Chapter 35： Mantangcai

Chapter 35 Full House of Colors

Finally, we welcomed the new daughter-in-law into the house and held a banquet.

Everyone rushed to take off their chopsticks for their favorite dishes, and the praise was even more unstoppable.

“Mrs. Kong, where did you hire the chef who cooks the banquet? This cooking is so delicious!”

Mrs. Kong was proud in her heart, but modest in her mouth.

"It's a coincidence. The cook we hired earlier had something to do and couldn't find anyone at the moment. The family was in a hurry, so my cousin introduced a sister-in-law Li who lives in Qingshui Village and said that her ancestor was an imperial cook."

She combed her hair and said again.

“I didn’t take it seriously at first. I just wanted to avoid embarrassment. How could I have imagined that Sister-in-law Li’s craftsmanship is so good?”

The guest who asked the question was also surprised, "Oh, it's not easy to find the descendants of the imperial chef. It must have cost a lot of money. Isn't it particularly difficult to hire someone?"

“No, no,” Mrs. Kong quickly waved her hand and praised the Li family.

“Sister-in-law Li is a good craftsman and a down-to-earth person. She brought four or five people over last night to start working. Including today’s breakfast and banquet, the total wages are only two taels of silver!”

“Two liang?” The guest’s eyes widened.

"This is really not much. A few days ago, Zhao Xiucai's family held a birthday party for his wife. I heard that his family hired the cook and it cost five taels of silver for two tables of dishes. It is not as good as the novel and delicious dishes at your house!"

Mrs. Kong smiled happily when she heard this, and her face became even more radiant.

At the table in the front yard where Mr. Kong and his friends were sitting, they also had a great time eating.

Even an extra carp leaping over the dragon gate was made and sent up. The meaning is really good.

A banquet where both the guest and the host enjoy themselves.

When the banquet was over and the guests had all left, Tao Hongying and the others, who had been busy for most of the day, took a pot of fried cabbage and the leftover bone soup from the banquet, and each ate a two-faced steamed bun.

After Mrs. Kong saw off the last guest, she was even more satisfied to see the Li family as soon as they arrived at the kitchen.

“Oh, you are too polite, why didn’t you stir-fry the meat? After working all morning, can you feel full just by drinking soup?”

“It’s okay, ma’am, we’re also tired and don’t want to do anything anymore, so we can just take a bite.”

Tao Hongying agreed, swallowed the last bite of the pancake, lowered her head and saw her daughter's mouth watering with greed, so she dipped her chopsticks into some bone soup.

Jiayin’s little tongue licked quickly, and she wanted more. Unfortunately, Tao Hongying was afraid that she would have a bad stomach, so she refused to give it.

Li Laosi took over his daughter, and Tao Hongying and others cleaned up the stove quickly and neatly.

Mrs. Kong went back and got two taels of silver. She even added a box of fine snacks, a braised elbow and a package of meatballs wrapped in oil paper.

“Take these home and eat them. It’s really **** you today. In the future, we will have to trouble you to come to our house when we have banquets!”

Tao Hongying said a few polite words and accepted it.

Thanks again, the Li family set off on their way home.

Old Mrs. Li watched the sun set in the west and her son and daughter-in-law had not come back yet. She felt a little worried and leaned at the door of the courtyard to look around.

Wu Cuihua felt sour in her heart and shouted.

“Mom, why are you in a hurry? They will definitely come back when they should come back. Besides, it’s not a good thing to come back early. Maybe they were driven back because the food was fried.”

There were some chestnut shells placed on the wall. Mrs. Li raised her hand to grab a handful and smashed them over. Wu Cuihua ran away with her head in her arms, but unfortunately she stepped on a smooth stone.

She just jumped out and was thrown into the mud. When she raised her head, her upper and lower lips were filled with blood and dust, and she screamed in pain.

At this moment, Tao Hongying and the others were finally seen at the entrance of the village, and Mrs. Li hurried over to pick up Kong Nu.

“Oh, my dear little girl, you must be tired, please let me give you a hug!”

Everyone laughed helplessly. It was obvious that they were working, but the old lady only cared about her granddaughter.

Soon after entering the yard, Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, Jia Yi, Jia Xi and Jia An ran out when they heard the noise.

The whole family was happy to see the dim sum box in Li Laosi's hand, as well as the vaguely fragrant pork ribs and meatballs.

Jiaxi and Jiaan even clapped their hands and jumped all over the floor. “There is meat to eat, there is meat to eat!”

Old Mrs. Li also smiled happily. She took three meatballs and stuffed one into each of her three grandchildren's mouths.

Then she took the things to the kitchen and prepared to cook dinner herself.

The two daughters-in-law have been tired for two days, and she doesn't want them to work anymore.

If it were given to Wu Cuihua, the meat would have been stolen before it was served to the table.

Besides, Wu Cuihua looked like she was falling, grumbling and pretending to be seriously ill.

But her mouth was so badly injured that she couldn't control her greed.

When Mrs. Li entered the room, she secretly opened the lid of the pot and stuffed a few large pieces of elbow meat into her mouth. Not only was the wound on her mouth burned, but her tongue was also blistered. The pain made her spin around on the floor and she was reluctant to spit out the meat.

Jiaan Jiaxi found out and shouted loudly.

Old Mrs. Li wanted to curse, but she swallowed her words when she saw the shy and red faces of her second son and Jiayi...

At dinner time, Wu Cuihua only had cabbage in her bowl.

She breathed in the cold air and wanted to make her mouth and tongue feel better, so she couldn't protest.

Jiayin hid in her grandma’s arms and watched the excitement. She felt so relieved that she proudly lifted her legs and took several bites...

After dinner, Tao Hongying took out her wages.

“Mom, this is two days’ wages.”

Then, there was a very delicate little purse, she hesitated a little.

“Mrs. Sun’s wife loves Fu Niuer, so she specially rewarded her with two silver peanuts.”

As soon as Jiayin saw that her little treasury was about to be handed over, she immediately became anxious, screamed, and tried her best to reach out to grab it.

Old Mrs. Li couldn't stop laughing, and quickly took it and stuffed it into Jiayin's hand.

"Little money lover, grandma can still embezzle this little money from you. Go ahead and play, if you have enough, grandma will keep it for you and keep it for your dowry when you grow up."

Mrs. Li also gave the two taels of silver to Tao Hongying.

"This is what you have earned through hard work. It does not count as the fair share. You can divide it among yourself."

Wu Cuihua's eyes were red at that time and she wanted to speak, but Li Laoer pinched her arm hard.

Tao Hongying didn't seem to notice Wu Cuihua's appearance, and gave the money to her mother-in-law.

"Mom, we are not separated. Whatever we earn belongs to the family. Besides, Jiaren has gone to the city to study and the expenses are high. Let's save the money to buy him clothes and pens."

Li Laoer felt more and more guilty, "Brothers and sisters, thank you for your kindness. I will go to the city in a few days to look for errands, and I can't ask for your money."

“What are you talking about, second brother!” Li Laosi couldn’t see his brother being polite.

“We are all one family. Although Jiaren is my nephew, my third brother and I regard him as our own son!”

Li Laosan also nodded quickly with a simple and honest smile.

“Yes, Jiaren will take the examination and become famous, and our uncles will also have a bright face.”

When Mrs. Li saw this, she took the money and said, "Okay, I'll take it then."

Wu Cuihua looked at the white money, but she was not as grateful as Li Laoer, and she muttered sarcastic words.

“I will sell it well in front of my mother. I really want to give it to me, so why don’t I just give it in private? In front of everyone, I want to remember a favor from our family.”

Tao Hongying was not someone to be bullied easily, so she fought back at that time.

“What’s wrong with giving money in person? The money comes from a fair and honest way. My second sister-in-law would like to give it to me too, but it’s a pity that you’re so lazy that you’re going to get maggots and you won’t be able to earn a penny back.”

(End of this chapter)