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Chapter 43
Aunt Wang walked around the room happily, muttering "how wonderful." She then looked at Li Yao, who was lying asleep on the bed. "My son, I'm counting on you. You must pass the imperial examination with the highest honors and become a top scholar. Then the Li family will belong to me, and I won't have to put up with that old hag Mrs. Lu anymore." Aunt Wang tucked in the covers for Li Yao and left the room.
What Aunt Wang didn't know was that Li Yao, who was pretending to be asleep, had heard everything she said. Opening his eyes and watching her retreating figure, he sighed at how presumptuous Aunt Wang was. Li Yao went from being shocked at his birth mother's behavior to becoming numb. Alas, he must have put too much of a filter on his view of her in his past life to think she was kind and good. She wasn't a good person at all, not even a bit kind - a complete lunatic, really.
The more Li Yao interacted with Aunt Wang and Li Shan, the more indifferent he felt towards the mother and daughter. He used to want to reconcile with them, but now he realized it was just a pipe dream. Li Yao muttered softly, unaware that Li Xia had overheard his words from where she was hiding.
Ever since she discovered Li Yao's strange behavior at the Wild Goose Pavilion, Li Xia had been observing him at Aunt Wang's courtyard whenever she had the chance. She, too, had seen Aunt Wang's true nature, but that wasn't the main concern. After eavesdropping for a while, Li Xia was 100% certain that Li Yao had been reborn from the future. From Li Yao's behavior, she could tell he wasn't a particularly intelligent person. Finding no useful information, Li Xia left and returned to the Orchid Courtyard, deciding not to pay any more attention to Li Yao.
"Young lady, what's wrong?" Qiu Shui noticed Li Xia had sighed six times in a short while, which was unusual, and asked.
"I'm bored," Li Xia sighed again.
"Bored? Why don't you read the travel journal you have?"
"I've read it three times already, I don't want to read it anymore," Li Xia said, tossing the book aside. Li Ming was displeased with the exam results of Li Chou and Li Guang, so he was focusing all his attention on Li Hui now. Li Xia went to Li Hui's study room twice but happened to run into Li Ming both times. Seeing Li Xia come to borrow books, Li Ming was quite impressed with her studiousness. He took out a scholarly work and questioned Li Xia about it. Of course, Li Xia hadn't read such a work before. If not for Li Hui's intervention, she would have been punished. After that, Li Xia preferred to stay at the Songtao Courtyard.
"Young lady, why don't you embroider a handkerchief? Auntie Mei brought some beautiful patterns for you."
Upon hearing this, Li Xia shook her head vehemently. Without the travel journal to read, Auntie Mei had been making Li Xia do embroidery during her free time. Li Xia thought it was useless; after getting married, she would have Qiu Shui around, so there was no need for her to do such things.
Auntie Mei felt that all of Li Xia's excuses were just attempts to be lazy. Seeing Li Shan diligently tending to the gardens at such a young age, while Li Xia, who was in charge of the embroidery room, did nothing at all, made Auntie Mei reflect on why she had given birth to such a lazy daughter. As a result, Auntie Mei became much stricter with Li Xia, determined to make her work on her embroidery.
"Then what do you want to do, young lady?" Qiu Shui asked helplessly.
After thinking for a moment, Li Xia said, "I'll go play at the Elegant Refinement Pavilion," and headed out.
"Young lady, wait for me," Qiu Shui hurriedly put down her needlework and followed Li Xia.
When they arrived, Li Xin was discussing the menu with the kitchen staff. Seeing Li Xia, she said, "Xia Xia, have a seat first."
"You're busy," Li Xia said nonchalantly as she entered the resting room and lay down on the couch, leaning against it. The window faced a small stream, and the cool breeze from the flowing water dispelled her vexation.
"Xia Xia, try this lotus seed pastry that Cook Lady Bai created," Li Xin said, joining Li Xia on the couch in the same leaning position. Ever since learning this posture from Li Xia, Li Xin had become fond of how comfortable it was.
Dan Mo set the lotus seed pastries on the small table in front of the couch and poured two cups of tea before leaving.
Li Xia observed the pastries, shaped like blooming lotus flowers. She took a bite and remarked, "Crispy, sweet, and fragrant. Delicious!"
"I knew you'd like it," Li Xin said, also taking a pastry. After a sip of tea, she said, "Sister, it's too troublesome for you to plan a new menu every day."
"Then what should I do? If you have a better idea, tell me," Li Xin said, feeling vexed as well. It had always been this way, and she had no good solutions.
Li Xia recalled how in her previous life, they had a large dining hall that would post a menu every seven days, informing everyone what they would eat for the next week. Whether people liked the food or not was not a concern.
"You could have the staff plan a menu every five days, listing what the main dishes will be for each of the three meals," Li Xia suggested.
Li Xin considered Li Xia's suggestion and found it reasonable. Currently, she had to plan the menu daily, and some people would request separate dishes if they didn't like what was planned. Li Xia answered a few more of Li Xin's questions, explaining her ideas thoroughly.
Li Xin discussed the proposal with the kitchen staff, and they drafted a set of guidelines to present to Mrs. Lu. Mrs. Lu carefully reviewed the document and glanced at Li Xin. She sighed inwardly, acknowledging that while she had taught Li Xin well in the ways of a refined lady, Li Xin was not as adaptable as Li Xia.
"Mother, what do you think?" Li Xin tried to hide her anxiousness, but her heart was pounding.
"The idea is sound. We'll try it for two months," Mrs. Lu said, and Li Xin smiled upon hearing the affirmative response. Before presenting the proposal, Li Xin had worried that Mrs. Lu might not approve, as there had been discontent throughout the manor when Li Shan tried to change the kitchen rules. Li Xin wanted to do better, both for herself and for Mrs. Lu.
"Your father has succeeded in suppressing the bandits, and he told me this morning that he wants to host a banquet at the end of the month to honor those who participated in the campaign. I'd like you to take charge of organizing it," Mrs. Lu said, causing Li Xin to feel both excited and concerned about her ability to do a good job.
"Don't you want to?" Mrs. Lu's questioning tone made Li Xin realize she still had her mother's support, so she shouldn't worry. "Mother, don't worry, I'll do my best."
"That's the right attitude. I'll assign Liu Xiao to assist you. She has a lot of experience in this area," Mrs. Lu said, assigning her capable aide to help Li Xin, as she was concerned her daughter might not be able to handle it alone.
"Thank you, Mother," Li Xin said with a bow, then returned to her courtyard with Liu Xiao to begin the preparations.
The next day, when the other aunties and young ladies came to pay their respects, Mrs. Lu informed them about the upcoming banquet. Aunt Wang and Li Shan were delighted, seeing it as an opportunity to prove themselves. Li Xia, on the other hand, felt gloomy - she had no interest in organizing such a troublesome event. However, as the matriarch of the Li family had spoken, she could not openly object.
After leaving the Wild Goose Pavilion, Li Xia went straight to the embroidery room and informed the embroidery supervisor about the banquet. This would be the first major event hosted by the Li family since their arrival in Liuzhou, so all the staff understood the importance of making it a success.
Fortunately, the Li family's summer wardrobes had already been prepared by the embroidery room in advance. While the staff could complete the ordinary clothes in time for the banquet, the more intricate and embellished garments for the masters would be difficult to finish in just a few days.