When in outer city, Wei send Fei to buy a table with a pit in the centre for placing hearth for cooking, Fei was also to buy the hearth. While Wei and Lin, brought second hand pots and pans; other essential utensils, a steamer and a rack to place the ingredients. Fei fetched a cart to carry everything back to the mansion and also a carriage for the Madame and her maidservant.
When they reached home, the table was placed in the main courtyard and the rack beside. The table has a pit in the middle, in which Fei put some sand in it. And placed the hearth and charcoal and started a fire, it took some time for the fire to rage. Meanwhile Lin washed the brought utensils, vegetables and prepared the meat. Wei had began mincing and grinding aromatics and preparing condiments for the soup base. They decided to have hotpot for lunch. Once the fire started, rice was cooked first and then set aside to let off the steam. Pot was placed on the hearth and Fei increased the fire by fanning it. Wei started making the soup base for hot pot and Lin was preparing sauces for dipping. They were all waiting for the soup to start boiling when Wei said, "it's ready you can put in the ingredients."
They had a hearty meal and ended with a green tea and had pastry that Madame Rong send. The afternoon was spent lazily. Wei went to take a nap while Lin was curing the rest of the meat with salt for dinner. And Fei was cleaning the utensils. "Madame Rong, isn't she a courtesan?" Asked curious Fei. "Yes she is." Lin was afraid that he will know that she is a courtesan's daughter and would treat her badly. She panicked, she did not want Wei to have any bad reputation due to her lowly birth, so she started lying.
Fei : "How does Madame know her?"
Lin : "They met accidentally, Madame Rong saved Madame Wei, so they became friends, and met occasionally to chat, that's all."
Lin immediately finished her work and told Fei that she was tried too so she is going to take a nap. Fei too went to his quarters for a leisurely nap.
Afternoon was quite slow and there was drowsiness in the air. Wei woke up to find the house empty, she figured the two were napping too. So Wei, quietly started preparing for noodles for dinner time. After dinner the three were enjoying a refreshing fruit tea.
Fei : "Madame aren't you going to make a kitchen?"
Wei : "Not yet, this setup should suffice.
Fei : "Why not a kitchen? This is a temporary use Madame, you can make a kitchen with storeroom."
Wei : "I need to ask general."
Fei : "You can write a letter to general, if we inform him, the details of what happened, he will let you make a kitchen and also allow to renovate the house.
Wei : "It will be my second letter to general, and I don't want to sound needy in the second letter itself."
Fei : "But Madame, the situation calls for it. We will need a proper kitchen with stoves, storage, washer, utensils, everything. General won't think your needy Madame, he is quite generous."
Wei : "Alright, I'll write a letter to General."
At night, when everyone retired to their respective rooms, Wei was awake, in her chambers. She opened a small wooden box, in which she had kept the letter that General send, in reply of her first letter. Wei opened the letter to read it once again. It read :
'Wife, I am healthy and keeping well. The events of the camp site are hectic, this battle will take longer to reach an end. I have loads to apologise for. For not giving you a proper wedding, not having the ceremony, not escorting you and for everything else.
Hope the day I finish and return back would be soon. Take care of yourself and don't believe any wild story Fei tells, they are just tall tales.
Xu Guoqiang.'
General addressed Wei as Wife, she could not help but giggle. She hugged her knees staring at the letter. General accepts her as his wife. She began to write the letter, but was hesitant. What could she address him as, General? Husband? She looked at General's letter one more time and decided to address him as husband. When Wei wrote the word husband, her ears were tingling, this was a new profound excitement for her. She finished date letter and sealed it. Next morning she gave the letter to Fei to delivery it to the post.