When Jiang Nuan returned home after visiting both families, it was already past noon.
Han Qi lay in the courtyard applying a face mask, while Han Er and the others sat on stools facing each other with bitter resentment, glaring at the mud mask in their bowls.
"Apply face masks," Han Qi's gentle voice rang out. "Everyone, hurry up and apply face masks. I have plenty, no need to skimp."
Upon hearing this, Han Er cursed inwardly.
They're men, why are they putting on face masks? They look so green and unnatural, like neither human nor ghost. If the people in the manor knew, they'd probably laugh at them.
The old man is really something. He can't handle things himself, so why does he drag them down with him?
So what if your face becomes whiter and smoother? It makes you look effeminate. What's so good about that?
He kept complaining in his mind, but out of professional ethics, Han Er didn't dare to say it out loud.
However, his eyes, fixed on the mud mask, grew increasingly gloomy.
After reluctantly applying the mask for two days, he noticed that his face had indeed become slightly whiter and smoother.
This made him very unhappy.
A real man should be a bit tanned, rough, and strong. Why be as delicate and tender as a woman?
After a long silence, Han Qi frowned and spoke again, "Han Er, hurry up and put on your face mask, or you'll be punished according to family rules."
Hearing this, Han Er had no choice but to reluctantly smear the bright green mud mask onto his face, threatening as he did so, "You guys hurry up and be serious. Anyone who dares to slack off, I'll beat them to death."
Seeing the other eight people applying face masks with equally dark faces, Han Er's depressed mood improved slightly.
Indeed, the best cure for suffering is to see others suffering more than you.
Suddenly, he began to understand his master's perverse sense of humor.
Seeing this, Jiang Nuan, who had been watching the show from the doorway for a long time, couldn't help but laugh.
It's really funny to see a bunch of grown men gritting their teeth and helplessly applying face masks to their faces.
"Jiang Meizi, you're back?" Han Qi straightened up and said with a smile, "Just in time, Han Er and the others bought a few pounds of beef in the county town. This is a rare delicacy, and they're just waiting for you to cook it."
"You actually managed to buy beef?" Jiang Nuan was pleasantly surprised. "You can buy it in the county town?"
Jiang Nuan hadn't had beef in a long time and was really craving it.
However, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, every cow had to be registered, and its death had to be reported to the government for inspection. Eating beef was even rarer than eating donkey meat.
Of course, she loves both beef and donkey meat; she never shows favoritism when it comes to ingredients.
“We were lucky this time,” Han Er explained. “It’s not from the city; it’s quite a distance from the city gate. It must have come from an illegitimate source, sold secretly. I checked it; it’s not a sick cow, so it’s safe to eat.”
"That's fine, you guys continue, I'll go check on the beef in the kitchen."
"Make more," Han Qi said, slapping his face. "I want to eat that 'Lantern Shadow Beef' you mentioned last time."
Jiang Nuan nodded and went into the kitchen.
As soon as I entered the house, I saw two neatly arranged beef legs on the cutting board.
"How many kilograms is this?" Jiang Nuan asked, rubbing her forehead. "That's really extravagant."
“Mother, there’s still a lot of pork tenderloin,” Xie said, pointing to the earthenware jar next to the cutting board. “There was no room on the cutting board, so I put it in the jar.”
She was also surprised when she saw the meat.
All the odds and ends add up to about half a cow.
With so much meat, isn't Uncle Han worried about it going bad?
"Anything else?" Jiang Nuan was speechless. "What are you planning to do with so much?"
Are you treating people like pigs?
In March, meat doesn't keep for long unless it's cooked.
To prevent the meat from spoiling, Jiang Nuan asked Xie Shi to prepare the meal, while she took out the large pot she hadn't used in a long time and placed it in the yard to braise the meat.
The large pot that the two of them were carrying weighed at least several dozen kilograms. Jiang Nuan carried it as if it were a dish of vegetables, which surprised Han Qi greatly.
With a greenish face, he approached her and asked, "Sister Jiang, why is your iron pot so light? Did the blacksmith cut corners?"
"Light?" Jiang Nuan looked at him strangely, then casually handed it over. "Why don't you try it, Brother Han?"
"Alright, I'll come..." Before he could finish speaking, Han Qi's hands sank as he received the iron pot from Jiang Nuan, and he almost fell over.
"So heavy!" He lifted it with difficulty, tossed it around, and put the pot on the ground. Then he looked at Jiang Nuan with curiosity. "You can't judge a book by its cover. I never expected that Sister Jiang would be so strong."
"Farmers have to work, and their strength is built up through practice." After this ambiguous explanation, Jiang Nuan began preparing the braising ingredients.
Han Qi found it fascinating and joined in to help, not only doing things himself but also keeping Han Er and the others busy.
In an instant, some were cutting meat, some were chopping wood, and some were starting fires. Jiang Nuan and Han Qi were soon reduced to talking without lifting a finger.
"Girl, this is such a big pot of stewed meat, we can't finish it, can we?"
"It's okay if you can't finish it; braised meat can be kept for several days."
"Not stewed meat?"
"Yes, but there's a difference. The braised meat is more fragrant and can be stored for longer."
The two chatted and directed others as they worked, leisurely and contentedly discussing everything from braised meat to bear paws, and then from bear paws to the newly made courtesan. The more they talked, the more they clicked.
Han Er and his group were already used to these things.
They also found it strange. Although their master was unreliable, he was also silly and naive, and inexplicably awkward. Even his usual cronies only said polite words.
But when he meets Jiang Niangzi, he becomes a chatterbox, more talkative than a woman.
From rouge and face powder to tea brewing and fragrance blending, and even famous courtesans, courtesans, and romantic scholars, they spoke whatever came to mind, without any restraint.
Madam Jiang is also admirable. She listened attentively to her husband's endless rambling, chatting and laughing along with him. She didn't shy away from topics that were too embarrassing to talk about. She is truly a remarkable woman.
Ironically, these two people, who were so compatible, had absolutely no romantic feelings for each other.
This is something that Han Er finds very puzzling.
Jiang Niangzi is not bad looking, has a graceful figure, is knowledgeable, and has a good temperament. Why doesn't the master, who is always indiscriminate in his desires, have any interest in her?
This is very abnormal!
It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature; it's absolutely impossible for a lecherous old rogue to reform.
Unfortunately, it actually happened.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed such a bizarre thing could happen.
Jiang Nuan was unaware of Han Er's inner thoughts.
Just as Han Qi was getting into his story, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Han Er, open the door, someone is knocking."
"Me?" Han Er asked, pointing to himself.
He hadn't washed off his face mask yet, and he really didn't want to go; it was too embarrassing.
"Is it you or me, the master?" Han Qi urged. "Stop rambling and get to the point."
Han Qi discovered that Han Er was not as useful as Han Yi.
If Han Yi were here, he could have simply given the order and the person would have been welcomed in by now.
Unlike Han Er, who always dawdles.
Upon hearing this, Han Er had no choice but to walk slowly and deliberately to open the door.
He opened the door, looked up and saw people, then immediately and without hesitation closed it again, and shouted, "Master, the young master is here!"
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