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墨書 Inktalez
Xia Muxin went to bring in the half-dried Ginger Shreds that she had prepared yesterday, and immediately began making Wine-Pickled Fish.
She carried the cleaned and dried Jar into the house and then fetched a large basin. Just as she was about to place the dried fish into the basin, she realized something important: the chili peppers had not been ground into powder, and there was no mortar available. Thinking quickly, she took out a clean piece of cloth. Fortunately, the cotton fabric from ancient times was quite practical and not easily torn.
Shen Muhan chatted with Aunt Xia for a while and checked her health. Once he finished, he entered the house and saw Xia Muxin running to the side with a piece of cloth, wrapping up the red chili peppers that had been drying on the kang. He then noticed her carrying the cloth bundle outside, where she began to beat it with a wooden stick that she had used for laundry.
He quickly walked over, took the stick from her hand, and said softly, "Let me do it!"
Xia Muxin wasn't very strong, and at this rate, it would take ages to crush the chili peppers. Although they had been drying on the kang overnight, now that they were still warm was the best time to grind them. The powdered chili would have an added fragrance without being burnt.
Seeing Shen Muhan take over, she smiled at him and casually said, "Make sure to crush them finely!"
After saying that, she bounced back into the house.
As she left, Shen Muhan's gaze darkened slightly. Did this girl really not want to spend a little more time with him?
Feeling a bit frustrated with himself, he exerted more strength in his hands and even used some of his internal energy. In just about ten strikes, the chili peppers in the cloth bag were ground into a fine powder, evenly distributed.
A glimmer of pride flashed in his eyes as he suppressed his coughing from the spicy aroma. He carried the cloth bag back inside and saw Xia Muxin tending to the fire by the stove. She had poured some oil into the pot, but it hadn’t started bubbling yet.
Xia Muxin added some firewood to the stove and then washed her hands. When she noticed Shen Muhan standing there with the cloth bag watching her, their eyes met for a moment before she curiously asked, "Uncle, is there something on my face?"
At her words, Shen Muhan snapped back to reality. This girl was always so serious when working that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Clearing his throat, he lifted the cloth bag and said, "This... is done!"
Upon hearing this, Xia Muxin's eyes lit up. She hurried over to him in a few quick steps, took the cloth bag from him, and spread it open on the table. Looking at the evenly ground chili powder inside, she couldn’t help but give Shen Muhan a thumbs up and generously praised him, "Uncle, you’re amazing!"
Today she wore very ordinary clothes: a light brown summer outfit paired with lake blue thin pants. Through her sheer clothing, one could see a hint of red underneath—a strapless top. Shen Muhan's gaze darkened slightly as he leaned closer to Xia Muxin's ear and said softly, "You..." He tugged at her outer shirt slightly and added meaningfully, "That inner garment is quite eye-catching—red!"
Hearing this made Xia Muxin lower her head in annoyance as she glanced at her chest. Even though the light in the room wasn’t strong, one could still vaguely see a hint of red there. Her cheeks flushed instantly as she shot Shen Muhan an irritated glare before storming into another room. When she came back out again, she had changed into a deep blue outfit that concealed everything beneath it no matter how you looked at it.
Shen Muhan raised an eyebrow, noticing that the girl was completely ignoring him as she busied herself. He leaned in closer and playfully remarked, "A girl should be modest. Besides, that kind of nosebleed-inducing stuff is meant for your husband to see."
Xia Muxin shot him a glare, mixing the fish she had poured into the basin with ginger shreds. She then placed chili powder into a bowl and went to scoop out some hot oil. Once she had mixed the fish and ginger shreds thoroughly, the oil had cooled down enough for her to pour in the chili powder along with a pinch of salt. As soon as the chili powder hit the oil, it sizzled, releasing a rich, spicy aroma that filled the air.
Curious, Shen Muhan stretched his neck to peek into the bowl of oil.
Seeing that the chili had been fully soaked in the oil, she poured the spicy oil over the mixed fish and then packed it into a jar. Finally, she covered the jar's opening with a bowl and poured some water on top to prevent air from getting in.
In three days, she would be able to add a suitable amount of rice wine. If it turned out authentic, it would truly be another classic of this era.
Just as she finished everything, a gentle voice came from outside:
"Aunt, are you feeling better? Is Muxin around? She dropped this while washing clothes."
Zhou Cailian's hair was somewhat disheveled, likely blown by the wind while she was doing laundry. At that moment, she was holding a wooden basin filled with clothes as she entered Muxin's yard. Upon seeing Aunt Xia, she greeted her warmly and took out a small bamboo tube from the basin, inside which were still a few soap pods.
Aunt Xia widened her eyes in disbelief; it was surprising that someone from the Zhou family would come so kindly into their yard and even return something they had lost. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
Xia Muxin clapped her hands and gave Shen Muhan—who looked innocent and shrugged—a meaningful glance before stepping outside. She looked at the small bamboo tube in Zhou Cailian's hand and smiled politely.
"Thank you so much! I thought this bamboo tube was too small and had intended to throw it by the river. I didn't expect my cousin to be so thoughtful."
Xia Muxin walked over a few steps, took the bamboo tube from Zhou Cailian's hand, and casually tossed it onto a pile of firewood before heading straight into the house.
Seeing this action, Zhou Cailian's face flushed with embarrassment and anger; it was like being splashed with dye. Biting her lip, she looked at Aunt Xia with eyes full of grievance and pity while stealing glances at the house, where that tall figure continued to follow Xia Muxin closely, saying something flattering.
A wave of sourness rose in her heart.
Aunt Xia noticed this and felt that Muxin had gone a bit too far. However, she had no reason to say anything to her. Just as she was about to gently advise Zhou Cailian, she saw a flicker of coldness in her eyes. With a low huff, Zhou Cailian turned and walked back toward her own yard with the wooden basin in hand.
In the evening, the Muxin family finished dinner early and sat in the yard to enjoy the cool breeze.
Aunt Xia and her husband went inside to rest after a while, and Ming Yi also discreetly slipped away. However, Xia Tieshu was pulled along by Songzi.
As a result, only Shen Muhan and Xia Muxin remained sitting side by side.
"Wait for me for a moment; I'll take you to a place later!"
Shen Muhan expressed his gratitude for everyone's awareness, gently tugging at Xia Muxin's hand and softly saying this before turning to go inside.
When he came out again, he was holding a black cloth bag. Xia Muxin looked at him with curiosity, and Shen Muhan smiled at her. Suddenly, his ears twitched, and a glint of determination flashed in his eyes as he said to Xia Muxin:
"Stay at home for a bit; I'll come to pick you up later. It'll be a surprise!"
Before Xia Muxin could fully process what he said, she saw Shen Muhan's figure flash and disappear from her sight.
Feeling tired, Xia Muxin yawned and blinked her eyes, gazing at the setting sun that was gradually sinking behind the mountains. Bathed in the cool evening breeze, she felt drowsy and eventually fell asleep. When she awoke, it was already dark outside.
"Is Sister Muxin home?"
After taking a nap and feeling much more refreshed, Xia Muxin stretched lazily. Suddenly, a childish voice rang out from outside the yard. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a four-year-old boy with a round face holding a piece of crispy rice and munching on it happily. Not intimidated by her gaze, he continued speaking in his tender voice:
"A big brother is waiting for you at Cross Pavilion and said there would be a surprise." After saying this, the boy took another bite of his snack and bounced away.
Xia Muxin couldn't remember which family he belonged to but found him quite adorable with his silly charm. She had no doubt about his words; after all, this was something Shen Muhan would do.
Cross Pavilion was actually an ancient temple on Daimiao Mountain. It was small, consisting of only two rooms, and it was also the only Moon Elder Temple on Daimiao Mountain. This tradition had been passed down for a long time; it was said that if two people in love hung red silk on the Centennial Poplar tree at Cross Pavilion and pressed their handprints on it, then the Matchmaker would sense it and connect them with a red thread.
"What does it mean for Shen Muhan to call her there?"
"Go close the door," Xia Muxin thought as she stepped towards Cross Pavilion.
Although Cross Pavilion was not far, it still took some time to walk there, and the path up Daimiao Mountain was not easy. Fortunately, the moon was quite full tonight, so she wouldn't be walking in complete darkness.
Meanwhile!
Two shadows crouched and concealed themselves in the moonlight. One of them lowered his voice and said, "Did you know today is Miss Muxin's birthday? I heard she’s going to Cross Pavilion to meet her lover. Just think about it—a man and a woman alone in the dark. What do you think they’ll be up to?"
"Hey, I told you, that Miss Muxin is no ordinary person. It’s possible she’s already involved with that man from her family. They might have been together for a while now."
"That makes sense; after all, she has her ways..."
At that moment, Feng Liulang was squatting in the outhouse. The voices came from behind his house, and it only took a minute to get from his house to Cross Pavilion.
Hearing their conversation, he ignored the pain in his stomach, grabbed a few thin stones to wipe himself, didn’t even have time to wash his hands, and rushed out of the outhouse.
As Feng Liulang left, a figure slipped out from the side of his outhouse, a smirk of triumph curling at the corner of his mouth. "Xia Muxin, after tonight, let’s see how you can face the world!"
- End of Chapter -
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