Huang Qingqing did not answer, and turned to walk outside.

Lu Yanping quickly reached out to stop him, his expression somewhat displeased: "Where are you going?"

"It's almost noon, I need to go to the nitrate yard to prepare meals for the workers." Huang Qingqing tried to walk past Lu Yanping, but he stopped her again. Huang Qingqing was a little impatient: "What are you doing?"

Lu Yanping pouted, looking a little aggrieved: "Can you not go? That Manager Bai Su doesn't seem like a good person. She keeps glancing at you. Who knows what bad things she's up to?"

Huang Qingqing glanced at Lu Yanping's right foot and said slowly, "Didn't you injure your right foot? Once you're healed, I'll naturally quit my job as a cook at the quarry. Otherwise, it's a real waste to earn 200 coins a day." Without waiting for Lu Yanping's reaction, Huang Qingqing strode away, not even giving him a smile.

Lu Yanping tucked his right foot, which was already fine, stared blankly at Huang Qingqing's back for a moment, and finally chased after her.

The work of transporting saltpeter from the quarry is nearing its end, with only a few scattered people dragging stones onto trucks.

Upon seeing Lu Yanping, several villagers teased him, "Hey, Yanping, didn't you break your leg? How come it's healed in just a few days?"

Lu Yanping looked embarrassed: "It's just some superficial injuries. It hurt terribly at the time, and I thought it was broken." Before the neighbors could say anything, Lu Yanping picked up the carrying pole and moved a few stones into the baskets on both sides.

He was somewhat distracted, his eyes constantly searching for Huang Qingqing.

At this moment, Bai Su came over. She was stunned for a moment when she saw Lu Yanping, but quickly said to everyone, "The stones have been moved almost completely. Everyone has worked very hard. Our young master has specially brought some special products from Yuzhou to give to everyone. You can pick them up from Chef Huang after you finish work."

The crowd cheered and praised Young Master Bai, and they worked even harder to finish the job.

Bai Su glanced at Lu Yanping's basket. It was still the same as before: a shoddy, lazy person. This kind of person is lazy to the core.

Previously, they let him be out of consideration for Gu Nanjiao. Now, they only tolerated him for Huang Qingqing's sake; otherwise, the quarry would never have hired someone like him.

Although Huang Qingqing was not particularly beautiful, she was hardworking and cooked delicious meals, which were praised by the quarry workers. She was more than a hundred times better than her husband, and in Bai Su's opinion, Lu Yanping was truly unworthy of Huang Qingqing.

After lunch, Huang Qingqing carried a small bag of stones to the shed where Bai Su was.

Bai Su was resting with her eyes closed when she heard a noise and saw Huang Qingqing standing anxiously outside the shed.

"What's up?"

Huang Qingqing lowered her head. After a while, she came to Bai Su and said, "Manager Bai Su, I saw some beautiful stones nearby. Some are long and round, and some are of various colors and shapes. I think they are very pretty. I wonder if I can take them with me?"

Bai Su reached out and ruffled the stones; they were all ordinary natural stones, the kind that weren't worth much.

"Can!"

Hearing Bai Su say that, Huang Qingqing smiled, her eyes narrowing into slits: "Thank you, Steward Bai Su. I'll make a hairpin for you tomorrow."

Bai Su stood up and looked at Huang Qingqing incredulously: "A woman, can she even make hairpins?"

Huang Qingqing touched her cheek somewhat embarrassedly, her tone a little disappointed: "I used to be very ugly, and I was afraid of being laughed at, so I stayed at home and did some random thinking. My grandfather was a carpenter who liked to carve some trinkets, so I learned some from him. There were some pictures of hairpins in my father's book, and I thought they were quite pretty, so I tried to carve some myself. However, some of them are not very elegant, so I hope Manager Bai Su will not find them unappealing."

Bai Su smiled, her gaze scrutinizing Huang Qingqing. Did this woman not know what it meant to give a man a hairpin?

Huang Qingqing hadn't really thought of this. She didn't have anything worthwhile to offer, only the ability to carve hairpins. She did this purely to thank Bai Su for taking care of Lu Yanping and for his tolerance.

Huang Qingqing felt a gaze fixed on her. When she looked up, her eyes met Bai Su's, and she immediately looked away in a panic.

"Manager Bai... I... I'll head back now. Thank you for letting me take these stones with me. I really don't know how to thank you. I don't have anything to offer, so I can only give you these hairpins. I hope you won't mind?"

Bai Su cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly: "How could that be!"

...

Gu Nanjiao's fever subsided, and she was back to her usual lively self, but the burn on her wrist still caused her to gasp for breath. She had no choice but to wrap an ice pack in a handkerchief and apply it to the burn to alleviate some of the pain.

In the morning, Lu's mother specially steamed minced meat and egg custard for Gu Nanjiao, as well as a pot of old hen soup.

Gu Nanjiao couldn't eat much meat this morning.

Mother Lu said, "Jiaojiao, eat more," and placed another chicken leg in Gu Nanjiao's bowl. "You should stay home and rest for the next few days. You're not allowed to go to Meiwuzhai. With your mother here, you don't need to worry about Meiwuzhai."

At the dinner table, Yingniang glanced at Lu Xiaomei, who quickly said, "Sister-in-law, I've learned a lot of characters from Master Ying these past few days. I can also help write the menu at Meiwuzhai."

Yingniang: "I can also help out at Meiweizhai!"

Gu Nanjiao didn't refuse. Although her fever had subsided, she still felt dizzy from time to time, and the wound on her wrist was burning painfully, so it wasn't suitable for her to be on the stove in the kitchen. It would be better to use ice packs at home and practice her scrawled handwriting when she had nothing else to do.

Gu Nanjiao glanced at the large chicken leg in her bowl, but couldn't eat it. She rolled her eyes and put the chicken leg into Lu Yanzhao's bowl.

Ignoring the stares of the others at the table, Gu Nanjiao leaned close to Lu Yanzhao's ear and whispered, "I can't eat anymore, you eat for me."

As Gu Nanjiao drew closer, her unique fragrance lingered in Lu Yanzhao's heart. He smiled gently and leaned close to Gu Nanjiao's ear to whisper, "Okay! From now on, I'll eat whatever you don't like."

Lu's mother keenly noticed that Gu Nanjiao and Lu Yanzhao were acting strangely this morning. She looked at one of them and then at the other, before finally revealing a smile.

When Lu's mother's gaze swept over the dumbfounded Yingniang and Lu Xiaomei, she couldn't help but cough a few times and teased, "If you want to flirt, go inside. Don't corrupt the children."

Gu Nanjiao glanced somewhat uncomfortably at the three people scrutinizing her and Lu Yanzhao, and urged, "Hurry up and eat, then go to the academy. I have nothing else to do."

Lu Yanzhao had been taking care of her these past few days and hadn't gone to the academy. Gu Nanjiao was a little anxious, fearing that it would delay Lu Yanzhao's studies, so she urged him to go back.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yanzhao's expression darkened: "You really don't want to see me?"

Gu Nanjiao almost laughed out of anger: "What nonsense are you talking about? The autumn exams are coming up soon, and sticking to me every day will only delay your studies."

Gu Nanjiao knew how hard Lu Yanzhao worked. She didn't want to be pretentious and delay Lu Yanzhao's studies and exams at this crucial moment.