Whether it's herself or Jiang Xi in this world, they are all Yan Jing'an's friends, even if Yan Jing'an's kindness towards her is because of the deceased Jiang Xi.

Since they are friends, regardless of their purpose or whether they see her as someone else's shadow, their feelings are genuine.

Sometimes, being too concerned about trivial details can make life difficult and draining. Boldly accepting a friend's kindness is not necessarily a bad thing. Why be so particular when everyone can get along more naturally?

After figuring it out, the unease she had been feeling subsided a bit, and she carefully put the beehive into the jar.

Let's do as he said and make a lipstick instead.

Make two, one for her and one for Du Ling.

When Yan Zheng returned in the evening, he not only brought back a small piglet, but also a large yellow croaker and more than a dozen river shrimp using a fish trap.

The river shrimp were really plump this time of year. Jiang Xi picked one up and compared it to her own hand; one of them was as big as her palm.

The shrimp's body was bluish-green, and its head was enormous. Even before it was fully cooked, Jiang Xi was already thinking about the plump shrimp roe.

So she chopped off the shrimp heads, fried them until crispy, sprinkled them with homemade salt and pepper powder, and thus made a plate of salt and pepper shrimp heads.

Take out the shrimp and chop them into shrimp paste. Then add some tapioca starch and seasonings, stir well, and then add an egg white. Stir in one direction until the mixture becomes sticky.

She spread it out on a plate, and it became a shrimp paste dish with an excessive amount of shrimp. In order to make the shrimp paste have the texture of large shrimp pieces, she specially reserved two or three shrimp, cut them into large pieces, and put them in.

She learned this online before, and although it was her first time doing it, she felt that it shouldn't go wrong.

Fresh pork bones are simmered into a soup and placed on the stove at the back.

Next, Jiang Xi started to stir-fry the hot pot base, rendering the fat from fresh pork belly, adding cured pork, and after it changed color, she poured in chopped small chili peppers and dried chili pepper pieces.

Then add Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and salt, and the aroma of stir-fried chili peppers fills the kitchen and yard.

Having not cooked such a spicy dish in a long time, Jiang Xi coughed from the spiciness, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Du Ling wasn't much better off. She hadn't been exposed to chili peppers for over ten years, and this time she was choked so badly that she felt like she was coughing her lungs out.

After cleaning the large yellow croaker, Yan Zheng hurriedly carried the basin into the kitchen to take over her place.

After the broth is stir-fried, the prepared pork bone broth is poured in, and the bright red hot pot broth is ready.

He moved the earthenware pot to the clay stove to continue simmering. Fearing that Du Ling and Yan Jing'an might not be used to such spicy food, Yan Zheng also stir-fried a dish of sweet and sour spare ribs, a whole rack of ribs, filling the pot.

Dinner was eaten in the courtyard as usual, under the tree full of figs, where Du Ling had already lit an oil lamp on the stone table.

After everyone sat down, Yan Jing'an looked at the table full of food and asked in surprise, "What's going on today? Are we skipping our day?"

This table is huge.

When Jiang Xi returned after changing her clothes, she heard this and gave him a flick on the forehead: "Grandma said that you can't say unlucky things while eating."

Yan Jing'an covered his head, looking aggrieved, and said, "So what's the big day today? Are you two getting married today?"

Jiang Xi was amused by his words, and frowned mysteriously, saying, "Today... is a big day." As she spoke, she glanced at Du Ling.

Du Ling mimicked her tone, her dimples deepening, and slowly said, "Today is someone's birthday."

Yan Jing'an hadn't recovered yet, but Yan Zheng figured it out first and nodded in sudden realization.

Seeing that Yan Jing'an still looked confused, he coughed twice and said, "Today is July 1st. Our birthdays."

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Jing'an hurriedly said, "I remember now. These days, I don't even know when the day is over."

Jiang Xi smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll take care of everything for you." As she spoke, she put ingredients into the pot.

Dried bracken fern, fresh fish slices, and bouncy shrimp paste.

Yan Jing'an first picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs with a rich, dark sauce. He was immediately impressed and nodded, "These pork ribs are good, the sweet and sour seasoning is just right."

Seeing how much he was enjoying his food, Du Ling quickly picked up a piece as well, and the two of them ate so much that they didn't want to put down their bowls and chopsticks.

Compared to hot pot, these two dishes naturally appeal to them more.

The hot pot was delicious, with a rich and spicy broth. Paired with tender fish slices, Jiang Xi and Yan Zheng ate until they were sweating profusely. Retasting a long-lost flavor, Jiang Xi's eyes welled up with tears.

Du Ling and Yan Jing'an tried a few pieces, but they couldn't stand the spiciness, so they started fighting over the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs.

To grab those few pieces of spare ribs with cartilage, their chopsticks practically started fighting over the plate.

The meal was a mess of snot, tears, and sweat. The snot and tears were from the spiciness of the hot pot, and the sweat was from the intense competition of picking up ribs with chopsticks.

Amidst Du Ling's giggling laughter and Yan Jing'an's exasperated accusations: "Du Ling, don't you understand the importance of respecting elders and caring for the young? I'm your master, you can't be so greedy."

After the meal, Jiang Xi cut two cucumbers that had been soaking in the spring water since early morning. The cucumber flesh was delicate and without any residue, and it was refreshingly sweet, which relieved the spiciness of the hot pot. Even Xiao Hei gnawed on a piece.

A few people sat under a fig tree, fanning themselves, eating melons and enjoying the cool shade, chatting idly amidst the chirping of cicadas and the dim light of an oil lamp.

When the conversation turned to the inside story of fencing and athlete training, the amount of information was so overwhelming that Jiang Xi and Du Ling were amazed. They talked until the moon and stars were fading before everyone yawned and dispersed.

Not long after my birthday, the autumn harvest season arrived in the blink of an eye. By the end of July, the wheat was finally ready for harvest.

Jiang Xi, holding a sickle, stood on the edge of the field with Yan Zheng, both wearing straw hats.

She pursed her lips and said, "Why do I feel like laughing so much? I feel like the sickle in my hand is a joke."

The wheat in the half-acre field had so few ears that they could be counted on one hand, scattered here and there.

There's no need for a sickle at all.

Yan Zheng sighed: "Let's go, he does have some skill, at least."

There's really no need to bend over and work hard to cut them; all the ears of wheat tied together would only amount to a handful of flowers.

But Jiang Xi still carefully put them all into the basket. Just as Yan Zheng said, even a small fly is still meat, not to mention that these are not just flies, but their hope for next year.

After harvesting the wheat, Jiang Xi went to count the corn cobs. There were ninety-five in total. She nodded in satisfaction: "Very good, not a single one is missing."

Yan Zheng smiled and said, "Now I can rest assured."

The corn wasn't fully ripe yet, but Jiang Xi would count it every time she went to the field, afraid that some little rascal would steal her ears of corn. She kept a very strict watch on them, which she called a sense of security.

Yan Zheng had gotten used to her seriousness and would sometimes help her count; if she missed an item, it was as if she hadn't eaten.