Chapter 30 Let Him Peel Crabs

Ningshuang, who had gone to the kitchen to deliver a message, came back with a happy look on her face.

"Master, Madam, the kitchen just brought in two baskets of giant blue crabs today. They say they're from Yangcheng Lake, raised in the water and brought back here. Both the male and female crabs are plump and delicious. We've made crab stuffed with oranges and crab roe soup dumplings, and we'll also have a few steamed ones."

Excluding the food made with old crab roe, this was Jiang Si's first time eating crab this year. There were several crab dishes on the table, so she could eat to her heart's content.

Xie Yunshuo was picky and said, "A table full of crabs, isn't that a bit boring?"

Jiang Si shook her head. "I do miss the sweetness of crab roe, but that's okay. I'll make another hot dish of ginger duck and a mixed vegetable dish to help with the greasiness."

She had thought it through. Xie Yunshuo instructed Ningshuang, "Go and pass on the message."

Ningshuang responded and left, and the room became quiet again.

However, even though the two of them didn't speak, the atmosphere was not as cold and silent as before.

Xie Yunshuo looked straight ahead, then slightly lowered his eyes to the carpet.

Jiang Si's every move can be seen by her side.

She remembered something and asked, "Since we're eating crab, are the eight crab dishes ready?"

Xie Yunshuo glanced at Qiu Ze, who quickly replied, "Don't worry, Madam. We have our own utensils in the courtyard, so there's no need for them to be sent up from the kitchen. I'll have someone take care of them right away."

Then he went out too.

Jiang Si asked again, "Do you have any rice wine? It goes perfectly with crabs."

Xie Yunshuo glanced at Jiaoshan again, and Jiaoshan understood: "I'll go make some rice wine right away."

Jiang Si's three sentences made the people around Xie Yunshuo run around in circles, making the main room look much more lively than usual.

The servants came in and out, preparing lunch for the two of them, making the place as lively as a festival.

Jiang Si rested her arms on the table, leaning slightly, her eyes slanting upwards, looking thoughtful.

Xie Yunshuo glanced at her, wondering what she was thinking. She smiled slightly, so it seemed like she wasn't unhappy.

He wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but felt it was too abrupt as they were not that close yet.

As expected, Jiang Si said it herself.

She seemed to be talking to herself, and Xie Yunshuo didn't know if she was talking to her.

"Today is the sixteenth day of the lunar month, and the moon is still full. We've prepared a large table of crabs and rice wine. If we set it up in the pavilion outside, and we could enjoy the moon while eating crabs, it would be quite poetic."

Xie Yunshuo casually said, "Do you still like this kind of poetic and picturesque feeling?"

Jiang Si glanced at him with an expression of disapproval, as if ignoring him.

"Why can't I like poetry and painting? Am I that rude?"

Xie Yunshuo knew that he had said something wrong and stopped talking.

He found that whenever he was with Jiang Si, his mouth was always out of control and his words were not carefully considered. In addition, his tone was not naturally gentle, so it always sounded sarcastic.

To say that Jiang Si actually had a poetic and picturesque heart was like mocking her unrefined behavior, like a cow chewing a peony...

Xie Yunshuo thought about it, shook his head, and decided to just let it go.

Because he realized that even if he said something nice, Jiang Si might not necessarily accept his favor.

In the final analysis, it was because he had never coaxed a woman before, so he felt uncomfortable and his mouth was harder than a rock.

Thinking about it, I just rolled my eyes at him. The loss was not big or serious.

The two of them sat for a while, until the small matters were done and the food was delivered from the kitchen.

When you open the small steamer and lift the bamboo lid of the crab roe soup dumplings, you will see they are still steaming and each dumpling is crystal clear and plump.

There was no rush to eat other things. Jiang Si picked up the soup dumpling first, bit off a little bit of the hot dough, and slowly sucked up the sweet soup.

After drinking the soup, I added shredded ginger and vinegar, about half a spoonful, which was almost like giving the soup dumpling a bath.

Xie Yunshuo was surprised: "Why are you so jealous?"

Jiang Si smiled subtly: "Because I'm jealous."

This sentence was originally normal, but with Jiang Si's expression, it seemed meaningful.

Xie Yunshuo paused and could only nod.

No matter who she was talking about being jealous, he believed it. With her hot temper, she could never be selfless and kind-hearted, unless she didn't care.

The soup dumplings made in the kitchen today are just right. They use fresh meat, crab meat and crab roe to make a soup that is extremely delicious and has just the right flavor.

Adding a bit of salt will make it salty, reducing it will make it bland.

Jiang Si ate three in a row and scooped up the entire dish of shredded ginger and vinegar.

Xie Yunshuo glanced at her and saw that she wanted to take a fourth soup dumpling, so he reached out and held her sleeve, handing her his dish of vinegar.

He didn't say anything, but his actions and meaning were obvious.

Jiang Si took it and placed it in front of herself.

Xie Yunshuo thought his generosity would earn him a kind word, but she replied, "Eating crabs without vinegar is truly tasteless."

Xie Yunshuo was caught off guard and felt his heart pounded. His kindness was taken for granted. He couldn't help but stretched out his hand to push Jiang Si's hand away and put the dish of vinegar in front of him again.

"You're jealous and yet you're still talking too much."

Not only did Jiang Si's hands become empty, but her hands were also pushed away by him.

She stared at Xie Yunshuo, but she didn't feel any emotion because of his reaction, and even found it a little funny.

Anyway, it was not a big deal. Xie Yunshuo's expression was helpless and irritated as he regretted not giving her the vinegar.

He was obviously pissed off by her. Isn't this a sense of accomplishment?

She said nonchalantly, "Do you think this is something rare? Youlu, give me some more vinegar."

You Lu took out a vinegar pot from a food box on a wooden rack nearby and filled the empty dish with vinegar for Jiang Si.

Jiang Si glanced at Xie Yunshuo, her eyes clearly signaling: "See? I don't need you to give in. I'm not short of vinegar."

Xie Yunshuo was so angry at her provocative attitude that he took a deep breath.

However, this air is not real air and has no temperature.

After eating four soup dumplings in a row, Jiang Si finally ate something else.

She looked at the six palm-sized crabs on the plate, and saw Xie Yunshuo take one, open the shell skillfully, and separate the crab parts with his eight parts, his movements smooth and flowing.

The careful and dexterous Wu Chan came forward and wanted to help Jiang Si cut the crab, but Jiang Si did not let her do it.

It is inconvenient for her to stand, so it is better to let someone who is sitting and knows how to do it help her.

She asked bluntly: "Xie Yunshuo, I am not good at using crab eight pieces, can you open one for me?"

This was the first time Jiang Si made a request to Xie Yunshuo.

Today, although the two of them didn't get along well, at least they were no longer as hostile as before. Instead, there was some subtle amusement.

Jiang Si asked Xie Yunshuo to help her because he had beautiful hands and it was a pleasure to watch him peel crabs.

If he refused, she would just come on her own, no big deal.

Anyway, it's just a little messy when it's dismantled, not as neat as he made it, it doesn't mean it can't be imported.

Xie Yunshuo didn't stop his hands, he raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at her.

She wanted to ask for something and didn't say anything nice, so Xie Yunshuo was about to refuse.

If you want him to do something, you have to coax him at least.

Why should he listen to Jiang Si when she spoke to him like she was ordering a servant around?

"Myself..." He had just said two words when he heard Jiang Si say, "Your fingers are long and straight, and you peel the crab slowly, which is quite pleasing to the eye."

"Get the crab yourself."

The next few words Xie Yunshuo was about to say changed the content.

That's about right.

He didn't refuse, which showed that he was kind-hearted. Jiang Si picked a female crab and placed it in front of Xie Yunshuo.

It just so happened that there was also a female crab in front of Xie Yunshuo. Since he was using tools to cut the crab, he decided not to rush to eat it and waited until he had cut the crab apart.

So he placed the already opened plate of crab in front of Jiang Si and said, "Eat first."

He was too lazy to dirty his hands and wash them again, so he started to divide the crabs again. He first divided the crabs into several categories and then tasted them slowly.

Jiang Si smiled at him and said, "Thank you very much. I'll be more than welcome then."

Xie Yunshuo raised his eyebrows. It turned out that Jiang Si could actually say thank you.

I don’t know if it’s because he was angry with her too much in the past, but his impression of Jiang Si is that she is a thorny and irritating nemesis.

Hearing her thank you, a simple thank you, he found it strangely pleasant and rare.

In this world, things are valuable because they are rare.

If others say thank you, he will never take it to heart.

But Jiang Si's words of thanks made Xie Yunshuo feel refreshed. He felt like he had found a treasure and even a little flattered.

Xie Yunshuo laughed to himself.

How could he become so strange just because of Jiang Si's thanks?

He said nothing as he quietly disassembled the crab, occasionally looking up at Jiang Si who was enjoying the crab meat.

She must have loved eating crabs very much. She held a small golden spoon, scooped out the golden crab roe, dipped it in vinegar and fed it into her mouth. She smiled while eating, feeling quite satisfied.

Because it was rare to see her like this, it was a bit novel, so Xie Yunshuo couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.

At the same time, without her noticing, the second crab in her hand was inexplicably delivered to her.

When the plate fell on the table with a slight sound, Xie Yunshuo finally realized that he had unconsciously sent the second crab to Jiang Si.

Now that he has given it, it is difficult for him to take it back.

Jiang Si glanced at him, her eyes slightly raised, obviously asking: "Why did you give it to me again?"

Xie Yunshuo was at a loss for words: "Eat it. If you want more, peel it yourself. I won't help you anymore."

In order to counteract his unhelpful and attentive attitude, he decided to be more indifferent and stop peeling her clothes, so as to save some face.

Jiang Si's face, which originally had a hint of smile on it, gradually faded. Just when she thought he had become better, he started saying some unpleasant words again.

He agreed to peel them for her, and since his hands were already dirty, why didn't he just help her out? He even said, "I'll only peel two for her, and let her do the rest herself."

Was it that Uncle Xie's hands were tired, or was it that his patience had reached its limit?

Fortunately, after Jiang Si ate two crabs, she was full and didn't need to peel them anymore.

She ate some other dishes.

This ginger duck dish was also cooked with great flavor, and the duck meat was tender and not dry.

She tasted the dish carefully, but in Xie Yunshuo's opinion, he thought it was her turn to open the crab herself. She was too lazy to open the crab, so she simply didn't eat it.

He was enjoying the crabs so much just now, but he didn't eat them just because he didn't want to peel them. How could someone be so willful and spoiled as her?

Xie Yunshuo shook his head.

Since she didn't want to open it, she just watched him eat it.

He cut his crab apart, put down his tools, washed his hands, and ate slowly with a golden spoon.

He then slowly commented, "This year's crabs are plump and delicious, with a fresh and sweet taste, neither bitter nor astringent. They are truly top-quality. Have the other courtyards had crabs today?"

Yan Qing, who was waiting on the side, replied: "In reply to the eldest master, there are crabs in each courtyard today, and they are all being eaten."

Jiang Si noticed that his attitude of enjoying the food, accompanied by some comments, seemed a bit deliberate.

But she had eaten enough, so she watched his performance leisurely.

Xie Yunshuo ate slowly and leisurely, and his food seemed elegant and noble.

It just so happened that today he was wearing a black shirt, which was light in color and not as majestic as usual.

In addition, he was silent and didn't speak, so there was no voice to influence him, which added a bit of scholarly air.

Just as he was thinking, Xie Yunshuo said again: "After eating so many crabs, your body will be cold. You should drink more ginger soup."

There were only two of them eating crabs at the table, so it was obvious who he was talking to.

Just when she thought his silence and quietness were refreshing, as soon as he said these commanding words, coupled with his somewhat low voice, the good impression she had of Jiang Si was instantly gone.

Jiang Si said regretfully, "It's better if you don't say anything."

Xie Yunshuo frowned slightly, looking suspicious, not knowing what she was talking about. Suspicion was not a good word.

Jiang Si smiled and said, "No problem."

Then he took the hot ginger soup handed to him by the maid and drank it slowly.

She usually eats until she is 70% full, but today she only ate 60% full. Even though the food was to her liking, she held back because she still had to drink ginger soup.

Although Xie Yunshuo's words were full of educational implications, they were indeed correct.

Crabs are cold, and she has eaten enough today. She doesn't know if it will affect her body.

Jiang Si drank the whole bowl of hot ginger soup and felt full.

While drinking the ginger soup, she was thinking that her period was about to come, and she wondered if eating crab today would make her body feel uncomfortable, so she kept drinking, and even though she couldn't drink any more, she still persuaded herself to drink it all.

She was distracted and didn't think about anything else. To Xie Yunshuo's surprise, she actually drank the whole bowl of ginger soup slowly.

He saw Jiang Si drinking so slowly and knew from her appearance that she was reluctant to drink. But even though she was obviously forcing herself, she still finished the bowl of ginger soup.

Could it be... because of what he said?

Xie Yunshuo's heart moved slightly, and without him noticing, his heart beat rapidly a few times, then returned to normal.

It seemed that this lunch was to Jiang Si's liking, making her more receptive to what he said.

If this is the case, in the future, you can do more things that you can control to suit her wishes, and this will help you and your spouse maintain a harmonious relationship with fewer disputes.

Don't be like the past few days, where every meeting would lead to disputes.

After lunch, Jiang Si had to carry out her morning arrangements, so she left the main house and went to the warehouse with her maids.

Take another look and pick out some clothes and headwear.

She hadn't been out for a long time, and this was her first time going out after getting married, so Jiang Si took it very seriously.

She wants to dress herself up nicely and be in a good mood all day.

Not only did Jiang Si pursue unparalleled gorgeous clothes, but she was also a person with strict requirements and refused to follow the beaten path.

Whatever she wears and carries, she has her own favorite and doesn't care about other people's admiration.

Therefore, the clothes and accessories she owns may not necessarily be fashionable, but they are liked by everyone and suit her.

She left the room to do something, leaving Xie Yunshuo alone in the room.

Although she didn't tell him what she was going to do when she went out, because they got along well before, he didn't speculate or think too much about her going out without saying anything.

He read a book for a while, looked at a few lists, said a few words to the person sent by General Xie to deliver the message, and then left.

We went to Yishouju, the residence of the old general, and Xie Xingxiu was there too.

The three generations of grandparents and grandchildren have important matters to discuss.

The day of the expedition was getting closer and closer, and the general frequently went in and out of the palace. After Xie Xingxiu left the court, he was often kept by the emperor to discuss military affairs.

The Xuan Dynasty was peaceful, with few internal conflicts, but there were constant external threats.

There are sea threats in the south, Turks in the north, Goryeo in the east, and India in the west.

Especially two years ago, the Turks annexed two small countries and their power increased greatly.

During the extremely cold winter every year, due to the pressure of life, border harassment continues and small-scale invasions are frequent.

Every Turk is good at fighting, riding and shooting. Now that they are powerful, they need the loyal and brave Xie family to lead the defense of the country.

The emperor needed the Xie family, but was also wary of them. Regarding Xie Yunshuo's marriage, the emperor hinted in subtle ways, and the Xie family also expressed their loyalty subtly.

The relationship between the ruler and his subjects was more harmonious than before.

The emperor promised the general that if he could maintain peace on the border and annihilate the three major Turkic tribes during this expedition, he would promote Xie Yunshuo to the fifth rank of General Dingyuan.

Xie Yunshuo is only nineteen years old now. In a prosperous era, being able to hold a fifth-rank official position at such a young age is truly rare and unparalleled in the world.

Not only his future, but other things are also of great importance, so the old man attaches great importance to it.

Upon hearing this good news, the three generations of the family, as well as other generals of the Xie family, all looked solemn, even though they knew that the emperor's grace was immense.

Those who had truly experienced life and death on the battlefield understood that the promotion promised by the emperor was extraordinary, but his requirements were also extraordinary.

There are seven Turkic tribes in total. How difficult would it be to wipe out three of them?

On the battlefield, swords and knives are merciless. I don’t know if I have the fate and blessing to enjoy such a good thing as being promoted to a general at a young age.

The Xie family naturally wanted this honor, but Xie Yunshuo, the eldest grandson of the eldest house, was the old man's most cherished hope.

If he was not in a hurry to achieve this military achievement, with Xie Yunshuo's ability and talent for leading a military force, he would sooner or later become a third-rank military officer or above by the time he was thirty years old.

However, the emperor's proposal was not a request for opinion, but an order.

The prosperous times left by his ancestors left him with no achievements to pass down to future generations, so he wanted to expand his territory and attack foreign enemies to add many achievements to his history books that would be praised by future generations.

However, a general's success is built on the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers, so this is not an easy task.

After a long silence, the old man stroked his graying beard and said in a low voice, "You two go back first. Yun Shuo will have a few words with me. Xing Xiu will also stay."

The old man asked his other sons and grandsons to leave first, leaving only his eldest son and grandson.

After the others left, the old man sighed and said earnestly, "We are rushing to the border this time. The military orders are heavy. Yun Shuo needs to stay behind before that."

The old man said this with great seriousness.

Xie Xingxiu and Xie Yunshuo also had serious expressions.

The old man asked Xie Yunshuo to leave a descendant because he inferred from his experience that he was not sure of winning this battle.

If Xie Yunshuo joins the army and dies on the battlefield, Changsun's lineage must leave behind descendants so that there will be successors.

Among this generation of grandchildren, only Xie Yunshuo has the demeanor of the old grandfather. He is old and cannot accept the early death of his eldest grandson.

However, no matter how reluctant he was, Xie Yunshuo had to go to the battlefield and earn military merit in the fighting.

They are military generals who risk their lives to earn military merit and only through their achievements can they establish themselves as high-ranking officials.

The old man would not protect his eldest grandson in a greenhouse just because he likes him, and would not let him be exposed to the wind, frost and rain. This is not the old man's style.

Therefore, he wanted his eldest grandson, who was already married, to at least leave behind a descendant. If the sword was really merciless and God wanted to kill the most promising grandson of the Xie family, he would still have someone to succeed him.

Xie Yunshuo bowed his head and replied solemnly, "Grandfather, rest assured. Life or death, I will lead the army into battle and fulfill my mission. If I unfortunately die in battle, I will kill a few more enemy generals to enhance the reputation of my Xie family. I, your grandson, also know about leaving a legacy."

This is no joke and has nothing to do with whether he and Jiang Si are in love with each other.

Now that the two have gotten married, they should have children and continue the Xie family. Moreover, the old man has made the suggestion himself, and as children and grandchildren, they should obey.

Afterwards, the three of them talked about something else, and when Xie Yunshuo returned to the yard, it was already sunset.

However, the sky is dark and gloomy today, and it may rain tonight or tomorrow.

When he returned, Jiang Si had already finished her work and was sitting in the middle room, fiddling with a small gadget.

Seeing him come back, Jiang Si looked back at him and found that he had no joy on his face. There was a layer of gloom between his eyebrows and eyes. He looked like he was worried about something. It was obvious that something was wrong.

Jiang Si could see that he was worried, but she didn't ask.

The two of them were not close enough to confide in each other and comfort each other. If it was serious business, Xie Yunshuo would tell her what he needed to tell her.

If he didn't tell her, there was no point in her asking.

Jiang Si didn't bother about it and turned back to busy herself with her own business.

Xie Yunshuo walked over with slow steps and sat down silently. He seemed to be in an extremely heavy mood.

Jiang Si looked at him several times before finally asking, "What did your father and grandfather tell you that is so heavy?"

Jiang Si came back early and had heard that Xie Yunshuo had gone to Yishouju. She guessed that they must be discussing some important matters.

Xie Yunshuo is not the kind of person who would spread rumors, especially when it comes to matters involving officialdom and the court.

I won’t tell others my secrets, I’m used to it.

However, he glanced at Jiang Si and found that she was staring at him with a puzzled and curious look.

He then came to his senses and remembered that they were already husband and wife, and there were some things that he didn't need to hide from her.

He then told her the emperor's intention and his request to the Xie family.

As he spoke, Xie Yunshuo speculated that Jiang Si would definitely be happy to hear such good news of promotion, especially since he was so young and could hold the high position of a military commander.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Si's reaction was indifferent.

It wasn't a fake, because her eyes didn't show any joy at all, and her hand was still touching her little accessory.

Xie Yunshuo thought she didn't understand, so he repeated, "The emperor has promised that if I defeat the three Turkic tribes this time, I will be awarded the second-rank military merit and promoted to General Dingyuan when I return."

Jiang Si nodded.

He knew that she must have understood this time, but why did she still show no emotion, as if this matter had nothing to do with her?

But he was obviously her husband, and if he got promoted, she would be the most direct beneficiary.

Anyone would be happy to hear that she became a general's wife at such a young age. Why did she react like this?

Doesn't it mean she doesn't care?

Either she doesn't care about him, or she doesn't care about her own identity.

This went against common sense, and Xie Yunshuo was puzzled.

He asked, "Why are you unhappy? Shouldn't you be happy?"

Jiang Si's answer surprised him again.

"If this is a good thing, why are you so depressed? You feel like there's nothing to be happy about. This shows that this matter is not simple."

Xie Yunshuo was surprised.

It's a surprise with pleasant surprise.

This was the first time he intuitively felt Jiang Si's intelligence.

He was very surprised.

Moreover, she is rational and clear-headed, not short-sighted, only looking at the benefits without using her brain.

His eyes were fixed on Jiang Si's face, and something was quietly melting and changing.