Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Alfalfa Dumpling heard her daughter say this...
Hearing that his daughter cared about him so much, Mr. Zhao, who was confused, almost cried with joy and was moved to tears.
You are worthy of being daddy’s little cotton-padded jacket!
But he soon stopped laughing.
Because his little cotton-padded jacket thoughtfully made him a cup of astragalus tea.
Looking at the astragalus root floating up and down in the bowl, his heart also rose and fell.
It seems that Xiao Mian'ao has misunderstood something.
He quickly explained: "My daughter! Daddy is going to use this astragalus as medicine." It's not what you think!
"Daddy, didn't you want to use it yourself?" Zhao Mingsheng's big eyes fluttered, looking very innocent.
She was still looking forward to having a younger brother or sister.
"Ahem... Although your mother and I have a good relationship." Father Zhao's ears seemed to turn red as he spoke, "But Daddy usually pays attention to supporting her, so there are no problems in that regard for the time being."
He took out a prescription and showed it to Zhao Mingsheng. "This is the prescription Daddy has been researching recently. The only thing missing is the Astragalus root."
Zhao Mingsheng:...Okay, I accidentally made another mistake.
She should go back and continue making dumplings!
As soon as he heard that people were going to make dumplings, Cui Ergou, who had never made dumplings before, came to join in the fun.
He was concentrating on wrestling with the dough in his hands. His nimble hands, which could write powerful and strong characters, now looked extremely clumsy.
The dumplings made by others are small and delicate like ears, but the ones he makes are fat and big, like elephant ears.
Zhao Mingsheng saw this but did not stop him. Instead, he let him pack one after another.
Because even though it doesn't look good, every wrinkle was carefully pinched by Cui Cen.
At worst, let him eat it all by himself.
Zhao Mingsheng believed that he could do it with his appetite!
A lot of dumplings were made today. After they were cooked, Zhao Mingsheng sent some to Aunt Zou's family and Aunt Wang's family.
The dumplings are pinched into the shape of gold ingots and ears, with the skin filled with plump meat fillings. When you put them in your mouth, you will feel the flavor of the dish.
fresh!
The chopped shepherd's purse and alfalfa have the unique fragrance of vegetables, and paired with the tender and juicy meat filling, the soup overflows with every bite.
Cui Cen ate the plump white dumplings one by one. In the end, he couldn't remember how many he had eaten, but he ate a lot.
*
In the Buddhist temple of Marquis Dingguo's Mansion, an old woman with gray hair was kneeling in front of the Buddha statue, praying devoutly.
Soon, there was a noise at the door and an old maid came in, pulling aside the curtain.
The old woman, who had her eyes closed, raised her eyelids slightly. The pair of weathered eyes under her eyelashes had long lost their former charm, leaving only the vicissitudes of life left by the years.
She stopped the Buddhist beads in her hand and asked:
"But is there any news about Cen'er?"
The old nanny seemed reluctant to break her hope, but since she had no good news, she could only bow her body and say:
"In reply to the old lady, Prince Heng sent a message saying that there is no news of Erlang yet."
Hearing this, Madam Hou closed her eyes again and the Buddhist beads in her hand slowly turned again.
If there is no bad news, then it is good news, she comforted herself.
"Then what brings you here?"
The old nanny had been serving the old lady for many years, and couldn't bear to see her being so depressed and vegetarian, so she picked out some interesting things to tell her.
"Just now, the Cui family of Qingshan County sent someone to send a birthday gift in consideration of your birthday next month."
The Cui family of Qingshan County was of the same lineage as the Cui family of Dingyuan Marquis Mansion a hundred years ago, but they gradually became estranged and had no contact except during festivals.
"Why would you come to me and complain about this? Could it be that they sent me some treasure this year?"
Disturbed by this, Mrs. Cui no longer had the heart to worship Buddha. She raised her hand, and the maid who was serving beside her stepped forward to support her.
After kneeling for a long time, her legs became numb, so she let the maid help her sit down on the chair.
The old nanny immediately came forward and offered a cup of tea. Then she sat on an embroidered cushion beside her, rubbing the old lady's knees while saying:
"What a gift! It's said that eating it can prolong one's life and restore youth."
She said something so miraculous, but Madam Hou didn't believe it:
"You saw it again?"
"I saw it with my own eyes! The one who came to give you the gift this time was none other than the old lady of the Cui family in Qingshan County. Five years ago, she came to celebrate your sixtieth birthday. You may not remember, but I, this old servant, still remember her."
The old lady's tone was filled with disbelief.
"When I saw her just now, she actually had a head full of white and black hair. Compared to when I saw her five years ago, she actually looked much younger!"
Madam Hou held the tea bowl in one hand, skimmed off the foam and took a sip. After a moment's thought, she said, "But the one from my hometown, Hejin County? I remember she was two years older than me."
"Yes, yes!" echoed the old woman excitedly. "I'm glad you still remember her. She's still waiting in the front hall. Would you like to see her?"
After hearing what she said was so magical, Mrs. Hou became a little curious and put down the tea bowl in her hand.
"Let's go and take a look."
When we arrived at the front hall, we saw an old woman with her hair combed up high in a bun sitting on a side bench. The purple-gray outer robe she was wearing was made of good material and embroidery, but the style was a bit old, as if it was made several years ago.
She saw Madam Hou immediately stand up from her chair in a reserved manner.
With that beautiful black hair, looking from behind, some people would believe that she was a woman in her twenties. However, Mrs. Hou did not recognize her at first sight.
"Sit down and talk."
The old nanny immediately sent someone to bring up new tea.
After sitting down and chatting about some family matters, Old Mrs. Cui couldn't help but take out the porcelain vase that she had treasured for a long time from her sleeve.
The maid took it from her and handed it to the old lady of the marquisate. This porcelain vase looked ordinary and inconspicuous. Any bottle taken out from the Marquis Dingguo's mansion was more valuable than this one.
She examined the bottle and asked, "Is this the pill that can prolong life and restore youth?"
Old Madam Cui quickly waved her hands. Those words might be enough to fool others, but she wouldn't dare fool Old Madam Hou.
"I just got some pills for black hair by chance," she said modestly.
There are many hair-blackening pills on the market, but none of them have such remarkable effects. Although the other party was modest, Madam Hou still accepted it with a smile and gave him some more valuable gifts in return.
After another conversation, she saw that Madam Hou was a little tired, so she said goodbye first. The pill needed to be taken once every three months, and they agreed on the time for her next visit.
After seeing off Mrs. Cui, the old nanny asked Mrs. Hou whether she should take it now.
"What should I do with this? If I have a head full of white hair, does that mean I don't have to send off the young ones..."
Her voice was so sad that people who heard it could not help but shed tears.
She had already prepared herself mentally for the fact that there was no news from Cui Cen for a long time.
She closed her eyes. Forget it, forget it. She had sent so many black-haired people to heaven in her life, hadn't she...
It has been five years since the last birthday celebration of the old lady of Dingguo Marquis, and Mrs. Cui has not been to the Dingguo Marquis Mansion, let alone being personally received by the old lady.
This made her feel very proud. When she returned home, she was still in a daze and her face was still flushed.
Her son had been waiting in the front hall for a long time.
As soon as he saw Old Lady Cui coming back, he anxiously asked, "Mother, did everything go smoothly when you went to the Dingguo Marquis's Mansion to deliver the gifts today?"
Cui Han returned home without even changing his clothes and waited in the front hall in his official uniform.
"It went smoothly. The old lady of the Dingguo Marquis Mansion personally received me!"
She felt honored when she spoke of this, and her heartbeat quickened. She drank a whole bowl of herbal tea in one breath, and then she calmed down and said with a smile on her face:
"Your pill is really a treasure. Even Mrs. Cui was amazed when she saw it."
After hearing these words, Cui Han felt relieved.
Ever since he learned that his old lady had gone to the Dingguo Marquis's residence to deliver gifts, he had been restless all day. When the time came for her to go out, he didn't even have time to change into his official uniform while waiting here.
Because not long ago, someone revealed a piece of news to him - Cui Cen, the only legitimate son of the Dingguo Marquisate, disappeared some time ago and his whereabouts are still unknown.
Originally, this matter had nothing to do with their family, but after that person pointed it out, he was enlightened and immediately thought of the benefits of it.
Less than a year had passed since Marquis Dingguo died in battle, and their family's title was still vacant, with the only legitimate heir now missing.
To put it nicely, he is missing; to put it bluntly, he is dead and no one knows where he is!
The Cui family was small, and even fewer children of their generation were of marriageable age. The illegitimate son of the Marquis of Dingguo counted as one, and his own Xin'er counted as another.
As for Cui Erlang's elder brother, although he has the blood of the old Marquis Dingguo, he is a bastard's son after all. No matter how he jumps around, there has been no precedent of a bastard's son inheriting the title since the founding of the country!
Although his Xin'er is almost out of the fifth generation, he is still a legitimate son, right?
By then, as long as they adopt his son into the Dingguo Marquis Mansion, wouldn’t they be prosperous? Cui Erlang’s disappearance is simply a godsend for their family.
He couldn't help but get excited just thinking about it.
"Mother, if you have nothing to do on weekdays, please take Xin'er to the Dingguo Marquis Mansion more often to show your face."
Although Old Lady Cui didn't know why she had to bring Xin'er along, she thought that Xin'er was already grown up and at the age to get married, so it would be good for him to visit the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion more often.
As the two were talking, Cui Han suddenly realized that it was already dark and he had been sitting in the front hall for a long time. Why didn't his son come back yet?
So he asked the servant beside him, "Where's that little bastard?!"
The servant lowered his head and said timidly, "I haven't seen it either."
Speak of the devil, and here he comes. Cui Xin, who had just returned from drinking with friends, heard his father's loud voice as soon as he stepped into the front hall.
He couldn't help but retract his right foot and was about to turn around and run away, but he was betrayed by the maid beside him the next second.
"Master is back! Master is looking for you."
Hearing the noise, Cui Han turned around and caught him red-handed.
"You little bastard! Are you fooling around again?"
He came to his father in a sullen manner and said in his defense, "No, no, I went to a poetry reading with my classmates."
Cui Han immediately saw through his sophistry, "How can a poem come back reeking of alcohol?"
Just as he was about to scold her a few more times, Old Lady Cui stopped him. "Well, the child must be tired after studying outside all day. Let him go back and rest."
Since the old lady had spoken, Cui Han had to stop even if he wanted to teach her a lesson.
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