"I’m really not used to suddenly having nothing to do," she mused.
In the three years since she had arrived at Qingyang Prefecture, she had been overwhelmed with too many worries each day. Now, with nothing to manage, living a life solely focused on eating, drinking, excreting, and sleeping was simply too delightful. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NovєlFіre.net
A fine drizzle was falling from the sky; Aya went out to hunt, and Yaya set off to pry oysters from the crevices in the rocks, leaving her with nothing particular to do but to cook.
They had brought along vegetables such as cabbage, radish, and garlic sprouts, not too many, for fear they would spoil if they brought more. They only had enough for about half a month.
Luckily, it was the height of spring when wild greens were abundant. Even if they had few cultivated vegetables, wild greens could make up for it, ensuring their days were still lush and comfortable.
So she took a small basket and picked some newly grown Chenopodium album from the grass. After selecting the good ones, she washed them clean with water dripping from a crack in the wall.
The large water tank in the kitchen was filled with water she had poured from her space. They used water from the space for drinking and cooking. Even if the mountain spring water was clear, she dared not use it carelessly—what if it had parasites?
Blanching the Chenopodium album briefly in hot water helped to remove the bitterness. Then, she cooked some glass noodles and mixed them with the greens. She added chili, garlic, vinegar, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame sauce to prepare a flavorful sauce to pour over the greens. Mixing it all together, it was ready to eat.
The main dish was plain rice porridge with egg pancakes. With five chickens laying at least four or five eggs a day, they had plenty of protein for their nutritional needs.
By the time the two of them returned, stepping through the morning dew, they could hear the bleating of sheep from afar. Aya truly did come back leading a ewe, and what was most amusing was that this scene was so familiar—the ewe was followed by two or three lambs.
Seeing her bemused expression, Aya (who hadn’t worn a mask on the island) looked somewhat embarrassed, "They followed stubbornly."
"You caught their mother; naturally, they would follow. Perfect, there’s a sheepfold over there. I’ve raised some sheep before. Why don’t you tie them together? From now on, you two have an extra task: mow the grass or lead them out to graze."
Aya’s mouth twitched as she glanced at the milk under the ewe and took a deep breath to hold back.
"Prince instructed me to find you a ewe before he left, so you could drink sheep milk every morning to supplement your nutrition."
"Aya, and you too, Yaya, thank you for your hard work and concern for me. I’m afraid I can only cook for you two from now on."
Both Yaya and Aya immediately said, "Cooking is enough, you needn’t do anything else."
Of course, it wasn’t realistic for her to do nothing at all. Being able to make meals for them was already an incredible fortune. Heaven knew how woeful their Lord had looked when he had to leave, probably mostly because he couldn’t enjoy his wife’s cooking anymore.
Now that she inadvertently benefited the two of them, why wouldn’t they be secretly thrilled?
The food was light and refreshing, very comfortable to eat. After the meal, Yaya eagerly crouched in front of the large water tank by the rock wall to wash the dishes—a task she had been assigned to do here, so the water could flow directly from above into the vegetable plot below. They didn’t use cooking oil often, so there was no worry about harming the crops.
If they were to wash up in the kitchen, she felt it would be wasteful. After all, the water came from the space!
She didn’t know how Aya had managed to subdue the ewe, but it certainly must have taken some effort. Previously, without Yan Qing there, she and her brother hadn’t been able to catch it, but now Aya had managed it alone. It spoke volumes of Aya’s abilities, and she even came with a few tiny bonuses. Haha, not only was the family reunited, but they also had someone to look after them—truly wise mother and children.