After tasting the food, Qiaofeng, Cao and the other women present praised it highly. Even Honggu, who had been frowning for a few days, smiled after tasting it.
In Qin Yifan's last letter, she did not mention Sisley Choi, nor did Mei Niang, so neither Jane Ning nor Ding Youtian knew whether they had informed Sisley Choi about the matter of Anita Mui.
Sisley Choi has not written to Anita Mui for a long time, so Anita Mui has been very anxious recently, always worried that something might have happened to her family, and she has been talking less than before.
However, to her surprise, just as she was about to smile, her husband Lu Da and Ding Youtian each led a few people to the Cao family courtyard. Jian Ning immediately recognized the dark and thin man next to Lu Da as Cai Sibei.
Following Ding Youtian were Duan Xinyan and two maids, one tall and one short.
When Duan Xinyan saw Jian Ning, she rolled her eyes and looked away, looking angry, and ignored Jian Ning.
Jian Ning didn't have time to care about her for the time being. She just glanced at the two maids she brought with her. She recognized the taller one as Chun'er who served Duan Xinyan, but she had never seen the shorter one when she was in the palace.
However, there were many maids in the palace, and she had never seen many of them. Her gaze fell back on Cai Sibei.
"Sister!" Cai Sibei saw Hong Gu take a few quick steps, and another old woman rushed over a few steps and also called out, "Hong Jie'er!"
The old woman was none other than Hong Gu's mother, who had told her to die outside because the family couldn't afford another mouth to feed!
Also coming with them was Hong Gu's father. Since Zhuling County had a good county magistrate, the people's lives gradually became better. The two old men would occasionally think of their eldest daughter Hong Gu who married far away in the north, but she never sent any message home. They didn't know whether she was in the north or had run away from her marriage.
"Hong Jie'er..." Hong's mother staggered over and hugged her, pounding her shoulders and back while screaming at the top of her lungs.
Hong Gu was completely stunned at first, staring at her parents and eldest brother who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. After being hit by her mother a few times, she came to her senses and started howling, but her howling was full of joy.
Her father was also wiping his tears, and Sisley Choi's eyes were red.
"Well, you should be happy to meet each other after such a long separation. Why are you just hugging and crying?" Cao's family lived close to the government office. She knew Hong Gu and knew that she had married far away, so she stepped forward to persuade her.
Hong Gu was not good at speaking. She smiled at her, wiped her tears, and kowtowed to her mother and father without saying a word. Then she stood up and looked at her parents and eldest brother and smiled. As she smiled, tears flowed down her face again.
The women in the courtyard gathered around, offering their consolation to Hong Gu and her mother. They explained that County Magistrate Lu Da was a good man; he had a salary, had helped others during difficult times, and was fair in his work. Hong Gu was also well-liked. Without the county magistrate, her husband, Lu Da, was the highest official in the county, but she never used this to bully others, and as a result, both she and her husband were well-respected.
Seeing that no one paid any attention to her, Duan Xinyan was angry and was about to leave, but she turned her eyes and saw Qiaofeng. She scooped several bowls of thick yellow sauce from a big pot and handed one bowl to Ding Youtian.
"Hey, what is this? Give me a bowl to try." Duan Xinyan pointed her chin into the pot and said to Qiao Feng.
"I'm not your maid." Qiaofeng has never been someone who allows herself to be manipulated. She never tolerated her and even rolled her eyes at her.
"I'll bring it to the young lady." Chun'er just tried to move when she was stopped by her mother. She glared at Qiaofeng, "Aren't you my eldest sister's apprentice? Do you really think you're the master? I can't order you around, can I? Today I have to make you bring me the bowl!"
"Stop messing around here!" Ding Youtian glanced at her and just as he was about to scold her, Jian Ning glared at him. Before she could even move her feet, Duan Xinyan shrank her neck and said, "I'm going to find Jia Jia and Yao Yao."
She turned and ran away.
Chun Er called out "Miss" and chased after her. Another maid hesitated for a moment and then followed Chun Er out.
Cao and several other women noticed the commotion and looked over. Duan Xinyan's words to Qiaofeng were loud, but they were far away, and there were many people talking in the courtyard, so they didn't hear clearly. Jian Ning, a martial artist, naturally heard it and walked towards Qiaofeng.
"Feng'er, you did a good job. Don't spoil her. I'll deal with her when we get back. Don't let her affect your mood, okay?"
"Yeah." Qiao Feng nodded. "Master has already scolded her. I won't tolerate her."
"Who was that woman who came with us just now?" Cao followed. "She looked like a daughter of a wealthy family."
"She's my master's half-sister." Qiao Feng emphasized the word "half-sister." "The same one that Auntie met the day I came here is also hers. They share the same mother and are both my master's half-sisters."
"Oh, she is also a illegitimate daughter of the prince's mansion. Why does she look so unfriendly when she speaks? She is not as gentle as Miss Xinping, and certainly not as kind as the county magistrate's wife." Although Cao didn't hear clearly what Duan Xinyan said to Qiaofeng, she could tell from her eyes and guessed that they didn't say anything good.
She looked at Qiaofeng with some worry.
Cao thought to herself, no matter what, she is still the princess's half-sister. She has been with Qiaofeng for a long time and feels closer to her. She also knows that Qiaofeng is not the kind of person who can be easily manipulated. Besides, Jian Ning loves her.
But precisely because of this, she was worried that if the two of them started to fight, one would be a half-sister and the other a disciple. If Jian Ning favored her half-sister more, Qiao Feng would inevitably suffer some grievances.
"Even if she tries her best, she can't catch up to even a toe of my master, let alone Miss Xinping." After Qiaofeng said this, she went to the wall to get two jars containing one kilogram each. Seeing this, Cao quickly asked everyone to work and put the boiled ginkgo paste into the jars.
"This paste is really good. After drinking it, I feel my chest and stomach are extremely comfortable." Ding Youtian raised the bowl towards Cai Sibei, "Master Cai, come here and try it. Let's see how this 'gingko paste' tastes."
After tasting it, Cai Sibei and her parents all said it was good. Jian Ning stared at the jars. These jars were all made of clay by local people. They were all khaki in color, and the words "Ginkgo Cough Relief and Beauty Cream" were engraved on the jars.
She took a look and pulled Ding Youtian aside. "I think these jars could use some improvement. Remember the kiln opening we saw in Zhuling County? Can we also use glaze to add white eyebrows and fruit, making the outside of the jars smoother and more beautiful?"
Ding Youtian lowered his head and touched his nose. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "That's a good idea, but it would be very expensive. Why don't you talk to Brother Ma and ask him to find Jincheng? If Jincheng is willing, he can ask a craftsman to make jars. We can use yours to get the finished jars directly and ship them to the capital to sell in fine pottery jars. What do you think, Madam?"
Without waiting for Jian Ning to say anything, he added, "Oh, and Guo'er can go up there, but Baimei'er can't."
Jane Ning glared, "Why?"
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