Chapter 91◇
◎Lie down, come on◎
"The Crown Princess has gone into the kitchen."
When Duan Jingchuan first heard the servants whispering outside the door, he just smiled slightly; his wife was already starving and couldn't wait any longer.
"The Crown Princess suddenly decided to cook for herself."
Duan Jingchuan felt a little panicked. Was it because supplies were scarce after arriving in Ningcheng and the cooks were not to the wife's liking that she was planning to take matters into her own hands?
"The Crown Princess blew up the kitchen!"
Upon hearing this, Duan Jingchuan could no longer sit still. He didn't even put down his brush and ink properly, and the splashed ink stained his blue clothes, but he didn't notice at all. He ran towards the kitchen.
He had expected to be greeted by a smoky kitchen and a woman with a face covered in grime, but the reality was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
A group of people were gathered around the kitchen counter, and they seemed to be getting along very well.
"Yes, Princess Consort, use this much force, rub it hard!"
"No, no, no, use less force when you swing it."
Several cooks were pointing out the country to the lady in the middle, saying strange things.
"Oops, it broke!"
Feng Ran lost her grip and flung the noodles in her hand, which, by sheer coincidence, landed right on Duan Jingchuan's hair ornament.
Whew~ Duan Jingchuan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the lady didn't hurt him, that was fine. As for the noodle flying over his head, that was a minor matter.
With a blank expression, he removed the Free Flying device from his head, stepped forward, and wanted to see what new tricks his wife was up to this time.
The cook and maid immediately made way for Duan Jingchuan, allowing him to directly meet the lady of the dough figurine who was being fawned over by everyone.
Feng Ran looked ashamed. She had been busy for almost an hour, but she couldn't even get past the simple hurdle of kneading dough.
Indeed, after observing the cooks' impressive skills in the kitchen, Feng Ran realized that only a simple bowl of noodles best suited her current situation.
Just like the cook said, cooking noodles doesn't require any special skills. You just tear the noodles, put them in the pot, boil them in water, add some fixed seasonings, and even if it's not very tasty, it won't taste too bad.
But no one told her that kneading dough is also a difficult technique to learn.
She didn't make any major mistakes, such as adding too much or too little water; she simply didn't know how to control the force when kneading the dough.
The first time she kneaded the dough, she used too much force and broke the stone basin.
The second time she kneaded the dough, she learned from her mistake and kneaded it more gently, putting all her effort into the dough. However, when she slapped the dough twice, dough flew all over her, and she had to admit defeat once again.
The third time, she thought she wouldn't make any mistakes. Sure enough, the dough was kneaded without any problems, but pulling the noodles was still a big problem.
Pulling noodles is indeed easier for her because she has enough strength. As long as she controls the force, she can pull them slowly.
As for the two that flew out to see the world, it doesn't matter, there's not much difference.
Looking at the barely passable noodles in her hand, Feng Ran breathed a sigh of relief and pointed at them, showing off to Duan Jingchuan, "Husband, I'm planning to make you a bowl of noodles. Do you think this thickness is even edible?"
What? It was prepared for him?
Duan Jingchuan suddenly felt as if the noodles flying into his hand weighed a ton, filling his chest with a heavy weight, leaving him speechless and unable to express his feelings.
Feng Ran thought Duan Jingchuan was complaining that the noodles she made were of different lengths and thicknesses, so she quickly said, "If you don't find them appetizing, I'll make them again."
She genuinely wanted to express her love and would never be perfunctory.
Duan Jingchuan saw that there were already three piles of pulled noodles on the noodle table, all of which looked like failed attempts. Only the pile made by Feng Ran was barely acceptable.
Feng Ran's clothes and face were covered in flour, indicating that she had been busy for a long time.
Duan Jingchuan was reluctant to let her do it again, and quickly said, "This is fine. I will eat whatever Madam makes."
Feng Ran pouted, "That won't do. Eating bad food is painful. It has to be at least not bad."
Duan Jingchuan smiled gently, "Okay, so are we going to cook noodles now? I'll start the fire."
Feng Ran shook her head. "I'll do it myself. I also need to prepare some side dishes. The cook said that eating a bowl of noodles on its own is bland. If we add some ingredients and cook it with broth, the noodles will taste great."
Yes, kneading and pulling the dough is only the first step in a long journey, and preparing the side dishes is not easy either.
Seeing the side dishes waiting to be prepared, Duan Jingchuan felt a pang of heartache for no reason; his wife shouldn't be doing these things.
He rolled up his sleeves, picked up some unwashed vegetables, and chuckled, "Since you're in such a good mood, how could I not keep you company? The two of us sharing a bowl of noodles will surely make it taste twice as good."
Because Feng Ran wanted Duan Jingchuan to feel her sincerity, she didn't ask the cook for any help. She naturally had to do the picking and washing of vegetables herself.
Seeing Duan Jingchuan's actions, Feng Ran originally wanted to stop him, but her husband's words made sense.
Double the love, it must taste even better!
Feng Ran's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, "You're right, let's do it together."
This was Duan Jingchuan's first time in the kitchen in his life, so his movements were naturally not much more skilled than Feng Ran's. However, the young couple kept competing with each other, each complaining about the other's poor cooking skills, which was quite amusing.
Finally, the two of them put all the noodles that Feng Ran had pulled into the pot into the pot and cooked them. As for the wide ones, they cut them into thinner pieces with a knife, and left the ones that were too short as is, claiming that they would be easier to digest.
And so, with the help of the two newly appointed cooks, a huge pot of noodles, enough for three strong men, was cooked.
Looking at the huge pot of noodles, Feng Ran felt a rare moment of fear: "Husband, are we going to invite Xiong Qi and Xiu'er to eat together?"
Duan Jingchuan also got caught up in Feng Ran's theory of sharing joys and sorrows. He was currently looking at a large pot of indescribable noodles with mixed feelings, but he couldn't bear to give it to others. He gritted his teeth and said, "We'll eat it ourselves!"
Feng Ran wasn't afraid to eat it herself; what she feared was that the noodles, like its appearance, would taste terrible.
With a death-defying spirit, she picked up a piece to taste, and suddenly her eyes lit up. "Wow, my husband really loves it twice as much! It's so delicious!"
Although it looks like a paste, the taste is surprisingly good. The rich bone broth is completely infused into the noodles, and the finely chopped side dishes blend together with the noodles of varying lengths. The flavor is truly harmonious, with each ingredient perfectly complementing the other.
Duan Jingchuan, half-believing and half-doubting, also took a bite, then revealed an incredulous expression, "It really is good."
In the end, each of them received a huge bowl, the rim of which was larger than Feng Ran's face, and it felt heavy in their hands.
Duan Jingchuan looked at the portion in front of him with a wry smile, and had to admit his hesitation, "If you can't finish it, don't force yourself."
Feng Ran grinned, "Who are you underestimating! I can eat two bowls of this by myself!"
Recalling Feng Ran's usual appetite, Duan Jingchuan found it hard to disagree. It was highly likely, and he couldn't let her down. He had to eat!
The two men, like heroes of Liangshan, held their large bowls and shouted with a bang, "Cheers!"
The cooks were at a loss for words. Every step the two cooks took was impeccable, but the finished product was a sight to behold. And yet, the two masters were determined to finish it all. What if they got sick?
Xiuer was clearly overthinking things. Even if eating such a large bowl of soup didn't upset her stomach, it might cause indigestion. After a moment's thought, she decided to prepare some digestive soup in advance, just in case.
Two people with enormous appetites but shallow stomachs ate until they were completely stuffed, yet their faces were taut and showed no sign of discomfort. Only when viewed from behind could one discern any unusual behavior.
It was only because that figure was somewhat unsteady, with its back hunched over.
In the end, Xiuer couldn't stand it anymore, so under the guise of delivering after-dinner drinks, she sent each person a bowl of digestive medicine.
Neither of them mentioned dinner that evening. It wasn't until bedtime that Feng Ran clutched her stomach in distress and asked Duan Jingchuan to rub it for her.
"Husband, I feel like my belly is about to burst. Is this what it feels like if I'm pregnant?"
Duan Jingchuan was shocked to hear this. Almost two hours had passed, how could he still look so full? This wasn't just overeating, he was clearly sick.
Feng Ran remained defiant, "How could that be? I can eat twice as much as usual and still not have indigestion."
Duan Jingchuan couldn't help but feel annoyed. Why did he have to finish all that food? Then, he was so focused on his own indigestion that he didn't want his wife to know, but he forgot that Feng Ran might also have indigestion.
In the end, the two still called a doctor, who scolded them and made them drink the medicine with a bitter expression.
Afterwards, Feng Ran reflected, "Husband, I feel so useless. I can't even cook a bowl of noodles properly." She still didn't believe that she could have a problem with her appetite, so the problem must be the food she cooked.
Duan Jingchuan also felt strange, but he didn't think about it from any other angle. He just assumed that Feng Ran had indeed eaten too much staple food this time, but he didn't believe that Feng Ran was belittling herself like that.
"If you say that, Madam, I would feel ashamed of myself. You are the source of my happiness, and life without you would be utterly dull." Duan Jingchuan said what he thought was a confession, his face flushed.
Feng Ran understood and received Duan Jingchuan's hint. She obediently lay down and said, "Husband, don't be shy, come on."
......
That's not what he meant.
But he seems to like it this way, so let's accept it gladly.
Ever since Feng Ran suffered from indigestion last time, she seemed to have lost all her energy and spirit, and she was listless no matter what she did.
To take care of her health, Duan Jingchuan stayed in Ningcheng for two more days and kept a close eye on her every day, fearing that Feng Ran would not believe in superstitions and would eat and drink indiscriminately.
Seeing that Feng Ran was about to sneak a bite again, Duan Jingchuan said helplessly, "Madam, the doctor said to eat small meals frequently. You have already eaten enough today."
Feng Ran looked aggrieved and argued unreasonably, "Can't you afford to support me anymore?"
Duan Jingchuan sighed, thinking to himself, "It's obvious that you firmly believe your stomach has shrunk from hunger, so you've been stuffing yourself with food to try and stretch it out. But the truth is, your appetite has gradually become similar to that of a normal person, and there's no going back no matter what."
He decided to remain silent and demonstrate through his actions that Feng Ran wouldn't get a single grain of rice today.
In front of Duan Jingchuan, Feng Ran was always good-tempered. Even after the food in front of her was confiscated, she just stared at Duan Jingchuan with a pitiful look, trying to change his mind.
Duan Jingchuan never hesitated to do anything that would benefit Feng Ran. He stubbornly resisted Feng Ran's affectionate gaze, constantly scheming in his mind what he could do to distract his wife.
Soon, his worries would be over, but troubles would come.
"What? The oriole got into a fight with a child?"
Unlike Duan Jingchuan's shock, Feng Ran looked like she was finally about to see a good show, and asked eagerly, "Did you get beaten up? Did you win?"
A note from the author:
As I write this, I'm starting to sympathize with Duan Jingchuan. If they have children in the future, how miserable his life will be! Social anxiety? Not a chance, just don't be afraid of marriage.
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