Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

But when Lin Mo's gaze shifted from the cold jade pendant to Liu Yiyi's hopeful and radiant face...

A fire burned in those beautiful eyes.

A raging fire called "ambition" and "dream".

That fire was beautiful.

Lin Mo's initial urge to complain vanished instantly.

Forget it.

Damaging the enthusiasm of beautiful women is a sin against heaven.

Besides, what if?

What if the head of the Liu family suddenly has a brain fart and keeps his promise?

No matter what.

He couldn't extinguish Liu Yiyi's flame with his own hands.

"So, Xiao Shi..."

Liu Yiyi's voice pulled Lin Mo back from his reverie.

She leaned forward slightly, and her delicate, orchid-like fragrance became even stronger, almost seeping into Lin Mo's bones.

"Can you really... turn coarse salt into fine salt as fine as snow?"

Looking at Liu Yiyi's inquisitive expression, Lin Mo felt a mix of emotions.

There's a high chance we won't get the salt permit, so is it even worth the trouble?

But looking at Liu Yiyi's expectant gaze...

Oh well, let's just consider it a way to strengthen our relationship.

Lin Mo grinned.

"Third sister-in-law, let me show you a magic trick."

He wasn't entirely sure himself.

After all, the alcohol lamps, beakers, and filter paper found in high school laboratories are nowhere to be found here.

You can lose face but not pride; you must maintain the right momentum.

"Have someone prepare a few things."

Lin Mo cleared his throat and began to issue commands.

Liu Yiyi's eyes flickered, but she didn't ask any more questions. She simply nodded slightly and called over her maid.

Lin Mo wrote down what he needed on the paper with a flourish of his pen.

Before long, the maids and servants had prepared everything and piled it up in the courtyard of Tingliu Pavilion.

Coarse salt, well water, cotton cloth, fine sand, charcoal...

These were all ordinary items, and as Liu Yiyi looked at them, the doubt in her beautiful eyes deepened.

That's all we have.

Can it create the legendary snowflake salt?

Lin Mo directed the servants to move all the items into the kitchen.

Then he squatted down, picked up a pinch of yellowish coarse salt, and rubbed it between his fingertips.

The particles were so rough they hurt your hands, and they contained visible black sand and unidentified ash.

He stuck out his tongue and licked it.

"Pooh!"

It was bitter and astringent, with a strange earthy taste.

In Lin Mo's mind, the sealed door to memories slowly opened.

On the podium, the chemistry teacher, wearing reading glasses, was stirring a murky salt solution in a transparent beaker with a glass rod.

"Students, pay close attention. Dissolving is the first step, separating the salt from the impurities in the water..."

The neatly folded filter paper is placed on the funnel.

"Filtration is the second step, and the core principle is 'one adherence, two lows, and three supports,' which keeps water-insoluble sediment out..."

A transparent evaporating dish is slowly heated over the flame of an alcohol lamp. As water vapor evaporates, snow-white crystals gradually precipitate out.

"Evaporation and crystallization is the final step; be sure to stir constantly with a glass rod..."

The images were so clear that every step was deeply etched into my mind.

Lin Mo's lips involuntarily curled upwards.

Steady!

He was just about to call Liu Yiyi to begin this great "first lesson in chemistry experiments" when Liu Yiyi suddenly raised her snow-white hand.

"Wait a moment."

She then softly instructed the maids and servants in the kitchen:

"You may all leave now. No one is allowed to enter this courtyard without my permission, and especially not to go near the kitchen."

"Yes, Third Madam."

The servants bowed and took their leave, and the last person closed the courtyard gate.

In the kitchen.

Only Lin Mo and Liu Yiyi remained.

Liu Yiyi walked to the kitchen door, closed the wooden door with a creak, and even bolted it shut.

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

This plot...

Why does this feel so familiar...?

Before he could think any further, Liu Yiyi's soft, sweet voice rang out again.

"Alright, Xiao Shi."

She turned around and leaned against the door.

"Now, you may begin your magic trick."

"Ahem!"

Lin Mo then came to his senses.

Okay, I guess I was overthinking it.

However, the moment Liu Yiyi bolted the door, he did feel a surge of warmth in his heart.

This woman.

She possesses both beauty and intelligence, the ability to strategize effectively, and the capacity to humble herself and trust herself.

Such an ally, such a woman...

We must take it!

Hey!

"Xiao Shi, what are you thinking about? You're practically drooling."

Liu Yiyi's voice shattered his illusion.

Lin Mo blushed, quickly wiped his mouth, and coughed to cover his embarrassment.

"that……"

"Third sister-in-law, come and lend a hand, put the pot on the stove."

"what?"

Liu Yiyi blinked, staring at the large, heavy, black iron pot, momentarily stunned.

"What are you standing there for? Come on, it's hard for me to move this by myself!"

"Ah, oh!"

Liu Yiyi then realized what was happening and stopped being coy.

She lifted her skirt, walked to the pot, and stretched out her slender hand to grasp one side of the pot's edge.

Lin Mo lifted the other side, and the two of them steadily placed the large pot on the stove.

Liu Yiyi clapped her hands, her snow-white fingers stained with soot from the bottom of the pot. She subconsciously wiped them on her face, leaving two cute black marks.

She herself was completely unaware, her bright eyes looking at Lin Mo expectantly.

"and then?"

"Pour water!"

Lin Mo waved his hand, displaying an air of commanding authority.

Liu Yiyi obediently said "Oh," picked up a wooden bucket full of water next to her, and was about to pour it into the pot.

That wooden bucket must have weighed at least forty or fifty pounds. Even though she was a delicate woman, her arms were taut when she lifted it.

Her chest heaved violently.

Lin Mo's eyelids twitched as he watched, and he rushed over immediately.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!"

"Let me do this heavy work!"

As Lin Mo spoke, he took the wooden bucket from Liu Yiyi's hand.

However, the moment his palm covered the bucket, it "inevitably" covered Liu Yiyi's delicate hand, which was forcefully lifting the bucket handle.

Her hands were cool, smooth as jade, and her fingers were slender.

Liu Yiyi's movements visibly stiffened, and her beautiful eyes glanced at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo didn't dare look at her. He casually picked up the wooden bucket and poured the water into the pot with a splash.

Liu Yiyi stood to the side, looking at his strong and calm face, and suddenly found it funny.

So she leaned close to Lin Mo's ear and teased him in a soft, sweet voice:

"Xiao Shi, are your sister-in-law's hands...smooth?"

"Cough cough cough!"

Lin Mo coughed violently, suddenly feeling a rush of blood and qi to his heart.

This third sister-in-law is so good at flirting!

Then how about... we execute them on the spot?

No no no!

Business comes first!

Lin Mo blushed. "Next step! Start a fire!"

Liu Yiyi smiled and decided not to argue with him anymore.

Instead, she ran to the stove, imitating the maid, stuffing in firewood and lighting it with a tinderbox.

Soon, flames ignited in the stove, licking the bottom of the pot.

"The fire doesn't need to be too high, medium heat is fine. The water should be just bubbling, not fully boiling."

Lin Mo stood to the side with his hands behind his back, looking just like an old overseer.

Liu Yiyi squatted in front of the stove, tilted her pretty face up, and asked curiously:

"Why not boil it?"

"Boil...uh..."

"Boiled food cools down slowly, wasting time!"

Lin Mo made up a reason on the spot.

You can't exactly say that this is for precisely controlling the temperature of the subsequent saturated solution, can you?

Liu Yiyi nodded as if she understood, and focused intently on controlling the heat.

Soon, tiny bubbles began to rise from the water in the pot, and the surface of the water began to ripple slightly.

"Okay! That's enough!"

At Lin Mo's command, Liu Yiyi removed several pieces of firewood.

"Now, add salt!"

Lin Mo grabbed a handful of coarse salt and made a move to sprinkle it into the pot.

"etc."

Liu Yiyi suddenly spoke up to stop her.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Mo was somewhat puzzled.

Liu Yiyi took a wooden spoon from the shelf next to her.

"Use this, the salt will hurt your hands."

She shoved the wooden spoon into Lin Mo's hand.

Their movements were so natural, as if they had done this together countless times before.

Lin Mo felt a warmth in his heart.

He scooped up a spoonful of coarse salt and poured it into the pot.

Liu Yiyi then took another wooden spoon and slowly stirred the pot.

Salt grains make a soft "sizzling" sound when they fall into water, and quickly dissolve in the gently boiling water.

In the kitchen, all that could be heard for a moment was the gurgling sound of a wooden spoon stirring water and the crackling of firewood burning in the stove.

One person was responsible for adding salt, and the other was responsible for stirring.

One was slender and graceful, the other had a focused expression.

Sunlight streamed through the windowpanes, casting long, intertwined shadows of the two people, creating a harmonious scene.