Upon greeting Xiangbei, she promptly went out to arrange the banquet and the ceremony of recognition. Seizing the opportunity, she went back to her room and prepared several large cakes in her Jade reaml. Except for cream icing, the surface was decorated with fruit, and "Family Reunion, Joyful People" was written in caramel and cream.
This
For the first time, she made a pot of stewed mountain chicken with abalone in a clay pot, adding fresh sand ginger and a yellow gardenia fruit inside. This was a medicinal cuisine specially presented to Li YiZheng. There would be various other dishes like Five-Seed Peach Stewed Chicken and Five-Element Medicinal King Chicken in the future. Just a couple of herbs and different combinations of ingredients could bring about completely different taste experiences, which would surely pique the old grand-pharmacist's interest and make him willingly stay.
The recognition ceremony was held in the main hall of the hall. General Huo and Chengmo acted as the master of ceremonies and the guest of honor, while the Tong family and Tong Li's family all knelt and kowtowed under the leadership of the old pharmacist, paying respects to their ancestral master and adopted kin. However, there was one thing the old pharmacist Tong insisted on: having the Tong siblings change their surname to Li, formally adopting them under the name of Li's clan grandchildren. Li Yizheng was grateful for his disciples' filial piety, and inwardly, he felt comforted by the thought of having descendants who would offer ancestral worship. He personally gave new names to the three Tong siblings according to the Li family genealogy. Their given names were changed to Li Tongchen, Li Tongxi, and Li Tongjing, symbolizing the bond between the Tong and Li families. This not only acknowledged Tong Chen's father, who had been faithfully serving him since birth, but also provided a better future identity for the three siblings.
Old master Tong's decades-long heartache seemed to heal overnight. Li Yizheng's survival from the palace intrigue of years past was attributed to his remarkable acupuncture skills. Now, both master and disciple were determined to impart their knowledge to cultivate a successor in Tong Xi, leaving Xiangbei without her best communication ally.
Under such circumstances, she finally noticed Tong Hu, who seemed to be invisible but always left traces in every completed task. Despite their few interactions, mostly due to his initially intense gaze and later admiration, Xiangbei found it difficult to meet his eyes lately. Reflecting on it, she realized he was just a hardworking figure among the laboring crowd.
As the procession ascended the mountain, Tong Hu arranged sleeping quarters and bathing facilities for them. When the bonfire was lit, and the lively celebration began, everyone gathered in the stone plaza, including the honored guests at the main table, joining in the cheerful singing and dancing. Tonight was destined to be a fervent celebration, with even the shadow guards donning the attire of the mountain folk, indulging in food and drink. Among them, a few exchanged knowing glances, happily joining in the rhythmic hand dances and foot stomping, feeling the camaraderie of this watchful night duty.
"Thank you for arranging everything, Brother Hu," Xiangbei said, approaching Tong Hu as he walked from the sleeping quarters.
"Miss Xiangbei, it's my duty. Everyone's been busy," Tong Hu replied modestly.
"Yeah, it's been exhausting these days," Xiangbei said, pulling out a sheet of paper filled with lists. "But, Brother Hu, I'll have to squeeze more out of you and make you work even harder." It must be said, when Xiangbei wanted to charm someone, she employed her adorable, innocent, sweet, and pleading eyes expertly.
"Brother Tong Hu, you're not tired. Just tell me, Brother Tong Hu will help you with whatever you need."
With the intention of relying more on him in the future, Xiangbei had to push Tong Hu to his limits first to accurately assess his work potential.
"Well, here's the thing. The list I gave you contains urgent tasks for these days. Take a look and see which ones can be done first, or how to arrange them more reasonably," Xiangbei handed over the paper filled with tasks, innocently blinking her eyes and smiling awkwardly. "Is it too much?"
"Let me see. The first item, processing cured meat products, is not a problem. Uncle Lin and the others have been doing it proficiently. The goods have been delivered down the mountain by the riding guards sent back by Madam. As for the second item, arranging the newcomers to participate in the tasks of the manor and learn cultural skills, we have experienced people for each task. Even Miss Duo'er and some craftsmen who came with her have started helping out. Tomorrow, I'll take everyone around the manor first to ask which task they want to start with. Then, let them follow the master to learn skills while working.
As for the cultural learning, I'm not sure what specific subjects to teach and how each person's proficiency level is. Why don't you personally assess them tomorrow night and determine their proficiency levels? Then, we can schedule their learning sessions accordingly without affecting the progress of the tasks."