"Look, it's really like they say: speak of Cao Cao and he appears. What can we say? You're so cruel to your sister, when will you find someone to take her in, so we can at least bask in the reflected glory?" Liu said with a smile.

  "It really made my sister-in-law say it, this is easy to invite, this is my old acquaintance in the Wen family, Old Wang, who has been responsible for managing flowers and grass, Wang's wife, the master of the kitchen, today you can stay and try, I guarantee you will be satisfied."

  "I told you, didn't I? If Brother-in-law is so fond of his sister, he should find a few good people for her. Otherwise, Sister's hands will become rough and it will be Brother-in-law who will suffer." Chen said with a smile.

  "That's right, brother-in-law, let's ask first, what are we eating today?" Zi Xi laughed and said.

  "You glutton, I'm telling you that next year you should also take the stage. How come all day long you only know how to think about eating? Look at your two older brothers, they know how to work hard! Let me tell you, if you don't pass the exam, you'll make your sister sad, and I won't forgive you." Lin Kangping patted Zi Xi's head.

  "Who told me to follow my sister since I was young? My sister is a big eater, even my mother knows that. A big eater can't just bring out small eaters, compared to my sister, I'm still far behind. Besides, when it comes to studying, my sister has always taught me that learning is a matter of relaxation and tension. When I'm working hard, you don't see it." Zi Xi rubbed his head and leaned against Zi Qing's side.

  Lin Kangping shook his head and took Old Wang and Wang Po to settle down on the side of Taolin first. Lin An carried a 3-4 jin big carp and half a bucket of yellow eel over, which made Zi Xi scream with delight, saying: "We're in luck! Lin An, would you please tell my mother that we won't be going over for lunch today?"

  "You just think about yourself, why not invite your parents over too? It'll be more lively at least. Your parents haven't come to my house for dinner yet. Lin An, go catch another duck from the pond later. Xiao Lan, go take a look and see if there's anything else we need, you help her prepare everything." Zi Qing instructed.

  After Lin An and Xiao Lan left, Zi Xi smiled and said: "Sister, I must say, you really had a bit of the mistress's demeanor just now. It seems that my brother-in-law hasn't trained you in vain."

  "Just go ahead and talk nonsense. Does this still need training? Your sister was originally like that." Zi Qing pinched Zi Xi's arm.

  Several people sat down to play mahjong, and Chen said: "Sister is really capable, such a big family, you actually managed it so neatly, and still have the energy to cultivate what kind of Zhuangzi?"

  "Don't praise her, you're not bad either, brother and sister. I heard your family's restaurant is getting bigger and bigger. To be honest, I'm ashamed, I don't know how to do anything, just living off the rent. But it's good this way, the more money you make, the more we can borrow from you, at least. Following behind Xiao Si to get some food and drink is no problem." Liu said with a smile.

  "Sister-in-law, if you want to indulge in food and drink, just do it yourself, why drag me into it?" asked Zi Xi.

  "How big is your face? Whose house don't you eat at?" Liu said with a smile.

  "Sister-in-law. I really don't like hearing this, it's as if you're saying I have a thick skin. Don't speak in such a roundabout way to scold people?" Zi Xi said seriously.

  Liu was laughing so hard that her stomach hurt. Shen and Zeng Rui-xiang brought Zi Yu over, and when Zeng saw Zi Xi sitting at the mahjong table, he said: "Little Four, I've been looking for you. Your second and third brothers are discussing their studies, but instead of listening carefully, you're hiding here to play. Why don't you give your seat to your mother and go dig up some earthworms? Come fishing with me."

  The child went away muttering to himself.

  At noon, the dishes were really different. It was indeed a master chef from a wealthy family who came out and shocked Zi Qing and others with his first move. The color matching, dish type, and Zi Qing's usual casual cooking style were all different. Instead, it looked like the work of a high-end restaurant chef often seen on TV. Zi Xi took a look and read: "Red pepper stir-fried beef, green pepper small stir-fry fish, three cups chicken, fish head stewed tofu, winter bamboo shoots old duck soup, what is this white and tender thing?" Zi Xi couldn't wait to take chopsticks and taste it, saying: "It's fish meat, oh my god, this fish meat is too tender, it melts in your mouth. Sister, I promised that during this holiday, I will come to your house for meals, so mother won't be tired all day."

  "Look at our little fourth child who is so talkative, making excuses to eat and find fault in order not to let his mother work too hard. Aren't you afraid of inviting trouble from your sister's husband?" Liu said with a smile.

  "After all, it's a big family, just look at the simplest dish of hollow vegetables, they actually arranged each root so neatly, as if boiled in water, but still better than our stir-fry, and crispy." Shen sighed.

  "Dad and Mom, you must feel good, come over more often in the future," said Kangping.

  "Sister, I think this eel segment is not as good as yours? However, these sea cucumbers and squid are much more delicious than mom's, hehe." Zi Xi said.

  "You know what, they usually make big dishes, and people like that rarely eat things like toads, yellow eels, loaches and other unsophisticated things. These things basically can't be served on their table. So, it's actually cheaper for us, at least they didn't raise the price." Zi Qing said.

  "Look at you all, so happy and content. If this had happened before we split up the family property, I wouldn't have dared to dream that one day we could live a life like today. At that time, my greatest wish was just to be able to let everyone eat their fill, and every time I came home and saw your pale faces, it really wasn't a pleasant feeling." Zeng Rui Xiang said.

  "You still know, I thought you couldn't see it? Lu'er and Qing'er don't even remember, every meal is just half a bowl, the dishes are also without any oil or water. Working hard from dawn till dusk doesn't scare me, but the children can't even get a full meal. As a mother, how can I bear to see this? And yet, my sister-in-law always finds fault with me, saying our family has many children, while hers only has one, as if she's suffered some great loss. Doesn't she think about how much silver she brings home every year? If it weren't for Qing'er's illness that time, who knows when this family would have split up? It's just a pity for our Qing'er." Shen Shi's eyes reddened towards the end of her speech.

  Zi Qing thought for a moment and still didn't say what she had heard that day. After all, everyone had been apart for many years, and she didn't want to stir up trouble again and make Zeng Rui Xiang sad.

  "Mom, our family's future will definitely get better and better. You don't have to think about the hardships of the past so much. Instead, you can spend your time thinking about what delicious foods you haven't tried before or what others have told you are good to eat. Share them with me, and I'll ask my brother-in-law to go find them for you. We can all enjoy them together." Zi Xi said.

  Shen's family heard a burst of laughter and said, "Where did you go to know some good dishes? If you want to eat something, just say it directly. Don't pull me as a signboard."

  Wang's craftsmanship had won everyone's unanimous recognition, but it was also because of his age that he was released from the Wen family and happened to be an old acquaintance of Kangping. However, Wang took on the task of managing the kitchen, and Zi Qing felt much more at ease.

  Since becoming pregnant, Ziqing has felt very heat-intolerant. Apart from going to the Zeng family's house for morning greetings, she basically doesn't go out and spends her time lying on the soft couch making clothes for the baby. Sometimes, Zishou and Zixi will come over to keep her company, as well as Liu Shi and Chen Shi. After spending some time together, they have become quite familiar with each other and can speak more freely. Ziqing has also gained two close friends with whom she can share her experiences of being pregnant, discuss things to pay attention to, and exchange joys and annoyances about becoming a mother for the first time. After dinner, Lin Kangping accompanies her on a walk in the garden, then they sit in rocking chairs to cool off, eat some fruit, and when bored, play a few rounds of mahjong together.

  One day, after Zi Qing woke up from her nap, Chen Shi came over with a heavy heart and saw that Zi Qing was surrounded by Xiao Qing and Xiao Lan. She casually said a few words, and seeing that she seemed to want to say something but couldn't bring herself to do so, Zi Qing sent the two maids away and asked: "Second Aunt, is there something difficult on your mind? Tell me and see if I can help you?"

  Ziying asked, and Chen's eyes turned red. "Second sister, you'd better say it, didn't you have a fight with my second brother?" Ziying's heart skipped a beat, thinking that the conflict was not small at all.

  "It's not a big deal, actually. I'm just feeling a bit uncomfortable in my heart. Your second brother doesn't believe me and instead believes the rumors spread by outsiders. I tried to explain things to him but he wouldn't listen, and now he's been ignoring me for a whole day. Waaah, Zi Qing, what do you think I should do?"

  Zi Qing finally understood what had happened from Chen Shi's intermittent account. It turned out that some time ago, Zhou Shi came to Zi Qing's house to find work for Zi Ping, but before that, she had approached Chen Shi and asked if Hu Bai Song could come to Chen Shi's restaurant to do some odd jobs. Chen Shi refused, saying that her maternal relatives were already working at the restaurant and it was enough. Recently, however, they did hire two new waiters and a handyman. Unbeknownst to Chen Shi, one of Zhou Shi's sisters had married into Chen Shi's maternal family's village and knew a lot about Chen Shi's recent situation. She exaggerated and embellished the facts when telling Zhou Shi, who was furious and waited for an opportunity to add fuel to the fire in her account to Zi Rong, which left him somewhat affected.

  It wasn't a big deal originally, but yesterday Chen's brother came and said that the family next door was moving away and wanted to expand the restaurant, which would require some silver. Zi Lu thought of Zhou's words from that day, which were vivid and detailed, and recalled how the Chen family had indeed turned their fortunes around over the past year or so, renovating and expanding their old house, buying several acres of land, and enrolling their two younger children in a private school in Anzhou City, with expensive tuition fees.

  "I think the restaurant's business is getting better and better every day, and expansion is necessary. Moreover, your second brother has never been concerned about the restaurant's affairs, so I didn't discuss it with him and directly gave the silver ticket to my younger brother. Who knew that after your second brother found out, he blamed me for not discussing it with him, and just giving several hundred taels of silver to my younger brother? He also wanted to see the restaurant's account book. I was angry in my heart and said: 'This silver is what I earned myself, not the family's savings.' These words were wrong, your second brother's face changed color, he was so angry that he slammed the door and refused to talk to me. I put the previous account books on the desk, but he didn't even take a look."

  Zi Qing got a headache after listening, at first, Zi Lu was worried that marrying Chen Shi would lead to quarrels over trivial matters like firewood, rice, oil, salt, and vinegar, but now the conflict has arisen, involving several hundred taels of silver tickets.