Goldfield
Chapter 198: Going to Court

Old Yu gritted his teeth and quickly stated the purpose of his visit. As he spoke, he did not dare to look at Xiaocao's big eyes, which were so clear that they could look into the heart.

Since the two families were related by blood, it was impossible for them to completely break off the relationship. Xiaocao was very clear about this. Looking at Old Yu, who had come here to ask for help for the first time, Xiaocao sighed heavily in his heart. Exactly as the old saying goes: ‘Both sides of the hand are made of bacon’. For the sake of his younger son, his grandfather was ready to ignore his own face.

Xiaocao looked at his grandfather, who immersed himself in field work and dared not make eye contact with him. He deliberately said in a casual tone, “Tadi, an uncle from Yamen came and told me that I need to testify in court this afternoon. I was very nervous because it was my first time going to court. I would ask my godfather or godmother to accompany me at that time. ”

Today, his godfather had to return from the prefectural city. Her godmother took Xia Furong, who was ill, to the medical room in the city early in the morning. He heard that the little girl ate too much red-boiled pork last night and had a stomachache all night. Aye! She was a girl from the capital, yet she became so greedy after only eating a few vegetarian dishes!

After Old Yu heard Xiaocao's reply, his tensed heart felt much more relieved and he also weeded in a more relaxed manner. The vegetable garden in the Xiaocao family courtyard was not very large, so they finished the weeding very quickly. After asking, Old Yu found out that there was no more work to do, so he got up and said goodbye.

“Kakek, our Dongshan Village is located in a remote area. It is not easy for the uncle of the yamen to come here, so you have to present it well. Our family has planted a variety of crops. I'll go collect some to take back. ” Although Old Yu objected, Xiaocao went to the backyard and took some cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, eggplants, and so on. He thought about it, and then got some five-seasoned duck eggs and century eggs from the western room. He put everything in the basket and told Old Yu to take it back.

Old Yu looked at the muddy egg in the basket and asked hesitantly, “How did you eat it?”

Smiling, Xiaocao took one of the century's eggs and broke the outer mud shell. He said with a smile, “Like this, first peel off his outer shell and remove his century egg. After that, cut it into pieces and mix it with chopped garlic. Grandpa, wait a minute. I'll buy some vermicelli. ”

With Madam Zhang's stingy nature, they might rarely get the chance to eat vegetables cooked in oil, let alone meat. Since he had already helped them, Yu Xiaocao decided that he might as well be a good person to the end! After all, that Yu Bo was his father's real sister ah! Not only did he get the vermicelli, he also cut the belly of a pig hanging in a well in the backyard. He also took a little oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar from the kitchen.

Old Yu looked at the bundle of ingredients and herbs in his grandson's hand and felt too embarrassed to raise his head. Looking at the striped pig, which weighed more than catties, he said, “You don't have to carry the meat. Your grandmother.. Ahem! Madam Zhang has slaughtered a chicken. ”.

Xiaocao smiled and said, “I heard there are some bailiff uncles here, so it is always good to prepare more meat dishes! Let's go, we still have to go to the city after lunch! ”

When they reached the Yu Family home, Xiaocao greeted the court attendant with a cheerful smile. The young girl originally had a very cheerful face and a sweet smile, coupled with her sweet call to them ‘paman’, she quickly left a good impression on the bailiff.

In the kitchen, Madam Zhang, Madam Li, and Zhang Quan's wife were extremely busy. When Xiaocao entered the kitchen with a basket of ingredients, he ignored Madam Zhang and Madam Li and greeted Zhang Quan's wife with a smile, “Aunt, I have long heard about your good cooking skills. I'll have to take this opportunity to learn from you today ah! ”

Zhang Quan's wife was a observant one. When she saw the strange expression on Madam Zhang's face and Xiaocao ignored her, she knew something must have happened. However, he was not someone who liked to dig into other people's personal problems. With a smile on her pale and plump face, she said, “Listen to what you have to say. Why do you need to learn to cook from this Aunt? Your mother has much better cooking skills than me.. Oh, what is this? It looks so new! ”

Xiaocao peeled the eggs of the century and cut them all into four pieces. Then, he poured a sauce consisting of chopped garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce on it. He had been carrying eggs for about ten centuries, so it was enough to fill the entire plate. He took out a piece and held it in front of Zhang Quan's wife's mouth. With an expression that seemed to want to be praised, he said, “Taste this century egg salad I made and let me know your opinion.”

Zhang Quan's wife was too embarrassed to open her mouth, so she gently shook her head and said, “I've come to help, so I can't steal food right in front of the host ..”

“How is this considered stealing food? Even the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant needed someone to taste his food! Aunt, hurry up and give me input. ”

After hearing his words, Zhang Quan's wife finally opened her mouth and ate a piece of the century's egg. Soft century eggs have a chewy taste in the mouth when eaten. The yolk inside did not fully condense and gave off a faint aroma. With its rich flavor, it feels really good. Zhang Quan's wife praised him repeatedly after tasting him.

Xiaocao deliberately showed a proud expression. If not for the oil in his hands, Zhang Quan's wife would have embraced him affectionately. Looking at the soft tofu on the kitchen table, Yu Xiaocao rinsed the tofu under the water, cut the remaining eggs two centuries, and placed them on top of the tofu. After that, he poured sauce on it and finished the dish ‘eggs and tofu abad’.

On another stove, Xiaocao made ‘babi boiled with bihun’, which is a dish that northerners love. He also cooked some vegetable dishes with oyster sauce. Ever since the Zhou Family factory began production, Xiaocao, as a shareholder, has never lacked condiments such as oyster sauce and MSG. He can also get an unlimited number of vermicelli and eggs a century whenever he wants. It was said that the money would be deducted from dividends, but Third Young Master Zhou was always generous to him, so he wouldn't care much about such trivial matters.

The bailiffs were very satisfied with this meal and repeatedly praised that it was delicious. In particular, Prison Head Yue, who had eaten at Zhenxiu Restaurant before, even said, “I didn't expect there to be such a good chef in this remote village! This culinary skill was almost as good as the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant! It is almost impossible to eat ‘eggs and tofu’ and ‘boys boiled with bihun’ outside Zhenxiu Restaurant. I never thought that your Yu Family had such a connection and could buy century vermicelli and eggs, which are not available in the market .. ”

Yu Bo, who was beside them, hurriedly said, “What relationship will my family have? It's just that my second brother has a good relationship with the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant, so he can get the vermicelli and eggs of the century. To entertain our honored guests, we have cooked everything. ”

“Your second brother does have some connections. Zhenxiu Restaurant's oyster sauce dish was a secret recipe, yet he also had to learn it? Your second brother's relationship with restaurant owner Zhenxiu must be very close ah! ” Chief Solicitor Yue put aside her disgust in her heart and showed a slight smile on her face.

Seeing the bailiffs eating happily, Yu Bo became even more excited. People often say: ‘It is very easy to see the King of Hell, but it is difficult to please the little goblins.’ These bailiffs often used his status to act like a tyrant. Today, thanks to his younger niece they can please these friends. In the afternoon, they would not cause much trouble for them in court.

After lunch, Yu Hai, who learned that this princess was summoned to court this afternoon, quickly loaded two watermelon carts and followed his daughter and the court clerk to the city. On the road to the city, there was also Madam Zhang and her son, as well as Old Yu, who followed them because she was worried.

They specifically loaded less watermelon onto the Yu Family horse carriage so that the bailiff could sit on it. Xiaocao skillfully sat on the trunk of the donkey cart. When the bailiff came, they walked until their feet hurt. Since they were able to get a free ride on the horse-drawn carriage on the way home, their initial feelings of frustration got a little better. So they don't make it difficult for them.

When they arrived at the city, Xiaocao, Madam Zhang, and Yu Bo were taken directly to the yamen. Yu Hai, who was worried about his daughter, did not have time to care about the watermelon cart and rushed to Fang Zizhen's residence in the city.

It just so happened that he met Fang Zizhen, who had just returned from the prefectural city and had not even gotten off his horse, in front of the entrance of the Fang Estate. This person was even more stupid for his daughter than Yu Hai. As soon as he heard that his precious daughter was summoned to court, he immediately turned his horse and ran towards the yamen. She was afraid that her daughter would be frightened by the people in Yamen if she got there too late.

The gatekeeper of the Fang Estate saw that his master had directly rushed to the yamen without even descending from his horse, so he hurriedly reported it to the butler. The butler naturally knew how important Miss Yu was in her master's heart, but she still needed to tell the Madam about her master's return.

Right now, Lady Fang was in her sick niece's room. When she heard that her daughter was taken to the yamen by the bailiff, she immediately left her nephew, who had just taken her medicine, changed into a third-rate noble mistress, and went to the yamen in a carriage. When she thought about how scared the weak and delicate Xiaocao was in front of the cruel and rude yamen court attendant, Madam Fang repeatedly urged the coachman to drive faster.

On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao, the object of his parents' concern, was currently curiously looking around at the yamen district as it was a tourist attraction. There were rows of bailiffs standing on each side of the court hall with wooden sticks in their hands, while wooden tables were placed right across from the entrance. On the wooden table, there was a judge's hammer and a bamboo tube with several wooden stems inside. Behind the wooden table, four majestic and impressive characters from ‘honest and upright’ are written and hung on it.

Chief Sage Yue saw that the little girl had no fear of her big, round eyes, but she instead had a clear expression of curiosity. He could not help but cough and remind him to kneel in a low voice. Xiaocao finally realized that Madam Zhang and her son had kneeled before the court hall and were trembling in fear.

He scratched his nose, knelt reluctantly, and muttered, “The evil ways of the old society ..”

Before transmigrating, unless sentenced to kneel by his mother for behaving badly when he was a child, Xiaocao had never really knelt in front of anyone before. Ever since he moved, his poor little knee had to suffer. During the New Year, he had to kneel in front of an older person for the New Year greetings. When acknowledging his godparents, he had to kneel and prostrate. When he accidentally offended the young royal prince, he had to kneel down and apologize. He also had to kneel when recklessly saying the wrong thing in front of Fifth Master! He touched his poor little knee. Will this cause calluses?

As she complains, she is shocked by the shouts ‘the court hearing will begin—’. When District Judge Wu walked out of the back hall, he saw a thin little figure widen his eyes in shock and sit on his own feet. He looked like a frightened little squirrel. He barely maintained his dignified appearance and laughed out loud, but he looked at Xiaocao with a gaze filled with smiles.

With his big, round eyes, Yu Xiaocao looked at District Judge Wu, who was wearing an official robe, as he walked out of the back hall with large strides. Her performance really exuded the feeling of someone singing Chinese opera. He blinked his eyes, switched to a more comfortable sitting position, and waited for the show to begin.