Chapter 153:
“I’ve already thought it through clearly. Whoever bullies me, I’ll pay them back!”
“Perfect, everyone’s here. Today, I’m giving you all a heads-up. I, Luo Zhi’er, have raised a Heavenly Dog, extremely ferocious. Normally, I wouldn’t let it run wild in the village and cause trouble.”
“But if anyone sneaks into my yard when my home is empty, does bad things and gets bitten crippled or even dies, that’s not my business, Luo Zhi’er’s.”
Greet them first!
“Bill!”
She shouted into the yard,
In the darkness, Bill cooperatively roared a few times, and everyone turned their gaze to that big dark thing under the woodshed pillar.
This thing had just been sitting there quietly, silently looking at them?
It was already dark, pitch black, and no one had noticed it if not paying attention. Bill walked out from the shadows, and everyone gasped.
That thing looked just like Luo Zhi’er, a super huge bulk, with long black fur hanging down, and that thick big tail could fling a person flying with one swipe!
Everyone looked at it, its face full of sagging flesh, roaring a few times very displeased.
Especially Zhao Xiaomei, who was so scared she turned and ran home, her lips nearly bitten through the whole way.
Once home, she cursed Luo Zhi’er a ton. Wasn’t this guarding against her?
When Zhao Hu and the others searched the room, it didn’t move at all, and they thought it was just a pile of some dung or something. It was so good at hiding.
This thing was like a person with intelligence, able to think and observe? It would catch you off guard when necessary.
Li Shi damaged Luo Zhi’er’s reputation, only to suffer a beating in return!
She slunk away, limping, pushed back by Li Daniu in a chicken cart.
Both were injured.
Everyone also understood that Li Shi was there to extort them.
She did bad things, got clamped by the clamp, and wanted them to pay silver for treatment. She was also jealous of Old Luo Tou’s daughter’s dowry, and wanted Luo Zhi’er to marry their Li Daniu for free!
Thinking about it, no wonder she was so bad and gave birth to those kids like that. This is retribution.
Luo Zhi’er didn’t notify Li Zuzu and them. She was afraid the villagers would discuss driving their family out of the village.
This time, she got a reputation where everyone shouts to beat her, but she had silver to treat her leg. The next day, she couldn’t help but have Li Daniu push her in a chicken cart to town to see the doctor.
This leg of hers also carried the risk of Seven-Day Wind, needing a lot of silver. The dozens of copper coins from Luo Zhi’er were far from enough.
To save silver, she only asked the doctor for painkillers and insect-killing medicine. As for surviving the Seven-Day Wind for seven days, she had two days left. If she didn’t die, she’d just get through it like that.
The doctor helplessly shook his head, leaving her to her fate.
Aunt Huaihua heard about this and realized that not just she had gone to Luo Zhi’er’s home to do bad things that day, so she took the blame? Actually, most of it was done by Li Shi. So unjust!
They also misunderstood Luo Zhi’er’s nonsense about the villagers. This was all done by Li Shi.
It turned out she had eaten a silent loss from Li Shi and mentally noted it down hard against her.
The next day, after breakfast, Luo Zhi’er drained the water from the fish pond, fetched over a dozen buckets of fresh water to replace it, and took Miaomiao to catch small fish to put in.
When free, she made a little home for Bill together with Miaomiao.
A small house, padded with some old clothing and straw. The house could shelter from wind and rain, and she led it inside.
The rest of the time was shuttling in the mountains. With Bill guarding the door, she felt much freer and more at ease. Occasionally, when Miaomiao didn’t go, she would go to Old Lady Zhao’s home to learn.
Old Lady Zhao would occasionally run to her home to give Bill some food, got familiar with Bill, their relationship was okay, just wouldn’t let her touch its head.
Having an extra Bill actually meant extra expense too. This guy ate meat, and she had to buy meat for it.
In between, there were two delivery times. She delivered the goods, sold bread in town. The first time it sold out quickly, the second time it was pre-ordered by several wealthy households upon sight.
Others hadn’t bought yet, clamoring for her to make more next time, not to take so long to come to town to sell things once.
She was happy to be idle. During this time, she also went to the marketplace in town to buy quite a few scallions, planting them in rows in the garden plot when free, watering them, and applying farmhouse fertilizer.
Bought meat for Bill, changed water for the fish, caught bugs for them to eat!
Of course, she didn’t forget to send a basket of bread to Ye Beiyao. As for that young master who came to buy bread last time, she didn’t see him come again.
During this period of burying her head in busy work at home, news came from town that the young master of Hong Futai had returned.
Ye Beiyao sent word for her to prepare quickly; two days later, they had a birthday banquet.
The Old Lady of the Jiang Family was returning from her daughter’s home in the capital city, passing through Taoyuan Town on her way back to Jiangnan.
Coming to see her little grandson, it happened to be his birthday, so the young master was hosting a banquet!
This Young Master Jiang was worried that his grandmother was getting old and the journey by horse carriage would be tiring, so he specially left Taoyuan Town to pick her up.
Yumian Tower’s head chef would cook, and she would go in as a little chef. For the rest, she had to figure out how to convince that young master to let her in.
This Young Master Jiang was like a new official lighting three fires upon taking office. To deter some people in the family, he first targeted merchants in Taoyuan Town selling fake and inferior goods in the Jiang Family’s name, to establish authority!
Getting him to let her in would probably be difficult.
Luo Zhi’er prepared the goods to send to Yumian Tower at home, then began preparing to meet the young master of the Jiang Family.
All day in the room, head down writing recipes, drawing, thinking, doing needlework. Finally, the day to go to town arrived, and she left Miaomiao at Old Lady Zhao’s home.
Luo Zhi’er arrived early at Yumian Tower and met up with Chef Xie and them. Besides Chef Xie, who brought five servants, there was also her as the little chef.
Chef Li stayed at the restaurant to cook.
Originally, this banquet could have been held outside with hired chefs, but Yumian Tower’s dishes had recently gained popularity in Taoyuan Town.
Just happened that Young Master Jiang and Ye Beiyao were old acquaintances, so it was going with the flow doing a favor.
Today, the Jiang Mansion invited some prominent ladies, madams, and young women from Taoyuan Town to the banquet, mainly the female family members of those with business dealings with the Jiang Family.
Of course, including those from the government officials.
Said to be a birthday banquet, but also with some hosting intentions.
Arriving at the entrance of the Jiang Mansion, it was nearly chenshi, and from afar, two double-axle four-wheel horse carriages were parked at the doorway.
The one in front was relatively simple, a pine wood horse carriage, with the body lightly upturned at the four corners, hung with a beaded curtain, bells suspended at the four corners.
An old lady got down from the carriage, not sure which mansion’s old lady, arriving so early.
Behind the old lady’s horse carriage, two young women and a middle-aged woman got down. Those two young women were dressed very exquisitely and beautifully, looking dainty and lovely.
And a young master from a scholarly family riding a horse.
“This is Jia Yuanwai’s mother, who often comes to our Yumian Tower to dine.”
Chef Xie saw Luo Zhi’er staring at that old lady in a daze and introduced her.
“She’s a very simple old lady. That one is probably her daughter-in-law Madam Jia. The other two should be the thousand gold daughters of Master Jia’s family, one legitimate, one concubine-born.”
“The one riding the horse is the young master of the mansion.”
“Oh, I see.”
They were welcomed in by the steward at the door.
Luo Zhi’er followed Chef Xie, and the group was also led into the back kitchen of the Jiang Mansion.
After entering, they were shown around the environment for a bit, then began instructing the kitchen servants to wash pots, pick vegetables, cut meat.
