Chapter 45045 Sleeping like mud
Chapter 45
Qi Jingyan held An Ning's face and let her sleep on her side for a while, until she fell into a deep sleep. Then he picked her up with both hands, slowly turned her over, and held her in his arms.
Throughout the whole process, his movements were gentle and slow, for fear of waking her up.
But the girl was sleeping soundly and didn't react at all. Qi Jingyan couldn't help but laugh.
He held her in the air with his hands, looked at her quietly for a while, then turned sideways, wanting to put her on the bed.
But he found that the space between Yi'er and him was not enough to accommodate Aning.
He held An Ning in his arms and wanted to move a little closer to put her on the other side of Yi'er, but he found that even without supporting himself on the bed with his hands, his legs had no strength at all and he couldn't move at all.
He tried to stretch out his arms, but his body tilted and Aning almost slipped from his hands and fell on Yier. He quickly straightened his body and finally held her firmly.
He sighed softly and was silent for a while. He put An Ning on his lap and held her with one hand. He freed up one hand and pushed Yi'er away until there was enough space. Then he held An Ning and gently put her down.
He looked at the two people, a big one and a small one, sleeping soundly side by side. His brows slowly relaxed, and he also supported himself on the bed and slowly lay down.
The next morning, Qi Jingyan was still the first to wake up.
After he woke up, he turned his head and saw that An Ning had turned over at some point and was sleeping facing him.
As usual, her palm-sized face was mostly covered with hair. He couldn't help laughing and reached out to help her slowly smooth her hair behind her ears.
Then, he just tilted his head and looked at her quietly.
He didn't know how long he had been looking at it. When his neck felt a little sore, a ray of morning light shone in through the window, and the room became brighter. Footsteps could be heard outside.
It's time to get up.
He reached out and pushed Yier, and Yier turned over and continued to sleep with her back to him.
Qi Jingyan reached out and pushed him again, but seeing that he was still not awake, he slapped his chubby little butt twice.
This time Yi'er was woken up by him. With her fluffy hair, she sat up on her knees, her big eyes full of confusion.
Qi Jingyan reached out and rubbed his furry little head, saying softly, "It's up."
"Okay." Yi'er responded in a baby voice, clenched his little hands into fists, rubbed his eyes, and opened them again. His eyes were much clearer.
Only then did he realize something was wrong. He pointed at An Ning and tilted his head: "Brother, why is An Ning sleeping here?"
Although An Ning's sleeping place was different from usual, he was sleeping next to An Ning, so he was not angry, but just curious.
Qi Jingyan had already sat up. He reached out and took Yi'er in his arms. He patted his little butt again and said softly, "Be quiet. Don't disturb An Ning."
Yi'er then asked in a petty voice, "Why is An Ning sleeping here?"
Qi Jingyan reached out and took Yi'er's clothes from the bedside table and put them on him: "I don't know either."
Yi'er blinked her big, innocent eyes and said, "Then wait until An Ning wakes up, and Yi'er will ask An Ning."
Qi Jingyan: “…”
Afraid that Yi'er, the little leaker, would start yelling again, Qi Jingyan remained silent for a moment, and finally chose to tell the truth: "A Ning was wiping my brother's hair. While wiping, she felt sleepy and lay down here."
"My brother's legs are not very convenient, so..., everyone just sleeps like this."
Based on what his brother said, Yier imagined that his brother saw An Ning sleeping here and wanted to move to the edge of the bed to sleep, but he dragged his legs and struggled to crawl over for a long time but still couldn't get there.
The little boy felt distressed, so he stretched out his hands to hug his brother's neck, patted his back, and comforted him: "Brother, Yi'er will grow up quickly. When Yi'er grows up, Yi'er will be able to help you."
Qi Jingyan lowered his head, rested his chin on Yi'er's small shoulder, and curved his lips slightly: "Okay, brother will wait for you to grow up."
After saying that, he added, "Then don't tell An Ning about what happened last night, okay?"
Yier nodded his head seriously: "Okay, Yier won't tell."
His brother was so miserable and pitiful, of course he wouldn't tell anyone, not even Aning.
The two brothers reached an agreement and hugged each other for a while. Then Yier got up from the ground and went out to call Mu Yun in.
After the two brothers finished washing up, they closed the door and went out to the deck.
When Meng Yuning woke up, it was already more than half an hour later.
She sat up sleepily, combed her hair with her hands, and moved to the edge of the bed when she felt a little more awake.
Halfway through, she suddenly remembered that she seemed to have wiped Qi Jingyan's hair last night, but how come she fell asleep later? Did she finish wiping him?
Unable to remember, she got up and went to the bathroom. After tidying up, she went out and found Qi Jingyan and asked him the question directly.
Qi Jingyan looked normal: "You felt sleepy while wiping, so you just lay down and fell asleep."
"Is that so?" Meng Yuning thought for a long time, but still had no impression, but still felt guilty.
Qi Jingyan was so patient when he was brushing her hair, but she was brushing his hair and fell asleep halfway through. Apart from anything else, just from the point of view of reciprocity, it was a bit inappropriate.
She smiled at him guiltily, walked around behind him, and pushed his wheelchair forward: "The weather is good today, Your Highness, let me push you for a walk."
Qi Jingyan nodded and agreed.
Yi'er was riding a small wooden horse on the side, and when he saw the two people walking away, he quickly got off the horse and chased after them: "An Ning, Yi'er will help you push it."
Meng Yuning turned around with a smile: "Yi'er, come quickly."
---
Cai Yuezhao came out of the room and saw An Ning in front of him. He smiled and was about to go over to greet her, but Yu Xiao, who had jumped down from the third floor, grabbed him and said, "Don't go."
Cai Yuezhao moved his hand away and glared at him angrily: "What do you want to do?"
Yu Xiao: "It's not what I want to do, it's what you want to do?"
Cai Yuezhao: "I want to talk to Sister An Ning."
Yu Xiao pointed at the three people standing in front of the guardrail looking at the scenery, with an expression of disapproval: "That family of three is staying there peacefully, and you, an outsider, are disturbing them. Think about whether this is appropriate."
Cai Yuezhao looked over again and saw that Qi Jingyan had said something, but sister Aning was laughing so hard that her body was shaking, and the little prince was clapping his hands and spinning in circles. The three of them were having a great time, and it was warm and beautiful.
She smiled and nodded: "You are right, it is indeed not appropriate for me to go there now."
She looked at Yu Xiao: "Brother Xiao, let's find a place to enjoy the scenery."
Seeing her suddenly become gentle, with a hint of trepidation in her voice, Yu Xiao couldn't help but take a step back: "What are you planning now?"
"Wild boars can't eat fine bran. I have to beat you." Cai Yuezhao rolled his eyes, pinched the flesh on his arm, and carried him directly to the third-floor terrace.
When they reached the third floor, they sat on the edge of the terrace, with their legs stretched out from the gaps in the railings, dangling in the air.
The clouds parted and the sun came out, and the peaks were dyed with rosy clouds.
Cai Yuezhao's mood brightened. She looked at the mountains ahead, the picturesque scenery, and whispered, "Brother Xiao, it would be great if we could stay here forever."
Yu Xiao heard the deep emotion in her voice and turned his head to look at her.
In the morning sun, the girl who often beat and kicked him when they disagreed with each other was now sitting quietly, as gentle as a painting.
He thought of the little Ah Zhao many years ago, licking his lips and handing him the bowl of porridge after taking only a few sips: "Brother Ah Xiao, Zhao'er is full."
There was also that time when his old man was beating him with a bamboo stick, and his mother watched cruelly from the side. Later, Ah Zhao, who was just a little taller than the dining table, rushed over and protected him. She took all the responsibility and saved him from being torn to pieces that day.
Thinking of those past events, his heart couldn't help but soften, and he reached out and rubbed her head: "You like it here, I will bring you here again in the future, as many times as you want."
Looking at that angular, tough and handsome face, Cai Yuezhao felt an urge to speak out what was in his heart.
But when the words came to her lips, she hesitated and finally swallowed them back.
She just smiled, turned her head and continued to look into the distance: "But Brother Xiao, if you marry someone else in the future, how can you take me out to play?"
Yu Xiao: "What's wrong with getting married? You are my sister. I can take you out whenever I want."
Cai Yuezhao shook his head and smiled: "What if your wife doesn't allow it?"
This question stunned Yu Xiao.
His old man is in a high position and has great power, and His Majesty is suspicious by nature. He has long known that he has no say in his marriage. Not only he, but even his parents have no say in it. It is very likely that His Majesty has arranged the marriage.
Because of their childhood friendship, he and A Zhao have been in contact for many years.
It was precisely for this reason that his old man and General Cai, in order to avoid the emperor's suspicion, would pretend to be polite every year and submit several memorials to impeach each other, scolding the other party as worthless and slamming them to the ground.
His Majesty always gave gentle advice in his replies, saying that they were officials in the same court and hoped to get along well with their colleagues. In fact, His Majesty was actually hoping that the two would confront each other head-on.
The two old men acted this way just to prevent their two younger generations from being forced to break up.
But what if the person that His Majesty arranges for him to marry is arrogant, unreasonable, and does not allow him to have much contact with A Zhao?
No, no, no, he would never do such a treacherous thing.
Thinking this in his heart, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will explain our past to her. I think she will understand."
Cai Yuezhao: "What if she still disagrees?"
Yu Xiao: "Then I won't show her any mercy. Anyway, don't worry, I mean what I say."
Cai Yuezhao: "Brother Xiao, I believe you."
After saying that, he sighed softly in his heart.
She believed him, but the world was too complicated.
If one day he gets married to someone else, she will no longer have much contact with him.
Seeing that she believed him, Yu Xiao smiled and patted her head gently: "Just go out and have fun, and we can talk about other things later."
Cai Yuezhao smiled this time: "Okay."
After they finished talking, they prepared to quietly watch the scenery for a while.
But at this moment, Meng Yuning pushed Qi Jingyan around and found Cai Yuezhao on the third floor.
She smiled immediately, put Qi Jingyan's wheelchair aside, and walked towards this side with Yi'er in her hand: "Sister Zhao, you're awake. I thought you were still asleep. Wait for me to come up and talk to you."
Cai Yuezhao also smiled. Seeing that it was inconvenient for An Ning to carry Yi'er up and down, he said, "Wait a minute, I'll come down."
After saying that, he stood up, jumped over the railing easily and neatly, and landed directly on the second-floor deck, his clothes fluttering and his posture graceful.
Meng Yuning was so impressed by her handsomeness that her eyes sparkled. As soon as she landed, she went up to her and grabbed her hand: "Sister Zhao, you are so amazing."
Cai Yuezhao felt a little embarrassed by her sweet compliments, so he held her hand and smiled.
Seeing the two of them holding hands and talking above his head again, Yier squeezed in between them and hugged Aning's legs.
Meng Yuning knew that the little guy was jealous again, so she reached out and picked him up, "Sister Zhao, Mu Shan made thousand-layer cakes and lean meat and vegetable porridge. Let's go have breakfast."
Cai Yuezhao naturally agreed and followed him to the kitchen, asking as he walked, "Sister Aning, what are we having for lunch today?"
I haven't even had breakfast yet, but I'm already thinking about lunch. Meng Yuning couldn't help but laugh: "We have to go see what other dishes are there..."
The three of them talked and laughed as they ran to the kitchen.
Qi Jingyan sat there alone, holding the armrest of the wheelchair, watching the backs of several people leaving, silently.
Yu Xiao jumped down from the third floor, walked over with his arms folded, and said mockingly, "Hey, Yun Zhou, looking at you now, I thought of a word."
Qi Jingyan knew that he couldn't produce ivory from his dog's mouth, so he turned his wheelchair and went in the other direction without even looking at him.
Yu Xiao shamelessly chased after him: "Yun Zhou, you looked like a lonely old man just now, you know that?"
After saying that, he was so amused that he put his hands on his hips and laughed out loud: "Hahaha..."
Qi Jingyan turned back, his eyes cold: "Yu Lingchuan, shut up."
---
Thanks to the three thousand elite cavalry brought by Young Marquis Yu who accompanied them along the coast, all obstacles along the way were cleared.
From then on, everyone's journey on the water was smooth sailing without any setbacks.
However, because Meng Yuning had been assassinated in the market before, the ship never docked at the shore again. All supplies were handled by Yu Yan, a subordinate of Yu Xiao, who contacted his partners on the shore.
Every two or three days, a small boat loaded with supplies would be waiting in the waterway ahead.
The days on the ship were peaceful and quiet. Meng Yuning slept until she woke up naturally every day, ate a few bites of breakfast made by the guards, and then took Yi'er to play with Cai Yuezhao.
Meng Yuning met a righteous older sister, and Cai Yuezhao met a caring younger sister. They felt like they had met each other too late. Except for going back to their own rooms at night, they were inseparable at other times.
But ever since Yi'er asked her who she liked the most, Meng Yuning never left Yi'er behind again. Whether she was enjoying the scenery with Cai Yuezhao or chatting privately, she always took Yi'er with her.
The little kid was very well-behaved. When the two of them were talking in private, he would just sit quietly next to An Ning, never making any trouble. He never told anyone what he heard, not even to his brother.
When the two of them were talking about something happy and laughing so hard that they fell over, he also held his stomach and laughed so hard that he fell over. Seeing him like this, the two of them laughed even harder.
Two adults and one child, they are happy and leisurely every day.
Compared to them, Qi Jingyan's life was much quieter and duller. When he had nothing to do, he would often sit in a wheelchair and stare at them in a daze.
Seeing him like this, Yu Xiao would definitely come over, sneer, and then sarcastically say, "Pervert."
Qi Jingyan did not refute, but just looked at him meaningfully, shook his head, and clicked his tongue.
Whenever this happened, Yu Xiao would get angry and ask, "Why are you tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-ing? Can't you just say what you want to say?"
After asking, he would raise his foot to kick Qi Jingyan's wheelchair, but every time he raised his foot with a loud noise, he would retract it with a frustrated look, saying "wait until your leg is better", and then stop.
Meng Yuning and Cai Yuezhao had enough fun and laughter, and seeing that it was almost time, they went to the kitchen to cook.
The guards learned more and more dishes, and Meng Yuning was needed less and less to cook, but she was still keen to make at least one new dish every day for everyone to try.
Recently, no matter what new dishes Meng Yuning made, Cai Yuezhao would say with surprise after tasting them: "A Ning, I've made up my mind. I want to learn how to cook this dish."
So many days passed, and her mind changed every day, but she never took action.
Yu Xiao mocked her: "A Zhao, you don't want to learn how to cook. I see you hanging out in the kitchen every day. You're just greedy and want to taste the food first."
Cai Yuezhao raised her foot and kicked him: "It's none of your business whether I want to study or not."
Looking at the two people running out fighting and playing, Meng Yuning couldn't stop laughing.
Sister Zhao said she wanted to learn how to cook, but from beginning to end, she had never even touched a kitchen knife.
It seems that she is not that interested in learning to cook, at least not as interested as Young Marquis Yu.
Fu Dong, who was watching the fun from the side, saw what Meng Yuning was thinking and said softly with a smile, "Miss Meng, let me be honest with you. If you want us girls to learn how to cook a dish, even if the sun has to rise in the west, it will take a long time."
Meng Yuning smiled: "I saw it a long time ago."
Fu Dong: "Miss Meng, how about I learn two dishes from you? If our daughter is craving your dishes, I will try to cook them so that she can satisfy her craving."
Meng Yuning welcomed anyone who loved cooking and nodded with a smile, "Okay, then for the rest of the days, you can just watch me while I cook. If you don't understand, just ask me."
Fu Dong thanked him happily. After that, for several days, when Meng Yuning cooked, she followed beside her and helped, and she actually learned several dishes.
Later, when the kitchen was free, she tried making a small portion of each and gave them to Meng Yuning and Cai Yuezhao to taste. After eating, the two nodded repeatedly and said they were very good.
--
Happy days pass slowly.
But if we are slower, the boat will reach Lin'an in one day.
Everyone knew tacitly that once they got off the boat, the relaxing and comfortable days on the ship would be gone forever.
After lunch, everyone went to rest. When the sun set and the weather became slightly cooler, Mu Feng, Su Yang, Yuan Qing and other younger ones ran to the deck to compete in fishing.
When they were in the mood for fishing, I don't know who started it first, but several young men jumped into the river one after another, saying they were going to catch fish.
They said they were fishing, but the fish in the river were so agile that they wouldn't be caught so easily. They were just using this as an excuse to have some fun in the water.
Seeing them playing and swimming around in the water like fish, Yier looked at them with envy and said, "Yier wants to go too."
As he spoke, he lifted up his short legs and tried to step over the railing.
Meng Yuning smiled and hugged the little baby, explaining in a gentle voice: "Yier can't go now. You can go after Yier learns to swim."
Yier then asked, "When can Yier learn to swim?"
Meng Yuning thought that they would be going ashore tomorrow and would have to take a carriage, so she said, "Once we get to Lingnan, Yi'er can learn to swim."
Yi'er nodded and said yes, then asked, "Can Aning swim?"
Meng Yuning thought about it and decided that she shouldn't be able to do it, so she said, "A Ning doesn't know how to do it either."
Yi'er clapped her hands and said, "Then An Ning and Yi'er will learn together."
Meng Yuning smiled and said yes.
Watching the young men playing and frolicking in the water, Yu Xiao, who was sitting on the third-floor terrace enjoying the breeze, was filled with emotion: "Yunzhou, I remember you and I were like this back then. I didn't expect that so many years have passed in the blink of an eye."
Qi Jingyan also sighed: "Yes, we are old."
Yu Xiao patted his handsome face and said, "Nonsense! You and I are only in our early twenties. We still have decades to live. When your legs are healed, we can go swimming in the sea and ride on the waves. Wouldn't that be fun?"
Qi Jingyan was silent for a moment, and under Yu Xiao's enthusiastic gaze, he finally nodded: "Okay."
Yu Xiao sighed softly: "After we get ashore tomorrow, you and I won't be able to sit together and chat so unscrupulously."
On this ship, everyone is one family, and they can do whatever they want.
But when they get ashore tomorrow, although the 3,000 soldiers are all his subordinates, there are too many people and too many eyes, so he can only guarantee that his few hundred personal soldiers will have no ulterior motives.
As for the other people, no one knows who will be whose spy, so it is better to be cautious in everything.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, especially in the eyes of His Majesty, there is still a grudge between him and Yun Zhou.
Qi Jingyan nodded: "I know."
---
Meng Yuning asked Qi Jingyan and learned that the boat would arrive in Lin'an early tomorrow morning.
Tonight's dinner will be everyone's last meal on the boat, so Meng Yuning wants to make a good meal to bring a perfect end to this thrilling, yet warm and beautiful unforgettable journey.
She looked at the remaining ingredients and the two large buckets of fresh river fish, and finally decided on today's menu.
She is the chef for the spicy boiled fish and braised pork.
She had made stir-fried beef with edamame, spicy and sour potato shreds, and stir-fried lotus root. Mu Shan and the others had already learned how to make them, so they were the ones to make them.
After deciding on the dishes, everyone started to prepare the ingredients. Ding ding ding, dang dang, the kitchen suddenly became lively.
Meng Yuning first started to make the time-consuming braised pork.
After the dry pot is boiled, put the pork belly cut into several large pieces with alternating fat and lean meat into the pot one by one, burn the skin, then scrape the skin with a knife, then put the whole piece into the pot with cold water, add onion, ginger, garlic and cooking wine, blanch it and remove it.
Rinse it with warm water, cut the meat into evenly sized square pieces, then heat oil in a pan, place the pork belly in one by one, and fry over low heat.
Fry until golden brown on all sides. After all the meat pieces are fried, take them out and put them in a large bowl. Pour out the excess oil in the pot, put two tablespoons of white sugar into the pot, and stir-fry the sugar color over low heat.
When Yi'er saw Aning putting sugar into the pot, she clapped her hands and said, "Yi'er likes to eat sweet meat."
Meng Yuning knew that the little guy still remembered the sweet and sour pork ribs from last time, so she smiled and said, "Last time it was sweet and sour pork ribs, this time it's braised pork."
Yier then said, "Red-braised pork, Yier likes to eat sweet red-braised pork."
Meng Yuning smiled and agreed, slowly stirring the melting sugar in the pot with a spoon until all the sugar turned into a reddish-brown color and kept bubbling. Then she poured the previously fried meat pieces into the pot, stir-frying them quickly to coat the meat pieces with sugar color.
Pour in two spoonfuls of rice wine to remove the fishy smell, add appropriate amount of soy sauce and half a spoonful of vinegar, stir-fry for a while, then add bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, scallion segments and ginger slices, add boiling water, the water should cover the meat, or a little more.
She instructed the guard who was stoking the fire: "After the high fire boils, simmer it on low heat for half an hour."
The guard agreed, and Meng Yuning took advantage of this opportunity to make spicy boiled fish.
The guards killed the fish, scraped off the scales, and cleaned the internal organs.
She picked six large grass carps and asked two guards with good knife skills to cut the fish into thin slices. Then she chopped the fish bones with some meat still on them into pieces and set them aside.
Meng Yuning added salt and pepper to the large bowl of fish fillets, as well as the onion and ginger water prepared in advance to remove the fishy smell, added ten egg whites and an appropriate amount of starch, stirred evenly, then added a little oil to lock in the moisture, and set it aside to marinate for a quarter of an hour.
While busy, Meng Yuning praised the guards who had just cut the fish fillets: "This fish fillet is cut very well, it's almost as thin as a cicada's wing."
The guards were delighted by the praise.
When the fish was almost marinated, Meng Yuning asked the guard to light up another pot that was temporarily unused. When the pot was dry, she added oil to it.
When the oil is heated, add onion, ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add bean paste, cooking wine, soy sauce, pepper and other seasonings and stir-fry until fragrant. Add half a pot of water, pour the chopped fish bones into the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Wait for the soup in the pot to boil and cook for a while, then pour the previously prepared bok choy, bean sprouts, and shredded tofu skin into the pot. After cooking, remove all of them and put them into a large bowl.
Then put the marinated fish fillets evenly into the pot. After all of them are in, push them a few times with a spoon to ensure that they are all cooked. Use a large iron spoon to scoop out all the fish fillets and soup and pour them into the bowl that previously contained the side dishes.
Then sprinkle white sesame seeds, minced garlic, chopped green onions, a handful of Sichuan peppercorns, and dried chili powder on the dish, and finally pour hot oil on it to bring out the aroma.
In this way, a large pot of spicy and fragrant boiled fish fillets is ready.
Everyone smelled the fragrant aroma and started drooling.
As usual, Meng Yuning took out two small bowls and filled two portions, one for Cai Yuezhao and the other after carefully picking out the fish bones and handed it to Yier.
After eating, Cai Yuezhao kept saying it was delicious.
Yi'er kept hissing and eating, and after he finished, he pointed at his tongue and showed it to Meng Yuning: "A Ning, there are some spots on Yi'er's tongue."
Meng Yuning laughed, thought for a moment, and made a children's version of boiled fish fillets for Yier. All the steps were the same, but only a little bit of spiciness and a tiny bit of numbness were added. This time, after Yier tasted it, he didn't complain anymore.
Fu Dong stood aside and watched. Cai Yuezhao asked her, "Have you learned it?"
Fu Dong spread his hands and said, "Miss, I can see with my eyes, but I don't know if my hands can do it."
Everyone laughed.
The spicy boiled fish was ready. Meng Yuning returned the pot to Mu Shan and the others. She took Yi'er and Cai Yuezhao out to get some fresh air.
The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and it's even hotter with several pots burning in the kitchen.
Cai Yuezhao wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking worried. "It's already so hot before we even get to Lin'an. How hot will it be when we get to Lingnan? How are you going to survive there?"
Meng Yuning smiled and said, "It's okay. Since the people in Lingnan can survive, then we can survive too."
Cai Yuezhao looked at the bright smile on An Ning's face and sighed softly: "An Ning, no matter what happens to you, it seems like it's not a problem. I've never seen you worry."
Meng Yuning held her hand and said, "It's a day of sorrow, and it's a day of laughter, so why not live this day happily?"
Cai Yuezhao looked at her, suddenly reached out and hugged her, saying with regret that they had met too late: "A Ning, I should have known you earlier."
Meng Yuning laughed: "It's not too late now."
Cai Yuezhao also smiled: "Yes, it's not too late now."
After they had been outside enjoying the breeze for a while and their sweat had almost dried off, the guard who was stoking the fire came and called out to them, "Miss Meng, it's already half an hour."
Meng Yuning replied "OK" and returned to the kitchen, dragging another child with each hand.
She opened the lid of the pot, picked out all the spices in the pot, added an appropriate amount of salt to adjust the saltiness, and then asked the guards to turn on the high fire to collect the soup.
She stood by with a big spoon in her hand. When the soup was almost gone, she asked the guard to turn the heat to low and slowly thicken the soup. In this way, a big pot of shiny and rosy braised pork was ready.
Yi'er was already holding the bowl, swallowing his saliva and coming over: "Yier wants to taste the sweet meat."
Cai Yuezhao also followed with a bowl in hand: "I want to try it too."
Meng Yuning smiled and agreed, using a spoon to scoop two large pieces for each of them. After the two took a bite, they were no longer able to speak, but just kept chewing.
Seeing that Mu Shan and the others had prepared their dishes, Meng Yuning asked the two, one adult and one child, to go aside and savor the food slowly while she invited everyone to start eating.
The guards cheered as they carried the dishes and food out and soon sat down at their respective tables.
After Cai Yuezhao and Yier sat down, they still held their bowls and slowly nibbled on the last piece of braised pork.
Meng Yuning first picked up a piece for Qi Jingyan and put it in the bowl: "Your Highness, please try this braised pork. This is one of my best dishes."
Qi Jingyan picked up the trembling, crystal clear piece of braised pork, put it in his mouth and took a bite, his eyes suddenly lit up.
This meat is fat but not greasy, lean but not dry, soft, juicy, and full of the aroma of sauce. It is an absolute delicacy.
Yu Xiao observed Qi Jingyan's expression, and seeing that he looked intoxicated for a rare time, he quickly reached out his chopsticks and picked up a big piece.
He didn't even bite it, but put the whole piece into his mouth. Then he nodded and shook his head until he swallowed the meat. Then he said, "Miss Meng, before I return to Beijing, you must cook this meat for me two more times. No, no, you must cook it for me at least five more times."
Meng Yuning smiled and said yes.
Yier tugged at Aning's sleeve, secretly pointed at the spicy boiled fish, and glanced at Qi Jingyan again.
Meng Yuning understood and picked up a few slices of spicy boiled fish for Qi Jingyan, and even put two Sichuan peppercorns in them: "Your Highness, try this."
Qi Jingyan did as he was told, and after finishing the meal, he nodded repeatedly: "This dish is very appetizing." After saying that, he picked up the teacup beside him and gulped down two big gulps.
This must be numb, Meng Yuning couldn't help laughing out loud.
Yi'er blinked his big eyes, waiting for his brother to finish eating. Seeing his brother drinking water, he chuckled and said, "Brother, are you feeling pockmarked?"
Seeing the little kid with a wicked smile on his face, Qi Jingyan reached over An Ning and pinched his little cheek, but his eyes turned to An Ning and asked with a smile: "Are you doing this on purpose?"
Meng Yuning covered her mouth and laughed.
Yi'er laughed even harder, and everyone at the table laughed too.
The last meal on the boat was eaten in laughter and joy.
After the guards cleared the tables, Meng Yuning followed Qi Jingyan, Yi'er, Cai Yuezhao, and Yu Xiao, and they sat on the third-floor terrace, enjoying the night breeze.
But no one mentioned what would happen tomorrow. They just talked about some fun and interesting things until midnight.
Later, Yi'er was almost asleep in Meng Yuning's arms, and everyone dispersed and went back to their rooms.
Thinking that it was the last night of the trip on the river, Meng Yuning was originally feeling a little emotional and wanted to talk to Qi Jingyan, but unexpectedly she came back too late. After taking a shower, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next morning.
It was already bright outside and the ship had already docked at Lin'an Pier.
Qi Jingyan and Yi'er had already washed and dressed. One of them was sitting in a wheelchair beside the bed, while the other was lying on the bed with his hands on his chin, looking at her quietly.
Meng Yuning sat up immediately: "Your Highness, why didn't you call me?"
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