Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12069

This aggressiveness was present in Chen Biao, Yang Huazhou, and even more so in Yang Yongqing.

But Yang Yongjin is no longer here.

Therefore, Yang Yongjin was indeed not suitable for the position of restaurant manager. He should go back to the village to help his third father, Yang Huazhong, manage the fields and crops, manage the laborers, and supervise the rent. This was a suitable position for Yang Yongjin.

"Qing'er, why did you rush back overnight? Why didn't you stay in Huguang County for a few more days?" Xiao Mo asked again.

Yang Ruoqing was taken aback for a moment, glanced at Xiao Mo, and then understood.

Xiao Mo's family reopened their restaurant on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, so they'll probably arrive early on the fifteenth.

During this time, they were so busy working in the restaurant that they probably didn't have time to go back to the village, so they naturally didn't know what was happening there. That's why we were a little surprised that they returned so late at night.

Yang Ruoqing said, "My uncle sent a message saying that Aunt Da'e from Zhoujia Village was acting inappropriately."

With just one sentence, Little Mo immediately understood.

She nodded repeatedly and dropped the subject.

"By the way, Qing'er, could you give your opinion on these new morning tea dishes?" Madam Mo asked with a smile.

It's clear that although she is very confident, there is no one in this world who is completely confident, because there is no leaf in this world that can please everyone.

So beneath Mo's confident smile, there was still a hint of anticipation and trepidation.

"Okay, I'm full too, so I'll say a few words." Yang Ruoqing put down her chopsticks and spoon and wiped her mouth.

"First of all, I want to praise this bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee. It's the most authentic congee I've had in years," said Yang Ruoqing.

Xiao Mo couldn't help but smile, but she suppressed her laughter and continued listening to what Yang Ruoqing had to say next.

"This lean pork congee perfectly blends the umami flavors of lean pork and preserved egg together. The cooking time is also very good. The lean pork is not dry, and the preserved egg is not broken into a pot of sticky black charcoal. The amount of green vegetables is just right and does not overpower the flavors. If the maximum score is ten, I would give it a 9."

"What's wrong with that one point you're missing? Qing'er, please tell me, I'll write it all down."

When Little Mo asked the question, a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil magically appeared in her hand.

Charcoal pencils are the kind that every waiter in a restaurant carries, because when there are many customers at each table, everyone orders together, and everyone has different taste preferences.

Even experienced colleagues might not be able to remember them perfectly without making any mistakes.

Therefore, charcoal pencils are essential; it's better to be prepared than not, so as to better serve customers.

"In addition, the new paper-wrapped shumai is also good. The beef chunks inside are very substantial. However, the downside is that we need to be careful to control costs," Yang Ruoqing continued.

"After all, a fist-sized paper-wrapped shumai costs nearly two coins to produce and sells for five coins. It's not something that ordinary people can afford to eat casually. You can make some improvements in this regard. Even if you only make one coin profit per shumai, it's all about small profits and quick turnover!"

“Qing’er, you’re right. The beef shumai is still in the experimental stage,” said Xiao Mo while taking notes. “How about the salted duck egg shumai?”

"Salted duck egg shumai is fine, but I wouldn't recommend pork belly shumai. The glutinous rice is already coated with oil, and adding pork belly would make it even greasier."

"Okay, I've got it." Little Mo looked very serious; if she had glasses on, she'd definitely look like a secretary.

"The rest are minor issues, for example..."

Yang Ruoqing saw that the children and Luo Fengtang were still eating breakfast, so she slowly and carefully spoke to Xiao Mo.

So much so that the papers in Little Mo's hands were almost full of notes.

Yang Ruoqing glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that Luo Fengtang and the others seemed to have finished eating and were drinking tea, so she said to Xiao Mo Shi, "Let's stop here for today. I'll come back to try it again when I have time."

Xiao Mo carefully put away the full sheet of paper and personally poured Yang Ruoqing a bowl of tea to rinse her mouth: "Okay, I will think about these valuable opinions with Yongqing later."

"Thank you for pouring me tea, sister-in-law." Yang Ruoqing smiled and looked at Luo Fengtang and the others: "Have you eaten?"

Luo Fengtang nodded and looked at the children.

The children all nodded in agreement.

Yang Ruoqing stood up: "Then let's go back to the village."

This time, although Xiao Mo followed behind wanting to pack some food for Yang Ruoqing to take back, Yang Ruoqing refused.

"I'll be quite busy when I get back today, so I won't have time for now. Maybe next time!"

Since that was the case, Ms. Mo did not insist any further.

She and Jin, along with Xiao Niu Niu and her younger brother, escorted the Luo family to the back door of the restaurant.

As a result, their son started crying and making a fuss, insisting on going back to the village with Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan.

"Why do you want to go back to the village?" Little Mo asked, hugging him.

"I want to go back to the village, I want to go back and play," the child said.

Little Mo was speechless.

"Wait a couple of days before going back, you've only been here a few days!"

"No, no, I want to go back. I want to go back to the village with Tuanyuan. I want to go back to find Brother Xiaosanzi and play with Yongxiao..."

The child was crying so hard that tears and snot were streaming down his face. Both Xiao Mo and Jin, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, tried to catch him, but they couldn't.

The children tried their best to climb onto the tall carriage so they could go back to the village with Tuantuan and Yuanyuan.

Tuantuan was also standing at the carriage door, watching her friend who wanted to come up, but his family wouldn't let him. Tuantuan's little face was tense, looking very serious. She wanted to help, but she was hesitant.

Yuan Yuan's reaction was different. He thoroughly enjoyed the other person's longing expression. Yuan Yuan even laughed, pointing to Niu Niu's little brother under the carriage, "Hahaha, crying like a cat, so embarrassing! Hehehe~"

Not only did they laugh at others for being called "painted-faced cats," they even made faces at Niu Niu's younger brother.

Now, Niu Niu's little brother cried even more intensely, and the force of his outburst was even greater. Xiao Mo and Jin could no longer hold him, because in the struggle, the child's cotton-padded jacket had shrunk up to his chest and neck.

His cotton pants fell down, revealing his white buttocks and a bluish birthmark on the back of his waist. The scene was rather comical.

Yang Ruoqing pulled Yuanyuan back into the carriage. "Stop laughing! It's impolite of you to laugh again! I don't like impolite children!"

Yuanyuan dared not laugh anymore.

Tuantuan was also called back into the carriage by Yang Ruoqing. If the two of them continued to stand at the carriage door like this, it would only make Niu Niu's younger brother more agitated, wanting him to go back to the village with them to play.

Because there are many children in the village, there are many places to play. They can run around freely in front of and behind the village, and they can also visit other people's homes.

Unlike coming to a restaurant in town, I originally thought that since I had moved from the village to the town, I could just go to the street to buy whatever I wanted to eat.

But after the initial novelty wore off, the children couldn't take it anymore, because apart from going out to buy things, they had to stay obediently in the restaurant all the time.

Even during the three daily business hours, you can't go to the front hall because there are customers dining in.

We couldn't go to the main kitchen in the backyard either, because several cooks and helpers were busy working there.

So the area they could play in was very small and very limited. After a few days, Niu Niu's little brother started to get restless and wanted to go back to the village with the two little brothers from Tuanyuan...

That's understandable, after all, they're just kids!

Finally, Yang Yongqing came to the backyard to urge the vegetables to be harvested. Hearing his son crying, Yang Yongqing quickly came over and slapped his son's bottom, which brought the situation under control.

"Qing'er, take care on your journey. When you get home, please give my regards to your uncle and your father!" After saying that, Yang Yongqing rushed into the kitchen. He was really busy, so busy that his feet barely touched the ground and he was practically flying!

……

After eating and drinking their fill, they boarded the carriage and Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan fell fast asleep again.

Yang Ruoqing was also drowsy, probably because she had eaten too many carbohydrates in the morning and was feeling dizzy from the carbohydrates.

The worst thing a person can do is to fight against their body's instincts; the best thing a person can do is to obey their body's call.

So at that moment, when the feeling of carbon dioxide washed over her and her eyelids started to droop, Yang Ruoqing yawned, pulled the blanket over her chest, and then leaned against the interior wall of the carriage, closed her eyes, and began to doze off.

It's about 8 li from Qingshui Town to Changping Village, and it takes about half an hour by horse-drawn carriage.

For Yang Ruoqing, half an hour of nap was like a timely rain. So when she heard Luo Fengtang's voice outside the carriage window and learned that they had arrived home, she opened her eyes and the carriage was indeed parked steadily in the Luo family's courtyard.

However, unlike in the past when they would receive advance notice and come to the side of the carriage to greet them upon their return, this time, only Rong Gu and the others were outside the carriage; the two elders were nowhere to be seen.

Yang Ruoqing then got off the carriage and entered the main room surrounded by Rong Gu and Ling Lan. Luo Fengtang handed the carriage over to Ping An and the others and followed them into the main room.

At this moment, Linglan served tea, and Ronggu stood aside, reporting the events of the past two days to Yang Ruoqing.

When Luo Fengtang entered, Rong Gu stepped aside, and Yang Ruoqing picked up the teacup beside her and handed it to Luo Fengtang: "Have some tea, sit down, and I'll tell you something."

Luo Fengtang nodded, took the teacup, sat down, lifted the lid, and took a sip.

Rong Gu saw that the general was drinking from the lady's teacup, but she wasn't surprised at all. Perhaps she had noticed such small details when she first arrived at the Luo family, but as time went on, she realized that even though they were both wealthy families, the way husbands and wives got along and their feelings for each other were very different.

When Rong Gu was a maidservant, she witnessed many ways in which the masters, mistresses, young masters, and young mistresses of wealthy families interacted.

Even in the early days of marriage, the phrase "treating each other with the utmost respect" suffices to describe their relationship. They rarely sleep in the same bed, except on specific days when they absolutely must sleep together, or when there are other needs.

As for sharing a teacup, or the master eating what the mistress has eaten... even the most respectful couples have never seen such a thing!
But in the Luo family, she saw a lot. The general and his wife taught Ronggu what a true couple is!

While Luo Fengtang was drinking tea, Yang Ruoqing told him what she had learned from Rong Gu.

"The Zhou family came to deliver the message around noon yesterday. The messenger said that Aunt Da'e had not been able to eat a single grain of rice for two consecutive days, and even had difficulty drinking water. She also coughed up blood yesterday morning."

"Zhou Wang's cousin invited the town's doctor to his home, but the doctor only took his pulse and then told the family to prepare for the funeral."

"When the Zhou family came to our house to deliver a message yesterday noon, my uncle fainted on the spot. The family even invited Brother Wangsheng over. Later they said it was a case of heart attack due to the stress, but he's not seriously injured."

"My uncle didn't even have time to eat lunch before he went to Zhoujia Village. My aunt was worried and went with him. They haven't come back yet."

Luo Fengtang asked, "Here comes the crucial point: what's Aunt Da'e's condition now?"

died?

Or should we keep hanging there?

When asked about this, Yang Ruoqing's expression darkened, and she looked at Rong Gu.

Rong's son-in-law lowered his eyes, his face solemn, but his gaze fell on the long-handled black umbrella placed behind the main hall door.

The black umbrella was upside down, it wasn't one of the umbrellas in the house, and on such a sunny day, it was leaning upside down against the front door...

Luo Fengtang understood instantly.

This is a custom in the Mianniu Mountain area of ​​announcing a death that cannot be spoken aloud. "When was this black umbrella delivered?" he asked again.

Yang Ruoqing said, "Just this morning."

Luo Fengtang nodded, "Let's leave Tuantuan and Yuanyuan at home, and the four of us, along with our daughter and Jinling, will go there!"

Yang Ruoqing nodded, then beckoned Tuantuan and Yuanyuan over and gave them some instructions.

At first, the two children wanted to go along. Children don't understand life and death, but they like novelty and excitement.

The more bustling a place is, the more they want to go and take a look.

But this was a serious matter, and Yang Ruoqing absolutely could not let them have their way, so she seriously reasoned with them and then kept them at home.

Yang Ruoqing and Luo Wuyou went back to the backyard to change their clothes. The mother and daughter were wearing clothes for visiting relatives and friends, so everything from the colors and patterns to the accessories was designed to fit the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year.

Especially since Madam Zuo is getting on in years and enjoys lively and festive occasions, both mother and son were dressed in rather cheerful attire.

When I go to Zhoujia Village, I will definitely change into plain clothes to show respect for the deceased.

As for Luo Fengtang and Zuo Jinling, the two men usually dress simply and elegantly, yet they are dignified and poised, suitable for any occasion.

Soon, the four of them gathered and took a carriage from the doorway.

I'm tired from riding horses these past two days, so I should rest in the carriage.

Half an hour later, the four arrived at Zhoujia Village.

The Zhou family home was no longer the same as it had been when they first arrived. The carriage stopped outside their courtyard, and white banners were hung from the courtyard gate to the entrance of the main hall.

At the entrance to the courtyard and inside the courtyard, relatives, friends, and neighbors came to help.

When they saw the Luo family's carriage approaching, Luo Fengtang and Yang Ruoqing came over. The relatives of the Zhou family, who had been specially arranged to meet them outside, immediately came to greet and entertain them.