The old lady smiled and said, "It's spring time. Zhensheng brought the peppers they brought back from the south. I heard they are a commonly eaten dish in overseas countries. Hongying planted some and thought about it a few more times. Here's a new dish, let's take advantage of today's bustle to give everyone a taste."
"So that's it, I'm so lucky today, I can actually eat foreign food!"
"I heard that those people overseas are like monsters and have red eyes. Green hair, very scary!"
"Not really, but it will definitely be different from when we grew up."
"When Mr. Da left, he took a few young people from the village with him. We will find out when they come back."
"Speaking of Zhensheng and I'm afraid Jiayi is on the road right now. He can't keep up with the excitement at home, so he's probably anxious."
"Yes, it's not easy to be away from home."
Everyone was laughing and joking, and the banquet was ready.
All the tables, chairs and benches in the village have been moved over. There is no room for sitting in the Li family's house and yard. There are seven or eight tables even at the gate.
Mrs. Li stood at the door of the courtyard and looked around, hoping that her eldest son and his party would come back suddenly.
But there was no sign of Li Zhensheng yet, but he saw the Marquis rushing over from the next court, "Aunt, how have you been these few months?"
The Marquis also lost some weight. After all, he was out in the army, sleeping in the open air, not as comfortable as at home.
The old lady grabbed his arm and frowned in distress. "Master Hou, why have you lost so much weight? Can you stay a little longer this time and cook some food for you at home to replenish your body."
"Yes, aunt." Master Hou agreed immediately and agreed. He said, "I have just told the emperor that there will be no war in Jiangbei for a few months, so we naturally don't have to go out."
"Seriously?" The old lady was so happy. When she was about to speak, the good news had already come from the door. Ran out.
As soon as Mr. Hou squatted down, Jiayin rushed into Mr. Hou's arms with a smile, "Father! Fu Niu misses you!"
The fat girl shouted, her smiling eyes were crooked, which made Mr. Hou's impetuous heart immediately Just landed firmly.
After waiting for months, it's finally back!
Although they are not related by blood, the old people and children in front of him, as well as the fathers and villagers in the courtyard, are all his relatives.
The villagers also came forward to say hello, "Master Hou, this year's jade melons are sweeter than last year. I have left a lot for you. Master Hou, please eat a few more pieces."
"Master Hou, have all the barbarians been killed? We want more. Going on an expedition?"
"Master Hou, will you stay in the village for a few more days this time?"
Master Hou responded one by one with a smile, and the yard became more lively.
It was the village chief who shouted to everyone and helped the Marquis, "Okay, let's talk about it later. If we wait any longer, the food and wine will be cold!"
Then everyone laughed and dispersed, inviting the Marquis into the house.
The one hundred soldiers last night, plus the personal soldiers who came back with the Marquis now, totaled more than one hundred and seventy people.
The villagers spread out and joined the soldiers to form twenty tables. Everyone ate, drank and chatted together, and the courtyard and outside were quickly filled.
The rest, Mr. Hou, Liu Zhiheng, Mr. Wen, Doctor Zhang, Li Yong, the village chief, Uncle Zhao, Liu Biaotou, the second and fourth Li Lao, plus Jiayin, the birthday girl, were all at the table in the main room.
There are two tables in the east and west wing rooms. The old lady, Mrs. Cui, Mrs. Liu, Aunt Wu, Huiniang, Sister-in-law Liu and others were seated in the east wing.
In the west wing, Jiaren Jiahuan brought his younger brothers to entertain the two boys of the Liu family.
In the past six months, Tao Hongying didn't have to spend time in the valley every day. She spent her free time growing new vegetables and thinking about new dishes.
Most of today's dishes are her new creations.
In addition to table-top dishes such as chicken stewed with mushrooms, mutton and radish, braised pork and beans, and carp leaping over the dragon's door, she also added stir-fried pork with peppers, tomatoes and eggs, twice-cooked pork, meat stuffed with peppers, boiled meat slices, etc.
Salty, sweet and sour, spicy, all kinds of flavors are available.
Not to mention eating it, everyone has never seen such a new dish.
So, while waiting for good news to eat the longevity noodles, Mr. Hou, the person with the highest status, moved his chopsticks, and everyone couldn't wait to eat.
Soon, there were exclamations in and out of the courtyard!
"Oh, it's so spicy. This stuff is much spicier than dogwood!"
"But it's so refreshing. I'm sweating profusely after just a few bites. It's so satisfying!"
Of course, most women can't eat chili peppers, but men, especially soldiers, They all liked it very much.
Some people even said: "When I was guarding the border in Jiangbei, it was freezing and snowy. If there was something like this, a few bites would definitely be able to warm up the body and ward off the cold."
This reminded the Marquis, and he asked Li Laoer, "Have you grown it at home?" A lot of these peppers?"
"Quite a few, almost half an acre." Li Laoer nodded, "I saved the seeds in the autumn, so I can plant more next year."
"Be sure to save more seeds, and we will discuss how to plant them later." Hou The master gave instructions, and Li Laoer nodded.
Everyone ate and drank, occasionally teasing Jiayin, the birthday girl, and the birthday banquet was lively.
When the sun set, the banquet finally dispersed, and Liu Zhiheng's family and Mr. Wen all went back.
Mrs. Cui wanted to stay for two more days, and the Marquis also stayed.
Of the more than a hundred soldiers, only twenty were left to guard them closely, and the rest returned to the military camp.
The villagers helped to remove the tables and stools, and the women washed and wiped them. They were all very busy.
Finally, Tao Hongying divided the leftovers among the women, who took them home and were busy cleaning up the valley.
Tomorrow the valley will continue to open its doors to welcome guests!
After a day of noisy activities, the Li family were all a little tired. They took advantage of the fiery sunset and sat under the eaves to enjoy the cool air, blowing the evening breeze, and chatting.
At this time, the Marquis called out the good news and came forward and handed her a deed, "This is a village with 200 acres of land. The farmer and the steward are all old servants of my mother's family, the Zheng family, and can be trusted. This village I gave it to you as a birthday gift. You put it away and ask Ye Shan and Dongmei to contact you if anything happens in the future. They are very familiar with it."
Before Jiayin could say anything, Mrs. Li had already stopped her, "Master Hou, this is too expensive. Fu Niu can't take it."
But the Marquis insisted, "Aunt, this village is far away, so the land is not worth much, and together it is not as good as Fu Niu's set of inlaid jewelry, and Fu Niu also needs this. Zhuangzi..."
The old lady hesitated for a moment, and she understood what the "need" in the Marquis's words meant.
Rather than letting the granddaughter take things out from time to time and risk being discovered, it is indeed much safer to have Zhuangzi as a cover.
But it was still too expensive...
As a result, before the Marquis was finished, he took out three more deeds of betrayal.
"I rushed back to the city last night and went to the palace to ask for three people from the emperor, a nanny and two maids. The nanny is familiar with all the rules and etiquette in and outside the palace. The two maids have also been practicing martial arts since they were young, and they give blessings on weekdays. Niu is a playmate and can protect Fu Niu'er when something happens.
"In addition, Ye Shan and Dongmei will be by Fu Niu's side from now on, so the family won't have to worry about Fu Niu being bullied or having an accident. . "
After that, Mr. Hou was probably afraid that the old lady would refuse again, so he nodded a few more words, "Brother Zhensheng will be back soon, and the land will be collected in Qiuri soon. The so-called wealth, fame and fortune are all attractive, so it is always right to be more prepared. . "
Sure enough, Mrs. Li's face became solemn and she said nothing more.
In the past six months, her family's life has been stable, and new grains have been planted in Liujiazhuang, so she forgot about it.
The credit for the great work will soon fall to Li Now that the family is here, the Li family won't be so proud and rampant.
But what about outsiders?
Will they be jealous or covet her?
Knowing that the family values Fu Niu so much, will they have any bad intentions?