Border Cook

Chapter 648: Pickled mustard tuber and shredded pork noodles (4K chapter)

At that time, even if Xiao Luochen was unable to take on the responsibility of revitalizing the Wen family, their Wen family still had people who could be cultivated and relied on.

This is a noble family, they can never put all their hopes on just one person.

"There are many things to do before the New Year. Although some things are handed over to the younger generation, you need to keep an eye on everything and make sure there are no mistakes."

"Yes." Wen Liyan responded again.

"Go." Wen Yongze raised his hand.

Wen Liyan said goodbye and Wen Yongze waited until he was far away before he got up, left the house and entered the yard.

It was the coldest time of the year, especially at night. It was extremely cold outside and you could see the white mist rising with every breath you took.

Many trees in the yard have lost their leaves due to the cold weather, but a plum tree in the corner is about to bloom.

Plum blossom from the bitter cold.

What the Wen family is experiencing now is just like the bitter cold today. The final result is branches full of flowers and everyone’s admiration.

Wen Yongze clenched his fists.

The story of Ruan Zhiheng and Meiling spread like wildfire, and within just a few days, everyone knew about it.

Lu Qiyan and Xia Mingyue, who lived in the villa, naturally knew about this matter. On the day they received the news, they began to pack up all their things, ordered their subordinates to prepare the carriages and horses, and set off immediately.

After all, four days had passed since Xia Yunji, Li Juncheng and his party set out for the capital. Although people continued to send back letters and everything was fine, Lu Qiyan and Xia Mingyue were still a little worried.

It is better to reunite as soon as possible.

After some simple packing, Lu Qiyan, Xia Mingyue and their group set out eastward after dawn.

They traveled light and much faster than when they had traveled with the delegation before.

And because there were no outsiders, Lu Qiyan simply did not ride a horse and just rode in the same carriage with Xia Mingyue.

During this time, fearing that Xia Mingyue would be bored on the way, he just read to Xia Mingyue one by one the storybooks he had read while pretending to be sick in Cao's villa over the past two days.

Books like "Records of Gratitude", "Records of Clearing Wrongs", "Strange Folk Cases"... are all storybooks about solving cases. The plots are written in a brilliant way, and they are even more gripping when told by Lu Qiyan. Xia Mingyue just listens with great interest.

But at the same time, she was also terrified and held Lu Qiyan's hand tightly all the way.

Even when they arrived at the inn at night, Xia Mingyue was still a little uneasy. Before going to sleep, she still held Lu Qiyan's arm tightly, her eyes were wide open, and she looked like she was afraid to sleep.

Lu Qiyan couldn't help but smile and shook his head.

My wife is really naive and loves to play.

It seems that I should tell my wife more love stories in the future, and not just let her do whatever she wants.

Lu Qiyan secretly made plans and reached out to touch Xia Mingyue's forehead, "Don't be afraid, my lady, I'm here..."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Qiyan felt Xia Mingyue's hand, which had been tightly holding his arm, suddenly loosen and even slipped down.

Looking from the side, he saw that Xia Mingyue's eyes were closed, her breathing was even, and she looked like she was fast asleep.

Lu Qiyan, "..."

I was so scared just now, but now I fell asleep so quickly. It's really indescribable.

But can it also be understood that with him by his side, his wife feels at ease, so she can fall asleep very quickly?

Lu Qiyan smiled slightly, kissed Xia Mingyue on the forehead, and closed his eyes.

He slept until dawn, and when Lu Qiyan woke up, Xia Mingyue was no longer by his side.

And then, a rich fragrance wafted over.

Lu Qiyan stood up and saw Xia Mingyue placing two large bowls on the table, and the fragrance came from the bowls.

Lu Qiyan dressed quickly and went to the table. He saw that the bowl contained nothing else but the noodles that he liked to eat very much.

Noodles with pickled mustard tuber and shredded pork.

The noodles are not rolled but pulled by hand, and they are smooth and chewy, and each strand is round. The shredded meat is tenderloin, which is extremely tender. It is also stir-fried with bean paste and garlic cloves, which makes the taste very rich, and paired with the refreshing shredded mustard tuber...

Eating a bowl of this steaming hot soup when you wake up in the morning and feel hungry is extremely comfortable and satisfying.

After eating a big bowl of pickled mustard tuber and shredded pork noodles, Lu Qiyan felt warm and comfortable all over.

After eating the noodles, Xia Mingyue boiled the pear slices she brought with her into water and served a bowl to Lu Qiyan.

"Thank you, my lady." Lu Qiyan narrowed his eyes happily.

Seeing this, Xia Mingyue smiled and said, "I've had a full meal and moistened my throat. I need to continue talking about the case later."

Lu Qiyan, "..."

So, my wife is thinking about this matter, so she is so attentive?

But in other words, it is because he tells stories well and his wife likes them, and telling stories well is his ability and characteristic, which can also be equated to the fact that his wife does this because she likes him.

Yes, that's right!
Lu Qiyan nodded excitedly, "Let's continue from the last chapter..."

Today's journey is destined not to be boring.

After that, they rushed on for another two days. After Lu Qiyan finished telling the last case, Xia Mingyue and Lu Qiyan finally reunited with Xia Yunji, Li Juncheng and others.

It had only been a few days since they last met, but when Xia Yunji saw Xia Mingyue again, he was extremely excited. He and Wu Jin circled around Xia Mingyue, chattering non-stop.

Even when Lu Qiyan wanted to ask about the delegation's situation in the past few days, he was unable to get a word in. He could only wait until Xia Yunji had almost said everything he wanted to say before he started asking.

Xia Yunji's reply was brief and to the point, "Everything is peaceful and smooth."

Nothing else.

Although this statement was sufficient, compared to how Xia Yunji seemed to have endless things to say in front of Xia Mingyue just now, this was enough to show his cold treatment of him.

But Lu Qiyan knew that his status could not be compared with his wife, so he just touched his nose and said, "That's great."

After all, this place is only five or six days' journey from the capital, and a peaceful and tranquil state is the best situation.

Continuing eastward, time passed little by little under the horse's hooves and footsteps.

As the Ministry of Rites welcomed the arrival of the peace delegation and took them to the post station in the capital city that was specially set up to accommodate delegations, Lu Qiyan, Xia Yunji, and even Li Juncheng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Xia Yunji was asked to settle the soldiers of the Western Frontier Army who were coming to the capital, while Lu Qiyan took Xia Mingyue to the house he had prepared in the capital in advance.

The house is not far from the post station, located in Fulu Lane near Yuping Street in the capital city. It has a wide gate and the wooden boards of the gate have been newly painted, making it look brand new.

I knocked on the door and someone soon came to open it.

The man who came was the manager of the mansion, his surname was Su, and he was one of the more than ten slaves that Lu Qiyan had someone buy.

Manager Su was over 40 years old and was mature and steady in his work. When he learned that the visitor was his master, he hurriedly led Lu Qiyan and Xia Mingyue to check the house, and ordered all the servants to gather to see the master.

The rest of the servants, four page boys, four maids, and several old women were responsible for cleaning, purchasing, kitchen and other affairs, all of which were managed by Manager Su.

The servants were all honest and dutiful people. They respectfully bowed to Lu Qiyan, Xia Mingyue and others, and then went about their duties. With the help of the maids, Zhuang Cui and Yin Qiao packed their luggage and tidied up the house.

Xia Mingyue and Lu Qiyan, under the guidance of Manager Su, got to know the mansion and looked around.

Xia Mingyue and Lu Qiyan had seen the blueprints of the house before, but it was very different to see the house directly and clearly now.

The house has three entrances and three exits, spacious grounds, new houses, complete functions in every place, and various flowers, plants and trees.

There is even a piece of open space in the backyard where some vegetables such as spinach, garlic sprouts, coriander, etc. that can grow in winter are planted.

In the main courtyard, there are several large tanks, which contain a lot of fish, some are koi, some are grass carp, some are carp, and even some are river shrimps.

It can be viewed and eaten without interfering with each other.

The more Xia Mingyue looked at the house, the happier she became. "This house is really nice."

"It's really good." Xia Yunji, who rushed over with Wu Jin, was also amazed and said, "Such a large house, and it's in the capital, it must have cost a lot of money."

"Fortunately, it's less than two thousand taels of silver." Lu Qiyan answered truthfully.

"So expensive!" Xia Yunji took a breath and looked at Xia Mingyue, "Sister is really generous!"

"This house was not bought by me, but by your brother-in-law." Xia Mingyue said with a smile.

"Bought it by my brother-in-law?" Xia Yunji became more and more incredulous and looked at Lu Qiyan, trying to verify it.

And Lu Qiyan also smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

"So..." Xia Yunji tilted his head, "Brother-in-law saved so much private money without my sister's knowledge?"

Lu Qiyan, "..."

Tricky angle!

That night, everyone rested in the new house.

Although it was a new place and no one had adapted to it yet, after days of travel, everyone felt at ease and slept soundly because they were finally able to sleep in a place that was truly their own.

Xia Mingyue was also sleeping soundly, but at the end of the hour of Chou, she opened her eyes.

The cook that Lu Qiyan found at home cooks delicious meals. In the evening, she made a dish of spicy diced chicken, which was rich in flavor, spicy and fresh, and very delicious. Compared with Xia Mingyue, the level is already 80% of hers.

Xia Mingyue praised the food endlessly, so she ate more naturally, which made her stomach feel a little hot. Now she felt a little dry in the mouth and wanted to drink a cup of tea to quench her thirst.

Before going to bed, the maid Qiuju poured boiling water into the teapot on the table, and placed the teapot in a basket sewn with cotton cloth and cotton, using it as a thermos.

The boiled water at this time is just warm and tastes just right.

Xia Mingyue drank two cups in one breath, then poured the third cup and drank it slowly.

When he had finished drinking half of the boiled water in the cup, Lu Qiyan, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, spoke, "My wife."

"Huh? What's wrong?" Xia Mingyue put down the water cup and looked at Lu Qiyan.

At this time, Lu Qiyan had his eyes closed, as if he was still sleeping.

This……

Are you talking in your sleep?
Xia Mingyue thought about it, and moved closer to Lu Qiyan with a mischievous look on her face, and whispered, "Do you have anything to say to my wife?"

"Yes." Lu Qiyan still said, "I have something to say to my wife."

"Then tell me."

"Okay, then go ahead and talk. I'm listening."

"My lady, please don't be angry when you hear this."

"Don't worry, I'm not that petty, just say it."

"Since my lady has spoken, I will tell you." Lu Qiyan was silent for a moment, then said, "My lady, I'm sorry..."

The tone of this sentence was very heavy, so heavy that Xia Mingyue's heart shrank into a ball.

Could it be that Lu Qiyan did something to let her down?

Is this the rhythm of eating a big melon, and this melon is related to her?
Xia Mingyue calmed herself down and took a deep breath, "How have you ever let me down?"

"My dear, I don't have any private money..."

Xia Mingyue, "..."

No longer interested in Lu Qiyan's next words, Xia Mingyue drank the water in the cup and then lay down on the bed.

Lu Qiyan beside him was still explaining, "Madam, I just did a big thing for An Leiting when I was in the military camp before, and I got a lot of silver. I gave you one thousand taels and kept some for myself, intending to prepare for emergencies..."

Xia Mingyue covered Lu Qiyan's mouth.

The next day, everyone got up early and went about their business.

Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji went to the post station to take care of everything and hand over matters related to the delegation to the Ministry of Rites. They also submitted a memorial to the emperor, explaining everything that had happened along the way and waiting for an audience with the emperor.

Xia Mingyue was at home, organizing the luggage she brought with her and adding handy items according to her daily needs.

You don't have to go out and buy the things you need yourself. Just make a list, give it to Manager Su, and then send it to the comprador to buy it.

As a result, Xia Mingyue felt much more relaxed and had more free time, so she took Wu Jin to play leisurely in the yard.

After Wu Jin arrived at the new house, not only was the place big enough for him to have fun everywhere, but he also had his own house to live in. He was extremely happy, as happy as a child and could not stop for a moment.

Xia Mingyue was infected by Wu Jin, and the child became more and more excited, playing with sandbags with Wu Jin and having a lot of fun.

Even Zhuang Cui and Yin Qiao joined in the play, and the original small sandbags turned into round and large Cuju, which became more interesting.

The laughter and joyful chatter floated over the entire yard.

Just when everyone was having fun and sweating profusely, someone came to report that someone was visiting.

Is anyone visiting?

Xia Mingyue was very surprised, "Who is it?"

She had just settled down in the capital, and for a moment she couldn't imagine who would come to visit her so immediately.

"The person who came was a young lady, and she only said her last name was Fan."

There is only one person with the surname Fan, living in the capital, and who is so well-informed - Fan Jinglan.

"Please come in." Xia Mingyue said hurriedly.

The subordinates hurriedly took the order and left. After a while, a crisp sound was heard.

"elder sister!"

Immediately afterwards, Fan Jinglan ran all the way from outside like a little swallow, all the way to Xia Mingyue's side.