At noon, Lili took Gu Ziyi home for lunch.
Zhui Feng did try to stop him, how could His Highness the Crown Prince eat the simple food of this small village?
Gu Ziyi didn't think it was a big deal; if the common people could eat it, why couldn't he?
Speaking of this, Gu Ziyi recalled another matter: "The disaster in Xixiang County is severe, and the imperial court has already sent people to provide disaster relief."
Old Man Shen frowned: "Didn't we already send officials?"
Lili walked slowly ahead: "Is that the First Prince?"
"That's right." Gu Ziyi no longer asked how Lili knew; agreeing was enough.
After thinking for a while, Shen Laosan said, "His Majesty's eldest son is in his prime. He is said to be refined and courteous, and is the most approachable of all the princes."
Zhui Feng Hu Re let out a cold laugh.
Lili glanced at Gu Ziyi, whose expression remained indifferent, a faint smile still playing on his lips.
Lili raised her eyebrows, stopped the puzzled Shen Laosan, and hopped around, wanting her father to hold her.
Shen Laosan picked up Lili and his attention was immediately diverted: "Is Libao hungry? We'll be home soon."
"Yay! Mommy said we'll have fish for lunch today!"
Gu Ziyi lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
When they got home, Yang had already prepared the meal, just waiting for the men to come back from the fields so they could have a full stomach.
However, Zhui Feng was somewhat surprised to find a stool for him on the table.
"Sit down." Lili looked at Zhuifeng, who was standing still, with a puzzled expression.
Old Shen smiled at him kindly, with a touch of country shyness: "Our countryside is not like the city, so I hope you won't find us unpleasant."
Zhui Feng hurriedly waved his hands: "No, it's not..."
Gu Ziyi raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to sit down.
Zhui Feng then quickly sat down.
For some reason, Zhui Feng felt a warm feeling in his heart.
Although His Highness treated him very well, and they had dined together before, in other people's eyes he was still just a guard. Whenever His Highness dined at a restaurant, when had anyone ever prepared a stool for him?
Lili propped her head up and stared at him for a long time, not realizing that he was actually quite sensitive.
Lili felt a strange urge to laugh. A cold knife, a sentimental heart. I am an assassin, I have no feelings, but if you want to talk to me about feelings, I know a little bit about them.
Hahahaha.
"What are you laughing at?" Gu Ziyi asked.
"Huh? Oh." Lili looked at Zhuifeng. "You don't need to add so much drama. We're in the countryside. There's no master-servant relationship here. It's not because our family is kind, it's just that in this small place, everyone is a friend."
Zhui Feng paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before earnestly replying, "Mm!"
"..." Do you really understand?
Before the drought, every household ate three meals a day. Later, they couldn't afford three meals a day anymore, so they switched to eating two meals a day, morning and evening, and just grabbing something to eat at noon.
Like other families, the Shen family also ate two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening.
But recently, life has been good, mainly thanks to Lili, who has brought in some money. The rice in the fields is growing well, giving the whole family hope for the future.
With Lili around, the Shen family will be united, and life will only get better and better; it certainly won't get too bad!
Therefore, the Shen family decided that now that they had the means, they couldn't afford to be without food.
So the Shen family went back to having three meals a day.
They didn't splurge much; they usually just had a simple meal of cornbread with side dishes or noodles.
Today's situation is special. When Lili went out, she specifically said that she would bring Gu Ziyi to dinner with her. Of course, the Shen family would not serve him their usual food.
Luckily, we still had two fish and a jar of pickled cabbage at home.
So Yang specially took out the biggest fish from the large water vat in the kitchen and made sauerkraut fish. She sprinkled it with dogwood that Lili had picked herself. As soon as it was served, not to mention the little gluttons, even Gu Ziyi was stunned.
"Wow, pickled fish! Mommy's amazing!"
Pear was practically craving something spicy, and most importantly, this was the first time in a long time that she had ever eaten spicy food!
She noticed from the beginning that although the seasonings and other ingredients were mostly the same, the only thing missing was "spicy".
It seems like no one here knows what a chili pepper is.
Chili peppers are on the other side of the world, so it's normal that they didn't get here.
It wasn't until she went with her older brothers to pick wood ear mushrooms that she accidentally discovered the dogwood!
Lili was practically in tears; heaven knows how much she craved this.
There are three types of dogwood: dogwood, evodia, and cornus.
Among them, the dogwood is most similar to a chili pepper, while the other two do not have a distinct spiciness.
The fruit of the dogwood is spicy and can be used as a spice, with a spiciness similar to that of chili peppers.
This was also the first time Yang had used dogwood in cooking. Although dogwood is edible and the small red fruit looks appealing, it can cause a tingling sensation on the tongue and sweating all over the body. Over time, people stopped picking and eating it.
Last time, when Lili brought a handful of dogwood and said she wanted to eat it, she was terrified. But Lili insisted that the problem only occurred when dogwood was eaten alone, and that adding it to the dish would prevent it.
This proved to be true.
In the milky white fish soup, the tender fish meat is faintly visible, and the thin, translucent fish slices are like white jade.
The yellowish-brown pickled cabbage leaves and red dogwood garnish the dish, their vibrant colors making the tender white fish meat even more enticing.
The hot oil that had just been poured on was still sizzling and jumping in the soup.
The alternating aromas of sour and spicy flavors kept wafting into Lili's nose, making her drool almost flow into the river at the end of the village.
What a delicious and visually appealing pickled fish dish!
"It smells so good! It smells so good!"
The Shen family members stared intently at the steaming fish, their stomachs rumbling.
Just as Old Man Shen was about to pick up his chopsticks, Old Woman Shen stopped him: "Is this red stuff dogwood?"
Liu also examined it closely: "It really is! Sister-in-law, why did you put dogwood there?"
Old Mrs. Shen glanced nervously at Gu Ziyi, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he did not seem to blame her.
"Third son's wife, how can you put dogwood in there? Quickly, remove the dogwood!"
Lili quickly stopped Old Lady Shen: "Grandma, this is delicious!"
Shen Jiahao asked in confusion, "Li Bao, dogwood doesn't taste good!"
Shen Jialuo nodded: "Yes, yes, it will attack your tongue!"
When he was a child, he saw dogwood on the mountain and thought it was some kind of wild fruit. When he ate it, good heavens, he almost saw his great-grandmother!
Lili was amused by this and giggled, "Guoguo, why don't you try a bite?"
Without saying a word, Lili picked up a piece of fish and gave it to him. Shen Jialuo was so scared that he wanted to throw it away, but it was his sister who gave it to him, and he really couldn't bear to throw it away.
Madam Yang smiled and said, "Mother, you should try it too. It's delicious. I've already tried it."
Although Lili insisted on eating it this way, Yang still cautiously scooped out a small bowl to try.
After tasting it, I realized that Pear was right!
After adding the dogwood to the dish, although the numbing sensation was still there, it was much milder. Combined with the natural freshness and aroma of the dish, it was surprisingly refreshing!
Lili picked up a piece of fish and put it in Old Mrs. Shen's bowl, saying with a smile, "Grandma, try it! Lili wouldn't lie!"
With her beloved granddaughter personally taking the initiative, Old Mrs. Shen hesitated but still tentatively took a bite of the fish.
Upon taking that bite, Old Lady Shen's eyes immediately lit up.
"Grandma, how is it? How is it?" Lili couldn't wait to convince her family that the chili peppers were delicious.
"tasty!"
The firm and succulent fish meat has a slightly spicy and numbing flavor; in a word, it's delicious!
Old Mrs. Shen couldn't wait to drink the soup: "Wow!"
Seeing Old Lady Shen like this, Shen Jialuo closed his eyes and put the whole piece of fish into his mouth in one go.
"Wow!"
Shen Jialuo exclaimed in delight, "It's really delicious! It has such a strange taste, but I want to eat more after I've had it!"
Pear claps her hands happily: "Right? It's delicious, isn't it?"
Seeing this, the Shen family members also picked up their chopsticks and started eating fish.
As expected, it received unanimous praise from the whole family.
"My God, what is this flavor? This dogwood is completely unpalatable on its own, how come it tastes so good when added here?"
"Yes, yes, that's great!"
Pear felt inexplicably proud that everyone liked the food she loved, and she proudly shook her head.
Gu Ziyi was so charmed by the little dumpling's appearance that he couldn't help but reach out and stroke Lili's little head twice: "So happy?"
Lili nodded vigorously: "Yes, don't you think it's a very happy thing when everyone likes what you like?"
Gu Ziyi chuckled and glanced at the little dumpling shaking its head: "Yeah, I think so too."
After Lili finished being happy, she didn't forget to take care of the two guests who had come to her house. She put a chopstick on Gu Ziyi's plate and Zhuifeng's plate, saying, "Eat quickly, or you won't be able to get any later!"
Then they also joined the fish-grabbing frenzy.
Looking at the steaming fish in the bowl, Gu Ziyi suddenly smiled.
After finishing their meal, Gu Ziyi heard that Shen Laosan would be going to the city to return to the academy the next day, so he asked him if he wanted to go with him.
Gu Zi also arrived by carriage, which was currently parked on the large lawn next to the village entrance.
Shen Laosan hesitated for a moment. The appointed day was tomorrow, and he wanted to have a good talk with Wan Niang tonight.
Yang thought this was a good idea, as a horse-drawn carriage was more comfortable than an oxcart, and setting off now after eating was better than driving an oxcart on an empty stomach the next morning.
I'll leave sooner or later anyway, so what difference does it make if I leave a day earlier or later?
Others felt the same way, but they weren't the type to consider someone a close friend just because they had a meal together.
The main reason is the difference in their social status; naturally, the Shen family members didn't dare to be as polite as Lili.
Madam Yang hesitated for a moment, but then decided against it: "Young master, this is too much trouble for you. It's not a big deal. We'll take him ourselves tomorrow."
Gu Ziyi laughed and said, "What's the trouble? I was going back to the prefectural city anyway, and I was just passing through Liucheng. It was just on my way to give Second Master a ride."
“This…” Madam Yang still hesitated.
Shen Laosan knew that this young master was working with his elder brother, so how could he possibly trouble him?
“Young master, thank you for your kindness, but I am not in a hurry and do not wish to disturb you.”
Lili suddenly interjected, "Father, let Brother Ziyi take you there."
Shen Laosan hesitated: "This..."
Lili snuggled into Shen Laosan's arms and said sweetly, "Daddy~ please let Brother Ziyi take you with you. Brother Zhuifeng is so amazing! I can only feel at ease with Brother Zhuifeng around! Otherwise, I'll be very worried if you go to such a far place alone~"
In fact, he had walked the road back to the academy hundreds of times and had nothing to worry about. But when these words came from his precious daughter's mouth, Shen Laosan inexplicably couldn't say no. He even felt that his little darling was too thoughtful.
Seeing this, Gu Ziyi also said, "That's right, a horse-drawn carriage is several times faster than an oxcart, and it's also more comfortable. I heard that you will be taking the exam in August, so why don't you go back to the academy to prepare for the exam comfortably, and at the same time put Lili at ease."
"Mmm!"
After hearing these words, even Madam Yang was somewhat persuaded.
The couple was still hesitating when Old Lady Shen spoke up and made the decision: "Alright, since Young Master Gu is willing to help, Third Brother, you can go with Young Master Gu!"
After these two encounters, Old Lady Shen saw things clearly. She knew perfectly well that this young master Gu had an impressive family background and was genuinely unpretentious.
Moreover, they practically indulged Lili.
It's just hitch a ride in a carriage for a while; it's nothing serious, and nothing unexpected will happen.
Since Old Lady Shen had spoken, Shen Laosan hurriedly went to thank him: "Then I'll trouble Young Master Gu. I'll go pack my things now so as not to delay Young Master Gu's time."
Gu Ziyi nodded: "Mm."
Yang hurriedly pulled Shen Laosan away to pack their things.
Lili knew he meant well, so she leaned closer and said to him, "I told you you're a good person."
Gu Ziyi chuckled, "If Lili says so, then so be it."
Lili sighed inwardly. She had only met Gu Ziyi a few times, and each time it was either him helping her or her helping him. What kind of fate was this?
Lili felt that the jade pendant Gu Ziyi had given her was useless.
They originally intended to keep the jade pendant as a life-saving item, but given their current relationship, why would they need it?
Lili smiled and asked him in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your Highness, are we good friends now?"
"Hmm?" Gu Ziyi nodded. "Yes."
Lili beamed with joy. His Highness the Crown Prince said they were friends, so could she say that she had the Crown Prince backing her up?
He's the Crown Prince now, but he'll be His Majesty in the future!
Wouldn't she then become someone with the emperor's backing?
Rounding it off, it's practically second only to one person and above ten thousand others!
Hahahahahahahahahaha.....
Gu Ziyi witnessed the little dumpling go from a slight smile to a loud laugh to a hearty laugh without saying a word.
"…?"
I don't understand, but I respect it.
"Cough cough cough." Realizing she had been a bit presumptuous, Lili quickly cleared her throat and pretended nothing had happened.
"What I mean is, we're good friends now, right?"
"Um."
“Then I won’t hold back if you ever need anything!” Lili took out the jade pendant and shoved it into his hand. “Friends should help each other, right? Why would you need a jade pendant?”
Gu Ziyi understood and put the jade pendant back in her hand: "Take it."
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