Chapter 003 Show off your skills

After buying the food, it was time to go back as agreed with Yang Tao. They hurried to the town entrance, where Yang Tao's ox cart was already waiting.

Yuan Ming waved to him and put the food on the cart. "Thank you, brother Yang, for today. I went to the market to buy meat. Let's go to your house for dinner tonight."

Yang Tao was stunned. Yuan Ming was not like this before. Their two families were neighbors. Cao Wei often visited their home, but Yuan Ming always ignored them. The scholars his mother taught were like this, aloof and arrogant. When they met someone, they just greeted them politely. As for deep friendship, it was impossible and unnecessary.

After knowing each other for more than ten years, this was the first time that Yuan Ming was so polite to him. Yang Tao couldn't help but feel flattered and didn't know how to respond. He said a little at a loss: "It's just a matter of time. It's not a special help. No need for dinner. I just had a feast at your house yesterday."

"How can it be the same? I remember that Brother Yang likes to eat pig's offal the most. Come to my house tonight and experience my cooking."

Yang Tao swallowed his saliva. When he heard the word "pig's offal", he didn't know how to refuse. He had a strong taste and liked to eat that, but his mother thought it was dirty and didn't like to cook it, and other people didn't like to eat it either. It was good to be able to eat it once a year.

Yuan Ming smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "That's settled." After that, he got on the ox cart with Ji Qingyue.

"Oh great!" Yang Tao scratched his head and smiled.

The ox cart shook for nearly an hour before they got home. Cao Wei was almost going crazy with anxiety. When she came back and heard that her son was fine and his fever had subsided, she finally felt relieved.

After a short rest, Yuan Ming came to the study.

During his years as an official, he had never accepted any students, but he had read essays for many Jinshi candidates. Now when he opened the textbooks for the provincial examination, he could almost recite them by heart. It took him less than an hour to finish reading the thick book.

Pinching the corners of his sore eyes, Yuan Ming stood up and walked to the window, then saw Cao Wei and Ji Qingyue squatting in the vegetable garden, seemingly sowing seeds.

Their family didn't have much land, only one acre of paddy field and one acre of dry land, but Cao Wei couldn't take care of it by herself, so she rented it out. The annual rent was only enough for the two of them to eat and drink. Yuan Ming's study expenses all depended on Cao Wei's embroidery, but how much money could embroidery make? Cao Wei was almost blinded by it, and it was difficult for her to afford Yuan Ming's high tuition and book fees.

Therefore, for a long time, Yuan Ming copied books in the bookstore in the town. Picture books sold the best in the bookstore. Yuan Ming usually copied those books. Not only did he not learn any knowledge, but he also wasted time. Seeing that his grades were declining, he had a crooked idea and wanted to get rich overnight. So he set his sights on Ji Qingyue, who was simple-minded and easy to deceive.

Once the bookstore released a new picture book, Ji Qingyue would definitely be the first to visit, and not just buy one. Yuan Ming knew the contents of those story books best, and it was hard not to have a bad brain after reading too many of them.

Thinking of this, Yuan Ming's expression became a little solemn.

Ji Qingyue was too naive. He was fooled by him today, but there was no guarantee that he would not be fooled again in the future. He had to think of a way.

Sitting back at the desk, Yuan Ming did not open the textbook this time. He took out a piece of white paper from the paper frame, thought for a moment, and wrote beautiful small characters on the paper.

Ji Qingyue straightened up and pouted at Cao Wei: "Mother, I'm so useless. I feel sore all over after doing such a small job."

Cao Wei smiled: "You have never done this before, but you have done a good job. Go over there and take a rest. There is some cold tea hanging in the well. It's just right for you to drink now."

Ji Qingyue licked his dry lips. Cao Wei added dried wild fruits to the cold tea. It tasted sour and sweet, and it was especially thirst-quenching after cooling in the well. He fell in love with it after drinking it once. Seeing that he liked it, Cao Wei specially cooked a big pot of it in the morning.

"Thank you, mother!" After saying that, he jumped to the well, not looking tired at all.

Cao Wei shook her head and smiled.

At first, she was shocked when her son said he wanted to marry the county magistrate's brother. This was not marrying a wife, but clearly inviting a young master back. Not only could they not do anything, but they also had to keep him well.

But after meeting Ji Qingyue, she wavered.

She had lived in a wealthy family before and knew the behavior of playboys very well, but Ji Qingyue was nothing like those people. He was lively and cute, very polite, and most importantly, her son liked him. Only when he was with Ji Qingyue, her son would show the appearance of a young man.

Since her son knew his life experience, Cao Wei watched him become a different person. As long as it could make him less worried, she would be willing to marry a young master.

Ji Qingyue was much better than she had imagined, and was even willing to do farm work with her.

Just as he was thinking, Ji Qingyue came back with a bowl of cool tea in his hand.

Cao Wei hurriedly said, "Go sit under the tree and drink it. It's not convenient here. Be careful not to drop it."

Ji Qingyue laughed and said, "I know. This is for mother. Mother has worked hard all day."

Cao Wei was very pleased. She said no but smiled and drank it all from his hand.

After sitting under the tree and drinking a bowl of tea, Ji Qingyue felt refreshed. Thinking of Yuan Ming who had studied all afternoon, he poured out another bowl.

Yuan Ming put down his pen and moved his sore wrist. At this time, the door was pushed open a crack, and a pair of big eyes appeared in the crack.

"Qingqing?"

Ji Qingyue pushed the door open, stuck out her tongue, and knocked one foot against the wall uneasily: "Husband, did I disturb you?"

Yuan Ming was stunned for a moment before he remembered that when he was with Ji Qingyue, she wanted to be with him 24 hours a day, which seriously affected his studies. So he got very angry and scared Ji Qingyue so much that she didn't dare to talk to him for several days. Later, whenever he was studying, Ji Qingyue didn't dare to get close to him.

Yuan Ming sighed, it was all his own fault.

"No, I just want to take a break. What do you want to talk to me about?" He tried to make his tone softer.

Ji Qingyue rushed in as if she had been pardoned, and put the tea bowl on the table: "That's great, husband, come and drink some cool tea. You've been reading for the whole afternoon, so you should rest your eyes."

Yuan Ming nodded, walked to the table and sat down. After taking a sip of tea, he asked casually: "I saw you and my mother busy in the yard?"

"Yes," Ji Qingyue sat paralyzed on the chair next to her, curling her lips: "My mother said she wanted to sow rapeseed in the yard, and we can pick the vegetables directly in two months. I wanted to help, but I got tired halfway through. I'm so useless."

Yuan Ming stroked the bowl with his fingers and pursed his lips. What he said to Ji Qingyue in the restaurant before was just to prevent him from spending money recklessly, but now he thought about it, it was the truth. Ji Qingyue was really wronged to marry him.

"Husband, tell me what delicious food you want to cook for dinner. I'm a little hungry." Ji Qingyue said again.

Yuan Ming smiled and put down the tea bowl: "Okay, let's do it now."

When he just came back from the town, Yuan Ming prepared the brine and stewed the pork head. He specially bought spices from the medicine shop, and when he put them in, Ji Qingyue's brows were furrowed.

In his opinion, pork head was not delicious to begin with, and he added medicine to it. He even doubted whether he could bite the bullet and say it was delicious. But as time passed, the fragrance in the kitchen became stronger and stronger, enough to make him drool.

Yuan Ming walked into the kitchen, and Ji Qingyue followed eagerly.

A large pot was boiling on the stove, and the air was filled with the aroma of meat.

Ji Qingyue sniffed and salivated, "What a nice smell!"

After writing for the whole afternoon, Yuan Ming was a little hungry, so he smiled and opened the lid of the pot. After more than an hour of stewing, the pork head meat was already soft and boneless, bubbling, and the two of them swallowed their saliva together. Yuan Ming

first picked out a lean piece for the greedy cat next to him, and then picked out the rest, pouring the broth into the basin separately. This old brine is better to keep than to cook it now.

The meat was still very hot, and Ji Qingyue could only breathe out while eating it. Yuan Ming asked him to spit it out but he refused, and even stuffed a piece into his mouth.

The piece of meat Yuan Ming gave him was not big, so he finished it quickly. Ji Qingyue licked his lips with a look of unsatisfied satisfaction, his eyes still glancing at the bowl.

"Okay, let's talk about the rest later. I'm going to invite Yang Tao to dinner tonight, and I have to cook two more dishes."

Ji Qingyue said, "Oh," and looked at him with eyes of great admiration: "It turns out that your cooking skills are so good, you can really be both a housewife and a cook."

Yuan Ming smiled and said, "I learned it from my mother." As he said that, he cut another piece of meat and put it in the bowl, and said to Ji Qingyue, "Give it to my mother, let her taste it too."

"Okay!" Ji Qingyue looked at the kitchen knife in his hand eagerly.

Yuan Ming laughed, cut another small piece, and fed it to Ji Qingyue's mouth: "A reward for you."