Around noon, Chen Sihai suggested that everyone make dumplings together. Today is the Winter Solstice, a double celebration, and we must have something to do.
Xu Zhuohua had long been aware that winters in Dongzhou were very cold.
But the scene of several steaming pots set up in the courtyard, with everyone gathered around a few long tables, was truly heartwarming.
The villages around Tiger Wolf Mountain mostly rely on the East-South Route for their livelihood. Today is a holiday, and most people have gone home for the New Year. Some families live nearby, and as soon as they heard that we were going to make dumplings, they came with rolling pins.
Nearly a hundred people, dozens of iron pots, a warm and peaceful scene.
Several people sat around a table. Xu Jixin kneaded dough in a very professional manner, with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms and an apron around his body.
Liang Shaozun had been doing these kinds of work since he was a child, and had even worked as an apprentice in a restaurant for a few years. He voluntarily took on the task of rolling out the dough.
The remaining group—Cheng Muyun, Xu Zhuohua, Chen Hede, Xinghua, and Zhang Qi—all pitched in to make dumplings, and Liang Shaozun was even able to keep up with the demand.
It wasn't that Liang Shaozun's dough-rolling skills were superb, but rather that the others were simply wrapping the dough too slowly.
They were all sorts of oddly shaped and lying together in a chaotic mess; some of them even had their fillings clearly visible.
Chen Sihai wandered aimlessly to this table, glanced at it, and shouted in his loud voice, "Hey, gentlemen, please cook these in a separate pot, don't mix them with ours."
Curious onlookers glanced over, then scoffed and walked away. Some clicked their tongues in disbelief, saying, "Oh dear, I wonder if eating these dumplings will prevent my ears from freezing?"
Xu Zhuohua couldn't help but laugh. She nudged Cheng Muyun with her shoulder. He was struggling with a dumpling, unable to seal the opening. The filling had seeped into the dough, making it impossible to close the dumpling.
"Cheng Muyun, has Miss Luo left?"
Cheng Muyun didn't have time to ponder why Xu Zhuohua was asking about Luo Yunqiao's situation; he focused on finishing the dumplings in his hand. "I don't know."
Xu Jixin overheard her words and leaned close to her ear.
"Actually, Miss Luo didn't come with Young Marshal Cheng. The Luo family has a cargo transportation business. Because of your marriage to Young Marshal Cheng, she's been traveling with the Luo family's cargo recently, ostensibly to relax. This encounter at Tiger Wolf Mountain was an accident. If Miyata hadn't blocked the route, the Luo family's cargo would have been transported away long ago."
I see.
Xu Zhuohua recalled Luo Yunqiao's aggrieved expression that morning.
It turns out I had misunderstood Luo Yunqiao.
Xu Jixin continued, "Miss Luo was worried that the men wouldn't be able to take good care of Young Marshal Cheng, so she did everything herself. Actually, if it weren't for Miss Luo, Young Marshal Cheng's fever wouldn't have subsided so quickly. I can see that she has feelings for Young Marshal Cheng, but alas, she has feelings for him, but he doesn't reciprocate."
Xu Zhuohua frowned as she held the dumpling in her hand. "He is my man."
Xu Jixin patted Xu Zhuohua on the shoulder, "I know, that's why I've been keeping an eye on things for you. There's really nothing wrong with it, your second brother guarantees it with his integrity!"
Xu Zhuohua snorted coldly, "I know."
Xu Jixin patted Xu Zhuohua's head, "No matter what, the Luo family is our major client, the bread and butter of the Xu family. If you're not angry, I'll call Miss Luo out to have some fun with us, but if you're not happy, then forget it."
His words were so well-reasoned and considerate that if Xu Zhuohua didn't agree, she would be considered a jealous and possessive woman.
Xu Zhuohua put down the dumplings she couldn't wrap no matter what she did, wiped her hands on her apron, and said, "No need for you to invite me, I'll go invite them myself."
Xu Jixin smiled and nodded, "Our Zhuohua has really grown up."
Xu Zhuohua walked unsteadily toward Luo Yunqiao's room. She still couldn't understand why she had come to invite Luo Yunqiao in person.
Perhaps in her heart, Luo Yunqiao was never a match for her in matters of the heart. She was a true young lady who had studied abroad and should have progressive and free ideas, rather than a pitiful woman trapped in a secluded mansion.
Perhaps it was because Xu Zhuohua was soft-hearted; she didn't want any woman to end up like Cheng Wenyun.
When Xu Zhuohua pushed open the door, Luo Yunqiao was sitting by the window, peering longingly through the crack in the window at the lively crowd in the courtyard.
The moment Xu Zhuohua stepped inside, the noise was shut out. She felt that Luo Yunqiao's place was unusually quiet.
Luo Yunqiao sat up straight, looking embarrassed, and pretended to have been reading a book. "What are you doing here?"
Xu Zhuohua had a strange thought: Luo Yunqiao was proud and arrogant, and definitely not the kind of person to be someone's concubine.
"Second brother invites you out to join in the fun." Xu Zhuohua couldn't bring herself to apologize.
Luo Yunqiao paused for a moment, then quickly became serious. "I won't go and cause any trouble. I don't know how to do those kinds of work."
It means I want to go.
Xu Zhuohua walked up to Luo Yunqiao, who was so frightened that he closed his book and asked in terror, "What do you want to do?"
Xu Zhuohua said, "None of us know how to make dumplings. They'll fall apart as soon as they're put in. They'll be worse than a pot of paste. It doesn't matter whether you make them well or not."
Luo Yunqiao blinked: "Then what's important?"
Xu Zhuohua took Luo Yunqiao's arm and said, "The important thing is that we're making dumplings together. You're not isolated; you're with me."
For some reason, Luo Yunqiao felt a lump in his throat and his eyes welled up with tears when he heard Xu Zhuohua's words; he almost burst into tears.
She sat by the window for a long time and saw Cheng Muyun in a different light, nestled together with Xu Zhuohua, peacefully making dumplings. She felt jealous.
But the feeling wasn't the jealousy between men and women, but rather being surrounded by friends, all working together and laughing together over something small.
She had never experienced the scene of a group of people working together towards the same goal.
Xu Zhuohua didn't know why Luo Yunqiao suddenly cried. She was at a loss and hurriedly said, "I didn't mean to isolate you. Second brother said that if you don't want to, there's nothing you can do..."
"I do!" Luo Yunqiao said loudly.
Xu Zhuohua was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, grabbed Luo Yunqiao's hand, and smiled, "Let's go then, we can make a few more dumplings and cook them together later."
When Xu Zhuohua walked over with Luo Yunqiao by the hand, everyone at the table had a different expression.
Cheng Muyun smiled slightly, as if he had known all along that Xu Zhuohua would do this.
Liang Shaozun was stunned.
Xu Jixin gave Xu Zhuohua a thumbs up.
A slight smile appeared on Chen Hede's lips.
Xu Zhuohua walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and said, "Excuse me, excuse me, please make room for me."
Xu Jixin was pushed aside and said helplessly, "Zhuohua, I'm your brother, and my foot is still injured. How can you be so heartless?"
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table laughed. Xinghua lost her grip on the dumplings and dropped them on the ground, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Unnoticed by everyone, Zhang Qi whispered a few words in Cheng Muyun's ear, and Cheng Muyun's expression suddenly turned cold.
After Xu Zhuohua sat down, he quickly composed himself.
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