Time flies, and the days pass by, as fulfilling and comfortable as flowing water.
The second master, Ping An and others stayed at the martial arts training ground and only came back when eating and sleeping.
There was no time to spare when picking lotuses. Gu Chuancheng was so happy that he had such a talented new disciple. He also felt that Wu Chao was over eight years old and was a little late in practicing martial arts, so he had to be ruthless. Just work hard and study hard. The master and the apprentice woke up at midnight, one taught patiently, and the other studied hard, and they were bound to make up for what they had missed.
No longer having to serve her master, Caiwei was free and began to think about the four or five acres of open space in the space. She should look for some seeds and plant them all.
Because she was sweet-tongued, hard-working, and the maid in the second master's house, the women who served in the courtyard deliberately fawned over her. She became familiar with them within a few days and responded to her every request. The mother-in-law Qian asked the ladies to buy some seeds, borrowed shovels and hoes, and worked hard in the space to plant various vegetables, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and soybeans.
As soon as the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month arrived, today was Cai Lian's birthday. Cai Wei begged Mrs. Wang to arrange for someone to make two plates of tofu, and secretly put more than ten pieces into the space. The remaining half was fried tofu and pork meatballs, and the other half was made into mapo tofu. He also made braised carp, meat on hand, steamed buns, fried chicken legs, a bowl of soup, fried mutton with green onions, and the braised noodles with chili and egg meat sauce that Cai Lian had longed for. Gu Jingzhi usually ate carefully and was afraid of him. Instead of boiled noodles, I specially made modern fried noodles.
Anyway, they were all from the Zhongyong Hou Mansion, so I didn’t have to spend any money, so I made ten portions of each, and even Mrs. Wang got it. She was so happy that she thanked her profusely, and her face became more wrinkled when she smiled.
Caiwei carried the food box to the west wing to deliver it to Cai Lian, knocked on the door, and said, "Wu Chao, open the door. I'm bringing you food." Cai Lian's cheerful footsteps sounded, and a big smile appeared behind the door. "Caiwei, I miss you so much. Why did you come to see me?"
Gu Chuancheng guarded the lotus pickers every day, like eyeballs, and did not dare to disturb her. Caiwei smiled and said, "How busy you are! You go out in the morning and come back late." He took out a brocade handkerchief from his sleeve pocket, "Here, here is This is your birthday gift from me, and I also cooked the food to celebrate your birthday."
"Caiwei, I have forgotten my birthday, but you still remember, you are so kind to me, thank you!" Cai Lian's eyes turned red again.
Caiwei patted her head with pity and sighed in her heart, poor baby, "Of course, if I'm not nice to you, who should I be nice to? You go back to the house and eat while it's hot, I still have to wait for the second master to eat. , I’m going back.”
Cai Lian reluctantly watched her leave, then returned to the house with the handkerchief and food box.
In the house, Gu Chuancheng heard that Caiwei was giving birthday gifts and cooking. She was talking very affectionately to her beloved apprentice. He felt very unhappy. Men and women were not close to each other. His apprentice had a bright future and was not a maid. Neng Xiao thought about it and asked: "What birthday gift does that girl give you? Show it to the master."
Cai Lian handed the brocade handkerchief to the master. Gu Chuancheng unfolded it and was furious. He saw a few emerald green lotus leaves embroidered on the white brocade handkerchief. A lotus branch poked out, with two lotus flowers on it. The delicate red lotuses bloomed side by side, "What a grace, what a grace!" The two lines of small words next to it didn't take a closer look, and he opened the door angrily and left with the handkerchief, heading towards the east wing.
He reached the door in a few strides and knocked a few times. Caiwei hadn't come back yet. Gu Jingzhi opened the door. Seeing his face full of anger, he asked in confusion: "Second Uncle Gu, what's going on?" , who is so bold and dares to make you angry?"
"Huh, which one else? Take care of your maid, you are acting so charmingly at such a young age." He threw down the brocade handkerchief and walked away angrily.
Gu Jingzhi picked up the handkerchief and embroidered a lotus flower with parallel stems. The needle technique was not good, some were dense and some were loose, but he still had the nerve to show off his embroidery skills. When he saw the poems on both sides, he couldn't help but feel happy.
"Lotus can be picked in the south of the Yangtze River, and there are fields with lotus leaves." Gu Jingzhi also worked hard on poems and books. He searched his memory and couldn't find the source of the poem.
While he was thinking about it, Caiwei came in with a food box, "Second Master, the food is here, do you want to use it now?"
"Put it on!" Gu Jingzhi put the handkerchief in his sleeve pocket.
Caiwei opened the food box and placed the dishes on the table one by one. Gu Jingzhi said "Huh", "The potted pork and braised bowl are both dishes from the north. They look good."
"Second Master, give it a try. I wonder if it suits your taste?" Caiwei felt a little happy after being praised.
The weather in the north was cold and the taste was a bit heavy. After Gu Jingzhi was exiled to the north and lived there for nearly twenty years, he had already become accustomed to the taste of the north. After he was reborn, the food from the Zhongyong Hou Mansion always felt bland and not to his liking. , today’s dish whetted his appetite, especially the three-shredded fried noodles, which contained shredded pork, bean sprouts, and shredded cabbage. There was plenty of oil, and a golden fried egg was placed on top. The aroma was delicious. Overflowing, filling the air. Gu Jingzhi took a bite, and the unique taste hit his taste buds. He ate it all and praised repeatedly, "Okay, okay, it's very delicious. Kudos to the chef."
Caiwei smiled brightly, knelt down to bless her, and said with a smile: "This dish is made by my servant. Thank you Second Master for the reward."
"Why do you think of cooking?" Gu Jingzhi asked curiously.
"Today is the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, so we are picking lotus flowers. No, it is Wu Chao's birthday. My servant made dishes and noodles to celebrate her birthday."
"Oh, not only did you cook the dishes, but you also embroidered the handkerchief?" Gu Jingzhi raised his eyebrows. The main character was Cai Lian, and he only got this meal as a casual gift.
"Hanker, how did the second master know that the slave had embroidered the handkerchief?" Caiwei asked doubtfully.
"You asked me how I knew it. Of course it was Uncle Gu who came to our house to complain!"
"What's the complaint?" Caiwei was even more confused.
"You are a foxy kid who failed to learn well at a young age and seduced his good apprentice." After saying this, both of them laughed.
A lie must be covered up with other lies. Cai Lian pretends to be a man by herself, and everyone has to act with her.
"Then I will stay away from Cai Lian from now on. Don't delay her martial arts training." Cai Lian likes martial arts training so much, so don't expose her secrets and annoy Gu Chuancheng. He can't find such a good master.
"Well, be careful." Gu Jingzhi pinched the handkerchief in his sleeve and suppressed the urge to ask Caiwei. There are not many women who study in wealthy families. Caiwei's family has already sold their sons and daughters. How can they have enough money to hire someone to teach her how to read? And at such a young age, she can write such a poem, made of northern cuisine. It's so good. Could it be that she is a ghost from the north? Well, that should be the case. I have to say that Gu Jingzhi's guess was half correct. Caiwei did come from the north, but he was not a ghost but a person who traveled through time thousands of years later.
