Seeing the two of them grinning, Li Changyu also relaxed considerably. He followed them, chatting and laughing as they walked.

In the snow, the sound of their footsteps went CRUNCH, CRUNCH, without stopping. In the center of the village, Zhang Huai stopped and asked, "Why don’t we go to my place to eat? It’ll be easier to talk. With all this snow, it’ll save Qingmu from having to rush home."

Li Changyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "I was hoping to ask Juhua if she has any good recipes. So, let’s just go to Qingmu’s place. Qingmu, I’ll have to impose on you this time. Oh! I brought some pastries from home. Wait here, I’ll go back and get them for Juhua."

Without waiting for them to reply, he turned and ran back toward his home.

’How could I be so stupid?’ he cursed himself silently. He hadn’t even thought to bring them when he left the house. They were bought specifically for Juhua—she had helped him out so much, and since he couldn’t take her to a restaurant for a meal, he had bought some pastries for her instead.

Qingmu watched his retreating back and shook his head helplessly. "I don’t think I ever agreed to have him over for dinner, did I? He just answered his own question and assumed I said yes."

Zhang Huai, however, couldn’t bring himself to laugh. Watching Changyu hurry through the snow, the feeling of unease in his heart grew stronger.

For no reason at all, he just knew that Changyu would fall for Juhua. Even with the scaly patches on her face, he, like Zhang Huai himself, wouldn’t care one bit.

’Sooner or later,’ he thought, ’I’m afraid I’ll have to fight tooth and nail with Changyu over her.’

Once Li Changyu returned with his things, the three of them headed to Qingmu’s house together.

As they entered the main courtyard, Li Changyu looked up. Despite the world outside being blanketed in white snow, the eaves of the Zheng Family’s long, six-room tile-roofed house were hung full of sausages. The sight was truly spectacular—he was sure no other family in Qingnan Village had ever prepared so much meat!

The sausages revealed glimpses of the tender red and pale white meat inside, their color utterly enticing.

Li Changyu couldn’t help but ask, "In this weather, won’t the sausages freeze solid like icicles if you leave them out here?"

Qingmu explained, "These were just cured a few days ago. They need to be brought out to air and dry in the wind; it’s not good to keep them sealed in the curing vats. The rest are all hanging inside."

Qingmu led the two into the house, startling Juhua, who had already set the table and was waiting for him to return for dinner. Staring at the three men standing in a row at the door, she asked in surprise, "Why are you all here? You didn’t even send word ahead. I haven’t cooked enough rice."

Qingmu glanced at Li Changyu and chuckled. "He just got here after finishing his work. I didn’t know he was coming either."

Li Changyu smiled apologetically. "Anything to eat is fine. Juhua, these are for you." As he spoke, he handed over two exquisite boxes of pastries, along with two other paper-wrapped parcels whose contents were a mystery. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

As Juhua took them, she looked him up and down. Seeing that he had lost his former jumpiness and liveliness and had matured considerably, she thought, ’Work really does forge a person! The little boy with wide, curious eyes I met at the village entrance, who came right up to ask me who I was, has already grown up.’

Mrs. Yang came out of the kitchen and said to them with a smile, "It’s no trouble. I’ll just make some griddle cakes to add to the meal, and that will be enough. If not, there’s still the scorched rice."

Juhua glanced at Li Changyu, and an idea came to her. She said to her mother, "Don’t bother with the griddle cakes. I’ll make them some Shanyu glass noodles. You all start eating. By the time you’re half-full, I’ll have it ready." With that, she turned and went into the kitchen.

Li Changyu smiled apologetically at Mrs. Yang and Zheng Changhe. "Uncle Zheng, Aunt Zheng, I’m sorry for showing up so suddenly and causing you trouble. I actually had something to ask Qingmu and Juhua about, which is why I shamelessly invited myself for dinner."

Mrs. Yang replied with a gentle chiding, "You silly boy, you rarely get to come back. Don’t be so formal about a simple meal. If you didn’t have something to ask, I bet we couldn’t even get you to come if we invited you. Huai Zi, you sit down first, or Changyu will keep standing on ceremony."

Zhang Huai quickly sat down with a smile, and Li Changyu took a seat beside him.

In the kitchen, Juhua first soaked some Shanyu glass noodles in hot water. Then, she rendered a few pieces of fatty pork, added water, a spoonful of chili paste, and some salt to make a spicy broth. Once the broth was boiling, she tossed in the soaked noodles, added a bowl of spicy pickled cabbage, and sliced in two blocks of acorn jelly. When the noodles were tender, she sprinkled chopped scallions on top, and it was ready.

She found three clay pots and filled each one, putting the rest into bowls. Only then did she call her brother to help carry them to the main hall.

As the sour and spicy aroma wafted over, the mouths of everyone sitting at the table began to water.

Zheng Changhe smiled and asked his daughter, "Smells wonderful. What is this?"

Juhua laughed. "This is Sour and Spicy Glass Noodles. I was planning to make it for dinner tonight. Since there wasn’t enough rice for lunch, I made it early. It’s a perfect chance for Huai Zi and Changyu to try it."

When Zhang Huai saw her place a clay pot of noodles in front of him, he smiled at her. "This pot could fill two small bowls. I’ve already eaten a lot of rice, so half will be plenty." He then used a large wooden spoon to scoop half of it into his bowl. After a couple of bites, he praised, "This spicy cabbage is even better with noodles than with rice. The broth is really appetizing, too."

Li Changyu stared at the steaming, bright red pot of Sour and Spicy Glass Noodles before him. Emerald-green scallions floated in the crimson broth, while below rested pinkish acorn jelly, dark green noodles, and vibrant red spicy cabbage. His mouth watered at the sight.

He didn’t say much, just shot Juhua a grateful look before lowering his head and digging in with gusto.

Hadn’t he come looking for Juhua to ask about food? He hadn’t even opened his mouth yet, and she had already whipped up this incredible dish.

For a moment, everyone just focused on eating.

By the time they finished and put down their chopsticks, fine beads of sweat had appeared on everyone’s foreheads.

Li Changyu, beaming with delight, exclaimed repeatedly, "So satisfying!"

He pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at Juhua with shining eyes. He asked with a smile, "Juhua, you made this for us... is there something you wanted to tell me?"

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)