The wicked sister-in-law is in charge; meals include fish and shrimp.

Chapter 399 Preparing for the Birthday

Bai Qinghuan raised her hand and touched her face. She looked in the mirror and it wasn't obvious, so she didn't pay any attention to it.

"Thank you for your concern, Auntie, it's nothing at all."

Xie He didn't care what she said; she had made up her mind anyway. The group walked around the manor.

Wen Luozhi visited several greenhouses, and the vegetables inside were growing well. There were no weeds, and the soil had been loosened, so it was easy to see that everyone was taking good care of them.

Xie He also looked at quite a few plants, and only after returning home did she whisper to Wen Luozhi, "Mother thinks your eldest brother's are the best."

Thinking that it was her own daughter who taught her, she added, "But if my daughter planted them herself, that would definitely be the best."

In Shanquan Village, the majority of vegetables are grown by their own families. The eldest son and his father spend all their free time hoping to go inside the greenhouse.

Everyone would learn from each other, and after visiting each house, they found that theirs was the best, followed by Old Sun's house.

Wen Luozhi didn't know the specifics, but she knew that if this matter fell on Wen Ziming's shoulders, it would be a disaster.

She smiled and took Xie He's arm, suddenly remembering that when she left home, she had gone to Jitou Mountain to take a look, and there weren't many fruits left on the mountain.

"Mother, have most of the fruits on our mountain already fallen?"

It was only when this was mentioned that Xie He remembered something important she had forgotten. She said, "Daughter, didn't you give your mother a recipe before?"

"Mom saw there were recipes for canned fruit on the back, so she tried it."

She described the process in detail, explaining that she used a small, steamed earthenware pot to hold the fruit and then rinsed it with wine; the book said this step was called sterilization.

After that, the fruit needed to be sealed after steaming. She was so afraid of air leakage that she asked Wen Ziming to mix mud to seal it for her!

"Mom brought you some things, but I was so happy to see you that I forgot."

"Once inside, the daughter often watches to see how well her mother is cooking."

Wen Luozhi was surprised that Xie He could show off this skill; judging from what she said, the production process was up to standard.

If the fruit I grow is of good quality, then the canned fruit should taste pretty good too.

Jiang Shuqian had eaten it before, and since she had nothing else to do in the carriage, she described it to the brother and sister.

After mentioning several different items, she finally said, "I still like the canned strawberries the most. They're sweet and sour, and it feels so satisfying to eat them."

Wen Luozhi, seeing her blissful expression, was also filled with anticipation.

However, what she found most pleasing was Jiang Shuqian's change. Now she could chat with anyone she met, unlike when she was so introverted.

Upon arriving at their destination, Xie He couldn't wait a moment longer and took out a large basket of canned goods from the carriage she had come from.

The small earthenware jars were neatly arranged on the table, each one only about the size of an adult's palm, just the right size to hold in one's hand.

The lid even had a label indicating what kind of canned food it was, which made Wen Luozhi give Xie He a thumbs up and praise, "Mom, you're so thoughtful!"

Xie He smiled so much that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes appeared. She took a yellow peach, gently pried off the mud on top, lifted the lid, and poured the pulp and juice into a bowl.

"Girl, try this!" She took a spoon, scooped up a piece of fruit mixed with juice, and held it to Wen Luozhi's lips.

Wen Luozhi opened her mouth and swallowed it all in one gulp, her cheeks puffing out like a little squirrel.

She moved her mouth a few times, and the soft, sweet juice made her squint her eyes.

Xie He could tell from her reaction that the food tasted good, so she fed her two more spoonfuls before finally putting the spoon down.

"There are other girls too, let's try them too."

Now she didn't have to lift a finger; Wen Luozhi had one all by herself, and Wu Yazi and Wen Zijin, master and apprentice, each took one and ate from the jar.

"Hmm~ This unusual way of eating is quite nice."

"Next time I go to see a traditional opera, I'll bring one along. We can enjoy the show while we eat—just thinking about it makes me happy!"

Wu Yazi ate with gusto, and Xie He immediately regretted not bringing more food.

"Does it taste alright? When Mom gets back, I'll have your brother pick the rest from the mountain, make them into canned goods, and send them over to you."

Wen Luozhi tasted them all and felt that selling them wouldn't be a problem. It was perfect since there was less fruit in winter and these canned goods had a wide variety and could be stored for a long time.

"Mother, could you find a few people to help turn the rest into canned goods? We can sell some at my eldest brother's shop and the rest at our family restaurant."

Upon hearing that his homemade canned goods had been recognized, Xie He was overjoyed and readily agreed.

When Yan Che came over that evening, they talked about the restaurant wanting to add a new canned fruit.

After returning to her room, Wen Luozhi meticulously drew some promotional pictures. The pictures featured exquisite little earthenware jars filled with fruit, which looked very cute and delightful.

She posted these paintings in prominent places in the restaurant; after all, it was a new product launch, and it was good to promote it in advance.

After the news spread, people who were interested started asking about it. We left some at home and put them at the restaurant as samples.

Before long, the family members gathered together again. Everyone brought birthday gifts for Wen Luozhi, and the gifts alone filled half a carriage.

"Sweetie, do you miss Daddy?"

Wen Luozhi grinned, showing off her small white teeth, and nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Wen Muchuan pulled her aside, took out a money bag from his pocket, and stuffed it into her hand.

"This is all of Dad's savings. Take it and buy whatever you want. Dad will save it for you later!"

Wen Luozhi covered her mouth and chuckled, looking as cute as a little fox.

She cooperated and let Wen Muchuan shield her. When she opened it, she saw that there were many pieces of silver, a silver ingot, and a few crumpled silver notes on it.

Wen Luozhi felt a lump in her throat, closed the money bag, and carefully clutched it to her chest.

"Dad, you've been saving this for a long time, haven't you? You must have moved it to many different places."

Wen Muchuan gently flicked her head, his face full of affection. "Not long, not long. Your mother actually knows too, hehe."

"My dad rarely goes out from the village; he saves up money just for my daughter to spend."

After saying this proudly, he glanced at the group of people outside carrying things and said, "Hurry up and hide it well, or they'll say your father is being biased."

Wen Luozhi thought to herself that everyone in the family knew her parents were biased, but she still listened to him and secretly hid the money bag.

When Wen Jinyu and Wen Jinchen arrived, they were still asleep. Now that they were awake, the two brothers each sat in a small car and rushed towards Wen Luozhi.

"babble……"

"ah……"

The two brothers stretched out their arms, waiting for her to hug them; the two little guys looked quite heavy.

Wen Luozhi easily scooped them up, one in each hand, and affectionately rubbed her face against their little cheeks.

"You two are quite mischievous; you must have given your mother a lot of trouble on a daily basis, right?"

The two little ones were playing happily. Li Chunxing put down what she was holding, took one of them, hugged it in her arms, and said with a smile:

"I'm doing alright, but it's your second sister-in-law who suffers. Whenever she has free time, she has to help your eldest sister-in-law wash their diapers."

Just as Yang Guilan was mentioned, she came in carrying large and small bags. Upon seeing Wen Luozhi, she put down her things and circled around her.

"My little sister seems to have grown a lot taller! She's only just turned 18, she'll definitely grow even taller."

Before she could say anything more, Wen Luozhi had already pounced on Wen Jinyu, who was in her arms.