Chapter 402: Not Returning Until Drunk
In the blink of an eye, fire broke out in the kitchen.
The fire suddenly jumped up and almost reached the roof.
Everyone quickly picked up the brooms and rags nearby and rushed over to put out the fire.
"Princess, are you hurt anywhere?" Dong Yue quickly pulled Pei Shu back.
"I'm fine," Pei Shu patted the flour off her hands and smiled helplessly, "but I'm afraid this pot of mooncakes is ruined."
They have all done both rough and fine work, but they rarely cook and are not very good at kitchen work.
I thought making mooncakes wouldn't be difficult, but who would have thought it would almost turn into arson during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"Di'er, wipe your face. Let's go outside to pick up your uncle and others." Pei Shu wiped the flour off her face in a somewhat embarrassed manner.
Murong Di smiled: "When Zhizhi sees this later, she might even ask to make mooncakes with us."
"The Emperor, the Empress, and the Princess have arrived—!"
Pei Lingyun and the others have already entered the mansion.
Pei Shu and Murong Di hurried out of the kitchen and met someone head-on.
Su Zhizhi was the first to call out, "Auntie, brother! What's going on?"
She saw that several people were covered in flour, and their sleeves seemed to be blackened by the fire.
Pei Lingyun and Wu Yingniang also cast puzzled glances at him.
Pei Shu gave a brief explanation.
Wu Yingniang turned to look at Pei Lingyun: "Why don't we give it a try?"
There was a smile in Wu Yingniang's eyes, and Pei Lingyun also smiled:
"good."
In the past, when they lived in Heifei Mountain and were not well off, they also made mooncakes themselves in their small houses on the mountain.
It's really ugly, but it tastes good.
When I think about those days now, I don’t feel it was bitter, but rather interesting.
They wore casual clothes today, rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Someone was already cleaning up the kitchen.
After cleaning, the servants all left, leaving only Dongyue and Rendong to serve inside.
Bai Xun sat on a chair outside the kitchen and watched.
Wu Yingniang and Pei Shu were in charge of kneading the dough at this end of the kitchen, while Pei Lingyun, Su Zhizhi and Murong Di were in charge of preparing the stuffing at the other end of the kitchen.
Su Zhizhi: "Let's make a few more fillings so everyone can pick their favorite flavor."
Murong Di was cutting walnuts: "Walnut and sesame ones are good."
Pei Lingyun took a large bowl, rolled up his sleeves, and mixed together the chopped dried dates, candied fruit, and pastry.
"When your grandmother was alive, she would cook mooncakes herself during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The sweet fillings left over were eaten by Xuan'er."
When Pei Lingyun was privately with his family and the villagers of Heifei Mountain, he still called himself "I".
"I've eaten too much sweet filling. I'm going to try adding some bacon." Su Zhizhi also found a big bowl and started tinkering with it.
Murong Di: "...Then it will become a bun, right? You try it."
Pei Lingyun laughed again.
He remembered that when he and Wu Yingniang first made mooncakes on Black Bandit Mountain, Zhizhi was still very young.
He and Yingniang finally kneaded the dough on the wooden table, wrapped the filling in it, and managed to make it into the shape of a mooncake, arranging it neatly.
The active Zhizhi insisted on climbing onto the table to take a look.
Pei Lingyun carried Zhizhi to the table, but Zhizhi collapsed and rolled over, crushing all the mooncakes on the table...
In the end, the mooncake turned into a sesame cake, but it was eaten anyway.
Pei Lingyun looked at Zhizhi with some emotion.
In the blink of an eye, his daughter has grown up. She is no longer the naughty little girl who gave him a headache.
"Dad, don't be distracted. One of the candied fruits in your bowl has fallen out."
Su Zhizhi reminded her old father, her tone sounding like she was sighing, "My dad is such a worry."
Pei Lingyun: ...
On the other side, Pei Shu and Wu Yingniang were almost done kneading the dough.
Pei Shu saw that the dough was completely tamed in Wu Yingniang's flexible and powerful hands, and obediently turned into the shape she wanted.
Pei Shu praised:
"The Queen has great cooking skills."
Wu Yingniang pinched the dough into small balls, skillfully and generously:
"There are no outsiders here, so just call me Yingniang. You are Ren and Xuan'er's elder sister, so you are also my elder sister."
"I didn't know any of this before. I learned it slowly while practicing in the Black Bandit Mountains. When I was little, I traveled with my master and never even ate mooncakes twice. I thought it was just a piece of cake, a waste of money to buy and a hassle to make. Back then, I thought the only thing I knew how to do in my life was to practice with a spear."
"What happened next?" Pei Shu rolled the small piece of dough into a ball and flattened it, looking at Wu Yingniang with her soft eyes.
"Later, I met Ah Ren and had Zhi Zhi. Ah Ren and I learned to cook together. I didn't expect that my cooking was actually quite delicious."
Wu Yingniang was also surprised at the time. She thought the food she cooked would be terrible and that she couldn't do anything other than wielding guns and fighting.
But she found that she was good at cooking. Later, she tried to do business and found that she could get the hang of it quickly.
It turns out that she can not only practice her shooting skills well, but also do many other things well, which she herself had never thought of.
"I've heard from Ling Yun that you have a strong character and are decisive in your actions."
Pei Shu looked at Wu Yingniang with admiration: "It was because you were by his side all those years that he was able to pick himself up again. It is our Pei family's good fortune to have met you."
When Pei Shu praises someone, she looks at the other person intently, her eyes filled with approval.
Even though Wu Yingniang had a generous personality, she felt a little embarrassed under Pei Shu's gaze.
"Oh, thank you so much. We're family, and the praise is too formal..."
Wu Yingniang sighed in her heart. The brother and sister had beautiful eyes. When they stared at people, it was really hard to resist.
Pei Shu just smiled and kneaded the dough.
In the corner of her eye, Pei Lingyun was chatting and laughing with Zhizhi and Murong Di, looking very relaxed.
But before the army was not in the capital, Pei Lingyun had a stern face every day, and only smiled when he received letters from home in the northwest.
Pei Shu knew that he cared, so she was afraid.
When Wu Yingniang went on an expedition to the northwest, there was no one in the harem, and there were always some smart people in the capital who wanted to send people into the harem.
Some people suggested that after the new emperor ascends the throne, he should select concubines to fill his harem.
After hearing this, Pei Lingyun looked at his minister with a smile:
"I see that you, my dear ministers, have been free from paperwork lately and have been free to think. How about you come up with a plan for dredging the canal?"
In the next few days, those ministers stayed up late in the office every day and were very busy.
When some officials wanted to send their daughters of marriageable age to the palace, Pei Lingyun turned around and arranged for their daughters to marry other families.
After this happened a few times, everyone in the court realized that this matter could not be brought up again.
Therefore, after Wu Yingniang and Su Zhizhi returned from the expedition, no one in the court dared to mention this matter, and the annoying remarks never reached Wu Yingniang.
The fire in the stove was roaring.
Mooncakes with various fillings were put into the oven.
When the mooncakes were almost baked, the outside became bustling again.
The villagers from Heishan Prefecture also came to celebrate the festival together. Everyone had previously agreed to celebrate this year's Mid-Autumn Festival together in Pei Prefecture.
Not only did they come, they also brought wine and food.
Hua Erniang and Doctor Yu held two jars of medicinal wine:
"This wine is brewed by us. It's very nutritious and you can't drink it outside."
Qiu Jinyu, Ni Tianji, Old Man Qin and others were also carrying vegetables.
Kong Wu was carrying a processed sheep, which would be used to make a roasted whole lamb later.
Old Xu: "I'm setting up a fire outside. We need to start roasting the lamb soon."
The kitchen suddenly became very lively.
The father and son of the Xue family next door are also coming to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival together today. It is rare for Xue Yucheng to celebrate the festival with them in the capital.
However, Xue Che and Xue Yucheng went to the military camp outside Beijing today to comfort the soldiers who could not go home, and they have not arrived yet.
It was almost sunset when the father and son returned.
Xue Yucheng and Xue Che strode over in the rosy glow.
"Your humble servant greets the emperor!" Xue Yucheng shouted with full energy.
His injuries have healed completely and he is full of energy again.
He called out very respectfully, acting like a loyal minister who strictly abides by the rules of monarchy and subjectivity.
However, after he finished shouting, he punched Pei Lingyun the next moment:
"Zixin, I won't go home until I'm drunk tonight!"
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