Seeing that they had calmed down and agreed, Yu Li was satisfied. She then took them to the butcher shop to store their things.
The morning market had ended, and there were few customers buying meat now. Zhang Yaoping was idly guarding the shop when he saw Yu Li arriving with three girls. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Yu Jie, are these two also your sisters?” Zhang Yaoping looked at Yu Yin and Yu Zhu.
He had already met Yu Jin but hadn’t seen Yu Yin or Yu Zhu before.
Seeing the four sisters standing together, he thought to himself that the parents who raised these beautiful girls must also be quite good-looking.
Yu Li nodded and introduced Zhang Yaoping to Yu Yin and Yu Zhu, telling them to greet him.
Yu Yin and Yu Zhu obediently called out, “Brother Zhang.”
Zhang Yaoping looked a little dazed, unable to believe he was now being addressed as “Brother Zhang.”
But when he noticed Zhang Fu inside the room, he quickly corrected them. “No need to call me Brother Zhang. That’s my seventh uncle over there—he’s the real Brother Zhang.”
Yu Yin and Yu Zhu glanced at the tall and burly Zhang Fu inside the room, feeling a bit intimidated, and softly called out, “Little Brother Zhang.”
Zhang Yaoping: “…”
He suddenly felt that just being “Brother Zhang” sounded much better and didn’t want the “Little” added.
Yu Li brought her three sisters into the shop.
Zhang Fu and Uncle Luo were there, but Tu Laoda had gone to the provincial city and hadn’t returned yet.
Seeing the four sisters, Uncle Luo praised, “You four sisters are all so pretty. Standing together, you’re like four blossoms, brightening up our shop.”
Yu Jin and her sisters smiled shyly, their lips pursed.
Yu Li graciously accepted the compliment and nodded. “Of course, my sisters are all beautiful.”
Over the past few months, Yu Jin and her sisters had been eating well, sleeping well, and receiving proper nutrition. Combined with being at an age where they were growing rapidly, they no longer looked thin and pale. Their faces had a healthy flush, making them look as delicate and lovely as flowers.
Their looks inherited from Liu Shi were already good to begin with. With continued care, they would certainly become even more attractive in the future.
Knowing that Yu Jin had set up a stall in the county town today, Zhang Fu asked about their business. When he learned that they had sold out in just over an hour, he offered a compliment.
Yu Jin sincerely thanked Zhang Fu for selling her the offal at a low price. She said, “Ten wen for a set of offal is too cheap…”
She didn’t want to take advantage of others.
Zhang Fu waved his hand dismissively and said, “The offal from my shop is usually given away as a bonus during deliveries. It’s rarely sold in the meat shop. Since you want it, ten wen per set is fine—no need to increase the price.”
Even at other butcher shops, the price at most would only reach sixteen or seventeen wen per set. Offal had never been a high-profit item.
Seeing his insistence, Yu Jin had no choice but to look at her elder sister.
Yu Li said, “Let’s go with Brother Zhang’s suggestion. Thank you, Brother Zhang.”
She understood that Zhang Fu didn’t mind this small profit. Since he was so insistent, there was no need to argue over a few wen. At most, she could do more work in the future to repay his kindness for looking out for them.
After receiving today’s wages, Yu Li took her three younger sisters and left.
Since it was still early, she decided to take her sisters to buy a few things—starting with some fabric to make two new outfits each. Yu Jin, who would be coming to the county town to do business in the future, couldn’t dress too shabbily.
At the embroidery shop that sold fabrics, Yu Li generously picked out several colors of cloth to make two new outfits for each of her sisters.
“Ah Yin is learning embroidery from my mother-in-law, isn’t she? These clothes will be made by Ah Yin. It’s a good opportunity for her to practice.”
Yu Yin opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, her elder sister stuffed the cloth into her hands and told her to choose the colors herself.
Yu Jin felt a headache coming on. “Eldest sister, it’s not necessary. We have money…”
Even if they needed fabric for clothes, they could pay for it themselves.
She knew how freely her elder sister spent money. If no one stopped her, there was no telling how much she would spend. After the division of the family, the second branch had some silver saved up and wasn’t completely destitute. If they wanted fabric, they could buy it themselves without having their eldest sister pay.
Yu Li dismissed her objections.
“You’re my sisters. Since I have money, buying fabric and making clothes for you is only right.” To her, this was just a small expense, not worth worrying about.
These three younger sisters were her responsibility, and she intended to take good care of them. Now that their business was just starting and money was tight, she would help them get on their feet. Once they became independent and their lives improved, she would naturally stop intervening.
She understood the principle of teaching someone to fish rather than giving them fish.
Moved to tears, her three sisters followed as Yu Li took them to buy other necessary items.
Before long, her basket was completely full.
Passing by a bustling market, Yu Li bought a few large baskets designed to hold barrels. The Yu family didn’t currently have baskets this size, so today, the three sisters had to carry the barrels by hand into town. With these larger baskets, they could carry the barrels on their backs in the future, making the trip much easier.
After purchasing the baskets, Yu Li put the items she had bought for her sisters into them and let them carry the baskets themselves.
As lunchtime approached and everyone was hungry, Yu Li led her three sisters to the Fulai Restaurant for a meal.
This was a place she had been wanting to visit for a long time.
Although she had been coming to the county town for a while, she had never eaten at a restaurant before. Every day, while delivering goods, she could smell the enticing aromas wafting from the Fulai Restaurant’s kitchen. It was impossible not to be tempted.
Today, with the excuse of treating her sisters, Yu Li decided to indulge herself.
The food at Fulai Restaurant did not disappoint. The braised pork knuckle, crab roe meatballs, and chestnut-braised chicken were all incredibly delicious. There was also a serving of osmanthus lotus root flour cake, which was surprisingly even better than the ones made at the pastry shops outside.
It turned out to be one of their signature dishes.
Unfortunately, the portions weren’t large—Yu Li much preferred the hearty servings of braised meat cooked in the family’s big pot. Those were truly satisfying. Given her appetite, this meal hadn’t filled her up at all.
After her three sisters finished eating, she asked, “Are you full?”
“We’re full!”
Yu Jin and the others patted their stomachs, indicating they were stuffed.
It was their first time eating in such a place, an experience they would never forget.
Even in the future, when they no longer lacked money, each finding their own paths and living prosperous lives, having tasted countless delicacies, they would still cherish this day. The meal the four sisters shared together at this restaurant remained the most memorable for them.
Yu Li asked the waiter to pack a portion of the osmanthus lotus root flour cake, then settled the bill and left with her sisters.
Next, they returned to the butcher shop to retrieve the buckets and other items they had left there earlier.
They also collected a portion of offal left for Yu Jin, along with a pound of lean and fatty pork.
Yu Jin planned to braise the pork together with the offal. This was a suggestion from Zhou Shi, who said that adding pork to the braised broth would make it richer and the offal tastier.
It would also add a meat dish to the family table and help nourish everyone.
Since Yu Zhu was recovering from a serious illness and they didn’t want her to overexert herself, they decided to take a boat back home.
They didn’t take Boatman Wang’s vessel this time.
When the boat arrived at Qingshi Village, the four sisters disembarked and headed toward the Yu family’s house.
After dropping off her sisters, Yu Li returned to the Fu family.
Having eaten lunch in the county town, it was already afternoon by the time she got home.
Zhou Shi was embroidering a screen at the table in the main hall. The two children had just woken up from their nap and, still yawning, seemed low on energy.
As soon as they saw Yu Li, their eyes lit up, and they ran toward her.
“Auntie, you’re back!”
Yu Li hugged them, rubbed her cheeks against theirs, then went to wash her hands. Afterward, she took out the osmanthus lotus root flour cake she had bought and shared it with them.
The two children hugged her happily, their sweet voices thanking her.
“Li Niang, don’t keep buying things for them. You’ll spoil them,” Zhou Shi said with a smile, gently advising her not to overindulge the children.
Yu Li feigned innocence. “I didn’t buy it for them—it’s actually for me!” Saying this, she immediately stuffed a piece of the cake into her mouth.
After all, she hadn’t eaten enough in the county town earlier.
Zhou Shi chuckled at her antics and didn’t say anything further.
Yu Li often brought back many things from her trips. While she shared some, the rest usually ended up in her own stomach.
Zhou Shi didn’t mind this at all. With her big appetite, eating a lot was only natural—being able to eat was a blessing. As the Fu family’s daughter-in-law, if they couldn’t even ensure she had enough to eat, it would be a disgrace to the family name.
After eating a few pieces of the cake, Yu Li saved the rest for Fu Wenxiao to try.
Fu Wenxiao had just woken up from his nap. Hearing the sound of her entering, he looked up and saw her holding a plate of pastries. His jet-black eyes gleamed slightly.
With a smile, he said, “Li Niang, you’re back.”
Yu Li placed the plate of osmanthus lotus root flour cake on the table and invited him to try it. “This is the osmanthus lotus root flour cake I packed from Fulai Restaurant. I think it tastes great—better than the ones from the pastry shops outside. I brought some back for you to try. Fulai Restaurant truly lives up to its reputation as one of the best in the county town. The dishes are delicious, but the portions are too small. I didn’t even get full.”
She then told him about treating her sisters to a meal at Fulai Restaurant.
“In the future, when your health improves, I’ll take you there for a meal too,” she added generously, showing she valued him as much as her sisters.
Fu Wenxiao smiled warmly and replied, “Then I’ll wait for Li Niang to take me to the restaurant.”
Watching her sit there happily eating the pastries from the plate she had brought in, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
She had claimed to have brought them back for him to try, yet here she was eating them herself first, looking thoroughly content. Eating with her always made him unconsciously eat a little more as well.
After a few bites, Yu Li suddenly realized he hadn’t eaten any yet. She promptly handed him a piece of the cake.
“Here, try it.”
Fu Wenxiao smiled and took a bite. Seeing her watching him intently, he nodded and said, “Yes, it’s delicious.”
“Isn’t it? Next time, we’ll go together,” she said with a bright smile.
As he ate the cake, Fu Wenxiao felt as though the sweetness had seeped into his heart. His mood became as radiant and warm as the autumn sun shining in the courtyard, filling him with a vibrant sense of happiness.