Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

The next morning, Liu Xu woke up to the sharp scolding of her grandmother Zhang. Needless to say, her mother had already gone to cook.

Liu Xu thought to herself, wow, her milk is even more useful than the alarm clock in her previous life.

She packed up quickly, took the steamed bun handed to her by her mother, and went out with her own large backpack on her back, amid Zhang's disdainful murmurs.

"I have horns on my head and a tail behind me. No one knows how many secrets I have..."

In the early morning, the catkins hummed a tune as they walked towards Beilinpo. On the way, they met friends from the grass-cutting team and walked together.

I guess I was too excited yesterday and overslept today. The catkins had already filled up half of the basket when Xing'er and his sister came rushing over.

When the three of them met, they gradually distanced themselves from their original groups.

By the time everyone had finished collecting grass and left, the backpacks of Liuxu and the other two were full. Except for Liuxu, who had only one backpack full of grass, Xing'er and Shuisheng's backpacks were half filled with grass and half with mushrooms.

Although Beilinpo is called a slope, it is actually the outskirts of the Canglong Mountains and is not small in area. In addition, mushrooms are abundant in this season, so even if the three of them have been picking mushrooms for several days in a row, there are still many mushrooms in the mountains.

However, I observed the willow catkins today and I think if we pick them in the morning and afternoon, it may not be enough after a few more days.

She looked up into the depths of the forest, feeling a little hesitant.

His father had warned her not to go deep into the Beilinpo area, because there were not only some small and medium-sized animals there, but also traps set by hunters, and it would be very dangerous for children to go in. Deeper in the area, there were even many large and dangerous animals that would eat people.

Liu Xu looked down at his own small body and felt discouraged.

"Xu'er, let's go back!" Xing'er was calling her not far away.

"Coming!"

Forget it, let’s just leave it like this for now and talk about it later.

When she got home, it was still early. Her mother was cleaning the yard with a big belly. She didn't see anyone else, so she guessed they were either staying at home or visiting friends.

That’s how it is in the countryside. When it’s busy, you’re very busy, but when you’re done, you’re free to do nothing.

After Liu Xu put down the grass, he took out a bag of leaves from his backpack.

"Mom, I just picked some wild berries. They are very sweet. Try some. If they are good, I will pick more for you tomorrow."

As he spoke, he handed it to Xu Ruolan's mouth, and Xu Ruolan opened her mouth to take it.

"It's so sweet, keep it for yourself." Xu Ruolan smiled gently.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xu shook her head with curved eyebrows:

"I've eaten it in the mountains. I picked it especially for you. Mom, you're pregnant, so you should eat more fruits so that your brothers and sisters will look good in the future."

Xu Ruolan smiled even more gently.

Because it was the off-season, Zhang thought that since she hadn't worked, her food would naturally be reduced. At noon, she only had a pot of porridge with two stir-fried vegetables, and she had to distribute them. As expected, by the time Liu Xu and her mother came, the rice in the pot had been counted.

Liu Xu gritted her teeth secretly. After lunch break, she took out 60 copper coins from the box and put them in her arms. Then she buried the box, said something to Xu Ruolan, and walked to Xing'er's house with the basket on her back.

Arriving at Liu Xing'er's house, Liu Xu went straight to Chen Lan and handed her the copper coins in his arms. He looked at Chen Lan with some embarrassment and trepidation:

"Aunt, I'd like you to use this money to buy me some noodles and eggs. And can you...can you use these things to make me some egg pancakes when you make breakfast every day? My mother is pregnant now, but the thin porridge my grandmother gave her is not enough to fill her up, I'm worried..."

"Oh, I thought it was a small matter. Look how worried you are. No problem, I'll leave it to Auntie San. When it's done, I'll ask Xing'er to bring it to you every day when she's cutting grass."

Chen Lan agreed cheerfully.

"Thank you, Aunt San. Let's go pick mushrooms."

When Liu Xu saw Chen Lan agreed, she immediately smiled brightly. Then she bowed to Chen Lan, called Xing Er and the others and ran away.

Before leaving, I met Liu Changshun who was carrying water back.

"Uncle, we are leaving." "Dad, we are leaving." "Dad, we are leaving."

Watching them running away, Liu Changshun could only shout to them to be careful.

When he entered the yard, he saw his wife holding a string of copper coins with a frown on her face. He couldn't help wondering:

"What's going on here?"

Chen Lan told her husband what Liu Xu had said to her and the coins she had given her. Then she sighed and said:

"Ruolan has a miserable life, but fortunately this child is filial."

"It will be fine. Let's help as much as we can. If it weren't for Brother Donglai, I don't know if I would still be here."

Liu Changshun's thoughts couldn't help but drift away.

That autumn, when he was 12 years old, he saw that Liu Donglai, 15 years old, could hunt pheasants, rabbits, and roe deer. Being young, ignorant, and fearless, he secretly followed him into the mountains. Who would have thought that he didn't hunt any roe deer, but fell into a hunter's trap. Not only was his calf pierced by bamboo thorns, but it was also broken. If Liu Donglai hadn't heard the noise and saved him, he would have carried him home immediately. When his family found out that he was missing and found him again, even if he was still alive, it would be hard to say whether his leg could be cured.

Therefore, ever since Liu Donglai was conscripted, Xing'er would never dare to give food to Liu Xu every now and then without the consent of her parents. After all, in this ancient rural area where food was scarce, everyone had to be frugal with their food.

So, in this world, everything you drink and eat has cause and effect.

On the other hand, since the friends usually cut grass in the morning, there were few people in the Beilin Slope in the afternoon. Liu Xu and the other two quickly cut grass and started to sweep the non-toxic mushrooms in the mountains. In less than an hour, they returned with a full load, and they were lucky enough to pick up a few pheasant eggs, which made the three of them very happy.

Xing'er and Shuisheng each took two, gave the remaining three to Liuxu, and then packed up and went home.

When Liu Xu arrived at her home, she happened to meet her grandfather Liu Dashan. Seeing her carrying a basket full of grass, he was a little surprised:

"Xu'er, why are you mowing the grass again? There's no grass left this morning."

"And what else, Grandpa? I'm just sitting here doing nothing! The grass on the slope is lush this season, so I'll cut more and feed our livestock so they can grow stronger!"

Oh, who can't say nice things? Liu Xu complained in her heart, but said to Liu Dashan with a smile on her face.

Upon hearing this, Liu Dashan's eyes flashed with satisfaction, and he praised for the first time:

"Good boy! Come back with me!"

"Eh"

When I entered the house, I found that, except for the two people in town, everyone was in the yard today. Some were sewing clothes, some were embroidering handkerchiefs, and her mother was picking vegetables. In addition to the fat cousin squatting on the ground fighting crickets, even her grandmother Zhang was there sewing shoe soles.

When they saw Liu Dashan coming in, they all greeted him.

"Old woman, give me two more handfuls of rice for the porridge tonight. Xu has been cutting grass all afternoon and must be hungry."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes were focused. They first looked at Liu Dashan, probably thinking that the old man was having a seizure, and then turned their eyes to Liu Xu, seeing that she was carrying another basket of grass. Except for Xu Ruolan, everyone was a little surprised.

Zhang frowned and wanted to refute, and moved her mouth a few times, but in the end she gave face to her old man, got up and went back to the house to get rice.

"Cutting the grass is such a big deal. I have been embroidering a handkerchief for a whole day!" Liu Juaner couldn't stand the catkins and immediately grumbled in dissatisfaction.

It happened that no one in the yard was talking, so her voice was particularly clear, causing Liu Dashan to frown.

Seeing this, Chen Shuman quickly scolded: "What are you talking about? Go and help your second aunt pick vegetables."

Then he smiled at Liu Dashan and said, "Dad, don't listen to her. She just said it casually. Don't take it to heart."

He turned to look at Liu Xu and said with a smile, "Xu Er is really diligent. Let her go down and have a rest."

Liu Xu raised her eyebrows and said to Liu Dashan in a cute manner: "Thank you, Grandpa!"

He carried the basket on his back and went into the utility room.

She still has three pheasant eggs. I have to take them back to the house and hide them, and then find a chance to secretly cook them for my mother later.

On the other side, ten miles away in Yuyang Town

Due to the launch of mushroom dishes, Zuiyunxuan, which usually closes early for dinner, opened until 12:00 p.m. today. It was only because the dishes in the kitchen were sold out that the gluttons were sent away.

Shopkeeper Chang was calculating on his abacus while grinning foolishly, his mouth almost reaching the back of his head.

Because the chef watched Liu Xu cooking, and Liu Xu listed the effects and uses of seasonings for Chang, the chef of Zuiyunxuan seemed to have opened up his Ren and Du meridians, and the color, aroma, and taste of the dishes were unprecedentedly improved. He even felt a little proud, thinking that he could compete with the imperial chef.

It was fine during lunch because there was no advance publicity. The shopkeeper Chang was also smart and asked the chef to give each table a small bowl of braised pork with mushrooms and mushroom soup, saying that he had found new ingredients and asked new and old customers to give their opinions after tasting them.

After that, it was like stirring up a hornet's nest. Every table ordered new dishes. As a result, about 30 portions of fresh mushrooms were sold in the morning, and about half of them were gone.

Considering that there were not many mushrooms, Shopkeeper Chang simply said that the ingredients were used up and would only be available tomorrow.

Fortunately, after the chef added seasonings, the other dishes tasted good and there was no commotion.

Thanks to the promotion of those people who had lunch, Zuiyunxuan was packed in the evening. Although the braised pork with fresh mushrooms was no longer available, there was still chicken soup stewed with dried mushrooms.

As a result, Zuiyunxuan sold out all the vegetables purchased today with the help of its delicious mushroom soup, and even received reservations.

The downside is that Chang has tried to use dried mushrooms to cook dishes, and the taste is probably not as delicious as fresh ones. But it is still good for stewing soup.

However, Liu Xu also told him that fresh mushrooms are not easy to preserve and cannot be used within two days at most.

Looking at the remaining mushrooms, Shopkeeper Chang thought about waiting for Liu Xu and the others to arrive before discussing the delivery time.

Thinking about the scene that will happen in the restaurant tomorrow, Manager Chang feels very happy.

He was happy, but the other two restaurants suffered. One was Fu Man Ju, which was owned by Wang Yuanwai's family in the town, and the other was Ba Zhen Lou, where Liu Dongcheng worked. It was okay during lunch, but during dinner, these two restaurants were almost deserted. How could he not be anxious and angry?

When he heard from his subordinates that Zuiyunxuan had released new dishes, he immediately ordered them to find out more tomorrow.

Liu Xu knew nothing about all this.

It was rare that nothing happened in the Liu family today, so she was in a good mood and fell into a sound sleep.