"What are you looking at!" Chang Lili said urgently, frowning, feeling goosebumps all over her body.
Meng Yuxiu couldn't help but laugh, then looked at her and sighed, saying disdainfully, "What are you thinking about all day long? Do you think I'm that kind of hypocrite?"
Chang Lili was about to deny it, but suddenly nodded warily: "That's right, don't forget what you did when we first met!"
Meng Yuxiu's face flushed red instantly. He felt that the space inside the carriage was a bit cramped and stuffy, and he coughed uncomfortably.
Chang Lili's stomach started growling uncontrollably, and she clutched it, turning the already awkward atmosphere into an even more awkward one.
"Are you hungry? Stop the carriage!" Meng Yuxiu shouted towards the outside of the carriage.
He had intended to look for something to eat on the street and buy some, but unexpectedly, someone outside the carriage said, "General, you are truly a prophet! You knew we had arrived at the gate of the mansion without even looking."
Meng Yuxiu frowned: "Then turn the carriage around and go to the street to see if there are any restaurants still open."
The servant who was driving the carriage exclaimed "Ah!" in confusion.
"No need, no need," Chang Lili refused as she got off the carriage. "I'll just get something to eat when I get back."
Meng Yuxiu stopped her, saying, "There's hardly any food left in the General's Mansion this late. Besides, I'm hungry too."
"I can just make something simple for myself, but you're hungry too, so I'll make a little more."
Upon hearing her words, Meng Yuxiu involuntarily released his hand, allowing Chang Lili to jump off the carriage, and murmured, "Trying to do a little more...?"
He got off the carriage, but instead of returning to his room, he went to the dining room, thinking about Chang Lili's words.
Chang Lili first went to give her mother-in-law a blessing, and then slipped into the kitchen of the general's mansion.
The fire in the kitchen had already been extinguished. She lit a candle, wandered around for a long time, and finally found some flour and a few leftover scallions. She smiled slyly and had an idea.
She kneaded the dough and chopped the scallions into scallion flowers.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chang Lili brought two bowls into the dining room. Meng Yuxiu was already sitting there, tapping his fingers on the table, looking somewhat impatient.
As soon as he looked up at Chang Lili, he smelled a refreshing and mouthwatering fragrance.
Chang Lili gritted her teeth and placed the two steaming bowls on the table. She blew on her hands and couldn't help but pinch her ears with her scalded hands.
"What's this?" Meng Yuxiu looked at the noodles and green scallions in the bowl with a surprised expression.
However, he found a simple bowl of vegetarian noodles more tempting than any delicacy.
"Yangchun noodles!" Chang Lili said proudly. "When I was little, my grandma took care of me. We didn't have money to eat Yangchun noodles from street stalls, so she would sell flour to make them for me. They tasted much better than what others sold."
Meng Yuxiu couldn't resist picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite, then couldn't resist taking a second and third bite, and the bowl of noodles was quickly emptied.
He wasn't born a great general. The taste of this noodle reminded him of his childhood. This noodle tasted much better than the meat and fish he ate every day now.
Chang Lili ate with relish, and seeing that Meng Yuxiu finished his noodles in no time, she asked with a smile, "How was it? It tasted good, right?"
Meng Yuxiu looked at her gently and said with a smile, "It's delicious."
"Let me tell you, this is the hush money I'm giving you. The dagger isn't finished yet. If you don't keep this a secret, I won't help you anymore, and I won't keep it a secret either!" Chang Lili said arrogantly.
Meng Yuxiu found it amusing: "I still need your help, how could I not help you?"
The next morning, Chang Lili left the courtyard in high spirits. When her mother-in-law asked, she could only say that the general had found her an easy job, and she couldn't just freeload at the general's mansion.
The irregularly shaped double torsion spring was made, but it was still a long way from being a finished product. Then they encountered another problem.
This dagger is made from two daggers, but its thickness cannot exceed that of an ordinary dagger, so the blade must be made much thinner than a normal blade.
No matter how they crafted it, the blades weren't thick enough; they were either too brittle to break easily or couldn't withstand the force and bent directly.
The project was delayed again. Chang Lili thought about it over and over and concluded that the problem was with the raw materials. She could only find a breakthrough by addressing the issue with the materials.
After she told Meng Yuxiu about it, Meng Yuxiu somehow got her a strange piece of metal.
That metal was more difficult to fire than iron. The firing and polishing took twice as much effort as usual, but the blade was successfully polished on the first try.
And so, all the parts were made and everything was ready. The next step was to connect and fix all the parts together. Such a meticulous task was naturally done by Chang Lili.
Seeing that they couldn't help, the other craftsmen didn't stand idly by either; together, they crafted a scabbard for this special dagger.
The dagger was completed four days after the special material was obtained.
These past few days, Chang Lili has been busy at the blacksmith's forge until late at night. Fortunately, Meng Yuxiu helped her lie to her mother-in-law so that her mother-in-law wouldn't worry.
On the day the dagger was completed, Meng Yuxiu brought fine wine and food to entertain Chang Lili and several blacksmiths. Chang Lili did not drink alcohol, so she substituted tea for wine, and Meng Yuxiu toasted her three times in a row.
Several blacksmiths also admired her greatly; in terms of skill, they could only admit their inferiority to Chang Lili.
After a hearty meal, Chang Lili, who had been exhausted for so many days, was happy but finally couldn't hold on any longer.
"I was very happy to make this dagger with you, but I can't go on anymore. I have to go back to sleep. I really can't hold on any longer." Chang Lili said, waving her hand and walking casually out of the courtyard.
Upon seeing this, Meng Yuxiu immediately sent someone to escort her.
After watching Chang Lili leave, he took the dagger he had painstakingly made and returned to the courtyard, lost in thought.
His first thought was one of amazement. This thing was truly exquisite, and Chang Lili had actually made something so ingenious.
On the other hand, he recalled some things that puzzled him.
The dagger was made from special materials that Meng Yuxiu brought back from Yunjin City, which are unique to the area.
Mentioning Yun Jin City, Meng Yuxiu thought of Xiao Shu'er.
Xiao Shu'er's mother was born in Yun Jin City. Her mother also had an older brother who married and had children in Yun Jin City. One of her sons was named Hu Pin, who was Xiao Shu'er's cousin.
Now, her cousin works in Beijing.
Thinking about it carefully, a few days ago, a group of people actually dared to break into the residences of various officials and search for something. And these people seemed to be acting on orders from Hu Pin.
Now that he thinks about it, Meng Yuxiu really can't understand what it is that is so important that he went to such great lengths to find it.
Meng Yuxiu reached out and carefully touched the dagger in his hand, revealing a cold smile.
"Is it a coincidence, or is there some connection?" he muttered to himself.
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