Ye Qiuling laughed heartily, “Xiao Feng, what brother-in-law? He’s her brother, a good brother.”
Shen Wanru breathed a sigh of relief and echoed her daughter, “Yes, Xiao Feng, now go apologize to this young gentleman.”
Hmm, did he really say it wrong? But judging by his sister’s expression, she clearly only saw him as a brother.
Xiao Feng lowered his head like a child who had made a mistake, “Brother, I’m sorry, he didn’t mean it.”
Chen Xuanmo waved it off, smiling gently, “It’s okay, take your time.”
The setting sun streamed through the window, casting a golden glow over Ye Qiuling.
She squinted against the sunlight and looked outside. The sun had descended to halfway down the hill, and the clouds in the sky were slowly dispersing. She hadn’t realized it was already so late.
Oh no! If we don’t catch the donkey cart, we won’t make it home. We can help with moving tomorrow instead.
Ye Qiuling hurriedly called out, “Chen Xuanmo, thank you! We need to go home. Father, Mother, hurry, or we’ll miss the donkey cart!”
Her family’s hearts jumped, and they rushed out. Chen Xuanmo, seeing them run, instructed his attendant Chen Wu, “Follow them, if they can’t catch the donkey cart, use a carriage to send them back.”
Chen Wu clasped his fists in salute, “Yes, Master,” then used his light-footed skills to jump onto the rooftops and follow them.
Sure enough, the donkey cart was already a hundred meters ahead. If they were any slower, they would miss it completely. Ye Qiuling, exhausted and gasping for breath, had to stop, unable to run further.
Ye Dazhi felt regretful, realizing he should have arrived earlier. There was nothing they could do now, and they would have to walk home on foot. He looked apologetically at his wife and children.
Chen Wu leapt from the rooftop and bowed, “Miss Ye, Master has prepared a carriage, I will send you home.”
Wow, a brother really is considerate. Ye Qiuling, unselfconscious, said, “Thank him for me, Chen Xuanmo. Next time, I’ll repay him with something delicious.”
Chen Wu replied, “Of course, Miss Ye,” then with a swoosh, he leapt onto the rooftops again and disappeared. Soon after, a luxurious carriage stopped beside them.
The coachman was Chen Wu. Xiao Feng marveled, “Wow, Sister, this carriage is beautiful,” the silk upholstery gleaming, clearly expensive.
Seeing a carriage for the first time, Ye Qiuling felt curious, though now wasn’t the time for admiration.
She stepped into the carriage, and inside, the interior was as lavish as a house; one could hardly tell it was a carriage.
The family silently marveled—this must be a rich person’s carriage, truly extravagant.
Ye Dazhi worried about dirtying the carriage floor with the duck and ingredients he held, but also didn’t want to soil the clothes his wife had sewn for him. He carefully unbuttoned his outer robe and held the items in his lap.
The carriage rode over bumpy roads, yet Ye Qiuling felt no nausea. She drew back the curtain and breathed in the fresh air.
The evening breeze carried a hint of coolness, and the distant peach blossoms swayed lightly, their fragrance almost palpable.
Passing a household, the children’s laughter and playful voices made Ye Qiuling smile.
Inside, the children noticed the glimpse of the luxurious carriage and peeked out, “Wow, such a beautiful carriage.”
Xiao Feng puffed out his chest with pride, pleased by the compliment.
The carriage was so conspicuous that villagers came out to watch, whispering among themselves in envy and curiosity.
Under their gaze, Ye Qiuling’s family disembarked.
Seeing the sky darkening, Ye Qiuling looked at Chen Wu, concerned, “Thank you, but the sky is getting dark. Maybe you should stay for a meal and rest, and we’ll return tomorrow.”
That wouldn’t do—if the Master knew she asked him to stay, he’d be furious.
Chen Wu quickly knelt and apologized, “Miss Ye, no need. The master wants me to return immediately. Farewell.”
Ye Qiuling understood his good intentions but felt it was a heavy burden on him. The master would be jealous; such subtle gestures were difficult to manage.
She boarded the carriage, held the reins, and struck the horse. It bolted away swiftly.
Ye Qiuling muttered as she watched the small figure fade, “How can it run so fast? How can Chen Xuanmo be so hard on his servant, returning so late?”
Thinking it over, she reasoned there might be other matters to attend to. Her “good brother” had proven to be genuinely kind, and she shouldn’t think ill of him.
Unbeknownst to Chen Xuanmo, Ye Qiuling had already given him a “good person” card in her heart.
Back at home, Ye Qiuling scooped two large bowls of rice into a basin. By the well, she called inside, “Xiao Feng, help Sister draw some water.”
A cheerful voice answered, “Coming, Sister!” Xiao Feng ran eagerly to the pump, drawing water.
Ye Qiuling rubbed the rice in her hands, catching the milky water in a basin and setting it aside. She repeated the washing until the water ran clear, then carried it inside, putting it into a large pot with a wooden bucket, added the rice, covered it, and started cooking.
“Mother, watch the fire, I’ll wash the duck ingredients,” Ye Qiuling said.
Shen Wanru smiled and nodded, “Okay, go ahead.”
She put the duck innards into a basin. Xiao Feng operated the pump, letting water flow slowly over them.
Ye Qiuling used chopsticks to squeeze the contents from one end of each duck intestine to the other. Finding it still not clean enough, she retrieved a specialized duck intestine and gizzard tool from the system space, a small device with a blade and clamp.
She carefully scraped the intestines clean. Xiao Feng, completely trusting his sister, watched in awe, “Wow, Sister, that’s amazing!”
Ye Qiuling smiled, “Hmm, it’s okay,” her heart secretly blooming with pride at his praise.
She placed the cleaned intestines in a separate basin. To avoid grossing out Xiao Feng, she didn’t ask him to wash them—yet he eagerly volunteered, “Sister, what should I do?”
She hesitated, then said, “Why don’t you wash some of the duck intestines?”
Xiao Feng responded enthusiastically, showing no disgust, “Alright.”
Ye Qiuling raised an eyebrow at his quick agreement, impressed he didn’t refuse.
Xiao Feng meticulously cleaned each intestine by hand, removing traces of oil bit by bit. After about half an hour, they had finished the duck intestines and gizzards.
Ye Qiuling washed the accompanying ingredients, sliced ginger, chopped garlic, and measured a cup each of oil, soy sauce, and rice wine. She had exchanged a small bag of rock sugar through the system shop.
She cleaned the duck, poured a cup of oil into the pan, and fried it until golden on both sides. She added scallion segments, rice wine, soy sauce, four pieces of rock sugar, and a bowl of water, continuously basting the duck until the sauce was fully absorbed, then covered the pot to simmer for twenty minutes.
Repeatedly basting allowed the flavors to penetrate deeply. Xiao Feng licked his lips as the duck’s surface turned crisp and golden, the aroma rich and inviting.
Nearby, Second Aunt’s son, Liu Xun, sniffed the air, shouting to his mother, “Mom, it smells amazing! I want some too!” He had smelled similar aromas before but had been refused.
Today, the scent was irresistible. He ran to Ye Qiuling’s house, saying eagerly, “Sister Qiuling, it smells so good! What are you making? Can I have some?”
Peeking out, Ye Qiuling saw a three- to four-year-old boy in black clothes, eyes wide and sparkling with expectation.
Second Aunt followed, pointing at Liu Xun, “This child followed the smell here, couldn’t be stopped.”
Ye Qiuling reassured her, “It’s fine, Aunt. Since you’re here, eat with us.”
Second Aunt was about to refuse, but Ye Qing interrupted, “Aunt, you’ve helped us so much, it’s only right to have a meal together. Sit down, I’ll go cut the duck.”
Without waiting for protest, Ye Qiuling started slicing the duck, which had been left outside to cool.
Using a sharp kitchen knife unlocked from the system’s gourmet skills, she cut through the duck effortlessly, presenting neatly arranged slices.
Ye Dazhi returned from the garden with a large cabbage, peeled it leaf by leaf, washing thoroughly until no dirt remained.
She stir-fried the cabbage with oil and soy sauce, cooking for the duration of an incense stick before plating.
Liu Xun attempted to sneak some of the three-cup duck but was lightly tapped on the hand by Second Aunt, who sternly reminded him to respect others’ homes.
Ye Qiuling served rice to everyone, and they sat down to eat.
Shen Wanru said, “Aunt, there isn’t much food, please bear with us.”
Second Aunt smiled warmly, “No, no, we came uninvited, you’re already treating us kindly.”
Shen Wanru acknowledged her, “Alright, let’s eat then.”
Seeing Shen Wanru give the order, Liu Xun immediately picked up a piece of duck, savoring the salty, fragrant meat, the crispy skin, and a bite of rice—it was his first time tasting such a delicious duck.
Second Aunt also took a piece, humming in approval. Everyone watched her expression, waiting anxiously for her reaction.