By the stove, Nan Feng taught Mao Zhen how to kill a fish, apply salt and oil, sprinkle it with green onions and ginger, and then steam it in a pot.
After fifteen minutes of steaming, they switched to another fish to steam, stir-fried a handful of green vegetables, and thus their meals were ready. Then, Mao Zhen informed the Emperor and Teacher Yan to e and eat.
While the Emperor and Teacher Yan were eating, Nan Feng was still busying herself with other chores, including killing a rabbit, skinning it, cutting its meat, which was bloody all over.
The Emperor looked at Nan Feng and felt that this woman imprinted so many impressions on him throughout the day – she was cold, like a prickly hedgehog, kind, and warm-hearted. Now, he had another impression of her: extremely cruel.
Many imperial concubines in the palace liked to keep rabbits for fun, they would be heartbroken if the rabbits got the slightest injury. But Nan Feng just killed them straight away and by her actions, it didn’t seem like it was her first time, but that she had done it many times before.
After Nan Feng killed the rabbit and stir-fried the meat in a pot, the aroma overwhelmed the scent of the steamed fish they were eating. The Emperor immediately felt that the fish tasted too bland.
Mao Zhen, noticing this, realized that the Emperor might want to try the rabbit meat.
When Nan Feng had finished cooking the rabbit, she glanced over at the Emperor, seeing the three of them there, their eyes were fixed on her, even Mao Zhen approached her, asking if she could let them taste it?
Nan Feng was not stingy and directly filled a bowl for them.
Mao Zhen happily brought the rabbit meat back to the Emperor and asked him to taste it.
The Emperor tasted a piece and found the rabbit meat delicious, so he tasted another piece.
Teacher Yan and Mao Zhen also started to eat.
…
That night, Nan Feng took the finished bowls out to the well for washing.
Today, the wild brothers ate quite well. They ate more than half of the rabbit meat and consumed two bowls of rice. Seemed like their mood had improved considerably. After dinner, they even read a book for a while.
There were two rooms in the west wing where the lights were still on. Teacher Yan was old and should have been asleep. Mao Zhen had just finished washing the bowls and should be preparing for bed. As for the Emperor, it was unknown. He didn’t bring any maids or eunuchs with him, so it was also unknown whether he had actually gone to bed or not.
It is said that before the Emperor goes to bed, the eunuchs and palace maids help him turn off the lamps.
After Nan Feng finished washing her bowls, she took them back into the kitchen. But just after she placed the bowls neatly, she noticed the bowls that Mao Zhen had just washed.
On the backside of a bowl, there was still a grain of rice left!
He was indeed a bumpkin, he broke two bowls at noon, and now he can’t even wash the bowls thoroughly.
Nan Feng could only take those bowls to the well and wash them again.
However, while she was washing, she heard footsteps approaching.
Turning around, Nan Feng found the Emperor standing in front of her, still with a rather cold and proud expression.
She then stood up and slightly bowed: “Your Majesty, why aren’t you sleeping so late?”
The Emperor looked at Nan Feng: “I ate too much.”
“…” Nan Feng smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to his remark. She simply said, “Then please feel free to do as you wish, Your Majesty.”
Nan Feng squatted down to continue washing the dishes, but the Emperor surprisingly squatted down next to her as well. He watched as Nan Feng skillfully soaked the dishes in the basin, took dishwashing tools and rubbed them onto the dishes, the basin quickly frothed up with white bubbles.
In the dim night, he vaguely glimpsed Nan Feng’s hands.
Possibly due to years of manual labor, her hands were not the soft, delicate type, but were small, delicate, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, like scallions. To look at them, it’s clear she’s is quite industrious.
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