Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 13 Should I continue to pretend?

Ye Jiayao slept until dawn, and when she woke up, Xia Chunyu was gone. There was a pile of women's clothes next to the pillow, and they all seemed to be new. Was this the clothes that Peng Wu brought back?
Ye Jiayao rummaged through the clothes and picked out a silver-red bellyband, a moon-white floral jacket and a scarlet pleated silk skirt. She quickly changed out of the loose robe she was wearing and put on the new clothes. When she got out of bed, she was shocked to see seven or eight pairs of embroidered shoes in various colors neatly placed in front of the bed.

Damn, which woman doesn’t like beautiful clothes and pretty shoes? Ye Jiayao felt as if the plum blossoms had finally bloomed. She was so happy.

Considering that he performed a shaman dance for her last night, that she used him as a tripod all night, and that she had so many beautiful new clothes today, Ye Jiayao decided to forgive his ferocity and cruelty.

Everyone can be transformed! From what we can see now, he still has a lot of room for improvement.

There was food on the round table. The first thing that caught her eye was a bowl of red wild strawberries. Ye Jiayao smiled. This guy was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.

After eating two wild strawberries, Ye Jiayao went to lift the basket next to her. Inside was white porridge and buns, with the meat already removed from the buns.

Woohoo... It turns out this guy has such a considerate and thoughtful side. Ye Jiayao was so moved that she almost cried. While drinking the white porridge, she wondered whether she should continue pretending to be sick.
The fever has subsided. She doesn't know whether it was because Mr. Liu's medicine took effect or because she was in a good mood, but she would never admit that it was his soul-calling credit. She was an intellectual who had received higher education in the 21st century and did not believe in such a bizarre theory.

It can be seen that his patience is almost at its limit. If he continues to challenge himself, he may really get bored. Potential must be tapped bit by bit, and patience must be cultivated bit by bit. Don't rush, otherwise it will be counterproductive.

After Ye Jiayao had eaten and drunk her fill, she opened the door and went out. She saw the kitchen door was open and a smell of medicine wafted out from inside. When she went in, she saw Song Qi squatting in front of the stove, fanning the fire and decocting medicine for her.

"Song Qi."

"Sister-in-law, you're up. That's great. Sister-in-law, you're finally fine." Song Qi said happily. Now that his sister-in-law has recovered from her illness, the Third Master's face won't be so sour anymore. Also, it means there will be good food to eat again.

"Where is the third in command?" Ye Jiayao asked.

"The Third Master left early in the morning without saying where he was going. Peng Wu took the brothers to practice, leaving me at home to make medicine for sister-in-law! By the way, sister-in-law, are there enough wild strawberries to eat? If not, I will pick more. There are still many on the mountain, but they will be gone in a few days."

“Did you pick the wild strawberries?”

"Yes, I thought my sister-in-law would like to eat them, so I went to pick them early in the morning."

"Didn't the Third Master order you to do that?"

"Look at what my sister-in-law said, does this little thing really need the Third In Command's orders?" Song Qi said with a smile.

Ye Jiayao's mood suddenly became bad, and she felt a little disappointed. She thought that Fei Fei had done all this for her.

"Thank you, Song Qi." Ye Jiayao forced a smile.

"It's okay, it's okay. You are my sister-in-law! Just tell me if you need anything in the future." Song Qi said flatteringly.

Ye Jiayao thought of something and asked, "Did Peng Wu buy the realgar powder you mentioned when he went down the mountain?"

"I bought it! Sister-in-law, please wait a moment, I'll go get it." Song Qi handed the fan to Ye Jiayao and ran to get the realgar powder.

"Here, I bought a big bag, sister-in-law, why don't you spread it now?" Song Qi opened the paper bag, and a gust of wind happened to blow, and the realgar powder immediately covered his eyes, choking him and making his face full of tears.

Ye Jiayao frowned and said, "If we just pour it out like this, it will be gone in a while. Do we still have any wine here?"

Song Qi cried, "Yes..."

"Go get a jar of wine, pour the realgar powder into it and mix it evenly, then spray it around the yard and on the doors and windows and other places." Ye Jiayao said.

Song Qi hesitated and said, "But there is only one jar of wine left, and that is the Shaoxing Huadiao that Third Master likes the most."

"If the wine is gone, we can just buy more next time." Ye Jiayao felt that preventing insects and snakes was more important.

Song Qi thought, this wine is not easy to buy. Last time, they robbed a caravan in the south and only got five jars. The third master was reluctant to drink it. But since my sister-in-law ordered it, I will do it. It can't be blamed on him.

Song Qi went to spray realgar wine. Ye Jiayao opened the medicine jar, smelled the unpleasant smell, covered her nose and poured the medicine out.

Xia Chunyu came down from the mountain and handed the medicine basket on his back to Uncle Jiang: "Uncle Jiang, give this to Song Qi and ask him to plant it in the backyard."

Uncle Jiang smiled and said, "Okay!"

"Ask Aunt Jiang to help me later."

"Yes, yes. I'll go call her right away."

Xia Chunyu looked towards the direction of his yard, wondering if she was feeling better. It seemed that she no longer had a fever when she went out in the morning.

Ye Jiayao waited until Song Qi had sprayed the front and back yards with realgar wine before she took the basin to the well to wash clothes. Just as she had hoisted the bucket of water up, she heard someone behind her say, "Madam San, leave it alone. I'll do it."

Ye Jiayao turned her head and saw that it was Aunt Jiang.

"Aunt Jiang, why are you here?"

"The Third In Command asked me to come here. You are still sick, how can you do such rough work?" Aunt Jiang snatched the bucket, poured the water into the basin, rolled up her sleeves and started to work.

Ye Jiayao thought about the underwear inside, how could she let others wash it, so she said hurriedly: "I'll do it myself!" Aunt Jiang pushed her away with one hand: "Madam, go and take a rest, I'll finish this work in no time."

Ye Jiayao saw that she was rubbing her red bellyband in her hands, feeling very embarrassed, but she guessed that she couldn't get it back, so she gave up and moved a small stool to sit beside her and chat with her.

Aunt Jiang is also a chatterbox, so she doesn't have to worry about the silence being awkward.

"Madam San, I heard that you were frightened by a snake."

"Yeah, it's scary, Aunt Jiang, have you ever encountered a snake?"

"It's not uncommon to encounter snakes when living in the mountains, but I'm not afraid. My old man planted a lot of creeping grass behind the house. Snakes are most afraid of the smell of this grass and dare not come. Look, the third in command went up the mountain with my old man to pick creeping grass this morning. My old man will come over later and plant it in your yard." Aunt Jiang said.

Ye Jiayao was very surprised. It turned out that he went out early in the morning to pick creeping grass.

"Let me tell you, that creeping lily is not easy to find. It's all on the cliff. It seems that the third in command feels sorry for you." Aunt Jiang smiled intimately.

Ye Jiayao smiled awkwardly and thought: Tsk, I'm not feeling sorry for him at all, he just feels stuffy with the window closed.

"Aunt Jiang, how did you and your family get up the mountain?"

"It's a long story. It's because we were forced to live a hard life. Otherwise, who would be willing to be a bandit? My old man is a carpenter. He makes bows and arrows, traps and other things for the village. He doesn't have to go down the mountain to rob. It's relatively safe."

Ye Jiayao nodded: "Does the third boss have to go down the mountain often?" She remembered that the first boss mentioned attacking Xinyi last night.

Aunt Jiang said, "Before the Third Chief came, the Second Chief had the best martial arts in the village. He led the troops in all battles, big or small. After the Third Chief came, the Second Chief rarely left the mountain."

"Well, I heard that we are going to attack Xinyi Town soon. That's going to be a tough nut to crack. The second in command has tried to capture it several times before but failed. Now it's up to the third in command. If the third in command can capture it, it will be a great achievement."

Ye Jiayao couldn't help but worry. She thought the bandits made a living by robbing. Who knew they would attack another town? Aunt Jiang said that this town was not easy to attack. Would the bandits be in danger? She had just arrived at the mountain village and had not yet established a firm foothold. Even if the bandits were in trouble, they were still her support. If something happened to the bandits, who would she rely on?
Seeing Ye Jiayao silent, Aunt Jiang thought she was worried about the safety of the Third Master, so she said, "Madam Third, don't worry. The Third Master has never suffered a defeat since he came to the mountain! He even took down the most difficult Juxian Village, and only lost a very small number of troops. People in the village say that the Third Master was born at the wrong time, otherwise, he would definitely be a great general."

Ye Jiayao thought to herself, there is no such thing as an ever-victorious general in this world.

As he was speaking, Song Qi came in with an old man, holding a basket of grass in his hand.

"Why did you come just now?" Aunt Jiang complained when she saw the old man.

The old man smiled and said, "I'm here early. The weeping grass outside has been planted, and the rest are planted in the backyard."

Aunt Jiang then smiled and introduced Ye Jiayao: "This is my old man."

Ye Jiayao smiled at him: "Uncle Jiang, thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard, not at all. The herbs were picked by the Third In Command. I was just lending a hand." Uncle Jiang said with a smile.

Song Qi asked: "Sister-in-law, where are the medicines in the kitchen?"

Ye Jiayao said casually: "I drank it."

Song Qi scratched his head, wondering: So fast?

The two men dug up the soil at the base of the wall and planted the herbs.

Ye Jiayao was a little skeptical: "Can this thing really work?"

Uncle Jiang said, "Madam, don't underestimate this herb. It is very effective in removing snake venom. Snakes won't go to places with this herb. If you are unfortunate enough to be bitten by a snake, pick a few leaves and crush them to apply on the affected area. The effect will be immediate."

Ye Jiayao felt relieved after hearing what he said sincerely. With the realgar wine and the magical herbs, she should be safe as a double protection.

After washing the clothes, Aunt Jiang went to clean the house, and Ye Jiayao was in the kitchen thinking about what delicious food to make for lunch.

Aunt Jiang brought a piece of fresh pork belly, some tender lotus roots, freshly dug spring bamboo shoots, a slaughtered chicken, and the leftover mutton, mushrooms, cucumbers, and radishes from last night. Ye Jiayao thought about it and decided to make a braised lion's head, braised spring bamboo shoots, stewed chicken with mushrooms, fried lotus root cakes, a cold cucumber salad, and stir-fried mutton with garlic. Six dishes should be enough for six people.

Seeing that it was almost time, Ye Jiayao began to prepare lunch.

First, take a piece of pork belly and chop it into minced meat. Take a section of tender lotus root, peel it, wash it, and cut it into small pieces. It is best to use water chestnuts to make braised lion's head, which has a crisper taste, but tender lotus root can also be used, which is sweet and delicious, and has a unique flavor. Flatten the onion and cut it into long strips. Slice the ginger and soak it in water.

Take an egg and beat it into the meat paste and lotus root, add various seasonings, starch, and then mix it evenly with the soaked onion and ginger water. Adding egg liquid can make the meatballs more chewy and tender.

Ye Jiayiao had almost finished preparing the dishes when Aunt Jiang came in.

"Madam, why are you busy again? Let me do it."

Ye Jiayao smiled and said, "I'm well now. I plan to make a delicious meal for lunch. You and Uncle Jiang should stay for dinner!"

(End of this chapter)