Saburo tapped the table lightly with his hand and said calmly, "Let's eat first."
The siblings quickly lowered their heads and ate.
Although they were very hungry, they didn't wolf down their food without regard for their image. Ran Xiaojiu especially cherished the chicken leg in her bowl and couldn't bear to eat it in large bites.
Jiang Shan sighed and had no choice but to feed them himself.
With a table full of dishes, the siblings finally put down their chopsticks contentedly, having not let themselves down, thanks to Jiangshan's hospitality.
Jiao's mother watched in horror.
These two kids are so thin, won't they get sick from eating so much?
Quickly send someone to bring two hawthorn pills to aid digestion.
After the siblings were led to the guest room to rest by the servants, Jiang Shan called Sanlang over.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Shan asked bluntly.
Saburo's eyes flickered slightly. "No, I just saw it and helped out."
"You really don't have any other ideas?" Jiang Shan pressed.
Sanlang turned his head away and said, "I deeply sympathize with their experiences and just wanted to help them, that's all. As for the future, let nature take its course. Anyway, our family isn't short of food!"
Hey! You've already decided to take care of these two siblings, and you're still saying it's nothing!
Jiang Shan pursed her lips and said, "Your marriage is your own decision. I won't force you, and your mother won't make things difficult for you. But you should also be aware that things are different now than before. There are so many eyes watching us!"
Sanlang chuckled, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I've neither taken any official duties from the court nor eaten anyone's food, so who dares to say anything? Although the Ran family's daughter is poor, she hasn't bothered anyone, nor does she need anyone to support her. I'd like to see which blind fool dares to gossip!"
Jiang Shan chuckled and teased, "So you're already protecting her? That girl is quite pretty. If she's a decent person, I won't object. But you'll have to talk to Grandfather yourself!"
Sanlang said somewhat awkwardly, "It's still early. I'll have to trouble my sister to explain our family rules to her first, and teach her more etiquette. My grandfather is very particular about these things!"
Jiang Shan pointed at Sanlang, speechless for a long time.
You've gone through so many twists and turns with your little scheme, and you still have the nerve to say you have no ideas? Bah!
When Jiao's mother learned that she might, perhaps, have a fisherman's daughter as her daughter-in-law, she was somewhat disappointed.
Jiang Shan, watching his mother's reaction, casually said while spitting out sunflower seed shells, "Back in Huaigu Village, your greatest hope was probably that Sanlang would grow up healthy and strong, marry another wife, and have a litter of chubby sons to keep you company!"
Jiao's mother was stunned for a moment, then slowly fell into her memories.
After a long silence, she sighed, "Yes, Sanlang has been frail since childhood, and I never dreamed he would grow up to be like this. You're right, it's important to be content. I shouldn't have forgotten my original intentions just because I've seen the prosperity of the capital. I'm getting senile, please pay more attention to me!"
When Ran Xiaosan was brought to the Grand Tutor's mansion, he was completely stunned.
The Ran family were outsiders. The uncle and aunt brought their three children from afar to the capital. Later, they had six more children, but they all passed away early. Of the nine siblings, three died young, two married, and one died of illness. In the end, he was left to raise his uncle's two children alone.
He is already twenty years old, but he has developed many illnesses due to overwork. Now the whole family relies on his seventh sister and ninth brother to fish and sell fish for a living.
When he woke up, he found himself transported from hell to heaven.
The person who brought him here told him that this was the Grand Tutor's Mansion, where the retired emperor's tutor, a princess, a prince, a duke, and his sister and brother were all present.
Is he still dreaming?
Then the third girl pinched her arm harder.
"Third Brother, stop pinching!" Ran Xiaoqi nudged Ran Xiaosan with her elbow, staring at his swollen arm, unable to bear the sight.
Ran Xiaosan swallowed hard and said in a low voice, "It hurts, it's not a dream!"
Ran Xiaoqi stole a glance at Sanlang, who was sitting at the head of the table, and said, "What are you dreaming about in broad daylight! This is Young Master Jiao, he is... Master! Yes, he is Master, and I will be his maid from now on! Master said that Xiao Jiu can also stay here to do odd jobs. When you are feeling better, you can also help Master with his work!"
As she said this, her eyes sparkled as she looked at Sanlang, filled with anticipation and a hint of trepidation that she couldn't help but reveal.
Master? Sanlang pondered to himself, giving the self-important "maid" a meaningful look, neither admitting nor denying it.
Ran Xiaoqi's eyes gradually dimmed. She bit her lip and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Third Brother, why don't you take care of yourself first? Don't worry about me and Xiao Jiu, we can take care of ourselves."
Third Brother's health has deteriorated, and he can no longer do heavy work. Who would want a servant who can't work?
Ran Xiaosan seemed to understand something, and bowed slightly as he said humbly, "It's fine to leave Xiaoqi here. She's a young lady, it's really not suitable for her... I'll take Xiaojiu back, we'll go back now... Xiaojiu, come here!"
Ran Xiaojiu shrank her neck and hid behind Ran Xiaoqi.
Ran Xiaosan's eyes turned red with anxiety, fearing that this would delay Xiaoqi's task.
Sanlang couldn't stand it anymore. He cleared his throat and said, "Don't you know how to grow vegetables? The old lady has cleared a vegetable garden in the backyard. Why don't you stay and tend to it? There's a doctor in the manor. Let's get your health back on track first. Yuchun, take him to see the doctor."
Gu Yuchun took the anxious Ran Xiaosan to see the doctor, leaving Ran Xiaoqi and Ran Xiaojiu, the two siblings, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Ran Xiaoqi bit her lip and stammered, "Young master, my third brother's health is ruined and he can't do heavy work, but Xiao Jiu and I can help with the work. We will definitely take good care of the old lady's vegetable garden!"
Sanlang glanced at Ran Xiaoqi with a half-smile, "Alright, go check if the cucumbers in the vegetable garden are ripe. I want to have cucumber salad tonight."
Ran Xiaoqi's eyes lit up, and she nodded firmly.
Ran Xiaoqi quickly found a place in the Grand Tutor's mansion.
Today I'll make some pickled cucumbers with millet porridge for Sanlang, tomorrow I'll make some stir-fried pork belly with pickled peppers, and the day after tomorrow I'll make some dried pork ribs stewed with radish. I'll put my heart and soul into making them, and the other will enjoy eating them immensely.
The servants who served him closely couldn't understand it. Although the young master was not picky about food, he was not so un particular. They, as servants, would not eat much of the food that these country people ate, but the young master did not mind at all!
You should know that, thanks to the Jiang family's private kitchen, the people in the Grand Tutor's mansion, whether masters or servants, are much more discerning than those in ordinary noble families!
The Ran siblings, however, did not think so.
The food the siblings prepared for Sanlang was made with the best ingredients they could offer!
This is the life they've always dreamed of!
One day, the servant who served Sanlang closely showed a disgusted expression towards the cured meat in front of Sanlang. Ran Xiaoqi belatedly realized what was going on and was at a loss for words.
Sanlang glanced at the servant indifferently and said, "From the age of four to seven, I rarely had enough to eat. I was thin and small then, and the doctor said I had a serious illness and would be difficult to raise. But my sister said that I was just malnourished. At such a young age, I took more medicine than food, which seriously damaged my spleen and stomach. Xiao Jiu was the same."
The servant's face gradually turned pale.
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