Yan Shuping had seen all sorts of sordid affairs within the inner quarters of the household, and he said with a forced smile:
“Master Liu, your son is seven years old, isn’t he? He’s still so ignorant. He even snatches things from a two-year-old. If he’s ignorant, then it’s the fault of the person who taught him.” He glanced at Madam Su with his eyes seemingly unrelated. “If he can’t be taught well, then find someone else to teach him. Bringing him out here is just a waste of time and energy, disrupting Madam Hui’s banquet. I think this little girl is alright; she can stand up and distinguish right from wrong.”
Song Anxin silently gave Magistrate Yan a thumbs up in her heart. Magistrate Yan, if you have a mouth, say more.
Master Liu's face became even more embarrassed after being told off by Magistrate Yan. Madam Su's face was not much better. What did the magistrate mean? Was he blaming her for not teaching her well and making her husband replace her? She was so angry that she wanted to vomit blood. However, since the magistrate was the magistrate, she could not show any anger. She could only swallow her anger.
Master Liu cupped his hands and said, "The magistrate is right. I am deeply sorry for disturbing Madam Hui's banquet today. I will definitely take my son back and teach him properly. Please forgive me, Madam Hui."
Song Anxin was, after all, the owner, and she couldn't let Master Liu lose face, so she spoke up:
“Master Liu, it’s alright. I didn’t take it to heart. I’ve heard that you’re always busy traveling. As the saying goes, a thousand pieces of gold and silver are not as good as a harmonious family. You should take good care of your family so that your blessings will last for generations.”
In her last sentence, Song Anxin was actually intentionally reminding Liu Yuanwai to take better care of his family, saying that his son was being spoiled by his wife, and that he should pay more attention to Mingzhu, Mingyue, and Taohua. However, she couldn't say it outright, as she couldn't allow others to interfere in her family's affairs.
Master Liu wasn't stupid. He said to Madam Su, "Since Mingjie is being unreasonable, you should take him back first, so as not to disturb the important person again."
Madam Su couldn't say anything, since Mingjie had spoken those words first. She could only grit her teeth and say, "Yes, sir."
When Liu Mingjie was taken away by Madam Su and a group of servants from the Liu family, he was still shouting about his snow skin mooncakes, but he was silenced by Madam Su after only one sentence.
Master Liu looked embarrassed, and Song Anxin wasn't so kind as to let Liu Mingjie take the snow skin mooncake away. She disliked the child both times she saw him.
At this moment, Prefect Xu asked, "Snow skin mooncakes?! Mooncakes made with snow skin? I've never heard of such a thing before."
Magistrate Yan laughed and said, "Hehehe, Lord Xu, you may not know this, but this snow skin mooncake is a new delicacy made by Madam Hui. I was fortunate enough to receive a box during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The mooncake is not made of snow skin, but is as white as snow skin. It is different from ordinary mooncakes. When you take a bite, it does not crumble and is not too sweet. Even I, who do not like sweets, think it tastes great."
Master Liu quickly added, "Yes, yes, the snow skin mooncakes that Madam Hui sent during the Mid-Autumn Festival were truly ingenious and tasted great. Our whole family loved them. It seems that recently a new food called persimmon cake has also appeared, which was also invented by Madam Hui. Madam Hui is truly clever to have come up with such a way to eat persimmons, and the taste is even better than that of persimmons."
Master Fan rarely spoke up, saying, "It is indeed ingenious to preserve persimmons by making them into dried persimmons. I heard that you can still eat these persimmons even in winter."
Song Anxin smiled and said, "You flatter me. These persimmon cakes are a collective product of our Linjia Village. It's great that everyone likes them." She invited, "Lord Xu, Magistrate, everyone, please take a seat. Lord Xu, you don't have this kind of food in Liuzhou. You can try the snow skin mooncakes and persimmon cakes later."
When Prefect Xu took his first bite of the snow skin mooncake, he was quite amazed by it. The outer skin was as soft and crumbly as snow skin, and the tea flavor was particularly delightful, combining the refreshing taste of tea with the sweetness of pastry. It was truly delicious.
And these dried persimmons! Persimmons can actually be made into pastry-like cakes, retaining the original sweetness of the persimmons and even becoming soft and glutinous. With one bite, a little sweet juice flows into your mouth, and the taste is even better than that of fresh persimmons. This... this was all made by Lady Hui?!
In another corner, Lin Fengyao held the box of snow skin mooncakes and said to Liu Mingzhu and Mingyue:
"Mingzhu and Mingyue, cousins, hurry up and eat! Now no one will fight you for it. Didn't you say you hadn't been able to eat at home?"
Lin Mingzhu said, "I'm giving it to Aunt Lin. She's pregnant and likes sweets."
The grass, big and small, in the corner: "...?!" Uncle, Aunt, have you forgotten about us?!
Meanwhile, Prefect Xu, Magistrate Yan, Song Anxin, and a group of others were drinking tea and chatting at a table. Prefect Xu and Song Anxin were doing most of the talking, while Song Anbang would also offer his insights when he had them. The clerk would occasionally chime in, and Master Liu would chime in. Originally, Song Anxin wanted Uncle Bai to join them, but Uncle Bai said that it would be uncomfortable to eat with them, so Song Anxin didn't insist. As the village head, Lin Lizheng was also invited to join them.
Sitting at the table, Lin Li didn't dare to move an inch. He was inwardly groaning. "Heavens! Why did Feng Nian's mother ask this old man to come and keep her company? This is the prefect! He doesn't even dare to approach the county magistrate normally. Now she's even entertaining them. He has to keep his composure. Feng Nian's mother thinks highly of him. He can't let her down."
From the conversation, Song Anxin learned that Magistrate Yan's crimes were certain, but the case involved a huge number of people and it would take some time to gather evidence. There were also some persecuted people who needed to be tried one by one. Magistrate Xu had been busy since yesterday and estimated that the case would be closed today and he could set off tomorrow.
Song Anxin asked Lin Gangzi how he had handled the situation, since he was the son of Aunt Tietou and a resident of Linjia Village. Aunt Tietou's family hadn't come to her family's banquet today, so they probably knew about it.
"But Lord Xu, you can't eat these snow skin mooncakes like that! You've already devoured three in such a short time! We still have a banquet later." Song Anxin's lips twitched as she watched him about to take the fourth.
Gradually, a fragrance filled the courtyard, growing stronger and stronger, attracting the attention of everyone in the courtyard. They all exclaimed:
"What smells so good!?"
"It smells like meat. What delicious food is Aunt Lin making this time?"
"I can't wait for the feast to start. After having a wrap party at Sister Lin's house last time, I've been dreaming about the food and drinks there and drooling over it."
"......"
Prefect Xu also smelled the aroma and, after hearing what the villagers were saying, asked, "Is there anything different about Hui Ru's banquet? What is it that smells so good?"
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