Yao Guang's words, though seemingly childish, were about writing a letter to the emperor? It was no easy task.
However, if this were to happen to Hong Xiaoduo, it wouldn't be entirely impossible. Furthermore, given Hong Xiaoduo's personality, Quan Jinghuai and the others believed that she would heed Yao Guang's suggestion and write a letter to the emperor explaining the situation of this man surnamed Kuang—or, to put it more positively, offering well-intentioned advice.
To put it bluntly, it's like they're trying to trip up the guy surnamed Kuang.
However, Hong Xiaoduo did not do so. She said that there must be quite a few officials like Kuang in Fengliang Kingdom.
This time, it was just a coincidence that we encountered the man surnamed Kuang. His family was verbally abusive, and he was indulgent, but regardless, we taught that old woman a lesson. We didn't witness them doing anything heinous like bullying men and women. Besides, this Master Kuang was quite sensible; of the three options she gave us, he chose the most correct one.
During his short trip to the capital, he learned that the emperor was not a foolish ruler, and that there were good officials in the court, such as Lord Wei, Prince Xue, and Ding Zhiyuan of the Court of Judicial Review.
The reason she didn't agree to stay as a lady-in-waiting to the emperor was because she disliked the infighting in the court.
Whether this person was qualified to be the Minister of Works was not something Hong Xiaoduo felt she should concern herself with. Therefore, she would not write any letters to the emperor.
However, Hong Xiaoduo thought that after this incident, Lord Kuang should learn his lesson, especially with the example of the previous Minister Gu.
Just look at Lord Kuang, he could tolerate his own mother having two front teeth knocked out, which shows that his career is the most important thing to him. He can be considered a ruthless person!
Unfortunately, his son and grandson are both good-for-nothings. Not only are they unlikely to surpass him, but they may also drag him down and ruin his future.
Before the Kuang family's carriage had even disappeared from everyone's sight, the little ones were already discussing with Hong Xiaoduo whether they could continue hunting wild ducks after they finished eating.
Hong Xiaoduo replied without hesitation, "Of course!" Fei Yan even said she wanted to bring a bow to participate this time. Only Xiao Yaoguang silently gnawed on her duck leg, wanting to eat more meat to grow faster and become stronger.
The group stayed by the lake for four days, hunting more than sixty wild ducks, and Quan Jinghuai also caught more than a dozen big fish.
This kept Tian Shu and the others very busy. They hunted during the day and cleaned the prey at night, marinating it according to the recipe taught by Hong Xiaoduo.
The large basin for kneading dough, the basin for washing vegetables, and even the jar for pickling vegetables were all cleared out to store pickled wild ducks and fish.
They set off on the fifth day, not because everyone was tired of hunting, nor because they had too much to carry, but because they simply couldn't hunt any more. On the last afternoon, Hong Xiaoduo led Yaoguang to search for wild duck eggs.
To make up for Yao Guang's disappointment at not participating in the wild duck hunt, Hong Xiaoduo deliberately said that she would only take Yao Guang to collect wild duck eggs and no one else was allowed to collect them. Not bad, they actually found more than thirty eggs, and the little guy finally showed a happy smile.
As they set off, Yuheng lifted the carriage curtain and gazed longingly at the lake, whispering, "Mother, will there be no more wild ducks here?"
"Don't worry, even if none escape, it won't be long before they fly in from other places to settle here and multiply in large numbers," Hong Xiaoduo told her, suppressing a laugh.
But in her heart she was thinking, "Now that I think about it, you're the most enthusiastic girl when hunting. Even when the sun is setting, you still can't bear to put down your bow and arrows!"
"Master, please think of something for me. I need to cut down a couple more poles when I see them." Tianxuan, sitting inside the carriage, said to Quan Jinghuai, who was riding a horse outside the window.
"Hmm," Quan Jinghuai replied, though he felt somewhat helpless.
Cutting suitable poles is for making racks to dry and marinate wild ducks and fish.
Quan Jinghuai imagined dozens of pickled ducks and a dozen pickled fish on the shelves at the back of the carriage, parading along the official road. Those who knew would think they were hunting on the road, but those who didn't would think they were selling preserved meats!
The younger children were also imagining the scene of the place being filled with pickled ducks and fish, but it was different from what their master had imagined. They were quite emotional, because in the past they had been begging all day long, being scolded and beaten. Let alone filling their stomachs, they were satisfied if they could even get half full.
Look at me now, I not only have three full meals a day, but I also eat very well, and there's even leftover meat and fish. If I hadn't met her, I would still be in the hands of that evil person, living a miserable life of hunger, cold, and tattered clothes. Just thinking about it makes me feel scared and cold all over, and I dare not continue to recall it.
"Oh, right, remember to keep the orange peels after you eat them, don't throw them away," Tianxuan reminded her brothers.
“I know, we’ll dry the dried tangerine peel ourselves?” Tianquan immediately replied.
Tianxuan glared at her younger brother with disdain and said, "What are you drying tangerine peel for? It's a recipe for making preserved duck that Mother gave us, and we need fruit peel."
"Oh, I didn't see the recipe, how would I know?" Tianquan muttered under his breath, feeling looked down upon.
After muttering to himself, he quickly looked over at Hong Xiaoduo and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she didn't seem angry.
The eldest brother privately told everyone that it was not easy for their mother to raise them, and that everyone should be well-behaved, obedient, and sensible, and not cause trouble for their mother.
Hong Xiaoduo didn't care about any of that. Just as she heard Tianxuan remind her to cut the pole, she realized that this year's Spring Festival should be better than last year's. She had plenty of money in her pocket, and Tianxuan's cooking skills were getting better and better.
This year, it would be best to rent a courtyard for a short period of time so that you can buy enough New Year's goods.
If you can make preserved duck, then as long as you have the recipe, you can make sausages, rice candy, and so on, right? After all, Tianxuan is so smart!
We'll ask Old Man Luo beforehand if we can get a big cream cake.
Oh dear, if we want to rent a courtyard for the New Year, we need to do it in advance. With that in mind, Hong Xiaoduo found a map and checked the approximate distances between the villages, towns and cities along the way.
If your wallet is bulging, then it's more appropriate to spend the New Year in a large city or prefecture, because it will be more lively, and if you're not in a hurry to travel, there will also be lantern festivals during the Lantern Festival.
Hong Xiaoduo tapped her finger back and forth on several locations on the map. She would have to wait until she arrived at the destination, take a stroll around, and make a decision on where to stop for the New Year.
Finding a suitable place to stop and celebrate the New Year sounds simple, but it also depends on the local customs. How many petty thieves and bullies are there? It can be really annoying!
As Hong Xiaoduo was thinking, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"Mother, there's someone lying by the roadside," Tian Shu told her, sitting outside the carriage.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo looked out of the carriage window and saw Quan Jinghuai ride over, dismount, and go to check...
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