A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace-Chapter 914: Tempering

"This is my mother! These are my two sisters!"

Chenchen’s words made their identities crystal clear.

Xia Ruqing couldn’t hold back a laugh or a cry.

Zi Yue and Zi Su, who had always been following behind, were astonished.

’With those identities, how dare they!’

However, the old woman didn’t suspect a thing and asked again,

"Then... who are you...?"

Seeing how well they were dressed, all in pure cotton clothes,

She was very puzzled as to why they would come to such a place.

Chenchen continued to explain,

"We are headed to the Capital City, passing through here, extremely hungry!"

"We wish to have a meal here before continuing!"

"Could you be so kind to grant us this favor, Grandma?!"

After Chenchen spoke, he looked at Xia Ruqing.

The meaning was clear: Quickly take out the silver!

Xia Ruqing gave a helpless smile and took out two taels of small pieces of silver from her purse.

"Grandma, this is our meal cost; please take it!"

The old woman was still hesitant at first.

Seeing the silver, her eyes lit up, but then she dared not accept it again.

"Ah, ah!"

"So much isn’t necessary!"

"Madam, it’s really not needed that much!"

Chenchen’s eyes widened.

"Grandma, this is just two pieces of small silver!"

For just a meal, is two taels of silver really too much?

"Then... how about this?"

Chenchen picked out a piece of silver worth about Five Coins Money from the small silver pieces and asked.

The old woman looked at it, hesitated, and accepted it.

"Still too much!"

"You must be from a wealthy family!"

A meal that costs a family’s entire year’s living expenses is certainly not ordinary folks’ fare!

"Rest assured, anything left over, I will return to you!"

Preparing a meal for guests naturally meant going out to buy ingredients.

Noble ladies and young gentlemen surely couldn’t be served rough grains, right?!

She spoke while patting the dirt off her clothes.

She picked up the sweet potatoes she had just dug up and placed them in a basket on her back.

Her movements were laborious and shaky.

Her already hunched back was even more bent under the pressure.

Xia Ruqing was alarmed watching and quickly stepped forward.

"Grandma, let me help you!"

Saying so, she went over to support her.

The old woman refused vehemently.

"Madam, you’re delicately raised; don’t dirty your clothes! Just follow along!"

"My home is nearby, we’ll be there soon!"

She continued walking forward.

Xia Ruqing had no choice but to follow behind.

Chenchen couldn’t bear it, so he ran up front.

"Grandma, let me help you!"

"Why are you alone? Where are your family members?"

The old woman smiled.

"You’re a good child!"

"Grandma doesn’t need your help, Grandma can still manage!"

Xia Ruqing looked at the shaky back ahead, trembling slightly.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Grandma was like this back in the day too, really so alike, so very alike!

Then the old woman slowly said,

"My husband passed away early! We didn’t have a son, only a daughter, but she was unfortunate!"

"She and my son-in-law both got ill and died!"

"Leaving just my little granddaughter and me to rely on each other!"

Tears of murky water began to flow from her eyes as she spoke.

Xia Ruqing lifted her head to push back the tears, and smiled to comfort her.

"Grandma, you are blessed; your granddaughter will surely be filial to you in the future!"

Surely!

The old woman wiped her eyes and then laughed.

"Thank you for your kind words, Honored Lady; my little granddaughter is indeed good!"

"She’s clever, capable, and cheers me up!"

"That’s wonderful!"

Xia Ruqing sighed in relief.

You see, no matter how tough life gets, it leaves a little sweetness for those who live earnestly.

Soon, they arrived at the old woman’s home.

It was a simple thatched cottage.

The courtyard was empty, almost nothing there.

However... upon hearing footsteps, a little girl with pigtails, about seven or eight years old, came running out.

She called out joyfully."

"Grandma!" Her voice was clear and full of vitality.

Xia Ruqing watched her, as if seeing her younger self.

"Oh!"

"Wow! Grandma dug up so many sweet potatoes, there’ll be delicious food for lunch!"

The little girl clapped her hands.

"Eh? Grandma, who are they?!"

The old woman introduced them, and the little girl came over with a cheerful smile to greet them.

Xia Ruqing struggled to contain her emotions.

She smiled lightly and nodded.

Then everyone entered the house.

The old woman was quite reserved, repeatedly saying:

"The house is really simple; please don’t mind, Honored Ladies!"

Xia Ruqing glanced around, her expression not pleasant: it was heartache!

Chenchen looked at the nearly bare thatched house.

His little face looked even more solemn.

He felt such heartache!

They settled them in the house.

The old woman took the Five Coins Money and went out.

Shortly after, she brought back white rice, eggs, and smoked dried meat.

Not much, but seemingly only enough for one meal!

Even those were pieced together from neighbours and friends.

She smiled and said,

"Madam, these items only cost just over two hundred coins, not even using up half!"

"Here’s the remaining copper coins!"

Over two hundred copper coins, two large strings, and they were not easy to come by.

"Madam, please keep them well!"

The old woman handed them over.

Two strings of copper coins in her hand seemed like a fortune.

She held them in her withered hands, wrapped in a cloth, fearing they’d drop, get lost, or dirty!

Xia Ruqing’s eyes turned red.

"Grandma, you’ve been working hard all day!"

"This is for your hard work!"

The old woman was very surprised and quickly lowered her head.

"No, it’s too much, really too much, don’t need this much!"

Finally, it was Zi Su who took the copper coins and put them into the side pocket of her clothes.

"It’s from Madam, just keep it!"

The old woman wept and finally accepted it.

Thinking: Hundreds of copper coins.

I’ve never seen so much money in my whole life; this truly is the encounter with an Honored Lady!

At noon,

The old woman prepared two kinds of meals.

One was for them to eat: rice, smoked meat, and eggs!

The other was what the old woman and granddaughter ate.

Black cornbread and pickles.

An enormous difference.

Chenchen looked at the table opposite, black and unappealing bread, curiously.

"Mother, what is that?"

"Cornbread!"

"I want to try it too!"

"Then go ahead!"

Chenchen went to taste the meal of the grandmother and granddaughter.

Then... returned with a green face.

Though he didn’t say it aloud, every expression on his face was saying one word: nasty.

Two words: inedible!

The food here was slightly better.

At least it was swallowable.

But Chenchen still found it incredibly awful.

What was this smoked meat, so hard and salty, and the vegetables too.

Though slightly better than black cornbread, it was still extremely disgusting!

Everything here was constantly refreshing his worldview!

’So, this is how some people among the common folk live!’

...

On the way back to the palace in the evening.

Chenchen lay in Xia Ruqing’s arms, deep in thought.

"Mother!"

"Is the life of ordinary people really so tough?"

"Seeing is believing! This is but a part of it!"