Li Xue instructed several guards to continue catching stone crabs, while she and a few others chatted in the pavilion.
Li Guang and Li Ru talked about their respective situations. Among the members of the royal family of the Great Northern Dynasty, both of them had legendary experiences, and they soon became very close.
Just then, several soldiers arrived. They came to the lakeside, untied the small boat that was moored on the shore, rowed out into the lake, and began to harvest water chestnuts.
Seeing this, Li Xue said, "Brother, sister-in-law, let's go down to the lake and pick water chestnuts too."
"What is a water chestnut? This is the first time I've ever heard of it."
"Water chestnuts are an aquatic crop that can be used as both a vegetable and a staple food. Lord Yao is very optimistic about this crop and plans to promote it."
There's a delicious dish tonight made with water chestnuts, which we can enjoy tonight.
Actually, I think freshly picked water chestnuts taste the best; they're crisp and crunchy, and can be eaten as a snack.
“Really? Then let’s go take a look at the lake,” Li Ru said.
Seeing that the group was about to go down to the lake to pick water chestnuts, Li Guang spoke up:
"Some of the water chestnuts in the lake are already old. Don't pick the ones that are darker in color, as they are for making seeds."
When harvesting, pick the red ones; these water chestnuts are still edible.
"Okay, we understand."
As Li Xue spoke, she led Li Ru and the princess toward the lake.
There were a few small boats by the lake. Li Xue untied the rope from one of the boats and let Li Ru and the princess board and sit down.
Li Xue then boarded the boat, picked up an oar, and rowed the boat towards the area in the lake where water chestnuts grew.
The waters were covered with water chestnuts. Li Xue stopped the boat and picked up a water chestnut seedling from the lake. She saw that two or three large water chestnuts had grown on the seedling.
As Li Guang said, the water chestnuts on this seedling are a darker color, indicating that they are old.
There was another water chestnut that was reddish in color. Li Xue picked this water chestnut and then put the water chestnut seedling back into the water.
Li Xue pinched the water chestnut skin; it was a bit tough, but still peelable.
Li Xue peeled the water chestnut kernels and handed them to the princess, saying:
"Sister-in-law, this is water chestnut rice. Try it and see how it tastes."
The princess smiled and accepted the water chestnut rice that Li Xue offered, then put it in her mouth and ate it.
The water chestnut kernels were crisp and sweet, and tasted quite good. It was the princess's first time eating water chestnuts.
Seeing the princess's sweet smile, Li Ru knew that she had taken a liking to water chestnuts, so he picked a few, peeled out the kernels, and handed them to the princess.
Seeing this, Li Xue was very happy. She prepared to pick some water chestnuts to eat as snacks.
There were plenty of water chestnuts in the lake, and in no time, the boat had picked a lot of them.
Li Xue looked up at the soldiers who had come to harvest water chestnuts and found that they had already gone ashore and left.
There were already quite a few water chestnuts; it was time to get them ashore. With that thought, Li Xue turned the boat around and rowed towards the shore.
The group brought the water chestnuts they had picked to the pavilion, where they found that Li Guang had already roasted a pile of sweet potatoes.
"All the sweet potatoes are roasted. That's enough. We should have prepared a lot of delicious food for tonight, so let's save some room for more food," Li Guang said.
“That makes sense. For now, we can only treat roasted sweet potatoes as a snack and enjoy them occasionally. We must not eat them to our hearts’ content.”
As they were talking, several guards came over. Li Xue looked up and saw that the wooden bucket containing the stone crabs was already full.
"Looks like we're in for a treat tonight. You guys have some roasted sweet potatoes first, then bring the stone crabs back. I'll take my brother and sister-in-law to the farm, and we'll be back for dinner."
"Yes, Princess." After saying this, the guards ate a few roasted sweet potatoes and left.
After finishing the remaining sweet potatoes and resting for a while, the group headed to the farm.
During this time, Li Ru heard Li Xue talk to him about Xiao Hei and Yu Hong quite often.
It was because Li Guang took in these two little ones that he transformed from a weak scholar into the war god of the Northern Dynasty.
A short while later, the group arrived at the farm. A large mountain bear stood at the entrance, with a small red fox perched on its head.
Upon seeing the mountain bear, Li Ru was secretly astonished. This mountain bear was like an iron tower. Li Guang often wrestled with it to improve his strength. Just how strong was Li Guang?
Li Guang's strength was undeniable; he fought in numerous battles, his footprints covering every battlefield.
Many famous generals of the Three Kingdoms in the north were defeated by him, and Li Guang's reputation had long made enemy countries tremble with fear.
As the group entered the farm, Meng Yaoyao was sewing clothes. When she saw Li Guang leading people in, she put down her work and slowly stood up. A maidservant next to her quickly came over to help her.
Seeing Meng Yaoyao's protruding belly, Li Xue was pleasantly surprised.
Li Xue introduced Meng Yaoyao to Li Ru and the princess, and the group exchanged greetings.
When Li Xue went to the southwestern border to look for her brother Li Ru, she was surprised to find that he had actually returned.
The group sat down on the stone benches in the courtyard, and a maid brought them tea. They then began to chat.
An hour later, seeing that it was getting late, Li Guang prepared to attend the banquet.
Because Meng Yaoyao was unwell and had to walk at night, she did not attend the banquet and was accompanied by two maids at the farm.
The group arrived at the workshop, where the dinner preparations were almost complete.
When Zhao Xian saw Li Guang and the others arrive, he immediately arranged for everyone to take their seats.
For the Zhao family, tonight's banquet is of extraordinary significance. Zhao Xian's investiture as a marquis has filled the entire family with ecstatic joy.
Some time ago, Grandpa Zhao took his whole family to the ancestral graves to pay respects to their ancestors.
Thanks to the good deeds of their ancestors, the Zhao family produced a marquis. Old Master Zhao kowtowed countless times in gratitude.
Then the family went to Zhao Yougen's grave and told him this great news.
At Zhao Yougen's grave, Zhao Xian's feelings were different from the others. He had transmigrated from the modern world, and Zhao Yougen was the original owner's father, so he always felt that they had little to do with each other.
Tonight's dinner party was even more lively than the Lunar New Year, with everyone dressed in new clothes.
Most of the people attending the dinner tonight are family members, and there are also some generals from the military camp.
The village head, the academy's headmaster, and the teachers were all guests at the banquet, and of course, Zhao Xian did not forget Master Lin.
The restaurant in the workshop was quite large, with five tables. Once everyone was seated, the chef began serving the dishes.
The entire restaurant was immediately filled with a fragrant aroma and steaming hot food. The women kept serving dishes, and soon the tables were filled with delicious food.
There were no outsiders at the banquet, so there was no need to be overly polite. Everyone began to drink and eat heartily, creating a lively atmosphere.
Before long, the banquet came to an end. Old Master Zhao was so happy that he drank quite a bit of wine and his speech became slurred.
Zhao Xian dared not let him drink anymore. At his age, if he got into trouble from drinking, he couldn't bear the responsibility.
As darkness fell, the banquet finally came to an end, and everyone began to disperse.
The women began clearing the dishes and cleaning the dining room.
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