Cui Yun, dressed in a magnificent gown, entered the backyard, and Qin Xiaozhou truly felt the meaning of the phrase "a humble abode is honored." "Madam Zhu, please have a seat."
Zhao Fang wiped the stool again and again, standing somewhat awkwardly to the side. Cui Yun nodded slightly, sat on the stool, her face composed, showing no sign of disdain. "My son is coming, so I can only trouble you all."
Zhu Xian stood casually to one side, clearly not intending to speak. Qin Xiaozhou could only flatter her, "Madam Zhu, your arrival is just in time. We have seafood barbecue today, and it's more lively when everyone eats together." After saying that, she picked up an oyster and placed it in front of her, "Madam is used to the delicacies prepared by the people in the manor. Today, you should also try our way of cooking. Perhaps it will have a unique flavor."
Cui Yun looked at the shelled object in front of her and frowned almost imperceptibly. "Shopkeeper Qin, you're too kind."
But they didn't take any action.
Qin Xiaozhou didn't urge them, but distributed the food to everyone one by one. Then she started eating too. Garlic vermicelli scallops, grilled squid, and braised prawns. With the food in her mouth again, her tired body was recovering. "We'll have seafood sashimi tomorrow night and sea cucumber porridge in the morning, but we can't eat too much, or it will cause internal heat."
Granny Zheng noted everything down, wondering what sashimi was. She carefully memorized the details, thinking about Qin Xiaozhou's arrangements for tomorrow night. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jinghe secretly stuffing two oysters into his pocket. She pursed her lips, but couldn't make a scene right now. She could only wait and tell the shopkeeper later, hoping to catch him red-handed.
Lu Yan had eaten all sorts of delicious food these days, but she was happy right now, constantly handing out food to everyone. "Brother Liu and Sister-in-law, you must come often in the future. It's not easy to get a seafood meal like this."
Seeing everyone doing their own thing in a relaxed and unhurried manner, Zhu Xian felt surprisingly at ease. She even ate a scallop like Qin Xiaozhou, her eyes lighting up as she cracked open an oyster shell and took a bite. She couldn't help but praise Qin Xiaozhou for her culinary skills, saying, "Manager Qin, you are a natural inventor when it comes to food."
Then he gave Cui Yun a scallop, saying, "Mother, try it too. They taste different."
Cakes, milk tea, pudding, towel rolls, fruit tea, braised dishes, sweet soups... aren't they all refreshing and novel?
Cui Yun's expression softened. She hadn't seen her daughter so relaxed in many years. Her heart ached with sorrow and worry. As a child raised in such a wealthy family, she should always maintain absolute rationality and caution, instead of letting her guard down because of a little food given to her by others.
But looking at everything in the courtyard, she couldn't help but feel happy. Although it was simple and unrefined, it had a kind of warmth and human touch that they had never experienced before. She wanted to immerse herself in it, but at the same time, she wanted to stay clear-headed. She was very conflicted. In the end, she smiled gently and started eating as well.
Qin Xiaozhou wanted to drink some wine halfway through the meal, so Jingyue went to the kitchen and brought out a jar of sweet white wine. "Manager, this is what I made a few days ago. It's perfect to drink now."
Qin Xiaozhou wiped his hands. "Although the sun is hot, don't eat cold food. This sweet white wine can warm the stomach and calm the nerves. In summer, people like to eat cold food, and many seafood dishes are cold in nature. If you boil the sweet white wine and add some goji berries and red dates, you can sleep comfortably at night."
There were many oyster and crab shells in the bamboo basket at Lu Yan's feet. She rubbed her belly and said, "Mom, eldest brother and sister-in-law, grandma and little brother haven't eaten seafood yet. I'll send some back tomorrow."
Qin Xiaozhou patted her head. "I saved quite a few. When my cousin Zhao Yong comes tomorrow, please ask him to take some back with him. It's just enough for the children and the elderly to have a taste. I only left a few oysters and sea cucumbers for them."
Lu Yunxing had no objection. Zhao Fang listened to Qin Xiaozhou. She had never seen seafood before in her thirty-plus years of life, so she didn't know if it was cold or not. But her daughter-in-law was a good person, and listening to her was definitely the right thing to do.
Cui Yun was surprised that this family all listened to the new bride. After marriage, many women would take over the affairs of their husband's family. However, it was common for servants to bully their masters and for the elders in the household to make things difficult. Such harmony was truly rare.
After a delicious meal, the moon rose high in the sky, and the county town quieted down. Zhu Xian and Cui Yun sat in a carriage, leisurely walking through the quiet alley. After a long while, Cui Yun lowered her head and smiled, her expression a mix of bitter relief and irony. "I was born into a prestigious family like the Cui family, and I've lived a life of luxury since I was a child. Later, I married your father, who became the prefect of Wanzhou. I also have an official title. But today, for a moment, I actually envied these rural women."
Zhu Xian did not refute. Sometimes she was envious, envious of Qin Xiaozhou's carefree attitude, and also envious that Qin Xiaozhou was able to marry into such a harmonious family as the Lu family after marriage.
Countless women have had their lives ruined by their husbands' families, trapped in the backyard, tormented, and ultimately killed or worn down...
That courtyard wall was the farthest point the woman could see.
Her mother was a renowned talented woman in the Cui family, with exceptional literary skills, but in the end, she was trapped in the inner quarters of the Zhu household and was repeatedly persecuted by the concubines...
"Mother, don't go back."
Cui Yun exclaimed suddenly, "What?"
Zhu Xian smiled with relief, "We have money, and no one in Fenggu County dares to make things difficult for us. Why don't we just stay here? I'll find a man to marry into our family, have a child, and that's it. Money can never be earned enough, and power is endless. Why put ourselves in this mess?"
"How could you think like that?" Cui Yun felt a tightness in her chest. "You are the eldest daughter of the Zhu family, you should be matched with a young master from a high-ranking family. What kind of good man would be willing to marry into the family?"
"Is being a son of a wealthy and powerful family all that great? My grandfather was the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and my father was the Prefect of a prefecture, but what kind of life have you been living all these years? You're not even as comfortable as a merchant's wife in a county town."
Liu Zhuangshi counted his money in the ferry boat by the river in his backyard, grinning, "This trip, we earned eight taels of silver. We won't have to worry about food and drink this year. If we make three or five more trips and earn thirty taels, we'll choose a place to buy a plot of land to settle down, and buy three acres of land to live a good life."
Liu Hehua was also happy, "Manager Qin is kind-hearted. Why don't we work for her? I saw today that she needs manpower here. She is good to the people in those shops, and she won't be harsh on us in the future. The seaside is dangerous, and I... am worried."
“No.” Liu Zhuangshi shook his head. “Those who follow her will all be slaves, and our children will be slaves too. I don’t want my children to be like that.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
