Li Xia took the bowl and drank a sip. It was fragrant, sweet, and smooth - delicious. She finished the bowl in one breath, expressing her love for the congee. Seeing this, Li Xin relaxed and instructed Cook Lady Bai, "Make it like this tomorrow."
That evening, everyone in the Li Manor drank the Laba Congee. A bowl of Liuzhou-style Laba Congee made them all think of their family back in the southern regions.
Mrs. Lu in Liuzhou received a letter from Li Hui and the others, learning that they had safely arrived in the Capital City. Everything was fine, but when Mrs. Lu calculated the travel time, she knew something must have happened on the road.
Seeing Mrs. Lu's grave expression, Chunlu Granny didn't understand, "The young master and lady have safely arrived in the Capital City. Madam should be happy."
"Granny, please ask the master to come," Mrs. Lu took a deep breath to relax herself.
Chunlu Granny went to the front courtyard to invite Li Ming to the Wild Goose Pavilion. After many years of marriage, Li Ming fell silent upon hearing the news. He stood up, walked to the desk, took out a letter from the drawer, and went to the Wild Goose Pavilion.
Mrs. Lu personally poured tea for Li Ming. "Master, tell me the truth. Did something happen to Hui and Xin on the road?"
Li Ming didn't answer but handed the letter to Mrs. Lu. She read the contents and couldn't hold back her tears, as she had nearly been separated from her children.
"The bandits have been eliminated. Hui and Xin have safely arrived in the Capital City. Madam, don't worry too much," Li Ming comforted Mrs. Lu.
After seeing Li Ming off, Mrs. Lu held Chunlu Granny's hand, her face filled with fear and relief, saying, "Thank goodness the second girl went with them."
"Madam, what does this have to do with the second miss?" Chunlu Granny was utterly confused.
"Granny, Master Chisongzi and Monk Hui Zhen both said that the second girl is a virtuous person. This time, she must have protected Hui and Xin," Mrs. Lu became more convinced as she spoke.
Chunlu Granny didn't think it had anything to do with Li Xia, but seeing Mrs. Lu's determined expression, she didn't say anything further.
Mrs. Lu also instructed Chunlu Granny, "Granny, please keep an eye on the Plum Blossom Pavilion and Orchid Courtyard in the future."
"Don't worry, Madam. I'll pay more attention to them," Chunlu Granny promised.
In the Orchid Courtyard, Wu Auntie left through the side door with a puzzled expression and headed to Zhou's Pharmacy. All the way, she wondered what was going on. Ever since Li Xia and the others left, Wu Auntie had to give the doorkeeper a small gift every time she left through the side door. But this time, not only did she not have to give anything, but the doorkeeper was also very polite to her.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Heng applied ointment to Wu Auntie's leg, noticing her unusual expression.
Wu Auntie came back to her senses and looked at the ointment on her leg. "Doctor Zhou, how much longer do I need to apply this ointment before my leg heals?"
Wu Auntie didn't say anything, and Zhou Heng didn't pry. "One more month, and you'll be able to walk normally again."
"I'm so grateful to Doctor Zhou," she had thought she would have to drag her crippled leg for the rest of her life. She never expected Doctor Zhou to cure her leg.
"Treating the sick and saving lives is a doctor's responsibility," Zhou Heng said nonchalantly. He decided to treat Wu Auntie because of Li Xia. He didn't know how Li Xia was doing now, but he thought that little mischievous girl would be doing just fine wherever she was.
After seeing Wu Auntie off, Zhou Heng went back to his room, organized the information he had found, and wrote a letter to send out.
On the Laba Festival day, the Li Manor was bustling with activity from early morning. Portions of Laba Congee were packed into food containers and sent out, while others brought Laba Congee to the Li Manor.
At the breakfast table, Laba Congee from several households was served. Old Madam Lu's Laba Congee tasted the best, the Chengen Marquis Residence's was the most exquisite, and surprisingly, the Gongshun Marquis Manor sent savory Laba Congee. The Marquis Beining's was simple but substantial in portion. In any case, they all tasted great.
There were also Laba Congee sent from other households. With so much Laba Congee, the four young masters and ladies from each household only tasted a little bit. The rest was distributed to the servants. It took three days to finish all the Laba Congee.
Before the Lunar New Year, a letter arrived from Liuzhou. In the letter to Li Xin, Mrs. Lu repeatedly reminded her to take care of herself.
In the letter to Auntie Mei, Mrs. Lu mentioned the Xu Family's matter and said that she had already asked Li Ming to submit a memorial. Auntie Mei was taking care of her two children in the Capital City, repaying Li Xia's kindness. Mrs. Lu had done a good deed. Auntie Mei was extremely grateful and bowed towards Liuzhou.
The imperial court handled this matter quickly. They worked overtime before the Lunar New Year and completed the verification. They confirmed that Auntie Mei was a descendant of the Xu Family.
Someone was sent to notify Auntie Mei to collect the exoneration document. Li Hui voluntarily accompanied Auntie Mei to receive the Xu Family's exoneration document and bring it back.
This thin piece of paper was what the Xu Family had longed for many years. With it, the Xu Family was now free to move about as they pleased.
Along with the document came 1,000 taels of silver as compensation and a certificate restoring the scholarly title of Auntie Mei's elder brother, Xu Xincheng. The silver wasn't important; the exoneration document and the certificate restoring his scholarly title were the most crucial.
Upon receiving these items, Auntie Mei immediately went to the courier station and paid a high price to have them delivered to her brothers as quickly as possible. With these two things, the Xu brothers could return to their hometown or come to the Capital City. Thinking about this, Auntie Mei counted the silver again and was startled to find that she had nearly 10,000 taels of silver in her possession.
The reason she had so much silver was that Li Xin and Li Xia would research and experiment with food in the kitchen whenever they were idle. Of course, they would send the dishes they made to Li Hui for tasting.
Li Hui would carefully taste the food his two sisters sent and provide feedback. Some innovative dishes, after consulting opinions, would be introduced as new menu items at the tavern. Mrs. Lu owned a tavern in the Capital City. Previously, business had been average, but after Li Hui took over, the business more than doubled.
With the profits, Li Hui gave a share to the two sisters, saying it was payment for their recipes. Li Xia kept a small portion for herself and gave the rest to Auntie Mei. Without realizing it, she had accumulated so much silver.
Auntie Mei took out 5,000 taels and planned to give it to the Xu brothers. However, she wanted to clarify with Li Xia first.
"The money belongs to Auntie now. Use it as you wish. You don't need to ask me," Li Xia said casually. Li Xia didn't lack money and didn't care much about it. She had given the money to Auntie Mei to spend as she pleased, whether on herself or others.
"Originally, this money should have been saved for your dowry," Auntie Mei still felt guilty. She didn't have any skills herself. Fortunately, Li Xia was talented and could earn money on her own.
"I'm still young, it's too early to talk about my dowry. But Auntie Mei, if a few members of the Xu Family come to the Capital City, these five thousand taels of silver won't amount to much?" The prices of goods and housing were expensive in the Capital City. These few thousand taels of silver seemed like a lot, but in reality, it couldn't do much.
"They'll have to figure it out themselves when the time comes." Auntie Mei wanted to help her brothers, but she also knew she couldn't give them all the silver earned by her daughter. In Auntie Mei's heart, her brothers were important, but her daughter was more important.
"I knew Auntie Mei loves me the most," Li Xia hugged Auntie Mei. She didn't mind if Auntie Mei spent money on the Xu Family, but Auntie Mei's attitude warmed her heart.
