On the sixth day of the lunar month, shops were opened everywhere. Lin Jinyan had already greeted the old lady and took Lin Wanrong with her to inspect the shops.
After looking around at each shop for a long time, the carriage wandered into Yongning Lane.
Looking at the table full of food in front of her, Lin Wanrong smiled with her eyebrows curved:
"Mom, did you make these all by yourself?"
Mrs. Xu smiled and said, "Well, I haven't cooked many dishes for many years. My hands are raw when I try to cook them. I don't know if they are to your liking."
Aunt Yu placed the filled soup in front of Lin Jinyan:
"Yesterday, the lady sent a message saying that she would be here today. Madam got up before dawn. This big table was all made by Madam, and we were all just helping out."
Lin Jinyan: "Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Xu. Please sit down quickly. The food on this table looks delicious. My sister and I can't finish it."
Mrs. Xu smiled gently and brightly, picked up the chopsticks and gave Lin Jinyan some food first:
"The life I'm living now is something I couldn't even imagine before. It's all thanks to the eldest lady. I don't know how to do anything else, so I can only make some food and sew some clothes. As long as the eldest lady doesn't dislike it."
Lin Jinyan: "I told you to treat me just like you treat my sister. You don't need to be so polite. If you still do this, I will punish you by eating all these. My sister is not allowed to help."
As she spoke, Lin Jinyan stood up, took Mrs. Xu's bowl, put some of each dish in, and only stopped after filling the bowl.
The three of them had smiles on their faces and enjoyed the meal. Most of the remaining dishes were given to the slaves.
Under the signal from Lin Jinyan's eyes, Lin Wanrong took out a pile of silver bags and distributed them to the slaves one by one. After listening to the auspicious words and kind words for a while, Lin Wanrong blushed shyly.
After the servants dispersed, Mrs. Xu took the two of them into the inner room and took out two bundles:
"These are all small clothes that I sewed with my own hands. I know that there is an embroiderer in the house, but my skills are definitely not as good as mine. I dare not sew outer clothes, so I can only make close-fitting clothes. Although my embroidery skills are not as good as those of the embroiderer, I am better. The fabric is soft and comfortable to wear.”
Lin Jinyan thanked her and accepted it happily. After another conversation, Lin Jinyan proposed to go to the grain store to visit, leaving mother and daughter alone to talk about themselves.
The mother and daughter walked Lin Jinyan to the entrance of the hospital, and returned to the house holding their arms with smiles on their faces.
As soon as Lin Jinyan entered Tai Feng Grain Store, he was greeted by a smiling clerk:
"Miss, you are here. Come in first and sit down to rest. I will make tea for you."
Lin Jinyan sat down and Li Ru came in to salute.
"Sit down and talk. Today is the New Year's Day opening. I just came over to take a look."
Li Ru was cheerful. Although his hair was a little gray, he looked much more energetic than in previous years:
"Thanks to you, although the grain store is not as big as Qi's shop, its business is no worse than Qi's shop. Many people think that the grain store is doing well, and most of the people who come to buy grain are regular customers."
While he was talking, the waiter came in with hot tea, put it down respectfully, and then left with a smile.
Lin Jinyan: "This guy looks unfamiliar. Is he a new recruit?"
Li Ru looked at the busy waiters in the hall through the open door and sighed:
"His name is Gao Fan. His parents are dead. He came to the capital to look for relatives and couldn't find anyone. He fell hungry at the entrance of the alley. I passed by and rescued him pitifully. He insisted on repaying his kindness and helped in the shop."
Speaking of this, he explained to Lin Jinyan:
"Two old guys quit their jobs a few years ago. They originally wanted to find Guan Du and send someone from Zhuangzi, but this boy was diligent and good-tempered. The customers who came to buy food all praised him, so they were retained. Come down."
(End of chapter)
