Chapter 393: Chapter 393

Suddenly receiving such a warm invitation, Liu Zian was overjoyed, and for some reason, a wave of excitement rushed through his heart.

"Mm!" He nodded foolishly, looking at Mu Shuangshuang with a newfound intensity in his eyes.

This look caught Lu Yuanfeng’s attention, instantly raising his alertness.

Liu Zian has an interest in Shuangshuang, this was the message Lu Yuanfeng received.

After all, he was just a young boy; the best way to keep others from coveting someone is to make them retreat in the face of difficulties.

"Shuangshuang, you said last time you’d make sweet potato noodles for me. When will you make them? I’ll come to your house and join you." Lu Yuanfeng casually said to Mu Shuangshuang beside him.

"Anytime is fine, just let me know in advance when you want to eat them."

Mu Shuangshuang didn’t know what Lu Yuanfeng had in mind, she just thought he really wanted to eat them, so she naturally agreed.

In fact, not only Lu Yuanfeng wanted to eat, but she herself wanted to as well.

Sweet potato noodles are indeed a delicacy in rural households, cooked with chunks of five-flavor pork mixed into the noodles and stewed together, a family sitting together enjoying a steaming pot of sweet potato noodles, it’s truly a pleasure.

Liu Zian did not understand Lu Yuanfeng’s real thoughts, he only saw the two talking to each other as if no one else was around, which felt particularly eye-catching.

He silently followed behind Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng.

When they arrived at Uncle Da Niu’s house, Liu Zian’s expression had not improved much.

Uncle Da Niu appeared out of nowhere from the boiler room and came up to Lu Yuanfeng like he had seen something rare.

"Fengzi, you’re just in time, Shuangshuang mentioned that mandarin duck... thing, I have an idea now, why don’t you come with me to take a look?"

The old man swallowed the words "mandarin duck pot" back because of Liu Zian’s presence.

Uncle Da Niu had been doing business for many years, understanding people’s complex inner thoughts, Liu Zian was a stranger to him, so he was more cautious in his words and deeds.

Liu Zian could see the old man’s attitude towards him, but he had no solution.

Mu Shuangshuang cheerfully said to Uncle Da Niu, "Uncle Da Niu, this is Liu Zian, a friend of mine and Fengzi’s. We’ll all be having lunch here today, don’t hold it against me, I eat a lot."

"Haha, eat more, you’re so skinny, I was starting to suspect Fengzi wasn’t willing to feed you!"

Mu Shuangshuang’s words instantly relaxed the tense Uncle Da Niu, and he added some humor to their conversation, his gaze towards Liu Zian became less rigid.

Liu Zian noticed all of this, and his gratitude towards Shuangshuang grew even more. This content belongs to novel{f}ire.net

"Fengzi, what are you standing around for, hurry up and come with me." Uncle Da Niu softly urged.

Lu Yuanfeng looked a bit troubled as he looked at Uncle Da Niu, just about to speak when Mu Shuangshuang cut in.

"Fengzi, I can handle lunch on my own, you and Uncle Da Niu go and work on the iron stuff."

"But..." Lu Yuanfeng was reluctant to let Shuangshuang work alone.

Seeing this, Liu Zian volunteered, "I’ll help Shuangshuang!"

No sooner had he spoken than both Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng looked at Liu Zian, remembering how Liu Zian had once nearly shattered the dishes Mu Shuangshuang was washing — if he helped with cooking again, would he end up poisoning someone?

Liu Zian is a scholar, in ancient times, he would live untouched by the mundane world, in other words, as long as he studied diligently, even meals and water were brought to him by his family.

Mu Shuangshuang’s uncle had been living a cozy life for years under the reputation of a scholar, without lifting a finger.

Perhaps their reaction was too strong, causing Liu Zian to blush in embarrassment.

"I... I can learn, as long as Shuangshuang is willing to teach me."

Mu Shuangshuang sighed, deciding to entrust the job of lighting the fire to Liu Zian.

This shouldn’t cause a big problem, right?

With this thought, Mu Shuangshuang took the ingredients into the kitchen, and Lu Yuanfeng went off to the boiler room to get busy.

Mu Shuangshuang laid out the items one by one on the table.

Lamb, pork, some green leafy vegetables, and a fish, Uncle Niu’s family had prepared quite a lot of stuff. Mu Shuangshuang felt a bit reluctant to start, but with four grown men to feed, if she didn’t prepare enough dishes, someone might go hungry.

"Shuangshuang, what should I do?"

Liu Zian looked at the unfamiliar scene in the kitchen; his parents never let him near this area, and his mother was more straightforward about it, as long as he studied well, if he passed the exams and became a big official, naturally there would be servants to handle life matters.

"You, light the fire." Mu Shuangshuang was busy picking vegetables without turning around.

Afraid Liu Zian wouldn’t know how, she added a sentence. "Just throw some firewood in the stove, toss in some dry grass, and that’s it."

Liu Zian stood there at the stove for a long time, looked at the pile of arranged firewood, picked a few thicker ones, stuffed a bunch of dry grass inside, but couldn’t find anything to ignite the fire.

"Shuangshuang, what’s used to start the fire?"

"See if you can find something that looks like stones on the stove, rubbing two of those should work."

"Found it, found it!"

Liu Zian excitedly held two black stones, looking at them with curiosity.

He tried using the flint stones, but sparks didn’t fly, and after several tries, his hand began to blister from the friction, still without success.

Not wanting to give up, Liu Zian tried a few more times, finally managing to produce some sparks, but each time he tried to move the flint to the stove, the fire went out.

After finishing with the vegetables, Mu Shuangshuang saw Liu Zian still squatting by the stove, with no fire and a cold pot.

She walked over, instantly bewildered by what she saw.

The stove was stuffed by Liu Zian with large logs, dry grass laid atop them, and he, sweating profusely, tried to start a fire, but each attempt ended without a spark.

"Liu Zian, I’ll handle the fire lighting!"

Engrossed in trying to start a fire, Liu Zian jumped at Mu Shuangshuang’s sudden voice, instinctively standing up right as Mu Shuangshuang was leaning down.

With a "thump", Liu Zian’s head hit Mu Shuangshuang’s chin, making her well up with tears from the pain.

This Liu Zian wasn’t here to help; he came to hurt someone.

Clutching her chin, Mu Shuangshuang was on the brink of tears.

Liu Zian panicked, struggling to check Mu Shuangshuang’s chin.

"Shuangshuang, let me see, I... I didn’t mean it, does it hurt?"

Looking at his worried face, Mu Shuangshuang was helpless. It wasn’t Liu Zian’s fault; it was the era’s, nurturing a person to be so pampered and scholarly weak.

She had always heard that scholars in ancient times were so fragile they couldn’t even truss a chicken, and while she used to doubt that, Liu Zian’s arrival made her believe, or rather, living with the Old Mu Family had shown her to what lengths a family would go for the imperial examinations.

"It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ll handle the fire, you just watch."