Lu Xiaoxiao, the fourth generation of the Lu family, also raised her hand and exclaimed, "Xiaoxiao wants to eat porridge too."
"Do you want to eat the Laba porridge cooked by your great-grandmother?" Old Madam Lu asked, gently patting the little girl's head.
Lu Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously to express her delight. Today, Lu Xiaoxiao was wearing a red silk jacket, her small face rosy and her hair tied into two buns. She looked so adorable that the more Old Madam Lu looked at her, the more she liked her. She asked someone to get a heavy gold necklace from the jewelry box and put it on Xiaoxiao.
Touching the gold necklace around her neck, Lu Xiaoxiao happily hugged Old Madam Lu's leg and said "Thank you, great-grandmother". The advice from her mother was correct. By pleasing her aunt and great-grandmother, she could receive more nice things.
After leaving the Lu Mansion and getting onto the carriage, she saw that the furs had already been put on. Except for a few pieces she had chosen on the spot, there was another box containing a dozen or so pieces of top-quality furs.
After seeing off Li Xin and Li Xia, Old Madam Lu fell ill and asked Lu Madam to attend to her for a couple of days. Lu Madam hadn't attended to her mother-in-law in the morning and evening for many years. The sudden attendance made Lu Madam feel uncomfortable and tired, and she became more displeased with Li Xin. Of course, these are stories for later.
On the way back to Osmanthus Alley, Li Xin couldn't help but turn to look at Li Xia, who had positioned herself as far from the furs as possible after getting into the carriage, "Xia Xia, do you not like these furs?" She had noticed at the Lu Mansion that Li Xia didn't seem very interested in the furs. This was also evident on the carriage.
"I don't like them. I don't think furs keep you warm. I prefer cotton-padded jackets," Li Xia's response surprised Li Xin.
"I don't like them. You can give these furs to Auntie Mei. Let her make a scarf and sleeve covers," Li Xin was still feeling guilty for what Lu Madam had said about Auntie Mei, "Xia Xia, I'm sorry. I didn't expect my aunt to speak about Auntie Mei like that."
"Sis, it's not your fault. Why are you apologizing to me?" Li Xia didn't blame Li Xin. Besides, Li Xin had already stood up for Auntie Mei. It's just that Auntie Mei's status as a concubine made it difficult for her to be respected.
A rich aroma wafted into the carriage from outside, "What's that smell? It's so fragrant!" As she spoke, Li Xia drew aside the curtain and sniffed to determine the source of the aroma. It was coming from a pastry shop called Beauty Bliss Shop.
There were quite a few people queued up at the entrance to buy pastries. Although she didn't know what pastries they were, they must be delicious since they smelled so good. Li Xia instructed Qiu Ling, who was sitting on the carriage shaft, "Qiu Ling, go and line up."
There was no response from Qiu Ling, but Qiu Shui replied, "Miss, Qiu Ling has already gone to line up."
Li Xin and Li Xia looked towards the end of the queue, and indeed, they saw Qiu Ling. Although there were quite a few people in line, the queue moved quickly. In no time at all, Qiu Ling returned carrying two paper bags.
"Miss, these are new egg cakes from Beauty Bliss Shop," Qiu Ling said as she handed one of the paper bags into the carriage. Li Xia took the bag and passed it to Li Xin, "Sis, try this egg cake, is it good?"
Li Xin picked up a piece that was slightly charred on the outside but tasted sweet and fragrant when she bit into it.
Li Xia also took a piece and took a big bite, "Not bad." There were only six pieces in a bag, which seemed a bit too few.
"Qiu Ling, go and buy two more bags to take back for big brother and Auntie Mei to try." Of course, they had to share the delicious food.
Outside the carriage, Qiu Ling shared a bag of egg cakes with Qiu Shui, Dan Mo, Li Yu, and the coachman. "Miss, has Beauty Bliss Shop sold out for the day? I'll queue up early tomorrow to buy some."
Li Xia felt a bit of pity, "Come with Qiu Chan tomorrow and buy a couple more bags to bring back."
After eating the egg cakes, they were a bit thirsty, but thankfully there was tea on the carriage. After a cup of tea, they arrived at Osmanthus Alley. Auntie Mei was waiting for them, and upon their return, she ordered dinner to be served.
After dinner, back in the room, without waiting for Auntie Mei to inquire, Li Xia told her about today's happenings at Lu Mansion. Of course, she didn't mention the derogatory words of Lu Madam towards Auntie Mei, only that they brought back quite a few furs.
"Tomorrow, I'll see how to tailor them and make you a couple more fur coats. The winters in the capital are too cold, and we can't have you catching a chill," said Auntie Mei, thinking only of Li Xia's well-being. Unable to resist, Li Xia reached out and hugged Auntie Mei.
Li Xia's sudden affection made Auntie Mei very pleased, but she was also worried that something had happened. "What's wrong? Did you suffer any grievances at the Lu Mansion?"
"Nothing, I just suddenly feel that I have the best aunt in the world," Li Xia said, cuddling up to Auntie Mei's shoulder.
"Getting on in years and still acting like a spoiled child. It's getting late, go back to your room and get some sleep. You can't oversleep tomorrow," Auntie Mei nagged. Hearing Auntie Mei nag about her oversleeping, Li Xia quickly went back to her room.
Watching Li Xia leave, Auntie Mei called Qiu Shui and Qiu Ling over and asked if anything had happened at Lu Mansion that day. Qiu Shui, obeying Li Xia's instructions, naturally said nothing had happened.
Auntie Mei then looked at Qiu Ling, who also shook her head indicating that nothing else had happened. Seeing this, Auntie Mei finally felt at ease.
Back in her room, Li Xia washed up and lay down.
The next day, Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan brought back the egg cakes, and everyone in the house enjoyed the delicious cakes, finding them truly tasty.
"It would be great if Wu Auntie were here," Qiu Chan sighed after eating one. The egg cakes were delicious but were sold in limited quantities, making them hard to buy.
"Yes, Wu Auntie would definitely be able to make egg cakes," Li Xia agreed. When they left Liuzhou, considering the cold weather in the capital, Li Xia decided to leave Wu Auntie, who had a bad leg, to look after the Orchid Courtyard, so she didn't come to the capital.
"I wonder how Wu Auntie's leg is doing? Whether it's better," Qiu Kui also missed Wu Auntie, and missed the small kitchen in Liuzhou. Osmanthus Alley was small and didn't offer her much room to shine.
"Doctor Zhou is very skilled, he'll definitely be able to cure Wu Auntie," Qiu Chan said, expressing her trust in Zhou Heng.
"Yes, he is very skilled," Qiu Ling nodded in agreement. Qiu Ling's approval made Qiu Chan very happy.
Back in the room, Qiu Ling followed in. "Miss, I looked into it. The owner of Beauty Bliss Shop has been running a pastry shop in the capital for generations. Their pastries are mediocre but cheap, so they have many customers.
The egg cakes were suddenly introduced half a month ago. They claim to have spent many years painstakingly researching the recipe." There are those who believe this, of course, but there are also skeptics. But no one has been able to find out who's behind this. Qiu Ling also tried to investigate, but like everyone else, she didn't discover anything.
"No need to investigate anymore," Li Xia already had a suspect in mind.
"Do you know who it is?" Qiu Ling wanted to know who it was, but seeing that Li Xia didn't say anything, she didn't ask further.
"Miss, Auntie Mei and the eldest miss are preparing Laba porridge, you..." Qiu Kui entered and didn't finish her sentence, as Li Xia had already got up and headed to the kitchen.
Tomorrow is Laba Festival. The kitchen has been prepared in advance with ingredients for Laba porridge. This is the first year that Li Xin and the others are spending Laba Festival in the capital city. They plan to deliver Laba porridge to the Lu family, the Chengen Marquis Residence, the Gongshun Marquis Manor, the Beining Marquis Manor, among others.
After serious consideration, Li Xin decided to follow Liuzhou's custom in preparing Laba porridge, to let the others taste the flavor of Liuzhou's Laba porridge.
For this reason, Li Xin decided to prepare a pot in advance for tasting. Auntie Mei was in the kitchen, making porridge with Li Xin. When Li Xia walked into the kitchen, she could already smell the aroma of the porridge.
Seeing Li Xia come in, Li Xin served her a bowl: "Give it a taste."
