Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12039

"Go back to your room and rest for a while. I'll go to the kitchen to make arrangements." When they reached the intersection in the backyard, Yang Ruoqing stopped and discussed with Luo Fengtang.

Luo Fengtang nodded: "Alright, shall I come to the kitchen to find you after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn? Or..."

"I'll come find you when I get back to the dormitory area, you don't need to come to the kitchen."

"Okay, I'll head over there first." Watching Luo Fengtang leave, Yang Ruoqing turned and went to the kitchen.

While the blacksmith and his men were having tea with the Zhou family in the front yard, Yang Ruoqing went to the kitchen in the back yard to arrange the menu for lunch with Rong Gu and the others.

As for Luo Fengtang, he could go back to his dormitory to rest, since staying in the main room to entertain guests was a very tiring thing.

It's not the physical exertion that's tiring, but the mental exertion, because you have to constantly create topics to keep the room from becoming awkward.

Eating in the front yard and exchanging polite words takes about 20 minutes, roughly the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

During these 20 minutes, Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang could come back and catch their breath, and then dawdle for a while, so they could be lazy for almost half an hour. Why not?
In the kitchen, Rong Gu, along with Shao Yao and Ling Lan, were checking the ingredients. Shao Yao was also holding paper and pen, taking careful notes.

Seeing Yang Ruoqing enter, Rong Gu immediately came over. "Madam, you've come at the right time. We're currently working on the lunch menu. Do you see if there's anything that needs to be changed?"

As soon as Rong Gu finished speaking, Shao Yao immediately handed over the paper with her notes.

Yang Ruoqing took the menu and scanned it from top to bottom. Then she pointed out a few places and called the girls over to explain the details of the changes.

"Don't pair braised chicken with shiitake mushrooms or other fungi. Today's patient is not suitable for eating mushrooms. Replace the mushrooms with potatoes for safety and peace of mind. In addition, children like to eat it too. Just make it slightly spicy."

"In addition, use young chickens and hens, not roosters."

"Don't add honey to the jujube paste cake here."

"In the braised mixed fish, the crucian carp in the dish has been replaced with shrimp. The shrimp is then braised with yellow catfish. Crucian carp has many bones, so it's not suitable for children, and it's also difficult for adults to eat, especially when visiting relatives and friends, who may be talking while eating. In such situations, it's easy for fish bones to get stuck in their throats."

"..."

After Yang Ruoqing finished explaining, the paper was covered with circles, crosses, and underlines.

"That's about it. Let's do it this way. Thank you for your hard work at noon."

There were quite a few dishes, a total of 18, so the kitchen staff had a lot of work to do.

There should be enough manpower, right?
Thinking of this, Yang Ruoqing glanced at the kitchen and found that Mai Sui'er was also squatting by the stove, but Mai Li'er was nowhere to be found.

Yang Ruoqing was too lazy to care anymore. Mai Li'er had the soul of an adult living inside her body, and she had her own ideas.

Back in her dormitory, Yang Ruoqing found that Luo Fengtang was not there, and no one was in the bathroom either.

Could it be that he went to Wuyou's room?
Yang Ruoqing went into her daughter's room. Her daughter was sitting at her desk, holding a letter in her hands and reading it, with a faint smile on her face.

Yang Ruoqing glanced out the window and then quietly retreated back inside.

It looks like my daughter is reading the letter Jinling wrote to her. She's completely absorbed in reading it. Young lovers are so different; they're radiating sweetness. It's so enviable!

It seemed that Tang Yazi had gone to the study to handle official business, so Yang Ruoqing decided not to look for him or disturb him. She then returned to her bedroom by the same route.

A short while later, Luo Fengtang also returned.

"Qing'er, I just went to the study to take care of some official business."

"Yes, I guessed it too. Do you want some tea?" Yang Ruoqing asked, holding a bowl of tea in her hands as she drank.

"I'm not drinking anymore. I drank a lot of tea while talking with Cousin Zhou Wang earlier," Luo Fengtang chuckled.

Yang Ruoqing smiled and patted the stool next to her: "Come sit down, I'll give you a sneak peek at today's lunch menu~"

……

After having their first meal of the new year, Yang Huaming and Liu Shi from the third house next door came to visit.

"Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, are you going to the Sun family to pay New Year's respects today?" Yang Huaming asked.

Because in the main room, the table was already set with New Year's greeting items, which were different from the items from last night. Last night, the gifts were all-purpose, while today's items were clearly carefully prepared.

Yang Huazhong smiled and nodded: "We visit the Sun family to pay our respects every Lunar New Year's Day, without fail."

Visiting one's father-in-law to offer New Year's greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year is a local custom.

However, in a specific family, if there is a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, then the father-in-law's family will be ranked according to seniority.

The mother-in-law's family is definitely ahead of the daughter-in-law's family. Therefore, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the whole family has to go to the mother-in-law's family to pay New Year's respects. Because of this, last night in the second room, when Xiu Hong said that she didn't want to go to her uncle Sixi's house to pay New Year's respects today, Cao Ba Mei lectured her.

"Ah, I really envy you, Third Brother. Your father-in-law is waiting for you to come over for a drink. Unlike me, I'm too lazy to even go to Liu Family Village anymore, it's no fun." Yang Huaming held the tea Xiaohua had brewed in his hands and sighed deeply.

When Yang Huazhong and Sun heard Yang Huaming say this, they quickly stopped him with their eyes, telling him not to say it, because Liu was also there, and if he said such things about her family, Liu would jump up and down.

However, Yang Huaming smiled and said, "Third brother and sister-in-law, don't worry. My wife is on my side now, isn't she?"

Liu was eating some snacks on the plate on the table when she heard this. She glared at Yang Huaming, but then turned to Yang Huazhong and Sun and said, "He's really right this time. Ever since my parents passed away, not only does he, the old son-in-law, not want to go to Liu Family Village, but even I, his own daughter, don't bother going back to my parents' home to pay New Year's respects!"

"Why, Fourth Aunt?" Xiaohua was a little confused. Even if her parents weren't here, her brothers, nephews, and nieces were.

Liu glanced at Xiaohua and said, “To give you an example, take your former biological family. If you had grown up in your biological family, your brothers would have disliked you from a young age. They would fight with you for any good food or drink and never give way to you, their little sister. All the housework would be left to you, and your mother would help you with the chores.”

"After they married their wives, they fought over their parents' meager possessions. The two wives were no pushovers either; in the end, the two brothers even fought over how to support their parents. Now, whenever they see each other in the village, they turn their faces away..."

"Tell me, with brothers and sisters-in-law like these on your wife's side, as a married woman who's been married for decades, would you still be willing to take your whole family to pay New Year's visits on the first day of the Lunar New Year to wish for good luck?" Xiaohua was dumbfounded. She didn't know much about her fourth aunt's family before, and she never expected it to be like this.

“If it were me, I probably wouldn’t go back either,” Xiaohua said. “But, visiting relatives during the New Year is just a formality, so I’ll still go back for a bit. I can just eat and then leave…”

Liu shook her head and waved her hand, speechless at Xiaohua's words and attitude.

Yang Huaming, who was standing to the side, took a sip of tea, smacked his lips, and said, "Hua'er, you've been too well protected by your parents. You don't know how those weird relatives treat their guests."

"If you take your whole family to visit someone on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and when you arrive at your uncle's house, they don't get up and just lazily entertain you while lying in bed, serving you leftover tea without anyone getting up to help, and the children can't even get a piece of candy."

"You go to the next house, only to find the door locked. Tell me, is that really a good way to offer New Year's greetings?"

"Oh my god," Xiaohua exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"It can't be that exaggerated, can it? Your two brothers-in-law don't seem like those kinds of people..." Yang Huazhong frowned slightly.

Yang Huaming sneered: "How could they not be that kind of person? In the past ten years or so, when we went back to pay New Year's visits, the children didn't get any food and even got sick from the cold. Later, whenever we mentioned going to Liujia Village to pay New Year's visits during the first month of the lunar calendar, the children would cry and make a fuss, and they didn't want to go!"

"Fourth sister-in-law, is this true?" Sun turned to Liu to verify, because Yang Huaming was, after all, her son-in-law, and his opinion on the matter of the bride's family was likely biased.

Unexpectedly, Liu's answer completely stunned Sun.

"I've been saying for a long time that I want to cut off the road to Liujia Village, but Kang and Ju'er have been stubbornly stopping me. Anyway, I'm too lazy to go to Liujia Village to pay New Year's visits this year. I don't care who it is!"

"Fourth sister-in-law, you, you..." Sun was at a loss for words to describe her feelings at this moment. She never expected that Liu would be the one with the most intense reaction.

Yang Huaming waved his hand: "Let's not talk about our business anymore. Third brother, third sister-in-law, since you're going to the Sun family to pay your respects for the New Year, then hurry up and go. We'll wander around somewhere else and won't keep you from getting in your way."

Yang Huazhong did not try to stop them, but simply nodded.

A little embarrassed, Mrs. Sun couldn't help but ask, "Which day of the month are those girls coming to pay their respects?" when she saw them to the door of the main room.

While eating, Liu turned around and said, "He'er and Ju'er came on the second day of the lunar new year, but I don't know about San Yatou."

“That’s great, you can go for a stroll then,” said Mrs. Sun.

"Fourth brother, wait a minute." Yang Huazhong suddenly caught up.

"What's up, Third Brother?" Yang Huaming asked.

"Where are you planning to go for a stroll?" Yang Huazhong asked again.

Yang Huaming glanced at Liu Shi beside him, smiled and said, "This woman always complains that I don't take her out to play all year round, so I'm planning to take her for a stroll around the village first, and then go to the Taoist temple. What's up, Third Brother? Is there something you need?"

Liu immediately took Yang Huaming's arm and said to Yang Huazhong with a nervous expression, "Third brother, you can tell me what you need in a couple of days. Give me some face on the first day of the Lunar New Year and let the fourth brother accompany me for a good stroll."

"Hey, you old hag, all you know how to do is play around. Don't let this interfere with important business..." Yang Huaming pretended to shake off Liu's arm, but Liu held him even tighter and wouldn't let go.

Yang Huaming had no choice but to look at Yang Huazhong with a wry smile on his face.

Seeing their reaction, Yang Huazhong thought for a moment and waved his hand with a smile.

"My fourth sister-in-law is right. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Everyone has been busy from the beginning to the end of the year, so it's time to have some fun."

"Thank you so much, Third Brother! Hehe, Third Brother is so sensible!" Liu immediately flattered him.

Yang Huazhong waved his hand again, "Fourth brother, what I want to talk about is our parents' matter. Originally, I was going to ask you to help find two reliable craftsmen so that we could fix up their kitchen after the New Year..."

Last night, Yang Huazhong and his brothers discussed the matter of their parents' request to start their own cooking and all agreed to respect their wishes.

Yang Huaming nodded: "Third Brother, I know all the craftsmen in our village. As long as we have the money ready, it will be a piece of cake to hire people to build the stove."

"Everyone is busy visiting relatives and friends for the New Year right now. I think we shouldn't ask about this now. It's not too late to ask after the New Year. By then, everyone should probably be back to work."

"Very well, you've thought this through thoroughly." Yang Huazhong smiled.

Liu's gaze shifted, and she said, "Third brother, there's no need to look for someone outside. Have you forgotten which craftsmen we hired for our fourth branch's new house?"

Reminded by Liu, Yang Huazhong suddenly came to his senses.

He slapped his thigh and laughed: "Look at my memory, I actually forgot about this. Yes, the three Li brothers are bricklayers and carpenters in the county town."

Liu continued, "When He'er and Li Lao Er come to pay their respects on the second day of the Lunar New Year, we'll discuss this matter. If all goes well, I'll have my eldest son-in-law go directly to the east room to take the measurements. That would save us a lot of trouble!"

“Yes, yes, yes, what this woman says makes sense. It’s more reassuring to do things with family than to ask outsiders.” Yang Huaming clapped his hands in agreement.

"Alright, whatever. You two go ahead and wander around. We'll get ready and head out soon." Yang Huazhong said, then led Sun back to the main room, patiently waiting for Fuwa and Jun'er to come over from the backyard. Once everyone was there, they would go out together to pay New Year's visits.

After leaving the main courtyard of the three houses, Liu said to Yang Huaming, "We'll give this business to Li Lao Er and his brothers later. We should keep the profits within the family and let them make the money."

Yang Huaming nodded, "That makes sense, but I'm worried that my eldest son-in-law and his family might feel embarrassed to accept the money. It's just a matter of setting up a stove..."

“It’s not just that,” Liu said. “Didn’t I say we also need to make a four-room dining table, along with four long benches? And who knows, we might even need a set of basins, buckets, washstands, and the like!”

Yang Huaming thought for a moment, "Then we have to accept the money. This is no small job."

“It’s a big job,” Liu said. “The roof tiles in the east room seem to be loose in a few places, so they need to be renovated. Parents will definitely take this opportunity to repair and reinforce the doors and windows as well.”

"Think about it, with so much work piled up, it would take at least three to five days to finish. We can't just do it all for nothing, are we supposed to let He'er and the children starve?"

Yang Huaming stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Yes, we'll definitely handle the money officially and strictly. Don't worry, Third Brother is an honest man, he'll definitely pay and won't let our eldest son-in-law and the others suffer any loss!"

"Hehe, I also believe in Third Brother's character." Liu glanced around. "Let's go, let's go to the Luo family's place."