He can work, and he can barely accept exercising for an hour a day, but now he has to practice archery and learn to fight on horseback... How much time does he have left for experiments?

Oh right, he is also the Chief of Staff and has a lot of duties to handle.

Fu Tinghan opened his mouth, not knowing how to refuse her, and could only say awkwardly, "I’ll try my best."

Zhao Hanzhang smiled, holding a plate as she walked over and offered it to him, "Want to try a piece? The kitchen just made it not long ago, it’s still warm."

Fu Tinghan took a piece to eat. After saying a few words, he felt more at ease. He was still in his inner garments, which in modern terms were like pajamas, so what was there to be afraid of?

Fu Tinghan persuades himself inwardly while his earlobes flushed red.

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes flashed with amusement, asking, "I’ve always forgotten to ask you, are you getting used to everything since you came here?"

Fu Tinghan: "Luoyang? Pretty much, it’s the same everywhere I guess."

"No, I mean this world."

Fu Tinghan was momentarily stunned, then nodded, "I’m used to it."

"I also think you’re very accustomed, you’ve adapted well." Zhao Hanzhang put the plate on the table, smiling, "You should take a rest and freshen up. I’m going to handle some government affairs, I’ll come back soon so we can dine together."

Fu Tinghan looked confused, waiting until she reached the door before realizing, looking at his arm, "Isn’t the custom of this era to be uninhibited?"

Zhao Hanzhang turned her head back, laughing, "The elite who tend to bare their chests and run around naked in courtyards are a minority. Even if they are praised, most people still dress properly. Look at the people under my watch, who would dare to go wild?"

Even Zhao Ming would at most kick off his shoes, prop his feet on the railing, and drink wine.

Upon hearing that, Fu Tinghan tugged at his collar again.

Zhao Hanzhang saw this and laughed heartily, walking out the door.

Fu An happened to be returning with a small box, followed by four guards carrying two boxes. Seeing Zhao Hanzhang, he widened his eyes and quickly said, "Ma’am, our lord is bathing..."

Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand, "Not yet, he’s eating. You should go and help him wash his hair."

Fu An breathed a sigh of relief, quickly going inside, finding Fu Tinghan standing by the table drinking water, turning his head to say, "Find me a set of plain clothes..."

Fu An: "Aren’t you going to wear something bright?"

"I changed my mind. Just wear what I usually do, something more subdued will do."

Fu An agreed, puzzled, noticing their lord’s ears were red through and through, so he asked no more, silently going to organize the luggage.

Since Mrs. Wang arrived in Luoyang, the family hasn’t lacked meat anymore, so Zhao Hanzhang wrote down all the recipes she could remember. Of course, she couldn’t recall the details of most dishes, but she could remember the general method, leaving the rest for the cook to figure out.

Even when they didn’t turn out well, she found them delicious, if not the flavors she used to taste, creating a new kind of cuisine was nice too.

Today they’re having lamb spine.

By the time Fu Tinghan finished freshening up and dried his hair, it had been half an hour.

Mrs. Wang deliberately gave him a piece of lamb spine, "I didn’t know you’d make it to the capital today, thought it’d be tomorrow. Otherwise, I’d have stewed it longer, slowly, all morning. Try it; Third Lady came up with this way of eating. It’s not very elegant but truly tasty."

Of course, Mrs. Wang wouldn’t chew on bones in front of them, the servants would separate the meat for her to eat.

Zhao Hanzhang watched in astonishment, shaking her head and sighing softly. Ah, her mother really has her reservations.

Thinking about a few days ago, when it was just the three of them, she sent the servants away, closed the door, and joined them in rolling up sleeves to savor it.

Besides lamb spine, the table is filled with many lamb-themed dishes. This was the best meal Fu Tinghan had in months; by the seaside... it was all seafood, and now just the thought of seafood made him dizzy.

Halfway through the meal, Fu Tinghan belatedly reacted, "Where’s Second Son?"

Only then did Mrs. Wang remember she had another son, promptly asking Qing Gu, "Does the kitchen have food left for Second Son?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Qing Gu, while separating meat for her, laughed, "Don’t worry, Madam, we’ve saved some."

Mrs. Wang relaxed, smiling at Fu Tinghan, "He’s still at the county government; we’re eating first, no need to wait for him."

Saying that, she glanced at Zhao Hanzhang opposite, "He’s been busy lately, coming home late every day. If it weren’t for the food at home being better than the county government, I think he wouldn’t want to come home at all."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Don’t worry, mom, he’ll be fine once he’s done being busy."

Fu Tinghan asked, "What’s he busy with?"

"Oh, so many things," Zhao Hanzhang counted off, "organizing marriage events with the Ministry of War, working on Luoyang’s economic development, and maintaining Luoyang’s public security."

"Marriage events?"

"Yes, he’s been doing that lately. Quite a few couples came out of it, he told me last time, more than three hundred, I think?"

Mrs. Wang said, "As of yesterday, we’ve already made five hundred sixty-nine pairs."

"Mom, you remember so clearly."

"Of course," Mrs. Wang said, "Every matched pair gets a vanity mirror from me, how could I not know how many I’ve given out?"

Now the marriage events aren’t just limited to widows in Luoyang and bachelors in the military; eligible young singles from within Luoyang can sign up to participate at the county government.

Now that it’s cold, except for those going to serve, others are idle, and everyone’s very enthusiastic about such an activity. Even if not participating, watching the fun is good too.

So recently, Luoyang City has been bustling.

Oh, by the way, Zhao Hanzhang’s conscription notice, Luoyang will end in three days. She thinks it’ll be even livelier then.

Large populations from surrounding towns stream into Luoyang for the spectacle, bringing surplus goods from home to sell, boosting the small-scale economy in Luoyang.

Additionally, due to the designated completion time for the ruins, the need for construction workers in Luoyang City has increased recently, lacking mainly carpenters, bricklayers, and engravers aside from general laborers.

Many people come to Luoyang for marriage events and fun, ending up finding employment instead of romance or entertainment.

People turning from leisure-seekers into laborers means the transient population has become a temporary resident population.

With more people in Luoyang City, disputes and conflicts likewise increase, along with rising theft and brawling cases.

As the County Magistrate of Luoyang County, Zhao Erlang is becoming busier.

But his busyness... he’s still quite happy.