Chapter 668: Chapter 440: Strange Xiaoming
The grapes were plump and juicy, while the beef was still ice-cold. Unsurprisingly, the center portion of the beef hadn’t thawed yet.
Although it was quite late, while Wei Ziang was taking a shower, Xiaomi and Xiaoxue reheated the food left for Wei Ziang and washed a bunch of grapes.
Jiang Hu found two large basins, filled them with nitrate ice, and placed them in a cool spot in the house. He placed bamboo mats underneath and put the two baskets of beef and grapes on top.
Since it was already late at night, aside from a few night patrol guards, everyone else had gone to bed. The grapes and beef could be distributed to everyone the next morning.
It was already late August, and though the nights weren’t particularly hot, these perishable goods still needed to be well-chilled.
When Wei Ziang returned from his washing up, everyone gathered in the courtyard again. While Wei Ziang ate, the others snacked on grapes and chatted, asking Wei Ziang about the past month’s happenings.
Though most details were not to be disclosed, they managed to chat for a long time by sharing tidbits of daily life and minor anecdotes.
Especially Second Aunt, who, after not seeing him for a month, kept exclaiming how skinny and tanned he had become.
It made Wei Ziang quite embarrassed.
After Wei Ziang finished his meal, along with the saved grapes, Xiaomi encouraged everyone else to rest while she eagerly went to wash up the dishes.
The grapes were the commonly seen dark purple Kyoho variety, large in size, high yield, juicy, tangy, and sweet. They were particularly appetizing, the kind you wanted to keep eating.
Over the past few months, it was grape season, and some people from the county had specially delivered two carts over.
The journey was long, and even though ice blocks kept the temperature down, by the time they arrived at Anning Village, they had wilted, and some even spoiled.
Speaking of which, this was the first time this year they got to taste such fresh grapes.
Moreover, whether it was the illusion from not eating them earlier this year or these grapes truly tasted better, it felt like they were even tastier than those back at home.
Once Xiaomi had tidied up, Wei Ziang had finished the grapes as well. Second Aunt promptly urged everyone to return to their rooms to sleep, noting how late it was, and they shouldn’t stay up any longer.
The next morning, unsurprisingly, everybody got up late. Xiaomi woke up at her usual time and found everyone else still at home.
Wei Ziang was saying something to Xiaoxue when he saw Xiaomi push the door open and immediately turned, smiling cheerfully at her.
"Xiaomi is up. I was just about to call you. Where do you want to go today? Father and Mother said you’ve been bored at home recently, so they asked me to take you out for a walk."
The thought hadn’t crossed her mind last night, but now suddenly, she recalled her conversation with her elder brother a month ago right after Wei Ziang left.
It felt a bit awkward.
After hesitating for a moment, Xiaomi said, "There’s nowhere in particular I want to go. How about we follow the river upstream today? I’ve always wanted to, but Father and Mother don’t let me go alone."
After all, with summer’s frequent rains, the water level could rise unexpectedly and cause accidents.
Even by the river next to home, if there was the slightest weather change, they would quickly find someone to take her back home.
So although Xiaomi had always wanted to take a look, she was also very obedient. After all, the power of nature isn’t something one can contend with.
Wei Ziang nodded with a smile, "Sure, let’s eat first, and then we’ll head out."
As Xiaomi arrived, her second sister had just left, "What did Second Sister say just now?"
"Not much, Second Sister just said that the beef and grapes are too much for us to finish, so we’ll split them with others later. She asked me to show my face so people would know I brought them back."
Talking about this, Wei Ziang sounded a bit resigned.
Though he brought the stuff back, it was actually Xiaomi who took them out. As a result, the credit seemed to fall to him.
Xiaomi chuckled, "You should indeed show your face; otherwise, people won’t know you’re the third young master."
Wei Ziang shook his head helplessly, helped her with the washing water, while in the kitchen, Xiao Wei was already urging them to hurry over for breakfast.
Breakfast wasn’t particularly lavish, but it was definitely made with care.
Uncertain when Second Aunt and Xiaoxue woke up, not only did they make handmade noodles, but they also cooked a bowl of beef mince, pouring it over the noodles with a sprinkling of green onions and cilantro, making it flavorful and fragrant.
Everyone’s bowl also had a poached egg.
While eating breakfast, Wei Ziang mentioned Xiaomi’s idea to visit the river upstream, and this time Second Aunt didn’t object, only reminding them to be home by noon for lunch.
Listening to Wei Ziang discuss with her mother about taking her out, with no objections from others, made Xiaomi feel quite strange.
So much so that by the time Wei Ziang pulled her out the door, she only just started processing it.
The latter guards carried baskets, looking very pleased.
They took out two bunches of grapes and left two pounds of beef; it was enough for the household, and the rest was given away to others.
This hundred-plus pounds of beef was twice as much as brought last time, all to be stewed, with enough broth for everyone to have a small bowl.
The grapes weren’t few either, and though there were more people, everyone could still have a few pieces to taste.
The hospitality at Anning Village was better than that on the county side, no wonder everybody was in such high spirits.
Xiaomi was led by Wei Ziang, and Commander Yang divided the beef and grapes according to the headcount, having people carry them over to the villagers.
They all knew the third young master had returned from the city and specifically brought them, so almost everyone who saw Wei Ziang greeted him warmly and politely.
It didn’t take much time since he just had to deliver, not distribute personally. Soon enough, he brought over a horse, planning to take Xiaomi out for a wander.
He returned home for two days every month, and his parents and elder brother didn’t make him work, but being idle at home was still boring.
Most importantly, these two days each month were when he could meet Xiaomi, and he was delighted to go exploring with her.
However, today Xiaomi seemed unusual.
It wasn’t until they were far from the village that Wei Ziang rode closer to Xiaomi, reaching out to touch her head.
She uncharacteristically didn’t refuse him, mentioning the old saying that rubbing her head could stunt her growth.
Wei Ziang found it even more puzzling.
"What’s the matter? Why have you been low-spirited all day? You wouldn’t be unhappy to see me, right?"
Xiaomi shook her head, which wasn’t the case at all. She was happy to have her brother back since he was the only one who could roam around with her.
Wei Ziang sighed softly, "Then what’s up? If you keep silent like this, I’ll think you don’t want to see me."
Xiaomi chuckled dryly, "No way, it’s all because of elder brother. After you left last time, elder brother said something strange, and it felt odd."
"Oh? What did elder brother say?"
"Elder brother said you want to marry me. I just feel that you couldn’t possibly..."
"But elder brother wasn’t wrong. I’ve always wanted to marry Xiaomi as my wife."