Chapter Eleven: Every member of the Li family is a treasure!
unloading the seeds and grain, the cargo wagon drove off, but left the mule cart behind.Mrs. Cui handed the reins to Old Li, smiling and saying, “We have a lot of donkeys on our farm, and we usually u...Jia Yin was in high spirits after escaping the hardships of her flight.
She tried her best to widen her eyes and act cute, trying to win over a little bit of kindness for her family.
Tao Hongying peeked out from the kitchen and saw that her mother-in-law and daughter were so at ease. She smiled too.
Then she went to find Wang Guanxi and said a few words, then returned to the kitchen and called Jiahuan to help prepare the ingredients for dinner.
Zhao Yuru hadn't heard clearly what Tao Hongying said to Wang Guan, so she took the opportunity while washing vegetables to lean over and ask, "Hongying, what did you say to Wang Guan"
Tao Hongying was stirring a sauce, and chuckled at this. "I just asked Wang, the manager, where Madam Sun's family originated from."
"What's he doing Is Mrs. Sun from your hometown" Zhao Yuru asked curiously.
"No, not at all. I just want to cook something delicious for my wife."
As she spoke, Tao Hongying stirred the sauce, her smile enigmatic.
Zhao Yuru simply stopped asking, anyway everyone agreed that the fourth son's wife cooked delicious food, she had nothing to worry about.
"Wife! Look what we caught!"
Two sisters-in-law were busy working when Li Laosi came running in laughing.
Turning her head, Tao Hongying saw Lao Si Li holding a plump carp in his hand, about as long as her forearm.
The fish was still alive and well, its tail thrashing energetically in Li Lao Si's hand as it tried to break free.
"Such a big fish! How did you catch it" Tao Hongying quickly found a basin, filled it with water and put the fish in.
"Strangely enough, just a moment ago our mother was holding Little Fu on deck to get some fresh air. As soon as we stood there for a while, this big fish suddenly landed on the deck. The deck was slippery, and it flopped around for quite a while before we could catch it."
Li Laosi, as he spoke, gestured excitedly, his voice rising with enthusiasm. Finally, unable to contain himself, he repeated it again.
"It really jumped up suddenly, scaring even mother! Fu Niu'er was bold as ever, giggling the whole time!"
"Now we have one more dish for dinner tonight." Tao Hongying was also happy, thinking that her daughter was blessed, but she was afraid that the Sun family would hear.
"Alright, you guys get to work. I'm going to do my own thing." Li Laosi knew what was up and turned to leave.
Tao Hongying called Li Jiahuan to kill the fish, and then cleaned it up. Holding a slightly narrower knife, she disassembled the fish flesh and picked out the bones.
"Third Sister-in-Law, please crack those two eggs and mix them well. I'll steam an egg custard for the young lady in a while."
Tao Hongying turned back to instruct Zhao Yuru, her hands still busy.
Zhao Yuru responded with a sound and hurried to get the eggs.
In the cabin, Old Mrs. Li was holding Jia Yin and chatting with Madam Sun to pass the time.
Miss Sun was held in her nurse's arms, sitting beside Old Mrs. Li. A pair of dark and shiny eyes watched plump Jia Yin, babbling "ah ah ah" from time to time, as if chatting with her.
Jia Yin also liked this little girl's rosy and cute appearance, so she cooed and babbled with her as well.
"Look, the two young ladies are having a lively chat."
Sun Madam's attention was always on her child. Seeing this scene, she was overjoyed.
Old Lady Li also laughed along, feeling a sense of pride in her granddaughter's understanding nature. Wherever she went, people couldn't help but love her.
"Madam, dinner is ready." The maid brought in a dish. Lady Li saw this and, very discerningly, hugged Jia Yin and excused herself.
"What are you doing tonight" Mrs. Sun asked the maid, without raising her head as she fondled her daughter's hand.
"Madam, it's honey-glazed barbecue pork, fish ball soup, and garlic spinach. I also steamed egg custard for Miss."
The maidservants answered cheerfully, they all ate with their mistress, whatever the mistress left was theirs.
Today's menu is so good, they naturally have a good time.
When Mrs. Sun heard this, she quickly raised her head to look, and there was also a hint of surprise in her expression. These three dishes were all her hometown dishes.
She hurriedly asked, "Who cooked today's meal"
The maidservant thought something was wrong and didn't dare to hide it.
"Madam, it was the fourth daughter-in-law of the Li family who cooked this. The housekeeper thought it looked good, so she sent it to Madam to try something different..."
Sun Mrs. listened and didn't say anything more. She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of honey-glazed barbecued pork, and eagerly put it into her mouth.
The sweet and savory sauce clung to the chewy slices of meat, causing Mrs. Sun to squint her eyes in delight.
"Here! Here!" Miss Sun smelled the fragrance and clapped her hands excitedly on the table.
Then Mrs. Sun remembered that Tao Hongying had made a bowl of egg custard for her daughter and quickly motioned the maidservant to bring it over.
The golden egg custard is served in a white porcelain blue and white bowl, with a few drops of soy sauce on the surface. With a slight movement, the egg custard trembles continuously, making one's mouth water...
Both mother and daughter were extremely satisfied with the meal.
The maid glanced at the nearly empty dish and chuckled teasingly.
"Madame and Miss are truly blessed. They just pick a few people off the dock, and they find treasures! From now on, Madame and Miss will never have to worry about meals again."
"Well, it's true that we got lucky, but the Li family really put their heart into it."
Madam Sun rinsed her mouth with tea and instructed, "Give two taels of silver to Sister-in-law Li Four. Afterward, please ask her to take more care of our meals."
"Yes, madam," the maid went downstairs happily.
The Li family was also having dinner at this moment, a simple meal of rice porridge, flatbread made from two-part flour, and half a fish stewed with tofu. The whole family ate happily around the table, savoring the delicious aromas.
Jia Yin lay in her mother's arms, drinking goat milk. She saw her mother frequently glance at the door of the cabin, and she was also curious.
Fortunately, not long after, a maidservant came to deliver the reward money.
Only now did the whole family realize that Tao Hongying had gotten this job thanks to her excellent cooking skills.
"Auntie Four is amazing!"
Hong Ying is skilled, she never makes mistakes wherever she goes.
Everyone was delighted, but Wu Cuifang just pursed her lips and took the opportunity to finish all the fish in her bowl.
Jia Yin was proud of her mother's talent and danced with joy.
Seeing Wu Cuiflower like that, he glared at her. Unfortunately, his eyelid wouldn't obey and almost flipped up and down...
Not long after, the Li family favored Mrs. Tao Hongying was promoted to be the cook for both the madam and the young mistress. This news spread throughout the entire ship.
From the highest-ranking officials to the lowest serving maids, everyone treated the Li family members with great courtesy.
Wang Guan also took the trouble to speak up and gave the Li family a new place to live.
It was no longer a dark, damp cellar, but instead a bright, airy two-story room with four windows. It was much more spacious.
Grandma Li patted her granddaughter to sleep, remembering the sudden appearance of a large carp on deck, seemingly trying to jump into her granddaughter's arms. She couldn't help but tremble with excitement.
“Funiu'er, Grandma can't say it, but Grandma knows. Our whole family being able to survive is all thanks to you. As long as Grandma is alive for a day, the entire Li family won't allow anyone to treat you badly, not allow them to be ungrateful white-eyed wolves!”
Jiayin was drowsy, unable to open her eyes. She could only grin in response to the old woman's promise.
Jiaxi and Jianan ran in from outside, shouting loudly.
"Grandma, let's touch our little sister. We want to go with the fishermen to the stern of the boat and cast a net to catch fish!"
Grandma Li raised her hand and gave them both a whack on the head, “Get out! You two are mischievous, even at this time. Your sister just fell asleep.”
Jixi and Ji'an huddled together and scurried away, disappearing in a blink of an eye. Li Laotai couldn't even catch a glimpse of their escape before she broke into a smile.
It's wonderful that everyone is alive and well!ls sent from the south recently. I’ll have Yi the steward pack a box for you later. Take it back and play with it.”"Thank you, Father!" Princess Three quickly expressed her gratitude, but after a mome...