Chapter 470 Wrong payment
Especially when it comes to food.

To be precise, they learned about many new and exotic foods from Xia Mingyue, which made them feel that they had never eaten anything before.

"That's one of the reasons." Feng Maocai sniffed again, "I am touched, mainly because I didn't expect you to be so generous and willing to share so much of the food sent by Madam Xia with me. I am so grateful!"

As he spoke, Feng Maocai had already hugged all the food.

Then he thought, although his arms were long enough to circle everything, it would still be a bit difficult to take it away.

After thinking it over and over again, Feng Maocai looked around for a few times before he found a wicker basket from the backyard. While he was filling it, he thanked Pei Chenghe, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir!"

Pei Chenghe's eyes widened when he saw this, and he ran over in a hurry, "These are not all for you!"

"I just took them all out so you can pick up a few you like and take them back. If you take them all, what will I eat?"

"what?"

Feng Maocai was so surprised that his eyes widened even wider than Pei Chenghe's. After being stunned for a long time, he sighed sadly, "I am so happy in vain..."

After all, it was the wrong payment!

Seeing this, Pei Chenghe felt a little reluctant, and felt that as his superior, it was not appropriate for him to care too much about food. After thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind, "Well, I'll give you some more steamed rice cakes and fried fish!"

"It's the New Year, and we should be happy. However, I have been an official for several years, but I have never been honest. My monthly salary is also very meager. Whenever my children ask me to buy new clothes and new books, I always evade them. As the new year begins, I am short of money. I can't even prepare more fish and meat for my family during the New Year..."

"Well!" Pei Chenghe gritted his teeth again, "I'll give you the sparerib casserole and preserved fruits too!"

"My old mother is now gray-haired, and all she asks for every day is..."

“Spiced dried tofu and canned pears!”

"Humble job..."

Pei Chenghe, "..."

If I bite this tooth again, it will probably break completely!
Pei Chenghe gathered all the remaining food in front of him, his face full of vigilance and warning.

The county magistrate's family doesn't have much surplus food, so stop forcing him!

Feng Maocai had no choice but to swallow his words when he saw that he had gained a lot. He was secretly delighted but sighed, "Yes, even if the county magistrate is kind-hearted, he has to take care of himself first. These are barely enough. Even if they are not enough, I will find a way. You don't have to worry too much."

He wasn't worried, was he?
"It's getting late. I'll take my leave now." Feng Maocai said as he put all the things into a wicker basket and then dragged the basket out with great difficulty.

Seeing this, the yamen runners outside came to lend a hand.

After helping Feng Maocai deliver the things back, he came back to help Pei Chenghe deliver them to the backyard.

Seeing that most of the original things were gone, Pei Chenghe felt distressed, but he also thought of Feng Maocai's elderly and young children...

Wait, there are elderly people above you?
Pei Chenghe paused and looked at the yamen runner beside him, "How come I haven't heard County Magistrate Feng mention his mother's birthday party in all these years?" Upon hearing this, the yamen runner's expression immediately became a little strange, "Did your lord forget? Lord Feng's mother died early, and his father raised him. He also died of illness a few years ago."

"That son of County Magistrate Feng..."

"Lord Feng has been married for many years but has no children. He only has a daughter who is only one and a half years old now."

Pei Chenghe, "..."

He was careless!
This year's New Year is more lively than previous years.

One of the reasons for the excitement was that all the people were originally terrified about the upcoming war, but then they thought, if they really returned to the chaotic world, they might not be able to open their eyes again tomorrow after closing them tonight, so they had to live one day at a time.

I don’t know whether I can enjoy such a peaceful and tranquil New Year again next year, so it is better to celebrate it in a lively manner.

Secondly, since war may or may not happen, we might as well celebrate the New Year in a more lively manner, with more fireworks and more dragon and lion dances. Perhaps this can dispel some evil spirits and drive away some bad luck.

As for the third thing, many people are engaged in vinegar brewing workshops.

The vinegar workshop changes every day. Not only is it constantly expanding, but it is also well-managed. If things continue like this, the vinegar produced in this vinegar workshop will surely be delicious, and it will surely make money.

If the vinegar workshop can make money, it means that those who have purchased shares in the workshop can make money. Since they can make more money in the future, why are they still being so stingy now?
It has to be lively!

Furthermore, because of the existence of the vinegar workshop, the refugees were resettled, and the county government checked their identities and household registrations, and reissued household registrations for those who had lost their household registrations due to the war. In this way, the entire Jinqiu County did not suffer from chaos due to the arrival of the refugees, but instead lived in harmony and made people feel comfortable.

And all this can be considered as the credit of the county government. In this case, if the common people can have a lively time during the New Year, wouldn't it make the officials in the county government happier?
While it was lively outside, there was also constant laughter and joy here at Xia Mingyue's place.

Although Lu Qiyan and his family were not spending the New Year at home, there were more people at home this year than last year. They gathered together, talking and laughing, and it was very lively.

But besides chatting and laughing, we can't avoid eating and drinking.

Normally, the group had no shortage of food. They had eaten delicious meals of meat and fish for two days in a row on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. In addition, they had fried food and snacks on weekdays, so they all wanted to have some refreshing home-cooked meals these days.

Xia Mingyue took advantage of the rare free time these days to cook some fresh and delicious meals herself.

Spontaneous bean sprouts are indispensable, you can stir-fry bean sprouts, stew bean sprouts, or make cold bean sprouts.

The tofu I bought years ago has been preserved by soaking in cold water. When I eat it, I just stew the tofu in a small casserole and eat it while it is hot. Without any condiments, it is enough to be described as fragrant and delicious.

After washing fresh spinach, blanch it in a pan for a while, take it out and chop it into pieces, mix it with white flour, egg liquid, etc. into a batter, and spread it into a thin spinach and egg pancake.

Even the steamed black vegetable buns with tofu and vermicelli are enough to make people eat five or six of them at one meal...

The fifteenth day passed quickly.

At the beginning of the new year, everything comes back to life and everyone starts their busy work for the new year.

Xia Mingyue also started running back and forth between the vinegar workshop and Xia Ji again.