She was penniless now, and she still owed others silver, buying things? Impossible!
"Really don't want to buy anything?" Liuwang asked again.
Seeing Xie Zhinuan's delicate ears with ear holes, and catching a glimpse of a bit of her tender neck, he couldn't help but get excited again.
Xie Zhinuan shook her head.
She threaded the needle and continued with her embroidery.
"..."
Liuwang wanted to say something more, but when old Ni's wife came out of the kitchen, he reined in his thoughts.
"Auntie, where's my uncle?!"
"He's in the orchard on the back hill!"
Liuwang thought for a moment, "Then I'll go to the orchard on the back hill to speak with him for a bit!"
He passed the bowl to old Ni's wife.
Liuwang still gave Xie Zhinuan a look before he left.
Seeing her focused on embroidering, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Old Ni's wife put away the bowl and sat next to Xie Zhinuan, saying, "Liuwang, the neighbor, is actually a good lad, skilled in Martial Arts and literate. He's over twenty and still hasn't taken a wife. I don't know what kind of girl he's looking for!"
Xie Zhinuan looked up when she heard this.
Old Ni's wife laughed softly, "Girl, what do you think of Liuwang?"
Even a dull person would understand the meaning behind old Ni's wife's words.
"I don't want to marry for the time being!"
And truly had no intention of marrying anyone.
"Ah, actually, if you were to marry, Liuwang would not be a bad choice—he has a house in the county town and silver in hand. Escorting goods is hard, but it brings money fast, and he's capable of it. After a few years, starting his own team to take businesses isn't impossible. You've met his parents—quite agreeable people!"
"Grandma!" Xie Zhinuan softly called out, "Right now, I really have no intention of marrying anyone, no matter how good the person is. My heart isn't in it, let's talk about it in a couple years!"
"You are already a young woman; wait another couple years..." old Ni's wife fretted.
Having spent more time with her, she became increasingly concerned for Xie Zhinuan.
"A good meal is worth the wait, and a good woman never worries about marriage. We'll talk about future matters in the future. Grandma, may I cook dinner tonight? I've thought of a way to cook that rabbit!" Xie Zhinuan said, and made up her mind to keep her distance from Liuwang in the future.
And not to talk to him anymore.
"What way of cooking?" old Ni's wife asked.
Not talking about marriage matters anymore.
This girl, though obedient, was extremely opinionated.
"Stew it. Your and grandpa's teeth aren't good, so I'll stew the rabbit. Just leave it to me!" Xie Zhinuan already had a plan in her mind.
Both elderly folk could eat spicy food and enjoyed Sichuan peppercorns, so she would make a spicy stewed rabbit dish.
There were no Sichuan peppercorns now, but there were leaves. Rabbit meat stewed with Sichuan peppercorn leaves would have an even better fragrance.
Since stewing would take a while and it was getting dark, Xie Zhinuan got up to prepare the ingredients.
In the back garden, she picked spring onions, Sichuan peppercorn leaves, washed two pieces of ginger, and found some yellow wine in the kitchen—as well as star anise and dried orange peel.
Uncle Yuan ran a restaurant in the county town, so their kitchen was well stocked with ingredients.
Looking at the wild rabbit, she took a kitchen knife and chopped it into pieces vigorously, placing them in a ceramic basin.
She made a fire, cleaned the pot, removed the rabbit meat's blood, washed the pot and heated oil, added spices and ginger to stir-fry until fragrant, and only then added the rabbit meat, stirring until golden brown before pouring in yellow wine, covering the pot, and stewing it to remove the gamey taste.
Xie Zhinuan suddenly thought of the Spiritual Spring Water and wondered if it would enhance the flavor.
Taking a water scoop, she entered her space, scooped up a ladle of water quickly, and hurried out. She uncovered the pot lid, looked at the rabbit meat, hesitated for a moment, and then poured it in.
A ladle of water, just right for stewing until done.
She covered the pot lid.
Xie Zhinuan walked to the doorway, "Grandma, shall we have rice for dinner tonight?"
"You're the cook, you decide!" Old Ni's wife said cheerfully.
"Who wouldn't be happy with ready-made food?"
Xie Zhinuan saw Old Lady Ni continuing to weave shoe soles and smiled as she went to scoop rice to cook.
She also went to the backyard to pick some greens, planning to stir-fry them—a meat and a vegetable dish; that was pretty good.
Old Lady Ni watched her bustling in and out, her smile growing ever warmer.
This girl was a good find!
If Liuwang really could bring her home as his wife, it would be his good fortune.
Xie Zhinuan washed the greens and, fearing that the water in the pot of stewed rabbit meat would dry up, went to lift the lid and check.
The aroma wafted out immediately, so entrancing that even though she had been a chef for many years, she still felt her soul float away.
"Delicious!"
The scent was so tantalizing that one couldn't help but swallow saliva several times, wishing to scoop up a big piece and devour it at once.
Under the eaves.
Old Lady Ni also shuddered; the aroma was so enticing she almost cried out loud.
She couldn't help swallowing her saliva, put down the shoe sole, and walked to the kitchen. "Girl, how did you make this smell so good? I've eaten rabbit meat for so many years, and never have I drooled like this. Quick, quick, quick, scoop me some to satisfy my cravings!"
Xie Zhinuan smiled and hurriedly scooped up two pieces, one for each of them to enjoy.
"Mmm!" With one bite, she felt utterly blissful.
The spiciness carried a fresh fragrance, the primal scent of Sichuan peppercorns, along with several other spices blending together, making one wish they could chew up the bones and swallow them too.
"Delicious – I've never tasted rabbit meat this good!" Old Lady Ni couldn't help but rave.
If it weren't for the thought of waiting for the old man to come back and eat together, she would have finished the whole pot of rabbit meat by herself.
"Let's wait for grandpa to come back and eat together!"
Old Lady Ni replied with a smile, "Okay!"
The fragrance kept spreading, and the neighboring kids, driven by their craving, cried out, "Mom, I want meat!"
Old Lady Ni felt somewhat embarrassed.
After all, the rabbit meat had been brought over by Neighbor Liuwang, and it was so fragrant that it really should be shared with them.
But she was reluctant...
"Girl, if the neighbors come to ask, could you maybe cook another pot at their place?"
The Liuwang family was wealthy; Liuwang went hunting in the mountains and would certainly not sell the rabbits he caught but keep them to eat.
Xie Zhinuan nodded her head.
She understood in her heart that the rabbit meat tasted so good because the Spiritual Spring Water had brought out the flavors of all the spices.
And perhaps she had added too much Spiritual Spring Water.
Soon enough, Liuwang's mother came over to ask.
Liuwang's father and Old Master Yuan were cousins; their houses were built next to each other, and they were quite close.
"Sister-in-law!" Liuwang's mother was a hearty soul.
She came in cheerfully and, smelling the aroma, couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
"Sister!" Old Lady Ni hurried out to greet her.
"Sister-in-law, what are you cooking at your house, it smells so good, it made all my little monkeys tremble and cry. And it's not just the kids, even I, an adult, am drooling madly!"
"It's the rabbit that Liuwang brought; Zhinuan said she would cook it, and here we are…" Old Lady Ni said, letting Xie Zhinuan scoop a piece to satisfy Liuwang's mother's craving, "If you like it, shall we have Zhinuan go to your house and cook a pot?"
"That would be wonderful!" Liuwang's mother agreed repeatedly and, not minding the heat, grabbed a piece of the rabbit meat with her hand and put it in her mouth.
"Mmm, mmm, delicious, so delicious – this rabbit meat is truly tasty!" She even sucked on her fingers and looked eagerly at Xie Zhinuan, "Girl, it will trouble you then!"
"Not at all!" Xie Zhinuan quickly replied.
In her mind, she was thinking about how to get a bit of Spiritual Spring Water; she couldn't put in another scoop like last time.
The pot was basically ready, and she wasn't needed much; Old Lady Ni could just watch to make sure it didn't dry out.
"You go ahead, I'll get some stuff ready and come over!" Xie Zhinuan said.