Qiao Jingjing smiled faintly when she saw him and said, "You're here. Please take a seat. Dinner will be served soon."

As she spoke, she gently placed the plate she was holding on the table. Then she turned around, her gaze falling on the person who had just arrived, scrutinizing them closely.

Perhaps because it's Chinese New Year, this man has changed his usual style.

He usually wore dark robes, but today he changed into a light-colored robe of sky blue. The collar and cuffs of the brocade robe were trimmed with fine mink fur, which was soft and warm. The hem was embroidered with delicate bamboo patterns, making it look particularly gorgeous. He wore a milky white mutton fat jade pendant at his waist.

His hair was neatly tied up on top of his head and secured with a jade hairpin, making him look both elegant and noble. His facial features were well-defined, with thick, long eyebrows and deep, bright eyes that exuded a subtle air of authority.

When she turned to look at him, he saw her high, straight nose and slightly upturned lips, carrying a barely perceptible smile.

Qiao Jingjing caught a glimpse of the faint smile on his lips. "Are you free? In that case, come and help me serve the dishes."

Xuan Yi wanted to step forward and say that he was coming, but Old Feng grabbed him and said, "You blockhead with no sense of propriety, come and have some snacks with this old man. Haven't you noticed that there are several kinds of snacks in the girl's house that we've never seen before?"

"But how can Master do any work?" Xuan Yi was confused.

Old Feng was exasperated. "What's it to you? The person in question hasn't said anything. Besides, he's suffered a lot in the army, what's a little job like this?"

Then, Tantai Zhou took off his cloak and went to the kitchen with Qiao Jingjing. He actually carried three dishes on a tray, looking incredibly well-behaved.

Once everyone had arrived, Qiao Wanjun lit firecrackers, and the feast could begin. Although there was a distinction between men and women, the rural customs weren't as strict, but the seating was still intentionally separated between the men and women.

Lin was sitting to Qiao Wanjun's right, and a male guest was sitting to his left. Xiao Shiming was on the far left, and his elder sister was to Xiao Shiming's left. This way, the female relatives could sit together next to their own family members.

Qiao Jingjing prepared a variety of drinks, including baijiu (Chinese liquor), hot milk tea, and milk.

The milk was prepared especially for the two little ones, while she, her aunt, and Mrs. Lin opted for hot milk tea, and Tantai Zhou also liked to drink it.

When they tasted the sweet and smooth milk tea, they all thought it was extremely delicious.

Qiao Furong, Feng Tian, ​​and the others stared at the sumptuous dishes spread across the table, momentarily at a loss for where to begin. Qiao Furong, in particular, had never seen such a lavish meal before.

Qiao Jingjing picked up a dough sheet, skillfully added some shredded scallions, roast duck, and cucumber strips, then dipped it in sweet bean sauce, rolled it up, and demonstrated to everyone:

“You can do it like this. If you don’t like scallions, you don’t have to add them. Mom, have a bite.” As she spoke, she handed the rolled-up food to Lin Shi, and then scooped some steamed egg custard for the two little ones.

Everyone followed suit, and each dish opened their eyes to new possibilities, showing them that food could be so delicious.

"Girl, what is this? It's soft and powdery, just right for me," Old Feng asked, picking up a piece of yam.

Qiao Jingjing explained, "That's a yam. It can be used as a staple food, a side dish, or even in medicinal cuisine."

"Miss Qiao, what is this?" Xuan Yi asked.

"This is a tomato. It can be used as a vegetable or a fruit. It can be eaten raw, stir-fried, or used in soups. It can also be made into sauce. There are many ways to eat it."

Qiao Jingjing simply introduced all the dishes. Everyone enjoyed the hot pot, eating all sorts of delicious food they had never tried before, having a wonderful time.

At this moment, Tantai Zhou spoke up, "Miss Qiao, could you please adjust the hot pot dipping sauce? I couldn't get the flavor right."

Qiao Wanjun and Lin Shi looked up at the same time, then exchanged glances, but said nothing.

Qiao Jingjing quickly prepared it and handed it to him. He took it in one smooth motion, showing his familiarity with the process.

Half an hour later, everyone had finished their meal and drinks. Qiao Jingjing then brought out dessert, two egg tarts and a cup of double-skin milk for each person.

Tantai Zhou loved sweets, and this suited him perfectly. After drinking medicinal soup for several years, his mouth was often so bitter that he lost his sense of taste, as the bitterness had numbed him. Having tasted so much bitterness, he developed an unusual obsession with sweetness.

Seeing how quickly and enjoyably he ate, Qiao Jingjing was pleased with his attitude and gave him her leftovers, since she had plenty in her spatial storage.

"If you don't have enough, there's more here. I'm full, so you can finish it for me and not waste it."

Qiao Wanjun: ...Not only did she give him food, but she also took care of his emotions. Something's not right with this girl.

Qiao Furong, Xuan Yi, and Toyota learned a lot from this meal. They realized that these things could be prepared in various ways, and compared to that, what they had eaten before seemed like pig swill.

"Girl, you're such a good cook, it's a shame you don't open a restaurant. This yam, egg roll, and braised pork with preserved mustard greens are so delicious."

As Toyota spoke, he held up the double-skin milk again, "This milk dessert is so delicious, oh my, I can't even describe it, it's just so good. I'm so lucky to have met you."

“Me too, me too!” Xuan Yi raised his hand and said.

The two little ones chimed in, raising their hands to say they liked them too. Old Feng, who had no children of his own, was delighted to see the two little ones and beckoned them over.

"Would you like to learn a folk song from Grandpa Feng?"

The two little ones jumped and clapped their hands. Old Feng picked them up and put each of them on one of his laps, gently tapping out a rhythm with his hands:

Sulfur is the essence of fire, and saltpeter and potassium nitrate immediately clash.

Mercury should never be mixed with arsenic.

Wolfsbane is most afraid of litharge.

Croton is extremely potent, but it doesn't go well with morning glory seeds.

Do not let cloves meet with turmeric.

? Dental nitrate is difficult to combine with Beijing triangular spar.

Aconitum carmichaelii and Aconitum kusnezoffii are not as good as rhinoceros hor

Ginseng is most afraid of Wulingzhi (五灵脂).

Cinnamon is good at regulating cold air, but it will be countered by rock ash.

After Lin tidied the table, Qiao Jingjing asked her to go to the main room to warm herself by the fire and make some tea, leaving the dishes and plates to her to handle. Lin didn't refuse, knowing her daughter was capable, and did as she was told.

Qiao Jingjing put all of these into the space dishwasher and then slipped in herself.

It's Chinese New Year today, so I'll make sure to give Facai lots of good food. Last time, she specially prepared a small room and a mini bed for Facai. I found some red colored paper, cut it into strips about the length of a finger and one centimeter wide, wrote "Wishing you prosperity" and "May all your wishes come true" on them, and stuck them on its bedroom door to give it a sense of ceremony.

Tantai Zhou, sitting in the main room, wondered why he could no longer hear Miss Qiao's breath.

A few minutes later, Qiao Jingjing appeared in the kitchen with clean dishes. Afraid of being exposed if she came out too early, she sat in the kitchen for a while, humming a song, quite content.

Hearing the reappearance of the voice and someone humming, Tantai Zhou, who was separated by a wall, picked up his teacup and concealed the unconscious upturn of his lips.

After a while, Qiao Jingjing came into the main room and said, "Let's play something fun." She then took out two decks of cards from her sleeve.

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the county government office, Lu Qinbei's family was having dinner. After taking a sip of the wine offered by Lu Yuanxiao, they were so surprised that they couldn't speak.

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