Picking Up a General to Plow the Fields

Chapter 172: Lodging (1)

However, Cui Shao Xi felt a little overwhelmed.
He smiled and said: “You don’t need to burn so much charcoal, I don’t feel cold!”

Lian Fang Zhou smiled.
“It’s not good to be cold on a day like this! Don’t worry, this charcoal is from our own kilns, we didn’t buy it and there is a lot more, so its fine to use it!”

Cui Shao Xi was relieved and smiled at her: “I have troubled you!”

“Not true! As long as you like it, its fine!” Lian Fang Zhou smiled.

“Of course, I don’t dislike it!” Cui Shao Xi hurried to assure her.
He sniffed and said, “What smells so delicious? It smells really good!”

It was the smell of the stewed mushrooms and chicken, floating over.

Lian Fang Qing clapped her hands and smiled: “It’s chicken and stewed mushrooms! Third Aunt’s stewed mushrooms and chicken is really delicious!”

Cui Shao Xi smiled again, so it turned out to be the smell of chicken.
He smiled at her and said, “The dishes in your home are really special.
I don’t know how many times I have eaten chicken but I have never smelled such a fragrance!”

“You guys can eat as much as you like soon, I’ll go check on it now.” Lian Fang Zhou smiled and left.

The chickens raised in their village were raised carefully, right? If they eat well and exercise less, the chickens would naturally be better than the free-range chickens that live off grass and leaves, with not much to eat.
There were also many types of mushrooms, all wild.
When stewing them, simply add some salt, the natural taste of the ingredients was very attractive!

Seeing that the pot of chicken and stewed mushrooms was almost done, she started to prepare the other dishes.

After another half-hour, everything was ready!

Lian Fang Zhou gave the order to ‘set the table’.
Lian Ze, Lian Fang Qing, and the others got busy.

Lian Fang Zhou thought for a moment and then set aside some of each dish and scooped a bowl of chicken and mushrooms.
“Let Cui Yi, the coachman, Qin Feng, and Su Zi Ji eat in the kitchen.
Otherwise, if they wait until it’s cold, how will they eat it?”

If she hadn’t said anything, Cui Yi was afraid he’d have to serve until his master was full before he’d dare to have his turn.
The same was true for Qin Feng and Su Zi Ji.

The dishes on the table were nothing fancy but they were fragrant and steaming, making people feel warm when they saw them.

Lian Fang Zhou smiled and said, “I’m afraid it will be cold before your master is finished eating.
We are different from your family, there is no special cook for you and it will be troublesome to start another fire later! Go ahead, I won’t bully your master!”

“Miss Lian is joking!” Cui Yi smiled, seeing his master look at him, and hurriedly laughed with ingenuity.
“I will go now.
With your care, my master is in good hands…”

Lian Fang Zhou then called Qin Feng and Su Zi Ji, who were standing by the door.
“You go too! Us country folk don’t have many rules and the big plates are good!”

Qin Feng and Su Zi Ji promised to enjoy and went inside the kitchen.

Lian Ze added more charcoal to the brazier and everyone sat down to eat.

Cui Shao Xi had never seen such a scene before and he smiled weakly at this and that, feeling a little at a loss.

Third Aunt smiled cordially, saying: “Young Master Cui, you are welcome here! Eat more! We don’t have many good things to entertain with in the country but we do have freshness, haha!”

Cui Shao Xi smiled at her and agreed.

Lian Fang Zhou smiled at him and Ah Jian, asking: “Would you like some wine? A few cups to warm you up is not bad! Our village only has rice wine, though.
I’m not sure if Young Master Cui is accustom to drinking this or not!”

Ah Jian smiled and said, “Now that you have said this, even if Young Master Cui hasn’t drunk it before, he will have drink at least two glasses tonight!”

Everyone laughed.

Cui Shao Xi was a little embarrassed and smiled: “Rice wine? I have tasted it.
The Chong Yang wine at my house is made with rice and it is very good! I will bring you a few jars next year.”

“I will get the wine!” Lian Ze said, getting up.

After a short while, he brought back a pot of wine with two glasses and set them in front of Ah Jian and Cui Shao Xi.

“I’ll start!” Ah Jian said, taking the hip flask and pouring a glass.

Cui Shao Xi’s eyes flashed.
He and Ah Jian were both ‘distant cousins’ of the Lian family.
Why was Ah Jian able to show such spontaneous casualness as if this was his own home? Did he think he was the master, greeting him?

This was unfair!

Of course, Cui Shao Xi refused to accept this loss, so he stretched out his hand to snatch the pot.
He smiled: “I will do it!”

Ah Jian did not expect that Cui Shao Xi’s heart would be so uncomfortable and uneasy.
He smiled faintly at his words and said, “Okay, then you take over!” He let go of the pot.

Only then did Cui Shao Xi feel comfortable.
He smiled and poured the wine, sharing a drink with Ah Jian.

“Don’t just drink! Eat, eat! Eat while it’s hot!” Third Aunt said, smiling.

Lian Fang Qing smiled as well.
“Yes, pretty cousin! Third Aunt’s skills are very good! Brother Ah Jian also thinks so, we all think so!”

The smile on Cui Shao Xi’s face stiffened a little and he forced himself to smile, saying ‘okay’.
He felt depressed again!

Even a small girl with no experience of the world outside her house, who called him cousin, called the other one brother!

Cui Shao Xi smiled warmly at Lian Fang Qing, “Qing’er, you should call me Brother Min!”

“Why?” Lian Fang Qing was confused, looking at him strangely.

The others, who had been eating, were also taken aback: What?

Cui Shao Xi coughed and glanced at Ah Jian, saying: “Ah Jian is also your cousin but you don’t call him cousin!”

Lian Fang Zhou was startled.
Afraid that Cui Shao Xi would start digging too deeply, she smiled vaguely: “It’s just a name, why pay it so much attention? Eat quickly! Food gets cold quickly in the winter!”

“Yes, right! Eat!” Third Aunt agreed, smiling.

Ah Jian glanced at Cui Shao Xi, his eyes flashing thoughtfully.
Internally, he was laughing, finding it funny.
This young master from the Cui family was very amusing, always trying to compete with him at every turn!

Ah Jian couldn’t figure out the reason and silently shook his head.

The meal ended with Cui Shao Xi feeling silently uncomfortable, Third Aunt brimming with enthusiasm, Lian Fang Zhou feeling anxious, and Ah Jian’s amusement.

After dinner, it was getting late.
Lian Fang Zhou picked up a box of snacks brought by Cui Shao Xi and a can of tea to bring to Zhang Li Zheng’s house.

Seeing her gifts, Zhang Li Zheng was a little startled, but Madam Niu’s eyes lit up.
She smiled and invited Lian Fang Zhou to sit down.

Zhang Li Zheng glanced helplessly at his wife, feeling like his forehead was starting to swell again.