and and stomp on their feet, making sure to eliminate them cleanly and swiftly!"The head steward gritted his teeth in anger, but his eyes also held a hint of fear. He stammered out praise: "Indeed, it...Xia Qing quickly greeted the group of women, "Ladies, thank you for your help. I'm Xia Qing, a maid from the Li family. If you're not busy, would you mind keeping me company for a while"

I brought some snacks I baked at home. Let's chat and get to know each other.

Maybe we'll have a chance to meet again someday.

She wore a bottle-green blouse and a pleated skirt today, with a silver hairpin in her hair and a delicate silver bracelet on her wrist.

In this way, as they talked and laughed, there was no arrogance at all, but rather an added touch of closeness and warmth.

The women looked at each other, each with a thought to pry information about the Li family from Xia Qing.

So, they invited Xia Qing to sit under a tree not far away.

Here there is shade, not so hot, and one can see the activity of the small tents. In case the masters have orders, Xia Qing can also go over at any time to serve them.

As soon as Xia Qing sat down, she opened a small woven basket in her hand.

The basket was lined with white cotton cloth, holding two dozen pastries and a bag of sugar-coated peanuts.

This was originally brought by Tao Hongying and prepared for Liu Yang and Jiayi.

The two boys weren't home last night. Old Mrs. Li was worried they wouldn't have eaten well in the morning, so she wanted to give them something extra to fill their stomachs.

Xia Qing was in charge this time, and she divided the pastries among the women.

The women were a bit reserved at first, but when one was given two pastries, her face flushed red.

This pastry is really good, one that's about the size of a woman's fist, baked golden brown and crispy, layer by layer, with an oily sheen. Sniff it carefully, it smells both fragrant and sweet.

A woman asked, "Where did you buy this pastry It tastes better than the ones from Liu's shop near our house."

Xia Qing smiled triumphantly and said, “This is something we roasted ourselves. We use more ingredients than the street vendor, so it's naturally tastier and more affordable.”

"And this is the simplest kind of snack. Our family also has a teahouse called Baiyun Guan, and the snacks there are truly exquisite, each one delicious beyond compare.

"

Sisters-in-law, if you have a chance, please come and support. I guarantee that the sisters-in-law will love it.

"Among the white clouds" The stout woman carefully tucked the pastry into her bosom with a handkerchief, preparing to take it back home for her child to eat.

She suddenly got excited when Xia Qing mentioned Baiyun Guan, shouting, “I know, I know!”

My sister-in-law's cousin's brother-in-law works as a clerk at Baiyun Guan. I heard that the snacks they sell there are specially for the wealthy, and they're so expensive it makes you want to vomit blood.

"We wouldn't even dare to go in, let alone cheer them on!"

Everyone also heard it and nodded in agreement.

Xia Qing opened the bag of sugar-coated peanuts again and distributed them to the women, saying, "The snacks sold in our shop are indeed a bit pricey, but we use genuine ingredients and there's nothing deceitful about them!"

And even in Xindu, the emperor would send people to the pastry shop every few days to buy treats.

"When Young Master Yi first came here, Old Madam was worried that he wouldn't be able to eat the pastries from home, so she had this shop opened."

Upon hearing this, the crowd, munching on sweet sugar-coated peanuts, couldn't help but start chatting.

What's the matter with Mrs. Li coming over Is she here to marry Coral Miss as the second wife for General Li

That person asked if the Li family had many industries in the new capital and if they were so rich that oil flowed.

Summer Green could only answer with a few words, and when she couldn't, she would smile and change the subject. She asked about the wounded soldiers' camp, Coral Maiden's past, and her daily preferences.

Without speaking, let alone talking about the lively laughter outside, inside the small tent, Tao Hongying and Mrs. Wen sat on two simple chairs, silently observing their surroundings.

The tent was very small, with only a simple wooden bed and chairs. In the corner, there was a small stove and some basic buckets.

The chairs and table were very old, but the thin bedding on the bed was surprisingly clean.

The original blue base had even slightly whitened.

It's clear that these bed linens were made up hastily, yet they lay flat and smooth, without a single wrinkle.

All of this fully illustrates the saying, "Though poor, not lazy, clean and efficient!"

Tao Hongying and Mrs. Wen exchanged glances, both with a hint of satisfaction in their eyes.

Especially Tao Hongying, couldn't help but gently nod her head.

Because no matter when she was at her parents' home or after marrying into the Li family, even if life was difficult, she would always keep the house clean.

This is not being overly sentimental, it's an attitude towards life!

The Coral Girl was busy boiling water for tea, and she hadn't forgotten to cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

When she served tea to Tao Hongying and Mrs. Wen, she explained in a hoarse voice, "I apologize, madam, I have caught a cold and sometimes cough."

"To prevent any discomfort for the two of you, wear this veil."

"Corals, you are too kind. We feel sorry for disturbing you when you are sick. You shouldn't have to rest because of our visit," Tao Hongying hurriedly gestured for Corals to sit down.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a third chair in the house.

Coral sat down on the edge of the bed, her legs crossed and angled to the right, her hands clasped together, very proper.

Mrs. Wen asked, "Miss Shanhu's etiquette is so good, she must have learned it from a young age."

A shadow of gloom crossed Coral's eyes. "Thank you, Madam," she replied. "My mother came from a scholarly branch family and was strict with me from a young age. When I was seven, she hired a governess to teach me proper etiquette."

Mrs. Wen quickly said, "I'm sorry, miss, I shouldn't have made you sad."

"No, madam, you are too kind," Coral shook her head, the sorrow in her eyes replaced by determination. "The fact is that both my parents and family are gone."

"I have avenged them, and my heart is no longer burdened by resentment."

"It's just...when people mention it, I can't help but miss it, and feel a little sad."

Tao Hongying found her voice so refreshing and forthright that she liked her even more.

She thought for a moment and then asked, "Coral maiden, I am the fourth aunt of Li Jia Yi."

"Even though Jia Yi isn't my biological child, our family has raised all the children together since they were young. Jia Yi's mother passed away early, so I can confidently say that I'm like his other half of a mother."

Before, when Jiayi returned to Xindu, he told us about you all. It just so happened that we were free during the winter, so we took care of our elderly grandmother, who is also Jiayi's grandmother, and came over for a visit together.

“I should have come to see you earlier, but my house was always bustling with people. I just couldn't spare the time. Now that things have calmed down, I finally managed to visit. Please don't mind the delay.”

The Coral Girl's face slowly paled again, as if she had thought of something.

She took a deep breath, looked straight at Tao Hongying and Mrs. Wen, and said word by word: "Fourth Madam, please rest assured, go back and tell the old lady."

"Previously, I was saved by General Li, and I'm so lucky to be alive. I am deeply grateful."

"In the future, this woman will definitely repay this kindness and will absolutely not use it to blackmail or harass General Li. "

"A little woman keeps her word. If the Fourth Madam doesn't believe me, I can find someone to testify, or even put it in writing!"

Tao Hongying was stunned for a moment, and quickly waved her hand and said: "Miss Coral, you misunderstood! Our family has no ill intentions towards you."

"At first, your family's Ji saved you, but he also said that you saved him."

Even if he makes a mistake that ends up with you falling into the water and embarrassing yourself, it's still his fault.

"In the end, you're a woman. You suffer the most and bear the heaviest burden in this matter."

"Our family feels very guilty and wants to help you as much as we can. It's a way of saying thank you and making amends!"e!" "Good, good, you make sense now!" Old Madam Tang laughed heartily, glanced at her blushing granddaughter, and timely stopped the conversation. 。As intelligent people, a few words would suffice fo...