knife

Chapter 269 Your own bed is the best to sleep in, other people's food tastes better.

Tu Jiaojiao has fair and delicate skin.

In the dead of winter, along the way, Xiao Changche saw that everyone in the village, regardless of gender, had chapped hands and faces, except for Tu Jiaojiao, whose hands and faces were both red and white, and who was plump and looked like she was enjoying a life of luxury at home.

Ding Ergou truly doted on his wife to the extreme.

These days, which man goes into the kitchen?
As far as Xiao Changche knew, any man who was even slightly successful and had a wife was treated like a king at home.

Li Dachui does cook often, but only because he thinks other people's cooking is bad.
Moreover, this person enjoys cooking, purely as a hobby, aside from satisfying their appetite.

Therefore, people like Ding Ergou are truly rare and precious.

From a woman's perspective, Xiao Changche greatly admired Ding Ergou.

Go to the battlefield and kill the enemy.
Able to cook in the living room,

He's also good to his wife.
Such a person should be given a good opportunity to be promoted.

Ding Ergou was naturally unaware that in just a short while, Xiao Changche was already preparing to promote him.

At this moment, he was happily preparing food in the kitchen, not at all worried about whether he could handle the two wives of the Protector General, Tu Jiaojiao, by himself in the house.

In his eyes, his wife was much more suited to this kind of occasion than he was.

This is true.

Facing the two highest-ranking administrative officials from outside the Great Wall, Tu Jiaojiao was indeed a little nervous, but not afraid.
She answered Li Dachui and Xiao Changche's questions in a logical and tactful manner, only talking about matters within Ding Ergou's jurisdiction. As for matters outside, she always evaded the question and refused to say a single bad word about others.

She had absolutely no intention of belittling others to elevate her own husband.

Ding Ergou indeed implemented the Protectorate's policies to the very least.

Baoping Prefecture was a wealthy place before, but only the Yan family and those who were related to the Yan family were wealthy. The ordinary people could barely make ends meet.

Even so, compared to most people outside the Great Wall, it's still considered good.

But this clearly did not satisfy Li Dachui.

After taking control of Aquarius, a series of policies were introduced to ensure that everyone in Aquarius could enjoy the benefits of their control.

The actual execution fell to village chiefs, team leaders, regimental commanders, and even military officers from the Zhechongfu (military command) who were dispatched one after another, like Ding Ergou.

These people became officers when they joined the army, and civil officials when they returned to their hometowns. Their abilities directly affected the degree to which the policies of the Protectorate were implemented.

Through Tu Jiaojiao's narration, the situation of these villages in Jigongling unfolded before Xiao Changche and Li Dachui like a series of pictures.

Ding Ergou was young and quick-witted, and when he married Tu Jiaojiao, an educated woman with a broad perspective, the villages of Jigongling did indeed experience great development.

Another key point is that although Ding Ergou is young, he has made outstanding military achievements and has a martial arts cultivation of the fifth rank of Qi Control. In the surrounding villages, he is already a god-like figure.

Tu Jiaojiao, who was literate, was also respected.

This meant that Ding Ergou faced virtually no resistance when implementing his policies.

This has made Jigongling stand out from the rest of the region, with its average income this year far exceeding that of the surrounding areas.

This made Li Dachui very satisfied.

The policies that had been tested on the Helan Plain were once again validated in Baoping Prefecture, proving that this path was viable.

Of course, no matter what the policy is, the key lies in the people who implement it.

If the wrong people are involved, even the best policies will be ruined.

I need to tell Mao Daxian when I get back that we should organize a training course and bring all the village officials from those backward villages to Jigongling to see and learn.

If things don't improve this year, then we'll have to replace him.

Ding Ergou's cooking skills are truly excellent.

In a short period of time, seven or eight dishes were prepared.

The rooster soup simmered in the old earthenware pot, with only a little salt and no other spices, still smelled incredibly appetizing. The freshly smoked pig hind trotters, their skin singed and scraped until golden brown, were chopped into small pieces, boiled, and then topped with some spring-made dried bamboo shoots—a vibrant mix of red and green, a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens
Stir-fried chicken giblets

Stir-fried dried eggplant,

Pickled radish,

Golden-fried salted fish,
It seems that Ding Ergou made a copy of everything he had in the house.

Of course, being able to prepare such a meal also shows that Ding Ergou's family is indeed well-off now.

The pancake is covered with a thick layer of fine minced meat, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. When you bite into it, it makes a satisfying crunch, and then the oil inside flows out. It's so delicious that you just want to keep eating it.

"Ding Ergou, this food is really good!" Li Dachui picked up a piece of pig's trotter tendon, put it in his mouth and chewed slowly, saying, "Next year, can you make sure that everyone in your village can have a meal like this for their New Year's Eve dinner?"

Ding Ergou stood up abruptly and said loudly, "Young master, if you're asking them to eat like this every day, I can't do it, because I can't afford it either. But if it's just for the New Year's Eve dinner, Ergou can definitely do it!"

"Very good!" Li Dachui smiled, put down his chopsticks, and reached out to shake Ding Ergou's hand. "In that case, I'll give you the reward first. But if you don't do it next year, there will be a punishment!"

Ding Ergou was initially confused, but he immediately noticed that a warm sensation entered his body through his veins as Li Dachui held his hand, instantly spreading throughout his limbs and bones.

Li Dachui released his grip immediately, but Ding Ergou was first stunned, then overjoyed. He didn't care that Xiao Changche and Li Dachui were present, and immediately sat cross-legged on the spot, with his five centers facing upwards, and began to circulate his energy.

He was at the fifth level of Qi Control, and was still some distance from the sixth level. His cultivation level was not high enough to shake those closed meridians, but Li Dachui's true qi gave him a helping hand. The true qi flowed around him, making him feel that he might break through soon.

Xiao Changche glanced at it and realized that only Li Dachui's cultivation of the Universe Qi had the ability to help others at crucial moments. If it were him, with his domineering power of attacking the heavens, he would immediately attack the alien true qi as soon as he entered Ding Ergou's body.

The Qi of Heaven and Earth is truly a miraculous skill.

The Phoenix Fire and Moonlight Weak Water that evolved from it are both extremely powerful and domineering techniques, but the Qiankun Qi, its mother, is truly gentle and mild.

Tu Jiaojiao didn't practice martial arts, but seeing her husband's condition, she knew that Ding Ergou must be at a critical moment, so she didn't dare to breathe too loudly.

Their good life was built on Ding Ergou's extraordinary talent in martial arts training.

Li Dachui and Xiao Changche sat facing each other, enjoying their meal.

"It tastes good, not worse than yours!" On the way back, Xiao Changche let out a burp and said to Li Dachui with a smile.

"Since ancient times, it's always been true that your own bed is the best to sleep in, and other people's food is the best to eat!" Li Dachui said, "Occasionally, eating a meal like this does indeed feel exceptionally delicious."

When talking about his own bed, Xiao Changche blushed slightly, but judging from Li Dachui's expression, it seemed that he was not joking.

"A person's luck is truly unpredictable!" Xiao Changche said with emotion, "Back when you led those young men to Helan Plain, you were just blindly matching Ding Ergou and the others, weren't you?"

"That's right. When we went up to the plains, we needed them to be able to produce immediately and support themselves immediately. We didn't have the time or inclination to organize any matchmaking activities. Most of the time, it was just drawing lots."

“That’s luck! Think about it, if Ding Ergou hadn’t caught Tu Jiaojiao, or vice versa, would they have been able to achieve what they have now?” Xiao Changche said.

“Indeed, no! Ningyu, luck is also a part of strength!” Li Dachui said. “That’s why I’m willing to let Ding Ergou have a little more luck.”

"At nineteen, he's at the fifth rank of Qi Control. With your help, reaching the sixth rank this year shouldn't be a problem!" Xiao Changche said. "With his talent, reaching the Profound Origin level is a piece of cake. It's worth investing in him in advance! By the way, what about Tu Jiaojiao? Why don't you ask about her background? In the borderlands, scholars are one in ten thousand, and women who are scholars are even rarer. She's probably someone with a story!"

Li Dachui shook his head: "If she doesn't say, I won't ask. Actually, thinking about it, I guess her experience is similar to yours. It's just that you have the ability to take revenge yourself, while she can only go with the flow. Of course, she was lucky. First, we saved her, and then she met a good man like Ding Ergou."

Speaking of the past, Xiao Changche was also filled with sadness.

"Li Dachui, meeting you is probably my luck! Two years ago, I never imagined things would turn out this way! In just two short years, you helped me kill my most direct enemy, Astu, and have also plunged the Yuan Kingdom into chaos."

“It’s not just luck that we’re together!” Li Dachui laughed. “I’ve been eyeing you for a very long time, so I started planning step by step a long time ago. The only thing I didn’t expect was that you were a woman. At first, I planned to recruit you to my side and make you my assistant. Of course, it’s even better now, we’re family.”

"Hmph, a wolf in sheep's clothing, he was clearly up to no good from the start!" Xiao Changche rolled his eyes.

Li Dachui laughed heartily.

"Let's go, it's getting late. Don't keep Mao Daxian and the others waiting. You know, that old guy can be quite annoying sometimes when he opens his mouth!"

“Those with ability are always like this!” Xiao Changche said. “But I can tolerate such people. However, if someone has no ability but likes to talk nonsense in front of me, I don’t mind shooting him.”

(End of this chapter)