I tried to find something to help Cheng Qingyan with, and after thinking it over, the only thing I could do for now was to have her peel garlic.
"Then Ayan, could you peel some garlic for me? I'll use it to cook later."
Cheng Qingyan happily agreed: "No problem, I'll take care of it."
While peeling garlic, Cheng Qingyan asked Ye Lingyu, "Wife, how are you going to cook these hairy crabs?"
"That depends on how you want to eat them. While you were talking to your brother, I scooped out a few crabs, intending to ask you how you wanted to eat them after you finished your work."
If you ask someone how they want to eat crabs, you'll find there are so many options.
But she still asked Ye Lingyu, "What did you originally intend to do with them, my lady?"
Ye Lingyu caught and cleaned the crabs so early; she must have had a preliminary idea.
She can eat crabs however she likes, raw or cooked, she's fine with it.
Then Ye Lingyu stopped brushing the crabs, turned to look at her, and smiled, "I originally wanted to make sesame oil crab and steam a few. Of course, if you want to eat it differently, that's fine too."
Steaming is enough for now. She can also eat crab with sesame oil, but she doesn't eat much raw marinated food.
"Just do whatever you want, my wife. I'm fine with anything and I'm not picky about food."
Not a picky eater?
Ye Lingyu smiled and shook her head. She was indeed not a picky eater, but she was a person who had a pursuit of good food.
The only sounds left in the kitchen were Ye Lingyu chopping crabs and Cheng Qingyan rustling as she peeled garlic.
The lunch menu was decided, and the sesame oil crab needed to be marinated in advance, which is why Ye Lingyu went into the kitchen so early.
Having not overheard the conversation between Cheng Qingyan and Cheng Yuanfu, they naturally missed out on this shocking revelation.
After leaving the kitchen, Ye Lingyu suddenly remembered that Cheng Qingyan had made a scene at the riverbank that morning.
At that time, Cheng Qingyan said she would talk about it when she got back, but now that she's back, she seems to have forgotten about it.
The hot wind outside, combined with the approaching midday sun, created a wave of heat. Cheng Qingyan pulled Ye Lingyu along and quickly went inside to cool off.
Ye Lingyu wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked, "What did you want to do in the river this morning? Do you remember?"
Cheng Qingyan was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized and said, "Oh dear! I almost forgot about that!"
As she spoke, she pulled Ye Lingyu along and walked outside, saying, "I think there should be snails by our river. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water. Let's grab a basket, and I'll go to the river and collect some."
Snails are also known as field snails, which can also be found in rivers, but the name may vary depending on the time and region.
Ye Lingyu came to the river with her. Cheng Qingyan rolled up her sleeves and waded through the water to feel her way along the riverbank without taking off her shoes and socks.
When he raised his hand, he was holding several snails of different sizes.
The joy on his face was just like that of a child who had found his favorite toy.
"My wife, look!"
"I knew it! There are so many snails in the river. Now we can have a feast!"
Ye Lingyu moved the basket forward a bit, and Cheng Qingyan threw the larger snails into the basket, while tossing the smaller snails back into the water.
These things have always been in the river, but Ye Lingyu has never gone down into the river to catch snails, and naturally she has never eaten them.
She posed a profound question: "I don't know how to burn this, do you?"
Cheng Qingyan blinked: "Hmm, I don't know how either, but I know how to cook!"
Fugui and Jiutiao followed them to the riverbank. Fugui, in particular, was used to swimming in the water. Only Jiutiao squatted next to Ye Lingyu, occasionally sniffing the air with his nose.
Ye Lingyu tossed the snails she was holding into the basket: "You always know some strange ways to cook food, but you can't cook it yourself, why is that?"
Under the scorching sun, sweat streamed down Cheng Qingyan's face. She smiled shyly and said, "Hehe, because I eat a lot, I roughly know how to cook it."
"Who cooked for you before?"
Ye Lingyu narrowed her eyes, exuding a dangerous aura.
Cheng Qingyan was so startled he almost lost his footing. He quickly explained, "Wife, we live in a technological age. Transportation and communication are very convenient there."
"For example, if I want to eat a certain dish in town, I can order it on my phone, and they will deliver it to my house in a maximum of 15 minutes."
"A cell phone is a little thing that allows me to talk to Shen Ziyu, who is far away, and even see her from here."
"Moreover, in a place like ours, if we want to go to Kyoto today, we can set off now and arrive in Kyoto in less than an hour to see Shen Ziyu."
Although the explanation might not have been very clear, Ye Lingyu nodded.
After confirming that no one had cooked for Cheng Qingyan, she focused her attention on the convenience of transportation and communication when listening to Cheng Qingyan speak.
If they had such convenient transportation here, those carriages could depart today, or even arrive in Kyoto tomorrow or the day after, perhaps Shen Ziyu and Ruan Banxia wouldn't have been separated like this.
What separates people from each other is not just doors, but also distance.
We are separated by vast distances, so what use is deep affection if we can't meet?
Thinking of this, Ye Lingyu sighed deeply.
"My wife, what's wrong? Don't sigh. I really haven't been with anyone else, I swear."
She knew Ye Lingyu wasn't really asking if anyone would cook for her; her survival instincts in this regard were exceptionally strong.
"I sighed because if there were the kind of convenient transportation you described here, it would make up for the regrets of so many people!"
The topic suddenly turned heavy, and Cheng Qingyan slowly bent down to touch the snail.
I scooped up a handful of cool river water and splashed it on my face.
She also knew that Ye Lingyu was thinking of Ruan Banxia.
In this world, there are many helpless separations like those between Ruan Banxia and Shen Ziyu.
More often, it's about families separated by distance, sometimes thousands of miles apart.
After parting ways, it's extremely difficult to see each other again.
Some people meet when they are young, and when they meet again they are already in their sixties or eighties. Once they part, it is for a lifetime. How much they long to travel through time to see the people they want to see.
Ye Lingyu herself may also have this regret.
It was probably something between her mother and her maternal grandmother. Unfortunately, that's life; there are too many things that leave us helpless.
She couldn't tell Ye Lingyu that even in that era of convenient transportation, countless regrets were happening, and they were powerless to change them.
All I can think of is the saying, "In the past, carriages and horses moved very slowly," and "People standing on the bridge were admiring the scenery."
"Three parts are destined by fate, my wife. You must believe that everything will be alright."
Her face was glistening with a mixture of sweat and river water, making it impossible to tell whether it was sweat or river water.
Her smile was bright and full of energy.
Ye Lingyu's furrowed brows relaxed, and she asked her, "So, have you finished collecting the snails?"
"Um, my wife, I'm hungry. Let's cook and eat first, then we can go snail hunting this afternoon~"
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