A dream ends life

After the old lady of the Li family ate the meal prepared by Su Ci, she opened the vegetable garden at home to Su Ci and his servants. Every time they were offered money, she would refuse.

Su Ci was not pretentious. Although the food and accommodation at the Li family were simple, she felt very comfortable every day.

This place is far away from the town, and the total number of people in the village, big and small, is less than two hundred.

It was a very small village, and all the men in their prime went out to work and earn money, returning only for the spring planting and autumn harvest. After the autumn harvest, some continued to go out, while others stayed behind to prepare for the winter.

It is difficult to find a job in winter, and the expenses outside are much higher than usual. Those who don’t have a good job will not go out and will stay at home with their wife and children.

Since the weather turned cold, the old lady of the Li family has been sitting at the door doing handicrafts every day, and from time to time she looks up in the direction of the village entrance, because she misses her son.

After Su Ci moved into the village, she sent Dongliu out to work, leaving her and Chunshui to take care of the Li family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Every day, she followed Liu Xia to feed the chickens and pick vegetables, and her complexion became rosier day by day. Chunshui was amazed by what she saw.

"Madam's complexion is much better than in the capital. Could it be that the water in this mountain village is more nourishing than that in the capital?"

Su Ci didn't comment. Who said that living in Shangjing was heaven? To her, life in Shangjing was not so wonderful. But it didn't matter. If all the bad factors were removed, the world would be harmonious.

"Madam, when will Dongliu be able to come back?" Chunshui asked casually.

Su Ci thought for a while and said, "If everything goes well, we'll have news in ten days or half a month. Do you miss her?"

Chunshui's face flushed red, and she glanced at her coquettishly: "Madam, don't talk nonsense, how could I miss him? I don't care about him!"

Su Ci laughed: "Then who do you care about? You are not young anymore, it's time to find a husband for you."

Chunshui said: "I will stay with Madam and serve her. I don't want to get married."

Su Ci teased her deliberately and said, "So, you won't serve me anymore after you get married?"

Chunshui shook her head: "No, no, no, this slave will serve Madam forever."

Su Ci's smile faded. How far is forever?

Chunshui should not be delayed by her. Why should I hold an umbrella for her in the rain that I have been caught in? This girl has no family, so I have to think of a way out for her.

"Dongliu is a good man. If you are interested, don't back off or someone else might get there first."

She was not trying to scare Chunshui. Dongliu was good-looking and was also her right-hand man with extraordinary abilities. When he was in Beijing, many young girls flirted with him and gave him handkerchiefs.

If she hadn't seen Dongliu looking at Chunshui differently, she wouldn't have said these to Chunshui. If the two of them could become a couple, she would be happy to see it happen.

Chunshui's face turned pale, and she bit her lip, as if she had made an important decision: "I think we should just let it go! If he meets someone he likes, I will sincerely bless him."

He knew that Dong Liu had a good relationship with women, and there were always some shopkeepers and friends around him who wanted to matchmake for him, but he rejected them all without hesitation.

Dongliu has high standards. Most people are not in his eyes, let alone his heart. He uses his warmth and easy-going nature in his work. In reality, he is a very serious person.

She has been with Su Ci for so long, and no one knows Su Ci's dedication better than her. Facts tell her that men are unreliable.

If Dongliu could be seduced away by other women, it would mean that he was not her ideal man, so she would rather not marry him.

Su Ci sighed in her heart. It was her master who left a psychological trauma on this girl. She looked a little old-fashioned at such a young age.

"Sister Su! Look!" Liu Xia came quickly to Su Ci with a basket on her arm.

Su Ci took a look and found that it was soybeans.

She looked at Liu Xia in surprise. There were no crops like soybeans in the mountain village, and she didn't know where she got them.

Liu Xia smiled and said, "This was bought at a low price from the grain store where my brother from my mother's family worked in the provincial capital.

Her brother had been away for more than half a year and came back yesterday with a bag of soybeans on his back. He said that the grains were soaked in water and he planned to sell them at half price.

Her brother thought that he had to go home and stay at home during the winter, so he gritted his teeth and bought a bag of silk.

"My brother said that although soybeans have a fishy smell, they can still satisfy hunger in winter. Although they are not as good as brown rice and millet, they are food after all and can keep people alive."

Liu Xia said this with a look of relief on her face. Her parents thought of her. When they saw her going back, they asked her to bring back more than ten kilograms of soybeans, a full bamboo basket, to show off to Su Ci.

Su Ci looked at Liu Xia with sparkling eyes and knew what she meant. "You want me to teach you how to make soybean paste?"

Liu Xia lowered her head in embarrassment. She knew it was wrong, but the soybean paste was so delicious and she had soybeans, so she was looking forward to it.

It doesn’t matter if Madam Su doesn’t teach her.

Su Ci was not reluctant to teach her how to make soybean paste. When she was in Xiaogou Village, she had taught the aunts she knew in the village. The cooks in the Taifu Mansion also knew how to make it. It was not a secret.

It was not a big deal to hand it over to Liu Xia, so since they had nothing to do, they sat together and picked beans.

Liu Xia didn't expect Su Ci to agree so readily, and she couldn't help but feel grateful. She remembered every step Su Ci taught her.

Su Ci explained in great detail everything from picking beans to making the cake base, especially the amount of salt, which determines the taste of the soybean paste, so she reminded him several times.

Liu Xia said, "Sister Su, you are so kind."

Su Ci smiled and said, "It's just a piece of cake."

It is indeed a piece of cake for her. Even though she described it in great detail, it also depends on whether Liu Xia has talent. It's like steaming buns. The same flour, same steps, same heat, different people will steam them with slightly different tastes.

The beans were slowly cooking in the pot. "When the beans are soft and the water is absorbed, take them out and let them cool down before moving on to the next step."

Liu Xia nodded repeatedly and listened to her instructions carefully.

At this time, the door was pushed open with force, and a strong mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, followed by a thin man, walked in.

"You shameless little bitch, you only know how to steal things from your parents' home all day long. Does your husband no longer have the money to support you, or is he deliberately pushing you to go back to your parents' home? How come you have never seen a man before, you cheap, stinky bitch!"

The old woman rushed in cursing, and when she entered the door, she saw that there was not only Liu Xia in the kitchen, but also Su Ci and Chunshui.

Both their temperament and clothing were out of tune with the village women who liked big flowers and ornaments, and their eyes sparkled for a moment.

I've heard for a long time that a noble person has moved into the Li family, and that precious things are being transported in by horse-drawn carriages. It turns out that he is really a noble person. These clothes must have cost a lot of money.

The thin man behind him was stunned when he saw Su Ci's face.

He thought the little maid was very pretty, but today he saw that the master who never went out was actually as pretty as a fairy.

God has eyes, he deserves to marry a beautiful woman!