FID – Chapter 328

Early winter morning in the countryside, you could hear the faint noise outside through the walls.

The weather was cold, but the country folks weren’t in the habit of getting up late, so they still got up when the hour was up.

They lit the fireplace in the hall, sat next to it, and waited for the family to get up one after another while sitting around and chatting. 

The neighbors in the countryside have nothing to do in the winter besides staying cooped up at home. When they were bored, they would drop by, carrying hand warmers and squeezing next to the fireplace. They could start up a conversation in a wink.

There was absolutely no need to keep any distance from the polite and defensive manner in which people in the outside world interact with each other.

They were naturally close as a family.

Because Liu Yusheng had just returned, the villagers were quite curious about her visit to the capital. Thus, the next day, the Liu family compound was particularly crowded with people.

Several nosy aunts, little devils, uncles and grandpas – two fireplaces were lit in the Liu house, but they almost couldn’t fit in.

Some simply carried hand warmers by themselves to join in the fun.

It was too tiring to travel around for months on end, so Fu Yuzheng got up a little later than usual.

When she got up, she saw that the window of the girl’s room next door was open, and a faint fragrance of medicine was wafting out from it. The young girl was also sorting herbs.

“Miss Liu.” Fu Yuzheng blushed a little from waking up late. After all, she was a guest at someone’s home.

Through the window, the girl raised her head and smiled at her. “You are up. Breakfast should be ready at home. Let’s go eat breakfast first. Don’t call me Miss Liu at home. It’s very strange, so just call me Nannan.”

“Okay, Nannan.” Fu Yuzheng’s lips stretched into a smile.

This really made them a lot closer.

She knew that Liu Yusheng probably waited here for her to get up before going to the front yard together, lest she would be embarrassed.

After leaving the inner courtyard and passing through the bluestone pavement of the second courtyard, they heard the noisy and boisterous chatter coming from the other side before they reached the front yard. Moreover, the villagers talked without restraining their voices. So, when they were talking about something exciting, they would raise their voices at the top of their lungs, patting their thighs and guffawing.

Seeing the two young girls coming together, before Grandma Liu and the others could speak, the villagers greeted them first.

“The two girls got up. Go and have breakfast quickly. After eating, come to warm yourselves at the fire and chat with us.”

“Don’t hurry. Take your time and come back when you’re done!”

Grandma Liu got up, patted the folds on her clothes, and laughed at these people. “You really regard this as your own home. Have you greeted Nannan?”

“Hey, old lady, why are you treating us like we’re outsiders? You can come to our house and do whatever you want. I’ll let you make the decision!”

In the coaxing laughter, the grandma laughed and scolded again, and followed the two girls into the kitchen.

“I cooked bone porridge for breakfast, and it’s kept warm on the stove. The white flour buns are still steaming in the pot,” she informed while taking out two bowls of thick and creamy bone porridge, putting them on the dinner table for the two girls and turning around once more. She opened another pot and picked up a few buns. “The rest of the family have eaten. This is reserved for you. Zhixia and Qinglian have also eaten, so you’re the only ones left.”

Fu Yuzheng sat down and whispered a word of thanks.

Liu Yusheng exaggeratedly smelled the aroma of the bone porridge and praised, “Grandma’s bone porridge is the most fragrant. I haven’t eaten it for a long time.”

The old lady smiled and sat down with a small hand warmer, watching the two children eat.

“If it tastes delicious, eat more, and I will make more for you tomorrow.”

“If Yuzheng wants to eat anything, tell me, lest I cook something that is not to your liking and you don’t get to eat enough. We don’t regard anybody as an outsider at home.”

“Don’t just drink porridge, eat steamed buns too. Porridge doesn’t fill your stomach. There are still two hours before lunch.”

The grandma sat there, rambling with words full of overflowing love.

It was one of the most common exhortations that spilled deep affection.

They were obviously just eating while the grandma was just watching in satisfaction, as if proud of the food that entered their mouths.

The more they ate, the better their appetite, and the happier the grandma was.

Fu Yuzheng buried her head low, and her eyes turned red quietly.

“Grandma, how about stuffed buns with green onions and meat tomorrow? Your meat buns are the best.” Liu Yusheng filled her mouth with porridge, and did not forget to order tomorrow’s breakfast.

She was clearly a capable person, but in front of the elderly, she turned into a coquettish child.

Grandma Liu smiled cheerfully. “Okay, I’ll make it for you tomorrow. Dumplings with green onion and meat filling are also delicious. How about you, Yuzheng? Tell me what you want to eat. I’ll prepare it in advance.”

Fu Yuzheng raised her head and answered softly, “I also like to eat stuffed buns with green onions and meat.”

“Okay, I will let you have them tomorrow. The family bought a lot of meat yesterday. There is no need to freeze it, so just store it in the cellar. I’ll let the men in the family chop it later and put it away. I’ll wrap them up in the evening, so it’ll be reading to steam in the morning. Then you can eat them.”

Men? Work in the kitchen?

Fu Yuzheng stared at Liu Yusheng with wide eyes in disbelief.

Liu Yusheng laughed, “A nobleman stays clear of the kitchen – that saying doesn’t apply in our family. My grandfather, father and uncle will help with the housework as long as they have time, and the Lius pamper their wives.”

After saying that, she also winked meaningfully at Fu Yuzheng.

Fu Yuzheng, “…” Her cheeks were hot.

Even she didn’t know why she was blushing.

“This girl, you’re an unmarried lady.  It’s fine to talk about these things at home, but you can’t be like this outside,” Grandma Liu rebuked her granddaughter first, and then shifted back to the topic, “But our menfolk do know how to pamper their wives. One stop at the door, and they can defeat all husbands in the entire village.”

In the entire village, it was estimated that only the Lius men would willingly help their wives with the housework in the kitchen when they return from work.

“For sure! Take grandpa as an example. He is the benchmark of our family. He is a good man who is hard to find with a lantern! Everyone in the family is now following grandpa’s example.”

“Hurry up and eat your breakfast. Stop snickering at your grandparents.” Grandma Liu urged, but there was no denying the blush on her cheeks from her teasing.

In the entire kitchen, the three young and old women soaked in a cozy atmosphere.

This kind of warmth required a happy and harmonious family to support.

Fu Yuzheng couldn’t stop smiling, listening to the frequent bantering between the grandma and grandchild. 

He said all the women in their family were treasures.

They were indeed.

Not only because the family treated the female relatives as treasures, but also because the Liu family’s women were kind and open-minded, and they deserved that treatment.

After breakfast, when they arrived at the hall, the room was already full of people waiting for them.

As soon as they saw Liu Yusheng and her company, the women immediately moved left and right to squeeze out a few empty seats next to the fireplace and let them take the seats.

The villagers have long been curious about Liu Yusheng’s affairs in the capital. As soon as they sat down, they all started firing questions.

“Nannan, tell me quickly. When you went to the capital this time, did you enter the imperial palace when you got titled? Is the palace very big and beautiful? Did you see the current emperor? What does His Majesty look like?”