Chapter 396: Chapter 396

"Alright, I’ll also have Yuanbao lose some weight by eating less meat!" Lu Yuanfeng vowed earnestly.

Previously, he was reluctant to let Yuanbao work. Whatever Yuanbao wanted to eat, he would prepare. Now looking back, he realized he spoiled him too much.

Yuanbao is a man; he can’t be pampered.

In the future, he still has to study, deal with people, so he must learn to restrain himself.

In the iron pot, the lamb was bubbling merrily. Mu Shuangshuang took the cleaned fish from Lu Yuanfeng and began slicing it into fillets.

She didn’t know what kind of fish Little Niu bought, but it didn’t have many bones, just right for making boiled fish slices.

She placed the thin fish slices in a large bowl, poured oil, pepper, and white wine over them to marinate together.

"Fengzi, help me switch to low heat, I’m going to fry the Sichuan pepper now."

As she spoke, Mu Shuangshuang began pouring oil into the hot pot. Before the oil got too hot, she started adding the Sichuan pepper.

The oil for Sichuan pepper shouldn’t be too hot, just warm enough. Once the Sichuan pepper is fragrant, she could add the dried chilies.

This is the first seasoning for the boiled fish slices, so Mu Shuangshuang handled it carefully, not daring to be sloppy.

Lu Yuanfeng turned down the heat and found a towel for Mu Shuangshuang, asking with concern, "Are you tired? Shall I wipe your sweat?"

"Sure!" Mu Shuangshuang was unreserved, tilting her head and moving her face closer to Lu Yuanfeng.

Lu Yuanfeng looked at the palm-sized face in front of him, hardly daring to breathe for fear of startling Shuangshuang.

His movements in wiping sweat were gentle, as if afraid of wiping her the wrong way.

But Shuangshuang wasn’t that fragile; she was indeed a tough girl, but being treated gently made her feel extremely comfortable.

Her heart was racing wildly. After Lu Yuanfeng wiped her sweat, Mu Shuangshuang returned to preparing the boiled fish slices.

She scooped up the dried chilies and Sichuan pepper, left some hot oil in the pot, and added fermented black beans and spices to sauté together. The dried chili paste, scallions, ginger, and garlic, even though they were just seasonings, already smelled amazing.

Lu Yuanfeng felt like his soul was almost being whisked away, whether it was by the mesmerizing person or the enchanting aroma of the seasonings.

In the hot pot, Mu Shuangshuang added a ladle of water. When the soup was ready, she added salt, pepper powder, and a bit of sugar. After adjusting the taste, she added the fish slices.

Soon, a pot of boiled fish slices was ready. Looking at the bright red fish slices in the pot, Mu Shuangshuang nodded with satisfaction.

At that moment, the braised lamb was also done. As soon as the pot was opened, the aroma of lamb wafted through the air. Outside, the people who had been sent to work came back in, drawn by the delicious smell, staring at the two big dishes, their mouths watering.

"Shuangshuang, is it ready?" Little Niu asked, his face flushed.

"Not yet, go outside and wait a while longer. I’ll call you when the food is ready."

Mu Shuangshuang shooed them out again and began working hard. After two sticks of incense time, lunch was finally ready. Uncle Da Niu had also come out from the boiler room. Three people, six pairs of eyes, watched Mu Shuangshuang. When she finally finished mixing the cold noodles, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

"Shuang, your cooking skills are top-notch!"

Even before they started eating, Uncle Da Niu couldn’t help but praise Mu Shuangshuang when he saw the table full of dishes.

"Haha, Uncle Da Niu, you’ve been praising me for so long that I’m getting embarrassed."

Though Mu Shuangshuang said she was embarrassed, there wasn’t a hint of it on her face.

Everyone started sitting down to eat: boiled fish slices, braised lamb, cold noodles, some green vegetables, and a sour vegetable soup. These simple farmhouse dishes were enjoyed as if it were a holiday feast.

Mu Shuangshuang was quite aggressive with the spices, making everyone’s mouths red from the heat, yet they still couldn’t resist going for more.

"Brother Yuanfeng, you’re really lucky, Shuangshuang cooks for you every day, right?"

Previously, Lu Yuanfeng had introduced Mu Shuangshuang to Uncle Da Niu as his future wife, so in Little Niu’s heart, Shuangshuang was his sister-in-law.

Several people sat together, eating, drinking, chatting, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly. Even the usually quiet Liu Zian joined in.

Initially, Uncle Da Niu wasn’t very responsive to Liu Zian because he was a sudden addition.

When Mu Shuangshuang mentioned that Liu Zian was a scholar, Uncle Da Niu, atypically, started talking to him.

"Zian, studying is a meticulous task, you should eat more lamb to nourish yourself."

Old Uncle Da Niu was quite simple-minded; Mu Shuangshuang hadn’t even mentioned how much Liu Zian studied, yet he was already being favored.

"Thank you, Uncle. Studying isn’t as hard as your work. You swing the hammer all day, that’s really tough."

Liu Zian, who grew up in the village, truly admired these craftsmen who worked with real skills. He even planned that if he succeeded in the future, he would do his best to help them.

"Good child, with that thought, we’re willing to keep our heads down and work hard. If I had money back in the day, I would have sent Little Niu to study too, but alas..."

All other occupations are inferior, only studying is esteemed. This was a true reflection of the ancient Da Ning Dynasty. In front of scholars, people naturally felt inferior.

"Dad, enough, let’s eat. Don’t waste Shuangshuang’s good intentions." Little Niu knew that his father had regretted not sending him to study all these years, but he didn’t think much of studying.

He could earn money with his hands now, and in the future, marry a wife, which wasn’t bad at all.

Uncle Da Niu finally continued to eat, picking up a bite of noodles and putting it in his bowl. Seeing that the noodles were a bit cool, he said, "I’ll go heat this up, cold noodles might not taste good."

"Uncle, these are cold noodles, meant to be eaten cold, please try them." Mu Shuangshuang quickly explained.

Only then did Uncle Da Niu take a bite. The cold noodles made by Mu Shuangshuang were more chewy than regular noodles, and because the seasoning was her own mix, they had a tangy, spicy taste, topped with minced meat, the flavor was incredible.

"This is indeed good stuff. Shuang, you really have skills!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

A meal full of joy and laughter was happily finished. After the meal, Mu Shuangshuang took a short break before starting to clean up the tableware.

All the dishes on the table were completely finished, not even the broth was left. This surprised Mu Shuangshuang, but she was happy because it at least proved her dishes were very appealing.

"Shuangshuang, let me do the dishes; you go rest!" Lu Yuanfeng volunteered enthusiastically.

Liu Zian wasn’t one to be outdone either. "Shuangshuang, let me do it. Didn’t you say I should get used to chores? From now on, whenever I have time, I’ll learn."

Mu Shuangshuang couldn’t be bothered with the two of them. Just moments ago, during the meal, they somehow got carried away, continuously serving her dishes, almost stuffing her to death. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.net

Since arriving in the Da Ning Dynasty, Mu Shuangshuang dared not waste food. She couldn’t bear to waste even a grain of rice, let alone a bowl of food.