An Jing chuckled, "Previously, all the tofu I used for fermented tofu was bought from you. You should be able to calculate how much money my family has made. Honestly, we still have seven taels, so we’re not short of money at the moment."
As for the six thousand taels, An Jing didn’t mention it. She understood the wisdom of not flaunting one’s wealth.
Seven taels could support a farmer’s family for several years, as long as there weren’t any illnesses or disasters. And since An Jing had already put it that way, Shi Xiaolan didn’t say anything further.
However, she could get a sense of the underlying sentiment and joked, "All that you’ve said, isn’t it just because you can’t bear the thought of Brother Xiao working hard for others?" Indeed, laboring for others was truly exhausting, and if one did less work than others, the owner could dock their pay.
An Jing didn’t feel embarrassed but rather earnestly touched her face and counter-asked, "Was it really that obvious?"
Shi Xiaolan burst into laughter immediately.
After Shi Xiaolan had left, An Jing then asked Xiao Changyi, who was just moving sweet potatoes into the hall, "Husband, have I been good to you?"
Xiao Changyi nodded right away, "Yes."
An Jing beamed instantly, "I also think I’ve been very good to you."
Suddenly, Xiao Changyi stopped his task of moving things, straightened up, looked at her intently, and said very solemnly, "I will also be good to you."
An Jing feigned surprise, asking, "Haven’t you always been good to me?"
Corners of Xiao Changyi’s lips curled up, "And you’ve always been good to me."
An Jing tiptoed and kissed him on the lips, "This is my reward; what’s my reward from you?"
Xiao Changyi thought seriously for a moment before saying, "I’ll cook dinner for you tonight."
"Great!" An Jing immediately nodded. "You’ve been learning from me for a while now, and it’s time to test how well you’ve learned."
He had said before that he would learn to cook for her, and true to his word, he really did learn. Every time she cooked, he would watch attentively at the side, learning precisely how much oil to add, how much salt, and the amount of other seasonings required. He was extremely earnest in learning.
In the evening, Xiao Changyi was cooking at the stove, while An Jing, after making sure the firewood burned more intensely in the stove, left the stove’s entrance, walked behind Xiao Changyi, wrapped her arms around his waist, and then peeked out her head.
"Husband~" she called out with a smile.
Xiao Changyi was stir-frying the vegetables with a spatula and lowered his head to affectionately nuzzle An Jing’s forehead upon hearing her call.
An Jing felt a sweetness in her heart but still purposefully said, "Husband, what if the food you cook is hard to swallow?"
Xiao Changyi was silent for a moment, then said, "It shouldn’t be." He had calculated carefully how much oil and salt to use before he started cooking today.
Listening to Xiao Changyi’s not-so-confident voice, An Jing’s hands, which were wrapped around his waist, tightened, and she buried her face into his back, laughing so hard that her whole body trembled.
Xiao Changyi wasn’t annoyed because he knew, even if the food was hard to swallow, she would still eat it with joy alongside him.
Sure enough, after An Jing had her laugh, she peeked out her head again and said to him, "Husband, no matter how bad the food you cook might be, I’ll never disdain it."
She wasn’t just eating the food, but the love behind it.
Xiao Changyi lowered his head again, but this time, he didn’t nuzzle An Jing’s forehead. Instead, he kissed her lips in a rewarding manner.
An Jing instantly laughed until her eyes were no longer visible. She really was too happy!
Xiao Changyi only made two dishes, one plate of eggplant and one plate of green beans. However, he also steamed a bowl of egg custard on top of the rice.