She was penniless now, and she still owed others silver, buying things? Impossible!
"Really don't want to buy anything?" Liuwang asked again.
Seeing Xie Zhinuan's delicate ears with ear holes, and catching a glimpse of a bit of her tender neck, he couldn't help but get excited again.
Xie Zhinuan shook her head.
She threaded the needle and continued with her embroidery.
"..."
Liuwang wanted to say sothing more, but when old Ni's wife ca out of the kitchen, he reined in his thoughts.
"Auntie, where's my uncle?!"
"He's in the orchard on the back hill!"
Liuwang thought for a mont, "Then I'll go to the orchard on the back hill to speak with him for a bit!"
He passed the bowl to old Ni's wife.
Liuwang still gave Xie Zhinuan a look before he left.
Seeing her focused on embroidering, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Old Ni's wife put away the bowl and sat next to Xie Zhinuan, saying, "Liuwang, the neighbor, is actually a good lad, skilled in Martial Arts and literate. He's over twenty and still hasn't taken a wife. I don't know what kind of girl he's looking for!"
Xie Zhinuan looked up when she heard this.
Old Ni's wife laughed softly, "Girl, what do you think of Liuwang?"
Even a dull person would understand the aning behind old Ni's wife's words.
"I don't want to marry for the ti being!"
And truly had no intention of marrying anyone.
"Ah, actually, if you were to marry, Liuwang would not be a bad choice—he has a house in the county town and silver in hand. Escorting goods is hard, but it brings money fast, and he's capable of it. After a few years, starting his own team to take businesses isn't impossible. You've t his parents—quite agreeable people!"
"Grandma!" Xie Zhinuan softly called out, "Right now, I really have no intention of marrying anyone, no matter how good the person is. My heart isn't in it, let's talk about it in a couple years!"
"You are already a young woman; wait another couple years..." old Ni's wife fretted.
Having spent more ti with her, she beca increasingly concerned for Xie Zhinuan.
"A good al is worth the wait, and a good woman never worries about marriage. We'll talk about future matters in the future. Grandma, may I cook dinner tonight? I've thought of a way to cook that rabbit!" Xie Zhinuan said, and made up her mind to keep her distance from Liuwang in the future.
And not to talk to him anymore.
"What way of cooking?" old Ni's wife asked.
Not talking about marriage matters anymore.
This girl, though obedient, was extrely opinionated.
"Stew it. Your and grandpa's teeth aren't good, so I'll stew the rabbit. Just leave it to !" Xie Zhinuan already had a plan in her mind.
Both elderly folk could eat spicy food and enjoyed Sichuan peppercorns, so she would make a spicy stewed rabbit dish.
There were no Sichuan peppercorns now, but there were leaves. Rabbit at stewed with Sichuan peppercorn leaves would have an even better fragrance.
Since stewing would take a while and it was getting dark, Xie Zhinuan got up to prepare the ingredients.
In the back garden, she picked spring onions, Sichuan peppercorn leaves, washed two pieces of ginger, and found so yellow wine in the kitchen—as well as star anise and dried orange peel.
Uncle Yuan ran a restaurant in the county town, so their kitchen was well stocked with ingredients.
Looking at the wild rabbit, she took a kitchen knife and chopped it into pieces vigorously, placing them in a ceramic basin.
She made a fire, cleaned the pot, removed the rabbit at's blood, washed the pot and heated oil, added spices and ginger to stir-fry until fragrant, and only then added the rabbit at, stirring until golden brown before pouring in yellow wine, covering the pot, and stewing it to remove the gay taste.
Xie Zhinuan suddenly thought of the Spiritual Spring Water and wondered if it would enhance the flavor.
Taking a water scoop, she entered her space, scooped up a ladle of water quickly, and hurried out. She uncovered the pot lid, looked at the rabbit at, hesitated for a mont, and then poured it in.
A ladle of water, just right for stewing until done.
She covered the pot lid.
Xie Zhinuan walked to the doorway, "Grandma, shall we have rice for dinner tonight?"
"You're the cook, you decide!" Old Ni's wife said cheerfully.
"Who wouldn't be happy with ready-made food?"
Xie Zhinuan saw Old Lady Ni continuing to weave shoe soles and smiled as she went to scoop rice to cook.
She also went to the backyard to pick so greens, planning to stir-fry them—a at and a vegetable dish; that was pretty good.
Old Lady Ni watched her bustling in and out, her smile growing ever warr.
This girl was a good find!
If Liuwang really could bring her ho as his wife, it would be his good fortune.
Xie Zhinuan washed the greens and, fearing that the water in the pot of stewed rabbit at would dry up, went to lift the lid and check.
The aroma wafted out imdiately, so entrancing that even though she had been a chef for many years, she still felt her soul float away.
"Delicious!"
The scent was so tantalizing that one couldn't help but swallow saliva several tis, wishing to scoop up a big piece and devour it at once.
Under the eaves.
Old Lady Ni also shuddered; the aroma was so enticing she almost cried out loud.
She couldn't help swallowing her saliva, put down the shoe sole, and walked to the kitchen. "Girl, how did you make this sll so good? I've eaten rabbit at for so many years, and never have I drooled like this. Quick, quick, quick, scoop so to satisfy my cravings!"
Xie Zhinuan smiled and hurriedly scooped up two pieces, one for each of them to enjoy.
"Mmm!" With one bite, she felt utterly blissful.
The spiciness carried a fresh fragrance, the primal scent of Sichuan peppercorns, along with several other spices blending together, making one wish they could chew up the bones and swallow them too.
"Delicious – I've never tasted rabbit at this good!" Old Lady Ni couldn't help but rave.
If it weren't for the thought of waiting for the old man to co back and eat together, she would have finished the whole pot of rabbit at by herself.
"Let's wait for grandpa to co back and eat together!"
Old Lady Ni replied with a smile, "Okay!"
The fragrance kept spreading, and the neighboring kids, driven by their craving, cried out, "Mom, I want at!"
Old Lady Ni felt sowhat embarrassed.
After all, the rabbit at had been brought over by Neighbor Liuwang, and it was so fragrant that it really should be shared with them.
But she was reluctant...
"Girl, if the neighbors co to ask, could you maybe cook another pot at their place?"
The Liuwang family was wealthy; Liuwang went hunting in the mountains and would certainly not sell the rabbits he caught but keep them to eat.
Xie Zhinuan nodded her head.
She understood in her heart that the rabbit at tasted so good because the Spiritual Spring Water had brought out the flavors of all the spices.
And perhaps she had added too much Spiritual Spring Water.
Soon enough, Liuwang's mother ca over to ask.
Liuwang's father and Old Master Yuan were cousins; their houses were built next to each other, and they were quite close.
"Sister-in-law!" Liuwang's mother was a hearty soul.
She ca in cheerfully and, slling the aroma, couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
"Sister!" Old Lady Ni hurried out to greet her.
"Sister-in-law, what are you cooking at your house, it slls so good, it made all my little monkeys tremble and cry. And it's not just the kids, even I, an adult, am drooling madly!"
"It's the rabbit that Liuwang brought; Zhinuan said she would cook it, and here we are..." Old Lady Ni said, letting Xie Zhinuan scoop a piece to satisfy Liuwang's mother's craving, "If you like it, shall we have Zhinuan go to your house and cook a pot?"
"That would be wonderful!" Liuwang's mother agreed repeatedly and, not minding the heat, grabbed a piece of the rabbit at with her hand and put it in her mouth.
"Mmm, mmm, delicious, so delicious – this rabbit at is truly tasty!" She even sucked on her fingers and looked eagerly at Xie Zhinuan, "Girl, it will trouble you then!"
"Not at all!" Xie Zhinuan quickly replied.
In her mind, she was thinking about how to get a bit of Spiritual Spring Water; she couldn't put in another scoop like last ti.
The pot was basically ready, and she wasn't needed much; Old Lady Ni could just watch to make sure it didn't dry out.
"You go ahead, I'll get so stuff ready and co over!" Xie Zhinuan said.
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