Jiayin was in high spirits after escaping the famine.
She tried her best to look cute with her big, round eyes, hoping to win some goodwill from her family.
Tao Hongying peeked out from the kitchen and smiled when she saw her mother-in-law and daughter looking so relaxed.
Then she went to talk to Steward Wang for a few minutes, and then returned to the kitchen and asked Jia Huan to help prepare the ingredients for dinner.
Zhao Yuru didn't hear what Tao Hongying said to Manager Wang, so while she was washing vegetables, she leaned over to her and asked, "Hongying, what did you say to Manager Wang?"
Tao Hongying was mixing a sauce when she heard this and chuckled, "I just asked Steward Wang where Madam Sun's hometown is."
"Why are you asking that? Is Mrs. Sun from your hometown?" Zhao Yuru asked curiously.
"No, I just wanted to cook something nice for Madam."
As Tao Hongying spoke, she stirred the sauce, her smile mysterious.
Zhao Yuru simply stopped asking. Anyway, her fourth brother's wife was known for her excellent cooking, so she had nothing to worry about.
"Wife! Look what we caught!"
The two sisters-in-law were busy at work when Li Laosi ran in laughing.
Tao Hongying turned around and saw that Li Laosi was holding a plump carp that was as long as her forearm.
The fish was still alive, full of energy, wagging its tail in Li Laosi's hand, trying to break free.
"Such a big fish! How did you catch it?" Tao Hongying quickly found a basin, filled it with water, and put the fish in.
"It's strange, just now our mother took Fu Niu'er to the deck for some fresh air. We had only been standing there for a short while when this big fish suddenly landed on the deck. The deck was slippery, and it struggled for quite a while before we were able to catch it."
As Li Laosi spoke, he gestured excitedly, and finally couldn't help but repeat himself.
"She really leaped up in a flash, it startled even her mother. Fu Niu'er is quite brave, she kept giggling!"
"That's great, we have another dish tonight." Tao Hongying was also happy, wanting to say that her daughter was lucky, but she was afraid that the Sun family would hear her.
"Alright, you guys keep busy, I'm going to get to work." Li Laosi knew what was going on, so he turned around and left.
Tao Hongying called Li Jiahuan to kill the fish and clean it. Then, she took a slightly narrower knife and began to cut the fish meat apart and remove the bones.
"Third sister-in-law, beat those two eggs and mix them well. I'll steam some egg custard for Miss in a bit."
Tao Hongying turned around and gave instructions to Zhao Yuru, while her hands were also busy.
Zhao Yuru responded and quickly went to get the eggs.
Inside the cabin, Old Mrs. Li was holding Jiayin, chatting with Mrs. Sun to keep her company.
Miss Sun was held in her wet nurse's arms, sitting next to Old Lady Li. Her big, dark eyes looked at the chubby Jiayin, and she would occasionally babble a few words, as if she were chatting with Jiayin.
Jiayin also liked the little girl's pink and cute appearance, so she also teased her with her own babbling.
"Look at them, those two sisters are having such a lively conversation."
Mrs. Sun's attention was focused on the children, and she was overjoyed to see this.
Grandma Li smiled along with her, thinking to herself how sensible her granddaughter was, and how she was loved by everyone wherever she went.
"Madam, dinner is ready." A maid brought in a food tray, and Old Madam Li, being very perceptive, took Jiayin and took her leave.
"What did you make tonight?" Madam Sun teased her daughter with her hand, asking the maid without looking up.
"Reporting to Madam, it is honey-glazed char siu, fish ball soup, and garlic bok choy. I also steamed egg custard for Miss."
The maids answered cheerfully, explaining that they always ate with their masters, and what was left over was for them.
With such delicious food today, they are naturally in for a treat.
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun quickly looked up, her expression filled with surprise and delight, for these three dishes were all from her hometown.
She quickly asked, "Who cooked today's meal?"
The maid thought something was wrong and dared not hide it.
"Reporting to Madam, it was cooked by the fourth daughter-in-law of the Li family. The steward thought it looked good, so he sent it over for you to try something different..."
Madam Sun didn't say anything more after hearing this. She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of honey-glazed char siu, and couldn't wait to put it in her mouth.
The sweet and savory sauce coated the chewy slices of meat, making Mrs. Sun squint her eyes as she ate.
"Hey! Hey!" Miss Sun smelled the aroma and kept patting the table with her little hands.
Madam Sun then remembered that Tao Hongying had made a bowl of steamed egg custard for her daughter, and quickly signaled the maid to bring the bowl over.
The golden-yellow steamed egg custard is served in a white porcelain bowl with blue and white decorations, and a few drops of soy sauce are sprinkled on top. With the slightest movement, the custard trembles and quiveres, making one's mouth water...
The mother and daughter were extremely satisfied with the meal.
The maidservant looked at the half-empty plate of food and joked with a smile.
"Madam and Miss are so lucky. They picked up a few people at the dock and found a treasure. From now on, Madam and Miss will never have to worry about food again."
"Yes, they were indeed lucky, but the Li family also put in a lot of effort."
Madam Sun rinsed her mouth with tea and instructed, "Give two taels of silver to Sister-in-law Li. Please ask her to take better care of my and Miss's meals from now on."
"Yes, Madam." The maidservant happily went off.
The Li family was also eating at that moment. They had simple millet porridge, two kinds of flatbread, and stewed half a fish with tofu. The whole family was enjoying their meal together.
Jiayin lay in her mother's arms, drinking goat milk, and noticed that her mother kept glancing at the cabin door, which made her curious.
Fortunately, a maidservant came to deliver the reward money shortly afterward.
Only then did the whole family realize that Tao Hongying had gotten this job because of her culinary skills.
"Fourth Aunt is amazing!"
"Hongying's cooking skills are excellent; she can go anywhere without making a mistake."
Everyone was happy, except for Wu Cuihua, who pouted and took the opportunity to eat all the fish in the bowl.
Jiayin was proud of her mother's skill and danced with joy.
Seeing Wu Cuihua like this, he glared at her, but unfortunately his eyelids wouldn't obey him and almost rolled back up and wouldn't come down...
Before long, the Li family won the favor of the lady, and Tao Hongying was promoted to cook for the lady and the young lady. The news spread throughout the entire ship.
From the stewards to the lowest servants, everyone treated the Li family with great courtesy.
Manager Wang even made a special request to change the Li family's accommodation.
It was no longer a dark and damp warehouse, but a two-story building with windows, and there were four of them, making it much more spacious.
As Grandma Li patted her granddaughter to sleep, she recalled how the large carp that had suddenly appeared on the deck seemed to keep trying to jump into her granddaughter's arms, and she couldn't help but tremble with excitement.
“Fu Niu’er, Grandma can’t say it, but Grandma knows everything. Our whole family is alive because of you. As long as Grandma lives, no one in the Li family will be allowed to treat you badly, and no one will be allowed to be an ungrateful wretch!”
Jiayin was drowsy and couldn't open her eyes, so she could only grin and smile, which was her way of responding to the old lady's promise.
Jiaxi and Jia'an ran in from outside, shouting loudly.
"Grandma, let us touch my little sister! We want to follow the boatman to the stern to cast our nets and catch fish!"
Grandma Li raised her hand and gave them two flicks on the forehead. "Get lost! You can't be naughty at any time. Your sister just fell asleep."
Jiaxi and Jia'an ran away in a panic, disappearing in the blink of an eye, without ever seeing Old Lady Li's smiling face.
It's so good that the whole family is alive!
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