Lu Xing followed Du Min into a thatched pavilion. Inside the pavilion was a set of tables and benches. On the tabletop lay a booklet and writing brushes and ink.
Du Min said, "Lu Xing, my master and mistress instructed that only you from your family can come to work. Are you willing to come?"
Lu Xing's eyes lit up. He clenched the corner of his clothes and nodded repeatedly, "I'm willing, I'm willing!" Little Brother Ye and his wife could tell he had always been sincere towards them, and this was truly wonderful.
"That's good. Please sign here."
Lu Xing lowered his head, his face red, and said, "I... I can't write."
"I'll sign for you," Du Min registered his name. "You can learn to read and write later. Lu Yun and the others can already read books."
Lu Xing nodded, "Mhm, I'll learn from Little Yun later."
Before Lu Xing left, Du Min reminded him not to do anything that would displease the master and mistress because of his family, as Lu Xing should be well aware of how his family had treated the master's family in the past.
Lu Xing nodded solemnly and said he understood and would never act recklessly with his family.
After entering the house, Prince Yu turned into a curious baby and asked Bai Sheng, "May I have a look around?" Bai Sheng smiled and nodded, "Yes, feel free to look around."
Prince Yu then toured every room, even the inconspicuous corners.
Each room was clean and tidy. Although there wasn't much furniture, it was all neatly arranged.
In the largest room, by the window, a small ceramic pot on the table held branches of red willow as decoration.
The bed was large, with red bedding and a red canopy. The two pillows placed side-by-side were embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water.
Prince Yu couldn't stop picturing a romantic scene in his mind, his ears turning slightly red, yet feeling a strange sense of loss.
After touring the rooms, Prince Yu was led by Lu Ye to see the well and the servants' quarters, which were nearing completion.
Finally, under the proud display of General Fen, Prince Yu was taken to Bai Sheng's experimental field. Of the four half-meter-tall seedlings, one had already died.
As Prince Yu became curious about Red Tree Slope, the people of Red Tree Slope were also curious about him.
Zhao Dazhuang, Ma San, Huang Gou Sheng, Hu Da Niu, and Yang Ming, the men, followed closely behind Lu Ye, their eyes never leaving Prince Yu. They couldn't understand how a man's skin could be so delicate.
General Fen, leading a few children, was even more uninhibited. While playing with something in their hands, they tilted their heads back, staring intently at Prince Yu.
In fact, General Fen was somewhat curious: did Prince Yu also poop? If he did, was he also within his jurisdiction?
Tian Dou, on the other hand, had his eye on Prince Yu's clothes. How beautiful they were! He wanted to wear such beautiful clothes when he grew up and buy a set for his mother too.
Tie Zhu was attracted to the jade pendant hanging from Prince Yu's waist, wondering what patterns were carved on it; they were very unusual.
The women, led by Bai Sheng, were busy in the kitchen. When they went to the main hall to get something, they pretended to glance casually but keenly at Prince Yu.
Ji Cheng He mentioned that Prince Yu had come to Red Tree Slope for an inspection, but Prince Yu had not specified how long the inspection would last.
At first, Bai Sheng felt that their conditions were poor and was slightly nervous about neglecting this particular guest.
However, this was their situation, and they hadn't asked Prince Yu to come. If he found it unsatisfactory, he could just leave. Thinking this, Bai Sheng gradually relaxed and felt at ease.
Tian Guihua and Grandma Zhong, among others, were extremely nervous.
Prince Yu! They were cooking for Prince Yu! On one hand, they worried he would blame them if the food wasn't good; on the other, they desperately wanted to perform well in front of Prince Yu, leaving a good impression of Red Tree Slope in his mind.
Under this pressure, a few women bustled about in a panic.
Only Du Min and Grandma Wu remained calm. They did what they had to do, not treating Prince Yu's visit as anything particularly significant.
Bai Sheng felt that her master and Sister Du must be people who had seen grand occasions.
Regarding dinner, Bai Sheng already had a plan.
First, she would simmer a Cantonese-style corn and chicken soup.
The freshly killed chicken was blanched, placed in a clay pot, and added with ginger, dried rehmannia slices, chestnuts, and a few corn segments. The lid was covered, brought to a boil over high heat, and then simmered on low heat.
These soup ingredients were found by Bai Sheng after a long search in the county town. She planned to carve out a small area in her space to grow these soup ingredients specifically.
After the chicken soup was simmering, Tian Guihua was responsible for tending the fire. Bai Sheng then blanched the wild vegetables, took them out, squeezed out the water, chopped them finely, and set them aside. She also took out more than ten eggs, beat them in a bowl, stirred them well, and then fried the beaten eggs in oil until crumbled.
The crumbled eggs were poured into the chopped wild vegetables. Salt, Sichuan peppercorn powder, minced ginger, minced garlic, oil, and other seasonings were added. After mixing well, they could be made into vegetable and egg patties.
Finally, she would make some white-cut chicken, spicy rabbit meat, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and cold mixed cucumber.
While the people of Red Tree Slope were curious about Prince Yu, they were also uplifted by the aroma wafting from the kitchen.
Even Prince Yu couldn't help but sniff the air seven times. Lu Yu noticed this and thought Prince Yu would definitely compete with him for food, so he needed to eat faster during the meal.
The sun was setting in the west, and dinner was ready. The dining table was set up on the open ground outside the house.
As the house was built on a high sand embankment, the scenery in front of and around it was unobstructed. Eating while admiring the magnificent desert landscape offered a unique charm.
Bai Sheng, Lu Ye, Ji Cheng He, and A Qiu sat at a table with Prince Yu. The other members of the family and the guards had three more tables, with the same dishes.
Bai Sheng smiled and said to Prince Yu, "Your Highness, our Red Tree Slope has limited conditions and not many good ingredients. We've only made a few simple dishes for dinner. I hope Your Highness will not dislike them."
"I'll eat first before saying anything," Prince Yu picked up a spoon and scooped some chicken soup. After drinking it, he closed his eyes in satisfaction.
It was fresh, fragrant, sweet, and nourishing, not greasy or fishy at all. Excellent!
Then, he eagerly picked up an egg and vegetable patty, took a big bite, and after tasting it, he began to eat with some impatience.
Seeing his master's eating demeanor, A Qiu finally let out a long sigh of relief and secretly gave Bai Sheng a thumbs-up.
Ji Cheng He couldn't help but praise, "Sister Xiao Sheng's cooking is truly excellent. This chicken soup, these egg patties, this white-cut chicken, and the spicy rabbit meat are all delicious!"
Lu Ye said proudly, "My precious one isn't just good at cooking; she's good at everything." He couldn't help but show affection in front of Prince Yu.
The term "precious one" caused a moment of silence.
Everyone glanced at Lu Ye. Lu Ye calmly ate the egg and vegetable patty in his hand, not feeling at all that calling her "precious one" at this moment was out of place.
Perhaps accustomed to being called "precious one" in private, the recipient herself didn't find it odd. Seeing everyone pause for a moment, she thought the atmosphere had suddenly become awkward and immediately enthusiastically invited, "Prince Yu, eat your dish. Brother Ji, Brother Qiu, eat your dishes."
At this, everyone picked up their chopsticks like falling rain.
Only Prince Yu and Lu Ye engaged in a subtle, silent battle of gazes.