Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 79 Invitation

Upon seeing two figures walk in from outside, Zhang Hu and Chen Bao wisely kept quiet.

A'Luo looked at Zhang Hu and Chen Bao and said with a smile, "Brother Zhang, Brother Chen, I made some pastries this morning. When you leave, please take them back for your families..."

Zhang Hu laughed and said, "Great! I've been craving A Luo's cooking for ages!"

Lin Xuan looked at Tian Qingluan and said, "Miss Qingluan, Zhang Hu's child is still young, and Chen Bao's mother is old. Could you let them work near their homes so that it would be convenient for them to take care of their families?"

Tian Qingluan smiled slightly, glanced at Zhang Hu and Chen Bao, and said, "Of course, if they want to live closer to home..."

Zhang Hu and Chen Bao's faces lit up with joy.

Tian Qingluan said, "Let them go mining. The Tian family's salt mine is just outside the city. Although it's hard work, they can go home every day, and the pay is the same as before..."

The two were taken aback. Although escorting caravans meant frequently leaving home, it was a respectable and prestigious job.

He was a former banner officer of the Jingbian Commandery, how did he end up mining...?

Although the wages were quite substantial.

Tian Qingluan explained with a smile, "The salt mine is short-staffed right now. You can work for half a month first, and I'll arrange other jobs for you once we find more staff."

Zhang Hu and Chen Bao could only clasp their hands in thanks and say, "Thank you, Miss."

The two exchanged a glance, and Zhang Hu looked at Lin Xuan, saying, "Brother Lin, we have other matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving now..."

They originally came here to catch up and get a free meal.

Unexpectedly, the young lady was also here.

These days, they've heard quite a bit about Miss Tian's reputation while traveling with the Tian family's caravan.

They felt extremely uncomfortable around her.

I'm not going to freeload this meal...

Lin Xuan looked at the two of them and said, "Since you're already here, have a meal before you leave."

Zhang Hu waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, I promised my daughter I'd take her out to play today, we're leaving..."

After saying that, he and Chen Bao left in a hurry.

Lin Xuan didn't even have time to say anything to persuade her to stay; she could only take the vegetable basket from A Luo and go into the kitchen.

A'Luo glanced at Tian Qingluan, then quickly walked towards the courtyard gate, smiling as she reminded Zhang Hu and Chen Bao, "Brother Zhang, Brother Chen, don't forget to bring the pastries for you..."

Tian Qingluan walked to the kitchen door and asked Lin Xuan, "Are you free tomorrow night?"

Lin Xuan, who was chopping vegetables, turned around and asked, "What are you doing?"

Tian Qingluan said, "Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the village holds a bonfire banquet. If you have time, why don't you join us for some fun? You're alone anyway..."

Lin Xuan thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay."

Although I don't know why there is a Mid-Autumn Festival in this world, it seems like a better choice to celebrate with everyone than to spend the festival alone.

He had experienced the atmosphere of a Miao village once and quite liked it.

A'Luo walked over quickly and asked, "Sister Qingluan, may I come with you?"

Tian Qingluan glanced at her, knowing what she was thinking. Although she didn't want her to go, she had no reason to refuse, so she could only smile and reply, "Of course, I'll pick you up tomorrow..."

After the meal, Tian Qingluan left.

Before leaving, she told Lin Xuan that she wouldn't be coming over for lunch tomorrow.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a very important festival for the Miao village, and she is going back to the village today to prepare for the banquet tomorrow night.

While Lin Xuan and A Luo were washing the dishes together, Lin Xuan remembered something and turned to say, "A Luo, I want to make some Mid-Autumn Festival pastries. Can you teach me?"

Since it's a holiday, it's inevitable to exchange gifts and favors.

You can ignore everyone else, but you still need to pay a visit to your two immediate superiors.

Although they may not care, as subordinates, we must not neglect the proper etiquette.

Given his current relationship with Commander Wu, giving him silver would be too vulgar, and there's no need to give him anything too expensive.

Wenren Baihu is a man of integrity, so it's even more inappropriate to offer him money.

He plans to make some pastries by hand, which will not only be tasteful but also show his sincerity.

Unfortunately, Lin Xuan can cook various cuisines, but she is not good at pastries, so she can only ask A Luo for help.

Aro's pastry skills are renowned far and wide.

A Luo happily replied, "Okay, Brother Lin, what do you want to learn? Mooncakes, osmanthus cakes, or Ruyi pastries? I'll go prepare the ingredients."

Lin Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's have a little of each of the three."

Lin Xuan tidied up the kitchen, while A Luo returned home and brought out ingredients such as glutinous rice flour, honey, and osmanthus powder.

The two quickly got busy in the kitchen.

"The ratio of glutinous rice flour to honey must be correct, otherwise the osmanthus cake will not hold its shape."

"Don't brush too much egg wash on the mooncakes, otherwise the color won't look good after baking."

"The shape of the Ruyi requires a bit of skill; let me teach you step by step..."

……

Arlo is a very good teacher when it comes to making pastries.

She practically taught Lin Xuan every step of making different pastries, her body pressed tightly against his without him even realizing it. Strangely, at that moment, Lin Xuan inexplicably thought of datura.

Although Lin Xuan regarded her as the greatest threat in his life, he had to admit that she was a very good teacher. The transformation that Lin Xuan had undergone in the past few months was mostly related to her.

The next morning, A Luo handed two wrapped paper packages to Lin Xuan.

Yesterday was his first time making pastries. Although A Luo said that his first attempt was already very good, Lin Xuan still felt a little embarrassed to use them as gifts.

These two packages of pastries were made by A-Luo herself.

Lin Xuan walked out of the house, and A Luo saw him to the door, waving to him: "Brother Lin, come back soon!"

Lin Xuan nodded: "Okay."

Yesterday, when she was teaching me how to make pastries, the two of them spent two hours alone in the kitchen.

Those two hours were probably the most relaxing two hours Lin Xuan had experienced since arriving in this world.

Without mandalas or the Jingbian Division, the only thing to consider is how to make the pastries delicious.

Lin Xuan had fantasized more than once about spending his weekends cooking with the girl he liked; for him, that would be one of the happiest things in life.

At that time, he never imagined that this wish would only be fulfilled in his next life.

If they were together, this would probably be their daily routine from now on.

As Lin Xuan fantasized about the future, Mandala's black robe once again incongruously appeared in his mind.

This woman was like a haunting ghost that never left Lin Xuan's side.

Even in his fantasies, she would always appear when he least wanted her to, shattering his fabricated happiness.

On this holiday, Lin Xuan forced herself not to think about these unhappy things and that unhappy woman. She glanced back at A Luo, who was standing prettily at the door, and then strode away.

After leaving home, Lin Xuan first went to the Wu residence.

He originally intended to leave after putting down his things, but Wu Baihu forced him to stay and admire his own paintings for a long time.

Although Lin Xuan wasn't interested in painting, she had no choice but to go along with him.

When Commander Wu invited him to stay for dinner, Lin Xuan politely declined, saying, "I still need to go to Commander Wenren's place, so I won't disturb your family any longer..."

He moved out of Wenren Yue's house just to get away as soon as possible; A'Luo was still waiting for him at home.

More importantly, Wu Baihu's daughter kept giving him strange looks, making him extremely uncomfortable...

Jingbian Division.

The back office.

Wenren Yue sat by the stone table, lost in thought for quite some time.

This is the first Mid-Autumn Festival she has spent away from home in nineteen years.

Her family was all in the capital, thousands of miles away, and she was all alone in this remote southwest, with no relatives or friends. She was fine on ordinary days, but on this festive occasion, she couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Wenren Yue's eyes flickered, and she got up, walked to the door, and opened the courtyard gate.

Lin Xuan looked at Wenren Yue and said with a smile, "Wenren Baihu, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. These are pastries that I made myself, and I brought them for you to try..."

Wenren Yue paused for a moment, then reached out and took the paper package from Lin Xuan, nodded slightly, and said, "Come in."

Lin Xuan followed her into the courtyard. Wenren Yue picked up a teacup from the table and poured him a cup of tea.

Lin Xuan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and looked into the cup.

The tea is cold.

Lin Xuan planned to go find the cook later.

The Jingbian Division paid her a good wage, and one of her duties was to ensure that Wenren Baihu always had hot tea by his side.

The weather has turned cooler after the rain a few days ago.

Lin Xuan had specifically instructed her that the tea should be changed at least once every hour.

Wenren Yue realized something and explained, "It's Mid-Autumn Festival today, and the cook took the day off to go home. The tea is cold, I'm sorry..."

It seemed he had misunderstood the cook. Lin Xuan suddenly realized something else and looked at Wenren Yue, asking, "The cook isn't here today, what will you be having for lunch, sir?"

Wenren Yue said, "There are still two steamed buns in the kitchen."

If Lin Xuan had never been here before, that would be fine.

Now that he's here, he can't just watch her eat a steamed bun.

Lin Xuan originally wanted to cook her a bowl of noodles or a couple of simple stir-fried dishes.

But the kitchen had nothing but steamed buns, and going out to buy groceries would take a long time.

He had no choice but to return to the courtyard. After a moment's thought, he said to Wenren Yue, "If you don't mind, sir, why don't you come to my house for dinner today? I was just about to go back and cook..."

Wenren Yue wanted to refuse, but when she thought of the noodles from that day, her lips moved, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words of refusal.

She hesitated, "Wouldn't that be too intrusive?"

Lin Xuan laughed and said, "No, it's just me and A'Luo at home. The girl A'Luo met is the one who was framed by Huang Yue last time. It's actually easier to cook for three people..."

(End of this chapter)