Ning Huan sighed softly, then said somewhat helplessly, "My husband and I haven't been able to rest well these past two days because of my mother-in-law's antics, but she said she wanted to come and help, so we had no choice but to agree."
Aunt Xiufen spat and said, "That Yao woman is definitely up to no good. When I went to your house today, I saw how she tormented that girl Zhou Lan."
After exchanging a few more words, the two resumed picking herbs. Taking the opportunity, Ning Huan casually asked Aunt Xiufen, "But Auntie, I heard that there's another couple in our village who's been having a secret rendezvous lately. Whose family is it?"
Aunt Xiufen immediately perked up: "I only heard about it these past few days, but I've been busy going to town to sell the herbs I've collected, so I haven't had time to find out what happened."
Hearing this, Ning Huan whispered to Aunt Xiufen, "I heard she's a woman from another village. She hasn't been back to her own village lately and has been living in our village. She doesn't seem to be home at night."
Ning Huan didn't actually know any of this; it was all told to her by Yang this morning. But Aunt Xiufen was very surprised: "I haven't inquired about these things in the village for only two days, and now so much has already spread?"
She gritted her teeth and said with great reluctance, "Tonight I'm going to find out what happened and see who in our village it is."
Ning Huan pretended to be troubled: "Auntie, didn't you just say you've been busy with herbs lately? If you go out to inquire about these things tonight, will you even have time?"
Aunt Xiufen waved her hand: "It's alright, Jing'an's wife. I roughly know who this person from another village is. I'll go to their house to keep an eye on them. I'm not afraid of not being able to keep an eye on this person."
It's no wonder Aunt Xiufen was so eager to join in the fun. Rumors of a secret rendezvous in the village had already aroused suspicion among the villagers, and the fact that this outsider was likely Liu Feng made her even more anxious.
Leaving aside whether her own husband can control her, her two sons don't seem like easy to deal with either. What if that old hag Liu Feng, who can't get married, sets her sights on them?
She didn't expect her two sons to marry particularly good daughters-in-law, at least not like Liu Feng, an old maid who couldn't get married and no one wanted her.
Because she kept thinking about this, Aunt Xiufen lost her appetite for picking herbs. Even when Ning Huan told her what kind to pick, she didn't listen.
A short while later, he hurriedly went down the mountain and ran towards his home.
Seeing that she had almost finished her work, Ning Huan followed the other women down the mountain. Back home, the little ones sat listlessly in the yard, lost in thought.
Because of Yao Shi, the four little ones haven't been able to rest properly these past two days. If Zhou Jing'an tries to teach them to read, Yao Shi is sure to cause trouble.
Seeing the little ones looking so pitiful, Ning Huan couldn't help but go over and pat their little heads, then comforted them, "Mommy will go get you a glass of water."
Ning Huan took some fruit from her consciousness space, crushed it, put it in a cup, and added some spirit tree juice, making it like a simple fruit tea.
After giving the four little ones a sip, they immediately looked at Ning Huan with starry eyes: "Mommy, what kind of water is this? It's so delicious!"
"Mommy, why is there fruit in it? It's so sweet and delicious!"
"Everything Mom makes is so delicious, even the water tastes so good!"
Seeing the four little ones laugh again, Ning Huan felt a little better. Then, taking advantage of the early hour, she gave each of them a bath, and after they were clean, she went to Zhou Jing'an's room to warm herself by the fire.
Ning Huan then prepared a tea ceremony around a stove for them. She placed longan and oranges on a net she had woven herself to roast, and the sweet aroma of longan and the refreshing fragrance of oranges filled the room.
The four little ones smelled wonderful, and Ning Huan had even changed them into clean, newly sewn clothes. They were overjoyed as they ate the fruit Ning Huan had baked for them.
"Mom, the fruit you baked is so delicious, it's so sweet!"
"Mommy, these longans are so hot, but they smell so good and are so sweet!"
"Mommy, what you made is so delicious! Mommy is so amazing!"
Zhou Jing'an raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected Ning Huan to have such insightful ideas about food.
Before, the only time he would occasionally set up a stove to brew tea was when he was at the academy, discussing poetry and songs with a few classmates. But even then, he would only put out a few cups of hot tea.
But Ning Huan not only put tea in, but also oranges and longans on the wire mesh, something he had never expected.
Just as he was lost in thought, Ning Huan handed him a roasted orange. The peeled roasted orange only had a fresh aroma left. He gently broke off an orange segment and put it in his mouth.
Instantly, a sweet aroma filled the entire mouth, and with careful chewing, in addition to the sweet juice, there was also a hint of bitterness.
Take another sip of tea, and the delicate aroma of the tea will dilute the sweetness of the orange, creating a refreshing feeling, like the feeling of freshness after the rain.
Seeing Zhou Jing'an eat the whole orange in one go, Ning Huan said with a smile, "Is it delicious? I bought this orange in town. The shopkeeper said it would be free if it wasn't sweet."
Zhou Jing'an nodded: "They are indeed very sweet, but how did you come up with the idea of roasting oranges and longans over a fire?"
Ning Huan shrugged: "It was my own idea. These are all seasonal fruits, and there are also records in medicinal diet recipes that say you can roast them, so I just gave it a try."
Just kidding, she's a food blogger with millions of followers. Not to mention that brewing tea around a stove is a traditional way of eating, people in the modern world have already innovated on it countless times.
Next time, let's see if she does something different that will make Zhou Jing'an look at her with even more admiration.
Yao was currently rummaging through Ning Huan's room, but she found nothing, just like last night.
Just as she was feeling extremely depressed, she heard laughter coming from Zhou Jing'an's room and immediately went over out of curiosity.
Seeing Ning Huan roasting fruit and drinking hot tea on the stove in the house, he was immediately furious. Was she enjoying some good food while avoiding him?
She kicked the door open and, raising her eyebrows, exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "Why are you all laughing so happily? So you've been secretly enjoying a good meal behind this old woman's back!"
This startled the little ones. Da Bao, being the older child, only trembled for a moment before realizing what had happened. Xiao Er Bao and Xiao San Bao, however, were so frightened that they broke out in a cold sweat, and Xiao Si Bao's eyes even reddened.
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