Border Cook

"Okay." Fan Jinglan agreed straightforwardly, "But if we just keep fighting with fists and feet, it will lose a lot of fun. If we use weapons, the venue is not big enough and it is easy to hurt others by mistake. How about we fight archery on horseback next time?"

It is early autumn, the weather is clear, the sky is high, the clouds are light and the wind is gentle. It is perfect to find an open space and set up a few targets.

Just thinking about it makes me feel good!
"If you really want to compete in archery, why don't you go to the farm?" Xia Mingyue suggested. "The last time I went to the farm to fish, I heard Manager Guo mention that the farm had previously raised some rabbits. They were planning to sell the rabbits to increase their income, but due to negligence, a few rabbits escaped and made nests in the farm to survive. Now I don't know how many nests they have given birth to. They often gnaw on the crops and vegetables, which is a headache for Manager Guo and others."

"You two can go and decide who has the best archery skills by the number of rabbits shot. You can also solve some problems for the farm. The rabbits you hunt can be used to make a big pot of braised rabbits for you to satisfy your cravings. It's a win-win situation. How do you think?"

"Good idea!" Fan Jinglan immediately expressed her agreement.

She hadn't hunted for a long time, and Xia Mingyue's words immediately piqued her interest. Not only was she itching to go hunting, but hunting these rabbits could also help Xia Mingyue solve some of the troubles on the farm.

Why not do it.

Fan Jinglan agreed, so Xia Yunji naturally said, "I'm happy to do so."

After this matter was settled, Fan Jinglan and Xia Yunji immediately discussed riding horses to the farm early the next morning.

Xia Mingyue also sent someone to the farm to inform Manager Guo in advance so that they could make preparations in advance.

Everything was arranged properly, and seeing that it was getting late, Xia Mingyue asked someone to set lunch.

Lunch was spicy grilled fish.

After cleaning a whole fresh grass carp, cut it in half from the abdomen, spread it evenly with various seasonings such as rice wine, onion, ginger, soy sauce, cumin, salt, etc., marinate it, put it in the oven and bake it for the time it takes to make a meal, until the skin is slightly charred.

In a special rectangular cast iron pot, stir-fry the base ingredients of the spicy hot pot, bean paste, onion, ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, peppercorns, etc., add bone broth and then put the roasted fish into the pot. Simmer on low heat for a cup of tea and you can start eating.

Fish meat is tender in itself. The method of roasting it first and then stewing it makes the fish meat tender but not dry, and the meat is not loose. It is also flavorful enough and tastes fresh, spicy and appetizing.

Eat most of the fish meat, then stew the prepared fish balls, fish tofu, bean curd, vegetarian chicken, vegetables and other things you want in the soup. It tastes like strong fish fragrance and spicy flavor, which is even better than hot pot.

If these are not enough to fill you up, you can cook some unleavened bread or have a bowl of rice, so that the staple food can absorb the broth from the grilled fish. It is rich and satisfying when you take a bite...

good to eat!

Lunch was eaten quite slowly, from noon until the sun set in the west. Only then did everyone feel somewhat satisfied, and they even put down their bowls and chopsticks reluctantly.

Because lunch was eaten slowly and with a full stomach, Xia Mingyue did not ask anyone to prepare a heavy meal in the evening. She only made rice and pumpkin porridge and two or three cold dishes.

The pumpkin in early autumn is fully mature but not too old. Peel the skin and remove the pulp, cut into small pieces, and cook it with rice. Cook it for a long enough time. Stir it with a spoon and it will blend completely with the rice grains. It tastes soft and delicious, full of fragrance, and has the unique sweet taste of pumpkin, which is quite comfortable. You don't have to eat any staple food. Pair it with light and delicious autumn cucumbers, long beans with sesame sauce, and cold green bean sprouts and bean curd. Drinking one or two bowls will make you feel full and comfortable.

Everyone was very satisfied and comfortable with the meal.

The next morning, Fan Jinglan and Xia Yunji left home early as agreed the day before and headed for the farm and orchard.

Disliked the slow speed of the carriage, the two men simply rode horses for more convenient travel.

Ying'er had served Fan Jinglan since she was a child and grew up with her. Although she didn't have much martial arts skills, she was quite skilled in riding a horse, so she also rode a horse and followed behind.

It had been a long time since she went hunting in the suburbs. Fan Jinglan was very happy and almost galloped on horseback all the way, enjoying the pleasure of the whistling wind blowing past her ears.

Xia Yunji thought that Fan Jinglan wanted to compete with him in horse riding, so he simply squeezed the horse's belly and followed.

Seeing this, Fan Jinglan was not willing to be outdone.

Although Ying'er could ride a horse, she was not as good as Fan Jinglan and Xia Yunji, and she did not like it. Seeing that she could not keep up, she did not follow so closely and just ran slowly behind.

It was early autumn, the sky was high and the clouds were light. At this time of morning light, the whole earth was bathed in the rising sun, glowing with gold and pink brought by the glow. It was beautiful and spectacular when viewed from a distance.

And in this huge beautiful picture outlined by blue sky, white clouds, green trees, crops and sunshine, two people and two horses galloped away, raising clouds of dust, which made people's hearts more excited.

Especially since Fan Jinglan was wearing a red dress today, looking as warm as fire, while Xia Yunji was wearing a sky-blue dress, looking elegant and pure. The two silhouettes were put together, clearly in two different styles, yet surprisingly coordinated, which was pleasing to the eye and very well matched...

Wait, a good match?
What the hell is she thinking about!
Ying'er shook her head, getting rid of all the irrelevant thoughts, and then pulled the reins in her hand, "Go!"

Here, Xia Mingyue went to the Wufu Workshop.

Xia Mingyue had heard that the government office had caught a few people engaging in speculation and reselling goods from the Wufu Workshop yesterday, so she went to find Manager Wu of the Wufu Workshop to discuss countermeasures.

"Don't worry, Madam Xia. Wufu Workshop has already sent out a notice to severely punish those who take advantage of loopholes. The government will also pay attention to these things during routine patrols. I am also considering whether to add a reward measure to encourage people to report such behavior." Manager Wu said.

"These are what we need to do, but I'm thinking about something else." Xia Mingyue paused and said, "Many small vendors go to these people to buy goods, which shows that we are not doing enough in two aspects."

"First, the Wufu Workshop's preferential treatment for purchasing goods was not clearly explained, so some people misunderstood or could not calculate the accounts, and were deceived and fooled by others with a few words."

"Secondly, we have this tiered pricing, firstly to promote sales and increase the vendors' stickiness in purchasing, and secondly to give preferential treatment to those big customers and old customers. However, in this way, those vendors who originally wanted to supplement their family income will naturally feel that they are at a disadvantage and try to find more discounts. There is a demand for this, so of course there are people who will plan for this kind of thing and do this kind of business." (End of this chapter)