CHAPTER 147: CHAPTER 147 DRY CAKE AND FRUIT SHOP (3)

Li Yuzhu waved her hand, "We’ll move the stove and go back, Auntie, don’t bother."

"You’re always so polite." Lady Liu called her younger daughter, leading Li Xing’an and Li Yuzhu to move the stove. She then pulled her elder daughter into the bedroom, whispering, "Da Niu, I have something important to tell you."

Seeing her mysterious demeanor, Liu Da Niu couldn’t help but ask, "What’s up, Mom?"

"Your father found out something important, it’s about Hu Shuangcheng, and I think I must tell you." Lady Liu’s eyes were dark as she looked at her elder daughter.

Liu Da Niu felt anxious, "Shu... Shuangcheng? What is it about him?"

"Humph, it’s not your problem that you can’t have children, it’s Hu Shuangcheng’s problem." Lady Liu sneered, "That Hu woman even mocked you? I almost laughed when I heard this news."

Liu Da Niu turned pale and blinked, "Mom, that’s impossible, he isn’t sick, he’s just fine."

Lady Liu’s face was stern, "Whether or not you can have children isn’t just about being sick or not on the surface. Do you really not understand this...?" She slapped her thigh, could it be her daughter didn’t understand?

Back when she married off her daughter, she didn’t explain things to her carefully.

She pulled her daughter over and whispered a few questions.

Liu Da Niu blushed, "How is this different from what you told me?"

Could it be...

Hu Shuangcheng really has a problem?

"Has he ever treated you like this? Daughter?" Lady Liu asked somberly.

Liu Da Niu gritted her teeth, "Yes, Mom, we’ve been married for three years, how can you doubt like this?"

Lady Liu stared at Liu Da Niu, "You shouldn’t cover up for him, they’ve already divorced you, you don’t need to hide for them."

"No, Mom, you’re worrying for nothing." Liu Da Niu lowered her head, sighing in her heart.

"Anyway, even if Hu Shuangcheng is sick, what does it matter to us? He’s divorced you, I’ll find you a better husband, you’re not sick, there’s no need to worry about not getting married again." Lady Liu snorted lightly.

Liu Da Niu didn’t want to talk about it anymore, "Let’s talk about this later. My arm is still hurt, who would want someone with a bad arm?"

Bringing up Liu Da Niu’s bad arm, Lady Liu started cursing the Hu family again.

Cursing Hu Niangzi then Hu Shuangcheng.

Liu Da Niu’s heart filled with irritation, "Mom, I’m going to check on that old stove."

She found an excuse to escape Lady Liu’s nagging.

The stove was a good one, just a bit old.

Li Yuzhu, Li Xing’an, and Liu Er Niu, the three of them together moved the stove to the backyard.

Liu Er Niu was wiping off dust with an old cloth.

Liu Da Niu walked over to look, she nodded, "It can still be used, let’s make do for now."

Li Yuzhu looked up and saw Liu Da Niu’s defeated expression, she wondered in her heart, what did Lady Liu say to Liu Da Niu?

The group lifted the stove onto the small cart at the door, and because Liu Da Niu was staying at Li Yuzhu’s house, Lady Liu stuffed some vegetables onto the cart as they were leaving.

"They all grew in the field, not worth much." Lady Liu said with a smile.

The seeds Li Yuzhu scattered had just begun to sprout, the fastest-growing pumpkin seedling had only three leaves.

When her planted vegetables grow, it would take at least two months.

Li Yuzhu thanked her and accepted them.

The family always ate wild vegetables, being able to change the taste with fresh cabbage and beans was more than welcome.

Once the stove was brought home, the Second Princess immediately clamored for Liu Da Niu to make some dry cakes.

Liu Da Niu forced a smile, "Alright, I’ll do it now."

.

Hu Shuangcheng returned home.

Hu Niangzi started to nag again, "Where have you been? The matchmaker from your sister’s village came by and found you a girl, she’s three years older than Liu Da Niu. Aside from being a bit short and having a darker complexion, she’s better than Liu Da Niu in every way. All her sisters have children, she surely won’t be any different."

Hu Shuangcheng said nothing, put down his hoe, washed his face, and went to his bedroom.

No matter how Hu Niangzi knocked on the door, he wouldn’t open it.

Inside the bedroom, Hu Shuangcheng was packing his clothes.

Hu Niangzi’s daughter pulled her mother, "Forget it, he’ll come around in a few days."

"Is he still a man? Can’t get over such a little thing?" Hu Niangzi muttered, cursing under her breath.

.

After the oven was brought back, the Second Princess immediately pulled Liu Da Niu to try making dry cakes.

The first batch, they made twenty.

Both sides are golden brown, and with one bite, the inside is fragrant and soft.

The Second Princess ate one fiercely without waiting for it to cool.

The Great Princess rolled her eyes, "Aren’t you afraid of getting burned?"

"It’s delicious, really delicious, big sister you should try it. It’s so tasty when it’s warm," the Second Princess called out to the Great Princess.

"I don’t want it." The Great Princess shook her head. The things the Second Princess enjoyed were mostly not delicate; she wasn’t going to eat it.

The Second Princess then called Li Yuzhu to eat.

Li Yuzhu, afraid of getting burned, used a cloth to pouch one and started eating it.

The golden brown surface, sprinkled with black sesame seeds, was very fragrant and crispy.

She ate with her eyes shining brightly.

"How is it, how is it? Delicious, right?" The Second Princess’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Li Yuzhu, seeking praise.

Li Yuzhu took another bite and gave her a big thumbs up, "Delicious."

Being praised, the Second Princess was even happier, "Great, I finally succeeded."

Liu Da Niu also smiled and praised her, "Even better than what I make."

"Let’s take some for father and mother to try," Li Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, yes, let them comment too." The Second Princess immediately nodded.

Li Yuzhu found a larger plate, placed ten pastries on it, and carried it to the main room.

The Second Princess cheerfully followed behind.

Now that they have a house, life is gradually settling down, and Prince Luling and his wife didn’t go out much, only staying inside teaching Li Jing to read and write.

They let the Princely Heir handle outside affairs.

"Father, mother, try the pastries I made." The Second Princess ran inside, yelling with a smile.

Li Yuzhu placed a plate of pastries on the table.

Li Jing, who was learning to hold a pen, immediately dropped his pen and ran toward the pastries, "Wow, so many, Second Aunt, Little Aunt, where did these pastries come from?"

"Second Aunt just made them, Jingjing come and taste them to see if they’re good," Li Yuzhu said, patting his head with a smile.

Li Jing didn’t eat by himself but took one for Prince Luling and another for Princess Consort Luling.

"So well-behaved." The two elders couldn’t stop smiling.

The Second Princess was eagerly waiting for a review, "Father, mother, hurry and eat, see if it’s good."

"Alright, alright, let’s try it." Princess Consort Luling pinched a pastry and took a bite, nodding in praise, "Not bad, not bad, crispy and fragrant, well-seasoned."

Prince Luling also nodded, "Comparable to the pastries from the Five Fragrance House in the Capital."

Being praised like this made the Second Princess overjoyed.

Li Yuzhu followed the Second Princess, not to hear praise but to talk about serious matters.

"Father, mother, I have a suggestion, would you consider it?" Li Yuzhu said.

"Oh, what suggestion?" Prince Luling asked casually while eating the pastries.

Li Yuzhu said, "Second Sister loves researching food, and the pastries she made are pretty good. How about we make more and sell them at the market to earn some money?"

Prince Luling looked at the pastry in his hand, "How much money can this make?"

Li Yuzhu said, "One wen per piece, making a hundred a day would bring in a hundred wen. I see stall owners at the market selling baozi can sell one to two thousand a day, and even during regular times, they sell three to five hundred. These pastries last longer; they might sell even more."

Princess Consort Luling looked at them in shock, "What? You two are Princesses of Lu Ling Royal Mansion, how can you sell pastries on the street?"

Li Yuzhu paused. At this time, still talking about princess status?

"Mother, what’s more important, face or life?" Li Yuzhu said sternly, "Most of the thank-you money we got from the Chai Family was spent on household goods, and the remaining money won’t last for long."

"..."

"But the days ahead must go on, and everyone must work to create income. Second Sister can’t do anything else, she only knows how to make food. Letting her earn money through this, what’s wrong with that? What, wait to starve for the sake of face?"

"..."

"Moreover, who knows us here? Who knows our previous identity? Clutching to identity and not expanding our work, surely we’d starve sooner or later."

The Second Princess waved her hand quickly, "I don’t want to starve."

Prince Luling exhaled deeply, "I think it’s feasible, Yu Zhu is right, here, who recognizes Yu En as a princess?"

The Second Princess nodded, "Exactly, no one recognizes me."

Seeing everyone saying this, Princess Consort Luling reluctantly agreed, "Alright, if it doesn’t make money, just come back."

The Second Princess happily responded, "Okay."