Shipin Dalizheng

Even though what he said was true...

Zheng Changning gave up his deep thoughts and smiled. "Mr. Rong, you are very insightful and consider things in a new way. I admire you. I admire you. Please accept this one thousand taels. If it's not enough, send someone to the Zheng Mansion to let me know."

The guards he hired were too powerful, so he would send them away if he could. If possible, he would like to hire more.

"Thank you very much." Rong Tang took it and put it in his arms. He then pulled out a piece of paper from the side and wrote the words "IOU". "Today I have received a loan of one thousand taels of silver from Mr. Zheng Changning..."

Zheng Changning snatched the paper and said repeatedly, "No, really, no, the friendship between us from previous generations is still worth a thousand taels."

Rong Tang said seriously, "Friendship between elders is between elders. Your family doesn't owe me anything, so I shouldn't exploit the friendship between our two families. This thousand taels is truly what I owe you. How about this, if you don't want me to pay you back, I'll start a small business in the future and you can invest in it. It's settled."

Zheng Changning was both amused and annoyed. Seeing that he was serious, he nodded casually and said, "It's settled. Master Rong, it's getting late. I'll go back to the capital first."

Rong Tang stood up to see him out. When the two figures appeared in the yard together, the originally lively atmosphere suddenly froze and everyone turned their eyes to them.

Zheng Ping and Zheng De felt that the young master was about to leave, so they put down their bowls and chopsticks, stood up, and quickly walked behind Zheng Changning. As they left, they gave a provocative look to Rong San, Rong Si, and Rong Wu who were standing and eating without a seat.

Rong San sneered and turned his head away, childish.

Rong Tang escorted Zheng Changning out of the yard and said goodbye politely.

The first row of seats had already been cleared, and then the women and children began to find tables and chairs to sit down.

In the past, women and children would eat what the men had left over, but today there were many dishes and most of them were still untouched in the pot. Chuncao waved her hand and told everyone to eat the new dishes.

As for the rest, they are all placed in a large vat for final disposal.

The women and children were very happy. They had few opportunities to eat such a sumptuous meal of meat throughout the year.

Rong Dahai simply brought a few people to wash the dishes and serve the women who had been working hard for most of the day. Chuncao had a particularly high opinion of Rong Dahai. She had asked Daya about this man and knew that he was a man who knew how to love his wife. If it weren't for his special care and support, the women in his family would have died many times.

Turning his eyes, he saw Rong Xiaobao holding his bulging belly, walking away from his father, and sitting down next to his mother and grandmother.

Qian and the Third Grandma hurriedly carried him to the bench and sat him down. The Third Grandma casually said to the eldest daughter-in-law next to her, "Zhou, come and help Xiaobao pick up the food later. He's too young to reach."

Zhou agreed as usual. Daya listened from the side, opened her mouth, and said bravely: "Grandma, let me pick some food for Xiaobao! I just ate in the kitchen in the yard." She also ate a little to fill her stomach, but she was not full, but it was much better than her mother who worked for most of the day without drinking a sip of water.

The third grandmother glared at her but didn't object.

But she had other things to say, "You've eaten, so sit down too."

If they take a seat but don't eat, they can eat more.

Daya guessed what her grandmother was thinking. She felt embarrassed but didn't dare to speak. She just sat down with her head down.

"Da Ya."

Chuncao's voice suddenly rang out, and Daya stood up in a hurry, "I'm here."

"Go into the courtyard and clean up the table for the masters."

Zhou also stood up and said, "I'll go clean up too."

As soon as the mother and daughter left, four or five women from the village gathered around them. They were all big and strong, and looked like they had a big appetite. The faces of the Third Grandma and Qian Shi fell, nervous and afraid, afraid that they would not be able to compete with these fierce women.

One of them was the daughter-in-law of the Wang family. She was famous for being greedy, lazy, and having a big stomach. She looked at Rong Xiaobao and said, "Third Aunt, didn't your Xiaobao just eat? Why is he still eating?"

The third grandmother said with a sullen face, "Second Fatty Wife, eat your own food and don't meddle in other people's business."

Wang Erpang's family scoffed, "Third Aunt, your family has always said that they are the closest to Earl Jian'an's branch. They also said that Earl Jian'an once wanted to adopt your brother Erhe as his heir. Why are you taking advantage of his family?"

The third grandmother's face flushed. "What do you mean by taking advantage? Xiaobao was sitting at the same table with the adults just now and didn't eat enough. Now I want to eat more. Did I offend you?"

The second fat wife was about to say something, but her eldest sister-in-law, the fattest wife, nudged her with her elbow and winked at her. "Are you stupid, sister-in-law? Can't you see there are still a few hungry little girls looking for a seat? If Rong Xiaobao is kicked out, someone else will come and sit. How much can a kid who's already eaten eat? Aren't we adults eating more?"

After Dashan's wife finished cleaning up in the yard, she returned and found that there was no room left. She lowered her head and wanted to go home. She was too embarrassed to wait until others had finished eating before taking a third ride.

"Aunt Dashan."

Chuncao called out to her, "Why are you leaving? Aren't there tables and benches in the yard? Erya, Sanya, and the others, yes, you guys, come into the yard. If there's no place to sit, eat standing up. There's plenty of food."

Erya and seven or eight other girls in the village who were not liked by their families were flattered when they heard this.

"Come here, wash your hands and eat."

There was no wine at the banquet for women and children. The dishes were the same, just smaller in quantity. There was also a large bowl of brown rice, which was more than enough to fill them up. Even this pleased the women, and the meat in the bowl was many times more than what they had eaten during the Spring Festival.

At the table of the Third Grandma, almost as soon as the dishes were brought out, the wives, young and old, started eating as if they had been hungry for eight days. Their chopsticks flew around, leaving afterimages. One of them would grab everything from the dishes first and then eat from her own bowl.

Compared to them, the Third Grandma and her mother-in-law were clearly outmatched. Rong Xiaobao was especially greedy and picky, putting his mother and grandmother in a difficult position when serving him food.

In the end, they no longer cared about Xiaobao and joined the fast-paced rush to grab food, which amazed the men who were serving the food.

Under the sycamore tree in the yard, there was a large eight-immortal table and a small stone table, both filled with shy adults and timid children who were "picked" by Chuncao and could not get a seat. Except for an orphan named Li who was a boy, the rest were girls.

The meat and vegetables in the bowls on the table were specially matched by Chuncao, including both meat and vegetables. The rice was also white rice cooked separately in the kitchen, which was much better than what you eat outside.

The children washed their hands, did not fight or make a fuss, and waited for the food to be distributed.

Chuncao sighed. These timid children were actually the most well-behaved and polite children.

"Aunt Dashan, please help the children with their meals. Don't be too stingy. There's plenty, enough for them."

Zhou responded, saying that she was the only adult and it was her duty to take care of the child.

Chuncao thought she would serve the first bowl of rice to her daughter, but she filled a bowl with meat slices and vegetable leaves, and gave it to the orphan surnamed Li first, "Shiwazi, you eat first."

Li Shiwa's eyes sparkled as he held the large bowl with care, staring at the white rice and meat dishes with a look of desire and fear on his face.

"Shiwazi, what are you staring at? Eat!"

Li Shiwa's eyes were filled with tears. "Aunt Dashan, can I watch it for a while? I'm afraid I'm dreaming."