The Koi Wife of the Prime Minister

They went to a nearby shop to buy brown sugar. While buying brown sugar, Shen Yan saw dried chilies. After asking, she found out that the price of dried chilies was actually very expensive, more than 20 cents per pound.

This is not cheap in this small town, but Shen Yan can understand it. The main reason is that this thing is wild in this era and no one grows it on a large scale, so it is natural that the price is high.

Shen Yan still reluctantly bought a pound of dried chilies. With the dried chilies, even the dishes had a fragrance.

After buying the things, the three siblings took a carriage back. It took about an hour before they returned to the alley where they lived.

After returning home, the three of them were exhausted, so Shen Yan took out some buns for them to eat.

"You must be hungry. Eat some buns first. I'll cook for you later."

Shen Yan bought some peppers today, and the bacon had just been prepared a few days ago, so she wanted to make a dish of fried bacon and cabbage.

Nanny Zhang was not around these few days, and since there was nothing going on at home that needed her help, Shen Yan gave her leave and let her go back to her hometown to see her son.

Shen Yan washed the cabbage alone, and took a piece of dried bacon to prepare for cooking.

Shen Yan gently patted the flour on her hands, and the steamed buns exuded an alluring aroma, like a warm hug, quickly filling the three people's tired stomachs. The steamed buns were soft and delicious, and when they took a bite, they felt warm, as if they had found a trace of warmth in the cold winter.

After the three of them had a short break, Shen Yan started the next step of preparation. She first took the dried bacon off and cut it into thin slices. Each cut was even and powerful, as if she was carving a delicate work of art. The aroma of the bacon was gradually released under the blade, filling the entire kitchen.

Then, Shen Yan soaked the freshly washed cabbage in water and gently rubbed it to remove the impurities. Her technique was gentle but firm, and she carefully cared for each piece of cabbage, as if she was preparing a perfect stage for them.

After the preparations were completed, Shen Yan lit the stove and placed the pot on the fire. When the pot was heated thoroughly, she dripped a few drops of clear cooking oil, then put the sliced ​​bacon into the pot and gently stir-fried it. The bacon slices gradually became golden and crispy, exuding an enticing aroma, which aroused the appetite of the three people.

Then, Shen Yan took out the soaked cabbage, drained the water, put it into the pot, and stir-fried it with the bacon. The tender green of the cabbage and the golden color of the bacon intertwined, and the cooked cabbage exuded a sweet aroma, which perfectly blended with the salty fragrance of the bacon.

Finally, Shen Yan gently sprinkled in the dried chilies she had purchased earlier, as well as an appropriate amount of salt and seasonings, and stir-fried them evenly again.

The aroma of chili peppers intertwined with the scent of bacon and cabbage filled the entire kitchen, making you salivate.

After careful cooking, a dish of fried bacon and cabbage with delicious color, aroma and taste is finally ready.

Shen Yan brought the dishes to the table, and the three of them sat around and enjoyed this simple and delicious home-cooked meal.

At this moment, warmth and happiness filled the whole house, as if soothing all the fatigue and unhappiness.

After dinner, Shen Yan called Wang Jun into the room and counted the money in his purse.

"Jun'er, now that I have saved enough money, I can send you to school in a while. You have to study hard."

"Sister Shen, don't be anxious. I'm not too old." Wang Jun didn't want to spend Shen Yan's money on his studies. He felt embarrassed to eat at Shen Yan's house every day and let her take care of him.

"Why aren't you in a hurry? You are already a teenager, and other children have already gone to school. Why don't you want to go? I will definitely support you in your studies."

Shen Yan is very obsessed with studying. Although Wang Jun is not her biological brother and Wang Lin is not her biological sister, she takes care of them every day and treats them no differently from her biological brothers and sisters.

What's more, Aunt Wang and her husband in the backyard were very nice and often gave her some fresh vegetables, so she didn't have to buy vegetables during this period.

With such a good neighbor, Shen Yan would of course like to help in any way she can.

What's more, she doesn't have any children now, so she doesn't have much money to spend. Even if she needs money in the future, she can think of many ways to make money.

"Sister Shen, studying doesn't cost so much money. I don't want it." Wang Jun declined.

"Don't you know how expensive pens, ink, paper and inkstone are? Look at your handwriting, it's so ugly. You need to practice more."

Shen Yan said seriously that in this era, people who could afford to read books were not particularly poor, because paper was not a particularly cheap thing. The fact that "paper is expensive in Luoyang" fully demonstrated that the flourishing reading led to a shortage of paper.

There were not as many paper mills as there are today. Papermaking in ancient times was a very troublesome thing, so it was normal for paper to be expensive.

Wang Jun now looks dull and has no idea of ​​the seriousness of the problem.

"Sister Shen, I understand."

"Then you just listen. There's a little bit of red paper left over from paper cutting today. You can use the red paper to practice calligraphy. You can even write a couplet for us during the New Year."

Hearing Shen Yan say this, Wang Jun became a little anxious: "Sister Shen, aren't you going to keep the red paper to make paper-cuts and sell them for money?"

"What are you doing? It's almost the New Year, so I'm not going to do business anymore."

Shen Yan had already thought it through. She had made a lot of money selling paper-cuts at the stall there, which would definitely attract jealousy. It would be better for her to run away as soon as possible.

So I used the excuse of taking a break and stopped going to the stall.

"I've been having back pain lately. It's time to take a rest." Thinking about the embroidery work she did some time ago, and how she often stayed up late and felt uncomfortable in her eyes, Shen Yan thought it would be a good opportunity to take a break for a while.

What's more, Song Yunfeng is her husband, and he is not without money. The few taels of silver paid by the county government every month are enough for the family's food and clothing.

She had worked so hard to make money just to give these two children an education, and going to school is not a cheap thing.

In addition to tuition, pens, ink, paper and inkstone are all very expensive, so studying was a huge expense for people in ancient times. Therefore, it was very rare for a poor scholar to pass the examination and become a scholar.

After discussing the study with Wang Jun, Shen Yan gave Wang Lin some pocket money. After all, Wang Lin was only a little girl, and little girls would love beauty when they grow up. Giving her some pocket money could help her buy some hair ornaments or something.

Wang Lin was so happy that she couldn't express it in words. When she was at home, her mother never gave her pocket money. She didn't expect Sister Shen to be so generous.

"Thank you, Sister Shen."

"Why are you being so polite to me? Just treat me as your real sister. You're welcome."

Shen Yan touched her little head, showing how doting she was.

At night, Shen Yan counted her money and fell asleep holding her purse. She had a wonderful dream that night and was extremely happy.

In her dream, a magnificent mansion stood on a stretch of green grass, with the roof shining with golden sunlight, emitting charming light. Surrounding the mansion was a lush garden with various flowers blooming and emitting fragrant aromas.