Four cold dishes, six hot dishes, Lian Manman thought this was about right, and she called Lian Yeye to help with the fire. Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi then got ready to fry the dishes.
In the eastern room, Old Master Lian sohow managed to send Lian Shouli away after talking to Zhang Qingshan and invited the Lizheng and a few others back. He announced that since there wasn’t much to the family division, they would finish it before lunchti.
When Wu Yuchang arrived, he even brought two carp with him.
Lian Manman thought for a mont that the standard of the al needed to be raised a bit; the dishes she had set earlier were almost right, only the quantities needed to be increased. Adding the two fish and frying more food should be enough. In a rural family’s banquet, having fish, at, and fried foods was considered top-notch.
The n were discussing the division of the family in the eastern room, and when they saw Lian Manman and the others being busy inside and out, they just assud the children were helping Lady Zhou. The won of the Zhou side didn’t even know that the Lizheng and the others were invited over so soon. Thus, only Zhang Caiyun ca out to take a look, wanting to help, but Lian Manman pushed her back inside because she was wearing new clothes.
Therefore, no one knew that just Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi were in charge of the cooking for the noon banquet.
"Manman, just the two of us cooking, can we manage?" Lian Zhizhi was still sowhat unsure.
"Why not, sister, your cooking is no worse than mom’s and grandma’s."
"These eggplant slices, pumpkin pancakes, and potato pancakes, I’ve never made them before. Will they taste good?"
"Don’t worry, they’ll definitely be delicious," Lian Manman reassured her.
"Manman, how did you co up with that?"
"In these past few days making als for mom, I ca up with it while having nothing else to do," Lian Manman said.
"Using so much oil, grandma is sure to feel the pinch," Lian Manman and Lian Xiuxiu first fried peanuts, then began to fry the eggplant slices.
"Don’t worry about using too much oil. As long as the hosts and guests look good at the dinner table, they will only praise us," Lian Manman said.
Lian Zhizhi nodded. In a rural family, one must be as frugal as possible when eating alone, but the dishes for guests must not be subpar in any way.
In the western room, Lady Zhou heard the sound of frying from outside and slled the delicious aroma; she beca anxious but couldn’t get away.
Lady Li kept holding onto Lady Zhou, wiping her tears while talking to her.
"... All the gifts you provided were brought back, along with the dowry items, filling chests and cabinets, not inferior to anyone’s. And now, my girl’s cabinets are empty, and she doesn’t have anything valuable left on her head. She even pawned the last two hairpins for the child’s dical treatnt. Isn’t the child also part of the Lian Family?"
"How much could Manman’s dical treatnt cost? Those two silver hairpins, didn’t they all go to buy Yangrong Pills for your aunt?" Lady Wang said with a sneer.
Lady Zhou’s face burned with embarrassnt as she shifted uncomfortably on the kang. Lian Xiu and Lady Chiang could only stand by awkwardly.
"Old sister, all these years, we’ve done nothing wrong to you. When you had your first child and were in your confinent, nobody looked after you. It was I who ca with my daughter to take care of you, setting aside my daughter’s own needs to look after you first. Old sister, I was the one who took care of you during confinent. We are of the sa generation; I owe you nothing. I served you for... What else but hoping that you would rember this kindness and treat my honest daughter well? I’ve washed your daughter Xiuxiu’s diapers and, sister-in-law, your bloody trousers too. My daughter is too straightforward, and for the sake of nursing Xiuxiu, she even neglected Zhizhi. We’ve been so heartfelt with you, old sister, human hearts are made of flesh; how could you have the heart to abuse my daughter to death..."
Lady Li spoke of genuine grievances, leaving Lady Zhou unable to refute.
"Who asked you to take care of anyone?" Lian Xiu said, her face flushed red.
"Oh, so you’re justified now?" Lady Wang glared back.
Lady Chiang hastily grabbed Lian Xiu to stop her from speaking further, while she herself refused to say a word and just offered a forced smile.
"Xiuxiu, you were nursed by your fourth aunt until you were over a year old. Your mom forced you to wean, and then she pushed your aunt to wean Zhizhi. Your aunt cared for you more than for Zhizhi. Every ti she ca back to her maternal ho, there was never a ti she did not ntion you, saying how you had grown taller and plumper. Xiuxiu, how could you bring yourself to do that, are you not ashad?"
Lady Zhou had nothing to say, her face turned awkwardly red, and she finally clapped her hands and wept loudly.
"I have no one from my maternal family..."
She wasn’t trying to reason anymore; she started to act difficult. Why her lack of maternal family had anything to do with mistreating Lady Zhang was beyond comprehension.
"Mom, dad has invited people back, and they’re discussing the family division now," Lian Shouyi ca over from the eastern room, pulling the curtain and speaking to Lady Zhou.
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