Quick travel: The poor little thing in the period novel strikes back

"Okay, come in, there's a well in the yard."

Shi Yan unlocked the door and invited the two to come in. As the gate opened, the refreshing fragrance of flowers wafted into the air. As the autumn wind blew, the vines and branches on the wall swayed gently, as if waving to welcome the guests to the courtyard.

"Sister-in-law, you have tidied up this yard so well. It is no longer the small yard with broken houses and rotten tiles. I would believe if you said this is the yard of fairies."

Shuanzi praised the flowers generously. He had never seen so many flowers in any yard in the village. The inside and outside of the yard were like two completely different worlds.

"If you like these flowers, you can pick some and take them back. I won't entertain you. I'll go get you something to eat first."

As soon as Shi Yan entered the yard, she went to the vegetable garden on the side to pick vegetables, and then walked towards the stove under the simple shed.

In addition to the stove, there is also a wicker basket with a lid under Shi Yan's shed, where the condiments for cooking and the ingredients prepared in advance are placed.

He lights the stove skillfully, puts the pot on the stove, pours oil into the pot, and puts the ingredients into the pot. The aroma of the ingredients is brought out by the hot oil.

The two people who were originally busy carrying things into the house both looked in the direction of Shi Yan, and then quickened their hands' movements. After a short while, all the things Shi Yan had purchased in the city today were put into the house.

"Sister-in-law, let me help you."

"Okay, then you can help me cut the vegetables and watch the fire while you do it."

"it is good."

Zhao Ze agreed readily, but as a young man in his twenties, he had never been busy with kitchen work except for roasting game in the mountains: he cut potatoes and eggplants into large and small sizes, picked beans of different lengths, and even peeled a bunch of garlic. It took him a long time to peel the garlic skin cleanly, which really made him look clumsy.

But Zhao Ze himself has no self-awareness at all. Every time he completes a task assigned by Shi Yan, he can't help showing off.

"Sister-in-law, what do you think of my cutting?"

Shi Yan: “Very good.”

"Sister-in-law, what do you think of my picking of vegetables?"

Shi Yan: “Very good.”

"Sister-in-law, there is too much smoke. Please stand further away. Let me do the frying so that the oil won't burn you."

Shi Yan actually wanted to refuse, but Zhao Ze had already taken the spatula and moved Shi Yan behind him. Because in Zhao Ze's heart, although his sister-in-law looked more worldly when cooking, she was still delicate and needed protection. As a grown man, he was not afraid of hardship or fatigue.

"Then you stir-fry it and I'll add the seasonings." Shi Yan suggested.

"it is good."

It was the first time for the two of them to cook together, and they were not very coordinated throughout the process. Zhao Ze was usually worried about hurting Shi Yan, so he blocked the space between Shi Yan and the stove tightly, causing Shi Yan to miss the opportunity to add seasonings many times.

"Brother Ze, sister-in-law, when can we eat? Do you need my help?"

Shuanzi saw that his elder brother had found a job again, so as the younger brother, he couldn't fall behind. He first helped Shi Yan pull out the weeds, then chopped firewood for Shi Yan, and finally even cut off the rose flowers that had wilted from lack of water on the vines and buried them in the soil in the corner as fertilizer.

After all this busy work, Shuanzi's stomach, which was not hungry at first, began to growl uncontrollably. He turned around to look at his elder brother and younger sister-in-law. The atmosphere of laughter and love between them did not belong to him.

After he drank a spoonful of well water for the third time, he finally mustered up the courage to interrupt the harmonious atmosphere between the two. As expected, as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw a somewhat displeased look from his eldest brother.

"Soon, it will be the last dish. Shuanzi, please put the steamed rice on the table and put three pairs of bowls and chopsticks on it."

In her own yard, Shi Yan was well aware of the changes in every tree and blade of grass. Naturally, she also saw what Shuanzi had just done and felt a little guilty.

But when she turned around and looked at Zhao Ze, whose mood had become a little low because of the interruption, she found it funny again.

Picking up the spatula again and pushing Zhao Ze aside, Shi Yan quickly stir-fried the vegetables in the pot evenly and then served them in a bowl.

"Zhao Ze, please help me put the dishes on the table. I'll boil some hot water."

"Ok."

The three of them finally sat around the table, looking at the three dishes and one soup on the table, which didn't look good but smelled delicious. As soon as Shi Yan said let's eat, the two who had worked hard today immediately started eating without hesitation.

......................

"Hiccup~~~"

Shuanzi patted his stomach and burped with a satisfied look on his face.

"Go! What a mess! Move around after you've eaten and wash the dishes."

Zhao Ze was so full that he really wanted to burp, but when he saw his sister-in-law who looked like a fairy sitting opposite him, he immediately controlled himself not to lose his composure in front of her.

He stood up, kicked Shuanzi who was sitting nearby, and asked people to work.

It’s okay to let Shi Yan cook, but she really doesn’t like to wash dishes. Usually when she is alone in the yard, she uses her supernatural power to control vines to wash dishes so that she doesn’t have to get her hands greasy.

At this moment, the two of them washed the dishes and pots very consciously, and even helped Shi Yan pour the boiled water into the thermos. They were both very active people and Shi Yan didn't have to worry about anything at all.

"Sister-in-law, when is it convenient for you? I'll pack my things and come over to make the quilt for you."

"What do you want to prepare? Is it convenient? Do you need anyone to help you?"

Shi Yan's current bedding is relatively light and thin. Although it is not so cold that she cannot sleep, her body has been nurtured for such a long time and is still weaker than that of an average person. If she does not use her supernatural powers all the time, her hands and feet will be cold when she wakes up after a night's sleep. Naturally, she hopes that the new bedding can be made as soon as possible.

"No need. We have a set of cotton-fluffing tools at home. My parents made them specially when I was learning from the old craftsman. I'll go back and clean them today, and I can make them for you tomorrow morning."

Cotton fluffing is a skill that is usually passed down in the family. The reason why Zhao Ze knew how to do it was that when he was a child he was full of energy and ran around the village. He found it interesting to watch the old craftsmen fluffing cotton, so he learned it by watching them every day.

After he returned home, he was eager to try, and asked Village Chief Zhao to buy him a set of tools. Village Chief Zhao thought that his son had learned his lesson and wanted to learn a skill, so he bought him the tools.

Zhao Ze was a man with a quick mind. After some tinkering, he made a set of bedding for himself. He used the new cotton of that year, which was not only warm but also strong. He could use it for more than ten years.

However, after Zhao Ze learned this skill, he lost interest in cotton fluffering, and the set of cotton fluffering tools could only be placed in the firewood room to collect ashes.

"Okay, I'll trouble you then. Tell your aunt not to mess with your meals tomorrow, and just eat at my place!"

Zhao Ze: "Okay, sister-in-law, Shuanzi and I will leave first, and you can take a rest."