11 Chapter 11
◎Cooking◎
After dinner, Huiyin got up and went to the inner room with Li Cheng. She looked at him and said, "How do you entertain yourself when you have nothing to do? You can't just sit there and do nothing."
She seems to be a very straightforward person.
Li Cheng smiled and said, "When I have nothing to do, I play the zither and read books. I am currently reading Lun Heng."
"Is it Wang Zhongren's Lun Heng?" Huiyin asked.
Li Cheng nodded: "Yes, are you involved in hunting as well?"
Huiyin shook her head: "I prefer to read legendary stories, but I am also very afraid of ghosts, so I am very conflicted. I feel dizzy when I read books that are too profound."
"Legendary story? Is it the kind of strange stories?" Li Cheng asked casually.
Huiyin didn't expect that someone else knew this, and nodded quickly: "That's right, but sometimes I also like to read some storybooks, and most of the time I just do needlework at home."
Huiyin was only a few years younger than him, so they were the same age. She spoke in a light-hearted way, which would not burden you. She also did things with assurance, just like now when she said, "I also have a gift for you, but it's not convenient to take it out."
"Oh, I have a gift too, what is it?" Li Cheng guessed it was probably jewelry or something like that.
Huiyin said a little embarrassedly: "Actually, I am just offering flowers to the Buddha. Originally, my father knew that I was marrying far away, so he specially gave me a Dayuan horse, but I am not good at riding and shooting. I see that you, little prince, are as beautiful as a dragon and a phoenix, brave and good at fighting, resourceful and resourceful, and both civil and military. As the saying goes, a precious horse is given to a hero. I wonder if you like it?"
"Dayuan colt? I have to go and see it." Li Cheng stood up suddenly and wanted to go and see it immediately.
Huiyin laughed and said, "You are really impatient. It's getting late now. It will be dark even if you want to see it."
In fact, this horse was originally intended to be given to Li Cheng as a dowry. If it was given to him directly, it would be like a tribute, but if it was given to him in her own name, he would cherish it more.
Li Cheng laughed and sat down, his eyes sparkling.
Huiyin was reading a book on the side. After a while, she took out her needle and thread to make a sachet with a lilac-colored base. Her hands were sewing quickly and she looked very familiar with it.
When it was getting late, she got up and asked people to prepare a bath and rest. Li Cheng thought she was a good person this way, not too lively and noisy, leaving people no room to breathe, nor too rigid and dull, making people feel bored.
However, he said, "In a few days, I will go to the main camp to train the troops. I am afraid you will be left alone here. If you are willing, I will have someone send you back to Jianye. First, you can serve my grandmother, and second, Jianye is more lively. It is too quiet and boring here."
How can he bring his family with him when he is on the march? Although this is his residence, he is probably also doing training here. If he is not getting married, he would probably be organizing the army.
Huiyin thought that she had made a good decision to consummate her marriage with him. He was often not at home, so even if she wanted to have a child, it would be difficult to do so. Moreover, Li Cheng died almost at the same time as Li Heng in his previous life, and he was also a short-lived person.
But it was unlikely for her to go back to Jianye. Not to mention that she was unfamiliar with Jianye, she was the wife of Li Cheng. Li Cheng was not at home all year round and she was the eldest daughter. If she went back, she would have an extra grandmother-in-law to take care of her, which would be very sad.
Therefore, Huiyin shook her head: "No, although I also want to serve my grandmother, but..."
"What?" Li Cheng was puzzled.
Huiyin had a timid expression on her face: "I only know you, and we are husband and wife, so it's fine, but I'm afraid of other people. Since I came here, you're the only one who speaks Mandarin to me."
So that's the case. Li Cheng hadn't thought of this problem yet. He was a little embarrassed: "But you've been here all the time, and I'm rarely at home, right?"
"Even if you are rarely at home, you are always here. Otherwise, when you return to Jianye, I will go with you. Otherwise, I won't dare to go alone." Huiyin pulled his sleeve, still a little scared.
Li Cheng thought that she was only seventeen years old this year, and she had come all the way from Jizhou to get married. She was all alone, and only he and she spoke Mandarin. She probably didn't even have anyone to talk to on weekdays. He felt a little bit reluctant.
"Okay." He put his hands on Huiyin's shoulders and agreed.
Huiyin said happily: "Then let's rest early."
Tonight, the two of them just slept and did not call for water. Mother Chao listened to the movement and then put her hands together and said: "Amitābha, Amitābha."
Yun Hui turned on the wick of the lamp, and the candlelight in the room became much brighter: "Mom, you should be relieved now. Just go to bed and don't think too much."
Seeing her daughter being meticulous even in her pajamas, and sewing shoe soles, Chao's mother said, "Why are you making shoes so late at night? They belong to the little prince."
"The young prince's feet sweat easily and he doesn't like to wear outdoor shoes. The needleworkers don't have time to do the work, so shouldn't his daughter do it? I'm a widow, and the young prince took me in and made me the head aunt because of our past friendship. I don't have anything I can give in return," Yun Hui said with a smile.
Mother Chao felt sorry for her daughter: "If it weren't for Miss Xun who was always finding fault with you, if she had been more generous, you would have become the young prince's woman a long time ago, and there would be no need for you to marry out."
Yun Hui stopped sewing and said, "Mother, why are you talking about this? Princess Zheng has come home now. If someone hears this, how will I live as a daughter?"
"Okay, I won't say anything more." Mother Chao quickly shut up.
Early the next morning, Huiyin went to the kitchen wearing half-worn clothes. The people in the kitchen were shocked. When they heard that she was going to cook by herself, they were afraid to let her do it.
Huiyin smiled and said, "Nothing, the young prince asked me to cook for him personally, so I have to show my appreciation."
She was going to make ramen noodles, the kind that gets thinner as it gets thinner. She first mixed the noodles and set them aside to rest. She also had the ribs cut. She wasn't going to stew them, so she first stir-fried them in a pot, added a little soybean paste, green onions, ginger, and garlic, and then used honey, chili sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and white sesame seeds with half a bowl of water to make the sauce.
While the spareribs were cooking, she methodically began to pull the noodles that had been proofed. It was the first time for the people in the kitchen to see someone pull noodles. The noodles were like magic in her hands, and she pulled a large ball of noodles into long thin strips.
When the spareribs were almost cooked, she put in the rice cakes and fetched the beef bone soup from the kitchen, put the noodles in and cooked them for a while, then topped them with soft-boiled eggs, seasonal vegetables and silver fish balls.
It was almost last night, and it looked delicious.
But Nan's mother was worried: "Princess, I wonder if the little prince likes it?"
"Don't worry, with the ingredients I have, it would be delicious even if you put it on the sole of a shoe, not to mention that there are so many delicious things in it. The little prince and I are both young people. If he doesn't like it, I will eat it all myself." Huiyin wrinkled her nose.
Mother Nan laughed. The second daughter is like that. If you dislike her things, she won’t think her things are bad. She will just think you don’t know what’s good for you. If it’s the eldest daughter, she will probably be suspicious and always worried.