Chapter 284 The Person and the Alternate Identity

Lin Yuesha grilled the fish, and in no time, the fresh and fragrant aroma of the fish filled the air.

Since we can only carry a limited amount of food on the mountain, brushing the outer skin with oil would make it look better.

"Bai Cha, when we go down the mountain later, I'll borrow your kitchen. I want to cook something for Brother Yun."

To make salt and pepper boiled fish, you need some oil, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and bean sprouts. She only needs some oil and bean sprouts. If the Bai family doesn't have enough, they can buy them from the villagers.

“Miss, we have all of those at home.”

Bai Cha swallowed again, not because she was greedy, but because her mistress's cooking was just too good.

Since following Miss Jiang, she has gained weight, and Longjing, who stayed at the Jiang family to help out, wanted to come back every day.

For dinner, they decided to make boiled fish with salt and pepper. Xiao Qi only tasted one piece of grilled fish, and the rest went into Bai Cha's stomach.

After waiting a while, his clothes were half-dry from the heat. Xiao Qi put them on expressionlessly, intending to hunt some pheasants and rabbits. He said, "The pool here is deep, so it's safe around here. You can wait here."

"Brother Yun, please come back quickly."

Lin Yuesha nodded obediently and watched the pockmarked man leave. For some reason, his thin figure seemed somewhat familiar.

"Miss, Young Master Yun is really amazing."

Bai Cha sighed, "It's just that this face is a bit scary. If he were more handsome, I don't know how many girls he would have charmed."

"White Tea, I didn't realize you were judging people by their appearance."

Lin Yuesha raised an eyebrow and teased Bai Cha, and the two of them laughed and joked together.

As the sun began to set, painting the horizon a fiery red, Lin Yuesha, holding wildflowers in her hands, extinguished the firewood pile with water and sat down to watch the sunset.

Xiao Qi was carrying a string of pheasants and rabbits. In the distance, he saw the red glow of the setting sun shining on Lin Yuesha's face. Her eyes were bright, and when she saw him, she immediately smiled. That smile made him feel that she was genuinely happy.

Xiao Qi's heart raced, and he couldn't help but flinch.

His subordinates might be right; he was indeed somewhat of a beast.

"Brother Yun, you're back!"

Lin Yuesha hurriedly stood up and ran towards Xiao Qi. In her haste, she didn't see the path under her feet and tripped over a stone, causing her to lean forward.

"Miss, be careful!"

Bai Cha wanted to save the day, but it was too late.

At that very moment, Xiao Qi threw away the pheasant and rabbit in his hands, opened his arms, and held Lin Yuesha firmly in his embrace.

The two people remained in the same position, neither of them moving.

Bai Cha blinked. For some reason, even though the pockmarked face was ugly, the two of them looked so harmonious when they hugged, like a perfect couple.

No, that's wrong. Men and women shouldn't touch each other!

Before Bai Cha could even remind her, Lin Yuesha quickly broke free. She was truly blinded by greed; what was she thinking?

Although she is now considered an older single woman, she is still a budding flower.

Are you alright?

Xiao Qi quickly composed himself and asked.

"It's alright, Brother Yun, you've had so many gains again."

Looking at the strings of pheasants and rabbits, and imagining their delicious taste, Lin Yuesha smiled. Especially the rabbit meat; she could make two smoked rabbit legs and send them to her elder brother at Changqing Academy.

"Not only that, there's also a wild boar."

The wild boar was in the nearby woods. He knocked it unconscious with a punch and then stabbed it, killing it instantly.

Wild boar blood has a slightly fishy and foul smell. Xiao Qi is a clean freak and didn't want to drag it down the mountain, so he asked Bai Cha to go to the village at the foot of the mountain to call for help.

"Then I'll go?"

Bai Cha hesitated. She was really worried about her mistress being alone with the pockmarked man. What if she wasn't watching them closely enough and they ended up hugging each other again?

But for now, this is the only way.

"Miss, please wait for me, I'll be right back."

After Bai Cha finished speaking, she found a path leading up the mountain and ran downhill as fast as she could. She had to hurry so that the time she spent with Miss and Pockmarked Face would be shorter.

With the other woman gone, Lin Yuesha felt much more at ease.

This wasn't the first time she and the pockmarked man had been alone together, but she always felt awkward and uncomfortable with outsiders around.

"It's getting late, why don't I take you home sooner?"

Although Xiao Qi really wanted to eat that boiled fish, his parents would worry if his younger sister didn't come home, especially Chen Shi, who might regret it now.

"Need not."

Lin Yuesha was still a little angry after being beaten, but she cooked a table full of food quickly and efficiently. She would be home at most half an hour late, which was no big deal.

Besides, the pockmarked man spent money and effort to comfort her today, so she should repay him.

"Brother Yun, when will I be able to see you again?"

Lin Yuesha thought for a moment, then asked anyway. She hoped she had secrets too, so that someone would understand when she was sad.

But for so long, she has been strong on her own, and very few people have been able to reach her heart.

She and the pockmarked face must be close friends, right?

"It should be soon, right?"

Xiao Qi was unsure because he really didn't want this alias to reappear.

Then, the two silently admired the sunset without saying a word.

After waiting for a while, Bai Cha, panting, called over the villagers. Her father and several brothers, together with everyone, managed to move the wild boar down the mountain.

The wild boar weighed over 300 jin (approximately 150 kg) and had black fur. Lin Yuesha couldn't carry that much with her, so she asked the butcher to come and take away the pig's leg and half a carcass.

The rest were distributed among the Bai family and the villagers.

"Miss, dried chili peppers, bean sprouts, and oil are all here."

The villagers didn't take it for nothing. When they learned that Lin Yuesha was going to cook, they brought her ingredients, including some uncommon mountain bamboo shoots.

"There's no time to stew wild boar now, so let's have stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat, boiled fish, spicy diced chicken, and a hot and sour shredded cabbage."

There weren't many good things in the village, and the Bai family lived a frugal life, so Lin Yuesha specially made extra of these four dishes.

In about half an hour, all the food was ready.

Especially the large bowl of boiled fish, sprinkled with Sichuan peppercorns and red chili peppers, the fish slices were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, slightly curled up. When Xiao Qi picked up a slice, it was both numbing and fragrant, and he almost bit his tongue.

The food at the academy was mainly light and simple, but his younger sister's cooking suited his taste perfectly.

"Brother Yun, this is the best rice in the village, please eat more rice."

Lin Yuesha served food to the pockmarked man and talked about her plans. This year, her family had their own land, so they could eat rice and noodles in the fall, and in the winter, they would have vegetables cooked in the heated house.

She will definitely invite the pockmarked man to the estate and treat him to a big meal.

"Brother Yun, I only told you how to make fried meat, I didn't expect you to tell my brother too."

Lin Yuesha thought of her stepbrother; the two of them had just eaten fried meat last night.

"Cough cough cough!"

Xiao Qi almost choked, reminding himself never to speak carelessly again, because it wouldn't be so easy to cover up his mistake next time.

"Brother Yun, my elder brother is at Changqing Academy. If it's inconvenient for you to contact me, you can ask my brother to pass on your message."

Lin Yuesha, still confused, asked again.