Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 109: Chapter 110: Small Gift, Deep Affection_1 Chapter 109: Chapter 110: Small Gift, Deep Affection_1 Muniang pinched Hongsheng’s cheek, “Don’t worry, you’ll still get to eat meat every day.”

With that, Hongsheng broke into a delighted smile.

“Uncle, Auntie is really not having an easy time. For the sake of the children, she would rather starve herself. When you do make money in the future, no matter what you think, you should remember Auntie’s hard work first.”

What Muniang was saying was very subtle, she actually didn’t want Qiao Yuanming to allow Madam Liu’s hard-earned money to be completely fooled away by the elders when the time came.

Qiao Yuanming seemed to understand, his face flushed red, and he responded, “Ah.”

After all, Muniang was the younger generation, and it was not her place to say too much about other people’s family affairs, so she stopped there and enthusiastically asked Mrs. Fang to serve tea, and also brought some pastries for the kids, thus steering the conversation away.

“But why leave such a big yard empty? If it were me, I’d grow some vegetables or something; you could have some fresh veggies to eat,” Qiao Yuanming advised practically.

Muniang laughed and said, “I just haven’t had the time to get around to it yet. I’ll take care of it slowly.” And sure enough, Muniang really intended to set aside a corner of the yard to grow vegetables. It would be nice to grow something on her own for consumption. The farmland they had didn’t grow vegetables; it was all for making money.

Muniang also invited the craftsmen like Zeng Gang over, considering it a celebration banquet for the completion of their work. It was good to have everyone gather and enjoy the festivity, with a separate table set just for them.

The banquet in the heated room began amid lively chatter. Everyone had already experienced Muniang’s cooking; the dishes were plentiful and delicious. Even if you were stuffed, you couldn’t finish it all. In the past, when attending a feast, everyone had to fight to get more food into their bowls, fearing that a moment of inattention would leave them with no food. Now, there was no need to worry, and they could eat freely and generously.

While Muniang was busy, she saw Hong Luo rushing in: “Lady, there are distinguished guests outside, looking for you.”

Muniang frowned. Distinguished guests? Who could it be?

Muniang didn’t delay. She told Er Liang to continue drinking with the men from the village while she went outside to see who it was.

As soon as she stepped out, she was startled. Wasn’t that Wu Haoli’s flamboyant carriage?

Made of red sandalwood with golden silk threads, and the two horses in front were obviously extraordinary, as if he was afraid others wouldn’t know he was wealthy.

“What are you doing here?” Muniang was at a loss for words.

Wu Haoli straightened his clothing and jumped down from the carriage: “I’m here for the warm banquet, and I’ve even brought you a casual gift.”

With a gesture, a servant hurried a carriage over to Muniang. He opened the curtain in a pleasing manner, and to her amazement, the carriage was full of treasures. Was this spendthrift kicked in the head by a donkey?

Muniang’s eyes lit up: “All these are for me?”

Wu Haoli, amused by her greedy look, said, “Yes, aren’t you going to invite me in for a meal?”

Muniang twitched her mouth, but still said, “Mr. Wu, this gift is too generous. We are frugal people just getting by. I’m afraid we won’t be able to reciprocate such a favor.”

Wu Haoli waved his hand grandly: “It’s the thought that counts, my friend. Why fuss over these details?!”

That’s the phrase I was waiting for!

Muniang instantly flashed a brilliant smile, “Mr. Wu, please come inside quickly!”

Who would refuse money when it’s offered? And when there’s no need to repay, Muniang suddenly realized that having a wealthy friend wasn’t a bad thing at all.

Wu Haoli curved his lips slightly and strode inside.

Muniang didn’t really have him sit down with the villagers to eat. She was worried that the sudden presence of a rich young master scrambling for food at the same table as common folks might be too much for him to handle, so she led him straight to the west chamber of the house.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll bring you a few dishes shortly.”

As Muniang turned to leave the room, she ran into Erliang, “Why are you here? Perfect timing. Mr. Wu just arrived to join us for the house-warming feast. I’m about to prepare some dishes. Why don’t you go in and keep him company so he doesn’t get bored?”

Erliang was initially upset at the sight of Wu Haoli, but Muniang’s offhand remark immediately lightened his mood. He chuckled, taking her tone as a sign that she didn’t really consider the visitor important—a laugh escaped him.

“Alright, I’m on my way!”

Watching Erliang’s mood suddenly improve left Muniang a bit puzzled. She touched her nose and turned towards the kitchen.

Now, the kitchen was exceptionally spacious, just as Muniang had instructed—big and roomy enough to accommodate many people. As she entered, everyone gathered around her.

“Muniang, the person you brought into the house just now, who is he? He seems to have quite the presence,” Mrs. Du said.

“He’s the rich financier from the east end of our village. I bought those thousand acres of good farmland from him. We got to know each other through those dealings. Seeing that we’re having a house-warming feast, he decided to join in the fun.”

As she spoke, Muniang rolled up her sleeves and approached the stove. She scooped a ladle of oil into the pan, which sizzled upon contact. She was preparing to cook a few of her signature dishes. The visitor had brought so many gifts, after all, and the least she could do was not let him down with the food.

“So it’s him. I’ve heard rumors—rumors that he’s a prodigal. It’s said he’s the one who drove Old Mr. Wu to his grave. Now, it’s even worse, he’s squandered all the Wu family’s assets. I reckon it won’t be long before he’s out on the streets begging in the cold north wind. Muniang, you’d best not get too involved with such a person, and you too, Erliang. Don’t get mixed up with him and end up led astray,” Mrs. Du was, after all, an elder with Muniang’s best interests at heart. She worried that the recently built-up family business might suffer.

However, Muniang just smiled, “Rest assured.”

The more Muniang thought about Mrs. Du’s words, the more she doubted them. Could this man truly be such a wastrel? To the point of angering his own father to death and ruining the Wu family’s fortune?

There was one thing Muniang could confirm without a doubt: this “prodigal” was probably a long way from begging in the cold north wind.

She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it any longer, and focused on cooking.

By the time Muniang brought the dishes in, she saw Erliang and Wu Haoli locked in a staring contest. “What are you doing? Let’s eat. Huskand, let’s not go out, and just eat here instead. Mr. Wu has come from afar, it wouldn’t be easy.”

This address of ‘husband’ swelled Erliang with immense pride, and he puffed out his chest, “Alright.”

Wu Haoli raised an eyebrow—these two seemed addicted to their little act. As for this Erliang, he couldn’t dig up any background on him. Either he truly had no background to speak of or his background was so powerful that even if the man himself were foolish, those hidden identities would be hard to uncover.

If it were the former, it might truly be possible for them to carry on this way for life. If it were the latter, Wu Haoli’s lips curled slightly. Should this man ever come to his senses, he would hardly give a second thought to this rural backwater. Wu Haoli instinctively felt that Erliang leaned more towards the latter possibility.

With this thought, Wu Haoli felt much more at ease and started to eat the dishes before him. He had long known that Muniang was the one providing Dongxing Building with delicacies, but he had never actually tasted Muniang’s cooking. Now that he had, he was mildly astonished. Over the years, he had seen much of the world, tasting various cuisines, even dishes from the imperial palace—he was not someone unaccustomed to fine dining.