Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Fortunately, Li Chou and Li Guang were not as foolish and undiscerning as Auntie Wu. If they were as stupid as Auntie Wu, the Li family would truly be finished.

Li Xin strongly agreed with what Li Xia said. Turning her head, she saw Li Xia eating her third plate of pastries. "Didn't you have breakfast?" It had not been long since the morning meal, yet Li Xia had already eaten so many pastries. As she spoke, Li Xin glanced at Li Xia's stomach, worried she might become too full.

Li Xia swallowed the pastry in her mouth. "Not full yet."

Li Xin thought that perhaps Li Shan, who managed the kitchen, had been stingy with their meals. "Did the kitchen ration your food?"

"No, it's just that the food is not delicious. Every meal is just small millet porridge, steamed buns, and salted vegetables." If it weren't for Wu Auntie occasionally cooking some small dishes, Li Xia wouldn't have been able to bear it.

"You only eat those?" Li Xin thought about her own morning porridge, where she could choose from three varieties according to her preference, not to mention dumplings, noodle soups, bird's nest soup, and other delicacies. That very morning, she had even enjoyed beef porridge, the tender beef in the smooth porridge was quite delectable.

"Beef porridge?" Li Xia heard her.

Li Xin realized she had spoken out loud without meaning to, making Li Xia hear it. Worried that Li Xia might feel upset, she let out a faint "hmm" sound.

Seeing Li Xin's expression, Li Xia smiled, "Don't worry, I won't envy you. Yesterday, I had beef dumplings."

"You also ate beef?" Li Xin was somewhat surprised.

"I paid for that beef myself. Huang Auntie, the wife of the gatekeeper, bought it."

Li Xin was no longer surprised by Li Xia spending money on food. Regarding Mrs. Lu's tendency to ration their portions, she said, "Shall I speak to Mother about it?"

Li Xia stopped her, "No need. I can just eat something else. I heard there's a new restaurant opened on North Street that specializes in sour fish soup, made in the Guizhou style. They kill the live fish and cook it fresh, so the meat is tender with a slightly sour taste, incredibly fresh and delicious. Sister, let's go try it sometime." Li Xia's mouth was practically watering as she spoke.

"Alright, let's try it sometime," Li Xin was tempted by Li Xia's description. After coming to Liuzhou, she discovered that the local girls also liked to go out and wander the streets. Mrs. Lu didn't forbid the girls of the manor from going out as much anymore.

"Why wait? Let's go now and have lunch while we're at it," Li Xia felt she couldn't wait any longer.

The two entered a jewelry shop. The madams of the jewelry shops had trained their eyes well, able to discern at a glance who had money and who didn't. As soon as Li Xin and Li Xia entered, Lady Hong approached them enthusiastically, "Welcome, young ladies. I am Lady Hong, the greeter of the Xin Qiao Pavilion."

"Lady Hong, do you have any new jewelry pieces for us to look at?" Li Xia was not particularly interested, so she took half a step back and let Li Xin take the lead in dealing with Lady Hong.

"Please, young ladies, follow me," Lady Hong led them upstairs to a private lounge area reserved for noble ladies and young misses, showcasing their status.

After serving tea and pastries for them to enjoy, Lady Hong soon returned with a few attendants, who laid out the latest jewelry pieces on the table for the girls to choose from.

While Li Xia's attention was more on the pastries, she knew to maintain some decorum when out in public. She ate two pieces and stopped herself, accompanying Li Xin in admiring the jewelry.

"These jewelry pieces feature the latest fashionable styles from the capital this summer," Lady Hong said, pushing forward a jade hairpin inlaid with red coral beads in a double knot design. Li Xin immediately took a liking to it, picking it up to examine it closely.

"Young lady, we have hairdressers here who can style your hair with this hairpin if you'd like to try it on," Lady Hong suggested. The maid next to her, attuned to the cue, turned and went to summon a hairdresser.

"Little Sister, how does this hairpin look?" Li Xin asked Li Xia.

Li Xia studied it carefully, then gave her simple assessment, "Beautiful."

"Young lady, take a look at this white jade openwork plum blossom bead hairpin as well," Lady Hong handed the hairpin to Li Xia. Li Xia accepted it, examined it, and again said, "Beautiful," without further comment.

The maid soon returned, but without a hairdresser and with a red mark on her face as if she had been slapped.

"Take your time looking, young ladies. I'll be right back," Lady Hong smiled as she left the room, but her expression turned stern once outside. "Hong Zhu, what happened? Who hit you?" An attack on her subordinate Hong Zhu was an attack on Lady Hong herself.

Hong Zhu looked aggrieved. "I saw Lady Hong was being respectful to the two young ladies, so I went to summon Flower Two to do their hair. But halfway there, Lady Huang intercepted me, saying those in her room were important guests. I tried to stop her, and Lady Huang slapped me."

Lady Huang and Lady Hong had always been at odds. Lady Hong could discern the severity of the situation. "Lady Huang, which guests are you attending to?"

"The young misses of the Sun family."Alll latest novels at novelhall.com