Transmigrated as A Farm Girl Making Her Family Rich

Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Being Mocked

Tang Shunyan was also panting, looking very smug as he hadn’t been caught by his cousin, chuckling and laughing all the while.

Mrs. Li watched the Young Master at play, standing to the side and watching intently without blinking an eye.

The weather in October was a bit chilly, and Tang Shunyan originally wore a brocade robe and a leopard skin cotton robe, which was just right for the weather. But when it was time to play, he took off the leopard skin cotton robe and handed it to Mrs. Li for safekeeping.

Tang Shunyan, running around in his cotton robe, already had a sweaty face and rosy cheeks. If he wasn’t playing, he would take off the cotton robe.

After his cousin caught another cousin, he became the thief and the newly caught cousin turned into the catcher.

Tang Shunyan seized the opportunity to take off his cotton robe.

...

Mrs. Li took out a handkerchief she had embroidered herself and wiped the Young Master’s sweat, reluctant to let the Young Master take off his thin clothes, thinking, what if he caught a cold?

“Wet nurse, I’m very hot now; I should take it off, shouldn’t I?” Tang Shunyan felt too hot. Usually, he wouldn’t wear such thick clothes, it was just October, and as a child who practiced martial arts, he didn’t feel too cold.

Mrs. Li could only nod helplessly, carefully holding the Young Master’s clothes, and making sure he didn’t get cold when he stopped running around.

The time for children’s play passed quickly. Tang Shunyan heard the housekeeper calling, telling them to follow the adults to eat.

Tang Shunyan and his cousin brothers agreed to play again next time they had the chance. @@novelbin@@

He resolved that next time he saw his cousin and cousin brothers, he would definitely compare martial arts skills with them.

Mrs. Li dressed the Young Master in his cotton clothes again and carefully wiped off his sweat.

Jufeng, who was by the young madam’s side, came over and said to Mrs. Li and maid Mei Zhi:

“The young madam said, the Young Master doesn’t need to go to the restaurant to eat. They’ve already sent back ten tables worth of food and wine. The Young Master and the young madam will eat in the courtyard.”

Mrs. Li might have guessed that the young madam was pregnant and couldn’t go to the restaurant, so they had some dishes prepared in their own courtyard. Of course, the main family members would eat here.

The housekeepers might have the meals cooked by the mansion’s chef, and today would probably be extra sumptuous?

“Oh,” Tang Shunyan heard that he couldn’t go out to the restaurant to eat, but he didn’t protest.

They followed Jufeng to the main hall courtyard outside. Ten tables had been set up with food and drink for some of the main guests attending Mr. Tang’s birthday celebration.

Mrs. Li stood beside the Young Master, dressed him in his robe again, and carefully helped him with his food.

Sitting at the table with Tang Shunyan were children of a few years old, boys and girls, all relatives of the family. Those under seven years old did not separate seating.

Normally, they were supposed to sit with the elders, but today was special. The children liked sitting with other children, and each had maids or wet nurses helping them with food.

“Are you Tang Shunyan?” A little girl around the age of two or three, looking like a delicate doll, might have remembered Tang Shunyan’s name from the elders’ constant chattering around her. She wore a pink brocade dress, embroidered with lotus flowers.

“Hmm, who are you? I don’t remember seeing you before,” the Young Master responded.

Tang Shunyan eyed the proud little girl standing before him. He was taller than this girl, and she seemed even younger than him. Why would she remember his name?

“I am the granddaughter of the newly-appointed county magistrate, my name is Meng Zhaojun.” Meng Zhaojun blinked at Tang Shunyan.

“Meng Zhaojun, I’m delighted to meet you. I am the granddaughter from the younger brother’s family of Madam Tang, my name is Zhao Minjun. We both have the ‘jun’ character in our names—it must be fate,” Zhao Minjun said, her slender figure a bit over two years old, trying hard to give off a cheerful and lively expression. She wore a pink brocade dress, a different style from Meng Zhaojun’s, also decorated with embroidered flowers.

“So you’re a cousin from the doctor’s family. I don’t remember you, but it is a pleasure to meet you,” said Tang Xiyue, the cousin who had been playing games with Tang Shunyan earlier.

“Meng Zhaojun, is it? It’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is Royce, Tang Shunyan’s elder cousin.”

Some other children also introduced themselves.

Mrs. Li listened, and her thoughts couldn’t help drifting back home again. Her children were older than these children, and even her eldest daughter Daya didn’t have a name. Indeed, it was children from wealthy and official households who were mature beyond their years.

“Tang Shunyan, why do you smell like milk? You wouldn’t still be breastfed at over two years old, would you?” Meng Zhaojun looked sharply at Mrs. Li, smelled the milk scent on her, and giggled, noting the milky fragrance on Tang Shunyan as well.

The other children who knew the situation also laughed. It was normal for children of wealthy households to be breastfed until three or more years old.

Meng Zhaojun’s childlike candor indeed made Tang Shunyan’s face turn bright red.

“I…” Tang Shunyan was laughed at by a girl younger than her and, at a loss for words, could only look to Mrs. Li for help.

Mrs. Li, a countryside woman facing such astute and mature-minded little girls, feared offending them and could only say with a smile:

“Our Young Master loves milk-based foods, he needs to eat them to get enough nutrition to grow strong.”

“Oh, so you like dairy foods, huh? We have a milk goat at home that is milked every day. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone send some milk your way,” Meng Zhaojun said smartly, making a statement that left Tang Shunyan unable to respond, so she just nodded lightly.

“Then it’s settled, hehe, Tang Shunyan, I’ll come to visit your home, and later you should come to mine too.”

Tang Shunyan could only nod again.

“Meng Zhaojun, may I come to your home too?” Tang Xiyue followed up and asked.

“It’s a pity we’re going back to the Capital City tomorrow. Otherwise, I’d visit you too. Just so you know, we have a dairy cow at home,” Royce mentioned, not because he wanted goat’s milk; their estate also had a dairy cow.

Zhao Minjun also appeared equally regretful and added, “Our estate has dairy cows as well.”

“Does cow’s milk taste the same as goat’s milk?” Tang Shunyan was intrigued. His mother had always arranged wet nurses for him and had not given him cow’s or goat’s milk to drink.

Maid Mei Zhi shot a glance at Mrs. Li, this village woman who didn’t know how to speak. If the Young Master had enjoyed other kinds of milk, the Young Madam wouldn’t have hired her.

The Young Madam believed animal milk was less nutritious than human milk and feared it might make the Young Master sick.

“Young Master, cow’s milk and goat’s milk are not as nutritious as human milk, mainly because they’re too gamey. They need to have the gamey taste removed to be palatable,” she said.

“Hmm, then maybe I shouldn’t drink it,” Tang Shunyan looked at Mrs. Li, whom he liked the most.

“You… you’re not keeping your word. Didn’t you say you wanted to try goat’s milk?” Meng Zhaojun pouted at Tang Shunyan and ignored him.

Tang Shunyan touched his nose and bowed his head to eat his meal.

The other young lords and ladies seemed unaware of their quarrel and spoke a few words while eating.

After finishing his meal, Tang Shunyan, not minding his peers, took Mrs. Li’s hand. He was too tired from playing earlier and wanted to go back for a nap.

Mrs. Li directly picked up Tang Shunyan, seeing how sleepy he looked, fearing he might fall over if he walked.

Tang Shunyan fell asleep in Mrs. Li’s arms, and when he woke up, seeing Mrs. Li sitting by the bed, he normally would have thought about breastfeeding. But recalling Meng Zhaojun’s words, he held back the urge. Time to wean off milk!

Thinking about weaning, Tang Shunyan’s little heart ached.