Dusk was approaching. In the yard of the Ning Mansion, a metal rack was set up. A group of people were busy. Some prepared charcoal, some prepared food. Ning Xi, who was brought by Juan 'er, was using a metal fork to prick a chicken wing under the eaves. Wen Fang and Wen Ding, who had just returned, rolled up their sleeves and smiled as they joined the group of people preparing to barbecue.
Before the Wu dynasty, because iron pots were not common, stir-frying methods had not yet appeared. The cooking system was mostly stewing or roasting. There was nothing special about it. The main difference with the Ning Family's barbecue was that the customers mostly had to cook themselves. Most of the ingredients would be marinated by the chef, but the process of roasting was mostly done by themselves. In addition, meat and other things were considered luxuries in ordinary families. Ning Yi never got tired of fine food. All kinds of processing made the taste of the food in the house stand out. In the past, when people heard that the Ning Family was barbecuing, Wenren Bu 'er and the others would specially come over to join in the fun.
Even in the Ning Mansion, this kind of opportunity to eat unlimited meat would only occasionally appear after Ning Yi gave the order. Under normal circumstances, even if the family was very rich, they still had to be frugal when running the household. It was similar to the extravagance in Cai Jing and the others' residences, where the kitchen was bigger than a five-star hotel in the modern world, and the tongues of a hundred chickens were eaten in one dish. It wasn't that Ning Yi couldn't do such things, but in his eyes, those things were indeed a little too low-class. Moreover, people who came out of that kind of environment were basically rotten to the core.
On the other hand, most of the aristocratic families in the capital had many elders watching over them. They had to follow the rules when doing things. If it wasn't for Ning Yi's family, it would have been very difficult for everyone to play together without any regard for their image.
When night fell, lanterns of all sizes were hung under the eaves in the courtyard. The charcoal in the rack was already lit. Wen Ding and the others also brought in all kinds of wine and fruit juices.
Xiaoning Xi, who was already more than two years old, was holding his little cup filled with fruit juice and shouting, "I want to eat wings." She was also supervising the chef by the charcoal fire as he roasted the wings he had chosen until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. As the eldest son of Ning Yi, he was actually a little pitiful. Fruit juice was limited, and he could only drink one glass. If he finished it, he could only secretly ask his uncles for more. Sometimes, he would even get scolded. Food such as chicken wings and barbecued meat had to be approved. Seasonal fruits and vegetables could be eaten all the time, but how could they taste as good as fruit juice …
In fact, even if it was a limited number of wings and roasted meat, Xiaoning Xi, who had a small mouth and a small stomach, couldn't finish them. But for example, he liked to drink fruit juice very much, but he couldn't drink it to his heart's content. This way, he would feel very depressed. The delicious little wings were all gone after he finished them, and he was really unhappy. His parents would occasionally give him some vegetables that he didn't want to eat.
He was naturally very happy, but for him at this age, it was hard for him to not be 100% satisfied. Of course, the current him naturally found it hard to accept this matter. After being scolded by his parents, he ate the vegetable leaves with a bitter face, and then continued to act cute and ask for fruit juice without a care in the world.
This kind of thing was mainly caused by Ning Yi's education philosophy. To him, the most important quality of a man was temperance. Although he also hoped for his child to live happily, 100% happiness was definitely not what a child — especially a boy — needed. Rather, absolute happiness was something that a child should avoid in the process of growing up. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for this child to become a real man in the future.
Fortunately, Xiaoning Xi was also quite obedient at this time, and as his birth mother, Su Tan'er, was even stricter in this aspect than Ning Yi. Otherwise, the child would probably be made to cry all day by Ning Yi.
However, at this time, as his mother, Su Tan'er, started to worry about other things.
"If he is a little older … Don't you think Xi 'er will seem too weak? Look at him, he doesn't have any courage at all …"
As the mistress of the family, the young lady sat on the steps of the pavilion behind Ning Yi, looking at the child on the other side of the courtyard with some pity and worry. Ning Yi was sitting on a rock in front of him, roasting chicken wings. Looking over, it was the scene of Ning Xi secretly asking for fruit juice from Su Wenfang.
Only a two-year-old child sneaked behind a pillar and asked Su Wenfang for a new juice to try. After taking a sip, he obviously showed a happy expression of "delicious". However, he did not dare to take a second sip. Obviously, he was afraid that his parents would scold him. He held his little cup and took small sips as he walked away.
"Just a two-year-old child, you should be satisfied that he is so obedient. If he has courage now, he will cause trouble with us all day long. When that happens, you will have a headache."
Ning Yi smiled and tilted his head, touching his wife next to him. Tan 'er stroked the hair hanging down on one side of her face, then swayed her body and gently bumped into Ning Yi. Ning Yi shouted, "Who wants chicken wings, who wants chicken wings, exchange with tofu and fish!"
The surroundings became rowdy and Jin'er scuttled over, "I have toasted buns."
"Who wants buns, if you don't want buns, you can exchange with someone else."
"I want this skewer … and this skewer …"
"You are forcing me … This skewer is the biggest, if you take it away, I will be angry with you. Moreover, your buns look … Oi …"
Jin'er snatched the chicken wings and when she passed Ning Xi, she even tore a small piece of meat for the child to eat. Ning Xi chewed and swallowed, raising the remaining chicken wing in her hand. "Mine tastes better." He only had one chicken wing so he asked the best chef in the family to roast it. Compared to Ning Yi, his skills were naturally much better.
Yun Zhu carried a few bowls of wine over and passed one to Jin'er. When she came over, she passed one to Tan'er and another to Ning Yi. Seeing the charcoal fire rising, she looked at the things on it. "What do we have?"
"Jin'er's buns in exchange for fish and tofu, no matter what, I feel like we should process them before eating. I don't trust their skills … But you can eat Jin'er's buns first, they are almost burnt. "
"I don't want them." Yun Zhu drank a few mouthfuls of wine and smiled. "Where are the chicken wings?"
"They were all exchanged, the last one was done by Su Wending's wife. I will remember this for a month."
After the Su family came to Beijing, the number of relatives also increased, including their wives and concubines. Now in Beijing, the scale of the house was not big enough for each family to have their own courtyard. It was a little crowded with each other, but it could be considered happy and harmonious. Ning Yi was the head of the house. Ordinary relatives and wives didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of him. Just now, when Ning Yi said he wanted to exchange the chicken wings, the other party came over timidly and obediently exchanged the wings. Who would have thought that Ning Yi would say something like this? Some of the women beside Su Wending's wife all laughed. Su Wending's wife also blushed and laughed. She turned her head and timidly explained, "Brother-in-law clearly told me to exchange."
Tan'er smiled and walked to the side to take two buns of chicken wings. She placed them on the fire and said, "Yun Zhu, I will roast them for you but you have to play a song in exchange."
Yun Zhu laughed, "What does Tan'er want to hear?"
"The General's Order."
"Oh … It's really difficult …"
Yun Zhu frowned and rolled her eyes at her. Then she went to the pavilion with the guzheng. The General's Order was originally a military music, a song to enter the battlefield. It was incompatible with Yun Zhu's delicate style. However, as long as it was related to music, it was not difficult for Yun Zhu. As the first note of the song was pressed down, a deep and shocking sound rang out.
The sound of the guzheng was ethereal. Along with the music, the lyrics of the "General's Order" also came from her lips. It wasn't a shout, but it seemed like she was softly reciting it. When the first note rang out, it gave people goosebumps.
"The long wind on the frontier, the cold sound of the flute.
The sun sets in the desert, the waning moon in the sky.
Listening to the camel bell day and night, returning home … "
The impassioned military music was covered up by the ethereal appearance. As the music gradually became more intense and the lyrics appeared, the atmosphere in the courtyard became more and more spacious. Everything was like a story hidden in the long river of history, stirring up huge waves and sand as the woman narrated. It was not the first time they had seen Yun Zhu's musical skills so they were not surprised. It was just that everyone quieted down.
Tan'er sat beside Ning Yi and smiled as she roasted the chicken wings.
"A three-foot blade in my hand, six letters by my pillow.
Chopping off the head of the enemy general, tears falling as I read it.
Report to the Imperial Court! Who will listen … "
The modified military music made people quiet down. It was like listening to countless stories. After she finished, even Ning Xi clapped at the side. These skills were from her experience as a brothel girl. Other than Ning Yi who could ask, Tan'er usually wouldn't make such requests. But not long after, Yun Zhu performed two more songs for everyone. Now, she no longer had any grudges because of this. Seeing her family happy, she could also be happy by Ning Yi's side.
As for Jin'er, she was good at dancing and body language. She was more seductive. Other than performing in front of Ning Yi or interacting with some female relatives to teach them a few moves, it was not suitable for her to perform in front of Wen Ding and the others.
Such gatherings and celebrations were common in the days after. Other than going to the Prime Minister's residence when necessary, most of the time, Ning Yi dealt with matters at home. There were many things that needed to be taken care of, but there was no need for him to personally run back and forth. Originally, Bamboo Shop's basic operation had already taken shape. Starting from this autumn, Ning Yi had also remotely improved Bamboo Shop's metabolism, operating efficiency, hematopoietic function, supervision and immunity mechanism.
Even to Ning Yi, the entire thing was a new and unfamiliar experiment. Due to the limitation of communication capabilities, after the expansion of The Bamboo Shop, the central core's ability to respond was insufficient. Relying solely on rules and regulations, it was very difficult to limit the loss of manpower and the friction that appeared in the operation. Even if Ning Yi personally handled it, when he focused on one aspect of the problem, for such a large business, his control over the other areas would inevitably weaken.
Even with the Office of Secret Investigations' intelligence system as support, the problems that would appear around Ning Yi were still extremely complicated. Everything came together bit by bit. They couldn't be solved by systems alone. They could only be solved by systems and operations. For the rest of the winter, Ning Yi focused almost all of his attention on external affairs. Other than Su Tan 'er, who he could occasionally communicate with, there was no need for outsiders to know about these matters.
Most of the time, he was still enjoying the warmth of his home. Ever since she had a child and supported the family with Ning Yi, Su Tan 'er's strength had become stronger and stronger. Of course, this strength wasn't just external sharpness. Relatively speaking, Tan 'er, who had just married Ning Yi, had an even more external sharpness. However, that sharpness also carried a sense of immaturity. At this time, as a mother, she appeared young in Ning Yi's eyes. While she looked gentler on the outside, her presence was harder to ignore. Sometimes, when something happened, she could often find a way to solve it easily. Although she looked more mellow and gentle on the outside, the maids and servants in the family were most in awe of this mistress. This was a fact that couldn't be ignored.
It was only in front of Ning Yi that Tan 'er would return to the young girl who chatted and talked about her dreams with him in the small building in Jiangning. On nights when the weather was getting colder and even the moonlight was getting colder, Tan' er would curl up like a baby by his side. Sometimes, she would bite her teeth between her lips and frown slightly in her sleep. Ning Yi would reach out and try to smooth out the wrinkles.
In a sense, as his wife, Tan 'er carried many things that originally belonged to him. After accompanying Ning Yi to Bianliang, Tan 'er, who was originally quite talented, matured more quickly. She carried the worries of the family for Ning Yi. In some ways, she could even support Takeshi's operation for Ning Yi and discuss various things with him. This kind of maturity wouldn't come without a price. She was still young, but she was able to give others an enormous pressure even though she was growing more and more gentle.
He furrowed his brows even though he was sleeping like a baby.
One night, Ning Yi jokingly said to her, "I'm worried that one day you will become a powerful woman like Lv Zhi …"
The woman lying naked in Ning Yi's arms just smiled brightly, feeling his existence, "As long as Liheng is by my side, it will never happen."
Sometimes, she would go to Yunzhu's place to rest. That was a habit she had developed when Ning Yi was not at home.
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