There is a happy inn in the capital.

Liang Yuying: "Of course, I'll assist you."

Li Shuchen took Liang Yuying's hand and said as they walked towards the kitchen, "Come on, let me show you my cooking."

The two went to the kitchen together. Li Shuchen instructed the girls to cut the meat into small, square pieces. Liang Yuying also picked up a knife and started cutting. Her hands moved swiftly and cleanly, cutting each piece exactly the same.

Li Shuchen looked on with admiration: "Your knife skills are quite good."

To her surprise, Liang Yuying countered with a teasing tone, "Just not bad?"

Li Shuchen's eyes lit up. She had actually been teased by Yu Ying! She was going to tease her back, so she started thinking of words to praise Liang Yu Ying's knife skills, determined to make her happy.

"Your knife skills are simply an art form. You are a martial arts master with superb knife skills, a peerless swordsman. Amidst the flashing blades, the ingredients are neatly cut, like exquisite works of art. Every cut cuts into my heart."

Liang Yuying smiled: "You're right."

Caiyi gave Li Shuchen a thumbs up, and the other girls smiled even more brightly after hearing it.

Li Shuchen, of course, wasn't idle either; he joined in cutting the meat.

Many hands make light work, which means we can cut faster.

After cutting all the meat, Li Shuchen put it into the pot to stir-fry. The pot was so full that Li Shuchen's hands were almost too weak to turn it over.

Seeing this, Liang Yuying reached out to help Li Shuchen, lending him some strength.

While Li Shuchen was stir-frying the pork belly, she had the other girls cut eggplants and slice some pork.

When the pancakes are golden brown, remove the excess oil and set it aside to use later for stir-frying. Animal fat makes stir-fries incredibly fragrant!

Remove the meat chunks and set them aside, leaving some oil in the pan.

Add some rock sugar and caramelize it over low heat until small bubbles appear. Then add the stir-fried pork belly and stir-fry until it's coated with the caramelized sugar.

Then add the scallions, ginger, and garlic, stir-fry until fragrant, then add bay leaves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise, and stir-fry evenly.

The aroma of meat was already quite strong, drawing the girls' frequent glances towards the pot.

Li Shuchen added the life-giving spring water to the pot, enough to cover the meat, then covered the pot and brought it to a boil over high heat.

The eggplant was also cut at this point. Add salt and marinate for about ten minutes to draw out the moisture.

Squeeze out the excess water and set aside for later use.

Lift the lid of the braised pork pot, add soy sauce, and then put the lid back on.

Heat lard in a wok (use plenty, as eggplant absorbs oil), add scallions, ginger, and garlic, then stir-fry the sliced ​​meat until golden brown. Finally, add the eggplant back in.

Stir-fry evenly, add some water and soy sauce, simmer for a few minutes, then let it sit.

Li Shuchen, worried that it would be too greasy, also made a stir-fried lettuce.

Then I made a tomato and egg soup.

Once these two are done, the braised pork will be ready.

Caiyi couldn't wait any longer; she was just hoping dinner would be served soon, it smelled so good!

The girls had already scooped out the rice and placed it at the bottom of the bowls.

Li Shuchen gave the order: "Dinner is served!"

Everyone lined up in an orderly fashion to get their food.

Li Shuchen was in charge of serving the braised pork, and Liang Yuying was in charge of serving the eggplant stir-fried with pork.

The cook was in charge of preparing the romaine lettuce.

Li Shuchen's hands, when pounding the meat, didn't tremble at all; they were steady and methodical, giving each person a large spoonful.

The girls beamed with joy as they looked at the meat in their bowls. The braised pork was a beautiful reddish-brown color, with a perfect balance of lean and fat, and its aroma wafted for miles, tempting everyone's mouth.

Stir-fried eggplant with pork is equally tempting; you just want to devour it all in one go.

The vibrant green of the baby bok choy adds a refreshing touch to the meaty dish.

After everyone had their food served, Li Shuchen also served himself and Liang Yuying, and they went to the table to eat.

The girls kept talking during that time.

"good to eat"

"It smells so good!"

"Miss Li's cooking is really good."

Seeing the girls eating so contentedly, Li Shuchen was also very happy and shouted, "There's still plenty left in the pot, everyone can get more if you're still hungry!"

Turning to Liang Yuying, he said, "Eat more, there's plenty more in the pot."

Liang Yuying: Okay

Liang Yuying was very obedient and ate a lot, an extra bowl of rice than usual.

Li Shuchen also ate quite a lot.

My belly is so full it's almost round, I can barely walk.

I rubbed my stomach and went for a walk in the training ground to digest my food.

After a while, everyone arrived, rubbing their stomachs and walking slowly.

They've all come to the training ground to digest their food.

Everyone gathered together and chatted as they walked.

After we finished talking, it got dark, so I went back to sleep.

Li Shuchen felt he had a fulfilling day and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Perhaps because he went to bed early last night, Li Shuchen woke up very early this morning. Looking at the time, it was only 5 a.m. (卯时), just as dawn was breaking.

Unable to sleep, I got up and opened the window to let in some fresh air. Through the window, I saw a sleek, dark figure wielding a red-tasseled spear.

The black-clad figure moved with the lightness of a fledgling swallow, her movements clean and swift.

The spear moved like a silver dragon, darting around the body, sometimes as light as a swallow, striking with a single thrust; sometimes as swift as lightning, scattering fallen leaves.

A beam of silver light rose from the courtyard, and for thousands of miles it had already swallowed the blood of the Xiongnu.

Li Shuchen stared intently at Liang Yuying, unable to resist clicking his tongue twice in admiration. Her refined jawline, her determined gaze, her fluid and stylish movements, her dashing and handsome figure...

Li Shuchen was captivated by her sudden wealth. He calculated the days; Liang Yuying's aunt had just passed away, and she had immediately begun practicing martial arts.

She can't give up, so she should practice the Eight Pieces of Brocade twice.

Li Shuchen got dressed and went outside. Not far from Liang Yuying, he was completely focused on practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade.

起势

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale

It's time for the last move.

Finish, exhale, okay, done.

Li Shuchen straightened his stance, feeling comfortable.

"What are you practicing?" Li Shuchen was startled, not knowing when Liang Yuying had arrived.

Without hesitation, Li Shuchen replied, "The Eight-Section Brocade exercise can strengthen the body, relieve fatigue, and prevent nearsightedness."

Liang Yuying: "What is nearsightedness?"

Li Shuchen: "I just can't see things in the distance clearly; my vision is blurry."

Liang Yuying nodded and asked.

"Can you teach this to others?"

Li Shuchen replied, "Of course."

She'd love for all the girls to practice this; it can even relieve menstrual cramps, how great is that!

Liang Yuying: "Can you teach me the 'Mulan Army'?"

Li Shuchen replied, "Sure."

If girls practice Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), they will be stronger and more powerful when practicing martial arts.

Liang Yuying put the red-tasseled spear away and led Li Shuchen to the courtyard.

The girls all got up very early; by now, they were all up and at the training ground for their morning practice.

Liang Yuying raised her hand: "Everyone, please stop for a moment. Miss Li is going to teach us the Eight Pieces of Brocade. Everyone must learn diligently from Miss Li."

Li Shuchen stood in front of them and began to mutter.

Preparatory stance:

Step out with your left foot, taking half a step to the left, shoulder-width apart; bend your knees and squat down, placing your palms in front of your abdomen; maintain a centered and comfortable posture, breathe naturally, calm your mind, and focus your attention on your lower abdomen (Dantian).

Everyone watched Li Shuchen, who was imitating her so well that Liang Yuying was also diligently learning from her.

Seeing that everyone was learning very well, Li Shuchen continued to demonstrate while explaining: "First move: Holding up the sky with both hands to regulate the three burners."

Interlace your fingers, lift your arms upwards (inhale), slowly raise them to your chest, turn your palms upwards, straighten your legs, shift your weight to the heels of your palms (hold your breath for three seconds), lower your arms naturally downwards, relax, and when your arms are shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly.

This technique can soothe the nerves.