As dusk approached, an iron frame was erected in the courtyard of the Ning residence, and a group of people busied themselves preparing charcoal and ingredients. Ning Xi, led by Juan'er, was skewering a chicken wing with an iron fork under the eaves. Wen Fang and Wen Ding, having just returned from outside, rolled up their sleeves and joined the barbecue preparations with smiles.

Before the Wu Dynasty, iron pots were not common, and stir-frying had not yet emerged as a cooking method. Most culinary systems relied on stewing or roasting, nothing particularly unusual. The main difference with the Ning family's barbecue was that diners mostly had to do it themselves. The chefs would marinate most of the ingredients, but the grilling process was largely self-service. In addition, meat was still considered a luxury in most families, and Ning Yi's meticulous attention to detail in preparing the food made the flavors particularly outstanding. In the past, people like Si Wenren would occasionally hear about the Ning family's barbecue and come over to join the fun.

Even in the Ning residence, opportunities to eat unlimited amounts of meat only occurred occasionally after Ning Yi's decree. Under normal circumstances, even with considerable wealth, a thrifty attitude was still maintained in managing the household. The extravagant lifestyles of officials like Cai Jing, whose kitchens for serving one person's meals were larger than those of a five-star hotel, or the practice of using the tongues of a hundred chickens for a single dish, were things Ning Yi could afford, but considered too low-class. People raised in such environments were, in his eyes, fundamentally rotten.

On the other hand, most aristocratic families in the capital also had numerous elders overseeing matters, requiring adherence to rules and formalities. It was rare to find a family where everyone could relax and enjoy themselves like this, except for a family like Ning Yi's.

As night fell, lanterns of various sizes were hung under the eaves of the courtyard, and the charcoal in the frames was lit. Wen Ding and others brought in various wines, fruits, and juices from outside.

Little Ning Xi, who was just over two years old, held his small cup filled with juice and kept saying, "Want wings," while also supervising the cook at the charcoal grill to ensure his chosen wings were roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. As Ning Yi's eldest son, he was somewhat pitiable. Juice was limited to one cup only. If he finished it, he would have to secretly beg uncles and elders, sometimes getting scolded in the process. Chicken wings and grilled meat also required approval. Seasonal fruits and vegetables were available in unlimited quantities, but they simply couldn't compare to the taste of freshly squeezed juice...

In fact, even with the limited wings and grilled meat, little Ning Xi's mouth and stomach couldn't finish it all at once. However, he couldn't drink his beloved juice to his heart's content, which made him feel frustrated. And having only one delicious chicken wing was also quite disappointing. His parents would occasionally make him eat vegetables he didn't want to.

He was certainly happy, but at his age, he probably couldn't avoid feeling that things weren't 100% satisfactory. Of course, he couldn't articulate this feeling. After being told off by his parents, he would pout and eat the vegetable leaves before going back to charmingly beg for more juice.

These things were mainly due to Ning Yi's educational philosophy. In his view, the most important quality for a man was restraint. Although he wanted his child to be happy, complete happiness was not what a child, especially a boy, needed. Indeed, absolute happiness should be avoided during a child's development, or else the child would find it difficult to become a true man in the future.

Fortunately, little Ning Xi was quite obedient at this time, and Su Tan'er, as his mother, was even stricter than Ning Yi in this regard. Otherwise, the child would probably be crying all day because of Ning Yi.

However, at this moment, Su Tan'er, as a mother, was worried about other things.

"If he gets older... do you think Xi'er will seem too weak? Look at him, he doesn't have any courage..."

The young woman, as the mistress of the house, sat on the steps of the pavilion behind Ning Yi, watching the child on the other side of the courtyard with a mix of affection and worry. Ning Yi was sitting on a stone in front, grilling chicken wings, and looking over at Ning Xi secretly begging Su Wen Fang for juice.

The child, only two years old, was sneaking behind a pillar to ask Su Wen Fang for a taste of the new juice. After taking a sip, his face clearly showed a happy "delicious" expression, but he didn't dare to drink a second sip, obviously afraid of being scolded by his parents. Holding his small cup, he sipped it slowly as he walked away.

"He's only two years old. Be satisfied that he's so obedient. If he had courage now, he'd be arguing with us all day, and you'd be pulling your hair out."

Ning Yi smiled and tilted his head, touching his wife beside him. Tan'er smoothed a stray strand of hair from her cheek and swayed, gently bumping into Ning Yi. Ning Yi shouted, "Who wants chicken wings? Who wants chicken wings? Trade tofu and fish for them!"

The surroundings immediately became lively. Jin'er darted over from the side, "I have grilled buns."

"Who wants buns? No buns! Go trade with someone else."

"I want this skewer... and this skewer..."

"Are you strong-arming me? That skewer is the biggest, and I'll be angry if you take it. Besides, the appearance of your buns... hey..."

Jin'er triumphantly snatched the chicken wings. When she passed by Ning Xi, she squatted down and tore off a small piece of meat for the child to eat. Ning Xi chewed and swallowed it, holding up the half-eaten chicken wing in his hand to indicate, "Mine is more delicious." He only had a limited portion of chicken wings, so they were roasted by the best cook in the house, which was naturally much better than Ning Yi's skills.

Yun Zhu carried several bowls of wine and water on a tray from over there, gave Jin'er a bowl, and then came over here, handing a bowl to Tan'er and another to Ning Yi. Seeing the charcoal fire rising, she looked at what was on it, "What do we have?"

"Buns grilled by Jin'er, fish and tofu we traded for. I think we should process them ourselves before eating. I don't trust these animals' skills... But you can eat Jin'er's buns first, they're almost burnt."

"I don't want them." Yun Zhu had already taken a few sips of rice wine, her smile slightly tipsy. "What about chicken wings?"

"They've all been traded away. The last one was taken by Su Wen Ding's wife. I'll remember this grudge for a month."

After the Su family came to the capital, the size of the family also increased, including the wives and concubines of everyone. Currently, the scale of the houses in the capital could not provide each family with its own independent courtyard, so they were a little crowded, but they could be considered harmonious. Ning Yi was the leader of the house, and ordinary relatives, young wives, and the like did not dare to be too presumptuous in front of him. When Ning Yi said he was trading chicken wings, the other party came over timidly, exchanging the wings in a well-behaved manner. Unexpectedly, Ning Yi blurted out such words, and some women near Su Wen Ding's wife laughed. Su Wen Ding's wife also blushed and laughed, turning her head to timidly defend herself, "It was Brother-in-law who asked me to trade."

Tan'er smiled, walked to the side, and took two skewers of wings, placing them on the fire. "Yun Zhu, I'll grill them for you, but you have to play a song in exchange."

Yun Zhu smiled, "What does Tan'er want to hear?"

"The General's Command (Jiang Jun Ling)."

"Hmm... you're really making things difficult..."

Yun Zhu rolled her eyes at her, then took her zither to the pavilion. *Jiang Jun Ling* was originally a military song, a tune for entering battle, which was incompatible with Yun Zhu's gentle style. However, anything related to music was no problem for Yun Zhu. As the first sound of the song pressed down, a profound and shocking sound rang out.

The sound of the zither was ethereal. As the music began, the lyrics of *Jiang Jun Ling* also emanated from her lips. It was not a shout, but rather a gentle recitation. The first note made everyone's skin crawl.

"Long wind on the frontier, the flute sounds clear and cold.
Sunset over the desert, the crescent moon hangs in the sky.
Day and night, listening to camel bells, following dreams back to my hometown..."

The慷慨激昂 (kāng kǎi jī áng - generosity and passion) of the military music was hidden beneath an ethereal surface. As the music gradually intensified, the appearance of the lyrics made the atmosphere of the entire piece in the courtyard even more empty and vast. Everything seemed like a story buried in the long river of history, stirring up huge waves and sandstorms in the woman's narration. This was not the first time everyone had seen Yun Zhu's musical skills, so they were not surprised, but everyone quieted down.

Tan'er sat beside Ning Yi, smiling as she grilled chicken wings.

"Three feet of Qingfeng (Qīng fēng - a type of sword) in hand, six letters from home under my pillow.
Surely behead the enemy general, after reading, tears fall and wither.
Report to the court! Who will listen..."

The modified military song carried a calming atmosphere, and it was like listening to countless stories. After she finished singing, even Ning Xi applauded from the side. After all, these skills were from her past experience as a courtesan. Apart from Ning Yi, who could casually ask, Tan'er would not easily make such requests on weekdays. However, soon after, Yun Zhu performed two more songs for everyone to listen to. She was no longer embarrassed by this, and she could be happy with Ning Yi when she saw the family happy.

As for Jin'er, her forte was dance, which was, after all, a body language, a little more seductive. Apart from performing for Ning Yi or exchanging with some female relatives, teaching them a few moves, it was ultimately inappropriate to perform for Wen Ding and Wen Fang.

Such gatherings and celebrations were not uncommon in the days that followed. Apart from occasionally visiting the Xiang residence when necessary, Ning Yi spent most of his time at home dealing with matters. There were many things to deal with, but he didn't need to run around and do everything himself. The basic routines of the Bamboo Chronicle (Zhuji) operation were already in place. Starting from this autumn, Ning Yi was also remotely controlling further improvements to the Bamboo Chronicle's metabolism, operational efficiency, blood-making function, and oversight and immune mechanisms.

Even for Ning Yi, the whole thing was a strange and novel attempt. The limitations of communication abilities meant that the central core of the Bamboo Chronicle lacked responsiveness after its expansion. It was difficult to limit the loss of manpower and the friction that arose in operations by relying solely on rules and regulations. Even if Ning Yi handled it himself, when he focused on one aspect of the problem, his control over other areas of such a large operation would inevitably weaken.

Even with the Secret Intelligence Division's information system as an aid, the problems that arose around Ning Yi were still extremely complex. The summarization of each and every item could not rely solely on rules and regulations, but had to rely on rules and regulations and operational models to solve.

Throughout the following winter, Ning Yi devoted almost all of his external energy to this. Apart from Su Tan'er, with whom he could occasionally exchange ideas, these matters were not for outsiders to know.

Most of the time, he was still enjoying the warmth of his home. Since having a child and working with Ning Yi to support this family, the strength that Su Tan'er showed had become increasingly powerful. Of course, this strength was not an external sharpness. Relatively speaking, Tan'er, when she had just married Ning Yi, had more outward sharpness, but that sharpness also had a sense of immaturity. Now, as a mother, she appeared young in Ning Yi's eyes, but while being more gentle on the outside, her presence was also harder to ignore. Sometimes, when things happened, she could often find a way to solve them with a few casual words. Although she was more rounded and gentle on the outside, the maids and servants in the house had the most respect for this mistress, which was an undeniable fact.

Only in front of Ning Yi would Tan'er return to the girl who chatted and dreamed with him in the small building in Jiangning. On nights when the weather was getting colder and even the moonlight was gradually cooling down, Tan'er would curl up in his arms like a baby. Sometimes, she would bite her teeth between her lips, and her eyebrows would furrow slightly in her sleep. Ning Yi would reach out to smooth out those wrinkles.

In a sense, as a wife, Tan'er shouldered many things that originally belonged to him. After coming to Bianliang with Ning Yi, Tan'er, who was already quite talented, matured even more quickly. She shouldered the worries of the family for Ning Yi, and even, in some ways, could support the operation of the Bamboo Chronicle with him, discussing various matters with him. This maturity would not be without a price. What was manifested outwardly was that she, who was still young, could give others a huge amount of pressure while being increasingly gentle.

And in this infant-like sleep, her brows were furrowed.

One night, Ning Yi jokingly said to her, "I'm worried that one day you'll become a woman as powerful as Empress Lu Zhi..."

The woman, lying naked in Ning Yi's arms, just smiled clearly, feeling his presence. "As long as you, Li Heng, are by my side, it will never happen."

Sometimes, she would also go to Yun Zhu's place to rest, which was a habit she had developed when Ning Yi was not at home.

Of course, it's not about yuri (百合 - bǎihé - lesbianism)...