The next day, Mu'er and Ze'er were used to getting up early to practice their skills, so when they got up, Xu Han heard the noise and got up with them.
It had just rained outside, and the sun wasn't very strong today. In fact, it was quite cold when I woke up early, so I had to wear an extra jacket.
Before the sun came up, Xu Han took a stroll on the hills near her home and breathed in some fresh air.
A beautiful day begins in the morning. After a walk around, the sun came out, and my mood improved even more.
The servants continued to work on building the house, and Xu Han would lend a hand with other chores when she had free time. Otherwise, it would be too boring to do nothing and just repeat the same things day after day.
Around mid-afternoon, Xu Han was making shoes for Lu Chuan inside the house when she heard a commotion outside. Dogs were barking incessantly, and she could faintly hear people talking.
Xu Han was wondering what was happening outside when she heard the sound getting louder and louder, as if it was coming towards her house.
Realizing this, she quickly put down the shoes she was holding, turned around, and left the room.
Once outside the room, the sounds became clearer; it sounded like the Taoist priest's laughter. Could it be that Lu Chuan and the others had returned?
Just as Xu Han was about to walk outside, the courtyard gate was pushed open from the outside, and it really was Lu Chuan who had returned.
Xu Han smiled and said to Lu Chuan, "I could hear you talking from afar. It seems you had a good haul!"
"Hehehe, so-so." After Lu Chuan finished speaking, the people outside also came in, and Xu Han finally got a clear look at all the prey.
Three goats, a bunch of rabbits, and a bunch of pheasants. I couldn't tell exactly how many there were, but it was quite a large group. I'd estimate there were about a dozen of each kind.
Lu Chuan told the two of them to put the prey in the backyard, while he quickly ran to the kitchen, picked up a glass of cold water, and gulped it down.
Xu Han followed her in and said, "Drink slowly, no one's going to take the water from you, there's still some left in the bottle. Have you had lunch yet?"
Lu Chuan was so busy drinking water that he didn't even have time to say anything, and just shook his head haphazardly.
The Taoist priest also came in from outside, snatched the water cup from Lu Chuan's hand, and began to drink it in large gulps.
After his water cup was taken away, Lu Chuan finally spoke, "I haven't eaten. I've been so focused on getting here that I'm starving. Is there anything to eat? Let's grab something to tide us over."
"There are some steamed sweet potato leaves and cold pancakes left over from lunch. Why don't you have some first, and I'll make you some noodles."
The Taoist priest casually handed the water cup to Han Qi, who had followed him in, saying, "Okay, as long as there's food, that's fine. I haven't eaten all day, I'm starving."
Upon hearing this, Xu Han quickly took out the leftovers, then casually fried two eggs for each of them before making noodles.
After the three of them had eaten and drunk their fill and rested for a while, they began to process the game in the backyard.
Looking at the game piled up in the backyard, Xu Han asked, "Have all of these been processed? In this hot weather, if we slaughter them all, will the meat keep?"
"Then let's not kill them all. Let's kill these few dying rabbits and pheasants first, and leave the wild goats for now."
The Taoist priest looked at the wild goat and said, "Let's keep it for now. Anyway, it's not badly injured and won't die anytime soon. If we kill them all, the meat won't be fresh and we won't be able to finish it. It's better to raise it and eat it slowly!"
“I think it’s a good idea. We can just kill them whenever we want to eat them. However, these prey are used to living in the mountains, and they probably won’t be able to adapt to this environment in a short time. Even if we raise them, they won’t last long. They’ll definitely be skinny in two or three days.”
Xu Han smiled and replied, "That's easy. If we can't raise them all, we can just eat them slowly. Although they'll lose weight while alive, at least the meat will be fresh."
Lu Chuan agreed, "Okay, let's deal with these dying rabbits and pheasants today, and slaughter the wild goat tomorrow morning."
Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest had already figured out what to eat. "Alright, we'll have mutton and offal soup for lunch tomorrow, and chicken stew with mushrooms and braised rabbit for dinner tonight."
Xu Han instructed, "Then you three can deal with these pheasants and rabbits. I'll go boil some water for you."
"Alright, honey, you can leave it to us. We'll make sure it's handled perfectly."
The Taoist priest didn't forget to remind Xu Han, "Girl, you'll cook dinner tonight. I haven't been eating well these past few days and I've lost weight. You have to cook something delicious for me to help me recover."
"Okay, tonight we'll have chicken stew with mushrooms, braised rabbit, and some fragrant rice. How does that sound?"
"Okay, okay, it would be best to have another bowl of soup. We can't just eat dry food, it's hard to swallow."
"Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."
The Taoist priest and his companions made quite a commotion when they returned from hunting today, and the servants on the other side of the valley were very excited when they heard the news.
Knowing that according to the nature of the Lord's family, there would definitely be a big meal tonight, so they are working especially hard now.
Everyone was looking forward to nightfall so they could eat their delicious meal sooner.
In order to get everyone to eat as soon as possible, Xu Han called Zhu Dahu and asked him to go to the valley to call Dan Niang back to help cook.
We're having a big meal tonight, and Xu Han definitely can't manage cooking for so many people by herself. So, to avoid delaying everyone's mealtime, she went to call Dan Niang back early.
With Danniang's help, cooking became much faster. Danniang helped wash and chop the vegetables, Zhu Dahu stayed behind to tend the fire, and Xu Han only needed to stir-fry the vegetables.
This way, everyone is less tired, and the Taoist priest can also enjoy the food prepared by Xu Han as he wishes—a win-win situation.
Finally, after the Taoist priest went into the kitchen for the fifth time to inquire, dinner was ready.
Chicken stew with mushrooms, braised rabbit meat, cucumber salad, and tomato and egg soup.
Each serving was a large pot, with plenty of meat and side dishes. After Xu Han served out what her family wanted, she let them share the rest.
However, this time they made way too much, not only in terms of variety but also in quantity. Even if everyone ate their fill, they still couldn't finish it.
Finally, Danniang simply served the chicken stew with mushrooms and the braised rabbit meat on separate plates, saving them for tomorrow morning.
Fortunately, although it was very hot during the day, the temperature in the mountains dropped at night, so the meat wouldn't spoil even if left overnight.
The Taoist priest ate with gusto, his mouth brimming with oil, and didn't forget to praise Xu Han, saying, "Delicious, delicious! Your cooking skills have improved again. I feel like today's dishes taste even better than before!"
Xu Han was so embarrassed by the praise that she said, "Haha, is it because you haven't eaten my cooking in so long that you think today's food is especially delicious?"
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