On the day of Little Sweetie's third-day celebration, the weather was warm, and Han Mingjiang set up five tables of food and drink in his courtyard.
"Sweetie" is the nickname Han Yibo gave her.
I still need to write a letter and ask Han Mingxiang to give me a proper name.
The baby grew rapidly after birth; in just three days, Little Sweetie's wrinkled, red face seemed to have opened up.
Her skin was no longer red, and her big, round, dark eyes, though it's unclear whether they could see people or objects, were still darting around.
Han Yisong and Han Yibo, the two older brothers, doted on their younger sister.
Every time he ran up to her, he would stretch out his arms, looking both hesitant and unwilling to hug her, which made Xue Nizi laugh heartily.
Every time Xue Nizi bursts into laughter, it always startles Tian Tian.
Li Lanzhen rolled her eyes at her.
"Nizi, keep your voice down, you scared our Tiantian so much she flinched."
On this same day, Li Lanzhen met General Qi's son, General Qi, the highest-ranking officer of the garrison troops stationed on the southwestern border.
General Qi was very tall, even taller than Old General Qi, and had a robust physique.
He wasn't wearing his military uniform today, but a blue straight-legged shirt. Perhaps it was this shirt that made him look gentle and not like a warrior.
Upon seeing Li Lanzhen, he bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.
"Auntie, thank you so much for sending so many people to help us."
Sweet potatoes and potatoes are indeed good things. After Madam Xue came here, she planted sweet potatoes and potatoes, and our soldiers were able to have enough to eat.
Li Lianzhen waved her hand, showing no pride or arrogance.
"General, you flatter me. This is all I should do."
Since she was here this time, Li Lanzhen thought she would tell him how to process vermicelli.
Then she thought about how to set up a vermicelli processing plant here, and how to divide the profits.
Li Lanzhen couldn't bring herself to hand over all the profits from the vermicelli business.
She wanted to leave some for Han Mingjiang so that his life would be a little easier.
But now, there are many people sitting at the table, including other deputy generals, so Li Lanzhen wants to wait until after the banquet to find a time to talk to General Qi.
Coincidentally, General Qi came today to congratulate Han Mingjiang on the birth of his daughter.
Another point is that he knew Li Lanzhen was here and wanted to talk to her about vermicelli processing.
Every year, Li Lanzhen would bring New Year's goods to Han Mingjiang, including vermicelli.
Of course, he would also receive a New Year's gift from Li Lanzhen, which included vermicelli.
Xue Nizi also taught him how to make delicious dishes using vermicelli, thanks to the cooks in the General's Mansion.
He fell in love with glass noodles the first time he tried them, and he also noticed that they were easy to store and carry.
When you're out on a military campaign, carrying a bundle of vermicelli is a delicious and filling meal, even if you just boil it in water.
So during the meal, he would glance at Li Lanzhen repeatedly, but he didn't say anything.
He also knew that it wasn't a good time to talk about such things at a dinner table.
After the banquet, General Qi, who was preoccupied with his own thoughts, did not leave with the others. Instead, he called out to Han Mingjiang to bring out his little daughter so that he could see her.
General Qi's wife did not accompany him to the southwestern border.
However, he has two concubines who live with him and take care of his daily life.
His wife gave birth to three sons, all of whom stayed in Youzhou City, studying at the academy and practicing martial arts with their father.
His two concubines also bore him one son and two daughters.
When Han Mingjiang saw that he hadn't left, he knew that he must be thinking about asking his mother for some benefits.
Han Mingjiang agreed and strode over happily, then picked up his swaddled baby girl.
Two boys followed behind him.
Han Yibo kept instructing, "Dad, hold your sister tight. Look at you, you don't even know how to hold your sister properly."
"Dad, did you ever hold me when I was little?"
He kept muttering behind him, but Han Mingjiang ignored him.
"General, look, isn't my daughter adorable? Look how big her eyes are! They're like two black grapes!"
Look at that little mouth, it's so red, like the red berries on the mountain.
Li Lanzhen sat beside her son, who was beaming with pride, and rubbed her forehead. This son of hers was truly unbearable to look at.
General Qi casually took the child from Han Mingjiang's arms, even hefting her in his arms, and laughed heartily, "Hmm, what a beautiful little girl!"
His action startled Li Lanzhen, who was afraid that this military man who spent his days wielding swords and spears might knock her little granddaughter to the ground.
Surprisingly, the person held the child very steadily; it seems they hold children quite often.
This made Li Lanzhen trust him even more.
Someone who values family ties and doesn't have a preference for sons over daughters is still trustworthy.
"Here, this is a gift for my little niece."
As he spoke, he took out a small gold lock from his pocket and hung it around Tian Tian's neck.
Then he handed the child to Hai Mingjiang and waved to Han Yibo, who was standing next to him.
"This must be your second son, Han Yibo. Come here, take this gift from your uncle."
Li Lanzhen saw a jade plaque symbolizing peace and safety.
Han Yibo stood to the side, but did not immediately take the jade; his eyes were fixed on Li Lanzhen.
Li Lanzhen smiled and said, "Here's a gift from your uncle. Thank you, uncle."
Han Yibo grinned, showing off his small teeth, and took the jade pendant with both hands, bowing his head and saying something.
"Thank you, Uncle General."
General Qi laughed heartily; perhaps it was Han Yibo's nickname that made him happy.
They saw that only the maids and servants were left in the courtyard tidying up the table.
General Qi then said to Li Lanzhen, "Auntie, I have a favor to ask of you. Of course, if it's feasible, please do it. I won't force you."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Li Lanzhen knew it must be related to vermicelli.
In a letter Han Mingjiang wrote home last year, he mentioned that General Qi said vermicelli was easy to store and carry, and it was also filling, making it a good food for marching and fighting.
Li Lanzhen said, "General Qi, let's go to the hall to talk."
The two entered the main room, where a maidservant served tea and then withdrew.
Han Mingjiang escorted Tiantian back to Xue Nizi's room and then sat down next to her.
Since General Qi had spoken up and said he needed to see her, Li Lanzhen didn't speak first.
I sat at the table, took a couple of sips of tea, and waited quietly for him to speak.
General Qi also picked up his teacup and drank it all. He put down the teacup, composed himself, and looked at Li Lanzhen before speaking.
"Auntie, I want to ask you, is it possible to build a vermicelli factory here?"
All the vermicelli produced by the vermicelli factory was sold to our military camp.
How about this?
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