Wu Lang just laughed.
"Brother Jiaxing went too?" Lian Manman showed a bit of surprise. Wu Jiaxing was slightly older than Wu Lang, still a very young boy, yet he always acted maturely. It was hard to imagine that he would go play on the ice.
"Mm," Wu Lang nodded, "Brother Jiaxing skates even better than we do."
Wu Jiaxing seed a bit embarrassed, while Wu Jiayu, sitting there, smiled at Wu Jiaxing.
"Then you should quickly take a seat on the kang to warm up," said Lian Manman.
Wu Jiaxing only sat on the edge of the kang, unwilling to sit further inside, so Wu Lang had to accompany him.
Lian Zhizhi ca in from the outer room to get sothing. Lian Manman climbed down from the kang and whispered to Lian Zhizhi.
Lian Zhizhi glanced at Wu Jiaxing and the two younger brothers, nodded, picked a few eggs from the Chinese basket, and went out.
In a short while, Lian Zhizhi brought in a large tray. On it were three dium bowls and two small bowls, each brimming with a full bowl of syrup. White rice floated in clumps on top, and in each bowl of syrup lay a poached egg.
"Sweet fernted rice with eggs!" Xiao Qi imdiately recognized it.
Before the New Year, Lian Manman bought two jins of glutinous rice and got a bit of yeast cake from the liquor store. When she got ho, she stead the rice, mixed in the yeast cake, sealed it in a pottery jar. After a few days, the jar fernted into sweet fernted rice. Sweet and fragrant with alcohol, Lian Manman originally planned to cook tangyuan with it for the Lantern Festival. But after opening the jar, she first made eggs for everyone to try, and everyone loved them so much that half the jar had already been eaten.
Hot sweet fernted rice with egg is especially good for invigorating the blood and warming the body.
"...Mother said to warm you up a bit," Lian Zhizhi said as she brought over the sweet fernted rice with eggs.
Wu Lang took a dium bowl first and handed it to Wu Jiaxing, Lian Manman took a small bowl and gave it to Wu Jiayu, Wu Lang and Xiao Qi each took a bowl for themselves, and the last bowl was brought to Lady Wang by Lian Zhizhi.
To those two bowls of Wu Jiayu and Lady Wang, Lian Zhizhi added an extra bit of brown sugar.
After dinner, Wu Yugui ca to take Lady Wang and her son back ho. From then on, the relationship between the two families grew even closer.
Early the next day, Lady Zhang and Lian Zhizhi were making a fire to cook food when Lian Manman, carrying a basin of water from inside the house, saw Lian Yeye waving at her from the Upper Room’s doorway.
Lian Manman put down the water basin and walked over.
"Yeye, what is it?" Lian Manman asked.
Lian Yeye pointed toward the eastern room, gesturing to Lian Manman to speak softly.
"On the third day of the lunar month, the Old Zhao family had guests, and Sister-in-law Xiu E didn’t co back. She was actually helping with the cooking in town. Grandma asked Brother Erlang, and we got it out of him. Now they’re asking Sister-in-law Xiu E about it," Lian Yeye whispered.
Outside the Upper Room, Lady Gu, Lady Zhao, and Lady Chiang were busy cooking, but it was apparent that they were also paying close attention to the sounds coming from inside the room.
Lian Manman, who also enjoyed the excitent, pretended to have so business and lifted the door curtain to enter the eastern room.
"Grandma, who did you hear this from? There’s absolutely no truth to it," Zhao Xiu E stood at the foot of the bed, defending herself forcefully.
"Even Erlang has said it; how can you still deny it?" Lady Zhou sat on the bed, seemingly struggling to control her anger, "Wasn’t your parental family hosting guests on the third day? Didn’t Erlang co back from your parental ho after having drinks? Now you are a daughter-in-law of the Lian Family; there are matters at ho you ignore, and you are always running off to your parental ho. What are you trying to do?"
Lady He was sitting not far from Lady Zhou on the edge of the bed, with Erlang standing beside her.
Zhao Xiu E glanced at Erlang, who hung his head.
Zhao Xiu E slightly curled her lips.
"Grandma, Erlang is your grandson, and you know his temperant. He never has his own opinion; he echoes whatever others say," said Zhao Xiu E, "On the third day, I really wasn’t feeling well. Later, when I felt a bit better, I wanted to co back. But by then, it was already midday, and I thought, coming back now, I wouldn’t be of any help, and the sister-in-laws might say I’m just coming to enjoy the ready-made feast, so I didn’t dare co back. I just had a quick bite at my parental ho. Maybe soone saw and started spreading rumors that I was helping cook at my parental ho."
"Grandma, you are a wise person. Even if I’m ignorant of etiquette, I wouldn’t neglect my husband’s family hosting guests and go help at my parental ho. I’m not that kind of person. Even if I inadvertently forgot, my father and mother wouldn’t let do such a thing," Zhao Xiu E continued, "Grandma, when I first entered this family, I was naive and may have offended others without realizing. Grandma, you can’t be deceived by others. Everyone within ten miles knows that you are the wisest, treating your daughter-in-law like your own daughter. My parents agreed to my marriage with Erlang largely because of you. They trusted you enough to be at peace with marrying off to this family."
Lian Manman was dumbfounded by what she heard. Zhao Xiu E was truly talented. She had been caught red-handed, yet she was able to deny it with a straight face. She didn’t confront Lady Zhou directly, she simply refused to admit it, and even managed to flatter Lady Zhou naturally.
"Daughter-in-law Erlang, I have treated you well. I’m old enough to have eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. Don’t try to pull one over on ; I see everything as clearly as a mirror," Lady Zhou said with an ominous expression.
"Grandma is the wisest person. Before I left ho, my mother told to listen to everything Grandma says when I got here," Zhao Xiu E said with a fawning smile.
"Daughter-in-law Erlang, are you treating as a senile old woman?" Lady Zhou sneered, "Our Lian Family cannot afford a daughter-in-law like you. Erlang, go, take the Zhao Family’s Daughter back to the Zhao Family. Leave now and you can still make it back in ti for dinner."
She didn’t put on a show like with the other daughters-in-law; instead, she resorted to this harsh asure! Lady Zhou was formidable; the daughters-in-law had their own sons and daughters, so they couldn’t be simply dismissed with a word. But this newly entered grandson’s wife was different; she could be sent away just like that.
Moreover, regarding the incident on the third day, there was indeed a reason to send Zhao Xiu E away.
Of course, Lady Zhou didn’t say to divorce her; she only said to send Zhao Xiu E back to her family. If you love being at ho that much, then you just stay ho.
"Grandma, you are the one sending back," Zhao Xiu E first froze, then spoke indifferently, and turned to leave the room.
***......***
Here’s an update, asking for your likes. (To be continued. If you like this work, please co to Qidian to vote with your recomndation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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