The mooncakes were made on the 14th and the 15th. Yue Jiuyue's family was too large, and she also had to give them away, so most of the ones made on the 14th were sent to the county town by Lin Chaobei early the next morning. A small portion was given to the workers who were going home for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
On the fifteenth day, Yue Jiuyue and the others spent most of the day making mooncakes. They started preparing dinner earlier than usual in the afternoon, as they planned to eat mooncakes and admire the moon in the courtyard.
Most of the people who built the house did not go home. Yue Jiuyue felt bad about leaving them to eat alone, so she gave them the ingredients for food and told them to cook for themselves. She also gave each of them two mooncakes.
Four tables were set up in the courtyard, and the prepared food was quickly served, along with their homemade mooncakes and chrysanthemum wine to mark the occasion.
The chrysanthemum wine was brewed by Zhou Lao Er's family. Yue Jiuyue didn't know much about wine. She used to dislike all kinds of wine, but she still fondly remembered the champagne she drank during Chinese New Year when she was a child.
"May the moon be full and families reunite! Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and may every festival bring you and your families together in reunion! Cheers!"
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Cheers!
Yue Jiuyue raised her glass in a toast; that was about all the kind of blessing she could come up with.
Everyone toasted together, finishing their chrysanthemum wine, and the lively Mid-Autumn Festival dinner began. People ate, drank, chatted, and drank; some were happy, some were sad. The meal lasted until the moon was high in the sky before finally ending.
The three Lin brothers naturally toasted Yue Jiuyue separately, and then Huang Banxian joined in the fun. The others were unsure whether they should also toast Yue Jiuyue, but in the end they did, otherwise they would be out of place.
Then, Yue Jiuyue gloriously got drunk.
To be precise, it wasn't the kind of intoxication that leaves you completely drunk. After all, chrysanthemum wine isn't very strong, about the same as fruit wine, so Yue Jiuyue was just slightly tipsy, with a bit of a dizzy head.
Looking at the smiles on everyone's faces, Yue Jiuyue felt that her efforts this year had not been in vain. She would continue to work hard next year, as she still wanted to open two workshops...
Yue Jiuyue went back to her room early. Lying on the bed, she was surrounded by laughter. The children, who usually went to bed after dark, had become night owls tonight, keeping up with the noise until midnight.
Besides Dazhuang, there was also Old Mrs. Zhou.
That's the good thing about small families—they're simple and peaceful, without any backstabbing or infighting. Everyone's happy during holidays, and sadness is buried deep inside, only because of missing family members who may be nowhere to be found.
Lying in bed, Yue Jiuyue also had her own unique sadness. Inevitably, she missed the world she once knew, a world where everyone was equal, where there was peace and tranquility, where everything in the world was beautiful, and where girls in their thirties were still young girls...
Cough cough, Yue Jiuyue still harbored some resentment about her age and status.
"Mom, are we really going to clean the water out of the lotus pond today? Are we really going to take those lotus roots to the county town to sell?"
Such concern was not expressed by Lin Chaonan or Lin Chaobei, as the two brothers generally do not question any of Yue Jiuyue's decisions, nor did Lin Chaodong in the past.
But now, Lin Chaodong no longer considers things solely from the perspective of the Lin family as a whole, but rather from the perspective of his own small family. For example, he knows that lotus roots are rare even in the prefecture city, so he doesn't want his family to take all the lotus roots to the county town to sell. If he takes them to the prefecture city, whether Liu takes them to give to the main family or he takes them to sell... it's just that he doesn't feel comfortable bringing this up.
"Yes, this was agreed upon beforehand. A pavilion was to be built in the lotus pond, and now is the perfect time."
Having just finished the holiday, Yue Jiuyue was in a good mood and stopped ignoring Lin Chaodong. Perhaps it was because Lin Chaodong was still working as hard as before, which made Yue Jiuyue find him much more agreeable.
"Mom, that's not what I meant. I wanted to ask if I could take some lotus roots with me when I leave?"
Lin Chaodong asked the question cautiously without realizing it, which made Yue Jiuyue want to sigh.
She knew that ever since Liu gave birth to Dazhuang, the couple's thoughts had gradually shifted to their own little family. Later, they only considered their little family in everything, which was why she didn't like them. The main reason she didn't like Lin Chaodong was because Liu hadn't let her see him, so there was no question of liking or disliking him.
Lin Chaodong's attitude upon returning this time was different from before. The biggest change was that he spoke to her very cautiously, which might be related to the fact that she wasn't very welcoming when he first came back.
But Lin Chaodong's attitude only further demonstrates that he treats her, his "own mother," as an outsider. Otherwise, how could things have come to this, with the mother and daughter having to worry about the other's displeasure when they talk?
"Okay, then I'll have your younger brother pack a 120 or 180 jin (50-60 kg) bag and send it to your house."
Yue Jiuyue naturally agreed to such a small request without hesitation.
He's still her eldest son, after all. Even if we don't care about the monk, we should at least consider the Buddha's feelings. It's just a basket or two of lotus roots; she can take it as she pleases.
"Mother... thank you, Mother!"
Lin Chaodong was not satisfied with the result, but he didn't say anything. He gave Yue Jiuyue a fake smile and said "thank you," which instantly ruined Yue Jiuyue's good mood.
So what's the point of having a son? He's just a debt collector! He never speaks his mind, always expecting others to give him things voluntarily. If he's not satisfied with what he gets, he throws a tantrum. He forgets his mother after getting married, and only thinks of her when he's short of money…
Yue Jiuyue muttered to herself the ten major crimes Lin Chaodong had committed.
She had originally wanted to ask him if he wanted to build a house on his mountain, but now she wasn't in the mood anymore. Her money didn't grow on trees, and she wasn't going to feed an ungrateful wretch!
However, there's no bad mood that good food can't cure. If there is, it's because you haven't eaten enough. If one meal isn't enough, eat two. If two meals aren't enough, eat three. Eventually, your mood will improve again.
So, let's go eat lotus root!
The most common way Yue Jiuyue had ever seen lotus root was in lotus root sandwiches, followed by lotus root in various hot pots and spicy hot pots. She had also tried pickled lotus root slices and cold lotus root salad, but she had never eaten stir-fried lotus root.
This time, she could finally enjoy all sorts of ways to eat lotus root.
"Madam, is it really okay to stir-fry this lotus root?"
There was a plate of cold lotus root slices on the table. Liu had tasted it and found the lotus root slices to be crisp and delicious. If Yue Jiuyue, the hostess, hadn't been there, she could have finished the whole plate by herself.
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