Xue Zhi stayed at Zheng's house until it was almost dark, and finally repaired half of the fence. He just refused to stay for dinner and took Xue Shao home.
Zheng Xiu wanted Xue Shao to take the dishes and rice back, but Xue Zhi didn't let him. He knew that he was not as good at talking as the Zheng family members, and he probably couldn't refuse. So he didn't say anything more, and left quickly after saying goodbye. Zheng Xiu didn't even have time to pack the dishes.
But he came again early the next morning.
Xue Shao came later, and practiced boxing for an hour at home before coming back.
Zheng Xiu turned over the chicken coop and found that the family had two hens, which laid eggs for the family to eat. Including the eggs she had collected two days ago, there were six in total. She was going to mince the fresh pork she had bought in town the day before into minced meat and make a minced meat and egg soup. In winter, there were very few kinds of food. Not only were there no vegetables, but the meat they ate was mostly bacon and sausage. Making an egg soup was considered an additional dish.
However, when Zheng Xiu had just started to chop the meat, Xue Zhi had heard the noise outside. He rolled up his sleeves and went into the stove room and said, "Miss, let me do this rough work."
Zheng Xiu hurriedly said, "It's just a small matter. I'm used to it. Hunters have been working for a long time. Take a break outside and drink some water. We'll have dinner soon."
Xue Zhi insisted on helping and had already reached out to take off the kitchen knife. Zheng Xiu, a girl, couldn't compete with him, so she could only put down the kitchen knife and let him do it.
"Young lady, stand further away, don't let the juice stain your clothes."
Zheng Xiu looked down at her blue cloth apron, then at Xue Zhi's shorts, and took off the apron and said, "Put it on, hunter. The meat juice will make your body smell bad, and it's not easy to clean."
Zheng Xiu thought that a man like Xue Shao would not be willing to wear such feminine things, but Xue Zhi took it and put it on without any concern. He is really a casual person.
The two kitchen knives danced vigorously in Xue Zhi's hands. Zheng Xiu, who was watching from the side, felt that the movements were so fast that they were about to have double vision.
However, although Xue Zhi was strong and had superb knife skills, he was not good at cooking. Zheng Xiu kept reminding them from time to time: "It's time to turn it over, yes, turn it all over."
Minced meat and chicken egg custard, of course, the more minced the meat is, the more flavorful it will be. Zheng Xiu was happy watching from the side, thinking that today's dish should be more delicious.
"Sister, an aunt is here." Zheng Yu, who was playing with Xue Shao in the yard, trotted into the main hall to report.
Zheng Xiu responded, wiped her hands and went out with him to see.
In the yard, Xue Shao was talking to a beautiful woman in a quilted skirt. The woman was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Although she was dressed simply, her hair was tied into a bun, and a calamus-colored silk scarf was wrapped on top of the bun. She was capable and gentle. Moreover, her skin was as white as snow, her features were delicate, and there was a small red mole between her eyebrows, which added to her charm. She came with a slightly older woman, who was also pretty, but in comparison, one could only see the beautiful woman.
Zheng Xiu didn't know either of them, and they looked unfamiliar. At the moment, the two women were quietly asking Xue Shao something.
Zheng Xiu's mind turned, and she had already guessed who the person was.
She walked quickly to the gate of the courtyard. When Xue Shao saw her, he turned around and said, "Sister, these two aunts are here to see my father."
Zheng Ren was a famous scholar in the whole town. The two women naturally knew him. The older woman smiled and said, "Sorry to bother you, Miss Zheng. We are from the Bai Hunter family in the neighboring Lao Liu Village. Yesterday we invited Xue Hunter to our house for a drink, but he refused to come, so we could only send some gifts to thank him. But when we went to Xue Hunter's house, we found that no one was there, so we asked around and came here."
Zheng Xiu then noticed that each of them was carrying a basket covered with a piece of cloth, and for a moment she didn't know what they brought.
"You two, please come in. I'll go ask Xue the hunter to come out."
Bai the hunter waved her hand and said, "Don't bother the young lady. We'll go in and put something down and then we'll be back."
The two women were delivering things to a widower, especially since the younger sister-in-law was a widow. It was easy for her to get into trouble, and now she had found someone else's house, so she naturally thought it would be better to leave as soon as possible.
Zheng Xiu led them into the main hall.
The main hall of the Zheng family was separated from the kitchen by only one wall. As soon as they entered the main hall, the sound of chopping meat in the kitchen could be clearly heard. However, Xue Zhi soon stopped and left the kitchen and came to the main hall.
He hadn't taken off his blue cloth apron yet. Zheng Xiu looked at him awkwardly and stepped forward and said, "Hunter, give me your apron. I'll go to the stove to cook, and you can chat with the two sisters." Then she invited the white hunter's family and the white widow to sit down, and she quickly went to the stove. The
minced meat on the chopping board was almost chopped. Zheng Xiu took the kitchen knife and chopped it occasionally, but she couldn't help but listen to the movement in the hall. It can't be blamed on her gossip. There are too few entertainment activities in this era. She usually stays at home or goes to the town to buy. It's rare to have such a close contact with gossip.
Bai Liehu's wife still thanked Xue Zhi, and then said: "Xue Liehu refused to come to our house for a drink, so I can only come to your house in person to deliver some New Year's goods. The things are not very good, I hope Xue Liehu will not mind."
Xue Zhi was too lazy to refuse. The man had come to his house twice in a row. His son had already misunderstood him the day before, and if he continued to do so this time, he would not be able to explain himself. So he said: "Then thank you, sister-in-law."
Bai Liehu's wife had just seen Xue Zhi helping at the stove and coming out with an apron on. He couldn't help but wonder if Zheng Ju also took a fancy to him and wanted to make him a son-in-law? The eldest daughter of Zheng Ju's family was well-known in the surrounding area for her good looks. Of course, she was even more famous for her reputation of being a "husband-killer". Otherwise, given her family's status, she would not have been unengaged at the age of fifteen or sixteen. So she did not care whether it would cause criticism or not, and asked Bai Guafu to go to the stove to help, while she chatted with Xue Zhi.
It was well known that Xue Zhi was not a local. Bai Lihu's family asked him where his ancestral home was, how many people were in his family, and if he had any relatives or clansmen.
The meaning of this was very obvious. Under normal circumstances, with Xue Zhi's straightforwardness, he might not be able to hear the twists and turns in it, but he had just learned about such a rumor from his son the day before, so he became cautious. When Bai Lihu's family asked him, he just answered casually and did not want to say more.
After being sent to the kitchen by her sister-in-law, the White Widow smiled at Zheng Xiu and said, "Sister-in-law, let me help the young lady."
Zheng Xiu would never let a guest she met for the first time help her with work, so
she just said, "Everything is almost ready in the stove, and the ingredients are ready. We'll just put them in the pot and fry them." After saying this, she beat the eggs, mixed them with the minced meat, and added seasonings.
The White Widow had nothing to do to help, so she looked around the Zheng family's kitchen. The kitchen was renovated not long ago. When she first entered the house, she found that the Zheng family's several blue brick and tile houses were very impressive. The interior furnishings were simple but stylish. Not to mention in the village, even in the town, they were considered decent. Even in the kitchen, the stove was new. Although the kitchen utensils were old, they were all cleaned and placed properly. Even if it was time to cook, the ingredients on the stove were placed one by one, in an orderly manner, and not messy. At a glance, you can tell that the person who manages the housework is very efficient.
Looking at Zheng Xiu again, she was wearing a half-worn skirt and a bun with her hair hanging down like a girl. There was only a white jade hairpin with a hint of green in her hair, which made her bright face radiant. The extremely simple homely dress could not suppress the beauty of the girl. If she were the White Widow ten years ago, she might have some confidence that she could compete with Zheng Xiu, but now, she could only feel ashamed of herself.
Such a wealthy family, and Zheng Juren was an official, especially Zheng Xiu was beautiful, young, diligent and skillful. If she had not been known as a "husband-killer", facing such a "rival in love", the White Widow would really have no confidence at all.
Zheng Xiu was busy with her work without looking away, and she felt that the White Widow's eyes were roaming back and forth on her body. But she just pretended not to know. Anyway, the White Widow and her sister-in-law came for Xue Zhi, and she didn't want to get involved.
In the main hall, seeing that she couldn't get anything out of Xue Zhi, the White Hunter began to praise her sister-in-law, "These dried fish and dried meat are all made by Azhi herself. Everyone in the family likes to eat them. She is also very hardworking. Whether she was unmarried or in her husband's family, she kept the house in order. If her husband hadn't died early, she would have lived a good life."
What she said was true. The White Widow was also very famous for her beauty when she was young. In addition, the Bai family had no shortage of food and clothing. The White Widow herself was good at handling things, and the matchmakers who came to propose marriage almost broke down the doorstep of the house. But her life was not very good. She had no children for three years after marriage, and her husband died in the fifth year. The mother-in-law insisted that she was unlucky and could not bring a grandson, and even killed her son, so she drove her back to her parents' home and cut off all ties with her.
Bai Lihu's family was so straightforward in their exaggeration that they even mentioned Bai Guafu's name. Xue Zhi could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb. He stood up and clasped his fists in front of her, saying, "Zheng Ju's fence has not been repaired yet. I'll go and do it first. It's almost lunch time, and Brother Bai needs someone to take care of him at home. If you have nothing to do, go back early." After saying that, he went to the yard to repair the fence.
Bai Lihu's family had no choice but to call Bai Guafu home.
Zheng Xiu sent them to the door, and noticed that the White Widow's eyes were lingering on Xue Zhi. Before she could look away, the White Widow's eyes turned and looked at her. When their eyes met, Zheng Xiu realized that something was wrong -
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