Xia Zhi directed two servants from the Sun family to carry a small basket up, and Su Yun'er curiously approached.
"These fruits are said to be a specialty of the South, rarely seen or even available in the North. They are not expensive in the South, but it is a bit troublesome to eat them fresh. My family bought them from the South just before we were about to return to Yongning, and they were delivered overnight by fast horse. They just arrived last night, so they are very fresh."
Su Yun'er lifted the lid and found nectarines, papayas, strawberries, and even two large coconuts!
All sorts of things were stuffed into a big basket.
Moreover, those soft strawberries were surprisingly not damaged much; each one was perfectly wrapped.
In this era without convenient storage and transportation conditions, the cost of packaging and transportation far exceeded the value of the fruit, making it affordable only to the very wealthy. Thanks to Sun Wanqing, Su Yun'er enjoyed something that many people in this era could not afford.
"My goodness, there are so many kinds and varieties!" Su Yun'er paused. "Which of these fruits do you like?"
"I've tried them all, but I don't particularly like any of them. I'm just eating them for the novelty. Besides, I wouldn't dare to like any of them, considering how much trouble it would be to transport them." Sun Wanqing smiled.
“You brought me so many good things, we can’t possibly eat them all at once. Why don’t we try something different and make something else to eat?” Su Yun’er suggested.
Sun Wanqing was naturally happy to agree, as she trusted Su Yun'er's cooking skills.
“However, something is missing,” Su Yun’er thought for a moment. “We need to prepare it today, and it will be ready tomorrow. Why don’t you come to my house again tomorrow? I’ll use these fresh fruits to make you an ice bowl that you’ve never seen before.”
"Ice bowl?"
Sun Wanqing's first reaction was to see these fruits placed in a large bowl sculpted from ice.
“It’s already summer, where are you going to get ice? Are you going to buy ice? Don’t waste your money. Save it for your mother-in-law and the children to buy good food, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones. Ice is very expensive. We don’t use it much in the summer. I heard that in Beidu, only the most favored concubines in the palace can use ice to cool down.” Sun Wanqing earnestly advised Su Yun’er not to spend money.
"Look at you, you've sent so many expensive fruits, don't you think it's a waste of money?" Su Yun'er said with a smile, feeling a tenderness in her heart. Sun Wanqing was really thinking of her. Su Yun'er felt a renewed sisterly bond with her and couldn't help but think of the happy times she spent with her girlfriends in her previous life.
"Don't worry, I'm not so rich that I need to buy ice to eat. I'll just use these fruits to make it, but I still need to ask you for a few more things."
Sun Wanqing smiled: "Tell me what you want? If I can do it, I will definitely get it for you. But you mustn't make things difficult for me."
"Don't worry, you'll have some at home regularly. The first two times I visited, I saw that you had milk, so just give me some milk."
“That’s easy, I’ll have someone bring it to you when we get back,” Sun Wanqing said. “I’m even more curious about what this ice bowl you mentioned is.”
After finishing talking about making delicious food, Sun Wanqing turned her attention to Su Yun'er's courtyard.
"Your home has changed so much since I last saw you."
"You've been gone for almost half a year, so naturally there have been many changes."
“When we came here, we went to your old house. We only found you because a villager told us you had moved,” Sun Wanqing said, then looked around the yard. “Your yard is really interesting. There are flowers, plants, and a pond. It’s almost like a small garden. Hey, is this a vegetable garden?” Sun Wanqing asked, pointing to the vegetable garden next to the well.
After they moved in, that vegetable patch was set aside for Grandma Chen to grow vegetables. Most of the scallions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and bok choy that the family eats are grown by themselves.
Later, he even planted more than a dozen chili peppers for Su Yun'er, who loved spicy food.
Pulling Su Yun'er along, asking what this dish was and what that dish was, Sun Wanqing asked them one by one. Then she strolled over to the chicken coop and duck coop, watching the chicks and ducklings running around and occasionally fighting, which actually made Sun Wanqing happy, and she clapped and cheered.
Afterwards, arm in arm with Su Yun'er, Sun Wanqing strolled around the pond.
"I feel so relaxed at your house, without any rules or restrictions, I feel so free."
"You've been out having fun for almost a year now, and you've been under constant supervision every day?" Su Yun'er covered her mouth and laughed.
"No, not at all. My grandmother doted on me, and when no one else was around, she didn't demand anything of me. But growing up in that kind of environment, I've gotten used to it and I'm not so reserved anymore. I'm always afraid of making a mistake. But it's different here with you. I don't have to be afraid of making mistakes, and I don't have to be afraid of being disciplined."
"Hey, you do look a bit tired, your dark circles are really bad, even with makeup you can't cover them up, are you sick?" Su Yun'er pulled her aside and examined her face closely.
"No, no, I'm not sick. We just came back by boat and got seasick because of the rough seas." Sun Wanqing pulled her hand down and gently rested her head on Su Yun'er's shoulder, as if she were Su Yun'er's little sister and Su Yun'er was her older sister.
"Then don't leave at noon, stay at my house for lunch. You must not have a good appetite, so I'll make some refreshing and appetizing dishes. Eat more."
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. Yun'er, I don't know why, but I feel very at ease when you're around."
Sun Wanqing was not in good spirits because she hadn't slept well the night before and had to get up early to pay her respects to her grandparents and pack her things to go to Su Yun'er's house.
Just then, the children arrived for class, so Su Yun'er made her a bowl of honey water and urged her to go to her room to rest for a while.
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