TTTQF Chapter 61

Entrustment

Cooking amidst the green mountains and clear waters has its unique charm. Jiang Miao remembers that the only other time he's cooked in the wild is during a spring outing organized by his school when he was in elementary school. The teacher took them out for a picnic.

Back then, the classmates brought their own cookware and tableware, and the class funds were used to buy a lot of food. They find a spot by a small stream and start cooking enthusiastically. Jiang Miao's culinary talent is likely already showing at that time. Among the clumsy classmates, his dishes are good enough to compete with those made by the young female teacher.

Now, thinking back, it seems like so many years have passed. The pure joy of childhood can no longer be felt in adulthood. However, leaving some beautiful memories for Xiao Shitou and the others is also quite nice.

Jiang Miao checks the ingredients they bought and finds that besides chicken, duck, fish, and meat, all kinds of side dishes and seasonings are also available, and everything is clean and tidy. Jiang Miao suspects they bought the ingredients from someone's kitchen; otherwise, which vendor would help clean the food?

Since they are eating in the wild, it naturally has to be more rustic. Jiang Miao wraps the chicken and duck in oil paper, coats them with mud, and throws them into the pits dug by the guards. He then burns charcoal on top. It will not take long for the beggar chicken and duck to be ready.

The fish is quite large, with thick flesh and few bones. Jiang Miao decides to chop the meat into balls. He will then skewer them and drizzle some sauce on top; they will be delicious.

While Jiang Miao chops fish balls with a "bang bang bang" sound, Pei Che has already led the two children to fly an eagle kite. Xiao Shitou runs around excitedly, holding the kite string, while Pei Mu holds the reel and looks up at the kite in the sky, slowly moving as well.

"Do you need any help?" Pei Che, keeping an eye on the children, walks slowly to Jiang Miao's side.

"No, I can manage." Jiang Miao refuses directly. With Pei Che's cleanliness, a bucket of water wouldn't last long. He doesn't want to use lake water, even though he knows there is less pollution in ancient times, but there must still be a lot of bugs in it.

Pei Che doesn't leave even after being rejected. He just stands by, watching Jiang Miao's every move, casually chatting. Jiang Miao listens while making the fish balls, occasionally responding from time to time.

Soon, the fish balls are ready. Jiang Miao skewers a few with chopsticks, dips one in some sauce, and hands it to Pei Che. Pei Che pauses, looks deeply at Jiang Miao, then bends slightly to take a bite of the fish ball from Jiang Miao's hand.

Uh... such a neat freak, can't even hold chopsticks? Jiang Miao intends for him to take it and eat, but who knew he would eat it like that? Jiang Miao angrily bites into one from his own skewer. The rich brown sauce covers the white fish balls, making them tender and springy, far more delicious than the ones sold in stores! The delightful taste makes Jiang Miao feel joyful. He and Pei Che take turns eating, enjoying the food immensely.

"Brother, what are you eating? Why didn't you call us?" A voice comes from behind. Xiao Shitou, holding Pei Mu's hand, looks at them curiously.

As an elder caught sneaking and eating secretly, Pei Che feels a bit embarrassed. Just as he is about to explain, Jiang Miao speaks up.

"We're eating fish balls. Do you want some?" His attitude is very straightforward, without a hint of embarrassment.

Xiao Shitou blinks and asks, "Is it delicious?"

"Why don't you try and find out?" Jiang Miao hands the two skewers to Pei Che and then scoops up a few more fish balls from the pot, skewers them, drizzles some sauce on top, and hands them to the two kids.

Xiao Shitou takes a small bite, and his eyes light up. He then takes the whole fish ball into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out like a little hamster. Pei Mu's eating is more refined, but he eats quickly, clearly enjoying the taste.

"Hey! Did you steal one of mine?" Jiang Miao turns to Pei Che, only to find that the two skewers now have the same number of fish balls. He distinctly remembers having one more.

Facing Jiang Miao's suspicious look, Pei Che appears innocent. Jiang Miao can only give up and snatch a skewer from Pei Che's hand, eating it aggressively.

After eating a few fish balls to settle their stomachs, the two kids go back to flying the kite. Jiang Miao gathers the rest of the fish balls, cleans the iron pot, adds some oil, and then tosses in chunks of pork to stir-fry. He pours some water over the meat, covers the pot, and then walks towards the small slope where he picked wild vegetables earlier.

"Didn't you pick quite a lot? Shouldn't we have kept some?" Pei Che is a bit puzzled.

"I'm right here now, so it's more convenient to pick some more. As for the ones we've picked, we still need them later!" Jiang Miao gives him a look that says, ‘You really don't know how to manage,’ and then swiftly starts picking vegetables again.

Seeing that it is almost noon and the number of tourists passing by has decreased significantly and no one is paying attention to them, Pei Che also crouches down to pick the same vegetables as Jiang Miao.

"How are these?" Pei Che asks, seeing Jiang Miao staring at the small pile of wild vegetables next to him.

In order to not discourage Pei Che's enthusiasm, Jiang Miao praises him insincerely and then adds the "old and weak" vegetables Pei Che picked to his own pile. As they walk back, Jiang Miao discreetly discards Pei Che's vegetables, which are old and thin and have a bitter taste, unlike the ones he picked.

After washing the wild vegetables, Jiang Miao finds that the braised pork in the pot is already bubbling and ready. He lifts the lid, and a rich aroma wafts out, making him swallow his saliva. He quickly seasons the meat, scoops it out, and sets it aside. He then chops the wild vegetables, tosses them into the pot, and stir-fries them until just cooked. The green vegetables, glistening with oil, seem like holding spring in his hands.

Noticing that Jiang Miao has stopped working, Pei Che calls the two kids and takes them to wash their hands. When they return, aside from the dishes, there are two dried mud lumps on the ground.

Xiao Shitou curiously pokes one with his finger, and Pei Mu also reaches out to touch the still-warm lumps of earth.

"Brother, what is this? Are we going to eat dirt?"

Jiang Miao laughs heartily, "We're not eating the outer layer." With that, he takes a wooden stick and gently taps around the lumps, then peels off the mud, revealing the oil paper inside. The outermost layer of the oil paper has also turned crispy and breaks at a touch. Fortunately, Jiang Miao has wrapped it in several layers. As he unwraps to the innermost layer, an unprecedented fragrance fills the air. The meat inside is golden brown, oily, and shiny, perfectly roasted. A bite reveals a crispy outer layer with juicy, tender meat inside.

They enjoy their meal under the open sky, amidst the mountains and waters, savoring the delicious food while taking in the beautiful scenery. It is like living a celestial life. Every dish is tasty, but Jiang Miao's favorite is the plate of wild vegetables, which he eats with the steamed buns they bought, consuming more than half by himself.

When they eat, a few guards from the residence also gather to eat. Jiang Miao divides a portion of each dish, allowing them to taste the flavors as well.

After they are full, they sit on the cloth mat to rest. Xiao Shitou has eaten a bit too much, his little belly bulging. Worried about indigestion, Jiang Miao carefully massages his belly. Seeing this, Pei Mu unconsciously leans closer to Jiang Miao, exposing his round tummy. Jiang Miao also rubs it for him.

Watching the harmonious interaction among them, Pei Che makes up his mind. After Xiao Shitou takes Pei Mu to play, he says, "Ah Miao, I have an unreasonable request."

Jiang Miao lies lazily on the mat with his hands behind his head and casually asks, "What's the matter?"

"Can you help look after Mu'er for me? He has changed a lot this month, and he is becoming much livelier compared to when he was at the mansion. I don't want him to revert to his old self."

Jiang Miao quickly sits up, frowning at Pei Che. "What are you planning to do?"

"In two days, I will return to the Imperial Academy to study. This year, there's the autumn examination, and I want to give it a try. I will be very busy with my studies and won't have time to take care of Mu'er."

"But aren't there a lot of people in your mansion?" Jiang Miao asks. It's one thing to have Pei Che taking care of him, but it's entirely different to take care of the child alone. What if something happens to the precious child of the Duke's mansion under his watch?

"Because of my parents' situation, my grandmother has never liked Mu'er. The people in the mansion are used to currying favor and stepping on others. Although there are many people in his courtyard, few truly care for him. I'd rather have him stay with you than leave him in the mansion. It would put my mind at ease," Pei Che says honestly. The changes in Pei Mu during this period not only move him but also raise questions in his mind. If Xing'er and the others taking care of him treat Mu'er the same way, why does Mu'er become more and more withdrawn at home?

"I'm just an ordinary commoner. If you're not afraid of me corrupting your brother, you can leave him with me," Jiang Miao relents. Mu'er is an easy child to take care of, so it wouldn't be a problem to have him around.

"Ah Miao, there's no need for modesty. You've taken such good care of Xiao Shitou. If Mu'er could be half as well off, I would be very satisfied," Pei Che says gratefully.

"We need to set some ground rules first. I can take care of him, but there will be no special treatment. I'll treat him the same way I treat Xiao Shitou. If he misbehaves, I will discipline him," Jiang Miao states firmly. Though he doesn’t think Mu'er will cause trouble, it’s better to set expectations upfront.

Pei Che smiles, "I will arrange for all your expenses. As for discipline, there is an old saying that the elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Since we are engaged, you are his sister-in-law, and you naturally have the right to discipline him."

Jiang Miao glares at him, "Don't take advantage of me! What sister-in-law? If anything, he should call me brother-in-law. Got it? If you call me that again, I'll have Xiao Shitou call you sister-in-law."

Pei Che looks at him with an amused expression, "Why do I remember that Xiao Shitou has already called me like that?"

"..." Jiang Miao feels very awkward and takes the initiative to change the topic. "You said you were going to study, right? Do you have to live there and can't come back?"

"The Imperial Academy requires everyone to live inside so they can focus on their studies. If there's something at home, you can request leave from the teacher. Like this time, I asked for a month off." If not for this, Pei Che wouldn't have asked Jiang Miao to look after Mu'er. Besides him, Mu'er is closer to Jiang Miao.

Studying sounds awful. Jiang Miao is glad he didn't come here as a scholar. The books ancient people study are even harder than modern ones, and he can't handle the modern ones, let alone ancient texts.

As they are talking, Jiang Miao suddenly notices the kites the kids are flying drifting away, quickly becoming tiny dots before disappearing entirely.

"Oh no, the kite flew away!" Jiang Miao is disappointed. Those kites are probably quite expensive.

"It's a good thing to let the kites go, to carry away illness and bad luck. There are two more over there; shall we go fly them too?" Pei Che suggests. He stands up and extends a hand to Jiang Miao, who grasps it and gets up with his help.

They go over to fly the kites. Watching the colorful butterfly kite rise into the sky, Jiang Miao cuts the string with a pair of scissors. As the kite flies off into the distance, Jiang Miao silently hopes that if the kite can really take the bad luck away, it will be worth the money spent.

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