Soon, the gifts were packed and loaded onto the carriage, along with half a basket of salted fish.
The old lady was a practical person. She instructed her grandson, "Have your mother dry the salted fish properly. Later, cut it into pieces, fry it in oil, and stew it with tofu; it'll make a good dish."
"Okay, Grandma." Jia Huan waved and left. The carriage bumped along, and the oil paper package in her arms felt a little uncomfortable.
He reached in, took it out, opened it, and saw that it wasn't a pastry at all, but a pair of twisted silver bracelets, with two strands twisted together, looking very exquisite.
But when you bounce it, it feels very solid.
He suddenly turned his head and looked back. His chubby little sister was lying on his grandmother's back, waving her rice dumpling hand at him.
With red eyes, he also reached out and waved his hand vigorously!
The silver coins he gave her weighed only five or six qian (approximately 3.5 grams), and he had originally planned to buy Wenjuan a nice wooden hairpin.
However, she ended up "exchanging" a pair of bracelets with her sister, bracelets that would cost at least seven or eight taels to buy.
My younger sister loves money; everyone in the family knows that.
But she and her family always made money at a loss...
When Mr. Jiang arrived at Suijintan, he felt completely at ease, like a fish in water.
Within just two or three days, everyone in and around the village, young and old, knew him.
The old man liked his enthusiasm, which lacked the aloofness of a scholar.
Young people enjoy listening to him talk about the places he's traveled to during his studies, the different customs and cultures, and the new things he's experienced.
Of course, many of these insights also come from travelogues.
But this doesn't stop him from looking forward and dreaming together with the young people.
On the other side of the valley, he went to soak in the hot springs every day and learned to "doggy paddle" without a teacher. He was so mischievous that the guests all knew that Broken Gold Beach had a new playful master.
On the contrary, Guli, the young scholar who came to the village with them, was only ten years old, but he was much more silent and composed.
Perhaps it was because he had been a homeless child for so many years that he cherished this safe and secure place he had now.
Even when classes weren't in session, he would clean the school grounds inside and out meticulously every day.
The villagers, seeing this, truly felt that the personalities of the teacher and his page should be switched.
After all, wouldn't an overly energetic husband lead the children to play even more wildly?
What about studying...?
But soon, they no longer had this concern.
On the morning the school reopened, the boys and girls sat in rows inside, while the courtyard was crowded with parents and onlookers who had come specifically to watch the spectacle.
The village chief squatted against the wall, straining to listen.
Others followed suit, peeking through door cracks and climbing over walls...
Inside the house, Mr. Jiang told the children about his life story, which aroused their sympathy. He then asked the children about their experience of fleeing famine.
The children were eight or nine years old, and they still remembered those days of crossing mountains and being chased by barbarians, so they started talking all at once.
Then Mr. Jiang asked them how they came to have such a good life.
Some children said it was the Emperor's great grace, some said it was the Marquis's protection, and some said it was because a hot spring was carved out of the valley.
Therefore, Mr. Jiang concluded for the children that the Marquis and the Earl were all literate, literate, reasonable, and capable.
That's how we built such a wonderful home and are now living such a good life.
The children are the future of Suijintan. If Suijintan is to continue to live a good life, they must study hard and become the backbone of Suijintan, protecting it in the future.
The children were given a great responsibility, and they all puffed out their chests, their excited little faces flushed, and they almost shouted as they read!
The village chief, squatting by the wall, was extremely satisfied. He tapped his empty pipe twice and called out to the villagers.
"Get back to work! What are you all doing here? Could the gentleman chosen by Mr. Wen be wrong?"
Everyone laughed and didn't argue with the village chief. They all went about their busy work with smiles on their faces.
The peanuts in the fields need to be harvested, and the fruits on the mountain have been picked. We also need to tidy them up and prepare them for winter.
In short, as long as you're not lazy, there's always something to do in a farmer's life.
But no matter how busy everyone is, they are happy!
Walking on such a wide and broad road, they were full of energy and didn't feel tired at all!
Dinner is the time when the whole family gathers together, and the Li family is no exception.
Young and old alike sat around a table, eating together and chatting about their busy day.
Surprisingly, Jiayin, that gluttonous little girl, wasn't at the dinner table tonight.
So everyone couldn't help but ask, "Where's Fu Niu'er? Is her hand hurting?"
The old lady shook her head, "Don't worry, Dr. Zhang came to see her today. The wound is healing well, and he changed the dressing. The herbal soup she's been drinking is even more effective. Not only has Fu Niu'er stopped having a fever, but the pain in her hand has also lessened."
"Why isn't Fu Niu'er eating?" Everyone was relieved, but also even more curious.
Grandma Li glared at her sons and said with a smile, "Isn't it all because you spoil them! Every single one of them is afraid that the medicine will be too bitter, so they all buy snacks and candied fruits instead."
"Fu Niu'er is always greedy, and she ate too much even after trying just one piece of everything. She was whimpering about a stomachache just now, and I rubbed it for a while until she fell asleep."
Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er touched their noses, feeling somewhat guilty after being scolded.
I was only thinking about how much I loved my niece, and I really didn't realize that the child was so young and would feel uncomfortable from indigestion.
Fortunately, my little niece is fine; otherwise, she would have been in serious trouble.
Tao Hongying quickly came to the rescue, laughing, "Mother, it's not wrong for my eldest and second brothers to dote on their niece. It's just that this girl is greedy. I've told her so many times, but she won't listen. I'll hide the snacks and candied fruits later, and then I'll just give her one or two pieces when she takes her medicine."
Grandma Li nodded, "Alright, let's hide her away for a few days. I'll take care of her at night, and when Fu Niu wakes up, I'll give her some water."
Everyone then continued eating, and Li Zhensheng said, "Hongying, if you can get away from here in the valley, could you come and help out at the restaurant for a few days? The chef we brought back from the south is good at cooking seafood, but Jia Huan can't handle stir-frying."
On the other side of the valley, there are two women who have learned quite well. They can make a simple stew meal that will be enough to keep things organized even if Tao Hongying is away for a few days.
Moreover, she found working in the kitchen of a large restaurant, frying, stir-frying, and cooking new dishes, to be novel and was eager to try it.
But she still looked at her mother-in-law, somewhat hesitant.
After all, there are only two daughters-in-law in the family. Third sister-in-law is already in Luo'an. If she goes to the restaurant, wouldn't she be dumping all the chores on her mother-in-law?
The old lady guessed what she was thinking, patted her hand and said, "Go if you want! There are Granny He and Shuiling and Shuiyun in the house now, and Dongmei and Yeshan next door are also there. We don't need you to do the work."
"Besides, Fu Niu'er is sensible, and Jia An, Jia Xi, and Mao Ge'er can all lend me a hand. You can rest assured!"
Tao Hongying happily agreed and immediately told her brother-in-law about the new dish she had been thinking about. She planned to prepare the ingredients the next day and make a dish for everyone to try.
If you think they're all good, you can add them to the menu to boost the restaurant's popularity and generate buzz.
That was exactly what Li Zhensheng meant, so of course he kept saying yes.
After dinner, everyone discussed for quite a while.
They didn't leave until late at night when the old lady chased them away.
Li Zhensheng returned to the west room, where the three boys, Jiaxi, Jia'an, and Maoge'er, were already asleep.
After covering the children's bellies, Li Zhensheng sat down at the kang table, intending to review the list and count the notes to see if anyone had been missed.
These are all relatives and friends who will be invited to support the opening.
As a result, as soon as he opened the list, a piece of paper the size of a palm fell out.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com