But Su Yujin naturally couldn’t tell such little tricks to others in public.
“Growing vegetables and mushrooms doesn’t require much land. When there’s time, you can set up a few acres in the county outskirts; it’s closer and more convenient.”
Seeing Su Yujin’s answer, He Yanxiu paused for a moment before nodding, “Okay, come whenever it’s convenient for you.”
After all, his own farm was not far from Qinghe County, but it took two hours to get there by carriage. It takes most of the day to go there and back, which was really tiring.
For things like this, the closer and more convenient it was, the better.
It was just that whatever he gave to Su Yujin, she always accepted it with great joy.
But this time…
Rejected.
He suddenly felt an indescribable discomfort in his heart.
Su Yujin could also see that He Yanxiu was acting strange, so she quickly changed the subject, “Second Master, are you going to leave tonight, or are you going to have dinner here? If you are going to have dinner, I’ll have someone prepare it early.”
“Eat here and stay for two or three days before leaving.” He Yanxiu replied.
“Okay, then tonight…” Su Yujin paused, “How about eating lamb ribs? I got a fresh whole lamb a few years ago. I sorted the meat into categories. The spine is intact, so I can make a stew with it. I can also put some vegetables and frozen tofu in the pot. It will taste good and keep you warm.”
The most important thing was that it could be stewed in one pot, she could just ask Ai Cao and Liu Mama to wash and prepare some side dishes, which is quite convenient. There’s no need to rack your brain thinking of various dishes.
“All good.”
He trusted Su Yujin’s craftsmanship.
Moreover, although from what Su Yujin said, lamb ribs seemed to be just stewed lamb bones, the name sounded very unique.
He thought it should taste very good.
He Yanxiu could now distinguish a little bit of the taste, and he was looking forward to eating more and more. He couldn’t help swallowing his saliva twice.
Su Yujin poured more hot tea for He Yanxiu and told Ai Cao and Mother Liu to prepare things.
When He Yanxiu’s time was almost up, so she pulled out the silver needle.
After each acupuncture treatment, He Yanxiu felt much more relaxed, and this time was no exception.
Because he had been sitting for a long time, He Yanxiu was now able to move freely, so he walked back and forth in the yard. Seeing several large water tanks in the yard, each with a few fish in it, he went to take a look.
In one tank, there were crucian carp; in another, there were carp; in another tank, grass carp; and in yet another tank…
He Yanxiu noticed that the last tank was empty and, somewhat surprised, asked Su Yujin, who was busy, “What was in this tank? I don’t see anything.”
“Shrimp “虾 (xiā) which means shrimp sounds somewhat similar to “瞎” (xiā), which means “blind.”,” Su Yujin replied without looking up.
He Yanxiu, “……”
Xing’an, “……”
Had Miss Su become so bold now? Despite her being highly valued and generously treated by the Second Master due to her medical skills, it was still unusual for her to speak so freely to her superior.
He Yanxiu paused for a moment, then looked up, “Is it river shrimp?”
“Of course,” Su Yujin replied, somewhat puzzled by the question.
Naturally, it wasn’t sea shrimp.
Only then did Xing’an’s anxious heart settle.
He had indeed been blind.
And perhaps a bit foolish…
After Su Yujin, Liu Mama, and Ai Cao worked together, a steaming pot of lamb spine stew was served after the sunset. A whole lamb’s spine had been stewed in a large iron pot, and it was divided into two clay pots—one for Su Yujin and He Yanxiu, and the other for Liu Mama, Ai Cao, and Xing’an to eat in another room.
The dish was braised with a bright-colored broth, rich in flavor. The lamb spine simmered with the thick soup, bubbling away with a rich aroma that filled the air, making one’s mouth water just from the smell.
When eaten, the frozen tofu and fresh cabbage leaves that had absorbed the rich flavor of the stew, were delicious and wonderfully flavored.
Even someone like He Yanxiu, who had an unusual sense of taste, found the lamb spine stew extremely delicious, eating with gusto and not able to stop.
The night was windy.
Inside the house, it was warm and filled with a fragrant aroma.
Outside the house, the cold wind rustled the branches and occasionally the cotton curtains were lifted.
After the curtains shook again, Su Yujin couldn’t stand the noise anymore and prepared to get up and close the door.
He Yanxiu stopped her and said, “Don’t worry. If you close the door, the greedy cat won’t be able to sneak in.”
Su Yujin was a little confused, “Cat?”
Or was it just a greedy person?
Where did such creatures come from?
Before Su Yujin could say that there had never been a cat in the house, the curtain was lifted and a figure wearing a water lotus red cloak entered the room.
She was a pretty young girl of about fifteen or sixteen, with an oval face, willow-shaped eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes. She took off her cloak, revealing a tight-fitting outfit in the same water lotus red color with narrow sleeves.
Seeing He Yanzheng sitting at the table and eating the delicious hot pot with gusto, Lu Wenjing frowned and pouted, “Biǎogē, if you already knew I was outside, why did you say it now? I have been freezing outside for so long in vain.”
“If you hadn’t followed me here secretly, you wouldn’t have been cold.” He Yanxiu didn’t even raise his head as he scooped a piece of frozen tofu from the pot.
By the way, it was the first time he had eaten tofu frozen into a honeycomb shape, and it tasted really good.
When he returns to the capital city in the future, he could ask the chef at home to cook this for him.
“I’m just curious.” Lu Wenjing chuckled, “My six brothers are all discussing what kind of beauty this mistress was that made my biǎogē not stay in the capital on New Year’s Day and brave the cold wind to come to Qinghe County.”
“I thought, instead of guessing, I might as well come and take a look myself, so I rode to Qinghe County to look for you, my biǎogē.”
When He Yanxiu heard this, the chopsticks in his hand paused in the air for a moment, “How many people’s yards did you jump into before you got here?”
“Not many, only about thirty or so…”
He Yanxiu, “…”
Su Yujin, “…”
Good one, not much.
Seeing that He Yanxiu was about to start a lecture, Lu Wenjing said hurriedly, “I was very careful and definitely did not alert the host. In fact, when I arrived at this courtyard, I thought that you, biǎogē, probably weren’t here.”
Because the flower beds in the yard were all planted with vegetables, and the big tanks were full of edible fish, it didn’t look like the yard where a mistress lived.
“But I heard the voice of that brat Xing’an, and I took a peek through the gap in the curtain…”

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