Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 330 - 329: When in Rome

"There’s more." Qi Xian, unaware of Liu Ji’s current internal thoughts, continued disdainfully:

"He knows where the teacher is now. If he put in a little effort, he could find out that we are temporarily staying at your house. If he were sincerely visiting, he would wait until we had built a guest house before sending a post."

Liu Ji nodded. He understood!

"Senior brother means that the person sending the post harbors ill intentions towards the teacher, and his motives are not pure. We shouldn’t meet people like this, right?"

Qi Xian made a "hiss" sound. Saying he’s right feels off, but saying he’s wrong also seems incorrect.

The young boy was momentarily stumped, caught off guard.

Gongliang Liao turned his head, hiding his uncontrollable smile. Indeed, being with three people was more interesting.

"Dinner’s ready!"

Qin Yao’s voice came from the yard. The three master and disciple, who had occupied the main hall all day, quickly stopped, and Liu Ji called Shi Tou. Together they moved the table back to the children’s room.

The four Da Lang brothers and sisters, who had been leaning over the low table practicing writing, immediately shifted joyfully.

"Come out and eat. Practice more after you finish," Qin Yao instructed from outside the window, placing the table where it belonged.

Yesterday, the maids prepared the meal, which Gongliang Liao complained about. So today, Ah Wang took over the kitchen.

Although living in the countryside meant scarce resources, this didn’t affect Gongliang Liao and Qi Xian’s standard of living.

The guard would go to town every couple of days for a big shop, bringing back a variety of local snacks, pastries, and candied fruits.

They even bought a bucket of fresh field fish. Not large, about three fingers wide, Ah Wang cleaned them, fried them to a golden crisp in hot oil, then added seven or eight fish to hot water, sprinkled them with onion, ginger, and garlic to remove any fishy smell, and covered them to stew into a pot of golden milky fish soup hot pot.

As soon as the lid was lifted, everyone in the courtyard couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva simultaneously.

From Mrs. Zhang’s pickle jar, a large bowl of sauerkraut was taken, rinsed to remove the fermentation foam, sliced into strips, and added to the pot. No other seasoning was needed, just a suitable amount of salt.

Qin Yao carried the entire pot to the table, which was supported securely by three bricks stacked underneath.

It’s a pity no one in the village made tofu. Otherwise, adding tofu would make it even more delicious.

The main dish was rice field sauerkraut fish, supplemented by a dish of leek and egg, spicy pork cubes, and loofah pork soup. With large portions and full flavors, there was no need for delicate plating. Instead, the earthy ceramic bowls highlighted the pure taste.

Gongliang Liao took a sniff of the dish’s aroma, an image appeared in his mind of a farmer standing by the field, holding a bamboo cover, bent over to catch fish during harvest time.

Liu Ji served his teacher a bowl of fish soup, offering it with both hands. "Teacher, try this fresh field fish. There’s no fishy taste, and the meat is tender and delicious, but be careful of the bones."

The maid wanted to help take it, but Gongliang Liao waved his hand, refusing, and took it himself.

In this setting, this soup should be enjoyed in the local way—holding the bowl oneself to truly savor the flavor.

The thick bottom of the ceramic bowl didn’t feel hot. The warm fish soup in his hands was very comforting.

Gongliang Liao blew on the soup to cool it slightly, lifted the bowl, and drank directly without a spoon.

A mouthful of fish soup entered, and the rich, full taste quickly melted in his mouth, naturally swallowed down, prompting another sip to savor its depth.

"Fresh, sweet, fragrant!"

Though just three simple words, coming from a scholar, it was the highest praise for this soup.

No matter how many delicacies he had tasted before, nothing could compare to today’s fragrant and fresh rice fish sauerkraut soup for Gongliang Liao.

Seeing everyone still waiting and not using their chopsticks, Gongliang Liao hurriedly raised his hand. "You should all try it too. Guests should follow the host’s customs. How can the hosts wait for the guests? Let’s not be too formal. We should blend in with you locals; how you eat and use things, we shall do the same. That’s how it becomes interesting, hahaha!"

The fish soup was truly delicious, prompting him to take another gulp.

Qin Yao gave a light smile, nodded at Qi Xian, and began to eat.

When she moved, so did the children at home. Although they had secretly swallowed countless times, they waited because their stepmother had taught them dining etiquette and hierarchy—elders first, then the younger ones.

Qi Xian, drinking the delicious fish soup, thought that perhaps the reason he could stay day after day in this countryside was because the people here were so kind.

Even though Shi Tou had once pulled out vegetables from the aunts’ garden thinking they were flowers, after a lesson, they still taught them how to plant these beautiful vegetables in the guest house yard.

The villagers were also very considerate, never bothering them. Only the village’s children came a few times out of curiosity, but they never did anything annoying.

Oh, and that niece of Miss Qin even sent him a bowl of wild fruits picked from the mountains, golden red, thumb-sized, sharp at both ends, with a sweet and sour taste that was quite nice.

The name was interesting too, called "Mountain Chicken’s Head."

Because Ah Wang’s culinary skills were too good, no one wanted to speak. Everyone finished the meal in silence, faces radiating happiness.

Sitting separately outside in the courtyard, Shi Tou and the maid Attendant Student, also content, stood to help clean up the dishes.

The entire pot of rice fish sauerkraut was eaten down to a bare fish bone, and the other three side dishes were completely gone, leaving behind empty plates.

As the sun set, rare grayish-purple clouds filled the sky. Farmers knowledgeable about weather could predict the next day’s conditions from these signs.

"Tomorrow will be overcast, and it might get cooler," Qin Yao reminded their esteemed guests to cover themselves well at night to avoid catching a cold.

Since Gongliang Liao mentioned following the host’s customs, she didn’t stand on ceremony, asking Ah Wang to heat more water, informing everyone at home:

"While today’s temperature is still comfortable, everyone should take a bath and wash their hair tonight for a restful sleep."

Qi Xian was surprised. "Didn’t we just bathe on Mid-autumn day? Don’t you bathe every ten days?"

Liu Ji, shocked, asked back, "Senior brother only bathes every ten days?"

"Isn’t that normal?" Qi Xian’s confidence wavered inexplicably.

Liu Ji burst into laughter, telling Qi Xian that he had to bathe every two or three days, daily if it’s summer, otherwise, he’d get kicked out of the house by the fierce woman of the house.

Of course, he wouldn’t dare complain about this in front of Qin Yao, lest he face dire consequences.

Qi Xian had no words, accepting the local customs and adopting the shower-style bathing.

Qin Yao prepared scented soap for them, and Si Niang quickly handed over two orange wildflowers she had just picked from the backyard, "Mother! Mother!" indicating she wanted them placed as before, "a touch of refined ritual."

Qin Yao had only mentioned this word once, but the little girl remembered and respected it as doctrine.

Qin Yao worried that in winter, with no fresh flowers, the soap display might lack perfection, and wondered if the little girl might burst into tears.

"Alright," Qin Yao joked, "Let’s give these city folks a bit of refined astonishment."

Qin Yao pinched her daughter’s chubby apple-like cheek, indulging her by elegantly arranging the scented soap and candles in the shower room.

Once everything was set, mother and daughter walked out hand in hand, the little girl returning to the study desk, practicing her calligraphy while sneaking peeks at the guests’ reactions.

Upon hearing Qi Xian praise, "This scented soap is beautifully arranged," the embroidered shoes dangling under the stool swayed joyfully.