"It's my fault, it's my fault," Aunt Liu said repeatedly. "Young master, it's very simple to make a girl happy. If she's angry, just give her something she likes. If she likes jewelry, give her jewelry; if she likes clothes, give her clothes; if she likes watching plays, take her to watch plays. In short, just cater to her preferences."
Upon hearing Aunt Liu's words, Hu Mingmei immediately understood. After bowing deeply to the old woman and Aunt Liu, Hu Mingmei said, "Mingmei has learned a lot. Thank you, Grandma. I'll take my leave now!"
After saying that, he left, which made the old woman laugh.
Young people these days are so energetic. This guy really cares about the girl he likes. If her daughter Nuonuo could be cared for by someone like him, she could die in peace and meet her daughter-in-law with peace of mind.
After leaving the old woman's room, Hu Mingmei kept thinking about what to give Bai Nuo. Jewelry? She didn't seem to like jewelry; she hadn't worn any jewelry during all the times they'd met. Clothes? She didn't seem to like overly complicated clothes either. Taking her to see a play? But there weren't any plays to watch here.
Hu Mingmei was immediately caught in a deep dilemma.
What should I give as a gift?
She seems to like nothing, yet she also seems to have nothing at all.
Hu Mingmei suddenly understood and quickly called Lu Ying over, instructing, "Go and buy one of every kind of the most fashionable jewelry in this town, and the same goes for clothes; buy one set of every style of summer wear. Also, go to the inn and buy some food! Go now, immediately!"
Lu Ying was completely baffled and asked blankly, "Young master, what do you need jewelry for? You don't usually need it. And clothes too, we're not staying here for long, so let's not buy so many, shall we?" It's one thing if we can't take them with us, but so many things would just be a burden!
"Just go when I tell you to, why all the nonsense? It's for buying clothes for girls, does my word no longer carry weight?" Hu Mingmei glared.
"Yes, yes, yes, I'll go right now and be right back!" Lu Ying said quickly, rushed to the black horse, untied its reins, mounted the horse, and rode off at full speed.
Meanwhile, Bai Nuo was busy in the kitchen.
All the other dishes for lunch today have been prepared, except for the river clam meat, which she wants to use to make a delicious dish for her family today – steamed river clams with garlic.
Since the shells of the freshwater clams have been completely discarded, the clam meat can only be placed directly on the plate.
Each piece of clam meat was cut into evenly sized small pieces and arranged evenly on a plate. Then, Bai Nuo crushed the garlic and chopped it into minced garlic.
Next, she poured a generous amount of oil into a hot pan, then added the minced garlic and stir-fried it to prevent it from burning. Once the garlic had turned golden brown, Bai Nuo scooped it out and spread it evenly on the plate containing the river clam meat.
Then, I added water to another pot, put the plate in it, covered it, and steamed it over high heat.
After about fifteen minutes, Bai Nuo opened the pot lid, picked up a piece of river clam meat, tasted it, and after confirming that they were all cooked, she picked up the whole plate.
Then I chopped some scallions and sprinkled them on top, then heated up some oil and poured it over. Instantly, the whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of garlic.
Inside the main room, the family, along with Hu Mingmei, sat down at the table. On the table were a fish, two kinds of green vegetables, a stir-fried wild duck egg, and a garlic-flavored river clam. As everyone sat down to eat, Bai Nuo glanced around and, not seeing Lu Ying, couldn't help but ask, "Where's Lu Ying? Tell him to come and eat!"
Hu Mingmei was already angry. Making Lu Ying buy food took so long; the Bai family was about to eat, and if she didn't come back until they were all finished, who would want to eat? So Hu Mingmei said, "Don't worry about him, he won't starve!"
Bai Yu jumped off the stool. "I'll go call Brother Lu Ying." He ran towards the door, but came back as soon as he left, saying with delight, "Brother Lu Ying is back."
Lu Ying rushed in, her face covered in sweat, carrying two boxes in her hands. As soon as she entered, she opened the boxes and took out the contents: a serving of Eight Treasure Chicken, a braised pork knuckle, a squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, and a serving of stir-fried lily bulbs.
"Young master, you should eat first. I'll buy the rest this afternoon!" Lu Ying whispered in Hu Mingmei's ear.
"Um!"
"What's wrong?" Bai Nuo looked at the extra dishes on the table. "Is the food here not to your liking?"
"No!" Hu Mingmei smiled at Bai Nuo and put a chicken leg on Bai Nuo's plate. "Eat more, you're so busy every day, you work so hard!"
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