Lu Qingyan shook her head: "I'm fine. It's probably just that someone is talking about me behind my back."
She sorted through the medicinal herbs in her hands and urged Rong Qing to hurry up and attend to his business.
Rong Qing chuckled, "It's not dark yet, I wouldn't dare go over there now. If I get caught, I'll be in trouble."
Although rumors had been circulating from above, they remained just that—rumors—and few people were willing to believe them. Rong Qing was also thinking that he needed to be cautious.
As night fell, Lu Qingyan quietly left her room with Rong Qing and then sneaked into the production team's cowshed.
At this moment, a dim oil lamp was lit in the cowshed. Inside, there was a long row of beds made of wooden planks, with four quilts on them. Although the quilts were tattered, they were folded very neatly by the owner, which showed that the people living in this room were quite cultured.
When Lu Qingyan and Rong Qing entered the house, the group was initially startled. However, upon recognizing them, their guard immediately lowered.
"Is it Rong Qing?" An elderly man with gray hair rubbed his eyes and asked incredulously.
"Elder Lin," Rong Qing called out, clearly showing great respect for the old man before him.
Old Lin recognized Rong Qing and knew that it was someone he knew. He was completely relieved and said to the others, "This is one of my students. He is someone you can absolutely trust."
Lu Qingyan also took out what she had prepared: "Old Lin, I brought you some food."
An old man with a shaved head and a round head next to him smiled, took the steamed bun from Lu Qingyan's hand, left some for Old Lin, took one for himself, and then handed the remaining three steamed buns to three old men of similar age next to him.
"Oh, you even added pickled vegetables! Tsk tsk, where did you get this recipe from? It's a pity there wasn't enough time to marinate them properly, but you've already mastered about 90% of the seasoning. You're just a little short; I guess you'll get it after a few more practice sessions." The old man sat down heartily on a smooth stone, then used clean chopsticks he had whittled from a twig to pick up a piece of pickled vegetable and put it into his steamed bun, eating it with relish.
He also gestured to the other three to eat with him and not to stand on ceremony.
They all knew Lu Qingyan; after all, how could they not recognize the only strongwoman in the village? But they never imagined that they would one day sit down and talk together.
The extra food that suddenly appears in the shed is usually thanks to the help of the villagers, but even with that good intention, most people are still hesitant to get close. Now that someone is finally so close to them and willing to talk to them, they've almost suddenly become chatterboxes.
Old Lin watched from the side and laughed, "This old fellow's family makes imperial meals in the mornings, so he's quite skilled in food. Girl, if you're willing to learn, let him teach you more while he's still here."
Lu Qingyan smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa, but I don't have that talent, so I won't waste those ingredients."
In one of her past lives, Lu Qingyan was a mermaid. In that world, she could cook the most delicious fish dishes in the world. She still retains this ability, but in terms of handling other ingredients, she can only do a little better than ordinary people; she still can't compare to professionals.
The bald man said with exasperation, "Why are you so unambitious, girl?"
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