Tian glared at Zhu Qiumei, then started coaxing her grandson again. They were going to walk to town soon, and her grandson was chubby and didn't like to move around much. He was sure he would make a fuss. Luckily, she had prepared her grandson's favorite egg pancake in advance. If he didn't want to walk and made a fuss, she would take out an egg pancake to coax him.
The expressions on Tian's face when she spoke to her daughter and when she spoke to her grandson were completely different.
In the blink of an eye, her expression changed as fast as a professional's.
"Grandma, I only ate two eggs and a bowl of noodles this morning, and I'm still not full. When we get to town, could you buy me some meat buns? I want to eat three, okay?"
Zhu Guijiu stretched out three short, thick fingers and waved them in front of Tian Shi.
"Alright, alright, when we get to town, you can eat whatever you want. Grandma loves you, so I'll buy whatever my precious grandson wants. When we get to town, have your aunt buy it for you. Qiumei, did you hear that? Your nephew wants meat buns. When we get to town, buy him three and some meat too. We haven't had meat at home in a long time. Tonight, I'll make some stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat to nourish my precious grandson. Look at him, he's already lost weight in just a few days."
Although Ms. Tian was wealthy, she didn't want to spend her money.
She saved five taels of silver for her coffin and left three taels for her grandson to marry later.
They arranged a marriage between their grandson and Yan Xia's granddaughter.
She won't need to spend those three taels of silver; she can use the money to buy a silver hairpin and show it off in the village.
Tian knew that Zhu Qiumei was rich. After her daughter's husband died, her parents-in-law also died one after another. She sold the house and land and moved back to her parents' home to eat and live. She didn't spend much money and had at least ten taels of silver on her.
"Okay, okay, I'll buy it. Mom, hurry up, let's go to Yanxia's house before lunchtime. Maybe we can even get a meal there. You really don't know how good the food was at yesterday's banquet. There were all kinds of things that fly in the sky, run on the ground, swim in the water, and grow on the mountain. It was incredibly luxurious. I wonder what they're having for lunch. I want to drink chicken soup. I heard that rich people put ginseng in their chicken soup."
Zhu Qiumei twitched her lips.
Her nephew is as fat as a pig, and she's still saying she's thin? Thin my foot!
But she didn't dare to argue, so she could only agree. After all, it was just a few meat buns, and with the meat, it wouldn't cost much.
It just so happens that she hasn't eaten meat in a long time, if only she hadn't gone to Yan Xia's house yesterday for a free meal.
She hasn't had any meat for a whole month.
Just thinking about the feast she ate yesterday made her mouth water.
If only I hadn't been so stubborn and suffered for it yesterday, I should have brought back the leftovers. Oh well, what a waste.
It's a good deal for those filthy beggars.
Fine, it's okay if we don't have leftovers, anyway we can eat fresh food at Yan Xia's house today.
Thinking of this made her feel much better.
"Alright, then Mother, hurry up." Upon hearing that she could gain an advantage, Madam Tian acted much faster. Before dawn, the mother and daughter, along with their respective sons and grandsons, left the house.
The morning sun wasn't too strong, and the path I was walking on was lined with many trees, so I didn't feel hot at all.
But after more than an hour, the path disappeared.
We can only go towards the main road.
The sun was directly overhead, making everyone sweat profusely.
"Grandma, I don't want to walk anymore. Carry me on your back, I can't walk anymore."
Zhu Guijiu plopped down on the ground and refused to leave.
"Oh, my dear grandson, Grandma is too old to carry you. Do you want a pancake? Grandma will get you an egg pancake. After you eat it, you'll be able to walk again."
Ms. Tian was startled when she heard this. Although she doted on her grandson, she was not stupid.
How could she possibly carry her grandson? Let alone walk, just carrying him would break her old bones.
She wanted to live a few more years.
"No, I can't walk anymore. If you won't carry me, then I won't walk."
Zhu Guijiu simply lay down on the ground, not caring whether the ground was dirty or not.
Zhu Qiumei was furious.
This ten-year-old is less sensible than a three-year-old.
Is this what you call studying?
It's a complete waste of money.
Although she thought this way, she wouldn't say it out loud.
“Changdui, carry him on your back. We need to hurry, otherwise we’ll have to pay for our own food if we miss lunchtime,” Zhu Qiumei said to her eldest son.
"I'm not going to memorize it. You go memorize it, Quanzi." Li Changdui pushed Li Changquan.
“Alright, cousin, come up here.” Li Changquan was rather thin and weak. He had been bullied by his older brother since he was a child, and having his food stolen was a common occurrence. Therefore, he was shorter than Li Changdui.
When Zhu Guijiu climbed onto his back, he almost couldn't get up.
They can do farm work for a long time, and although they are thin, they are quite strong.
He held his breath and kicked his legs.
Only then did he get up.
Walk slowly forward.
"Grandma, get me an egg pancake."
It wasn't enough for someone to carry it on their back; Zhu Guijiu's mouth couldn't stay silent either.
He reached out and took the egg pancake from Ms. Tian, munching on it as he ate.
He would take a sip of water every now and then.
He's like a rich young master from a wealthy family, living a very leisurely life.
The laborer beneath him, Li Changquan, was so exhausted that his face was flushed, and with the sun so strong, it looked like he was about to collapse from heatstroke at any moment.
We just walked around and rested.
The group arrived in Shuangqiao Town around noon.
Yan Xia was not at the mansion at this time, but in a jade workshop at the end of the city.
She took the jade raw materials from Xu Wenshan's official leather trunk, intending to have the craftsmen make them into jade pendants.
She dared not touch the fabric jewelry, as it was too conspicuous, but the jade had not yet been cut, and no one knew what shape or color the jade inside was.
If we don't use it now, when will we?
Before her daughters got married, she planned to make a jade pendant for each member of the Yan family.
This jade pendant represents their identity as members of the Yan family.
Imagine how impressive it would be if the whole family went out for a trip, each wearing the same jade pendant.
It just so happens that all the finished jade pendants sold in the shop are unique pieces, and it's rare to find a bunch of jade pendants made from the same piece of jade.
Yan Xia then drew the design herself.
They brought the jade raw materials to the craftsman.
"Sir, this jade needs to be sprinkled with abrasive powder before it can be cut with a saw to see its quality. We don't even know if there are any cracks, so I don't know how many jade pendants can be made. After cutting, the craftsmen will have to carefully polish and carve it into the pattern you want. If it is completed, it will take at least five years."
Yan Xia was stunned when she heard what the craftsman said.
It's taking this long?
She thought it would take a little over a month to complete the customization.
No wonder Xu Wenshan didn't prepare the jade at the border and bring it back, but instead brought the raw jade directly to Jiangnan to make it.
Now she thinks it's understandable that the jade pendant is so expensive.
The jade pendant wasn't particularly complicated.
The kind of design with gold, gemstones, and jade inlaid would probably take a craftsman a lifetime to create.
It truly takes a lifetime to sculpt a single piece of jewelry.
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