Rainwater mixed with the ash from the thick smoke fell, soaking the entire valley and bringing hope to the people of this land.
Of the four children, Shuangshuang was the first to not be able to stand the dirty rainwater, so she stopped playing with Dazhuang and the others and hid under the eaves.
Ye Wenxue sat on the rocking chair that had been moved from the room, letting the little round thing crawl around on her body. She raised her chin at Shuangshuang:
"Go to the kitchen, Mom has made you some ginger soup. Drink more to warm yourself up. I've also boiled some water. After you finish the ginger soup, take a hot bath to feel better."
Shuangshuang responded crisply, picked up a bowl of ginger soup, and sat down next to Ye Wenxue. While drinking, she wondered, "Mother, where did this chair I'm sitting on come from? And your chair too?"
There are six small chairs in total. They are exquisitely crafted, with backrests and armrests, and are perfectly suited to their height. They are obviously not made by their mother.
Ye Wenxue didn't hide anything: "It was made by Suiye and hidden in the innermost part of the room. Mother just found it."
Shuangshuang exclaimed "Oh!" and downed the ginger soup, which had been sweetened with some brown sugar, in one gulp. She then exclaimed in surprise, "I've never seen a chair like this before!"
As his out-of-control emotions gradually subsided, Dazhuang returned with his two troublesome younger brothers. He happened to overhear this conversation and casually asked what his mother and Shuangshuang were talking about. Dazhuang immediately regretted it.
Why talk about wild things when there's nothing to do? It's just annoying.
Dazhuang puffed out his cheeks and went to the kitchen, bringing each of Sanyuan and Siwang a bowl of ginger soup, who were admiring the little chairs. He tried to change the subject:
"Mom, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
Ye Wenxue snapped out of her daze and glanced at the children, who were covered in dirt: "Go take a shower first, so you don't catch a cold."
"oh......"
After Dazhuang cleaned himself and his brothers, he searched for Ye Wenxue and went to the kitchen.
Ye Wenxue was processing the charred meat she had collected. She chopped off the parts that were too burnt to eat and threw them away when she had a free hand.
Chop and wash the edible parts, then marinate them with salt. We'll smoke some of them as we eat them later.
They stood by, helping to wash the meat and sprinkling coarse salt on it.
As per Ye Wenxue's request, two pools were specially built in the kitchen, one deep and one shallow.
The deep pool is used to hold water, and the shallow pool is used to wash vegetables, meat, and dishes, so both tasks are not too troublesome.
The water in the deep pool is fetched by Dazhuang from the spring every morning, and now more than half of it is used just for washing meat.
Da Zhuang peeked outside and saw that it was still raining, with large raindrops hitting the ground and splashing muddy water.
Dazhuang had just taken a bath and didn't want to wade through the mud again, so he stood aside and started a fire to cook rice. He had only eaten one meal a day and was about to collapse.
Ye Wenxue watched as Dazhuang and Shuangshuang worked hard, while Sanyuan and Siwang, the two silly boys, sat in a row under the eaves watching the rain. Xiaoyuanyuan was held in their arms, pointing at the raindrops and babbling. Suddenly, Ye Wenxue felt that life was not bad.
After finishing their meal, Ye Wenxue and her family sat in a row under the eaves in the valley, watching the rain.
Ye Wenxue glanced at the kitchen every now and then, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the newly found thatched roof was tightly covered and there was no water leakage in the kitchen.
Dazhuang sat awkwardly on the small chairs where everyone had their own, his whole being resisting, but Shuangshuang, Sanyuan, and Siwang sat comfortably. If he didn't sit, he would seem out of place.
"Here." Ye Wenxue handed a handful of chestnuts to each of the children.
Dazhuang suppressed the words he was about to say and focused on peeling chestnuts. He was calm and patient and liked to peel them all before eating them.
Siwang and Dazhuang are completely opposite. Siwang is impatient and eats one after another, even wanting to bite them with his teeth.
Ye Wenxue looked at it and said, "A dragon has nine offspring, and each offspring is different."
"Mom, you eat." Sanyuan held up a handful of peeled chestnuts and brought them closer.
The roasted chestnuts were especially sweet and fragrant. Ye Wenxue couldn't resist eating two more, and Shuangshuang took the opportunity to sneak a few more. Sanyuan didn't mind and obediently held out chestnuts for everyone to eat.
Both of them were sullen, and they stuffed a chestnut they had peeled into Sanyuan's mouth.
Sanyuan, chewing on a chestnut, his cheeks bulging, asked, "Hmm?"
Ye Wenxue chuckled, stood up, and patted the raindrops off her clothes: "Dazhuang, make sure they don't go playing in the rain anymore, especially Yuanyuan. I'll go smoke the meat and try to get the charcoal burning."
Da Zhuang let out a soft "Hey," watching Ye Wenxue walk into the rain carrying a wooden bucket of smoked meat, holding a bamboo umbrella adorned with peach blossoms. He clenched his fists tightly.
After a while, he turned and went inside.
"Hey, hey, big brother, what are you doing with my dagger?" Shuangshuang teased Yuanyuan as she looked up in confusion.
Da Zhuang, with a stern face, dragged out a few pieces of wood: "Make an umbrella!"
"ah?"
*
Longxing Prefecture
Huo Zhaoqing changed into a luxurious outfit, put on a jade pendant belt, and neatly adorned her hair with a jade crown, making her appear even more extraordinary.
He sat upright in the room, staring blankly at the raindrops dripping from the eaves. After taking a sip of tea, he murmured softly, "I wonder what she's doing... It's finally raining. She'll probably be very happy."
Huo Zhaoqing rubbed the small wound on his hand, and the image of Ye Wenxue walking through the rain with an umbrella appeared in his mind's eye.
"What are you saying?" Su Jiu slowly walked into the room with a few plates of pastries. "Someone from the Prince Anle's Mansion just came and said that the Prince has time to see you and that we should set off as soon as possible to have a chat at the West Mansion's villa."
Huo Zhaoqing glanced at Su Jiu and sneered, "The West Mansion? It seems that my distant cousin is not as unambitious as the rumors suggest."
Su Jiu sat down opposite him, not understanding: "You're already a wanted criminal, why are you still being so picky? If it weren't for Prince Anle taking you in, you might have been arrested before you even entered Longxing Prefecture."
Su Jiu couldn't help but feel regret. If he had known earlier that this bastard was the general sent by the court to suppress the rebels but who had deserted halfway, Su Jiu would never have asked him to escort him home.
Now, things have gotten even worse. Before he could even get home, he was almost chased to death because Huo Zhaoqing, who was traveling with him, was recognized.
Fortunately, Prince Anle helped Su Jiu out of consideration for his kinship with Huo Zhaoqing; otherwise, Su Jiu would have been imprisoned and sent to the capital!
Huo Zhaoqing coldly withdrew her gaze and continued to stare at the pouring rain. After a long while, she suddenly spoke: "Guess if your apprentice has ever thought about you?"
Su Jiu: "...I think so."
Su Jiu suspected that this wasn't what Huo Zhaoqing really wanted to ask, but not wanting to be killed by Ye Wenxue later, he coughed and forcibly changed the subject:
"The people from the Prince's mansion are waiting for a reply in the courtyard. If you don't want to go, I'll find an excuse to refuse them."
“No need.” Huo Zhaoqing put down his teacup and shook his head. “I know what he’s plotting. I also have something important to ask this ‘cousin’.”
Being outside the capital has one disadvantage: news travels very slowly.
That's normal, though. Ordinary people don't usually pay much attention to messages from the imperial court unless their lives are at stake.
Huo Zhaoqing got up, changed into a neat and close-fitting outfit, and came out: "Prepare all the medicine I asked for. Today is going to be a big deal. If things don't look good, just run away. Don't worry about me."
Su Jiu frowned: "Are we really going to fight? The pastries in the Prince's mansion are quite delicious. I'd like to eat them a few more times."
"It wasn't that I wanted to take action, it was that he was about to lose his temper."
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