Chapter 271 (2/2)

”That's the belly!” Madam Liu teased with a smile.

Yu Xiaocao patted her back and said, ”What about here? Isn't this the waist?”

”That's the back!” Madam Liu continued.

Yu Xiaocao pouted, ”Then where's my waist?”

”Children don't have a waist!” Madam Liu chuckled.

Looking at the unhappy face of the little girl, Yu Hai said, ”Alright, don't bully our daughter anymore. Make some more delicious food for lunch to give her a reception!”

Cao'er what do you want to eat? Mother will make it for you!” Madam Liu smiled as she looked at her daughter as if she couldn't see enough of her.

Yu Xiaocao went to the Zhenxiu Restaurant early in the morning. She took the fruit-scented roasted duck from the first batch of the roasted ducks. With a smile, she said, ”For lunch, I'll make duck three ways for everyone. I saw that there were clams in the water basin, so let's add spicy stir-fried clams and two random vegetable dishes.”

At this time, the sandworm and oyster collection business wasn't busy. Yu Jiang could handle the business by himself. Yu Hang had come over with a moment of leisure and looked at his little sister with a smile. He watched her take out a roasted duck from the oiled paper bag and a strong fragrance floated out.

”It smells so good! Isn't this the new fruit-scented roasted duck from Zhenxiu Restaurant? It's rumored that it's even more popular than when roasted chicken first came on the market. It's gotten to the point where it's hard to find a duck. Little Sister, was this fruit-scented roasted duck your recipe again?” Yu Hang sniffled and said in surprise.

Yu Xiaocao gave him a thumbs up and, with a proud expression, she said, ”Big Brother, you have good eyes! Correct, I taught them how to make fruit-scented roasted duck. We can earn five taels for each duck sold! When the end of the year bonus comes, just see!”

Yu Hang rubbed her head and said with a smile, ”Little Sister, you're just like a golden egg-laying hen in the stories. It makes me want to open your head and see what's in it.”

Yu Xiaocao pushed aside her big brother's hand on her head. She rolled her eyes and said, ”The result is the same as the story. It's not worth the loss!! Eh? Where's Oldest Paternal Aunt and Uncle?”

Yu Xiaocao had been back for a while, and it was quiet next door as if no one was there. There wasn't any need to ask about the corn now. In the original watermelon field, sweet potatoes were also planted. There wasn't any work in the fields, so what was Oldest Paternal Aunt's family doing?

Yu Hai took the roasted duck from his little daughter and took it to the kitchen. Hearing her question, he said, ”The village head has allocated a homestead for your aunt. Your uncle has found some people from the village. They are digging the foundation and making the sun-dried dirt bricks to get ready to build the house before the autumn harvest.”

After selling watermelon for more than a month, Liu Hu had also earned dozens of taels of silver. As soon as he and his wife thought it over, they decided to first build a two-roomed adobe houses to live in first. The rest of the money was saved to see if they could rent a shop in the town and do some small business. Liu Hu went to do odd jobs again, so his annual income was also enough to cover his family's food and daily expenditures.

After living at his brother-in-law's house for a few months, bad rumors were spread by someone in the village. The rumors said that Liu Hu's family relied on his younger brother-in-law to live and Yu Hai was supporting his elder sister's family, a family with a different surname. Yet, he didn't ask after the elderly in his family. It was clear who spread the rumor without any questions!

Liu Hu didn't want to cause his younger brother-in-law any trouble. As soon as he had some money, he decided to quickly build a house.

Yu Xiaocao listened and angrily said, ”Those rumors must've been spread by Madam Zhang or Li Guihua. Besides the two of them, who else has the free time to gossip about our family? They really do have a short memory. I think it's necessary to give Madam Zhang a reminder. We still have material on her on hand!”

Yu Hai sighed and said, ”Forget it! A young couple is each other's company in old age. For your grandfather's sake, don't get on the same level as Madam Zhang... By the way, your grandfather is sick, take a roast duck over and take a look at him!”

Yu Xiaocao wasn't happy. Grandfather was sick, and greasy things like a roasted duck shouldn't be eaten. If she took it over, it would just be given to Madam Zhang. She pouted and asked, ”What sickness does Grandfather have? Is it serious?”

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[1] Lao Laizi (老莱子) or Old Master Lai is a character from the 'The Twenty-Four Examples of Filial Piety'. He was known for being very filial to his parents. Even in middle age, he still dressed up in bright coloured clothes, played with toys, and behaved in a childish manner to amuse his parents and keep them happy.