Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 206 Reencounter with Qin Zhenzhen

When Xu Chaoyan heard that he wanted to copy books, she frowned slightly, but she only gently advised him, "Husband, why don't you rest first? I'll be setting up my stall these days, so you can come with me to familiarize yourself with the route. The weather hasn't been very good these days, and it's pitch black in the mornings. It's a bit scary for just the two of us, my sister and I. Besides, we're just two women new to doing business here. Are you really going to let us out without any worries?"

She deliberately spoke in a pitiful tone.

She tried to persuade Meng Jiuhe several times, but he didn't give up his idea of ​​copying the book, so she brought up this reason.

Seeing that Meng Jiuhe's expression was softening, Xu Chaoyan quickly added more pressure: "Look at how red and frozen his hands are this winter morning. Can you bear to let my little sister suffer with me at such a young age? She can't stand the cold these days, so I'll have to trouble you, Scholar Meng, to share this hardship with me."

Meng Jiuhe hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement: "It's no problem for me to come out with you to set up a stall, but I have nothing to do in the rest of the time, so I thought I'd help you share some of the burden."

Xu Chaoyan shoved the hot water bottle back into his hand: "Warm it up with the hot water bottle first. I'm going to learn how to make hand-pulled noodles from my aunt. Just listening to her talk about it makes my mouth water. I happen to have an empty pot over there. I'll cook a bowl for you to try in a bit."

Then, as if by magic, she took a book out of the cart and stuffed it into Meng Jiuhe's hands: "Aren't you bored and have nothing to do? I brought you a book specially. Take a look. After spring, you will be going to the county school to take the entrance exam. Are you confident? Next time we set up our stall, we will light two more charcoal braziers. You can sit there and review your lessons. Your younger sister and aunt can stay at home around the fire and do some needlework."

The auntie selling sesame cakes was very enthusiastic. She picked up the dough and started tearing it apart, patiently explaining and instructing Xu Chaoyan on her movements.

She couldn't help but glance at Meng Jiuhe several times before finally praising him to Xu Chaoyan: "Your husband is really good-looking. Not only is he handsome, but he's also very caring and considerate towards you. Unlike my husband, who has been suffering from chilblains on my hands like this, he has never said a word of consideration. I still have to cook and take care of him. Sigh, it's all tears. Shall I teach you how to make pulled noodles? Because of limited resources, I won't make hand-pulled noodles today. But don't underestimate the simplicity of pulled noodles; there's a lot to learn about them. The texture is just as good as hand-pulled noodles."

There weren't many pedestrians on the street at the moment, and a few people came out to buy groceries one after another. Xu Chaoyan placed a small pot on the side, added some hot water, and waited for the water to boil before putting in the noodles she had just stretched to cook.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly simple pulled noodle dish is actually quite complex. Xu Chaoyan initially found it quite fun to try pulling the noodles, but she almost gave up after ruining quite a few. In her modern life, she had eaten ramen and puga noodles.

Looking at the evenly stretched noodles her aunt had pulled, she lowered her head in shame and said with a guilty expression, "Auntie, I'm so sorry for making me waste so much of your dough. I'll bring you some tomorrow."

The aunt chuckled twice, tossed all the noodles and dough pieces into the soup, stirred it a few times with her chopsticks, and comforted her, "You've done a great job for someone who's just learning. Besides, it's nothing expensive, just a bowl of noodles. The soup is pretty good too. You can ladle a spoonful in later, sprinkle some chopped green onions on top, and it'll still taste delicious and very chewy."

Once the noodles were almost cooked, Xu Chaoyan ladled a bowl of soup into it, added a spoonful of hot broth, sprinkled on some chopped green onions, and drizzled some chili oil. The aroma immediately filled the air.

Last night, she specially made some chili oil for later use. She didn't know what the locals' tastes were like, and as the saying goes, it's impossible to please everyone, so she prepared some of everything.

The aunt didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the food, saying, "I'll shamelessly eat this once in a while."

Xu Chaoyan then served Meng Jiu and Zhang Yueniang a small bowl as well, looking at them expectantly: "Try it and see how it tastes. Or how about I make noodles instead? I can't get up in the middle of the night to make cold tofu pudding. This noodle dish is much simpler."

Meng Jiuhe put down the small bowl and raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead: "I'm not hungry. Have some soup to warm yourself up. It smells good. I'll do whatever you want to do."

Auntie and Zhang Yueniang sat together, laughing amiably: "Look, this young couple is so loving, oh my, their sweetness is enviable."

Xu Chaoyan deliberately put on a stern face: "Auntie."

"We're shy, we're not watching anymore."

As the streets became more crowded, the auntie had no time to chat and went off to bake sesame cakes.

Seeing that her aunt's hands were practically steaming from all the work, Xu Chaoyan quickly asked Meng Jiuhe to go over and lend a hand. He should be able to handle collecting money by wrapping it in oil paper.

Curious people gathered around her stall, setting up a table and two benches. Some people had already tried it.

Xu Chaoyan had been thinking about this issue. It was indeed inconvenient to use disposable bowls and chopsticks now. Today, she hadn't brought enough tables, and several guests were eating standing up with bamboo skewers in their hands, each holding a bowl. She felt a little bad about it.

Zhang Yueniang opened her mouth several times but couldn't shout it out. Xu Chaoyan patted her shoulder and encouraged her, "Sister, shout it out loud. Don't be afraid. Look at me, I'll demonstrate for you once."

"Roasted sweet potatoes are sweet, soft, and delicious, suitable for all ages. Come and have a taste!"

Then he looked at Zhang Yueniang beside him and gestured for her to hurry up.

Zhang Yueniang nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice weakening slightly: "Sister, I dare not. Why don't you leave me alone and go see if anyone is coming?"

Xu Chaoyan sighed helplessly: "Okay, repeat it to yourself three times first, and then try it in a bit."

Meng Jiuhe stood in front of the sesame seed cake stall, unsure of where to begin. His aunt was busy kneading dough and preparing the cakes, and when she saw him approaching, she couldn't spare a hand to greet him.

"Young man Meng, your aunt doesn't have time to serve you right now. How about you try a sesame seed cake? It's fragrant and crispy. Take one for yourself."

When Meng Jiuhe saw someone else coming, he quickly took out some oil paper to wrap two coins for him and accepted the copper coins handed to him.

"Auntie, two sesame cakes for four coins is fine."

"Yes, Meng's sesame seed cakes are two coins each. I'm sorry to trouble you. I'll bake you a brown sugar one to try later."

"Hey, aren't you Shen Siheng's friend? So you're selling sesame cakes here? What flavors do you have? Pack me a few."

Hearing the sudden sound, Xu Chaoyan looked up and saw Qin Zhenzhen with a maid standing in front of the pancake stall, her eyes fixed on Meng Jiuhe, unable to hide the amazement in her eyes.

small theater

As Qin Zhenzhen walked, she complained and yawned repeatedly: "It's so cold so early in the morning. I don't know what Mother was thinking, making me come out to buy fresh fish. I'm freezing."

After she finished speaking, her body trembled several times. The maid quickly handed her a hand warmer: "Miss, warm your hands. Madam is just thinking of you. Last time you upset the old master, so she thought that buying fish and making soup herself would show her sincerity."

Qin Zhenzhen rolled her eyes at the maid and scolded her, "You brought a hand warmer but didn't take it out sooner. Did you want me to freeze to death?"

After being scolded a few times, the maidservant couldn't help but back away a little, her voice trembling: "Miss, I know I was wrong, I won't dare to do it again next time, your health is important." Just now, it was clearly the young lady who said she didn't want it and would give it to her later.

As she was speaking, she was about to kneel down.

"What are you doing? Trying to embarrass me? You're definitely doing it on purpose."

The young maid looked at her with a terrified expression, her eyes filled with fear: "Miss, this servant really dares not."

Qin Zhenzhen walked over and pinched her without leaving a trace. The little maid's face immediately changed. She didn't dare to make a sound. She knew how ruthless her young mistress was. She bit her lip tightly and endured the excruciating pain.

Seeing the maid's pained expression, Qin Zhenzhen increased the pressure in her hands, even pinching a few soft spots with her fingers and squeezing hard. She enjoyed seeing the maid's pained and restrained appearance.

The little maid's lips were stained with blood, but she didn't dare to utter a sound. Suddenly, the pain in her body lessened, and Qin Zhenzhen changed her fierce attitude. She tidied her hair, adjusted the hairpin in her hair, and asked her in a high-pitched voice.

"Xiaochun, how do I look today?"

Xiao Chun's mind reacted quickly, as if it were ingrained in her bones: "Miss is as beautiful as a flower, loved by everyone and flowers bloom for her. This outfit suits your skin very well today."