Chapter 23 Chestnut Crisps
All the guests, including Du Huaizhi's table, stood up to greet them.
"General Du."
"Father."
Du Huaizhi raised his eyes and looked at the middle-aged man who was slowly walking towards him.
The man was a burly man with a full beard, and he exuded the fierceness of a veteran. Du Qiyue's gaze lingered on Du Huaizhi for a moment, then he strode forward and slapped Du Huaizhi hard on the shoulder.
"Okay, Huaizhi girl, you've grown up and are in good health." As he said this, he patted her several times in a row.
With such force, if it were Du Ruozhi, she would probably fall to the ground after being slapped.
Du Huaizhi bowed and saluted, "Father."
"Hey, no need to be so polite. When I heard you were here, I couldn't wait any longer and rushed over here to see you. Did you scare me?"
Du Qiyue has only two daughters. Compared to the delicate and soft Du Ruozhi, he prefers the taller and stronger Du Huaizhi in front of him. At first glance, she is a good child who loves to eat and is not picky about food.
Du Huaizhi smiled and said, "No, I am very happy to see my father."
Du Qiyue laughed heartily and hit Du Huaizhi's shoulder several times. "Okay, okay, you eat first. Tomorrow we can talk about the past together."
Du Huaizhi watched Du Qiyue leave with a smile on his face, his shoulder aching slightly. He sat down again, but before the meal even started, a plate of chestnut pastries was brought to him.
"Miss Du, please try this. Madam specially asked the kitchen to prepare this for you." Grandma Liu said beside her.
Lin looked at Du Huaizhi with a hint of expectation in her eyes.
Even Du Ruozhi, who was sitting next to her, said, "Sister, come and try it. The chestnut crisps we make are much better than those sold outside."
Du Huaizhi didn't like sweets and never ate them, but judging by their reactions, this chestnut pastry must have been something the previous Du Huaizhi loved. This act naturally had to be a full-on performance.
"Thank you, mother." He pretended to be happy, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, swallowing it in two bites while suppressing the sweet taste. "It's delicious."
Bullshit, this mommy’s kiss must be made with sugar.
"Even if the food tastes good, don't be greedy, otherwise you won't be able to digest it at night." Lin reminded.
Du Huaizhi nodded in agreement, the tea in front of him was almost finished.
After a while, a beautiful woman came here.
"Thank you, Madam." Everyone stood up again.
Shen smiled and said, "Today is a family dinner, no need to be so polite." She turned to look at Du Huaizhi on the side and said, "Is this the Huaizhi girl who just came back?"
Du Huaizhi nodded, "Greetings, Madam Xie."
"I haven't seen you for a few years. You've changed so much that I can't recognize you." Shen said.
Lin took over the conversation, "That's right, I almost didn't recognize him at the door just now."
Du Huaizhi lowered his head and took a sip of the tea that he had secretly added several times before he was able to suppress the sweetness that remained in his mouth.
The next step is to recognize each person one by one. Originally, this step could be skipped, but Du Qiyue showed his importance to Du Huaizhi, so even though Du Huaizhi was just a concubine's daughter, he had to establish this relationship with her.
Fortunately, Du Huaizhi had memorized the Du family tree in advance, including everyone's facial features, how many concubines there were in the family, and who had the best relationship between legitimate and illegitimate children.
From the beginning to the end of the banquet, Du Huaizhi was generous and proper, without a single flaw. However, he inevitably encountered a few people who didn't speak human language. He resisted the urge to chop people and dealt with them one by one, and the banquet ended.
Lin called a maid over and said, "It's getting late. Take the young lady to her residence."
Du Ruozhi originally wanted to go with them, but was stopped by Lin, "Zhizhi, stay. I haven't seen you for a long time and want to talk to you."
After traveling in a carriage for a month and going through a wave of intrigue, Du Huaizhi was exhausted both physically and mentally. She returned to the residence arranged for her by the mansion with An Nian, and her eyes went dark.
It was okay that the courtyard was a bit remote, as she always liked quietness. However, this courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the bamboo in the courtyard was almost growing to the door of the house. It looked like it had not been taken care of for a long time.
Du Huaizhi and An Nian stood at the door for a long time. The maid who brought them in suppressed her smile and said, "This place was locked after the eldest lady left. Madam said she wanted to keep it for you to come back. The items inside are kept the same as when you left."
So this place hasn't been cleaned for more than four years. Du Huaizhi found a clean place to put his things down, and the maid had already run away.
Du Huaizhi pushed open the dilapidated door. The furnishings inside were covered with a thick layer of dust, and spider webs were hanging on the beams everywhere.
The only table was broken and leaning to one side, and it was easy to see that the house was originally simple and dilapidated.
This location is far away from the main courtyard and the kitchen. It's like finding a place in a corner and building a house for Du Huaizhi to live in.
"Can you still pay me the two taels of silver per month as you promised on time?" After a long silence, An Nian suddenly spoke.
I promised to bring her to Beijing, but after coming all the way here, she ends up living in a place like this. It seems like she'll have trouble getting food in the future.
Du Huaizhi cleared his throat and said, "Don't worry, I'm not so poor that I don't have any money." He rolled up his sleeves and put the fallen chair in place. After all, he had to make a place to sleep first.
An Nian sighed and found a wooden basin. "I saw a well in the yard when I came in just now. I'll go get some water."
Working in pairs is not tiring. Du Huaizhi is responsible for carrying heavy objects and spider webs from high places, while An Nian is responsible for sweeping the floor and wiping the dust.
After a busy day, the originally bright sky gradually darkened. Du Huaizhi cut down all the bamboo in the yard, came to sit with An Nian under the eaves, and let out a long breath.
An Nian handed over a handkerchief, glanced at Du Huaizhi's hand, and frowned slightly.
Du Huaizhi thanked him and took it, wiped the sweat from his face and neck, and looked at the handkerchief soaked with sweat. This job was more tiring than practicing swordsmanship and killing people.
"It's getting dark. What are we going to eat tonight?" An Nian spoke again.
Du Huaizhi took out a rice cake and gave it to her, "Rich families don't eat dinner, they only eat midnight snacks." They start preparing dinner after noon, and it's still dark when they eat. If they want to eat it at night, it's called a midnight snack.
An Nian took the rice cake, which felt hard. He knocked the cake against the wooden board, and it made a few muffled sounds, no less than those made by stone.
An Nian: “…”
Du Huaizhi: “…”
Don't waste it if you don't eat it. Du Huaizhi snatched the rice cake, wiped the dust off it, took a bite, chewed it, and swallowed it, proving with practical actions that this thing is edible.
An Nian was speechless again. While she admired Du Huaizhi's eloquence, she couldn't help but complain: "Now that we're in the capital, can't you be nicer to yourself?"
Du Huaizhi looked at the pancake in his hand and said, "Making pancakes is too troublesome." Then he took another bite.
She put the pot on the fire, fried two pancakes, and then washed the pot after she was done. She didn't want to move anymore.
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