In the courtyard of Old Madam Hao at the Hao residence.
Inside the inner room were two people, a master and a servant, sitting and standing respectively. On the round table were three dishes and a soup, each dish glistening with oil.
"Madam, please eat a little bit!" Granny Yu Ru pleaded earnestly.
Looking at the table full of dishes, all of them were meat, with the only vegetarian dish being stewed potatoes with meat.
Seeing this, she had no appetite and didn't even think about eating.
Madam Hao sighed and said, "We've been eating like this for days on end, when will it ever end!"
As the only daughter of the Marquis of Yiyong, Madam Hao had been pampered since childhood. After eating like this for several days in a row, she even had difficulty with her bowel movements.
Granny Yu Ru said, "The weather suddenly turned cold, and all the vegetables in the fields froze to death. There are no farmers selling vegetables in the market anymore."
"That idiot must have gone to pay for disaster relief out of his own pocket again," said Madam Hao.
Granny Yu Ru smiled and said, "No one knows a son better than his mother. The master went to deliver relief grain to the poor villagers who had fled here a few days ago."
Madam Hao snorted coldly and said, "His meager salary can only last him a few days. Go to the accounting office and get some silver so the steward can send it to him. Consider it an act of charity to accumulate good fortune."
"The old lady is kind-hearted, supports the master, and cares for the villagers. She will surely live a long and healthy life!" said Granny Yu Ru.
Madam Hao didn't reply. She ate a few mouthfuls of rice and then put down her chopsticks.
Just as Granny Yuru was about to say a few more words of advice, a maid came to report that Lu Qiqi had arrived.
Just as Madam Hao was feeling down because it was cold and no one was keeping her company, someone came to keep her company.
He laughed and said, "Let her in quickly."
These past few days, potato chips and popcorn have been selling like hotcakes, and noodle shops are also booming. Everyone is going for the vegetables in the pork bone noodles, while the spicy noodles have become just a side dish.
The silver frost charcoal is gone, and the village's charcoal cake making business has also stopped.
This is a good opportunity for Ms. Lu and the others to come and help out at the stall.
When Lu Qiqi had some free time, she came to visit Old Madam Hao and bring her some gifts.
Led by a maid, Lu Qiqi stepped into Old Madam Hao's room.
She called out, "Grandmother."
Madam Hao responded and said, "It's windy outside, come in quickly!"
Lu Qiqi then reminded the basket to go inside.
Setting down the basket, Lu Qiqi lifted the gauze covering it, revealing vibrant green cabbages and lettuce inside.
Granny Yuru asked in surprise, "You can't find these leafy green vegetables anywhere in the whole market. Where did you find them?"
Lu Qiqi knew how hard it was to find, so she specially sent it to Old Madam Hao. Normally, she wouldn't have been able to offer a few vegetables as a gift.
Lu Qiqi said, "I have my own way. Grandmother, your stomach is not good, so you need fresh vegetables every day. From now on, I will have someone deliver fresh vegetables to you every day."
Granny Yu Ru laughed and said, "Just now, the old lady was reluctant to touch the meat and vegetables, but now it's all good! From now on, we won't have to worry about not having any green vegetables to eat."
Old Madam Hao glanced at Granny Yuru indifferently, and Granny Yuru immediately lowered her head.
Madam Hao said, "Child, I know your intentions, so there's no need to go to such trouble."
"This winter is unusual, and it's probably hard to find green vegetables. There's no need to go to such lengths for an old woman like me."
Lu Qiqi: "Both of these vegetables are sold in my shop, so don't worry about them being hard to find. Just eat them without worry. Isn't it only right for a granddaughter to show filial piety to her grandmother?"
The words "filial piety" pleased Madam Hao, so she no longer refused Lu Qiqi's kindness.
He could only sigh inwardly, thinking that Lu Qiqi was such a well-behaved and filial child, and wondered which family was so fortunate as to marry her.
After delivering the vegetables and leaving the Hao residence, Lu Qiqi put the basket back into her spatial storage and prepared to return to the noodle shop.
No sooner had she left than Old Madam Feng brought Feng Yu'er to the Hao residence to express her gratitude.
Thanks to the nourishment provided by the spiritual spring water, Madam Feng's energy and spirit are even better than when she was in good health.
The two old friends, who hadn't seen each other for many years, chatted so happily that they forgot the time and ended up having dinner at the Hao residence.
When Madam Feng saw the two green vegetables on the table, she couldn't help but tease her, "You were so picky when you were still young. It's quite an achievement that you were able to find green vegetables that are hard to find even with money these days!"
Old Madam Hao didn't reveal that the dishes were brought by Lu Qiqi, and said angrily, "You can't even shut your mouth while eating! There's some more in the kitchen, take it all back with you later!"
Madam Feng had always enjoyed joking with Madam Hao since she was a child, and she never hesitated to take things. She laughed and said, "Then I will accept it without hesitation, elder sister."
The two elderly people, along with a younger family member, happily finished their dinner.
...
As the weather gets colder, noodle shops and stalls are doing increasingly better business.
Potato chips are an easy product to make, and many restaurants have followed suit.
In no time, potato chips became a famous snack in Qingshui Town, sweeping the entire town.
After all, the operating expenses of a restaurant are much higher than those of a stall, and a serving of potato chips costs one cent more than that of a stall. Therefore, more people still choose to queue up to buy authentic potato chips.
As Mr. Lu saw his money bag getting fuller and fuller, his smile deepened and his motivation grew stronger.
After being exposed to the cold wind for several days, Lu Qiqi felt that her face was about to crack. She was so scared that she rushed to the pharmacy, bought medicinal herbs, and made a Chinese herbal face cream overnight.
I also made lipsticks from beeswax for everyone to use.
Lu Qiqi opened the bundle, and all sorts of bottles and jars appeared before everyone's eyes.
Li asked, "Girl, why are you buying so much rouge?"
Lu Qiqi explained, "The big bottle is face cream. You use it to apply to your face after washing it. It has a whitening and beautifying effect, and you don't have to worry about your face being stinged by the wind."
"The small bottle is a lip balm, used to moisturize the lips, it's perfect for chapped lips."
Ms. Lu picked up a larger bottle, opened it, and saw the white and delicate cream inside. She held it to her nose and smelled it; it had a faint fragrance.
"This smells wonderful!" said Mrs. Lu.
Li said, "With this, we won't need to wear red poultices on our faces in winter."
Lu Qiqi made sure there was enough for everyone.
Everyone was eager to try it out, holding their porcelain bottles. They hurried to the shower room, wanting to wash their faces and immediately try the fragrant face cream.
Lu Qiqi called out to Li and Lu, "Auntie, Third Aunt, this is lip rouge. The color isn't too bright, which is perfect for applying to the lips in winter to improve complexion."
This lip rouge was made by Lu Qiqi using the rouge given to her by Feng Yi, combined with beeswax. The color was specially adjusted to her favorite cinnamon milk tea color.
Mrs. Lu said, "We're all getting on in years, who are we going to show off with this lip rouge?"
That's what she said, but her body betrayed her. She took the lip rouge, looked at it again and again, and couldn't put it down.
Everyone loves beauty, and Lu Qiqi didn't expose Lu's hypocritical words.
Madam Li took the lip rouge and said, "Thank you, Seventh Girl. I'll put some on later. In all my years, apart from the lip rouge I used on my wedding day, I haven't touched anything like this in all these years."
Li's words struck a chord with Lu. They were both farmers, toiling in the fields from dawn till dusk, with no time to dress up.
The thought of Lu Qiqi and the others in everything she did added another layer of emotion to Lu Shi's heart.
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