The Marquis's line has ended? The pregnant maid is pregnant again!

Whether it was the hot weather or the warmth from that bowl of plain noodles, Lu Jihan felt incredibly excited.

The softness on his arm was too obvious and too comfortable for him.

Lu Jihan stared at the little girl in front of him. Her bright, clear eyes looked at him so tenderly, so delicate and gentle.

Her red lips opened and closed, her voice was beautiful, and the words she uttered were captivating.

The delicate skin on my feet felt so soft and supple, and the friction sent a tingling sensation through me.

He had tasted this mouth.

He had also tasted the soft flesh that clung to his arm.

He had also seen those small feet.

It was precisely because he had tasted and seen it that he knew all too well what kind of sweetheart this girl in front of him truly was.

Shen Qinghe boldly wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Master, please be gentle with me just this once tonight, okay? Just once, and I won't pester you any longer."

The soft flesh of her chest pressed against his chest, rubbing slowly.

"Consider it a token of my gratitude to the old lady..."

Shen Qinghe was speaking when her words were cut off before she could finish.

Lu Jihan wrapped his arm around her.

Then came a fierce storm that continued unabated into the night.

-

The next day, in the kitchen.

"Oh, Miss Qinghe, why are you so late today? The masters' lunch has already been delivered."

When Li's mother saw that Shen Qinghe arrived late, she asked her a couple of questions.

Shen Qinghe's legs were still weak. She had only begged once last night, but once a military general turned into a beast, it was not something that could be stopped in a short time.

From the moment the kiss began, everything was beyond Shen Qinghe's control.

So Shen Qinghe woke up late, looking refreshed. She had recovered a bit by now, otherwise her walking would have been noticeable.

Shen Qinghe smiled apologetically, "I had some trouble sleeping last night, so I got up a little late today. Have you sent over the food, Master?"

"Young Marquis? He is not at home today. I don't know why he went to court and didn't come back. I have already sent someone to tell him not to send him dinner. I heard he is training troops at the drill ground outside the city. The Thousand Buddha Festival will be coming soon. At that time, Chang'an will be very lively. The soldiers in the military camp will be responsible for the city's defense and will also be responsible for the situation at the Thousand Buddha Festival."

As she spoke, Li Mama added with some worry, "I heard that the old lady's appetite is still not good. According to Kang Mama, the old lady has been craving cold things these past two days, and the family physician has advised her not to eat too many cold foods. I really don't know what else we should do?"

Shen Qinghe thought for a moment, and then an idea came to her: "Mother Li, we can make winter melon drink?"

"Winter melon drink??"

When Li's mother heard this, she became a little interested, as sour plum drink was a common summer beverage.

"Yes, winter melon is warm in nature, which is good for the old lady's health. At the same time, we can add a few other warming medicinal herbs, so even if it cools down, it won't be considered cold."

Shen Qinghe explained that she had already begun to consider which medicinal herbs to use.

"Alright, alright, Miss Qinghe, feel free to use the kitchen."

Li's mother readily agreed, and she had her own considerations.

Firstly, Shen Qinghe is the only one in the young marquis's courtyard who has served him several times, so it would be best to treat her kindly.

Secondly, Shen Qinghe's ideas are often innovative and different from their usual practices. Perhaps their usual practices are not particularly outstanding, but at least they don't make mistakes.

If the novel dishes that Shen Qinghe came up with were successful, they would win the favor of her masters, and she would be remembered for her good deeds.

If they fail and anger their masters, they can't blame the people in the kitchen.

Shen Qinghe entered the kitchen as usual, picked up her set of kitchen utensils, and began to cook.

No need to peel the winter melon. Remove the seeds and clean it, cut it into chunks, put it in clean hot water, and simmer for half an hour.

Next, take the winter melon out of the water, mash it, filter it through a fine gauze to remove the residue, add a few pieces of yellow rock sugar, simmer the winter melon soup until it turns greenish-blue, let it cool, and then add a few slices of lemon.

Throughout the process, the two or three maids beside her tried to help, but they had never made winter melon drink before and had little experience.

Shen Qinghe couldn't bear to let them keep working there, so she did it herself.

The most time-consuming part is crushing the winter melon and then filtering it.

Shen Qinghe held a stone pestle about half the length of an infant's arm and hammered until her arm ached. Finally, she finished the task and poured the liquid back into the ceramic pot to boil.

The fire was blazing, and the winter melon in the pot was bubbling and steaming, the porcelain lid and the pot making a crisp sound as they collided.

Shen Qinghe thought it was almost ready, so she took the thick cloth from the side, lifted the pot lid, and stirred the winter melon drink inside with the spoon in her hand.

To everyone's surprise, the spoon struck the pot with a dull, heavy sound.

Shen Qinghe was startled, feeling that something was off about the sound. Logically, the collision of ceramics should produce a crisp sound.

The next moment, it really happened—

The ceramic soup pot was boiling, and the water kept rising higher and higher until it suddenly exploded with a "bang!"

Shen Qinghe had already prepared herself, so she wasn't entirely at a loss. She quickly retreated to the side.

But the whole pot of winter melon drink exploded, and the scalding soup splashed everywhere, still burning Shen Qinghe's hand.

In the blink of an eye, a large red patch appeared on Shen Qinghe's originally snow-white hand.

"Miss Qinghe?! What happened??"

Upon hearing the noise, Madam Li rushed in with the maid who was speaking outside, and immediately went to check the situation.

All that could be seen was the greenish-blue winter melon drink, which had splashed all over the stove, and even the floor and Shen Qinghe's clothes were covered in it.

The ceramic soup pot was shattered into pieces, resembling an explosion site, a complete mess.

"Mrs. Li, I'm sorry."

Shen Qinghe stared at the red mark on the back of her hand with a sullen face, her gaze falling on the ceramic soup pot.

"Oh dear, Qinghe, it's good that you're alright. But you've always been a superb cook, especially skilled in the kitchen—more so than the maids who serve here. How come you can do this too? That's not normal!"

Li's mother thought to herself that it hadn't been long since Shen Yun'er burned down her kitchen.

It would be a lie to say that Shen Yun'er's cooking skills are poor and that she can burn down the kitchen.

but…

With Shen Qinghe's culinary skills, she could at most make one or two novel dishes that weren't delicious enough. How could she possibly have caused the soup pot to explode?

Shen Qinghe was very confident in her cooking skills, and even more confident in the cooking process she had just completed. She walked up and carefully examined the soup pot, a guess forming in her mind: "Aunt Li, besides me, who else has been in the kitchen today?"

"Yes! Chen Xiaoniang's personal maid came to pick up some things."

-

When Lu Jihan returned to the mansion, it was dinnertime.

As usual, Shen Qinghe carried a food box to deliver the food. As soon as Lu Jihan sat down, his gaze fell on her.

Before the food was even served, Shen Qinghe heard him ask, "What happened to your hand?"