Full House Spring

Chapter 22 Carved Preserves
Chan Yi was just raising her hand to hang up the curtain, but when she heard Xia Li's words, she paused slightly, then bent down to tidy up the bed.

The old lady raised her lips and showed appreciation. She said calmly, "You are a sincere person. If you don't know something, just study hard. No one is born knowing everything."

Xia Li thought so too. When she saw Shi Mi coming forward to comb the old lady's hair, she took a step back.

Maybe it was because she slept so well last night, but the old lady was in a good mood to chat. She said jokingly, "If you can learn 70% to 80% of your grandma's skills, it will be enough for your whole life."

Xia Li's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked, "Really? Please tell me what skills grandma has."

Aunt Xie scolded Xia Li in a low voice, "Don't mess around with the old lady."

Xia Li said with eager eyes and a little disappointment: "Grandma, you are so secretive, don't you want to teach me?"

The old lady followed up with a smile: "That's right, Xia Li is such a smart girl, can't she inherit your legacy?"

Aunt Xie raised her eyelids and said seriously:

"I only have her as my granddaughter. If she wants to learn, I will teach her with all my heart. But now is not the time to talk about these things. I will go to the kitchen to see if the breakfast is ready."

Xia Li looked at her leaving figure, puffed up his cheeks, and sighed like a little adult: "Grandma is always thinking about the old lady. Your words are more effective than an imperial decree."

The old lady was amused by her words and scolded her, "Don't say that outside. Your grandma and I have been together until we grow old. We have been inseparable for a long time. You will understand this kind of friendship when you grow up."

Xia Li nodded obediently, pursed her lips and smiled, "While grandma is away, you should find out what she can do."

Shi Mi took out a pearl hairpin from the mother-of-pearl lacquerware jewelry box and inserted it into the old lady's hair. The old lady then took the Three Plenty of Fortune and Longevity and inserted it on the right side of her hair. She looked in the mirror and said cheerfully:

"Your grandma can make perfume, brew tea, play chess, and is also good at embroidery. It's just that she's old now and her eyesight isn't very good."

Xia Li sighed, "I didn't know that grandma had so many skills. I will definitely learn from her when I have some free time."

The old lady raised her hand to straighten her clothes and said in a deep voice:

"They say that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. I think the more you are trapped in the inner house, the more you should read to enrich yourself. Being a girl is hard enough. If you don't fight hard to make a name for yourself, you will just be at the mercy of others. You are a smart child. It's never wrong to learn more and see more."

Xia Li's expression was slightly restrained. She stood up straight and said with a serious face: "Thank you for your teachings, old lady. I will definitely not let you down."

The old lady didn't expect Xia Li to be so smart. She turned her head and smiled, not taking it too seriously. Xia Li's humble background had already doomed her to a limited height...

Nanny Xie led the maids into the house to set the table. Xia Li stepped back consciously. The old lady ate little in the morning, so the breakfast was not extravagant. In addition to the staple food and a few side dishes, there was also a plate of peeled and juicy green grapefruit.

The old lady took a bite of the crab meat bun, pointed at the green pomelo on the porcelain plate, and asked Aunt Xie: "Why are there still green pomeloes sent from the south?"

Aunt Xie bent down to serve the dishes while whispering, "This green pomelo can be stored for a few more days, so we sent a little more. You are prone to internal heat in autumn, so eating more will be good for your health."

The old lady said calmly, "This thing is probably not worth much in the south, so they sent so many. I can't finish it. You can give some to the maids in the yard to taste. It would be a pity if it went bad."

Aunt Xie would advise the old lady in private, but she would never disobey her orders in public. She said in a deep voice, "I'll do it later. I've specially picked out the good fruit pulp. It tastes sweet. Please try some."

The master and servant understood each other well, and could guess each other's intentions without saying many words. The old lady couldn't resist Madam Xie, so she took a bite after all.

She turned around and saw Xia Li standing there obediently without moving. She smiled at Madam Xie and asked, "Have you set a date for the recognition party?"

Aunt Xie shook her head. "Xia Li just came back and hasn't finished his work yet. Let's not rush this matter."

The old lady frowned and said, "You are really pedantic. This task is endless. We will figure it out sooner or later. But the recognition wine is a big deal. The sooner we do it, the less trouble we will have. What do you think, Xia Li?"

Xia Li had no objection. She said obediently, "I will listen to Grandma. She is my grandmother no matter whether we hold the wedding or not. We will respect her well in the future. The recognition wine is just a formality."

Aunt Xie was very pleased with what she said, and the old lady was also quite satisfied. She pondered and said:

"Your grandma has taken care of me all her life and even delayed her own life. I will not let her have no place to live in her later years. It is better to do it today than today. Let's schedule the family recognition banquet for the day after tomorrow. Let the kitchen prepare the banquet and put it on my account."

A trace of warmth flashed in Madam Xie's eyes, and she said in a hoarse voice: "Thank you for your grace, Master. I am really grateful that you still care about this little thing of mine..."

Xia Li also quickly expressed her gratitude: "Thank you for your grace, old lady. I will definitely treat this matter with all my heart."

The old lady's eyes were full of smiles, and she said casually:

"How would you, a child, know these things? There are so many servants in the courtyard. Your grandma can just give the order. You just need to wait for the tea."

Xia Li had no memory of her original self, nor did she understand the rules here. She looked up at Aunt Xie and said:

"I just made a jacquard satin long coat for grandma to wear in winter. I plan to give it to her on the day of the family reunion party. But I don't know the rules. Is this gift too little? What else should I prepare according to the rules?"

The old lady and Aunt Xie smiled at each other. Aunt Xie said softly, "You don't have to prepare anything. Just having this intention is enough. I don't lack anything."

Xia Li said seriously: "Grandma, what you have is earned by yourself. How can it be the same as my filial piety?"

The old lady smiled and said, "You have a point. Just do what you want. There is no precedent for this matter. You can do whatever you want."

Xia Li understood what was going on. After serving the old lady her breakfast, Aunt Xie took Xia Li to process the green pomelo.

Xia Li was amazed when she saw the green grapefruits piled up like a mountain in the warehouse. Nanny Xie picked out the juicy and sweet ones for the old lady, and gave the rest to the maids. Even the third-rank maids got one each, so that they could all taste the sweetness.

Even after such distribution, there was still a lot left. The old lady gave it all to Madam Xie and asked all the maids to move into Madam Xie's room. There was no way Madam Xie could eat so much, so she gave it all to Xia Li.

Xia Li thought about it for a while and decided to make the green pomelo into a carved candied fruit and seal it for storage. It would have a special flavor when eaten in winter.

She had lived in Jingzhou for a while and learned the unique craft of carving food with scimitars from the local Dong women. This time she put her knowledge into practice. Aunt Xie let her do what she wanted and did not stop her. Green pomelo was precious in the eyes of others, but ordinary in her eyes. If she could bring out greater value, it would be the best thing.

After Xia Li got off work, she went to process the green pomelo. This thing could not be stored for long, so she first went to Aunt Xie to find two ceramic jars. There was no stove in the room, so she had to go to the small kitchen to ask Qiao He for help.

Xia Li is no longer in the same situation as when she first entered the mansion. She has shown her face in front of the old lady and is quite liked by her. The maids in Le Shou Hall have all heard about this. Even if Madam Lu no longer likes her, it is not easy for her to deliberately find fault with her.

Qiaohe had work to do in the kitchen and was too busy to help her, so Xiali washed the pomelo herself. She carefully scraped off the green skin on the surface, then cut it into slices for carving.

This scalpel was specially made by her at a blacksmith shop while she was recuperating in the back alley. She always liked to tinker with little gadgets, so she always had to have all kinds of tools ready, so she used it right away.

Xia Li planned to carve a simple magpie and plum blossoms to practice. She hadn't done it for a long time and her hands were not very good at it. But there were plenty of green pomeloes, so she didn't mind if the carving was messed up. She was carving with the scimitar enthusiastically when she heard Madam Lu's voice suddenly in her ears.

"You can actually eat eagles? You are quite capable at such a young age. Who taught you this?"

Xia Li's hands were very steady. Even though she was startled, the petals she was carving were not damaged at all. She rolled her eyes at Madam Lu and said nonchalantly, "I forgot. I learned this from someone when I was a kid."

Madam Lu rolled her eyes, squatted down and said with a smile:
"I see that you are so good at food carving, you are a good candidate to be a chef. Why don't you become my apprentice? I will teach you the cooking skills, and combined with your food carving skills, you will definitely achieve extraordinary success."

Xia Li removed the excess part of the carving and said calmly:

"Thank you for your appreciation, Madam Lu, but I am interested in too many things and I have work to do. How can I stay in the small kitchen as an apprentice all day? You should choose someone else. Qiao He is a good candidate. She is down-to-earth, hardworking and reliable."

Madam Lu curled her lips in disdain and said mercilessly: "Forget it, she is just a wooden fish head. It would be strange if she could learn it."

Xia Li had eaten the dishes cooked by Qiao He. Although they were not very delicious, they were not bad considering her age. It seemed that Madam Lu was deliberately belittling her, so Xia Li simply ignored her.

Mrs. Lu was a rough person. She didn't know how to read people's faces. When Xia Li didn't say anything, she went up to him and asked, "What are you going to do by carving this pomelo?"

Xia Li did not hide it and said frankly: "We can't finish it, and it's a pity to throw it away, so we just make it into carved candied fruit."

Madam Lu had never heard of this name before. She stared at him and said, "This is not how candied fruit is made. Are you trying to trick me?"

Xia Li raised his eyelids and said calmly, "What good would it be for me to lie to you? There is more than one way to make candied fruit. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Madam Lu always felt that Xia Li was being weird, so she continued to ask, "When will this be ready? Can I have a taste of it?"

Xia Li chuckled and said, "This carved candied fruit needs to be sealed and stored for a period of time after being pickled. It will be delicious when enjoyed in winter."

When Madam Lu heard this, she stopped thinking and stood up and said, "Then I can't taste it today. When the time is right, I'll open the jar and take it. You can give me some more."

Xia Li was not stingy. She smiled and said, "That's no problem. If I want to come up with something new in the future, Madam Lu can just lend me the kitchen."

It would be a good thing for her to have a good relationship with Xia Li. Madam Lu nodded like pounding garlic and said with a smile: "That's easy to say. You just have to share a share of the good stuff you make."

Xia Li said straightforwardly: "It's a deal. I will use the kitchen after I finish my shift and will not delay your work."

Madam Lu nodded slightly and said calmly, "Okay, then you go ahead and do your work. I'll leave first."

No one was making noise around him, and Xia Li became more and more adept at using the scalpel in his hand. After a while, the magpie making trouble for the plum blossoms was carved vividly. Xia Li was very satisfied with the finished product.

After Qiao He finished her work and came over to see it, she also loved it very much. However, she couldn't help with the carving, so Xia Li simply sent her back to rest. Most of the work in the small kitchen requires physical effort, and if she doesn't get enough sleep, her body won't be able to bear it.

The two of them had a close relationship, so there was no need for false courtesy. Qiao He was so tired that her whole body ached, so she didn't force herself. She told Xia Li to leave, locked the kitchen door, and went back.

Xia Li worked alone until the hour of Hai to finish all the carved candied fruits. He just had to wait until the next day to take them out to dry and then seal them up.

She walked back slowly, holding a bamboo basket in one hand and a lantern in the other. In the past, she often worked until late at night and drove home alone. She did not feel scared, but lived a fulfilling life. She might be the kind of person who could not sit still.

After entering the house, she lit the candle with a tinder, then spread the carved candied fruit on a bamboo plate. Just as she was about to get some hot water to wash up, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and a young woman with blood all over her head and disheveled clothes rushed in.

Xia Li immediately raised the scimitar and said viciously, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into Leshou Hall? Do you want to die?"

Xiao Fengxian'er was also terrified. She closed the door first, turned around, knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Young lady, please don't scream. I am Xiao Fengxian'er, the actress raised in the mansion. I am not a bad person..."

Xia Li's brows were solemn, and he said in a cold voice: "You are a member of the mansion, so you should know the rules. If you don't tell the truth, I will call the guards to arrest you and execute you on the spot."

The blood on Xiao Fengxian'er's forehead flowed down. She said weakly:
"Girl, I was chased here by the Second Master's men. He...wanted to do something indecent to me...I could do nothing..."

She was so sad that she couldn't stop crying. Xia Li frowned and said indifferently, "Then what's the point of you hiding in Leshou Hall?"

Xiao Fengxian'er choked up and said, "I want to ask the old lady to make the decision for me. Although I am just an actor, it is not right for me to force others to submit."

Xia Li heard some noise coming from outside and kindly reminded: "Since the Second Master is forcing you, how can you be sure that the old lady will make the decision for you?"

Xiao Fengxian'er said with a sad face, "I have no way out. If the old lady doesn't make the decision for me, then it is my fate...but...I have an unreasonable request."

Xia Li said cautiously: "I am just a maid in the mansion. I can hardly protect myself, so I can't help you."

Xiao Fengxian hurriedly took out a handkerchief from her bosom and explained as she opened it:

"I don't ask for anything else. These gold-wrapped earrings are my late mother's relics. One is with me and the other is with my brother. If I meet with any misfortune this time, I hope you can help me keep this token and wait for my brother to come and recognize him on my behalf. If I am lucky enough to survive, you can return it to me..."

Xiao Fengxian'er's eyes were full of pleading. Although Xia Li didn't want to get involved in other people's karma, he couldn't say no.

(End of this chapter)