Chapter 51: Mo Bai Delivers a Festival Gift

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, except for Xu Yaozu and his wife, the rest of the Xu family busied themselves with cleaning the house. Even little Liuzi was holding a cloth, diligently wiping the tables.

“I wonder when Eldest Son and his wife will return. Eldest Granddaughter, do you know?”

Xu Nian put down the water basin and smiled at Wang Shi. “Grandmother, my father can only take leave on the 28th. I think he should be back by the 29th to celebrate the festival.”

“Ever since your father became an official, he’s hardly spent time at home.”

“You old woman, Yaozu is serving the government. How can he keep running home all the time instead of doing his job properly?”

Wang Shi rolled her eyes—this old man always had a way to counter her words.

Seeing the two elders bickering again, Xu Nian quietly chuckled.

Just then, a servant hurried in and reported, “Old Master, Old Madam, there’s someone outside claiming to have brought a festival gift for the Young Miss.”

Xu Nian was curious about who would send her a festival gift. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and her heart leaped with excitement as she ran outside.

The rest of the Xu family, equally curious, followed her.

By this time, the commotion outside had already attracted many tenant farmers who stood at a distance watching. Even some servants from noble families had mixed in, eager to gather information.

As Xu Nian stepped out, she was met with the sight of numerous soldiers clad in armor, holding sharp weapons. The imposing scene momentarily stunned her.

A man dressed in dark combat attire stepped forward and bowed. “Mo Bai greets the Young Miss.”

“Greetings to the Young Miss,” the soldiers behind him chorused as they cupped their fists in salute.

Xu Nian barely recovered from the shock of seeing Mo Bai before she was taken aback again by the uniform salute of the soldiers. She quickly waved her hands.

“There’s no need for such formalities, no need at all!”

Inside, she was panicking—what had she done to deserve such a grand display of respect from these warriors?

“You must be Luo Jin’an’s personal guard?”

Mo Bai smiled. “Miss is indeed perceptive. I am here by order of the Prince to deliver festival gifts to you.”

Xu Nian let out an awkward chuckle. It wasn’t that she was particularly smart—it was just that the prince had chosen such obvious names for his guards.

The Xu family members who had followed outside were stunned by this revelation. Since when had Eldest Granddaughter become acquainted with a prince? Luo Jin’an’s guard? Changsheng?

“Oh my goodness—Changsheng is actually a prince?!”

Zheng Shi’s exclamation not only brought the Xu family back to their senses but also sent a wave of excitement through the bystanders, who quickly ran back to their masters to report the news.

Xu Nian, however, didn’t rush to explain to her family. Instead, she instructed, “Xiuer, go prepare some ginger tea to warm everyone up. Let’s invite our guests inside.”

“Understood, Miss.”

With a single command from Mo Bai, his men immediately sprang into action. First, they unloaded the six carriages filled with goods into the courtyard, then followed Xu Fugui and Xu Youliang to another room to rest.

Mo Bai himself entered the main hall with the Xu family. Initially, the Xu family members felt a bit reserved, but Mo Bai’s smooth talking and well-placed flattery soon had them all laughing.

Especially Wang Shi, who was so pleased that she patted Mo Bai on the shoulder and said, “Mo family boy, listen to me—stay at our house tonight! I’ll have Nian’er personally cook a few special dishes for you. I guarantee you’ll find them so delicious you won’t be able to stop eating! Haha!”

Mo Bai’s mind worked quickly before he responded with a smile, “I’ll do as Old Madam says. However, we must return early to report back, so we won’t be able to stay overnight.”

“No wonder the Prince always talks about Old Madam when he’s at the palace. Now that I’ve met you, I completely understand why.”

Wang Shi was so delighted that she couldn’t stop grinning.

“That Changsheng is a sentimental child. He may seem cold on the outside, but deep down, he never forgets those who treat him well. Back in the day, we…”

Xu Laoye glanced at his wife, who was now enthusiastically recounting stories. He secretly rolled his eyes. Look at her, talking as if she had personally saved Changsheng. It was all thanks to Eldest Granddaughter.

On the other hand, Mo Bai was completely engrossed in Wang Shi’s storytelling. This was first-hand gossip! He had been locked in a battle of wits with Mo Yu just to find out bits and pieces about the relationship between the Prince and Xu Nian. But here, Old Madam Xu was spilling everything in full detail.

Seeing that her grandmother was thoroughly enjoying herself, Xu Nian quietly slipped out of the hall.

“Miss, I’ve delivered the ginger tea to the soldiers.”

Xu Nian nodded.

“Go tell your parents to order a few banquet tables from the restaurant, and make sure to buy several good jars of wine.”

Zhang Xiuer responded and went to carry out her task, while Xu Nian headed to the kitchen. Since her grandmother had already spoken, she naturally had to show off her cooking skills.

Based on her understanding, military men should enjoy eating large portions of meat and drinking heavily, so she decided to prepare two meat dishes.

Fortunately, the household had both lamb and pork, so she planned to make fragrant braised lamb and spiced braised pork.

Neither dish was particularly complicated; the key lay in the selection of spices. While Sheng Dynasty lacked certain seasonings, her personal space had an abundant supply.

Just as Xu Nian was preparing the spices, Zheng Shi and Xiao Wang Shi also entered the kitchen.

“Nian’er, we’re here to help you out.”

“Third Aunt, why are you here as well? I can handle this myself. Besides, Aunt Zhang will be back soon.”

Zheng Shi chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll be supervising. If you don’t let your Third Aunt stay and help, she won’t be able to sit still in the hall either.”

As she finished speaking, she couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Xu Nian immediately realized something must have happened in the hall, so she asked, “Is Grandmother still chatting with Mo Bai?”

Zheng Shi rubbed her cheeks and replied, “They’ve already reached the stories of your father and his brothers’ generation. I suppose it won’t be long before they move on to yours.”

Xu Nian’s eyelid twitched, and when she noticed Third Aunt blushing, she sensed something was off. Could her grandmother have recounted the embarrassing childhood stories of her sons, like the time they played in the mud and peed their pants?

“Second Aunt, Third Aunt, help me chop the ingredients first. I’ll be back shortly.”

Xu Nian hurried to the hall, and before she even reached the door, she could already hear Wang Shi and Mo Bai laughing heartily.

When she reached the entrance, she listened carefully to Wang Shi’s words and finally relaxed—fortunately, her grandmother hadn’t shared her own childhood embarrassments with Mo Bai.

In fact, Xu Nian had worried too much. Mo Bai was, after all, an outsider, and Wang Shi would never gossip about the family’s daughters in front of him.

“Grandfather, Grandmother, I’ve already asked Uncle Zhang to order the banquet. I also plan to prepare two dishes myself to entertain our esteemed guests.”

“Oh, right—Young Master Mo, do you have any dietary restrictions?”

Mo Bai immediately stood up respectfully. “Miss, you may just call me Mo Bai. I do not eat ginger.”

Xu Nian glanced at his empty cup of ginger tea, feeling puzzled but choosing not to ask further.

It wasn’t until the meal was served that she finally understood.

“Mo Bai, come try this! Both the lamb and the braised pork were personally prepared by Eldest Granddaughter. The aroma is incredible!” Wang Shi urged excitedly.

Mo Bai scratched his head in embarrassment.

“Old Madam, I have a presumptuous request. My men and I have been eating on the road for days, and we haven’t had a proper meal. Would it be possible for us to take these two dishes along for the journey?”

“Oh dear—why even ask? I’ll have Old Zhang buy more food for you to take along.”

Mo Bai quickly stopped her.

“Old Madam, there’s no need for the trouble. These dishes are already more than enough.”

Xu Nian studied Mo Bai thoughtfully—so, the one who doesn’t eat ginger is someone else, huh?

In the end, neither of the two dishes Xu Nian had prepared were eaten at the table. Mo Bai packed them all into food containers and took them away.

Xu Nian watched this unfold in silence, feeling speechless. Why did she get the impression that Luo Jin’an’s personal guards weren’t very bright?

Meanwhile, Mo Zhu, Mo Yu, and Mo Bai—whose intelligence was now in question—felt inexplicably wronged: “……”