Shen Li lived close to the old lady. The three of them arrived at the courtyard in no time. As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw the old lady. It turned out that the old lady missed Shen Li so much that she had been waiting at the door.
She waved to Shen Li and said, "Li'er, look at me. The older I get, the more I need company. I've been looking forward to your coming."
Shen Li beamed with joy. She affectionately and familiarly took the old lady's arm and said, "It's good that you've been looking forward to me. I also want to stay with you for a while."
The old lady patted her on the head. Looking at her, she seemed like a six - or seven - year - old child. She also stuffed all kinds of candies and pastries into Shen Li's hands.
"You came to see me early in the morning. I've prepared well for you. Since the weather cleared up today, I specially invited a chef from outside early this morning to make some local Yangzhou breakfast for you. You must have a good taste. I don't know if it suits your taste..."
As she spoke, the old lady looked self - reproachful, as if blaming herself for not preparing a more common breakfast in case Shen Li didn't like the local Yangzhou food.
Shen Li naturally guessed what was on her mind and quickly comforted her, "Grandma, I've tasted a bit of the local Yangzhou breakfast before, and I found it very delicious. Thinking about such a big table of food this time, I'm already drooling."
The old lady finally put her mind at ease. She tapped Shen Li on the head and said, "You little glutton. Let's go in quickly."
Shen Li supported the old lady and walked into the dining hall much faster than usual. Sure enough, the table was full of all kinds of delicious food.
The old lady picked up a piece of tofu and said, "These beans have been boiled for a long time. Only through pure manual work can we make such tender and white tofu. There's even a filling inside. It's all made with special techniques. You should try it quickly."
The old lady kept picking food for Shen Li. Her bowl was piled up like a small mountain. Shen Li, who had been chatting and laughing with the old lady just now, now felt quite stressed and could only bury her head and eat.
When Shen Li finished a whole big bowl of food, the old lady picked another big bowl for her and said, "Come and try this lotus - leaf osmanthus porridge. It leaves a long - lasting fragrance in your mouth. And this crispy cake..."
Shen Li touched her round belly and felt that she really couldn't eat anymore. So she looked at the old lady apologetically and said, "Grandma, I really can't eat anymore. I've already drunk a big bowl of all kinds of porridges, and my stomach is full of all sorts of things..."
But the old lady still said that Shen Li was too thin and kept picking food for her. Shen Li could only blink her eyes and look at the old lady pitifully, "Grandma, can't we save these for next time? I really..."
The old servant laughed and said, "Madam, we know you feel sorry for Miss Shen. But since she can't eat anymore, let's save it for next time, okay?"
The old lady suddenly wanted to slap herself. She was just too eager to show her love for her granddaughter and kept saying that she was old and muddle - headed. Finally, she asked the kitchen to deal with the uneaten food and said that she would pay out of her own pocket to invite this chef to make breakfast until Shen Li got tired of it.
Shen Li was very touched, and her eyes were a bit sore. This kind of family warmth was something she couldn't feel from the Shen family.
The old lady lovingly looked at her and said, "I know you've been arranging the disaster - relief work recently. You're going to open the granary to distribute grain, right? I just want to ask you, are you going to go to the temple to offer incense with me today or go to the disaster - relief site?"
Shen Li thought that the old lady was not in good health and could only go to the temple. But... she was really worried about the disaster - relief work if she didn't oversee it.
Seeing Shen Li lowering her head, the old lady suddenly said, "Forget it. I can take you to the temple next time. Don't worry about me. Just focus on the disaster - relief work..."
It was no longer early in the morning. The old lady urged Shen Li to go out, and she herself went to the temple with the old servant. When they parted, she kept telling Shen Li to pay attention to safety and take more guards.
Shen Li frowned and looked at the steward in front of her and said, "Are the grains all ready? Are there enough guards? And tell me clearly about all the other things. There can't be the slightest mistake!"
That sense of oppression came again. The steward couldn't help but bend his waist and lower his head and said, "Miss Shen, you can rest assured about my work. We've been preparing for this since five days ago. Whether it's the grains, the guards, or the report to the government, we've all handled it well. I believe that this time our Hua family will gain a good reputation and have a foothold in the business world."
Shen Li nodded. For the first time, she praised the steward, "You've done a great job. There will surely be a reward after this is successfully completed. Remember to assign two more guards to me."
As soon as the steward heard about the reward, his eyes sparkled. He came to work as the steward in the Hua Mansion just for money. He rubbed his hands with a smile, as if he could get the money the next second.
"Don't worry, Miss. I've found some highly skilled guards. I'm just afraid that if the victims riot, it would be a disaster if something happened to you."
This was also what Shen Li was worried about. After all, in the eyes of those victims, having food meant having a chance to survive, and even the threat of prison couldn't stop them. She added more people in the dark in case something happened and they could help out.
The whole warehouse entrance was crowded with guards and victims. Shen Li just calmly stood at the warehouse entrance. The steward shouted at the top of his voice, "Everyone, line up obediently. You can rest assured that everyone will get some grains. If anyone tries to snatch, we'll stop this disaster - relief work today!"
Suddenly, the whole place was in an uproar, and people were discussing loudly.
"Didn't they say they would open the granary to distribute grain? I rushed here early in the morning as soon as I heard about it. Now they say they won't distribute it. Aren't they just playing with us?"
"Hey, you heard it wrong. He just told us to line up and said that everyone would get some. Don't snatch. Maybe they're just afraid something will happen."
Because they were too hungry, people finally gave up resistance and lined up obediently. Some people even queued up at the back in order to get some grains.
Sure enough, the threat of hunger was powerful. Soon, a long line was formed, stretching even to the end of the alley.
Shen Li nodded in satisfaction when she saw this. The steward continued to shout at the top of his voice, "There are still some rules that must be made clear. No snatching, no cutting in line. Everyone can only get one bowl. If anyone has any objections, sorry, please leave."
As soon as he said this, those who were dissatisfied didn't dare to say a word. Even if they were still dissatisfied, they could only hold it in their hearts. This was exactly the effect Shen Li wanted. She didn't want the disaster - relief work, which was originally a good thing, to turn into a disaster for some people.
Shen Li raised her hand and then put it down. The steward immediately understood what she meant. He shouted, "Open the granary! Distribute the grain!" Everyone excitedly looked at the warehouse door but didn't dare to make any big moves, because the guards of the Hua family were standing beside them.