earlier, they probably wouldn't have had to suffer from morning sickness.
Old Mrs. Li quickly packed several plates and had them sent to Hui Niang, Sister Liu, Aunt Wu, and Xiao Cui'er, inviting them to try them as well.
In the afternoon, Hui Niang and the others brought their children to join in the fun, and everyone said it was delicious.
Encouraged by this, Tao Hongying was like a shot of adrenaline, and she started thinking about mountain bellflower, kelp knots, and soy sauce cucumbers again. She seemed to be walking on air.
Jiayin accompanied her mother for a brief start, then packed up and left.
It wasn't that she was being lazy; it's just that she hadn't made any arrangements for Baiyunjian yet.
That idiot Third Princess has the Eldest Princess's family as her advisors, so she definitely won't just honestly open branch stores to buy goods and make a profit.
But Jiayin wasn't afraid. As long as she held the master chef and the recipe in her hands, no matter how much those clowns jumped around, they wouldn't be able to gain any advantage!
Fourth update delivered! My darlings, I've finally paid back the chapter I owed, and I'll try to add another one tomorrow. It's the end of the month, so if you lovely ladies still have any must-read tickets left, hurry up and vote for me! Of course, a "like" or a five-star rating would be even better—your support is my motivation to stay up all night writing! Love you all!
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