They had traveled south by boat, and there were nearly twenty of them, young and old, so they certainly didn't dare to travel too fast.
So when we arrived in Quanzhou, it was already the twelfth lunar month.
Li Zhensheng purchased a large house here, which has three and a half courtyards and a large garden.
If this were in Xindu, a courtyard like this would probably cost five or six thousand taels of silver, and you might not even be able to buy it.
But here, far from the emperor's reach, land is incredibly cheap; the entire set only cost eight hundred taels.
Just as the family had settled in, Li Zhensheng's business associates and some close friends, along with their wives, came to visit him after hearing the news.
Old Lady Li was a first-rank imperial consort, and Tao Hongying was a general's wife and the mother of a princess, so naturally they had to entertain the guests.
After being busy for three to five days, everyone finally had some free time to take a walk around Quanzhou city.
Everyone was terrified when they saw those foreigners with blond hair, blue eyes, or even those whose bodies were as black as charcoal.
The stars and crescent moon hid in their mother's arms, only daring to peek out from between her fingers.
Li Zhensheng also opened a restaurant here, but he didn't sell seafood.
After all, Quanzhou is a place where seafood is abundant, and the locals have been eating it for generations, so their cooking skills are already top-notch.
Even though he squeezed in suddenly, he didn't manage to grab anything good.
So he opened an ordinary restaurant and brought all the stir-fried and stewed dishes from Cyclamen to the restaurant.
They also bought a farm, specifically for growing all sorts of new vegetables for their family.
With the new menus devised by Tao Hongying and Jia Huan, the locals in Quanzhou were very satisfied with their meals, so business has always been good.
After strolling around and buying a lot of new gadgets, the group had a meal at a restaurant and were all very happy.
It is warm and clean, with a large population, and can be considered prosperous.
Before the novelty wore off, the end of the year was approaching again. Grandma Li and Tao Hongying helped Li Zhensheng prepare New Year's gifts and gifts for visiting relatives. In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.
Jiayi and Liu Yang also returned from Hailan Army. Last night, the family had New Year's Eve dinner together.
This morning's dumplings, in addition to the family's favorites of pickled cabbage and pork, beef and radish, also included three-delicacy and fish fillings, which are local specialties.
Star and Crescent Moon held small bowls and ate dumplings, but they only stared intently at the pickled cabbage and pork, beef and radish, ignoring the seafood and fish.
Tao Hongying couldn't help but laugh and said, "These two kids are native northerners, and they just can't change their tastes."
"After eating fresh fish for two days, I refused to touch fish or shrimp again."
Grandma Li rubbed her stomach and said, "Don't even mention the children, even my old bones aren't used to it."
"It's only been a few days, but I feel like my breath smells fishy, and I feel like I've been pickled by the sea breeze from the inside out."
Everyone laughed and echoed his sentiments.
Wenjuan hugged her son, fed her a meatball, and laughed, "Grandma is right. Back up north, we're cooped up indoors every day trying to keep warm, but here the windows are always open. We even wake up at night because it's so hot!"
Madam Wen nodded and said, "However, it feels especially comfortable to breathe here, as my throat feels moist."
"People with coughs are less likely to have an attack here."
After exchanging pleasantries and having eaten, the various stewards came over to offer their New Year's greetings.
Liu Yang was going to visit his wife's family and arranged a day to accompany his mother to visit and discuss marriage.
Grandma Li also asked Jiayi to visit General Tang's home, delivering her invitation, planning to go and visit him on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
General Tang was very fond of Jiayi. He had put in a lot of effort to get Jiayi out of prison when they were in Kyoto.
Before the Lunar New Year, the Li family sent generous New Year's gifts, and after the New Year, they visited again, all in an effort to establish a close family relationship.
In the afternoon, Jiayi and Liu Yang both returned slightly drunk.
On the eighth day of the lunar new year, the Yue family was waiting for Sister-in-law Liu to attend the banquet.
The Tang family was also very happy that the Li family had come to visit, and they were sure to welcome them with open arms.
With nothing to do, the young and old women put together dresses and jewelry and prepared gifts, and two more days passed quickly.
On the morning of the fourth day, after everyone had eaten and got ready, they took a car to the Tang family's house.
Zhao Yuru and Wenjuan disliked socializing and insisted on staying home to look after the house and take care of the children.
So, Old Lady Li set off with Tao Hongying, Madam Wen, and Sister Liu.
The Tang family is a family of generals for generations, who have always protected this sea area in the southeast. They can be said to be the largest family in Quanzhou.
The Tang family's residence was located in the eastern part of Quanzhou. It was a large mansion with seven courtyards in the front and back, plus three alleys at the back, totaling dozens of courtyards, and housed three to four hundred members of the Tang family.
Logically speaking, a large tree has many dead branches.
In a large family, there will always be a few who are unruly and act out of line.
However, there were no rumors of the Tang family oppressing the people in Quanzhou.
Moreover, most of the Tang family's sons and grandsons served in the military to defend their country, and many even died fighting against Japanese pirates and other pirates.
Out of gratitude for the Tang family's loyalty, the people of Quanzhou, regardless of their status, would dismount from their sedan chairs or horses when passing by the Tang family's gate.
The Li family had also heard about this, so they got off the carriage a few feet away from the Tang family's gate.
The Tang family treated the Li family with great courtesy, even opening their gates to welcome them.
Old Madam Tang and Old Madam Li were about the same age, and she stood at the hanging flower gate with her daughter-in-law, waiting.
Upon seeing Old Lady Li, Old Madam Tang stepped forward, shook her hand, and exchanged pleasantries with a smile.
Old Mrs. Li was a little nervous at first, but Old Mrs. Tang's family was also from a military family. She was cheerful, loud and magnanimous, and much easier to get along with than those aloof noble ladies in Xindu.
Grandma Li relaxed in no time and started chatting and laughing with Grandma Tang.
Madam Tang appeared dignified and poised, with a gentle exterior but a strong interior.
At this moment, she walked behind with Tao Hongying, Madam Wen, and Sister Liu, and said to them with a smile, "When my mother was young, she also accompanied my father to sea to fight Japanese pirates. Her temperament is inevitably... a bit bold and forthright. I hope you will not take offense!"
"No, Madam, you flatter us. We admire Madam Tang so much." Tao Hongying replied with a smile, "Besides, my mother is also a straightforward person. She might get along better with Madam Tang."
Before the words had even finished, Old Madam Tang and Old Madam Li in front of her burst into laughter, for reasons unknown.
Madam Tang and Tao Hongying exchanged a glance, both relieved.
Soon, everyone arrived at Madam Tang's courtyard and sat down to eat fruit and snacks.
Quanzhou enjoys a spring-like climate year-round, and its fruits such as lychees, mangoes, and longans are extremely fresh.
Several plates of pastries, which are also the Tang family chef's specialty.
But Grandma Li and the others ate it without showing any particular interest.
Old Madam Tang, being straightforward, asked, "Elder sister, are you not used to the fruit here?"
Grandma Li shook her head and laughed, "Little sister, you don't know this."
"My little granddaughter is a glutton. She has a greenhouse where it's spring all year round, and she grows these fruits there."
"Although my family doesn't eat it every day, we can satisfy our cravings every few days."
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