"Wow, Sister Qin is so beautiful," Fuzi said, cupping his hands on his cheeks and tilting his head in a playful compliment to Qin Junyao.
Qin Junyao smiled gently and playfully flicked Fuzi's forehead.
She had long known what she looked like. Her face was clean when she entered the space, and she had seen her reflection in the well water inside, which was the same as her modern self.
She wasn't stunning, but she was pleasant to look at. If she had to use one word to describe herself, it would be a "virtuous wife and good mother."
Hmm... a "virtuous wife and good mother" who couldn't do housework.
Upon seeing Qin Junyao's true appearance, Zhao Liangcai unconsciously smiled, a smile he himself didn't notice.
After surveying the Qin family, Sheng Yining looked closely at Qin Junyao. "Sister Jun, you look so kind. Hehehe."
Her teasing remark also drew the attention of the Qin and Hou families.
Indeed, Qin Junyao's face now appeared gentle and demure.
Feeling better after washing her face, Qin Junyao prepared two baskets of potatoes and half a basket of sweet potatoes. Qin Erniu picked out some small potatoes and roasted them in the still-burning fire.
Qin's mother and the women in the kitchen were also in good spirits. Despite the limited ingredients, they wanted to make something special for the children to eat.
The potatoes and sweet potatoes were cooked and mashed, mixed with a little fine cornmeal, and formed into patties to be cooked on the side of the pot. The porridge in the pot was made with the millet Zhao Liangcai had brought.
Besides the millet, Zhao Liangcai also brought a jar of pickled vegetables, which made the meal even more abundant.
"Junyao, eat with confidence. Mother didn't use the iron pot to boil the soup. Chui Zi specifically told me," Qin's mother said, noticing her eldest daughter only eating the roasted potatoes made by Qin Erniu and the patties and porridge cooked in pots, but not touching them. She was worried her daughter wouldn't eat enough.
Upon hearing Qin's mother's words, Qin Junyao looked up at Zhao Liangcai, who was eating the patties and roasted potatoes but not the porridge.
He was quite thoughtful.
As Qin Junyao shifted her gaze, Zhao Liangcai looked up at Qin Junyao ladling porridge. The corners of his mouth under his beard turned up even more.
The potatoes and patties were indeed delicious.
Qin Junyao and Zhao Liangcai ate contentedly, while Qian Shi and her daughter felt a pang of discomfort.
Qin Grandmother, for reasons unknown, held her bowl and squatted beside Qian Shi and her daughter, slurping her porridge loudly.
Her slurping was louder than the sounds made by the men with their wooden stools.
Whenever Qian Shi and Zhao Rui showed impatience or wanted to say something, Qin Grandmother would raise her hand as if to snatch their bowls and cakes.
The mother and daughter, who had been hungry all day, could only endure it, thinking of a way to deal with the old lady.
Qian Duo did not sit with Qian Shi and her group. While eating, she observed Zhao Liangcai, thinking about how to get familiar with him during this time.
As darkness fell, the remaining patties and roasted potatoes were put away.
Dinner was portioned out to avoid overeating and discomfort, with any leftovers saved for breakfast the next morning.
After arranging for those to keep watch and fetch water, the rest lay on the fallen leaves to rest.
Qin Junyao finally had time to tend to her space. The brief rest during the day was only enough for her to plant some potatoes.
Upon entering the space, Qin Junyao was dumbfounded. The weed she had pulled by the spring had proliferated within the space, growing rampant among other plants.
Upon closer inspection, she discovered that this type of grass sprouted and reproduced from its roots, not just from seeds.
This added to Qin Junyao's workload.
Qin Junyao did not let the space's soil absorb the weeds she pulled. Instead, she put them into the two large jars she had stored in the space, which could be fed to the donkeys and horses.
After replanting two patches of sweet potatoes and potatoes using sweet potato vines and cut potato pieces with sprouts, Qin Junyao's consciousness faded, and she fell asleep.
Before sleeping, she made a wish to the moon, hoping that one day she could farm in her space with her consciousness, just like the heroines in the novels she had read.
Her eyes closed and opened, and a night passed.
As dawn broke, everyone got up, packed their belongings, and set off again.
As expected, Zhao Rui, who had morning grumpiness, threw another tantrum. No one comforted her except Qian Shi.
Fuzi wanted to ride a horse today. He pulled Qin Junyao to find Xiao Fei. Zhao Liangcai stood to the left of Xiao Fei, lifting Fuzi onto the horse's back. Qin Junyao walked to the right of Xiao Fei.
"This is my horse, named Zhao Xiao Fei," Zhao Liangcai introduced to Qin Junyao on the other side.
"Nice name," Qin Junyao replied formally.
"Sister Qin, Xiao Fei shares the same surname as my brother and me," Fuzi said to Qin Junyao from the horse's back, hugging the horse's neck and emphasizing the point.
"I know, sit properly. Isn't it too dangerous for Fuzi to ride such a tall horse?" Xiao Fei's back was as tall as Qin Junyao's head. Qin Junyao watched Fuzi wriggle on the horse's back, fearing he would fall.
"It's nothing. Fuzi played on Xiao Fei's back last year. Fuzi can sit steadily by himself," Zhao Liangcai said, reaching out to stroke Xiao Fei's neck. He was puzzled.
Was it not strange for a horse to have a surname? Why didn't he ask further after hearing it?
Qin Junyao didn't care about Xiao Fei's surname. She watched the restless Fuzi, suspecting Zhao Liangcai had a different understanding of "sitting steadily."
"Miss Qin, yesterday."
"Cousin, Miss Qin, I have candies from Defu Zhai here. Let me share some with you," Qian Duo said, a bundle on her shoulder as she walked over from the side of the procession.
It seemed she had stopped nearby, waiting for Zhao Liangcai and his group to catch up.
Qin Junyao noticed that Qian Duo looked different today. Yesterday, her bundle was hung on the horse, but today she carried it on her own. She had also changed into a dress with a small flared hem, and her hair was braided with a pearl hairpin.
She had transformed from a disheveled noblewoman yesterday into a girl next door, clearly adopting a different style.
Qian Duo had put considerable effort into her appearance today. The luggage she brought from the inn was limited, so it wasn't easy to dress up like this.
As a fellow woman, Qin Junyao immediately saw where Qian Duo's attention was focused. She mused, in ancient times, wouldn't cousin and cousin consider looks?
Qian Duo stood next to Zhao Chui Zi, like a beauty next to a beast.
While she saw Qian Duo's intentions, Zhao Liangcai didn't, and was even somewhat repelled, because Qian Duo resembled Qian Shi even more than Zhao Rui.
"Miss Qin, Defu Zhai's candies are the best in our Qing Kingdom. Try them quickly. They are much tastier than ordinary maltose," Qian Duo said as she took candies from her bundle, quietly approaching Zhao Liangcai.
As she handed a candy wrapped in glutinous rice paper to Qin Junyao, reaching across the horse's neck, she also had brief physical contact with Zhao Liangcai.
"Thank you," Qin Junyao said after taking two candies. She held the candies in her hand without eating them, as she didn't eat candies bought without wrapping paper. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Miss Qin, you're too kind. The thin paper wrapped around Defu Zhai's candies is edible. If you don't like it, you can peel it off."
As Qian Duo spoke, she reached out again from in front of Zhao Liangcai, as if intending to help Qin Junyao peel the candy wrapper.
Zhao Liangcai, who had been bumped when holding the horse earlier and didn't dodge, now had Qian Duo reach for him again. He directly let go of the reins, took a step back, and casually lifted Fuzi off the horse.
Then, things became somewhat awkward.
Because Zhao Liangcai stepped back, Qian Duo stumbled directly in Qin Junyao's direction, her face landing squarely on Xiao Fei's muzzle as the horse lowered its head to walk.
These few people had been following the group forward. With her face pressed against the horse's, Qian Duo didn't know where to place her hands to get up, and her legs continued to move forward habitually.
Fuzi, sitting on his brother's arm, looked down from above and saw his cousin and Xiao Fei's faces touching as she walked forward with her back hunched and buttocks sticking out for several steps.
Cousin is so amazing.