Chapter 90: Washing Hands Soup
Liu's voice was so soft that Qin Xiangnuan didn't notice it.
The cave was dark, its exit blocked by thick snow. The General's staff took shifts digging, but to no avail. Qin Xiangnuan speculated that they had been trapped there for over two days. Fortunately, the cave entrance wasn't blocked. Deep within the fork in the road, some holes in the stone wall revealed a small amount of air, allowing it to drift in, keeping them breathing and preventing them from falling unconscious from lack of oxygen.
They still had a lot of wild boar meat with them, and they also had enough rice and flour.
But in this state of intense tension, greasy, unpalatable food proved difficult to swallow. For the past two days, they'd barely managed to stuff the roasted meat into their stomachs, and those with delicate stomachs had already experienced vomiting and diarrhea. Zou lay on the ground, her face pale, her stomach aching like a knife. Qin Xiangnuan watched, her mind racing. She thought of the chicken meal in her arms, then glanced at the rice bag in the corner. She quietly sat up and walked towards it.
"Little sister, what are you going to do? I'll help you."
Qin Xiangnuan took out a few fistfuls of flour and sprinkled the chicken powder in her arms, trying to stir it in, when she heard a sudden noise from behind. She was a little startled, her heart pounding as she turned her head, her beautiful eyes glaring at Qin Feng with an angry look. "Cousin, can you please walk a little quieter? Don't you know it'll scare people to death?" Qin Feng scratched his head and pulled his mouth away awkwardly. His body had recovered well. "Didn't I think about not disturbing Dad and Third Uncle?"
"What do you want to do?"
Qin Feng looked at the mixed flour. Qin Xiangnuan took out the spiritual spring water from the space, poured a little in, and kneaded the dough with his hands. "I'll do it!" Qin Feng pushed Qin Xiangnuan away with his shoulder, rolled up his sleeves, and clumsily beat the dough. Seeing the dough being tortured to pieces by him, Qin Xiangnuan's mouth twitched twice, feeling helpless and could only give instructions from the side.
"I didn't know my little sister was good at these things before."
Qin Feng's arms were muscular, but he wasn't used to such delicate work, so he couldn't exert his strength. After a while, he was tired and swung his arms around. He chatted lazily with her, "Auntie always says that women should keep their fingers away from everyday water. She never lets you get close to cooking fumes at home. You always walk around when the cooks at home are cooking. Where did you learn this skill?"
“Not doing it doesn’t mean I don’t understand.”
Qin Xiangnuan replied indifferently. Qin Feng nodded thoughtfully, stealing a glance at his expression as he muttered to himself, "The last time I saw you making something was when you made osmanthus cake for that guy Gu Mingqi. You asked me to go to the mountains outside the city to pick fresh osmanthus flowers, and the guard dog almost chased me and bit off half of my butt. I at least brought back two handfuls for you, thinking that since I worked hard and made great contributions, I should at least get a share of them."
"But you, girl, are so cruel. You sent them all to the Seventh Prince's Palace."
As Qin Feng grumbled, Qin Xiangnuan recalled fragments of this past event from the original owner's memory. The pampered daughter of a wealthy family had no idea how to make pastries. She'd only heard Gu Mingqi casually mention that a closed pastry shop on the outskirts of Beijing made the most delicious osmanthus cake, but it was a shame it was no longer available. She'd taken it to heart, sought out several cooks, and finally learned the recipe, figuring it out herself.
The original owner was not familiar with the utensils in the kitchen.
She worked on the coal fire, her face covered in soot and choking, causing her to cough uncontrollably. She tried to soften the osmanthus cake in a steamer, but the heat burned her hand, leaving a large area red and visible blisters at night. The original owner endured the pain and continued making the cake, enduring countless hardships. Finally, she made three or four pieces of osmanthus cake and sent them to Gu Mingqi's residence.
That night, the original owner's eyes were filled with shyness and anticipation as she waited for Gu Mingqi's reply, but nothing came of it.
Not long after that, the original owner was invited by the imperial concubine to attend a palace banquet. She ran into Gu Mingqi and wanted to ask about the taste of osmanthus cake, but Gu Mingqi looked bewildered, as if he had never seen it before. "Did you send anything to my house? Don't do it next time. It's so troublesome. Why not buy some from the cake shop? I don't really like osmanthus cake either. It's so sweet that it makes my teeth fall out."
"Okay..." The original owner's heart was deeply hurt that day.
But she did not repent, only thinking that Gu Mingqi was in a bad mood because he encountered ministers to cause trouble in the court. Perhaps the original owner was unwilling to believe that Gu Mingqi was just using her and had no feelings for her.
Women who are trapped in love are always foolish. They know it very well, but they are willing to sink.
Qin Xiangnuan pulled herself out of the original owner's memory, took the dough from Qin Feng's hand, and pointed at the sharp stone on the ground. "Cousin, help me make it sharper. I want to make some noodles to improve everyone's meals." She looked at the fire next to her and said, "Please boil a pot of hot water for me."
This body belonged to the original owner, and the fragmented memory just now made her feel sad.
Qin Xiangnuan's face also became a little gloomy. Qin Feng turned around and secretly patted his mouth, saying in annoyance, "You are bringing up things that are not related to the topic. You have made my cousin sad again! You never learn your lesson." He picked up the firewood swiftly and handed the sharp stone piece to Qin Xiangnuan.
"I'll help you."
Liu had gotten up at some point, walked over to her, and took the dough from Qin Xiangnuan's hands. "Thank you, mother," Qin Xiangnuan was startled for a moment, then smiled sweetly. When Liu's fingertips touched hers, her body froze for a moment. She didn't answer, but silently pulled the dough. As the thick noodles took shape, Qin Xiangnuan looked at Liu with confusion, feeling something was amiss.
On the other side, Jiang Lin set off again, looking at the gloomy sky, lifted the curtain of the carriage, and felt the cold air coming from his nose.
He held out his hand, and snowflakes fell into his palm, melting away with his body heat. "Has there been a reply from Anliu?" Jiang Lin felt a little choked up, as if panicking about something happening. Anfeng shook his head, frowning at the sky. "I've already sent out three or four carrier pigeons, but none of them have returned. I guess they've run into some trouble, but don't worry, Master. They're all experienced secret guards, and they'll naturally be able to protect me and the Third Young Lady."
Jiang Lin didn't answer, and the hot water bottle in his arms quickly grew cold.
An Feng quickly replaced it for him, then took out a snack box, pulled out an oil-paper package, opened it, and handed it to Jiang Lin, saying, "Have something to fill your stomach. This is the sweet-scented osmanthus cake I bought at a shop in South City before leaving the capital. Don't you like it..." Jiang Lin pinched the sweet-scented osmanthus cake, looked at it in front of his eyes for a few seconds, put it in his mouth, and the moment his lips and teeth tasted the fragrance, he frowned, "It doesn't taste like that."
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