After much difficulty, they finally welcomed their new bride into the family and held a banquet.
Everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating their favorite dishes, and the praise became even more unstoppable.
"Madam Kong, where did you find the chef who cooks for your banquet? The food is absolutely delicious!"
Madam Kong was secretly pleased, but she remained modest in her words.
"It's quite a coincidence. The chef we hired couldn't come, and we couldn't find anyone else at the last minute. My family was in a panic, but then my cousin introduced me to a woman named Sister Li, who lives in Qingshui Village and said that her ancestors were imperial chefs."
She smoothed her hair and said again.
"I didn't take it seriously at first, thinking that as long as I didn't lose face, it would be fine. I never expected that Sister Li's cooking skills were really so good."
The guest who asked the question was also surprised, "Oh my, a descendant of the imperial chef, that's not easy to find. You must have spent a lot of money on him, right? Was it particularly difficult to hire someone?"
"No, no," Madam Kong quickly waved her hand, praising the Li family profusely.
"This Sister Li is skilled and reliable. She brought four or five people over last night to start working. Including breakfast and the banquet today, she only asked for two taels of silver in wages!"
"Two ounces?" The customer's eyes widened.
"That's really not much. A few days ago, Zhao Xiucai's mother held a birthday banquet. I heard that the chef they hired charged five taels of silver for just two tables of food. It's not as good as the novel and delicious dishes you have!"
Madam Kong beamed with joy upon hearing this, her face radiant with pride.
The table in the front yard where Master Kong and his friends were also enjoying their meal to the fullest.
They even made an extra carp leaping over the dragon gate and sent it up; the meaning was just too good.
The banquet was a joyous occasion for both host and guests.
After the banquet ended and most of the guests had left, Tao Hongying and the others, who had been busy for most of the day, ate a steamed bun each with a bowl of stir-fried cabbage and some leftover bone broth from the banquet.
After seeing off the last guest, Madam Kong was even more pleased to see the Li family like this in the kitchen.
"Oh, you're too kind. Why didn't you stir-fry some meat? After working so hard all morning, how can you be full just by drinking soup?"
"It's alright, madam. We're tired and don't want to do anything else. Just have a simple bite to eat."
Tao Hongying agreed, swallowed the last bite of the pancake, and looked down to see her daughter drooling. She then used her chopsticks to dip a little bone broth into the pancake for her.
Jiayin licked her tongue very quickly, wanting more, but Tao Hongying was afraid she would get a stomachache, so she refused to give her any.
Li Laosi took his daughter, and Tao Hongying and the others tidied up the stove, quickly getting everything ready.
Madam Kong went back and got two taels of silver, and surprisingly added a box of fine pastries, a braised pork knuckle wrapped in oil paper, and a packet of meatballs.
"Please take all of this home and eat it. You've worked so hard today. We'll need your help coming over for any future banquets we have!"
Tao Hongying exchanged a few polite words and then accepted the money.
After thanking them again, the Li family began their journey home.
As the sun began to set and her son and daughter-in-law still hadn't returned, Old Lady Li became worried and leaned against the gate of the courtyard, peering out.
Wu Cuihua felt a pang of sadness and exclaimed.
"Mom, why are you in such a hurry? They'll be back when it's time. Besides, it's not a good thing if they come back too early. Maybe they messed up the cooking and got kicked out."
There were some chestnut shells on the wall. Old Mrs. Li reached out and grabbed a handful, throwing them at Wu Cuihua. Wu Cuihua covered her head and ran away, but unfortunately stepped on a smooth pebble.
She lunged straight out, fell face-first into the mud, and when she looked up, her lips were covered in blood and dirt, and she screamed in pain.
Just then, Tao Hongying and her group finally appeared at the village entrance, and Old Lady Li hurriedly ran over to greet Kong Nu.
"Oh, my little darling, you must be tired. Let Grandma give you a hug!"
Everyone laughed helplessly. They were the ones doing the work, but the old lady was only concerned with doting on her granddaughter.
They quickly entered the courtyard, and Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, Jia Yi, Jia Xi, and Jia An all ran out upon hearing the commotion.
Seeing the box of pastries in Li Laosi's hand, along with the braised pork knuckle and meatballs that faintly exuded fragrance, the whole family was delighted.
Jiaxi and Jia'an clapped their hands and jumped around on the ground.
"We've got meat to eat! We've got meat to eat!"
Grandma Li beamed with joy, took three meatballs, and popped one into the mouth of each of her three grandsons.
Then she took the things to the kitchen and prepared to cook dinner herself.
Her two daughters-in-law had been working hard for two days, and she didn't want them to do any more work.
If it were given to Wu Cuihua, the meat would probably be stolen and eaten before it could even be served.
Meanwhile, Wu Cuihua was falling down and looked terrible, groaning and groaning as if she were a seriously ill patient.
Despite her severe facial injury, she couldn't resist her cravings.
When Old Lady Li entered the house, she secretly opened the pot lid and stuffed several large pieces of braised pork knuckle into her mouth. Not only did she burn her mouth and injure her tongue, but she also developed blisters. She was in so much pain that she spun around on the floor, but she couldn't bear to spit out the meat.
When Jia'an and Jiaxi discovered this, they shouted loudly.
Old Mrs. Li wanted to yell at someone, but seeing her second son and Jiayi's flushed faces, she swallowed her words...
At dinner time, Wu Cuihua's bowl only contained cabbage.
She sucked in the cold air, wanting only to make her mouth and tongue feel better, so she was powerless to protest.
Jiayin, nestled in her grandmother's arms, watched the commotion with great satisfaction, and triumphantly picked up her toe and nibbled on it several times...
After the meal, Tao Hongying took out her wages.
"Mother, here is your wages for two days."
Then, there was a very delicate little purse, which made her hesitate.
"This was a special gift from Madam Sun, who adores Fu Niu'er. It contains two silver peanuts."
When Jiayin saw that her secret stash was about to be handed over, she immediately panicked, yelling and trying to grab it.
Grandma Li couldn't stop laughing and quickly took it and stuffed it into Jiayin's hand.
"Little money-grubber, do you think Grandma would embezzle this little bit of your money? Play all you want, and when you're done, Grandma will put it away and save it for your dowry when you grow up."
Even the two taels of silver for wages were pushed onto Tao Hongying by Old Lady Li.
"This is what you worked hard to earn, it doesn't belong to the public funds, you can divide it among yourselves."
Wu Cuihua's eyes immediately reddened, and she wanted to say something, but Li Lao Er pinched her arm hard.
Tao Hongying seemed not to notice Wu Cuihua's appearance and stuffed the silver into her mother-in-law's hand again.
“Mother, we haven’t separated the family, so whatever we earn belongs to the family. Besides, Jiaren has gone to the city to study, and his expenses are high. Let’s save this money to buy him clothes and writing materials.”
Li Lao Er felt even more guilty. "Sister-in-law, thank you for your kindness. I will go to the city to look for work in a few days, so I can't accept your money."
"What are you saying, Second Brother!" Li Laosi couldn't stand his brother being polite.
“We are all family. Although Jiaren is my nephew, my third brother and I treat him like our own son!”
Li Laosan nodded quickly, a simple and honest smile on his face.
"Yes, if Jiaren passes the imperial examination and achieves official rank, we uncles will also be proud."
Seeing this, Old Lady Li accepted the money, saying, "Alright, I'll take it."
Wu Cuihua looked at the gleaming silver, but unlike Li Lao Er, she wasn't grateful. Instead, she muttered sarcastic remarks.
"They just know how to curry favor with their mother. If they really wanted to give, they could have done it in private. Giving it in front of everyone makes them think they want our family to remember their kindness."
Tao Hongying was not one to be bullied, and she immediately retorted.
"What's wrong with giving money in person? It's honest and fair money. Second sister-in-law, you probably want to give some too, but you're so lazy you're practically infested with maggots; you won't earn a single penny back."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com