Chapter 74: A Lazy Girl
Li Xiaonan closed the courtyard gate and returned to the main house.
Li Yuzhu glanced at Li Xiaonan. The clanging sound of weaving continued without pause. Li Yin Zhu stopped twisting cotton slivers and watched Li Xiaonan with tightly pursed lips.
Li Jinzhu was diligently spinning thread, as if she hadn’t seen Li Xiaonan enter.
“Eldest Uncle said his shop took on a business of delivering incense and candles to the Prince’s Estate villa,” Li Xiaonan said, sitting down next to Li Yuzhu.
She liked watching her Second Sister weave.
Li Jinzhu and Li Yuzhu stopped their work together and looked at Li Xiaonan.
“How did they get it?” Li Jinzhu frowned.
“Eldest Uncle said he wanted to thank us.
“I think Eldest Uncle must have asked them if they needed incense and candles while he was delivering preserved eggs to the villa, and that’s how he got the business.
“Eldest Uncle is better at doing business than Sister-in-law Yin, that’s what Sister-in-law Yin said.
“Sister-in-law Yin is already quite capable. The day before yesterday, the business Sister-in-law Yin handled, I never would have expected it,” Li Xiaonan leaned forward to look at Li Jinzhu.
Li Yuzhu and Li Yin Zhu also looked at Li Jinzhu.
Li Jinzhu smiled. “The day before yesterday, a mother and daughter, both dressed in silk, came in and were very picky, complaining that our shop wasn’t clean or tidy.
“Just then, A Nan brought over the food. Sister-in-law Yin asked A Nan about the joke her Da Bao told yesterday, saying her Da Bao laughed so hard she couldn’t breathe and she didn’t hear it clearly.
“A Nan said her brother and Hong Er went to a banquet. They were served a dish of preserved eggs in a crystal dish. The host was very proud, pointing to the preserved eggs and saying the recipe came from Prince Rui’s Mansion, that the Young Lord loved them very much, and that they were incredibly hard to buy.
“A Nan said her Hong Er, being straightforward, immediately pointed at her brother and exclaimed, ‘The preserved eggs from the Prince’s Mansion are all delivered by your family! If your family’s preserved eggs are so popular, why didn’t you say so? You have to save a hundred for me for the New Year.’
“After hearing the joke, the mother and daughter put down a deposit and ordered two hundred preserved eggs and three hundred salted eggs, saying they would order more if they were good.”
“Is that true?” Li Yuzhu looked at Li Xiaonan and asked with a surprised laugh.
“Absolutely true! That day, more than ten people from the Prefectural School were there, all egging my brother on to send preserved eggs.
“After the banquet, my brother grabbed Hong Er and wouldn’t let go, saying Hong Er started this whole thing and that Hong Er should tell Eldest Sister. Hong Er didn’t dare, so he used his private savings to have his servant buy preserved eggs for his classmates. He bought the preserved eggs from Sister-in-law Yin when Eldest Sister wasn’t around,” Li Xiaonan said to Li Yin Zhu with a smile.
“No wonder Sister-in-law Yin was laughing non-stop when she saw Yin Zhu yesterday,” Li Jinzhu smiled and patted Li Yin Zhu.
“Such a waste!” Li Yin Zhu frowned.
“Our family has earned a lot of copper coins,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
“You little rascal!” Li Yuzhu lightly tapped Li Xiaonan on the head.
Li Jinzhu sighed. “Ever since Yin Zhu got engaged, I’ve been worried. After Yin Zhu gets married, what will happen to the family? What about these two younger ones?”
Li Yuzhu also frowned.
Li Xiaonan shrunk her neck and remained silent.
The last time Eldest Sister said something like this, she suggested hiring someone to help, but Eldest Sister and Second Sister lectured her for a long time.
Li Yin Zhu also shrunk her neck and remained silent.
The last time she suggested that since the Hong Family wasn’t far away and Hong Er went to the Prefectural School for the whole day, she could come back during the day to do housework and cook, she was also lectured by Eldest Sister and Second Sister.
“We’ll deal with it when the time comes,” Li Yuzhu said, glancing at Li Xiaonan.
She and Eldest Sister had discussed this many times. A Nan should be learning to cook and do housework, but they both felt that having A Nan learn housework was too difficult.
………………………………
The Prefectural School was on holiday from the twelfth lunar month until the end of the first lunar month.
The day after the Prefectural School holiday, Li Jinzhu had Li Xuedong and Li Xiaonan travel back to Kunshan County with Hong Zhenye’s cart and horses.
Once Li Xuedong and Li Xiaonan were sent off, Li Yin Zhu could free up her hands to help at the preserved egg business.
Li Xuedong and Hong Zhenye rode horses, sometimes walking them, sometimes letting them run freely. Li Xiaonan rode in the cart, following them at varying speeds.
They set off early in the morning and arrived at Li Family Market around evening.
Li Wenhua, with a wheelbarrow beside him, had been craning his neck waiting outside the town. Seeing a group of five or six horses and a cart approaching, he hurried to meet them.
“Xiucai Scholar has grown taller! Hong Er…”
Li Wenhua greeted them halfway and then stopped. Hong Er and Yin Zhu were already engaged. Now Hong Er was a junior, and he was a senior. It wouldn’t be appropriate to call him Hong Er anymore!
Li Wenhua quickly changed his address, “Hong Er Ge looks very well!”
“Greetings, Third Uncle!” Hong Zhenye had already dismounted and respectfully paid his respects. “It’s getting late, so I won’t come in. I’ll come again in a few days to pay my respects to Tang Weng Weng and Third Uncle.”
“You’re too kind, Er Ge. It is indeed getting late, and there’s still a long way to the county town. Hurry back, and be careful on the road!” Li Wenhua enthusiastically urged Hong Zhenye to leave quickly.
The cart driver placed a medium-sized box and two small bundles onto the wheelbarrow.
Li Xiaonan stood beside Li Xuedong, watching Li Wenhua stand on tiptoe, craning his neck and waving at Hong Zhenye until he was out of sight. Then he turned back and gestured to Li Xuedong, “Riding a horse is tiring. You sit, and I’ll push you home.”
“I’m not tired. A Nan, you should ride in the cart,” Li Xuedong quickly waved his hand.
“I’m not tired either. I’ve been sitting in the cart the whole time and wanted to walk a bit,” Li Xiaonan said before Li Wenhua could speak.
“Let’s hurry back. The family has been busy since yesterday. Tonight, we’ll have a family banquet to welcome you, and tomorrow the Sheng Family Branch will host a welcome feast. Eldest Uncle said he would talk to you about this. Let’s go quickly,” Li Wenhua pushed the wheelbarrow.
Li Xuedong followed Li Wenhua, and Li Xiaonan followed Li Xuedong. They walked quickly, entered Li Family Market, and headed straight for Tang Weng Weng Li Shikuan’s home.
Li Shikuan stood at the entrance with his hands behind his back. Seeing Li Xuedong running and Li Xiaonan trotting, he smiled and slowly descended the steps, pointing at Li Wenhua and laughing, “Can’t you slow down? Look, A Nan can barely keep up! A Nan, don’t rush, walk slower.”
Li Wenhua immediately slowed his pace and glanced back at Li Xiaonan.
He got angry whenever he saw this lazy, gluttonous little girl!
“Third Uncle said there’s a family banquet, we have to hurry,” Li Xiaonan and Li Shikuan said loudly and with a smile.
Li Shikuan chuckled.
A Nan, this little girl, was very cunning. She was deliberately teasing her Third Uncle about being greedy.
“Your Third Uncle loves your great-grandmother’s steamed pork with preserved vegetables the most. He’s afraid it will be gone if we’re late,” Li Shikuan said, playing along with Li Xiaonan’s words.
“No, no! How could I be like that! It’s getting dark!” Li Wenhua quickly explained.
“Weng Weng,” Li Xuedong bowed deeply.
“You must be tired after traveling all day. Let’s go inside and talk,” Li Shikuan placed one hand on Li Xuedong’s back and the other on Li Xiaonan’s head, leading them into the courtyard gate.
