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Chen Feng readily agreed, considering the offer to be very good. Furthermore, the individual had explicitly stated during the meal that they would assist in the future when needed.
There happened to be a few leftover steamed buns from the morning. She then invited Yang Mingyuan and the accompanying chef, Master Kang, to the kitchen to watch her prepare fine bran. She explained that using this fine bran not only made the fried lean meat delicious but also worked well for fried ribs, chicken wings, chicken legs, meatballs, shrimp, fish fillets, and more. However, she emphasized that one should not use the wings and legs of an old hen, as no matter how they were fried, they wouldn’t turn out tender.
Additionally, she stressed the importance of tenderizing the meat with the back of a knife to ensure it absorbed the flavors and remained tender when eaten.
Subsequently, she used fine sugar to create the golden tender meat.
Yang Mingyuan handed Chen Feng sixty taels of silver, saying, “You can make this dish for yourselves to enjoy, but please, never reveal the secrets to others.” He reiterated, “Those of us in business have often shown our respects to the officials. If your family ever encounters any issues, you can come to the county town and find me.”
Chen Feng expressed her gratitude once again. She then took out the set of small clothes she had made for Yang Qian. Similar to the set she made for Luo Mei, the only difference was that the crimson color had been replaced with begonia red.
She smiled and said, “I know Mr. Yang’s family is wealthy, and the children don’t lack clothes. But little Qian is adorable, so I made her a set of small clothes. Please don’t find it lacking.”
Yang Mingyuan quickly replied, “Ms. Chen is skillful with her hands. The doll you made for my Qian last time, she adores it so much, she even holds it while sleeping. Thank you.”
After seeing off Yang Mingyuan and his children, Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang then took Luo Ming Cheng and Luo Mei to Tangyuan. Along the way, they brought a large bowl of braised meat, as Luo Xiao had mentioned their family’s fondness for the unique braised flavors at Xile Restaurant. Additionally, they also sent a jar of Xiaoyuanchun wine brought by Yang Mingyuan.
This time, Yang Mingyuan sent two jars of Xiaoyuanchun wine, two packs of snacks, two packs of sweets, and also a set of writing and painting tools as a gift, which was quite generous.
Chen Feng speculated that the generous gift was not only due to the children getting along well but also, in part, a compensation for the osmanthus glutinous rice jujubes they had made. This time, he had directly given sixty taels of silver without proposing a formal agreement. Such a generous and fair-minded merchant was a rarity, whether in this life or the previous.
Upon returning home, the sun had already set. Sitting in the eastern room of the old courtyard, the family laughed heartily, no longer fearing Hu Laowu’s schemes. That shameless villain was a bully who preyed on the weak but feared the strong.
Fortunately, they had managed to establish good relations with the Luo family and Mr. Yang, otherwise not only would the two parrots have been in danger, but there would have been endless future troubles.
Chen Feng handed Chen Ming a ten-tael silver ingot, but Chen Ming shook his head, refusing. However, Chen Feng insisted and placed it in his hand.
They had a simple meal of rice porridge and side dishes that evening.
After dinner, Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang went to the main branch, taking with them a packet of snacks and a jar of Xiaoyuanchun wine sent by Yang Mingyuan. Although it was Luo Xiao who had settled the matter with Hu Laowu, Chen Ming could tell that his brother, Chen Ye, was feeling embarrassed.
Chen Feng said, “Dad, keep this jar of wine for yourself.”
Chen Ming shook his head and said, “Your uncle enjoys this, and your grandmother and Chen Gui can drink it too.”
Not long after they left, the adults brought their children who had bullied Dabao to apologize at the Chen household. These adults were fond of taking advantage of others. Hu Laowu had given them some benefits and allowed their children to bully Dabao.
Although aware that Hu Laowu was the mastermind behind this, Chen Feng couldn’t contain her anger upon seeing the boys who had directly bullied Dabao.
She pointed at them sternly and scolded, “If you dare to bully my Dabao again, I don’t care what it takes, I won’t let you off. Whichever hand hits him, I’ll chop off that hand. Don’t believe me? Try it.”
Chen Feng’s fierceness was well-known in the village, leaving the children too frightened to dare anything further, and the adults threatening to confine the kids.
When Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang returned, they mentioned that Hu’s face was somewhat swollen, probably from a beating by Chen Ye the previous night. Today, she was unusually honest, repeatedly explaining that she indeed had no knowledge of Hu Laowu’s involvement in those two misdeeds.
Chen Feng felt a sense of relief upon hearing this. Although she never approved of men using violence, women like Hu could only be kept in check through force. Moreover, by openly assaulting the reputation of the Chen family, Hu also attacked Chen Ye’s pride, making it impossible for him to ignore her during this time.
Chen Feng chuckled, “Did Uncle inquire about our business dealings with Mr. Yang?”
Chen Ming replied, “He did…”
Chen Ye asked Mr. Yang about their business situation. Chen Ming mentioned that Mr. Yang took a liking to the dishes Chen Feng prepared, bought the recipe, and, without asking specifics, made a purchase.
He also added, “I also said that…A’Feng is already self-sufficient, and the money she earns belongs to her. I told her to save and buy some land, so she and her son can have a better life in the future. But A’Feng is a filial child and wants to show us respect.”
Mrs. Hu sneered, expressing disbelief, glanced at Chen Ye, but still remained silent.
Chen Ming openly apologized to Chen Ye for keeping their brother in the dark.
Chen Feng remarked, “Dad did the right thing. This isn’t keeping secrets, everyone has their privacy, some things aren’t even shared with parents. Remember Uncle’s feelings and ensure a better future for our family.”
In the blink of an eye, it was early September, and Mrs. Hu rarely visited, allowing the second branch to enjoy peaceful days.
In two days, they were going to the capital city. The commotion caused by the “Gold Theft” had now subsided. Chen Feng planned to take out a few gemstones and sell them at the silver shop to buy more acres of land.
In ancient times, owning land was the only way to feel secure and not worry about going hungry.
The urgency to buy land had an undisclosed reason. A month ago, Chen Feng took some cucumber seeds into her space for a day before planting them in the field. When the cucumbers matured, they were larger than usual and had a better taste.
Chen Feng was secretly thrilled, the space was proving to be quite useful. Although she couldn’t grow crops or medicinal herbs inside, the spiritual energy inside could nurture seeds. She wanted to conduct more experiments. If she could cultivate good seeds, she would buy more land to grow grains and fruits.
With this cheat, her goal wasn’t just to become a small landowner, becoming a large landowner was within reach.
That night, after Dabao fell asleep, Chen Feng slipped into the space.
The fragrance inside the space had become even richer. The golden swallow building its house needed to eat the leaves of the agarwood tree regularly. At that moment, it was so engrossed in building its golden house that it didn’t pay attention to her.
Chen Feng didn’t disturb it but tidied up the remaining bits of gold and gems from its construction.
Besides gold, there were three rubies, three pearls, two emeralds, two sapphires, three beautifully carved jade stones with birds and flowers, and astonishingly, two diamonds, totaling fifteen pieces. Although these gemstones couldn’t compare to those set in the golden house, they were already quite valuable.