When Tian Yu arrived at the riverbank with her clothes, Zhao Moyan had already washed them and was catching fish. He was quite skilled at it, sharpening a bamboo stick and spearing one fish at a time in the water. Looking at the pile of dead fish in the bucket, Tian Yu sighed, thinking, "Oh well, I have to clean up anyway this afternoon." She quickly washed her clothes, and Zhao Moyan and Tangyuan had already caught a bucket full of fish. The three of them and the wolf said goodbye to Gouzi and the others and went home.

Back home, Tian Yu first checked on Xiao Ju in her room to make sure she was still asleep and didn't have a fever, which put her at ease. She then moved a stool to the yard and watched the father and son hang out laundry and prepare the fish they had caught. Tian Yu instructed them to clean the fish thoroughly, salt it, and then deep-fry it in the afternoon so it wouldn't spoil before being served the next day. The father and son did as Tian Yu suggested, cleaning the fish. Zhao Moyan then began preparing lunch. Tian Yu leisurely lay on the recliner woven by Chen Chong, basking in the sun, wondering what Chen Chong had been doing all day and why she hadn't seen him yet. She wondered if she should go check on him.

The courtyard gate opened, and Chen Chong stood in front of it, his hands full of pheasants, rabbits, and wild ducks. Tian Yu stood up, thinking that he had gone hunting, but today he seemed to have gone too far; he had caught all the small animals from the mountains. She quickly ran up and asked:

"When did you go hunting? How did you manage to catch so much game?"

"If you can't sleep at night, just take a walk around the nearby mountains. Aren't you having a feast tomorrow? So I hunted some extra game for you."

"Put it down first, sit down and rest." Tian Yu told Chen Chong to put the things in the yard, let him sit down and rest, and poured him some warm water.

"It's okay, I'm not tired."

"Have some water. Have you had breakfast?"

"I ate," Chen Chong replied quickly.

"Looks like you haven't eaten. It's alright, the food will be ready in a bit. You wait here."

Let me help you.

"No need, just sit here and wait with me."

After Tian Yu finished speaking to Chen Chong, she shouted towards the kitchen again, "Make more lunch, and hurry up, I'm hungry."

"Understood," a cold voice drifted out from inside.

Then came Tangyuan's laughter, and Tian Yu laughed too. Chen Chong understood and laughed along. Xiao Ju slept until just before lunchtime, and seemed quite different. She laughed more and dared to look at others when she spoke, which made Tian Yu very happy. For lunch, Zhao Moyan steamed a fish, stir-fried some dried bamboo shoots, and made an egg drop soup—just egg drop soup with eggs. The taste was so-so, too bland, but Chen Chong ate a lot; Tian Yu thought he must have been starving.

After lunch, Chen Chong wanted to stay and help clean up the game, but Tian Yu wouldn't allow it, telling him to go back inside and take a nap. Zhao Moyan reminded her that there were many people in the afternoon, and the house wasn't a good place to rest. Tian Yu thought about it and agreed, so she told Chen Chong to go home and rest, repeatedly telling him that he absolutely had to go back to sleep and couldn't go back up the mountain. Chen Chong promised to go back and rest well, and to come back early the next day for drinks. He then reluctantly parted ways with Tian Yu. Tangyuan and Xiaoju finished playing on the swing Chen Chong had made in front of the door. After seeing Chen Chong off, Tian Yu told Tangyuan not to go too far. Then she went back inside to find a pen and wrote down the dishes she would make for the next day. Thinking that there weren't many fresh vegetables available due to the season, she prepared eight dishes: braised pork, spicy chicken, stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork slices, braised fish, Mapo tofu, steamed egg custard, peanuts, and braised offal. Two soups: mushroom and pork rib soup, and tofu and crucian carp soup.

She showed it to Zhao Moyan, wanting to discuss it with him. She handed it to him and asked if the dish was alright. Zhao Moyan put down his book, looked at it for a long time, and replied that he didn't understand it. Then he picked up the book on the table again. Tian Yu rolled her eyes in annoyance, thinking that he didn't understand it and yet he looked at it for so long. In the end, she had no choice but to read it to him. After reading it, Tian Yu patiently waited for his opinion.

Zhao Moyan pondered for a moment and said, "The names of the dishes sound alright, and the quantity is sufficient. How many tables are you planning to host?"

"At most five or six tables! I don't have any relatives here, just a few people I know who help out."

"I advise you to prepare a few more tables, as there may be a lot of people coming."

"A lot of people? Who are they? You invited them?"

"I didn't invite him, but he should come back."

After thinking for a moment, Tian Yu said, "That makes sense. After all, you are a marquis now, and there must be many people in the village who want to take advantage of your status and flatter you."

Seeing that Zhao Moyan didn't speak, Tian Yu took it as his agreement and said, "You haven't finished your housework yet, hurry up and get to work."

"Is there any other work I need to do?"

"Hasn't the game that Chen Chong hunted outside been processed yet?"

"Didn't you ask the villagers for help?"

"They haven't arrived yet, have they?"

"This is tomorrow's chores, I won't do it. You mean I'll do today's chores."

"So, are you going to do it or not?" Tian Yu asked, hands on her hips, glaring at Zhao Moyan.

Zhao Moyan and Tian Yu looked at each other for a long time. Finally, Zhao Moyan put down the book in his hand, stood up, and suddenly approached Tian Yu, saying, "Are you afraid to handle this yourself, so you asked me to do it?"

When Tian Yu realized she'd been caught red-handed, she shook her head guiltily and said, "No, what wouldn't I dare to do if I cook every day?"

Zhao Moyan smiled and turned to leave, then said, "If you dare, come and boil water and help me out."

Tian Yu reluctantly followed. Fortunately, before they even started, Grandma Gouzi arrived with three middle-aged women. The three women all looked kind and honest; Tian Yu couldn't remember their faces, but they all seemed similar. She only remembered that the one in the gray linen dress was called Sister Ju, the one in the floral apron was called Sister Li, and the last one in the dark blue dress was called Sister Wu. They were all slightly plump, but very efficient at their work. Seeing Zhao Moyan preparing to process the game, they stepped forward and said, "My lord, how can you do this? We'll do it. You go and rest. Just let us know if there's anything you need done."

Zhao Moyan gave Tian Yu a provocative look, exchanged a few polite words with them, and went back to his room to continue reading. Tian Yu had escaped unscathed, so the task of dealing with the poultry was left to the three of them. After introducing the three, Grandma Gouzi said she had other things to take care of at home and left. Tian Yu didn't rest either. She started another pot of oil, prepared the dried chili powder and other seasonings she had bought, poured in the hot oil, stirred it well, and then used the hot oil to fry the fish that Zhao Moyan had caught that morning one by one, arranging them to cool. She also coated the raw peanuts she had bought with flour and eggs, fried them in the oil until golden brown, and then took them out to cool in the yard. One of the three of them watched the fire, while the other two had already finished processing the game. Well, the chicken that Tian Yu had bought earlier was also cleaned up. At this time, the pork and tofu that Tian Yu had ordered also arrived one after another. Tian Yu and the three continued preparing the ingredients. They blanched and cleaned the pork ribs and bones, then divided the pork, reserving the pork belly for braising the next day. The other meats were boiled in hot water, sliced, and used to stir-fry with dried bamboo shoots the next day. Finally, they prepared the offal, the ducks Chen Chong had caught, and the three rabbits, all of which were put into two large pots to braise. The three were amazed by Tian Yu's competence; they were impressed that she could cook like this. This dish was the first of its kind in Old Zhao Village, so abundant! The Marquis was truly blessed. They praised Tian Yu lavishly all afternoon, and Tian Yu, unsure how to respond, could only smile. Aside from giving instructions, she didn't say much, only listening to their chatter, mostly praising Zhao Moyan in various ways. For dinner, since everyone had other commitments, Tian Yu didn't insist they stay. She simply packed a few steamed buns for each of them, saying she would properly thank them after the banquet. The three were even happier to hear this, assuring Tian Yu they would come early the next morning to help, and also to move the tables.

After dinner, Zhao Moyan kept his word and boiled a pot of water to bathe Tangyuan and Xiaoju. He also boiled another pot for Tianyu to bathe. Tianyu naturally didn't stand on ceremony. After smelling the cooking fumes on her body, she went back to her room to get her clothes and went into the bathroom. Zhao Moyan had already filled the tub with water. Tianyu looked at the water in the wooden tub and thought that he still had some conscience.

After taking a shower, Tian Yu came out with her hair still wet and wearing only her underwear. Seeing Zhao Moyan standing in front of the living room door, she casually asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet? Are you taking a shower too?"

"No need, I'm waiting for you." Zhao Moyan looked at Tian Yu with a slightly evasive gaze, gave a soft hum, and looked up at the stars and moon in the sky, no longer looking at Tian Yu.

Tian Yu thought he had something important to say, so she asked, "Waiting for me? Why are you waiting for me? Is something wrong with Tangyuan?"

"It's not about Tangyuan. Tangyuan and Xiaoju are already asleep."

"Oh, is there anything else we need to do?"

"I should be the one asking you. I've done everything I needed to do today. Is there anything else?"

"That's all, go to sleep," Tian Yu said, wiping her hair.

"And the second thing?"

"The second thing, well, I haven't thought about it yet. Wait a minute, let me think about it."

"Why don't you go back and get dressed first? I'll wait for you in the living room," Zhao Moyan said with a light cough.

"Okay, I feel pretty cold too. Wait for me a bit!" Tian Yu hugged her arms and went back to put on a coat. Then, she walked to the wardrobe, opened the wooden box, picked up something, and stuffed it into her sleeve.