The daily life of a space tycoon raising children, doting on his husband, and farming.

Chapter 165 Slow Living

Shang Wan did indeed have this plan, but she didn't want to open an ordinary restaurant; instead, she wanted to open a medicinal cuisine restaurant that focused on health and wellness.

This medicinal cuisine is not a traditional medicinal cuisine, but a dish made with vegetables produced in the spiritual field, with real healing effects, taking a high-end approach.

Of course, this is just a hypothetical scenario, and it's not appropriate to bring it up until we have the strength to deal with others' covetousness.

Currently, the main focus is still on cultivating medicinal herbs, as the profits from buying and selling medicinal materials are still quite considerable.

After everyone finished eating, Lu Chengjing was in charge of washing the dishes, while the others had to continue their work.

In addition to pork, a housewarming banquet also needs chicken, duck, and fish.

Shang Wan was in charge of killing chickens and ducks, scalding their feathers, gutting them, and removing their internal organs, while Shi Tou was in charge of killing fish.

The fish were caught by Shang Wan and Lu Chengjing with a net. They were of different sizes. In order to make cooking easier and faster tomorrow, they all had to be fried after being cleaned and gutted.

Xiao Huan heated oil in a separate large pot until it smoked, then formed the seasoned minced meat into a ball in the space between her thumb and forefinger, and skillfully squeezed it down to make a meatball.

The oil in the pan is bubbling, and the meatballs are fried until golden brown, releasing their aroma. They are then scooped out and drained of excess oil.

Crispy pork, small fish-shaped pastries, and spare ribs are seasoned, coated with starch, and deep-fried until crispy and golden brown.

After the oil temperature rises, fry it again.

Steamed dishes also need to be prepared in advance. The ingredients are arranged in various porcelain bowls and steamed once. Once they are cooked, they can be put in the steamer to enjoy the heat the next day. They are even more flavorful than freshly made dishes.

These are all time-consuming and slow tasks. If you do them tonight, you'll have less to do tomorrow, so you won't be scrambling around tomorrow.

Chu Xu wanted to eat as soon as he smelled the aroma. Xiao Huan put two fried meatballs in a small bowl for him and Yuan Yuan each, telling them to eat while they ate and not to stand around the oil pot to avoid getting splashed with oil.

The two children sat side by side on the soft cushions, munching on meatballs.

Yuanyuan chewed millet with her teeth, and Chu Xu found it fun and followed her example, only using his front teeth to eat it. When he lost patience, he chewed it a few times and swallowed it.

Tonight, they were destined not to go to bed early. After helping the two children wash up, Lu Chengjing took them to bed.

Chu Xu ate and drank his fill, his belly round, and slept like a little pig on the kang (heated brick bed).

On the small bed next to hers, Yuan Yuan was covered with a small blanket and listening to her father tell stories. Her eyelids drooped down, her eyes getting smaller and smaller, until she slowly fell asleep.

Lu Chengjing patted her gently, a faint smile in his eyes and brows, and spoke even softer.

He stopped when the little one was fast asleep, pulled the blanket up a bit, blew out the candle, and went outside.

Xiao Huan was still busy in the kitchen, with Shi Tou helping her, while Shang Wan was putting piles of food into the space.

Summer has arrived, and although the temperature isn't unbearably high yet, food doesn't keep well. Shang Wan plans to put everything in her spatial storage and take it out again tomorrow morning.

Lu Chengjing walked into the kitchen, rolled up his wide sleeves, and asked, "What can I do?"

When the kitchen was renovated, it was specially made to be half again as wide as the original kitchen, so that there would be more than enough room for four people to stand.

Hearing Lu Chengjing ask, Shang Wan looked around and said, "Just keep an eye on the fire. Xiao Huan said to keep it like this. If the fire gets too small, just add some firewood."

"Okay." Lu Chengjing turned around and brought out a small stool from the corner. He stood by the stove watching the fire, his long eyelashes lowered, his expression focused.

The firelight added a warm hue to his fair skin, softening his features and making his handsome face even more striking.

Shang Wan looked at her and felt that her fox's temperament and appearance were really out of place in the kitchen.

She glanced at the night outside the window, and considering Lu Chengjing's slender build, she thought for a moment and said, "You've done enough work, you should go back to your room and get some sleep. If Yuanyuan wakes up and looks for someone, you can comfort her."

Lu Chengjing turned his head, the firelight flickering in his eyes, and said slowly, "Yuanyuan just fell asleep and won't wake up for at least two hours."

Shang Wan understood; she didn't want to leave.

Okay, stay if you want. By the time I finished all the chores in the kitchen, it was past midnight.

Everyone was exhausted, especially Xiao Huan, whose legs and back ached from standing.

Hot water was readily available, and everyone took turns washing up before going back to their rooms to sleep.

Standing by the oil pan, her hair reeking of oil fumes, Shang Wan couldn't resist washing her hair.

She couldn't sleep with her hair still wet, and she didn't have the patience to dry it little by little, so her hair-drying movements became increasingly irritable.

"I'll do it." Lu Chengjing took the cloth and gently wiped his soft, damp black hair.

Shang Wan yawned, slumped onto the table, and unknowingly fell asleep.

After drying his hair completely, Lu Chengjing carefully smoothed it, leaned down to look at Shang Wan's peaceful sleeping face, and a soft smile appeared in his dark eyes.

He bent down, picked the person up horizontally, and gently placed them on the kang (a heated brick bed), removing their shoes and outer clothes.

Shang Wan showed no signs of waking up. Lu Chengjing held her in his arms, lowered his head, and scanned her face inch by inch with his gaze, almost brazenly.

"Miss."

A sound mixed with a sigh, and a light kiss landed on Shang Wan's full forehead.

Shang Wan unconsciously hummed in agreement, then skillfully wrapped her arms around the waist of the person next to her, resting her head against his chest and gently nuzzling him.

Such affectionate gestures, reminiscent of a small animal's whining, were rarely seen on Shang Wan. Lu Chengjing knew she was still half asleep, so he reached out and hugged her even tighter, feeling as if a feather had drifted down into his heart, so soft it was almost melting.

He stroked the warm skin of the person in his arms with his fingers, and couldn't help but lower his head to give a light kiss on the corner of their lips.

Shang was breathing evenly and sleeping soundly.

·
The next morning, Shi Tou picked out two strings of firecrackers and lit them at the door.

The "crackling" sound is a signal to welcome guests.

As the sun rose, guests began to arrive one after another.

The first to arrive were the village women, who came to help wash vegetables and cook, and they brought their own bowls and chopsticks.

Each bowl and chopstick is marked with its own label, and you have to return them after you're done using them.

The men arrived a little later, but they all carried tables and benches and spontaneously found empty spots to set them up.

No one in the village would prepare so many bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs, so whenever someone was hosting an event, everyone would bring some from home and take them back after they were used up.

Shi Tou had inquired beforehand, so Shang Wan and the others didn't prepare much; what each family contributed was enough.

Everyone's eyes widened when they saw the piles of fried meat in the large basin.

The scholar's family is too generous. I've never seen any family in the village prepare so much meat for any event. What kind of family can eat meat like this?
Many people couldn't help but swallow their saliva; the cravings that had been aroused by the aroma of braised meat yesterday seemed to be poking their heads out of their throats.

The adults were still mindful of their reserve, but the children were much more direct, staring intently with their eyes glued to the meat, drooling uncontrollably.

Xiao Huan was prepared and brought out a bowl of fried meat strips to distribute to the children.

Not many, just two for each person, enough to satisfy our cravings.

The courtyard was filled with the cheers of children.

Seeing the children's smiling faces, the parents' impression of the scholar's family improved considerably.

That's what it means to be capable.