Li Nian came to the kitchen and opened a somewhat worn cupboard. On the bottom layer were a few potatoes and a basket of eggs. On the top layer were rice, noodles, sugar, and a little dried chili peppers. The middle layer was filled with bowls, two pairs of chopsticks, and a large spoon.
I guess Sisi bought it for easy preservation, so let's just make do with what we have!
Li Nian took out a potato and prepared to make candied potatoes.
There are two pots on the stove, so you can cook rice and stir-fry vegetables at the same time.
The yard they temporarily rented was very small and square, and could only accommodate a small table and a few small chairs.
There is a well in the rightmost corner, the kind that pumps water out by pressure. When Li Nian rented the house, she specifically asked the landlord to teach her how to use it.
This was also the reason why it took a fancy to this small courtyard. Other houses had to go out and share well water with other tenants, and they had to draw water from the well and carry it back by themselves, which was very troublesome.
She doesn't need this yard. As long as she has enough daily necessities, she can hardly go out.
Li Nian took a small basin, washed the rice first, and put it into the pot in the kitchen to cook.
Then he turned back to wash the potatoes and washed the dishes and chopsticks at the same time.
When she returned to the kitchen, the aroma of rice had already spread everywhere. She went under the stove and switched to low heat to simmer the rice.
He deftly cut the potatoes into pieces and soaked them in water. After thinking for a while, he decided to make some pancakes to eat when he was hungry in the afternoon.
She has been starving from pretending to be sick recently. Now she doesn’t need to pretend anymore. She needs to eat and drink well. She doesn’t know how long she will have to travel, so she needs to take good care of her body.
After all, she is not alone now.
When the rice was almost done, Li Nian's pancakes were also baked. The next step was to make the candied potatoes, which was a piece of cake.
The courtyard was in the shade, and only half of it was illuminated by the sun at noon. Li Nian brought the freshly prepared lunch to the small table in the yard.
As soon as I sat down, I vaguely heard a group of women talking and chatting at her door.
A mysterious middle-aged woman's voice said, "Hey, have you heard? The eldest son of the Marquis's family recently married a wife who died of illness!"
Another woman chimed in: "Died of illness? I heard he was poisoned."
Someone echoed the previous person's words: "Yeah! I heard that it was that miracle doctor who suddenly appeared not long ago who poisoned him to death!"
A slightly younger voice retorted, "No, no, I heard that Prince Xiao is a homosexual and likes men! His wife was so angry that she died when she found out!"
The woman who had spoken first added, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, how pitiful! He's gone at such a young age. So, when a woman gets married, it's like a second life. She's got to open her eyes and see clearly!"
The older man's voice was a little louder: "Men should be careful when choosing a wife. They should marry one with a big butt so that it can bear children easily. Look at Zhang the Butcher's wife. She's skinny and small, and she gave birth to a money-losing baby yesterday!"
Li Nian listened to their conversation with her ears perked up. She couldn't hear some of the words clearly, so she simply took her little chair and sat at the door, peeking out through the crack.
She happened to see an old woman in a coarse cloth shirt looking in her direction.
"If we talk about losing money, we have to count that family." As if she was afraid that the others didn't know, the old woman pointed in her direction and curled her lips, "Look, they live in that yard."
The old woman said excitedly, "A month ago, I saw with my own eyes that young couple coming to rent a house. The young lady looked like she had just reached the age of marriage, and the man beside her was handsome with red lips and white teeth. It was obvious that they had eloped to the capital from somewhere else!"
The old woman next to the old woman nodded and echoed: "If anyone raised a girl like this, they would be furious to death!"
Li Nian: Uh... these people are really good at spreading rumors.
————
According to the funeral rituals of Anyang State, the body is kept for three days before being buried. In the early morning of the first day, family members prepare the mourning hall, on the second day, family members and friends come to pay their respects, and on the third day, friends and distant relatives come to pay their respects.
Today is already the third day.
Li Sisi, dressed in a beige linen dress, squatted in the mourning hall. Whenever someone came to pay their respects, she would bow to them. From yesterday to today, her waist was almost bent from exhaustion!
However, what made her feel fortunate was that the heroine was finally taken back by the people from their Wen Mansion.
She was really afraid that Xiao Yunyu would go crazy and kill the heroine.
She and Nian Nian still want to live out their retirement in this world!
The fourth prince and the princess came together.
Li Sisi saw that the princess's usually gentle and free-spirited face was full of sadness, and she felt a little bit sorry for her.
Although they had some misunderstandings about the princess at the beginning, they found out after getting along with her that she was really nice. Although there was a huge difference in their status, she did not have the airs of a princess at all. Getting along with her was as comfortable as getting along with her other sisters in their previous life.
After paying his respects, the Fourth Prince approached Li Sisi and whispered, "Second Madam, how about I keep the cotton for you? After the funeral is over, I'll give it to you personally."
Li Sisi had completely forgotten about the dinner appointment, and only remembered it after he reminded her.
He quickly lowered his voice and replied, "No, what the Fourth Prince gave me is enough."
She was leaving soon and couldn't take any more cotton with her.
The princess glanced at the two people who were talking in low voices, and saw the calmness on Li Sisi's face, and frowned slightly.
I thought that with such a close and trusting relationship between the sisters-in-law, the death of the eldest lady of the Xiao family would make the second lady of the Xiao family extremely sad. But now she doesn't seem to be that sad?
The princess and the fourth prince left together and didn't say anything extra.
Li Sisi was also glad that Her Royal Highness the Princess did not ask too many questions. She had been on edge these past two days, fearing that others would find out and be exposed, thus ruining her plan.
The night gradually fell. The house was brightly lit but lifeless, with a strong sense of sadness everywhere.
Even Mrs. Xiao, who always hated Li Nian the most, had a sad look on her face.
Li Sisi was quite surprised at first. She thought that Nian Nian was dead and the old witch would laugh happily. Unexpectedly, the old witch actually shed a few crocodile tears for Nian Nian!
Li Sisi returned to Jinxiu Residence and just returned to her room after taking a shower. She saw Xiao Yunchen pinching his eyebrows, looking very distressed.
There was a lingering fragrance in the room. It was the incense that Xiao Yunchen had bought a few days ago, saying it was used to calm the mind.
No one knew what Xiao Yunchen had been busy with these past two days. He was busy with funeral matters at home in the morning, and disappeared in the afternoon.
Seeing Li Sisi enter the room, Xiao Yunchen's frown relaxed a little. He opened his arms towards her and said softly, "My lady, come here and let me hug you."
Li Sisi walked over with a puzzled look on her face and sat on his lap, her slender waist tightly wrapped in his arms, and she could hear his deep sigh in her ears.
"Madam, you have the closest relationship with your eldest sister-in-law. Has she ever mentioned what happened in Tianxiang Tower that day to you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
