46 Farmhouse Flavor
◎She ran away and he chased her◎
It was late autumn. Jiang Qinglan, Wang Huiniang, and a hired coachman who also served as a bodyguard left from Yuhang Gate and headed for Songlin Village, northwest of Lin'an City.
This village is Wang Huiniang's hometown. Since Hu Zi started school, Wang Huiniang moved to Lin'an City.
But even though she became a shepherdess, she did not forget her old family members in the village. When people went to the township to recruit workers, they would think of Songlin Village first.
Another thing was that since she helped Jiang Qinglan open the restaurant, she often went to the countryside to buy things, and this was the place she went to. The villagers were happy to sell to her.
When we walked to the suburbs, the sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the sun was golden.
The maple leaves are half red, the wheat seedlings are just beginning to emerge in the field, and from a distance the whole place looks green, a truly pleasant autumn scene.
Jiang Qinglan was worried and anxious for a while, and finally told Wang Huiniang about this matter.
After all, in this strange world, apart from Tuantuan, she is the only person he can trust and rely on.
Wang Huiniang was shocked: "What? Mr. Yan is the Prince Xie of the Dongping Palace?!"
"Year after year, so many people have been eager to see Xie Lang's face. Now, he's right before our eyes!"
"Did you know that in the days after the Dragon Boat Festival, in Lin'an City, all girls over ten years old would talk in their sleep about Xie Lang."
She was focused on making money and soon discovered business opportunities.
"Let me think about what Prince Xie likes to eat. Why don't we spread the word? We'll definitely make a fortune!"
Knowing that she had gone astray, Jiang Qinglan turned pale and whispered something to her ear.
"Oh my God," Wang Huiniang was shocked and murmured after a while, "Isn't this a dream? He wants to marry you?"
He pinched his leg hard with his hand: "Hiss—it hurts!"
She came back to her senses and said happily, "So, the rumor a few days ago about the government arranging a marriage for him is that the bride is you?"
Jiang Qinglan could only smile bitterly.
Only then did Wang Huiniang recover from her great surprise.
"You were so sad yesterday, was it because of this? My dear aunt, isn't this a great thing?!"
She was very excited and said to herself, "Oh, before at Jianlong Temple, didn't Qian Junjun take your place and enter their palace?"
She chuckled and said, "It seems like you two are destined to be together. After all these twists and turns, he still wants you."
Jiang Qinglan frowned deeply, his heart was in turmoil. He leaned on her and sighed:
"Sister Hui, others may not know me, but don't you know me? I'm so scared and worried, so please stop teasing me."
When Wang Huiniang heard this, she realized that she was pale and looked sad, and she really didn't want this marriage.
She calmed down, thought for a while, patted the latter's hand, and sighed:
"You're a strange person. You push money away when it comes, and you don't want the glory and wealth that come to you. You only care about things like cabbage and green duck eggs..."
She had been with Jiang Qinglan for a long time and knew her character, as well as the impact of the Jiang family's demise on her. Thinking about it carefully, she could understand.
So she comforted him, "But I'm used to it. No matter what you want to do, I'll always stand by you."
After hearing this, Jiang Qinglan felt that his heart, which had been fried in oil and soaked in snow, was warmed for a moment. He blinked and two lines of tears fell.
Wang Huiniang was startled and frantically searched for her handkerchief. "You silly girl, this is clearly a great thing, why do you feel so wronged when it comes to you?"
Jiang Qinglan said woodenly, "He's a gifted man, and I rejected him. I lost face. What if he gets angry and kills me?"
She rejected the marriage proposal outright in front of the princess, but when she came back and thought about it, she felt very scared.
This was a feudal society, where hierarchy reigned supreme. Even in modern society, it was common for people to resort to murder after their courtship failed. For him, a member of the privileged class, to harm her would be easier than stepping on an ant.
"Killed him?" Wang Huiniang was stunned, and then burst into laughter.
"You're such a brave man sometimes, and timid as an ant sometimes." "Kill someone and pay with your life, debts and money. It's always been like that. Even if he's the king of heaven, he can't just kill people."
He carefully comforted her, "Just relax. First of all, I see that Master Xie is not a bad person. He likes you so much that he can't wait to hurt you."
"Secondly, not to mention that you're a daughter of the Jiang family and your father is a prominent figure. Even if they were from an ordinary family, there's no reason to force you into marriage. If you hold on to your promise, what can he do?
"These young men dressed in red and purple are just looking for something new. At most, it will be over in two or three months."
Jiang Qinglan had thought about what Wang Huiniang said, but she was very confused and often thought about the worst-case scenario over and over again, so the more she thought about it, the more scared she became.
After getting confirmation from Wang Huiniang, he felt a little relieved, but then he started thinking that Xie Linchuan would definitely come to bother him next, and how should he respond.
No words for a moment.
They traveled for a long time. In the carriage, they had a simple meal of leftover steamed chestnut flour cake with osmanthus sugar as a meal for the journey. It was not until early noon that they arrived at Songlin Village.
Wang Huiniang was familiar with the route and directed the carriage directly to Muramasa's home.
Muramasa was an old man in his fifties. At that moment, he, his wife, and their ten-year-old granddaughter were the only ones at home, having dinner.
The sons and daughters-in-law, the strong and able-bodied laborers, all went to work in the fields, and their meals were delivered to them.
Muramasa came out, holding a chipped earthen bowl in his hand: "Oh, it's Sister Hui, why didn't you call us in advance this time? We didn't prepare anything."
It turned out that Wang Huiniang often helped the villagers, and her old family also reciprocated by helping her take care of the old house.
Sometimes when she was coming back, she would let Muramasa know in advance, and Muramasa would prepare meals and ask her granddaughter to clean her old house.
Wang Hui Niang said, "We came in a hurry this time and didn't send a message in advance. But it doesn't matter, we still have time."
He introduced Jiang Qinglan to the three of them and explained that this time he wanted to collect more cabbage, white radish and duck eggs.
Jiang Qinglan called them "father-in-law and grandmother" and gave them a few bags of sugar cubes and fine salt that she bought in the city. She also didn't forget the steamed candy for her little granddaughter.
I thought to myself: Sister Hui is really thoughtful. I was so flustered this morning that I didn't even think of this. She prepared this as a favor for me.
Sure enough, the three of them were overjoyed.
In the countryside, many things for food, clothing, housing and transportation can be produced by oneself, but sugar and salt must be bought at the market, and their salt is running out.
Muramasa welcomed them into the house and sat down. The grandmother and granddaughter hurriedly started the fire and cooked again.
Jiang Qinglan was listening in the main room. The sound of cutting vegetables and peeling firewood in the stove could be heard. The fragrance of rice and the smell of firewood also filled the air.
Soon, the grandmother and granddaughter brought out the dishes and the table was ready.
Four stoneware bowls were filled to the brim with scrambled eggs with leeks, Chinese cabbage with vinegar, cured chicken, and bacon.
Jiang Qinglan felt warm in his heart: This is the hospitality of the country people. They want to take out the best things, for fear that the guests will not have enough to eat.
Although this dish for entertaining guests is not as exquisite as those in the city and does not pay much attention to the presentation, it is still fresh and oily.
The leeks and Chinese cabbage were freshly picked from the fields, at the tenderest tips. They were green and white, piled in a bowl, still soaked in yellow oil.
The eggs are laid by our own free-range chickens. The yolks can no longer be called "yellow" because they have turned orange and exude a rich eggy aroma.
The skin of bacon and chicken is smoked black.
The cured chicken is just chopped into pieces and you can't see the inside.
Thinly sliced bacon reveals a half-fat, half-lean texture. The lean portion is a deep red, with distinct lines from salting and smoking, while the fat is translucent, even resembling jade.
Muramasa said politely, "Madam Jiang, Sister Hui, we came so suddenly this time that we didn't have time to kill the chickens and fish, so we'll just have to make do with what we have."
Jiang Qinglan picked up a piece of bacon and said with a smile, "When I was in the city, I dreamed of eating this bacon, but I couldn't. Thanks to my father-in-law and grandmother for treating me."
One bite is filled with the flavor of smoke and fire, followed by a rich salty and fresh taste.
She wasn't being polite.
In her past life, all sorts of health knowledge always said that bacon was unhealthy because it was salted and smoked. But she thought, is it really necessary to give up happiness for a little bit of health?
Whenever she eats this kind of black smoked cured meat with a strong smell of wood, she will think of her childhood and the taste of home.
As his thoughts drifted, Muramasa said, "Yo!" and smiled, his wrinkles stretching out across his face. "We brewed some new wine the other day, and it's just right for us two distinguished guests to try."
He took an empty wine jug and placed a bundle of thin bamboo sticks on it. He then went to pick up the wine jar. In front of the two men, he poured the wine into the jug through the bamboo sticks.
First there was a splashing sound, then the water flow became thinner and gurgling, and finally there was a dripping sound, which was the remaining wine on the thin bamboo branches dripping into the pot.
The wine leaked out, and only white and green millet grains that had not been decomposed and fermented remained on the bamboo branches.
Jiang Qinglan found it interesting and thought to himself: No wonder the phrase "Strain a bowl of wine" is often used in "Water Margin".
It turns out that in ancient times, homemade wine really had to be "sieved." Bai Juyi's poem says: "Green ants and new mash wine." The "green ants" here refer to these rice grains.
Wang Huiniang knew she didn't like drinking, but she still persuaded her to try it: "Homemade wine is light in flavor and won't make you drunk. Besides, new wine has a unique flavor. I can't help myself, if you can, then I'll drink it all."
Jiang Qinglan found what she said interesting and quickly drank a glass. As expected, the wine tasted very light, sweet with a slight sourness, and also had a faint taste of green plum jam.
It's more of a fruity alcoholic beverage than a wine.
No wonder ancient novels always depict people drinking dozens of bowls of wine.
…
The village chief was busy with some old matters, and while Jiang and Wang were having dinner, he called his son and daughter-in-law back from the fields.
He sent his daughter-in-law to help clean up Wang Huiniang's old house, and sent his son to the village to tell them how many duck eggs, cabbages, and white radishes they could gather and where they were found.
After he had finished these things, he said to Wang Huiniang:
"Sister Hui, cleaning the house, harvesting vegetables, and tending to the fields will take time. Why don't you go to the cypress ridge behind first? We take care of it every day, and the path there is easy to walk on."
After hearing this, Wang Hui Niang nodded, took a basket filled with paper money and offerings from the carriage, and went to hang them at the grave.
Jiang Qinglan thought: Sister Hui should be going to visit her deceased husband's grave, right?
She rarely talked about the past. Jiang Qinglan only knew that he had been a soldier and died on the battlefield.
Halfway up the mountain, I saw a grave. On the tombstone was written: "Tomb of Ding Dali. Erected by his wife Ding Wanghui, son Ding Hu, and brother Zheng Wang."
Wang Huiniang was silent all the way up the mountain, but when she reached the tomb, she became more talkative: "Look, this is my short-lived ghost."
While burning paper, she kept muttering, "Sister, your family has fallen on hard times, but I was born into misfortune. In short, it was fate that we met."
It turns out that Wang Huiniang was born in a small fishing village on the outskirts of Lin'an, and her father was a fisherman.
When she was ten years old, the Qiantang River flooded, and her parents died. She then lived with her uncle. Later, her uncle also died, and her aunt sold her to a family as a maid.
Wang Huiniang drank some wine, and the mountain breeze blew on her face, causing two blushes to appear on her face.
She said in a low voice: "I am a person of humble origin, but I have a high spirit. I am not liked by my master."
"I was sold from one place to another and ended up in a brothel. But I was lucky enough to escape to this small mountain village. Hu Zi's father was a hunter in the mountains. He was an orphan, naked, and he saved me. We fell in love."
"But I escaped, and my household registration was still in the hands of the brothel madam. I hid in fear for two years, and then I had Huzi. His father said this wasn't a solution, so he wanted me to join the army and earn military merit so that he could remove me from the household registration."
"At that time, the imperial court was at war with the Liao people, so he went there immediately. In the third year, he finally earned military merit and was released from military service. But who would have thought that just when he was about to return, he would die in Zhuozhou."
After hearing this, Jiang Qinglan felt as if he had swallowed a raw persimmon. The astringent taste spread all the way to his chest, and he couldn't spit it out or digest it.
Who would have thought that the bold and lively Sister Hui had such a miserable life experience?
After a long pause, she gently asked, "Who is this Zheng Wang?"
"Zheng Wang was the camp's cook and Hu Zi's father's sworn brother. After his father died, it was Zheng Wang who traveled thousands of miles to bring his ashes back."
At this point, Wang Huiniang suddenly became excited, picked up a branch, and hit the tombstone as if she were really hitting someone:
"This short-lived ghost, before he died, wanted me to marry Hu Zi with him."
With tears in her eyes, she scolded with a smile: "Bah, you want to get rid of us and dream about your grandma!" After that, two lines of tears flowed down like beads.
Jiang Qinglan hurriedly hugged Wang Huiniang in his arms.
Suddenly, there was a gust of mountain wind, and the layers of green pines and ancient cypresses were like waves on the water. The roosters raised by the farmers in the mountain bay began to crow.
After a long pause, Jiang Qinglan finally said, "Sister Hui, you're worried about Brother Ding, and he's passed away in peace. Now, you take Hu Zi, and I'll take Tuan Tuan, and we'll live together."
"He won't rest in peace until I get married." Wang Hui Niang sniffed and spat.
After saying that, she seemed to remember something and pushed Jiang Qinglan out: "What are you talking about? You are a young woman who has never been with a man and has no children. How can you be like me? No, no!"
Jiang Qinglan shook his head and did not argue with her. He thought to himself: It is better to be alone and have peace and quiet than to be associated with people like Xie Linchuan.
After hanging the grave, the two men went down the mountain to see if the villagers had brought all the duck eggs to Muramasa's house.
As he reached the back door, Muramasa came out to greet him: "They only brought about twenty duck eggs. But there's a young man here, also from Lin'an City."
The two looked up and saw a young man talking to his servant beside the carriage.
He was very tall, wearing a soft-soled jade hat on his head, and his wide-sleeved white robe looked quite elegant and unrestrained when blown by the wind.
Even when talking to servants, he always had a smile on his face and was very amiable.
Jiang Qinglan was a bit face-blind. He felt that this person looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was.
While he was trying to think, the man came over, bowed to Jiang and Wang, and said with a smile: "Madam Jiang, Madam Wang, how are you?"
Jiang and Wang returned the gift.
Jiang Qinglan thought to himself: People recognized us, but we couldn't remember them. What should we do?
The man was very understanding and said with a smile, "My surname is Xue, and my given name is Qi. The mutton soup at Xinghua Restaurant is the best I've ever had."
Jiang Qinglan suddenly understood.
Mr. Xue had a keen nose. That afternoon, when she was stewing mutton in the kitchen, he could already smell it before the sign was even hung up.
Moreover, he also talked to her about some business matters. At that time, she thought he was sent by a competitor to get information.
Xue Qi continued, "I'm a businessman. I came to Songlin Village to buy medicinal herbs. I happened to meet you two. What a fate."
Jiang Qinglan thought: Since he is allergic to mutton and is also in the medicinal materials business, he is probably selling goods to the Liao Kingdom.
The Liao and Song dynasties set up trading posts on the border. The Song exported tea, porcelain, medicinal materials and other items, and imported cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock from the Liao.
Wang Huiniang smiled and said, "What a coincidence! We also came to the village to pick vegetables, but we arrived a little earlier than Mr. Xue."
Xue Qi smiled and said, "Then we can go back to Lin'an City together and look after each other."
This was exactly what the two of them wanted, because when they arrived in the village, they heard Muramasa say that someone had been robbed on the road a few days ago.
Seeing the two men nodded, Xue Qi considered and said, "Do you two want to stay overnight at Muramasa's house?" He and his servants were planning to stay overnight, but it would not be very convenient if two girls were with them.
Wang Hui Niang hurriedly said, "No, no, we have a place to stay. We won't stay at Cun Zheng's house."
Staying overnight would cost money, and this Mr. Xue was wearing silk and looked quite wealthy. She didn't want to cut off the income of the Muramasa family.
Xue Qi nodded and, along with the servants, unloaded the luggage from the carriage. When he came out, he bowed to Jiang and Wang, then drove the carriage out to collect medicinal herbs.
Jiang Qinglan watched the carriage drive away, and he admired it from the bottom of his heart: "He always smiles at everyone he sees, and always thinks ahead of others. This Mr. Xue is the man who can do big business."
Wang Huiniang saw her expression and teased her, "Hey, take that look away! If Prince Xie finds out, he'll kill her with a knife."
Jiang Qinglan's face immediately flushed, and she frowned and said, "Sister Hui, I'm just feeling better, and you're here to provoke me again! Stop mentioning him."
When I thought of him, my heart suddenly felt heavy, as if a huge stone was pressing on it.
Wang Hui Niang stopped talking.
Xue Qi left, but they didn't have to go out. Muramasa had already informed the villagers, and they only had to wait at Muramasa's house until someone came with the duck eggs.
In one afternoon, Jiang Qinglan collected about a hundred duck eggs, selecting those with thick shells, freshness and uniform color. He felt that it was enough.
In the past, when I read Wang Zengqi’s essays, my mouth would water when I saw the mention of “Gaoyou’s salted duck eggs”.
She would go to the supermarket and buy a few salted duck eggs, which she would eat in her dorm room with porridge cooked in a small rice cooker. The egg whites were soft and tender, the yolk oil was rich, and the combination was salty and fragrant, making it incredibly delicious.
But she only had a general idea of how to do it.
After all, I have never done it in practice, and I am afraid that if I collect too much, I will not be able to do it well, so I will try these first.
In autumn and winter, it gets dark early and people eat earlier. Soon, Muramasa's family started eating again.
This time, Muramasa's son and daughter-in-law went to the river to catch fish and killed an old hen.
To preserve the original flavor of the food, fresh ingredients only require the simplest cooking.
The chicken is free-range from the garden, and the mushrooms are wild umbrella-shaped mushrooms. Simply simmer them in water, add a pinch of salt and a few chopped green onions, and you have the most delicious chicken soup.
In a stoneware bowl, small pieces of chicken were stewed until tender but not mushy. The meat, bones, and shimeji mushrooms were all immersed in the amber broth, with a layer of yellow oil on top.
The fish is wild crucian carp freshly caught from a small river, lightly fried in an iron pan, and stewed with tender tofu.
At this time, in the milky white soup, the tender meat on both sides of the fish body slightly opened up, revealing strips of snow-white texture.
The tofu had already been stewed until it was soft and was shaking slightly, as if it would melt in the soup with a slight touch.
In later generations, there were various seasoning packets, such as pickled fish seasoning, local chicken soup seasoning... However, no matter how much they were mixed and imitated, they could not compare to the delicious local chicken soup and wild crucian carp soup.
This is the purest freshness from nature, a gift from God to mortals.
The hen soup and crucian carp soup were both delicious, light and fresh, with a long aftertaste. Before he knew it, Jiang Qinglan had drunk enough to feel full.
After dinner, she and Wang Huiniang returned to the latter's old house.
Jiang Qinglan woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. Thinking that it was because she drank too much soup that night, she felt a little embarrassed.
The old house was simple, and the toilet was outside. You had to go out through the main room, around the west room, and then to the abandoned cowshed.
Jiang Qinglan sat up with the quilt in his arms and glanced at the dark night outside the window, feeling a little scared.
She was originally a staunch materialist, never afraid of ghosts or gods, and loved watching horror movies. But now, she herself has traveled through time, so how can she be sure that there are no other supernatural events in the world?
Thinking of this, she didn't dare go out alone.
"Sister Hui—Sister Hui—" She wanted Wang Hui Niang to accompany her to the toilet, so she called out softly twice.
But the latter muttered a few words, turned over, and slept even more soundly.
Jiang Qinglan thought to himself: Sister Hui worked hard during the day and even cried when she went to the grave. She must be tired. I'd better not disturb her and get out of bed.
However, as soon as he stretched out his legs, he saw the tips of four embroidered shoes facing the bed.
Immediately, she was frightened and shuddered.
Horror stories say that you can't point the toes of your shoes at the bed, otherwise ghosts can find the way in. Ah, this...
But she couldn't help but solve the problem.
Jiang Qinglan gritted his teeth, put on his own shoes, and kicked Wang Huiniang's shoes crooked.
She took off her autumn-scented cotton robe with long sleeves and a front opening, put it on, and ran outside holding a small lamp.
At that time, dark clouds were gathering, a crescent moon was hanging in the sky, and the whole area was immersed in the thick, inky black night.
He took two steps outside the door, and suddenly a cold wind blew, rustling the layers of cypress trees around him, and the small lamp in his hand was quickly extinguished.
The old corpse in the mountain village, the evil spirit in the thatched cottage... the scenes of the horror movies he had watched before came to his mind one by one, and Jiang Qinglan's heart was in his throat.
But she has come this far, how can she give up halfway?
He hardened his heart and turned the corner. When he reached the west side of the house, he looked up and suddenly saw a dark object "floating" down from the big pine tree outside the yard.
In an instant, her face turned pale with fear, her eyes widened, her legs trembled, and her teeth chattered: "Ghost——"
Xie Linchuan ran over in two or three steps, leaned forward, and put his finger to his lips in a friendly gesture: "Shh - don't shout, it's me."
Under the moonlight, his shadow stood tall and majestic like a mountain.
Jiang Qinglan swallowed hard: "Not a ghost, but a human." But in a split second, her nerves tensed up again. At this moment, he was almost like a ghost.
He was the legitimate son of the Prince of Dongping. He asked the emperor for a marriage and persuaded the eldest princess to marry her as the daughter of the Duke and his legal wife. However, she was a merchant girl and a divorced woman. However, she rejected him outright and slapped him in the face in public.
Anyone who happens to this will be angry and furious.
That's why she thought of hiding out for two days, waiting for him to calm down and stop shouting about fighting and killing, and then she could talk to him face to face and explain things calmly.
Who knew she had underestimated him after all? She had actually chased him here?
At this point, according to their playboy style, Jiang Qinglan thought he was just going to force himself on her. He would first physically abuse her, and then go on to do some melodramatic drama of chasing his wife to the crematorium.
At the very least, he would grab her neck and say something like "Don't even think about escaping" to scare her.
Thinking of this, she just gripped the candlestick tightly, shrank back, and said in a trembling voice: "You...what are you going to do?"
【Author’s words】
Please add a collection to my upcoming article. It is about reconciliation, forced seizure, and extreme emotional tug-of-war. Sisters who like to watch emotional dramas can click on it~
Reuniting with the Enemy After Rebirth (also known as Spring in Yanjing)
[The main CP reunites after the breakup, and the secondary CP seizes the be]
In her previous life, Chen Jiayue died from a cup of poisoned wine.
It was given by her husband Xu Jiangling.
After three years of tenderness, he only wanted to step on the corpses of her father and brother to gain power.
Living her life over again, she threw herself into her cousin's arms without hesitation.
Xu Jiangling smiled faintly when he heard this.
On her wedding night, when those familiar hands tore off her clothes, she broke down and cried.
But his hand stopped. "Is your playboy cousin really that good?"
——
Xu Jiangling waited for the enemy in person and pretended to be in cahoots with the treacherous minister and his son.
He married the daughter of his enemy, and everyone said he was enduring humiliation.
But no one knew that he had been waiting for this moment for ten years.
"Yanjing is overgrown with weeds, and the beauty of spring is only because of you."
[Reading Guide]
1. The hero loves the heroine in both lives, and the poisoned wine in the previous life was a misunderstanding of the heroine.
2. The secondary CP is the heroine's brother and his concubine.
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