Zhulan waited for her in-laws to go to the eldest brother's yard, and hurriedly got up and took Liuya to the kitchen. As they walked, she muttered to Xuehan, "The big goose we bought yesterday hasn't been stewed yet. It's just the right time to stew it at noon. No, I have to go see what the kitchen has bought today."
Ever since Zhou Shuren decided that Zhao and Zhou Laoer should go to Chuanzhou, Zhulan took back the power of the kitchen and handed it over to Xuehan.
Xue Han estimated the time and said, "The people who shopped should be back by now."
Zhulan said, "Your sister-in-law's parents came here overnight."
If they had rested at night, they should have arrived at Lizhou City at night instead of in the morning. The couple did not travel with the caravan. In order to save money, they brought their four older grandchildren with them. They only spent money on renting a carriage and sleeping outdoors along the way.
Zhulan took Xuehan to the kitchen and returned from shopping. The advantage of the border town is that Lizhou City will not be short of mutton. Today, she bought half a sheep, as well as chicken, duck, fish, etc. Zhulan counted out 18 dishes and instructed the kitchen, "All the dishes are salty, and the stews are more tender. By the way, the staple food for lunch is steamed buns. What snacks did you buy today?"
Lixia, the eldest daughter-in-law of Steward Ding, said, "Madam, today we bought snacks from Ruyi Shop."
When Zhulan heard about Ruyi Shop, she thought of Shi Qing. She didn’t know whether Shi Qing passed the imperial examination and became a scholar this year.
By the way, there was no Ruyi shop in Lizhou City last year. It was newly opened this year. Zhulan said, "Keep one plate each for the second and third rooms and the young lady's courtyard, and send the rest to the first room."
Xue Han asked, "Mom, don't you and Dad want to eat?"
Zhulan: "... I won't eat today."
Could she say she had had enough
There were still frozen pears in Zhulan's ice cellar. Zhulan asked Liuya to take some to the main room, as Li's parents must not have had breakfast.
In the courtyard of the main house, Mrs. Li Xu watched her daughter showing off. It was already past winter, and her daughter had even taken out her cloak.
Li put them on one by one and said, "Mom, do you think they look good?"
Li Xu didn't even dare to reach out and touch it, "It looks good."
Li smiled and said, "This is what my mother-in-law gave me. Mother, this cloak costs more than fifty taels!"
Li Xu quickly retracted her hand and shouted in a very loud voice, "What, just a cloak?"
This is not a cloak, this is several acres of paddy fields!
Li smiled and said, "Yes, mother, please stop asking me if I am doing well. Just look at my cape and my jewelry and you will know how well I am doing. Besides, mother told you that my mother-in-law bought me a dowry and I own a shop."
Mrs. Li Xu knew that her daughter had earned some money, but it was all the recipes she had made in the Zhou family. If it weren't for the support of her mother-in-law, her daughter really couldn't have made the recipes. It was reasonable for her daughter to give the money to her mother-in-law. Now, according to her daughter's words, her mother-in-law didn't take a penny and put it all in her name. Mrs. Li Xu sighed: "Your mother-in-law is really good to you."
Mrs. Li Xu smiled and said, "Mom, my mother-in-law is nice to everyone."
Just don't cross your mother-in-law's bottom line. She's actually very easy to talk to.
At noon, Li Xu did not change the ready-made clothes bought by Zhou Lao Da. Given the situation of her family, she did not think that changing clothes would make her family richer. She packed up all the clothes so that she could wear them when she returned home. When she returned, she could generously say that these were gifts from her son-in-law.
Li Xu was so happy when she saw the sumptuous meal. She said politely, "Mother-in-law, you are too polite. We farmers can eat anything."
She was dazzled by the food on the table.
Zhulan took Li Xu's hand and sat down. "We are in-laws, and you are honored guests. How can you be so casual? Come and try it and see if it suits your taste."
At the men's table, Rongchuan and Mingyun went to the academy to study, Changlian was at Mr. Meng's house, and only Boss Zhou was at the table to entertain his father-in-law.
Zhulan really didn't know what her mother-in-law liked to eat, because the Li family's conditions did not allow Li Xu to have any preferences. Anyway, meat was the right dish. Only two of Zhulan's eighteen dishes were vegetarian.
Mrs. Li knew that her mother was embarrassed, so she personally picked up some food for her mother and said, "Mother, please eat more."
Zhulan smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, just treat this place as your own home. Don't be polite to me."
Mrs. Li Xu didn't know what to eat. "You're welcome, you're welcome."
Zhulan was having a great time, but Zhao had no appetite to eat. Her mother-in-law had a completely different attitude towards her in-laws. When her mother came, her mother-in-law had never been to the kitchen herself. When she thought of what her mother had done, Zhao's face turned red again. She suddenly realized that she was a lot like her mother, and wondered if she was not liked by others either.
Now the third brother's wife and the eldest sister-in-law are getting close again. The third brother's wife hasn't been to the second house's yard for a long time. Zhao thought of what her daughter said and ate her meal in silence. Fortunately, her mother-in-law gave her a chance.
At noon, there was not a drop of steamed buns or food left on the men’s table. The four young men were big eaters. They usually had no oil in their stomachs all year round, so they were all big eaters.
Mrs. Li Xu was a little embarrassed and glared at her grandchildren. Zhulan smiled and said, "It's a blessing to be able to eat."
In the afternoon, Li's parents rested for the whole afternoon. In the evening, Zhou Shuren came back and asked the chef to make a whole roasted lamb.
Zhou Shuren said enthusiastically: "We must stay a little longer this time. When I have my day off, I will take my in-laws to have a good look around Lizhou City."
Li Cong's heart was confused. In his eyes, the county magistrate was a very high-ranking official. He was stunned to see his relative-in-law coming back in an official uniform. Now he was still in a daze and could only agree with a dazed mind.
Like Zhulan, Zhou Shuren likes the Li family very much. He thinks the four eldest grandsons of the Li family are good. It is indeed the Li family's genes. They are all naive. He and Zhulan feel at ease taking care of them.
The Li family was warmly received by the Zhou family, and Mrs. Li Xu felt completely at ease.
The next morning, Zhulan did not rush to discuss matters with the Li family, but instead took her mother-in-law out of the city to visit the orchard.
In the capital, the names of the candidates for the examination for the scholar degree from all over the country were also sent to the capital. The emperor would not look at them every year, but this year he looked through the lists from all over the country. To put it bluntly, the emperor just wanted to see how many people from Lizhou City would take the exam and how many would pass the examination under Zhou Shuren's subsidy policy.