At this moment, Shui Ling came in carrying a food box and said with a smile, "Young Master Jia Huan was worried that the young mistress would be hungry, so he asked me to bring the food over."
After saying that, she called to Xiaoyue, "Little Yue, come and eat too, I brought you your portion."
Xiaoyue was somewhat surprised, not expecting the Li family to be so thoughtful.
They were afraid of embarrassing themselves if they needed to relieve themselves on the way, so they didn't eat or drink anything last night, and now they were so hungry they were dizzy.
With Hui Niang's help, the food was quickly laid out. Wen Juan wanted to invite Hui Niang to eat, but Hui Niang didn't. Jia Yin, however, sat down and ate heartily with her sister-in-law...
The banquet was lively in the courtyard outside.
Jia Huan, the groom, was inevitably forced to drink alcohol, but fortunately, Jia Ren, Jia Yi, and Liu Yang helped him out and stopped him from drinking too much.
Guo Wenhao sat at a table with Liu's Zhimin and Xiujie. He had grown a bit taller, but he still looked quiet and shy.
He ate while looking outside, and only smiled when Jiayin ran over with her round little belly.
Seeing that his skin was pale, and that you could almost see the blue veins, Jiayin picked up her chopsticks and put some food on his plate. "You need to eat more. You need to eat well to grow strong."
Guo Wenhao smiled and replied softly, "The doctor said I'm not sick, just too thin..."
Jiayin nodded and earnestly instructed, "Then you should get some sun more often and learn some exercises like Baduanjin, then you won't be so thin."
Guo Wenhao listened attentively and nodded repeatedly. Finally, he took out a small wooden monkey from his pocket and handed it to Jiayin, saying, "This is for you. It was made by an old man in our village. I have several, so I'll share one with you."
Jiayin didn't take it seriously. She took it and played with it for a while, then asked, "Who did you come with? I'll pack some delicious fruit for you to take back and eat slowly."
Guo Wenhao thanked him, smiling broadly and showing off his white teeth; he was much more lively than before.
Zhimin and Xiujiezi were eavesdropping while eating, and they kept thinking that there was too much vinegar in the cold dishes, and they were too sour!
Xiu Jie, being younger, exclaimed, "Little sister Fu Niu, I want to eat fruit too!"
Fu Niu rolled her eyes at him, "You and my brothers were secretly munching on fruit in bed last night, don't think I didn't know! Humph, you were sneaking food behind my back!"
Xiu Jie chuckled sheepishly and argued, "Your fruit is delicious, can't I eat a few more?"
"Okay, I'll go ask Uncle Liu for the money for the fruit in a bit!"
Jiayin seized the opportunity, scaring Xiujie into quickly begging for mercy, "If my dad finds out, he'll dock my allowance again. Good sister, please forgive me this time. Next time, I'll buy you candied fruit!"
"Alright!" Jiayin proudly raised her chin. "When you go home, I'll bring you some fruit too!"
"Oh, thank you, little sister! I knew you were the best!" Xiu Jie beamed and quickly put some meatballs into Jia Yin's bowl. "Try it, little sister. Auntie's cooking is the best. I've never had such delicious meatballs before!"
Jiayin rubbed her stomach, reluctantly ate the meatball, and then gave her mother a huge thumbs up.
Tao Hongying spent almost half a month preparing for the first happy event in her family.
Needless to say, the dishes received praise from everyone. Even Old Master Liu ordered a private meal to entertain several of his old friends, and specifically requested to admire the orchids.
Li Zhensheng readily agreed. At present, Baihuaxiang's private kitchen is only popular among wealthy businessmen.
By doing this, Grandpa Liu is also paving the way for the Li family's private cuisine to be promoted to literary circles.
As night fell, the guests, having eaten and drunk their fill, took their leave.
Guo Wenhao boarded the carriage, took the basket of fruit Jiayin had given him, and his smile never stopped...
The city gates were already locked, so Old Master Liu and Liu Zhiheng moved into the Cui family's house.
Mr. Wen used the excuse of accompanying the old man for a hangover tea to also go to the Cui family, but no one knows what the old man and the young man talked about.
The village women never slacked off when working for the Li family. In the huge courtyard, the tables, chairs, and benches were all tidied up and the pots, pans, and dishes were all washed clean in less than half an hour.
Because she has many grandchildren and enjoys entertaining guests, Grandma Li previously spent a sum of money to order two hundred sets of bowls, plates, chopsticks, round tables, and long benches.
These things are usually kept in an empty room in the school, and can be taken by the Li family or any family in the village who needs to hold a banquet.
After helping to deliver the tables, chairs, bowls, and plates, the men and women all went home.
The Li family compound finally quieted down. Old Mrs. Li went to check on her granddaughter-in-law and, seeing that she had finished eating, shooed away her giggling grandsons and tightly closed the door...
According to custom, the bride should wash her hands and cook for the first three days before the groom's arrival at the groom's house.
However, Wenjuan's cooking skills were only average, and the kitchen in the Li family's kitchen was different from the one at home. She was a bit overwhelmed when she had to prepare meals for more than 20 people.
When Tao Hongying saw this, she put her in charge of cooking millet porridge, while He Mama and Shuiyun helped with the rest of the work.
Wenjuan was both touched and embarrassed, and secretly resolved to learn more from him in the future.
At the dinner table, when the old lady heard that her granddaughter-in-law had cooked millet porridge, she praised it for being fragrant, thick, and sticky, which made Wenjuan blush even more.
After breakfast and tea, everyone sat together and chatted happily before the Liu family returned to the city.
Before getting into the car, Old Master Liu chatted with Li Zhensheng for a few moments, saying, "The matter of the third son of the Wang family has caused quite a stir. Everyone feels some sympathy for him. You should be more cautious and prudent in your actions."
"Moreover, the eldest and second eldest sons of the Wang family are coming back. The second eldest is nothing special, but the eldest son is quite cunning and resourceful. You should be more careful."
Li Zhensheng smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Liu. Our family has never caused trouble, nor are we afraid of trouble. The Wang family has schemed against us time and time again, even trying to control our Li family and shake the foundation of Suijintan."
"If our Li family doesn't retaliate in some way, outsiders will think we're easy to bully and will all try to take advantage of us. I'd rather outsiders fear the Li family than have everyone dare to bully us!"
Grandpa Liu nodded, not at all annoyed by Li Zhensheng's rebuttal, but rather with even more appreciation. "It's a pity your father passed away early, otherwise I really wanted to learn from him how he raised such outstanding children. All four of you brothers are excellent!"
"As long as we remain united and act with propriety, how can the Li family not prosper even more?!"
"Uncle Liu, you flatter me. Actually, my brothers and I have just learned from our mistakes and fallen down a lot, and we have gradually grown up."
Li Zhensheng's words were not just modesty or politeness. None of the four brothers grew up in a pampered environment. They had endured a lot of hardships, which naturally made them resilient.
After seeing the Liu family off, Mr. Wen was also heading back to the city a short while later.
With nothing much going on at home and the grand court assembly tomorrow, Li Lao Er simply got into the carriage with Mr. Wen.
The two browsed the book and painting shops, bought a few new books, and then returned to the courtyard.
The next morning, as usual, he got up and went out before dawn. Standing in the court, Li Lao Er was still secretly yawning.
After finally enduring the court session, he was in good spirits and walked out with the crowd.
As soon as he stepped out of the palace gates, before he could even look for his carriage, he was stopped by someone...?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com