Chapter 329: The Marquis's Gift

ack her anger and forgot to be polite. She said angrily, "When I served the Marquis before, he never made things difficult for me. As a result, these two bumpkins actually put on airs, saying that I s...Then the old woman chuckled, "This is during springtime. Zhen Sheng brought back chili peppers from the south. They're said to be a common dish in those overseas countries. Hong Ying planted some and came up with a few new dishes. Taking advantage of today's festivity, she's letting everyone try something new."

"So that's how it is, today I have a real treat, to actually be able to eat foreign food!"

"I heard that people overseas look like demons and ghosts, with red eyes and green hair, especially frightening!"

"It's not that different, but it's definitely not the same as how we grew up."

When the gentleman left, he took several young men from the village with him. You'll know when they come back.

"I reckon Zhen Sheng and Jia Yi are probably on their way now. They might be late for the excitement at home, I bet they're worried."

"Yes, it's not easy being out here."

With laughter echoing, the banquet was prepared.

All the tables, chairs, and benches in the village were moved over. There wasn't enough room inside Li's house or yard, so seven or eight tables were even set up outside the front door.

Li Laotai stood at the entrance of the courtyard, gazing out, hoping that her eldest son and his party might suddenly return.

But Li Zhensheng was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the Marquis hurried over from court, "Auntie, how have you been these past few months"

The Marquis had also lost some weight. After all, being away on campaign meant enduring wind and rain, far less comfortable than life at home.

The old woman grabbed his arm, her brow furrowed with concern. "Master Hou," she said, "you've lost so much weight! Could you possibly stay here for a while longer I'll cook you some delicious food at home to nourish your body."

"Sure thing, mother-in-law," the Lord replied readily. "I already told the Emperor just now that there won't be any wars in Jiangbei for a few months. Naturally, we don't need to leave."

"Really" The old woman was so delighted, but before she could speak, Jia Yin had already run out from the door.

The Lord Ye crouched down, and Jia Yin laughed as she rushed into Lord Ye's arms, "Father! Fu Niao missed you!"

The little chubby girl shouted crisply, her eyes crinkling with laughter, causing the Marquis's somewhat restless heart to immediately settle.

After several months of waiting, I'm finally back!

Although there is no blood relation, the elderly people and children in front of him, as well as all the elders and folks in the yard, are all his relatives.

The villagers also came forward one after another to greet him, saying, "My Lord, this year's jade gourd is sweeter than last year's. We specially kept a lot for you. My Lord, please eat a few more pieces."

"My lord, have all the barbarians been killed Shall we launch another campaign"

"My lord, why don't you stay in the village for a few more days this time"

The Lord smiled and responded to each one, and the courtyard became even more lively.

The village head then shouted at the crowd a few times, relieving the marquis’s predicament. “Alright, let’s talk later. If we wait any longer, the food and drinks will get cold!”

Then everyone laughed and dispersed, inviting the Marquis into the house.

Last night's hundred soldiers, plus the personal guards who returned with the Marquis this time, totaled over one hundred and seventy.

The villagers dispersed and mixed with the soldiers, forming twenty tables. Everyone ate and drank together, chatting idly, filling both the courtyard and outside area in a flash.

The rest, Lord Houye, Liu Zhiheng, Mr. Wen, Zhang the Physician, Li Yong, the Village Head, Zhao Shushu, Liu the鏢頭, and Li Laer and Li Laos, plus Jia Yin the little birthday star, were all at the main hall table.

There were also two tables in the west wing. In the west wing sat the old lady, Cui's wife, Liu's wife, Wu's mother, Huiniang, and Liu's sister-in-law, among others.

The West Chamber was where Jia Ren and his brothers entertained the two young men from the Liu family.

Tao Hongying has spent this past six months without the daily grind in the mountains. All her free time has been devoted to cultivating new vegetables and experimenting with new dishes.

Today's dishes are mostly her new creations.

Besides dishes like chicken stewed with mushrooms, lamb and radish, braised pork with broad beans, and carp leaping over the dragon gate, she also added stir-fried meat with chili peppers, tomato scrambled eggs, twice-cooked pork, stuffed bell peppers with minced meat, and water boiled pork slices.

Salty, sweet, spicy, and sour flavors are all available.

People have never seen such a new dish, let alone eaten it.

So, after waiting for Jia Yin to finish eating the longevity noodles, the Duke, being the highest-ranking person present, picked up his chopsticks. Everyone then eagerly began their meal.

Soon, there were cries of astonishment both inside and outside the courtyard!

"Oh my, that's so spicy! This is way spicier than ginger!"

"But it's really refreshing, a few bites and I'm sweating all over, exhilarating!"

Of course, most women can't stomach chili peppers, but men, especially soldiers, love them dearly.

Some even said, "When I was stationed on the northern border of the Yangtze River back then, in freezing cold and snowstorms, if I had this thing, taking a couple of bites would definitely warm me up and keep me from getting cold."

That reminded the lord, he inquired of Li Laoer, "Have you planted a lot of this chili at home"

"Quite a bit, almost half a mu." Li Lao'er nodded. "We left seeds in the fall, so we can plant even more next year."

"Be sure to keep plenty of seeds. We'll discuss how to plant them later." The marquis instructed, and Li Laer nodded in agreement.

Everyone ate and drank, occasionally teasing little Jia Yin, the birthday star, making the birthday feast lively and joyful.

As the sun began to set, the banquet finally came to an end. Liu Ziheng's family and Mr. Wen all went back home.

Mrs. Cui intended to stay for two more days, and the Marquis also decided to remain.

More than a hundred soldiers left only twenty to guard him closely, the rest returned to the camp.

The villagers helped clear the tables and chairs, while the women washed and wiped everything, all busy working.

Finally, Tao Hongying divided the remaining dishes. The women took them home and then rushed to tidy up the mountain valley.

Tomorrow, the valley will continue to be open to visitors!

After a day of bustling and noisy activities, everyone in Li's family was a little tired. They took advantage of the fiery sunset to sit under the eaves, enjoying the cool breeze in the evening and chatting casually.

The lord called Jia Yin over at this moment, and handed her a contract. “This is an estate with two hundred mu of land. The tenants and stewards are all long-time servants of my mother’s family, the Zheng family, and can be trusted. This estate is given to you as a birthday gift. Keep it, and if anything happens, ask Ye Shan and Dong Mei to get in touch. They are very familiar with everything there.”

Before Jia Yin could even speak, Old Madam Li stepped in and stopped her, "My Lord, this is too precious, Fu Niu cannot accept it."

The lord insisted, "Auntie, this estate is very far away, so the land isn't worth much at all. Adding it all up, it's not even worth as much as a set of inlaid jewelery for Fu Niu. Besides, Fu Niu needs this estate..."

The old woman hesitated for a moment, she understood what the Marquis meant by "need."

It's much safer to have a shed as cover than letting the granddaughter keep going outside to get things and risk being discovered.

But this is still too valuable...

As a result, the Marquis wasn't finished. He took out three more deeds of sale.

I rushed back to the city last night and went to the palace to ask the emperor for three people: a nanny, and two maidservants. The nanny is familiar with all the rules and etiquette of both the palace and outside the palace. The two maidservants also learned martial arts from a young age and usually accompany Fu Niu as companions. When necessary, they can also protect Fu Niu.

With Ye Shan and Dong Mei as a couple always by Fu Niu's side, there would be no need to worry about her being bullied or encountering any accidents at home.

Having said that, the Lord Marquis perhaps feared that the old lady would refuse again, and added two more sentences, “Zhen Sheng elder brother will be back soon, autumn is also about to harvest, as they say wealth and fame are all enticing, it's better to be more cautious.”

As expected, Li Lao's face darkened, and she didn't say another word.

Over the past six months, life at home has been peaceful. With new grain sown in Liu's village, she simply forgot about it.

The accolades due to the heavens are about to fall upon the Li family, but the Li family will not become arrogant or rampant as a result.

But what about outsiders

Will you envy, will you covet

Given how much my family values Funiu, I wonder if they're plotting something bad.

Three updates are offered, please give a good review and like it, Huahua updates every day before 3 pm, as soon as possible!red the private room with a low bed and tea table, enjoying the view from by the window was a rare moment of relaxation.And the lower half of the window frame was covered with a fine gauze curtain. In...