Chapter 794 My Family's Daughter Spreads Her Wings and Takes Flight!
Upon hearing the name "Qian Niangzi" mentioned by Li Ersao, Li Sanniang's first thought was that it was Su Wanhui, the mother of the young man she had accidentally saved using the Heimlich maneuver not long after arriving in the Tang Dynasty.
Sure enough, listening to what Li Ersao was saying while packing her things, it was indeed this Su Wanhui.
"...At first I didn't recognize that it was Madam Qian. I was too busy listening to my mother and going to see what the new pastries looked like."
It was only when one of the old women beside Madam Qian called me that I recognized her.
As Li Ersao spoke, she suddenly looked at Li Sanniang with a smile: "Sanniang, Madam Qian specifically asked me about you!"
Madam Qian said she heard you'd been granted an official position, and asked if we shouldn't forget to send her an invitation if we were to hold a banquet.
Li San Niang thought about it. Su Wan Hui was originally from an official family. After she married, several members of the Qian family became officials in the imperial court. Who would have thought that she would be granted an official position in the Imperial Medical Bureau? This was really too normal.
However, Su Wanhui was not among the people Li San Niang originally planned to invite.
After all, Li San Niang thought that this was just a minor official of the seventh rank, so why should she have to notify everyone she knew?
Li San Niang originally intended to invite only some acquaintances who were also doctors, such as Tang Mingyue and Chen Yanfu, a couple who were on good terms with Li San Niang; and the Wang family who had joined the doctors' exchange meeting organized by Li San Niang.
Then there's Fang Chengxian, with whom I made contact by chance;
After much deliberation, Li San Niang decided not to invite Xu Jingzhenye after all. Since they were going to go their separate ways, it was better to avoid any further entanglement.
The rest were Shen Qiuniang, Tuva, Bai Ziyi, and the people from the Women's Assistance Association and the Midwife School.
If we include the already close Doctor Liang, Junior Brother Shaoyang, and Li San Niang's disciples, the number is actually quite large.
After doing this calculation, Li San Niang suddenly realized that even with the main hall, side halls, and courtyard combined, the Li family's house couldn't possibly accommodate that many tables.
If we add Su Wanhui, whom Li Ersao brought back, to the list of people with whom they have some acquaintance but are from different social classes, then things become even more complicated.
After Li's mother returned from the neighboring women's assistance association with Wu Qiaolan and Baoya, she saw Li San Niang writing and drawing on paper with a pen.
"Don't worry, the female guests will be led to the next room. It's a big place; there are enough spaces to set up five or six tables just in the courtyard. If you have anyone you want to invite, just invite them over."
Your father has already counted the number of people; the rest can be accommodated in our house, even if we squeeze in a little."
After hearing Li's mother's words, Li San Niang felt much more at ease.
After eating the soup dumplings, Li San Niang took the written list to find Li's father and Li's second brother. The three of them sat together and discussed for another quarter of an hour before finalizing the number of guests and the guest list.
Once the number of people was known, Li's mother began preparing for the banquet, discussing with Jin Manlou how to arrange seating and other such trivial matters.
In a hurry, Li's father first copied out the invitations from families who lived far away from Changshoufang, and then quickly asked Li's second brother to find a porter to deliver them.
Finally, for a few important ones, such as those from Physician Sun and Physician Gao, it was only proper for Father Li and his second brother Li to personally deliver them to show respect.
Li San Niang didn't care about anything else. She quickly got into the carriage with Qiu Xiang and headed to the Ministry of Rites. The official robes that needed to be made couldn't wait for anyone. They only had five days off, and it would take two days to alter the clothes, so they had to hurry.
After leaving the Ministry of Rites, Li San Niang finally had the leisure to stroll around the market. It had been a while since she had felt so relaxed and carefree.
He was busy at the drug rehabilitation center all day long, and before that, he got caught up in the factional struggles in the imperial court. Then he went to attend the commendation ceremony of the Imperial Medical Bureau. One thing after another, he didn't have a moment to breathe.
Having spent a considerable amount of money in the market, buying fabrics, jewelry, and plenty of food, Li San Niang hurried back to the Li family home as the sun set.
As soon as she got home, Lu Zhu'er came to greet her. Li San Niang took out the candies she had bought and gave them to Lu Zhu'er to eat. She also called Li San Lang over and asked him to help distribute the snacks to the remaining children.
Normally, upon seeing this, Li's mother would have said, "It's almost dinner time, why are you giving them candy?"
In a little while, how could they possibly eat properly?
"How old are you? Why are you behaving so improperly?"
But today, Li's mother didn't have time to nag Li San Niang about those two sentences. She was busy with Li Da Sao, Li Er Sao, and Wu Qiaolan looking at how to arrange the pastries from Xiang Gui Ji that Li Er Sao had bought back today to make them look better.
When we ate dinner, the whole family gathered in the courtyard. We lit two extra lamps, and the moonlight made it easy to see clearly so we wouldn't get food in our noses.
"Today, several pharmacies that used to supply our family came to ask me specifically, all to verify whether our Third Sister has really become an official."
Li San Niang swallowed the radish slices she was eating and said to Li Er Xiong, "Hey, it's just that everyone has never seen a woman serve as an official before, so it's quite novel."
Actually, there were female officials in the palace.
Besides, it was just a lucky coincidence that I was chosen and granted an official position at the Imperial Medical Academy's commendation ceremony.
But I am not the first woman to become an official. The first should be Bi Qionglan of the Ministry of Agriculture. She was the first female official bestowed upon her by the emperor for her merits.
Second brother, thank you for your trouble. I think that after a few days, once this fever pitch passes and people lose interest, they won't bother our family anymore.
After hearing what Li San Niang said, Li Erxiong put down his chopsticks and shook his head. "It's not that I find it annoying, but I'm just thinking that you've already attracted so much attention before you even start working at the Imperial Medical Bureau. It's hard to guarantee that some people won't cause you trouble once you actually go there."
"Don't worry, second brother, I'm not made of clay."
I've always relied on my abilities to make a living. As long as I have the skills, what can they do to me?
Li Erxiong nodded, "It's good that you know what's going on. If anything happens, just come home and tell us. Although no one in your family works at the Imperial Medical Academy, we are still your backup plan."
After Li Erxiong's words of advice, Li Daxiong also chimed in: "Although I am a military officer and not in the imperial court, I have known some people in the Jinwu Guard for so many years."
If anything comes up in the future, just come and tell me, and I, your elder brother, will certainly not refuse!
"Alright, Third Sister isn't a child anymore, why do you two older brothers need to nag her about these things?"
My phoenix girl is destined to soar high; do not restrict her. If she tires and needs to rest, she will naturally land on the phoenix tree.
Of all the family members, Li's father now finds Li San Niang the most agreeable. Even if his eldest and second brothers say something that isn't exactly instruction, Li's father feels that they are mistreating his San Niang.
"After thinking about it, I still need to tell my family. At the beginning of this afternoon, Guo Silang came to the medicine cabinet."
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