Border Cook

Chapter 674: Competitiveness
But when she arrived at the courtyard where Madam He lived, Xia Mingyue finally understood the reason.

At this time, Madam He was sitting on a recliner in the courtyard with a gloomy face. He Lingyun beside her was carefully comforting her, "Grandma, please don't be angry. Father and uncle are just worried about you."

"Worried?" Madam He snorted coldly, "You are worried that I can live two more years!"

"How could that be?" He Lingyun smiled awkwardly, "Grandma, please don't think like that. It's nothing more than that the peace talks between the Great Zhou Kingdom and the Jin Wei Kingdom have not been completely finalized yet. Father and uncles are worried that there will be another war at the border, and they are worried that Grandma will not be safe on this journey."

"Besides, my father and uncles only asked grandma to stay in the capital for a while until the peace talks were settled. It didn't mean that they would not let grandma go to Dexin Garden from now on..."

He Lingyun spoke earnestly, but Madam He did not take it to heart. Instead, she turned her head away and covered her ears with her hands.

Don't listen, don't listen, the bastard chants sutras.

He Lingyun, "..."

He knew his grandmother's temper best. Once something was decided, no one could change it. Even if he tried to stop her now, a lot of trouble would arise.

And the elders gave him such a difficult task of persuading his grandmother, which was simply killing him!
He Lingyun's face was wrinkled with worry, and he looked up and down at a loss, not knowing what to do next.

But when he looked up and saw Xia Mingyue being led into the yard by the servants, He Lingyun's eyes suddenly lit up.

The savior is here!

He Lingyun stood up in a hurry, not even bothering to greet Xia Mingyue, and hurriedly welcomed her in, even deliberately shouting loudly, "Madam Xia is here?"

Xia Mingyue is here?
Madam He's mind moved, and she turned her face away and moved her body on the recliner, but she lay back down immediately after a moment, and said unhappily, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? How can you fool me like this?"

He Lingyun, "..."

Xia Mingyue smiled and said, "We don't know whether the old lady is a three-year-old child, but it is certain that the old lady will live a long and blessed life in the future, and will definitely live to be over a hundred years old..."

After clearly hearing Xia Mingyue's voice, Madam He jumped up from the recliner and took Xia Mingyue's hand warmly, "Mingyue is here."

"Yes, I remembered that I hadn't been to the old lady's place for a while, so I made two fresh dishes and sent them to the old lady."

Xia Mingyue put the packed food on the table and laughed mischievously, "But I think I came at a bad time. I don't think you, old lady, are very happy..."

"Happy, how can I not be happy?" Old Madam He laughed, "Even if I am not happy, it's because you haven't come to see me for a while, and I am so depressed and unhappy!"

"This is my fault. Even if I am busy in the future, I must take time to visit the old lady more often."

"That's great..."

The two people started chatting enthusiastically.

He Lingyun saw that Madam He was laughing continuously, which was increasing due to her conversation with Xia Mingyue, so he took the opportunity to speak, "Grandma, you see, Madam Xia is also in the capital now, isn't she..."

Can I stay in the capital for a while longer?
Madam He immediately guessed what He Lingyun was thinking. Before he could finish, she interrupted him with disdain, "Go away, go away, stop talking nonsense and interrupting my conversation with Mingyue!"

"I heard yesterday that your father got some excellent spring water from somewhere. It is the most fragrant for brewing Longjing tea. Go get some now and make tea for Mingyue and me!"

"Also, have someone bring the newly-obtained fruits over so Mingyue can have a taste..."

"Yes." He Lingyun did not dare to be negligent or hesitate at all, and hurriedly did what the old lady instructed.

Xia Mingyue smiled and stuffed the food she brought into Madam He's hands.

The milk-flavored biscuits are crispy and delicious, with a rich aroma. The egg rolls are also crispy and full of egg flavor. They are very suitable for Mrs. He’s teeth, and they are not greasy at all. They are very delicious.

"Not bad." Madam He praised, "Mingyue's craftsmanship is still good."

"The old lady just doesn't mind..."

The two of them were talking while eating snacks, and He Lingyun served them the best Longjing tea and fruits as instructed.

The fruits are all very fresh.

Dongting Lake oranges are large, round and plump, with thin skin and rich flesh. They are juicy and sweet.

The pomelo, which is produced in abundance in Shu, has a thin skin and full flesh. The servants peeled off the white membrane and pomelo seeds that are easy to taste bitter, and then neatly stacked the whole pomelo flesh one by one in a bowl made of half a pomelo peel. It looks crystal clear and is very convenient to eat, with a sweet and sour taste.

The apples grown in abundance in Shandong are crisp, sour and sweet. Cut into bite-sized pieces and eat, they are full of apple fragrance...

These fruits are not particularly rare, but the time for them to mature has long passed. It is rare to find fruits of such high quality and preserved so fresh in early February after the Chinese New Year. In many cases, you cannot even buy them with money.

Now that she was eating these things to her heart's content, Xia Mingyue felt extremely happy and couldn't help but squint her eyes.

Seeing how much Xia Mingyue liked it, Mrs. He waved her hand and told Biyun to prepare some of the same thing so that Xia Mingyue could take it away and eat it slowly when she returned home.

"Exchanging some food for so many fresh fruits is really a good deal. I'm shameless and want to take advantage of the old lady." Xia Mingyue joked.

"It's all thanks to you." Madam He smiled. "These bastards don't do many things well, but they are good at eating and drinking. This morning I heard them talking about bamboo shoots and chicken mushrooms to be delivered tomorrow. I'll save some for you to cook with."

"Okay, I'll come back in two days." Xia Mingyue's face was full of joking, "Not only in two days, but every day when I have time."

"Okay, come every day!" Old Madam He said with a smile, "Call the little girl from the Fan family and Xiao Wu as well, it will be so lively!"

People who get older all like to be lively and lively, and Mrs. He is no exception.

"Okay, as long as you don't mind us being noisy."

"Making a fuss? That's not happening. No matter how much trouble you make, can it be as bad as the one I made back then?" Old Madam He raised her chin, her face full of pride and complacency.

"This sounds like a long story. I'm asking the old lady if she can tell me about the uproar you mentioned."

"Okay." Madam He suddenly became interested. "Usually, those little bastards won't listen to what I want to say. It's the best thing that you are willing to listen to an old woman like me."

"Come, come, listen to me and tell you slowly. To tell the story in detail, it has to start from when I was fourteen years old..."

Xia Mingyue pricked up her ears and leaned forward slightly, looking as if she was listening very attentively.

Old Madam He was extremely pleased. She straightened her body even more and told Xia Mingyue some wonderful past events that were still fresh in her memory, one by one.

An old man and a young man sat next to each other. One was talking very vividly, while the other was listening very attentively, asking questions from time to time. The two of them occasionally ate some fruits and snacks and drank some tea...

The sun was warm, and the two of them were sitting in the yard, with a magnolia tree in bud, standing tall and graceful, which made the scene more harmonious. It felt like a peaceful and quiet time.

Seeing this scene, He Lingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

One reason is that my grandmother has rarely been so happy since the New Year.

Secondly, because Xia Mingyue can come here and sit from time to time, grandma probably won't nag about going to Dexin Garden, which is thousands of miles away, all day long.

Although Dexin Garden has everything ready, is elegant and quiet, it is also very suitable for my grandmother's retirement.

But Dexin Garden is too far away from the capital or the He family. They are busy with many things on a daily basis and cannot always accompany their grandmother. As their grandmother is getting older, they really cannot feel completely at ease.

Now that Madam Xia is in the capital, everything will be easy.

Even if Madam Xia follows Marquis Dingyuan back to Jinqiu County in the future, my grandmother should leave after them.

In short, the longer you can stay in Beijing, the better!

He Lingyun was delighted, and he liked and respected Xia Mingyue who had helped him a lot. When the sun set and Xia Mingyue was about to say goodbye and leave, in addition to the fresh fruits that Old Madam He had asked for, He Lingyun also asked his men to prepare some other things.

A large bucket of spring water and a can of tea.

"This is the water from Huiyun Spring. The mud and sand have all settled. It tastes best when filtered with gauze. It has a slightly sweet taste and is suitable for making tea or soup."

He Lingyun said, "This tea is the newest Longjing this year. All the buds are picked. There is no open flame when frying the tea. There is no smell of fireworks. It tastes particularly refreshing and cool. I hope Madam Xia will not dislike it."

"How dare I say I disdain such a valuable item? On the contrary, this item is really too valuable, and I feel unworthy of receiving it." Xia Mingyue felt a little embarrassed.

"Madam Xia, please don't be polite." He Lingyun explained hurriedly, "To be honest with you, Madam Xia, I also have many selfish motives. I just hope that you can come to my house often during your stay in the capital."

Xia Mingyue understood what He Lingyun meant and nodded, "Of course."

Seeing that Xia Mingyue agreed so readily, He Lingyun immediately breathed a sigh of relief and personally sent Xia Mingyue to the carriage.

As for Old Madam He, having talked about interesting past events for the entire afternoon, she was completely immersed in the fun and joy of reminiscing, and the corners of her mouth were raised the whole time.

It was not until Biyun started to ask people to serve food that Madam He finally pulled back some of her thoughts. She looked around and frowned, "Where did Lingyun go again?"

"I just saw the young master asking someone to get spring water from Huiyun Spring and Longjing tea. Now he is probably going to send them to Madam Xia." Biyun said with a smile.

Madam He smiled happily, "This kid is sensible. Okay, tell the servants to make a portion of lotus leaf steamed pork for dinner. I remember this kid loves it."

"Yes." Biyun responded with a smile.

When Xia Mingyue returned, Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji had already arrived home.

Although the two men had drunk sobering soup, taken a shower and changed clothes, Xia Mingyue still smelled a strong smell of alcohol from them.

"Drinking in broad daylight?" Xia Mingyue frowned slightly.

"The peace talks were suspended, and the Jin Weiguo delegation was restless. In order to appease their people, Li Juncheng asked the Jin Weiguo delegation to compete in martial arts. Yun Ji and I accompanied them to watch, and I drank two more glasses during the competition." Lu Qiyan explained.

Xia Mingyue raised her eyebrows, "Just two more drinks?"

Why does it feel like I drank two extra jars?
"Sister is sister, I guessed it right." Xia Yunji laughed, "Not only did she drink two more cups, but she also fought with the warriors of Jin Weiguo."

Xia Mingyue, "..."

Well, I asked some other questions.

"What's the result?" Xia Mingyue asked casually.

"Need I ask? Of course I beat those people to a pulp." Xia Yunji raised his chin complacently and even took Xia Mingyue's arm. "Sister, let me tell you, my brother-in-law also took action today. He only used one hand and knocked the opponent down in three moves. Li Juncheng was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped to the ground..."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't talk nonsense to your sister." Lu Qiyan interrupted Xia Yunji, "It's not three moves, it's clearly two and a half moves."

Xia Mingyue, "..."

Xia Yunji, "..."

This damn competitive spirit!

"Yes, yes, my husband is really amazing." Xia Mingyue cooperated very well and said, "I went to Madam He's house this afternoon. Mr. He gave me a bucket of Huiyun Spring water and a can of Longjing tea. I'll make you a cup of tea."

"I'll help my wife." Lu Qiyan happily followed Xia Mingyue to work.

He did not allow the servants to boil water in the big pot. He only asked people to prepare a charcoal stove and a clay pot, fill it seven-tenths with spring water, and boil it over high heat.

The tea leaves are placed in a covered bowl and boiling hot tea is poured on it. The rich aroma immediately spreads out and fills the room with the fragrance.

Blow away the hot air in the teacup and take a sip along the edge of the teacup. The aroma will enter your mouth and linger for a long time.

"good."

Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji were quite impressed with the tea, but after drinking a cup of tea, they both started rubbing their stomachs at the same time.

Some are hungry.

I had fun at the inn in the afternoon. Although I drank some wine and ate roasted lamb, I also consumed a lot of energy. Now I really feel hungry in my stomach.

Xia Mingyue laughed when she saw this, "Tell me, what do you two want to eat?"

"Noodle!"

The two people gave the same answer almost at the same time.

"Okay." Xia Mingyue responded with a smile, "Then let's make noodles, a big bowl for each person!"

“Woof woof woof, woof woof woof!” Wu Jin also came to join in the fun.

"Okay, you have a share too." Xia Mingyue reached out and rubbed Wu Jin's forehead, rolled up her sleeves and went to the kitchen.