Chapter 54 Settlement
Madam Lu looked at Jiang Tangtang with appreciation and nodded, "Yes, yes, we are all a family now. We should live in harmony and have a good life."
She glanced back and forth between her daughter-in-law and her grandchildren, then added, "I think Brother Yan's daughter-in-law is capable. She will be the head of this family from now on. Shi Li Zhixi, you must all listen to your sister-in-law and do whatever she tells you to do."
Needless to say, Mrs. Lu had already convinced the two of them that Jiang Tangtang's superb cooking skills had already captivated them on their way to exile.
After hearing what Old Lady Lu said, the two nodded repeatedly. Lu Shili assured her, "Don't worry, Grandma. We will definitely listen to you, sister-in-law."
Lu Zhixi took Jiang Tangtang's hand and said, "Sister-in-law, the house has been cleaned up. What do you think we should do next?"
Jiang Tangtang glanced at the simple room and pursed her lips before saying, "Come and help us. We'll make some food. We'll take it to visit Manager Xia and see if we can find a place to buy two farms first."
Buying a bed is one thing, but the most important thing is to build a relationship with Manager Xia by sending him food.
Although Liang Jiamin used her connections and may have mentioned it to Manager Xia once or twice, Manager Xia's attitude towards them was still pretty good.
But she always believed that relationships were built on one's own. Giving food and visiting friends when necessary was always a good idea.
"Okay!" Lu Zhixi's favorite thing was to help Jiang Tangtang prepare food. He said happily, "Sister-in-law, what do you want me to do?"
"Wash these taro roots and steam them in a big pot. We'll make taro cakes."
On the way, they dug up a lot of taro and yam. Jiang Tangtang saw that they couldn't eat it all and it would take up space, so he secretly took some and planted it in the space. Unexpectedly, the taro and yam planted in the space grew very well.
Judging from the growth she saw in the space last night, she estimated that it would be ready to eat in a few days.
Jiang Tangtang also felt that there was no need to save the remaining taro and yam.
"Great! I have taro cakes to eat again. I love the taro cakes made by my sister-in-law the most."
Lu Zhixi went to rummage through her bag and took out the taro. She was too weak to carry so many taro by herself, so Hu Yan saw this and very sensibly went to help.
"The neighbor just sent over two taro. Do you want to cook them together?" He Qiuniang picked up the two taro that Ge Shuanniang sent over and handed them to Jiang Tangtang.
"Let's cook them all together and send some taro cakes to that auntie later."
Jiang Tangtang took the taro and was about to put it into Lu Zhixi's bucket. Suddenly, she stopped, frowned, and pulled the hair off the taro and said, "Forget it, you guys go! These two taro are bad."
"This guy took a fancy to my grandson and came to see him as a gift of two taro, and they were bad ones!"
Madam Lu was extremely angry when she heard this and angrily said, "Fortunately, I was smart and didn't make any rash promises to her. Otherwise, those two rotten taro would have cheated me of a good grandson."
Jiang Tangtang found the angry old lady very amusing and said with a smile, "Grandma, such a person is not worth getting angry about. We will just not associate with her from now on."
"Yes, don't associate with her!" Lu Tiantian climbed up from the small nest in the ox cart, rubbed her eyes, and agreed with her mother as if she understood.
Looking at her cute little granddaughter, Mrs. Lu's anger instantly dissipated.
After Jiang Tangtang finished making the taro cakes, she handed the stove work to He Qiuniang. She packed a dozen taro cakes and a small can of beef jerky, and went to visit Manager Xia's home with a basket.
She had just taken two steps when Lu Shiyan chased out, took the basket from her hand and said, "Let me carry it!"
The basket wasn't heavy, and Jiang Tangtang figured it wouldn't break his wound if he held it, so she let him do it.
The housekeeper's house wasn't far away, so the two of them arrived in no time. A little girl, about six or seven years old, opened the door. She looked at the two of them curiously with wide eyes and asked, "Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?"
Jiang Tangtang smiled at her and said, "We just moved in. We're here to see Manager Xia. Is he here?"
The little girl shook her head and said, "My grandpa is not here, he went out." Then she turned around and shouted into the house, "Grandma, someone is looking for grandpa!"
After a while, a woman wearing an apron came out of the room.
Jiang Tangtang took the basket from Lu Shiyan, slightly lifted the cloth on it to reveal the contents, and handed it over, saying, "Auntie, we are new residents. This is a little snack I made. I hope you don't mind."
The taro cakes made by Jiang Tangtang are very fragrant. You can smell a rich aroma as soon as you lift the cloth.
Wang Lachun's smile instantly became more sincere. He welcomed the two of them in with a smile and said politely, "You've just settled down and are busy right now. How come you specially made something and sent it over? That's very polite of you."
"It's not something expensive, just a little snack, it won't take much effort." Jiang Tangtang said with a smile: "We are new here, and we will need your help in the future."
Wang Lachun was not arrogant and said with a polite smile: "We are all neighbors from now on. If you have any difficulties, just tell me. If I can help, my old man and I will definitely help."
As he spoke, Wang Lachun told the little girl, "Shaniu, go make two cups of tea."
"No more tea, we have to go back and settle down!" Jiang Tangtang said with a smile, "Aunt, do you know anyone who has an axe and a saw? I'd like to borrow them."
"I have them at home. Wait, I'll get them for you." Wang Lachun took out an axe and a saw and gave them to Jiang Tangtang. He then said, "You guys live in that thatched house over there, right?"
Jiang Tangtang nodded, "Exactly."
Wang Lachun sighed and said, "That house has been empty for two years. There's nothing in it. I'm really putting you in a difficult position. Just wait. When my son comes back, I'll have them send you some planks."
After thanking Wang Lachun for his kindness, Jiang Tangtang took the tools and returned to the hut.
Not long after the two of them returned, Wang Lachun's two sons brought some wooden boards over.
Lu Shiyan used the old wooden boards sent by Wang Lachun to build two simple large beds.
The bed was set up and it was getting dark outside.
Jiang Tangtang called Lu Shiyan to finish work and have dinner.
For dinner, they had taro cakes, stir-fried beef with wood ear mushrooms, and brown rice. For the newly arrived convicts, this dinner was considered sumptuous.
This made those who came to inquire feel jealous.
Those families who had settled in Zhounan Village for many years had never had such a sumptuous dinner! This family of criminals had just arrived, and they were actually served meat and rice.
No matter what people thought, after dinner, Jiang Tangtang gave the children a simple wash and took them to bed.
She was exhausted that day. The key was that she needed to rest quickly, get up early tomorrow, and sneak into the space.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
