"Wow, that smells amazing!"
White steam rolled out of the pot as soon as the lid was lifted up, blowing against Long Qiu's face. She ignored the heat and blinked eagerly at what was inside.
They used two wood-fired ovens in the kitchen—the bigger one for stir-frying and the smaller one for cooking rice. Right now, laying inside the latter was a neat layer of white jade marbles. The rice grains were plump, even, closely packed, and well-arranged.
Sniffing at it, Long Qiu's little face lighted up with satisfaction. She filled three bowls with rice and carried them to the table.
Their meals had always been quite simple. Gu Yu was the cook today and he made crisp fried Tofu, cold celery dressed with sauce, stir-fried lotus root slice, and fish head soup. The preference towards vegetable dishes was getting onto him after hanging around the two ladies for a while.
