The strong wind blew away the heavy dark clouds, and the sky was clear the next day.
Every household took out their clothes and quilts to hang out to dry, and some were talking and laughing. The scene was very leisurely.
This was the first scene Lu Yunchu saw when he pushed the door open. A smile spread across his face, and he turned around and said to Wen Zhan, "This kind of country life is not bad."
Wen Zhan followed him out. As the sun shone on his face, he couldn't help but squint his eyes and curl up the corners of his mouth.
Seeing Lu Yunchu leave, Ah Yue came out from nowhere and asked carefully: "What would you like to eat for breakfast? There is a pig in the village. If you want to eat meat, we can kill the pig now."
Lu Yunchu looked at the sky. It was getting late. "I'll just eat something casually. I'll light the fire and cook at noon. As for slaughtering the pig..." She looked at A Yue, and seeing anticipation in her eyes, she said, "Kill it." They didn't eat the pigs even though they raised them, so they would eventually send them to the city to sell. If they didn't sell them to Lu Yunchu, they could save the time of running errands and earn more money.
The pig was about to be slaughtered, and the village suddenly became lively.
Lu Yunchu was infected by the excitement and followed their team forward. Later, he was dissuaded by the miserable sound of pigs being slaughtered and silently retreated back.
Wen Zhan was standing at the door waiting for her. When he saw her come back, a smile of "I had already expected it" appeared on his face.
Lu Yunchu shrugged helplessly and was about to say something when the captain of the guards came over and stopped her.
Lu Yunchu turned around and the captain of the guard whispered a few words to him.
The smile on Wen Zhan's face disappeared, his shoulders slumped, and his eyebrows drooped.
He went back to the house, took out the book that was disturbing his mind, and stuffed it at the back of the carriage.
After the captain of the guards finished speaking, Lu Yunchu turned around and found that Wen Zhan was missing. He looked around and saw him curled up in the carriage, wondering what he was thinking about.
Lu Yunchu knocked on the carriage wall: "Wen Zhan?"
Wen Zhan was thinking about something, and her voice startled him. With a "bang", his head hit the roof of the carriage.
"What are you doing sitting here?"
Wen Zhan shook his head to indicate that he was not serious.
According to their previous interactions, Lu Yunchu would have asked questions to the end, but today she just nodded, said "hmm", turned around and left.
Wen Zhan looked at her back and gradually frowned.
Lu Yunchu appeared calm on the surface, but as soon as he turned the corner, he secretly peeked in the direction of the carriage.
Yu Niang said that the second step was to play hard to get, to be close and distant at times, so that he would feel uncomfortable with no one around and would not be able to get used to it.
Fortunately, because of the carriage, Lu Yunchu couldn't see the lonely look on Wen Zhan's face, otherwise he would have changed his expression immediately and stuck close to him.
She was walking back and happened to meet A Yue.
Ah Yue looked a little embarrassed and said to Lu Yunchu, "Sir, we don't have enough white rice." Even if we had enough, it wouldn't be enough for Lu Yunchu and his friends to eat. The rice husks were still there, and they were all broken and old rice.
Lu Yunchu was stunned for a moment: "We have it in the carriage, don't worry."
A Yue breathed a sigh of relief. Just now the captain of the guards stuffed a huge piece of silver into her hand, which frightened her so much that she was trembling with fear, fearing that she was not serving him well.
She put on a smile and walked towards the flat open space in the village. Lu Yunchu followed her and chatted with her: "What do you usually eat?"
"Bean rice." A Yue replied.
Just as I walked to the open space, I saw it was covered with colorful beans.
"Is this what you usually eat?"
“Rice will be mixed in.”
Lu Yunchu nodded and said casually: "Do you know that there are many ways to eat beans. Tofu skin, tofu pudding, tofu, dried tofu... Different cooking methods have different tastes, such as boiled tofu skin, stir-fried tofu skin, pan-fried tofu skin, braised tofu skin-" She paused here.
She just said it casually, but when she said it to Ah Yue, it felt like "Why don't you eat meat?"
She turned to look at Ah Yue guiltily, only to see Ah Yue's eyes wide open with a surprised expression: "Your Excellency is knowledgeable about food."
As long as she wasn't angry, Lu Yunchu felt relieved and said embarrassedly, "Not really, I'm just greedy."
A Yue looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and swallowed the words in his heart.
Lu Yunchu decided to have a good lunch at noon and prepare early. She told Ah Yue about it, and Ah Yue took her to the family with the best kitchen in the village.
He ordered the head maid and the guards to take the food off the carriage, and with the help of the village women, Lu Yunchu began to prepare lunch.
When the rice is steamed, the kitchen is immediately filled with the aroma of hot rice, and every breath of it brings a feeling of happiness.
Because Lu Yunchu planned to eat with everyone, she prepared to make a big pot of rice with a large portion and not too elaborate cooking. She thought about it and finally decided to make sauerkraut and pork stewed with vermicelli.
Sour cabbage and pork stewed with vermicelli is a dish that is mainly made of sauerkraut, pork belly and vermicelli, and also contains blood sausage and frozen tofu. The vermicelli is stewed in a large pot, and it looks very substantial. After absorbing the soup, the vermicelli expands and becomes thicker, gurgling and jumping, making the soup thicker. At first glance, it is full of ingredients.
The taste of pickled cabbage is particularly strong, with a hint of saltiness, which penetrates into the nose, making the root of the tongue itch and drooling. Stewing meat with firewood is the best way to enhance the flavor. When stewing over a low fire, the sour aroma of pickled cabbage permeates all the ingredients, lingering out of the kitchen and spreading throughout the yard.
More and more people gathered in the yard. The child was smelling the scent, but when he was discovered by the adults, they all ran away, and came back after a while.
By the time the sauerkraut and pork stewed with vermicelli was ready, several groups of children had already been driven away.
Lu Yunchu was also hungry, and smiled at the women who were helping around him, "Call everyone over here."
They were stunned and didn't understand what Lu Yunchu meant.
"We have to steam so much rice, and there are only about 30 of us, how can we finish it?"
"This..." They thought they could get some soup base for their children, but they didn't expect the nobleman to be so generous.
They couldn't come up with an idea, and they looked at each other. Finally, A Yue came and said, "Thank you very much, sir. Let the children come over."
Regardless of whether the portion was enough, everyone focused on the children first.
A bowl of white rice and a bowl of pickled cabbage and pork stewed with vermicelli, just smelling it makes you feel comfortable. The children can't wait, squatting on the ground with their bowls in hand and start to wolf down.
The sauerkraut is steaming hot. When you put it in your mouth, the rich salty and fresh taste immediately makes your teeth itch. The white meat lives up to its name, with more fat. It looks white, tender and soft. The fat is soaked in the soup, and the sour taste of the sauerkraut scrapes away the greasiness. Only the aroma of meat is left. The pork belly is rich in fat and meat, and it tastes rich. A bite of meat and a bite of sauerkraut are a perfect match.
Even the most ordinary tofu has become delicious. The pores have absorbed the soup, so it feels heavy and dripping when you pick it up. When you put it in your mouth, it is tender, sour and fragrant, and it goes very well with rice. The vermicelli is stewed until it is soft and absorbs the essence of sauerkraut and white meat. It is soft, chewy and very tasty. It not only goes well with rice, but also fills your stomach. Just eating the vermicelli is a blessing.
It is worthy of being a daily dish in Northeast China. The more common it is, the more cozy and delicious it tastes, warming both the heart and the stomach.
The children were grinning as they ate, and the adults couldn't help but smile as well. Everyone ate in silence, wishing they could bury their heads in their bowls.
A Yue walked towards Lu Yunchu, looking like she had something to say.
Lu Yunchu stopped what he was doing and asked her, "What do you want to say?"
She hesitated for a long time, a faint blush on her wheat-colored face: "Madam, you, you are a good person."
This made Lu Yunchu laugh. It seemed like he was asking for something. “How can you be considered a good person just for a meal?”
Ah Yue glanced at her, took a deep breath, and mustered up her courage: "Madam, you said this morning that there are many ways to eat beans. Can you tell me?" After she finished speaking, she immediately added, "If not, forget it. Please don't be angry."
Lu Yunchu didn't expect this to happen. She nodded: "Of course, I have nothing to do anyway. How about I teach you this afternoon?"
Ah Yue was not expecting her to be so straightforward. She looked at her in surprise. After she realized what was happening, she smiled with her big white teeth and said, "Okay, of course."
After all, he is still a child. When he is happy, he jumps and runs out of the kitchen.
Lu Yunchu smiled helplessly, and served two bowls of sauerkraut and pork stewed with vermicelli for himself and Wen Zhan, and poured them directly into the rice. It would be a shame not to use the delicious soup to mix with rice. The sauerkraut soup seeped into the plump rice, giving the rice a sour, fragrant, salty and fresh taste, and it was most enjoyable to eat with a spoon.
She found Wen Zhan in the carriage and said to him, "Wen Zhan, come out for dinner."
Wen Zhan poked his head out, his face still filled with distress, as if he had encountered some difficult problem. When he saw Lu Yunchu, his brows relaxed slightly, and a smile unconsciously appeared in his eyes.
Lu Yunchu sat on the wooden board on the shaft of the cart, handed the bowl to Wen Zhan, and dangled his feet in the air.
Wen Zhan sat next to her, took the big bowl, sniffed the taste, and his eyes lit up. He picked up the spoon and took a sip, with a look of amazement on his face.
"like?"
Wen Zhan nodded.
She jokingly quipped, “You like everything. Is there anything in the world that you don’t like to eat?”
Wen Zhan was holding the bowl and blowing hot air off it. Hearing this, he turned around, his eyes curved with a smile, and shook his head.
Lu Yunchu said: "That's because you haven't eaten enough."
Wen Zhan tilted his head slightly. What he said made sense, and he nodded in agreement.
When they were together, Lu Yunchu always talked, and he listened quietly and responded with a smile. Today was no exception. The two sat side by side on the wooden board, with continuous mountain peaks in front of them. The tops of the mountains were dotted with unmelted white snow, and they were dyed with a layer of warm colors under the warm sunlight.
"A Yue came to me just now and asked me to teach her how to make beans." Lu Yunchu murmured, "I feel... strange and sad."
Wen Zhan raised his eyebrows slightly, expressing his confusion, and motioned for her to continue.
This made Lu Yunchu feel awkward. She touched the back of her neck and said vaguely, "I just feel that they are all very simple and honest, and they are all living very seriously."
Wen Zhan nodded in agreement, but he couldn't understand her feelings.
He patted her shoulder and told her not to be sad.
Lu Yunchu put aside all the feelings in his heart, smiled at Wen Zhan, and buried his head in eating.
In the afternoon, she found A Yue and, in addition to the basic methods, carefully taught her many dishes that were simple to make but tasted great.
Ah Yue was very grateful for this, and soon she started a relaxed conversation with Lu Yunchu: "I want to go to town to do some business and make some money after winter, so that the children don't have to eat bean rice all the time."
After she finished speaking, she blushed and explained, "I know it's not easy to make money, but I just want to give it a try. Tofu is expensive in town. Last time I went there, I was shocked by the price. We don't have anything else here, but the tofu-making skills are pretty good. Also, I heard that those wealthy families love to eat wild game. When spring comes, I'll go into the mountains to set traps and hunt..."
While she was studying seriously, she was blabbering about her future plans, which made Lu Yunchu feel even more uncomfortable.
In the story, she was ultimately unable to wait for the planned "spring", and the entire village became a backdrop for innocent sacrifices.
In addition to how to cook beans, Lu Yunchu tried his best to teach her all the cooking skills he could think of, from the making of soy sauce and sauces to stir-frying, sautéing, roasting, and braising. He explained them in detail several times, just hoping that the illiterate A Yue could remember them.
One night a few days later, Lu Yunchu was sleeping soundly when Wen Zhan suddenly sat up and woke him up.
He gestured to her, pressed his back to signal her to continue sleeping, picked up the dagger on the box, and pushed the door open.
Lu Yunchu’s sleepiness was completely gone. She sat up, hugged the quilt and waited.
After a while, the sound of swords clashing and fighting came from afar, occasionally mixed with heart-wrenching cries of pain.
Lu Yunchu's heart was pounding and his mind was in a mess. He got out of bed, put on his coat, opened the door and looked outside.
This place was not far from the entrance of the village, but nothing could be seen clearly in the dark. She could only make sure that the guards were guarding the village and preventing the bandits from entering.
She originally wanted to wait for Captain Wen Zhan to come back, but she didn't expect that the first person to come was A Yue.
Her clothes were disheveled and her hair was disheveled. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lu Yunchu and said breathlessly, "I'm glad you're okay. Come on, follow me and go up the mountain from behind the village."
The panic in her eyes was about to overflow. Lu Yunchu touched her head and said, "The village must be blocked. Didn't you hear the shouting and killing?"
Ah Yue burst into tears: "I don't know. As soon as I heard the noise, I came to find you immediately. Then, then..."
Lu Yunchu quickly comforted him, "My people also live in the house behind the village, so they should be fine."
Only then did A Yue feel relieved. Without saying anything more, she ran to the back of the village to make sure everyone was safe.
It was unknown how much time had passed before the cold wind numbed Lu Yunchu's face and the shouting and screaming gradually faded away.
Wen Zhan came over first, his sides covered with drops of blood, his expression grim.
Seeing her standing outside, he frowned disapprovingly and walked over quickly, trying to get her into the house.
When he was about to get close to her, he stopped and realized that he was dirty and should not go forward.
He pointed inside the house and asked her to go in.
Lu Yunchu suddenly stepped forward, and before Wen Zhan had time to step back, she grabbed his hand.
"Are you hurt?"
Wen Zhan shook his head.
"Where are the guards?"
He frowned and nodded solemnly.
His hands were very cold, and he smelled strongly of blood. Lu Yunchu wanted to say something, but finally sighed and said, "Go in and change your clothes first, warm yourself up, and wait until everyone is settled, then get some hot water to wash yourself."
Wen Zhan nodded, now was not the time to talk.
He entered the house and the captain of the guard soon came over.
"Is everyone seriously injured?" Lu Yunchu's first question was to ask about the injuries.
"It's not serious, but the injury I got last time hasn't healed yet, and I got new injuries this time. This group of people is not easy to deal with. Next time I meet them..."
He hesitated to speak.
At this time, the lights in the village were gradually lit up, and the women and children who had been hiding in the houses came out to inquire about the situation. After learning that they had escaped a great disaster, they gathered together, clasped their hands and kowtowed to express their gratitude to God.
What is there to thank God for
The countless people turned into dry bones, just stepping stones for the hero to climb to the top. It is said that the world is unkind and treats all things as straw dogs, but in her opinion, the world actually has preferences. Emperors and generals are blessed by nature, but ordinary people who live very seriously are not worthy of being favored
Lu Yunchu made a decision: "You write a letter to tell Wen Jue about this." Telling Wen Jue would mean that her abduction of Wen Zhan would be exposed, and the future would be involved in uncertainty.
She sighed, "Don't tell him where I went."
The guard nodded, and without allowing anyone to stay any longer, he turned around and rode towards the town.
Lu Yunchu felt a little worried and frustrated, so he turned around and went into the house.
Wen Zhan was wiping the blood off his fingers. The dagger he used inevitably splashed blood on his face, and blood drops scattered on his pale cheeks like petals, with a blood line running through the middle, which looked strangely beautiful.
When Lu Yunchu walked over, he immediately put down his handkerchief and looked at her.
She took the handkerchief and wiped the blood off his face before it dried.
"I may have made a mistake just now," she murmured.
Wen Zhan was puzzled.
She didn't explain, but just said, "I said I wanted to escape, but I slowly got involved."
She was in a low mood, and Wen Zhan felt sad. He grabbed her wrist and wanted to hold her hand to comfort her.
The candlelight flickered, and Lu Yunchu's pupils suddenly shrank.
The cut on Wen Zhan's hand that had not healed for a long time disappeared, replaced by a circle of brown-black scar marks.