Sure enough, ten days later, just before the New Year, Xu Chen brought a box of gifts to the Marquis's residence to pay his respects to his "elder sister".
Xu Shaoqing was overjoyed and, together with Gu Ting, personally went to pick up Xu Chen and told him to stay for a couple more days.
Xu Chen is only seven and a half years old, and hasn't even turned eight yet. He has a good temperament and personality, and the old lady of the Marquis's mansion likes him very much.
Using the old lady's suggestion, Gu Ting and his companion allowed Xu Chen to stay at their home for a while.
Surprisingly, the Anbo family agreed, but they did send Granny Cheng over.
The young master was deeply loved by the old lady, who would send him candied fruit, pastries, and snacks all day long.
Knowing that the cooks at the Hou Lady's place were quite capable, she even specially asked her head maid, Kouqi, to pass on a message, asking her to come up with some snacks for the children and send them over.
With the weather so cold, I don't dare send over the tea jelly or anything like that I made before. As for the spicy strips and rice crackers, I've already sent them over these past few days.
Grandma Sun and Wang Yan pondered what they could do. Wang Yan racked her brains to think of the delicious food she had eaten in modern times.
After a long pause, she suddenly clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Auntie, I've got it! Egg rolls! Let's make egg rolls!"
Crack a few eggs into a bowl and whisk them. Add an appropriate amount of flour and whisk until you have a smooth batter without any lumps. Then add sugar and finally sprinkle with white sesame seeds.
Scoop a spoonful of batter into the pot, cover it with a piece of parchment paper, then pick up the bottom of the teapot and flatten it in a circle.
While the dough is still soft after baking, roll it up into a straight cylinder and leave it outside for 15 minutes to cool completely. It will become crispy and crumbly, making it a snack comparable to rice crackers.
As expected, Young Master Chen enjoyed the food. The old lady was pleased, partly to save face, and partly because the end of the year was approaching.
They even rewarded Granny Sun with an exquisite silver hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers and pearls, as well as a purse of money.
Inside the purse, instead of copper coins, there was a small gold ingot, three or four silver coins, and half a packet of silver peanuts.
Grandma Sun excitedly discussed the reward with Wang Yan, saying, "The kingfisher feather jewelry, not to mention the pearls and silver inlaid, can be exchanged for 30 taels of silver."
Although the gold ingots were only worth one tael, there were so many silver coins and silver peanuts! We've made a profit! We've both hit the jackpot this time!
No wonder Aunt Sun was so happy. Wang Yan had taught her quite a few snack recipes, but this time the egg rolls were the most effective. They were even easier to make than the sponge cakes last time.
It's efficient and convenient to do, doesn't cause any trouble, and I got so many rewards. How could I not be excited?
Little did she know, if it weren't for the fact that the third young mistress's brother had come to visit, Wang Yan would never have thought of making egg rolls; they were too simple.
They're all thinking about making snacks that require a bit of skill to prepare, because that's how they get a good reward, right?
In any case, the egg rolls that became a sensation throughout the city brought them considerable profits over the next two days.
Everyone else who came to help make the egg rolls also received a silver coin and a small piece of jewelry.
Chunye also received an extra silver ring, which was a gift from her superior.
Grandma Sun was in a good mood yesterday and brought a bag of small jewelry, letting each of them choose one piece.
Everyone else chose beaded flowers, and Chunye did the same, but when she took the beaded flower, there was a silver ring hanging on it. Aunt Sun waved her hand and gave it to her.
In short, in less than a month, I earned almost two years' worth of monthly allowance.
"Yan'er, I've realized we chose the wrong time to make the crispy rice and spicy strips." After saying that, Aunt Sun slapped her thigh hard.
"If we all do this at this crucial moment, everyone in the courtyard will bring a gift when visiting relatives and friends, and the rewards during festivals will be doubled, doubled!"
Grandma Sun looked heartbroken and filled with remorse.
Previously, crispy rice crust and spicy strips were also used as gifts, but the Lady of the Marquis always gave a large sum of money as a reward.
Then the other masters would just give them a purse and be done with it, but this time the egg rolls were different; they had just become a sensation throughout the entire mansion.
The masters were still at the stage of sending a maid to inquire, and this was the stage where the most rewards were given, since it was the first time they had eaten it.
They were enjoying their meal when they went out to pack it into a gift box, and the Lady of the Marquis didn't have time to stop them.
Others will give rewards on the first few occasions, and during festivals, the rewards will naturally be much more than usual.
But after a few days, Grandma Sun stopped showing off.
Qingmei found it inappropriate to watch people coming and going, so she gave her two agate bracelets as a reward and then asked Granny Sun to deliver the recipe to the main kitchen.
At this point, Grandma Sun had to stop making the easiest and cheapest snack she had ever done.
…………………………
After Young Master Chen stayed, Gu Ting went to his courtyard three times a day, saying things that stirred up trouble and distorted the truth.
"You should know that you and your sister are family. Let's not talk about the money; it's all fixed, and no one can embezzle it even if they want to."
But we can only feel at ease if the estates and shops are handed over to our own hands for safekeeping. Don't you think that makes sense?
Xu Chen smiled shyly, "Brother-in-law is right. I trust Uncle. I've already handed over the estate and shops."
Gu Ting was furious. How could this guy not understand human language? He called Xu Shaoqing over again and asked her to put a bad word to Xu Chen.
Xu Shaoqing then tearfully complained and sowed discord by saying that the dowry given to her by the Anbo family when she got married was outrageous.
Xu Chen remained silent and unresponsive. He feigned a dazed look, as if he didn't understand.
After several attempts, Gu Ting still thought he was a real fool, so he tried to trick him into taking back the estate and shops that the Earl and his wife had taken.
"This is yours after all, why don't you give it to your sister to manage? You two are family now."
"Giving it to the Earl would only make him go to great lengths for you; it's neither reasonable nor ethical."
Xu Chen never expected him to speak so bluntly. How could he have the nerve to utter such despicable words with such self-righteousness?
Just as they were about to refuse him, news arrived from the Earl's residence that was nothing short of a bombshell for Xu Shaoqing and her companion.
Uncle An, Xu Wei, recorded all the annual profits from the farms and shops under his third brother's name in the clan.
What were the annual profits and losses? Were the profits and losses normal? Were there any supervisors causing trouble? All of these were recorded.
A registration is conducted annually, and based on the income of other shops of the same type, the clan elders can check at any time to see if there are any acts of embezzlement.
Furthermore, the amount of dowry given to Xu Shaoqing was clearly recorded, so that even though Xu Chen was still young, the division of their assets was already clear.
This move caught Xu Shaoqing completely off guard. Even if Xu Chen tried to coax her a hundred or eighty times, he couldn't salvage the situation.
In the end, her opinion of Xu Chen also worsened; the servants in the Marquis's mansion always treated people differently based on their status.
Xu Chen was just staying here temporarily; he could have simply said so if he wanted to leave. However, Xu Shaoqing was being stubborn and deliberately made him stay for two more days.
She wanted to force her parents to meet her, but little did she know that in just a few days, something terrible almost happened.
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