Madam Zhou sat at the doorway, not daring to lift her head even once.
Thinking back to the cold looks Tao Hongying gave her when she first came in, I really wish I could turn back time and take them back...
We can't afford to mess with them!
As the sun began to set, everyone took their leave.
Once they were seated in the carriage and out of the street, Madam Liu grabbed Tao Hongying's hand and praised her repeatedly, "Hongying, you are simply amazing!"
"I won't need to take you with me anymore. There were so many people just now; I bet they all have something to say and want to invite you for drinks!"
"How come I never noticed before? You're so quick-witted! If Madam Wu were any older, you might have driven her to her death on the spot!"
Tao Hongying sighed, grasped Madam Liu's hand in return, and said, "Sister-in-law, I used to feel that I came from a humble background, hadn't read many books, and didn't know any manners. I was afraid of being laughed at when I went out to socialize."
"So I hid away, stayed home cooking, and occasionally went to a restaurant. Life was quite comfortable. But later, when someone tried to harm Fu Niu'er, I couldn't help at all, and that's when I realized how useless I was!"
"Today I mustered up my courage and took a gamble, only to find that those high and mighty nobles are actually no different from the barking mutts in our village."
“If I actually pick up a stick and hit them, they'll be scared; but if I throw them a bone, they'll be all smiles!”
She unconsciously raised her chin and said to Madam Liu, and even more so to herself, "Now that I've figured it out, I can have them completely under my thumb from now on, and I'll never be deaf and blind again!"
"That's right!" Madam Liu was overjoyed and patted Tao Hongying hard.
She actually understood Tao Hongying very well. Even though she came from a good family, she was in charge of the household after getting married and had to attend to many social engagements, which sometimes made her nervous.
Tao Hongying, a peasant woman, suddenly had to put on a smiling face and mingle among a group of arrogant and aloof ladies, which was even more difficult for her to adapt to.
Fortunately, Tao Hongying seemed to have unlocked her full potential today!
Sure enough, you can't mess with a woman's child, otherwise even a rabbit might start biting!
The carriage first took Madam Liu home before leaving the city and returning to Suijintan.
When she was still half a mile from her own courtyard, Tao Hongying could smell the aroma of barbecue seasoning, and she couldn't help but chat with Granny Lin and Xia Qing about it.
"It must be my spendthrift daughter thinking about food again. She only prepared that jar of barbecue seasoning a few days ago, and she keeps saying that the cumin in it is rare and that she's afraid I'll waste it. But she's using it herself quite lavishly!"
Lin Mama smiled and said, "The young master and the others love barbecue skewers. I wonder if they came back today?"
"The princess is the best to the young master and the others. Even when she used up all the barbecue seasoning, it wasn't for her own sake!"
Tao Hongying smiled as she listened, pleased to see that her children had such a good relationship.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the door. As soon as Tao Hongying entered, she saw a charcoal fire burning in the center of the courtyard, and her beloved daughter was rolling up her sleeves and sprinkling seasoning on the half-cooked whole roasted lamb.
Occasionally, some ingredients would fall into the charcoal fire and quickly burn to ashes, making the aroma even stronger.
The lamb is at its fattest and most succulent at this time of year, with fat constantly dripping...
Xingxing was squatting by the charcoal fire, her chubby face burning red, drooling. Occasionally she would look up at the doorway, then run over on her chubby little legs, grab Tao Hongying's leg, and complain in a soft, sweet voice.
"Grandma, Xingxing is hungry! Waaah, Auntie won't let me eat sheep!"
Tao Hongying bent down and picked up her grand-nephew, laughing as she coaxed him, "Auntie is so naughty! She won't even give us sheep to eat."
"Grandma Si will spank her hand in a little while to teach her a lesson."
Xingxing looked down at his chubby little hands and remembered the last time he threw a tantrum and hit his great-grandmother. His mother had hit his little hands with a bamboo stick until they were red and burning with pain.
He quickly shook his head, hugged Tao Hongying and kissed her repeatedly, pleading softly, "If Fourth Grandmother doesn't hit her, Auntie's hand will hurt and she won't be able to cook delicious food!"
"Hahaha!" Tao Hongying burst into laughter, kissing the chubby boy. "You little ingrate, all you've got is a greedy heart!"
Jiayin heard the noise and saw her mother standing at the door, her back to the setting sun, the pale glow of the sunset making her smile radiant.
It seemed as if the gloom that had lingered between her mother's brows for many days had dissipated.
Overjoyed, she called out loudly, "Mother, you're back!"
"Yes, what made you think of roasting a whole lamb?" Tao Hongying asked with a smile as she stepped forward, holding Xingxing in her arms.
Jiayin put down the seasoning box and said, "Since I have nothing to do, I'll roast a lamb for Grandpa Zhang to have with his drinks."
"Today is a good day, why don't I prepare some more ingredients, and our family can have a drink together!"
After saying that, she asked Shuiyun to help watch the roast lamb, and then ran off with a smile to prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Chicken wings, chicken necks, cicada pupae, freshly made sausages, as well as shrimp and fish—the more the better.
When Xia Qing saw the princess pass by, she gave her a wink, hesitated for a moment, and then followed her.
A moment later, Jiayin learned the whole story of her mother's incredible display of power.
She really wanted to hug and kiss Madam Wu, her enemy, a few times to thank her for her selfless dedication and willingness to be a whetstone, which finally helped her mother regain her shrewish and straightforward nature.
Life is short, only a few decades!
It's all about seeking revenge and vengeance!
The Li family cannot do anything to the Wu family for the time being, because they need to find an opportunity to eliminate them completely.
But if we meet on a narrow road, it's good to slash a few times to vent our anger!
Shui Ling was drooling as she helped pass out ingredients when her master suddenly sent her to the city to deliver a message. She was a little reluctant to leave.
She only left quickly after her master promised to save five of her favorite chicken necks.
When the sun had completely set and it was pitch black, not only did Li Lao Er return from the city, but Li Zhensheng and Mr. Wen also returned with Jiaren and Maoge'er.
Two bonfires were lit in the Li family's courtyard, crackling and illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.
The aroma of roasted lamb wafted throughout the entire village.
One of the mischievous boys couldn't resist the temptation and ran outside to wander around.
Tao Hongying gave them a plate of chicken wings and sent them to the school to deliver a plate of grilled meat skewers to Mr. Jiang.
The village chief, Uncle Zhao, and several other old men, as well as Chief Escort Liu, were also invited over.
Tonight's main guest, Doctor Zhang, sat casually right in front of the roast lamb, looking completely unconcerned, but his eyes were constantly fixed on the lamb.
It wasn't until Jiayin personally cut a leg of lamb and placed it in front of him that he nodded arrogantly, but his mustache had already perked up with delight...
Before Li Lao Er returned, he urgently arranged for people to add fuel to the fire of the Emperor's brother-in-law's scandal.
Now that everyone is sitting together, eating and drinking, it's natural that they'll start talking.
Only then did Grandma Li and the others realize that Tao Hongying had displayed extraordinary power today, and they were both surprised and delighted.
"Yes, that's how it should be! Who cares whose mother she is, she should be scolded if she deserves it!"
"Exactly! If you're so capable, discipline your son properly, or you'll get caught red-handed!"
"This family is all bad. I really don't know how they chose their daughter to be the empress!"
"It is said that the Empress Dowager personally selected her for the Emperor from among a group of candidates."
"Oh...no wonder! Who would put their heart into something if it weren't their own mother!"
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