strictlysupreme Chapter 87 Warm Current
Chapter 87 Warm Current
In the past few months, Hua'er sent a letter, apologizing to Zisu on behalf of her mother. After that, there was no further news. It seems that she has been severely suppressed by the Second Madam and dares not write to her anymore. Or perhaps, her letters have all been intercepted by the Second Madam.
However, that little girl Yue'er had exchanged several letters with her. Even the Princess had written her a letter and entrusted Li Mao, who delivered vegetables to the Good Days Restaurant, to bring her many gifts. Those gifts included fabrics, jewelry, writing brushes, ink, paper, and even a few decorative items.
These gifts were all of the highest quality, yet not excessive, perfectly befitting the status of a typical daughter of an official. Moreover, five sets of these gifts were prepared each time, one for each master residing at Xiaoshitan.
The princess showed consideration for both the elderly and young children. It was clear that she had put a lot of thought into it, giving Zisu jewelry, a box of various ordinary palace flowers, and some floral hairpins, which Zisu could use to give to her close friends in the village.
They even gave a whole box full of silver peanuts and gold beans.
Looking at the silver peanuts and golden beans, Zisu felt a warm current surge through her heart, and her depression dissipated considerably.
The belief that good deeds are rewarded still resides in her heart.
Zisu replied to the princess, warmly inviting the princess and Yue'er to stay at Xiaoshitan for a few days. She said that she would take them to the mountains to pick bayberries, gather bamboo leaves for making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), see the sunflower fields, and make them a novel dish.
"Your Highness, the residence I specially built for the young princess is now filled with fragrance, just waiting for the arrival of the princess and the young princess! If the flowers are willing, please come along too!" Zisu extended a warm invitation at the end of the letter.
She didn't want to give up on the powerful Princess, especially since her uncle still needed the Princess and her husband's protection in the court. Without a background or support, her uncle would easily be suppressed in officialdom, even framed and slandered, ultimately leading to a miserable end.
Having been given a second chance at life, she would gladly pay the price, even with her life, for the sake of her beloved family's peaceful and joyful lives. Not to mention, she would gladly appease the kind-hearted princess! As for Hua'er, the child was innocent and had a deep bond with her. She would welcome her if she wished to come.
Upon receiving Zisu's letter, the Princess immediately replied, telling Zisu, "Ten days from now, I will take Yue'er to Wuliping. I don't know yet whether Hua'er will go. Tomorrow, I will talk to Hua'er and see what she thinks."
Grandma exclaimed in surprise, "The Princess is really coming?" The dignified Princess is coming to live in this rural place? It sounds so unreal!
Zisu chuckled and said, "Grandma, there's no need to be so surprised. The Princess is very approachable, much more amiable and easier to get along with than the ladies of wealthy families! Don't overthink it. Just treat her like a relative visiting, provide her with good food and drink, and give her a warm welcome!"
Madam Yu: "Yes, Mother, I've often heard people say that the Princess is a very good person. Just listen to Zisu and don't be so nervous."
Even so, Madam Yu herself was actually quite nervous. The dignified Princess Chang! She had never imagined she would have the opportunity to get so close to her. Back when she was a Marquis's wife, she had attended several palace banquets, but had only ever seen the Princess from afar. At that time, she truly felt that the Princess was unattainable.
Zisu began arranging for people to give the thatched cottage a thorough cleaning, meticulously cleaning every corner. The stone floor was even washed with water, and the flowers, plants, and trees in the courtyard were carefully trimmed.
That day, she took pears and cherries and went deep into the mountains to search for zongzi leaves. She had been to the mountains countless times before, but had never found any. This time, she changed her direction, turning left onto the mountain path at the fork in the road.
In the past, she always took the mountain path on the right. This was because the forest along the right-hand path was adjacent to the small hill near Xiaoshitan, a mountain that the villagers of Wuliping often frequented. The mountain path on the left, on the other hand, led to a truly remote and untouched mountain, usually only frequented by hunters.
Zisu brought a bow and arrows, as well as a dagger and a machete, making thorough preparations. Even so, the three of them were still a little uneasy and were very cautious along the way.
Cherry led the way, perilla walked in the middle, and fragrant pears brought up the rear.
This is what cherries and pears insist on.
Zisu was quite touched. Every time she went into the mountains, whether it was to harvest pears or cherries, she always put herself in danger and prioritized her safety above all else.
Such loyal maids warmed Zisu's heart. She secretly vowed that once they turned eighteen, she would release them from their bonds and find them good men to marry.
The three wandered through the deep mountains for half a day before arriving at a beautiful valley, where wildflowers bloomed and fruits filled the air with fragrance. Every now and then, pheasants and rabbits would leap out of the grass.
On the hillside, a large patch of familiar plants came into Zisu's view.
These are the bamboo leaves for making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), covering the entire hillside!
Zisu couldn't help but cheer: "Found it, those are the zongzi leaves!"
These bamboo leaves are a wonderful thing. Zisu saw them in a colorful picture book in her dream; they're used for wrapping zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and can also be used to make bamboo hats. Zisu had also seen bamboo hats made from bamboo leaves in the picture book.
Alright, they found the bamboo leaves for making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). The three of them put down their baskets and happily began picking them. After searching for so long, they were naturally overjoyed to finally find them.
Xiangli, in particular, had been extremely worried throughout the search, fearing they might encounter a tiger or a lion. What would she say to the madam if something happened to her young mistress?
Fragrant Pear darted up the hillside and began picking the fruit with lightning speed, faster than anyone else. Perilla and Cherry, not without their worries about encountering wild animals, also sped up their picking. In no time, all three baskets were full.
"Alright, girl, let's go back!" Xiangli said with a smile as she looked at the full basket.
Zisu looked around and spotted a clump of vines. She said, "We've come all this way and walked so far, we should pick as much as we can to take back! There are some vines over there, let's use them to tie some up and take them home!"
Xiangli shook her head helplessly and stopped talking, her hands quickly picking the bamboo leaves for making zongzi. Yingtao then pulled a bunch of vines, placed them in front of her basket, and also quickly picked bamboo leaves.
The perilla leaves, of course, were also busy picking.
Before long, a large pile of zongzi leaves was stacked next to the basket.
Zisu smiled and said, "Alright, that's enough. Tie the bamboo leaves into three bundles, and let's hurry back!"
To be honest, she was a little scared of this remote place.
If it weren't for the need to develop the recipe for zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and then sell it to the Good Days Restaurant for a windfall, she would never have taken this risk. Her younger brother was only three years old, her father was still missing, and her uncle was constantly in danger of being targeted. Without a substantial sum of money, she wouldn't feel at ease, and she couldn't even sleep well!
Besides selling the secret recipe to the Good Days Restaurant, she also wanted to curry favor with the Princess, as she couldn't easily give up this powerful backer. Whether her uncle could be promoted or secure his position as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review depended heavily on the Princess.
If the eldest princess were willing to lend a hand, her uncle's career would be much smoother. At least those who wanted to suppress him wouldn't dare to go too far, right? If her uncle's career went smoothly and he was safe and sound, she, her mother, and her brother would have someone to rely on. And her elderly grandmother and her sensible and adorable little cousin could also live a happy life.
For my uncle, for my family, and for peaceful and joyful days, Zisu felt it was worth taking the risk!
As the sun set, Madam Yu, along with Han Ge'er and Yi Ge'er, waited under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village.
With her daughter not returning for a long time, Mrs. Yu was very worried.
The two little ones sensed her unease and anxiety, and were exceptionally well-behaved. They didn't cry or fuss, but stood obediently on either side of her, gazing together at the end of the path leading into the mountains.
When Zisu and her two companions came into view, Madam Yu was stunned: at first glance, her daughter looked like a woodcutter, with a large basket on her back and a bunch of things slung diagonally over her right shoulder.
Han Ge'er and Yi Ge'er ran forward, shouting as they ran, "Sister, we're here to help you with your things!"
"Little brother, be careful not to fall, don't run so fast!" Zisu quickly put the basket and the bundle of zongzi leaves on the ground, squatted down, and opened her arms to the two little ones who were running towards her.
"Sister, why are you only coming back now? We've been waiting for you for so long!" The two little ones came running over and jumped into Zisu's arms at the same time, rubbing against her and acting cute.
"Sister went to a very far place, so she came back late!" Zisu explained with a smile, taking out a handful of wild fruits from the small cloth bag at her waist: "Sister brought back some wild fruits, you can take them to the stream to wash them, they're very delicious!"
Zisu glanced at the stream on her left and nodded in satisfaction. The stream was very clean, clear, and sweet; many families in the village used it to fetch water.
"Okay! Thank you, sister!" The two brothers each took five or six wild fruits and ran towards the stream. After squatting down by the stream to wash the wild fruits clean, they quickly ran back.
Yi-ge put one in his mouth, chewed it a few times, and immediately beamed with joy: "Sister, you eat it, it's so sweet!" He held a wild fruit to Zisu's lips.
Zisu chuckled and opened her mouth wide, letting out an exaggerated "ah-woo" as she popped the wild fruit into her mouth. She then praised him, "What a good little brother you are!"
Not to be outdone, Han Ge'er also offered her a wild fruit: "Sister, I have a big, black one here, you can have it!"
"Okay, Han-ge'er is so good, I like him very much!" Zisu said, and then exaggeratedly let out a "woof", almost putting Han-ge'er's finger into her mouth.
"Hehe, sister, this is so much fun!" Han Ge'er chuckled.
Yi Ge'er laughed along, his cheerful laughter echoing in the quiet little mountain village, startling a flock of birds into flight.
The little bird fluttered its wings, soared over the tall treetops, and flew into the mountains and forests.
That picture book explained in detail how to make zongzi. Zisu followed the instructions in the book and pondered for three days before finally succeeding in making zongzi.
After taking a bite of the alkaline rice dumpling, Ms. Yu exclaimed, "Mmm, it's very good, even better than rice cake!"
Grandma took a bite of the red date rice dumpling and said happily, "Zisu is such a clever and skillful child; she can even come up with such delicious food!"
This time, all the zongzi were wrapped in small bamboo leaves, each one small and exquisite. One is enough for an adult to finish in one bite.
Zisu: "If you like, try a couple more and see which one tastes best."
Grandma: "Okay, I know. With such good food, even if you hadn't told me, I would have eaten a couple more."
Yi-ge and Han-ge especially liked it and ate several in a row.
Zisu: "Alright, stop eating. Eating too many zongzi is hard to digest!"
Shangguan Yi: "No, I want to eat more. I haven't tried red bean paste yet!" He especially loves red bean paste, and he won't stop eating until he's tasted it.
Yu Han also said, "I want to eat more too! I want another one with alkaline water!"
Zisu got angry: "You're not allowed to eat anymore! You've all eaten several already. If you eat any more, you'll have stomach aches in the middle of the night!"