When Mr. and Mrs. Xu heard that a distinguished guest had come to the second house, they repeatedly asked Mrs. Gu to help and asked Xu Ershi to buy some wine.

Xu Yuan and Xu Man also came over to play with Fang Jie'er.

Gu skillfully caught and killed the chicken, while Xu Lanyin went into the kitchen to busy herself. She wanted to make a rare dish - honey-glazed venison. It was said that Xu Lanzhou bought the venison in the county town yesterday.

To save firewood, the kitchen was moved to the living room at the beginning of winter. There were two small stoves on the east and west walls of the living room, covered with wooden boards in spring, summer, and autumn. They were used to boil water and cook in cold weather, which also heated the kang in the east and west rooms, keeping the living room warm.

Xu Lanting had already moved into Qin's house. Xu Lanzhou had also lived there when he was little, but now that he was older and no longer afraid of the cold, he would just use thicker bedding and a hot water bottle under his covers at night.

There are many guests and dishes today, so we will cook them in the kitchen.

I also made steamed pork with braised pork belly, hot pot chicken, braised pork, stewed meat with sauerkraut and vermicelli, sweet and sour fish, mixed shredded radish, stir-fried cabbage, stewed dried vegetables, and chicken soup.

The honey-roasted venison was a favorite of everyone, especially the children, who only ate this dish. Worried they wouldn't be able to digest it, the adults shared the rest, and Fang Jieer even shed tears.

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Next time Sister Fang comes, Auntie will make an even more delicious honey-glazed grilled pork ribs."

Fang Jie'er just stopped crying.

Xu Yuan said hurriedly, "After making that delicious dish, don't forget to call me, Auntie."

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "There are delicious foods at my house, when did you miss out?"

Xuyuan scratched his head and grinned, "Oh, that's right."

After dinner, Old Man Xu and the others left with the children. Hong Zhen had drunk a bit too much, so Liu Yong and Xu Lanzhou helped him to the east wing to rest, while Hu and Fang Jie'er went to rest in Xu Lanyin's room.

After washing the dishes, Xu Lanyin returned to the house and saw Hu sewing the clothes she had not finished, and Fang Jie'er sleeping on the kang.

Xu Lanyin and Mrs. Hu were sitting on the kang chatting, and Xu Lanyin deliberately turned the topic to the girl from the Hu family.

Mrs. Hu sighed, "Yier is my cousin, my second uncle's third daughter. She's well-behaved, simple, and pretty. She's been complaining of chest pain and anxiety since this spring. We've even called off the marriage we were planning..."

I talked about Hu Yi's illness.

Xu Lanyin said, "So many doctors haven't diagnosed her with heart disease. It's probably not this disease. Maybe she has something on her mind that she can't express openly. Let her family counsel her and find out what happened to her. Maybe it's better than looking for doctors everywhere..."

Mrs. Hu believed Xu Lanyin's words and nodded, "I'll remind Second Aunt when I get back."

Shen Shihong woke up from his sleep and left with his family.

Xu Lanzhou felt more confident about taking the military exam. He suppressed his excitement, and only after the guests left did he proudly say, "I've learned to ride a horse. Brother Hong said I have talent and said he'd take me to the military training ground to show me..."

Xu Lanting praised the scene, "Then big brother will definitely be able to pass the martial arts examination."

Xu Lanzhou nodded, walked around the yard with his shoulders held high, and then went back to the house to study the "Art of War" given to him by Hong Zhen.

Qin's eyes were red. If her husband had taken the military exam, no, even if he had joined the army as a soldier, it would have been better than that kind of job. At least he wouldn't be in constant danger of losing his life, and he wouldn't even dare to announce his death... Of course, if he hadn't taken that kind of job, he wouldn't have met her. But she would rather her husband not have met her, and she hoped he could live a happy and comfortable life.

The next day Xu Lanyin went into the mountains.

Zhao Wu stood outside the woods waiting. From a distance, the first thing he saw were two large scabs on the boy's face.

So ugly!

Xu Lanyin laughed.

Zhao Wu said hurtly, "I thought my sister would come yesterday, so I got up before dawn to heat the kang."

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "I was going to come, but when Brother Hong and his family came, I had no choice but to cook and entertain the guests at home."

The two men entered the house. Xu Lanyin took out a plate of honey-roasted venison that she had specially made yesterday, asked him to turn down the heat, pour some oil into the pan, and put the venison into the pan to fry slowly.

The aroma made Zhao Wu sniff, and he picked up his chopsticks and ate it directly after it was fried. After eating, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and then smiled and said, "Sister is really capable. The dishes she cooks are even better than those in Quanjufang in Beijing." His eyes sparkled as he thought about the future, "When I get out, I can eat the dishes she cooks every day."

Xu Lanyin asked, "What are your plans after you get out?" Then he said, "If you want to join the army, I can ask Brother Hong for help. You have martial arts skills and are smart. With his help, it won't be difficult for you to become an official."

This was the best solution Xu Lanyin had come up with for Zhao Wu. There was no way this kid could farm, and he didn't seem interested in business. He'd been playing the fool and not studying hard, so he truly didn't have much knowledge. Even if he had, the fake identity wouldn't have allowed him to take the imperial examination.

Zhao Wu said, "Before the incident, what I wanted most was to join the army, become a general, a marshal, and hold a high position... But now, joining the army is not the best option for me. In the army, unless it is an extraordinary period of war, it is extremely difficult for a soldier without connections and background to get promoted. The big brother Hong that I mentioned is only a sixth-rank officer. If he doesn't have a great opportunity, he can only be promoted to the fourth rank at best. If I follow him, I can only get the fifth rank at best. The most important thing is that I live in the army every day, and I have no control over my life. I don't have the time and opportunity to do what I want to do. Even secretly practicing martial arts is difficult."

Xu Lanyin asked, "What should we do then? Farming, doing business? If you go out, you have to have an identity."

Zhao Wu shook his head and said, "Of course these two options are even worse. Let's wait and see. If there is really no better choice, I can only join the army and then slowly make plans."

In the afternoon, Xu Lanyin left with Zhao Wu's reluctance.

On the 19th day of the winter month, Xu Lanyin went to the mountains again.

It just snowed. Although it wasn’t heavy, the snow in the mountains has become thicker.

As she entered the valley, a dove flew toward her.

Mazi swooped down and stood on Xu Lanyin's shoulder. Xu Lanyin smiled and patted it. Huazi stood up happily and barked wildly.

Before she even reached the edge of the woods, she saw Zhao Wu standing in the snow, smiling at her. The young man, bathed in the sunlight, wore a deerskin waistcoat, his face as white as jade, and smiled radiantly, like a young man stepped out of a painting, even more dazzling than the shimmering snow beneath his feet.

What a handsome young man!

"The scab on your face fell off?" Xu Lanyin said excitedly, quickening her pace.

Zhao Wu also came towards her and said with a smile, "Sister, do you think I am more handsome than before?"

He walked up to her and deliberately pursed his lips, making the dimples on his cheeks look bigger and more obvious.

Xu Lanyin exclaimed in disbelief, "Oh my god, those two scabs actually turned into dimples. It's a good thing they're in that spot. If they were on my chin or somewhere else, it would have been completely disfigured and there would have been no way to save it."

Ruyu Regenerating Cream can repair the skin and regenerate the muscles beneath it, but if the wound is deep, the flesh underneath cannot regenerate, and a small pit will form. The small pit is located in the right place on the face, which is called a dimple.