After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 927 Siblings
Haitang looked at Xiao Shitou in surprise. She didn't expect that he could even get information about Prince An. "You kids are quite well-informed."

Little Shitou laughed and said, "Many adults don't watch out for children. Some of the little brothers I know run around the house all day long. They would hide in some corner at any time, and the adults wouldn't notice them when they were having a meeting. If they were lucky, they could hear the whole thing. If they were unlucky and were discovered by the adults, they would just be beaten and scolded, which was not a big deal." Even the most strict parents would not beat their own flesh and blood for such gossip.

Haitang knew that these little ancestors were naughty on weekdays, so she advised Xiao Shitou: "You better be careful in what you do. This involves the forbidden area. Even if the people in your small circle have ways to know about the palace, the adults in the family will not investigate it deeply. It is best not to let outsiders hear about it, lest some busybodies report it and implicate your friends' fathers and brothers."

Little Stone said hurriedly, "Don't worry, big sister, there are so many such cases, no one will meddle and file a complaint. My brothers also said that in previous years, the officials in the court often sent gifts to the families of the flag bearers in private, just to get some palace news from them. As long as it does not involve confidential information, the people above will turn a blind eye and never care about it. In the past, there was an imperial censor who was too nosy and filed a complaint, but the emperor only fined the person who leaked the secret for half a year, which was not worth mentioning compared to the benefits that person received. On the contrary, the imperial censor who filed the complaint did not get any good results, and was later demoted to be an official in the local area."

Haitang shook her head after hearing this: "God knows who this censor belongs to, and who bribed the flag bearer guards. The emperor's way of handling the case may not be targeted at the incident itself, so it is hard to be sure. Moreover, the emperor has passed away, and the new emperor will soon take the throne. A new emperor has new ministers, and the rules may not be the same as before. You brothers should be careful and don't cause trouble at this juncture. You may not think it's a big deal, but there are many people out there who want to step on others to get to the top."

Little Stone was thoughtful: "Sister, you make sense... We don't have bad intentions, so why should we be a stepping stone for others?"

Seeing that he had taken her words to heart, Haitang smiled and patted his head: "Okay, be more cautious in the future. If your new friends refuse to listen to advice, you don't have to be stubborn with them. People with different ideals cannot work together. In the future, keep your distance from them and just maintain a superficial relationship. Don't let them get involved. This time you were able to find out so much important information, and I want to praise you for being capable. What reward do you want?"

Little Stone came back to his senses and grinned at Haitang, "It's a national mourning right now. We can't eat any meat. I can't have anything I want. I might as well wait until the mourning is over and then I'll have my eldest sister cook a delicious meal for me. I want lamb neck, just like the way you stewed lamb during the winter solstice last year!"

Haitang thought back to the dishes from last year's winter solstice... Well, Little Stone is young, but he is a good eater. The lamb stew looked light, but in fact, it used a lot of medicinal herbs, the lamb was also of the best breed, and the cooking time was very particular. She spent half a day to make it once, but she was too lazy to do it again. Grandmother Ma wrote down the recipe, but the kitchen daughter-in-law Dazhuang's cooking was never as good as her original level, and it was not as delicious as the old recipe, so Ma temporarily removed this dish from the list of common dishes in autumn and winter.

Now that their family has moved to the capital, eating mutton may not be as convenient as it was in Chang'an. After the national mourning is over, she will have to look around to buy enough ingredients to cook it once.

However, Haitang still made a promise to Xiao Shitou: "When the national mourning period is over, I will find a way to make you a meal."

Little Stone was overjoyed: "Then it's settled! Don't worry about the ingredients, big sister. I'll ask someone where I can buy the best mutton. As for the other ingredients, just give me a list and I'll buy them all for you!"

Haitang couldn't help but smile: "Okay, I'll give you the money later, and I'll refund you if there's more money or make up for less. After you buy the things, the remaining money will be your pocket money."

This hit the mark for Xiao Shitou, who grinned happily, "Thank you, big sister!" He had been hanging out with friends more often recently, and his small coffers were in urgent need of replenishment. "Thank you, big sister, for what?" Ma happened to walk out of the house at this time and heard the end of the conversation. Hu followed behind, her eyes red, but her emotions had calmed down. Hearing this, she also looked at her son and niece curiously.

Haitang and Xiaoshitou smiled at each other, and tacitly concealed the details. She just said, "It's okay. My elder sister said that I have been practicing martial arts hard recently and I need to replenish my energy. She promised to make me a big meal!" Haitang also nodded in agreement.

Ma sneered, "What big meal can we make at this time? Nothing more than radish, cabbage, mushrooms and tofu. No matter how many tricks Tangtang comes up with, it's still the same taste. If you eat too much, you will have no appetite. It's better to wait until the national mourning period is over, and then have a good meal!" She turned to her daughter-in-law and said, "You should also take care of the child. He is still growing. Don't train too hard every day. In addition to the three meals a day, you should also add something else to him to prevent him from going hungry. Eggs and milk are not allowed for the time being, but soybean milk and rice paste are also good, and hot soup noodles are also very nourishing. You should also prepare some long-lasting snacks in his room, so that he can eat whenever he is hungry, without having to ask the kitchen for them every time."

Mrs. Hu quickly agreed and said with a smile, "This child is sensible. He is always hungry, but he refuses to bother me. He also doesn't want to trouble the kitchen staff, so he often goes out to buy food. Sometimes he even invites the children from nearby neighbors to eat together. He has made many friends because of this."

Although eating out is convenient, Ma still believes that home-cooked food is the cleanest, most delicious and most reassuring: "What good food can there be outside? If Xiao Shitou makes friends who get along well with him, just invite him to our house. Our kitchen can also make a lot of delicious cakes and pastries, the flavor of Chang'an, I'm afraid the children in Beijing have never tasted it!"

The four were chatting about their daily lives when suddenly someone from the gatehouse came to announce, "Master Cao is back."

Cao Gengyun is back?
Ma hurriedly said, "Why didn't you send someone to tell us in advance? Tell my cousin and Old Lu quickly!" She no longer cared about her daughter-in-law and grandchildren, and was in a hurry to return to the main courtyard to deliver a letter to her husband.

Since the day Cao Gengyun arrived in Beijing, he was taken away by his son and grandson, and he has never returned to the Hai family. He has Wang Xiaoqing, a servant sent by Xie Wenzai, by his side. If he encounters something unpleasant or is treated poorly by his children and grandsons, he can leave at any time. At worst, he can ask Wang Xiaoqing to report to the Hai family, and his old friends will naturally help him leave. But Wang Xiaoqing has not made any movement, which shows that Cao Gengyun is living well at home. Since everything is peaceful, then he suddenly came back today, is it just to visit old friends?

Ma went back to the main courtyard to inform her husband, and Haitang took Xiao Shitou to the study in the front courtyard to see Cao Gengyun. The siblings had been studying since they were young, and had attended many of Cao Gengyun's classes, and they respected him as their own grandfather.

After not seeing him for many days, Cao Gengyun looked very good, with a ruddy complexion. He was wearing a newly made cotton gown, a new hat and a new cape. The sewing seemed to be the work of his younger daughter-in-law. He brought Wang Xiaoqing and a long-servant who looked unfamiliar. He left them in the yard and followed Lu Bainian into the house. Xie Wenzai was not at home at the moment. Although Cao Gengyun felt sorry, he was not very disappointed.

After greeting Haitang and Xiao Shitou, he sent the two children away and turned to Lu Bainian and said, "I heard something about your family. I was worried that you didn't know yet, so I came here quickly."