Jiayin happily ate the boiled corn, but when she saw the golden steamed potatoes in front of her, some of which were already half-burnt from being near the edge of the pot, she was eager to finish the last bite of corn and then go get the potatoes.
As a result, she bit too hard with that last bite, and cried out in pain, jumping up.
Everyone was startled and were about to ask her what was wrong.
Jiayin opened her mouth and spat out a few corn kernels, with a small baby tooth mixed in.
It turns out that one of her lower front teeth has been retired!
"Oh dear, Fu Niu'er has lost a tooth!"
"Haha, the little girl has grown up and is starting to lose her baby teeth."
"The little gap-toothed baby is so cute."
This tooth hadn't been moving much before, so it fell out rather suddenly, and there was some blood at the break.
Everyone was afraid that Jiayin would be scared, so they tried their best to cheer her up.
Jiayin's gaping teeth were both funny and exasperating.
In her past life, when she lost her upper front tooth, for some reason, her new tooth didn't grow in for a long time, and she was often ridiculed by children her age.
Being reborn as a human, I'm going to have to go through such an embarrassing moment as losing a tooth again!
Li Laosi felt sorry for his daughter but couldn't bear to see her sad. He picked her up, took the tiny tooth (about the size of a soybean), stepped out the door, and then held her up so she could throw the tooth onto the roof.
Finally, he chuckled and coaxed his daughter, "Throw your bottom tooth on the roof, and Fu Niu'er's new tooth will grow in soon!"
"Okay, thank you, Dad!" Fu Niu'er grinned habitually, but the cold wind that came in through her tooth gap reminded her of the fact that she was missing teeth, so she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Everyone laughed, though it wasn't very kind of them.
Jiayin, feeling helpless from the laughter, simply let loose, grabbed half a steamed potato, smeared it with chili sauce, and ate it heartily.
The soft and sticky steamed potatoes, with a touch of salt and spiciness, were surprisingly suitable for her current weak teeth.
Unfortunately, she only managed two bites before her mother snatched it away.
Tao Hongying stuffed the potato her daughter had half-eaten into her mouth, ate it in a few bites, and then gave her daughter a new potato without chili peppers, saying, "Chili peppers are too hot. You just lost a tooth, so you can't eat them. Be careful, or your new teeth won't grow in!"
This threat really hurt Jiayin, and no matter how much she craved it, she had no choice but to obey.
As everyone chatted and laughed while eating and drinking, they asked Li Laosi about the situation in Jiangbei. Li Laosi picked out the things he could talk about and gave a brief account.
Everyone felt a pang of sadness when they thought of their hometown.
Even if Li Laosi didn't say it, they all knew that no matter how good a city was, it wouldn't be left intact once it fell into the hands of the barbarians.
As for those people who didn't relocate to Jiangnan in time, it was better that they were killed by the barbarians; at least they got a quick death.
But those who were imprisoned and enslaved are now suffering the most, unable to live or die...
After the meal, everyone went back to rest with heavy hearts.
Tao Hongying wanted to help tidy up the kitchen, but Old Lady Li pushed her back to her room early.
The couple has been separated for so long, they should get intimate, and maybe Jiayin will even get a little brother...
Leaving aside how happy the Li family was about Li Laosi's return, let's just say that the Marquis went straight to the palace after entering the new capital.
He was gone for several months, and since Jiangbei was the territory of the barbarians and communication with Jiangnan was inconvenient, a lot of things had accumulated.
The Emperor had been eagerly awaiting his return. Seeing him about to kneel upon entering, the Emperor quickly helped him up. "Cousin, you're finally back! How was the campaign? Were you injured?"
"Thanks to His Majesty, I have some minor injuries, but no major ones," the Marquis replied with a smile.
The emperor was worried and immediately summoned the imperial physician.
The imperial physician was initially terrified, thinking the emperor was ill, but was relieved to find out it was just a medical examination for the Marquis of Xinting.
After a long while, the imperial physician knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis has no major injuries. The few minor wounds have been treated well, and he is unlikely to suffer from any serious health problems."
"But the Marquis is away on campaign and cannot eat three meals a day on time. He also sleeps little, so he is severely deficient in qi and blood. It is best to recuperate for a period of time, otherwise... otherwise it will affect his lifespan."
The Emperor's face immediately turned cold, and he ordered the imperial physicians, "Prescribe tonics, immediately! Get the necessary herbs from the Imperial Treasury, we must restore the Marquis's health."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The imperial physician quickly withdrew, and the chief eunuch, not trusting the junior eunuch to handle the task, followed to write the prescription and fetch the medicine.
In the imperial study, the emperor pulled the marquis to sit opposite him, personally poured tea for him, and said, "Cousin, you have worked hard. Without you, there would be no peace in Jiangnan today."
"Your Majesty, please don't say that. It's all thanks to the loyalty and bravery of the soldiers. I was just leading them," the Marquis said modestly. He added, "This expedition killed more than three thousand barbarians. Before next spring, the barbarians will have no strength left to invade. We can rest assured about the autumn harvest and winter."
"Good, good!" The Emperor was overjoyed. "The corn and potatoes will soon be ready for harvest, and the harvest will be enough to make seeds. Next year, we will promote their planting throughout Jiangnan."
"When the national treasury is full and enough grain has been stockpiled, we can launch a major counterattack and recover Jiangbei."
The Marquis nodded, and just as he was about to speak, a commotion arose outside the main hall.
The Emperor frowned and asked loudly, "What happened?"
Immediately, a young eunuch entered from outside, looking troubled, and reported, "Your Majesty, it was Her Highness the Third Princess who personally prepared the tonic soup to present to you. This servant said that you and the Marquis were discussing important matters, but the princess did not believe it..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Third Princess had already walked in with a tray. But when she saw the Marquis sitting and drinking tea, her face suddenly turned pale, and she dropped the tray with a thud.
During this period, she was moved out of Kunning Palace and lived alone. Without her mother's protection and with the strictness of her governess, she suffered terribly.
Today, I finally had the chance to learn to cook and made a nourishing soup. I was thinking of serving it to my father so that I could ask him to let me move back to Kunning Palace.
Who would have thought... I'd run into Marquis Xinting!
Even the lowest-ranking eunuchs in the palace knew that Marquis Xinting was a murderer. It was said that while fighting in Jiangbei, he was so hungry that he roasted and ate barbarians like wild chickens...
She just bullied Princess Kangle, is Marquis Xinting here to settle scores with her?!
"Ah! Help!" The third princess became more and more frightened as she thought about it, and screamed as she turned and ran away.
Left behind was a terrified eunuch, a bewildered marquis, and... an emperor with a dark expression.
The young eunuch, thankfully not being foolish, quickly gathered up the tray and broken dishes, then withdrew.
The Marquis coughed twice and said to the Emperor, "Was it because I exuded too much murderous aura that I frightened the princess?"
The emperor knew all too well what his good-for-nothing daughter was afraid of, but he couldn't say it, so he said, "Ignore her, she's a good-for-nothing!"
Just then, the chief eunuch returned. Seeing the mess in the room, he cursed the eunuchs under his breath, but he still smiled and stepped forward to report, "Your Majesty, the prescription is ready, and the medicine is prepared. This old servant has ordered everyone to send it to the Marquis's residence."
The Emperor nodded and instructed, "Tell the Imperial Kitchen to prepare several more of the Marquis's favorite dishes."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The head eunuch responded, then ordered the junior eunuchs to quickly tidy up the room and close the door...?
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