Shortly after Jiang Ning entered the room, she heard Liu Ming'an asking from the kitchen, "Have you changed? If so, I'll come help you comb your hair."
Jiang Ning responded with a soft "Mm," and Liu Ming'an lifted the curtain to enter the room, retrieving a hair ribbon from a box.
"Jiang Ning, did you encounter any other dangers on the mountain?" Liu Ming'an asked while gently combing through Jiang Ning's hair.
Jiang Ning had sent Liu Ming'an away earlier precisely because she guessed he would worry about this. She replied, "No, I only went halfway up the mountain, not further in. Besides, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"
Liu Ming'an was silent for a moment before continuing, "Perhaps you shouldn't go up the mountain anymore. The money I earn is enough for both of us. The wilderness is bound to have fierce beasts, and the terrain is treacherous. There's no need to risk it."
"Oh, alright," Jiang Ning replied nonchalantly.
Hearing her perfunctory response, Liu Ming'an continued to persuade her gently, "Jiang Ning, I'm serious. You're a young woman, and while you might have been lucky not to encounter any major dangers this time, who can guarantee you'll be safe every time? The area around the mountain is uninhabited. If something were to happen to you, heaven and earth wouldn't answer your cries for help. What then?"
"Liu Ming'an," Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow slightly, voicing a thought she'd long wanted to express, "How can such a learned man be so longwinded?"
Liu Ming'an's hand, holding the comb, paused for a moment before he let out a soft chuckle. Almost everyone who knew him described him as quiet, steady, and reserved. Jiang Ning was the first to complain about him talking too much.
"Jiang Ning, I'm concerned about you. I'm afraid something might happen to you," Liu Ming'an said sincerely, his hands deftly twisting a lock of her hair into a knot.
"Con-cerned... about me..." Jiang Ning murmured, her expression somewhat dazed.
The word "concern" was too unfamiliar to her. In her previous life of merely twenty years, her fate had always been controlled by others. To the organization, she was just a handy blade. Everyone only cared about how sharp the knife was for slitting throats and drawing blood. Who would have cared if she, as a person, might meet with an accident?
"Jiang Ning, don't go up the mountain again," Liu Ming'an said solemnly once more, having finished combing her hair and setting down the comb.
Jiang Ning lowered her eyes slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Instead, she pointed at the clothes she had changed out of and asked, "These... how do I wash them?"
Liu Ming'an looked in the direction she was pointing, then collected the clothes, saying quite naturally, "I'll do it for you."
So domestic?
Jiang Ning hesitated, which was rare for her: "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it? Whether washing for one person or two, it's still washing. It'll only take a moment," Liu Ming'an smiled gently, then left with the clothes.
Jiang Ning stood up and watched as he put the clothes in a wooden tub, which also contained the outer garment she had used to carry chestnuts. Liu Ming'an carried the tub into the kitchen, took a bamboo strip, and scooped out a pile of wood ash from the stove. Under Jiang Ning's puzzled gaze, he poured all the ash onto the clothes.
Jiang Ning was perplexed for a moment before realizing that wood ash, primarily composed of potassium carbonate, had a cleansing effect when dissolved in water. This was the "laundry detergent" of ancient times.
Liu Ming'an then retrieved a washboard and a wooden bat from behind the door, placing them in the wooden tub. He turned to Jiang Ning and explained, "There's a stream near Lotus Flower Village where everyone does their laundry."
Jiang Ning nodded and said to him, "You go ahead. I'll stay home and have dinner ready when you return."
Liu Ming'an smiled, said "Alright," and left carrying the wooden tub.
After Liu Ming'an had gone, Jiang Ning glanced at the restless wild chicken by the door and smirked slightly. The chicken was jubilantly hopping about, crowing at Jiang Ning, completely unaware that its death was imminent.
Jiang Ning took a kitchen knife from the kitchen and brought out a bowl, placing it on the ground. The chicken's eyes darted around, looking at her. In the next instant, it was suddenly grabbed by its wings and firmly pinned down.
Jiang Ning's movements were quick, precise, and ruthless. She aimed at the chicken's neck and made a clean cut. The chicken struggled for a few seconds before expiring, its once proud head drooping, and its bright red blood collected in the bowl without spilling a drop.
After draining the blood completely, Jiang Ning tossed the chicken into the wooden tub and poured a few ladles of boiling water from the pot over its body, scalding it thoroughly. After the scalding, the feathers came off easily with a gentle tug. In less than five minutes, the once lively wild chicken had been transformed into a bare carcass under Jiang Ning's hands.
Jiang Ning added a pinch of salt to the chicken blood and set it aside to slowly congeal into a blood cake. Then, she took up the knife again, made a cut in the chicken's belly, split it open, quickly removed all the internal organs, chopped off the head and tail, and the chicken was fully prepared.
Looking at the chicken heart, liver, intestines, and gizzard, Jiang Ning hesitated, thinking they would be quite tasty stir-fried. But considering the preparation process, and the fact that there was no cooking wine or pickled peppers to mask the gamey smell, she gave up on the idea and discarded the offal along with the feathers.
The chicken was quite plump. Jiang Ning glanced at the two dishes Liu Ming'an had prepared on the table and decided to chop the chicken in half, saving one half for the next day. With just half a chicken, she could make a small pot of chicken stew with mushrooms.
While Jiang Ning was busy in the kitchen, Liu Ming'an arrived at the stream with the wooden tub. This small stream originated from the mountain and flowed year-round. The banks were never without young girls and married women washing clothes or vegetables.
Since ancient times, men had always been responsible for heavy labor like farming, carrying water, and chopping wood, while washing clothes and cooking were considered women's work. Therefore, as Liu Ming'an walked along the stream, he saw that all the people squatting and washing clothes were, without exception, women. When women gather, they inevitably gossip about family matters and engage in idle chatter. Liu Ming'an intended to find a more secluded spot, but Aunt Li Er's sharp eyes spotted him.
"Oh! Ming'an is here!" The woman's shrill voice rang out, causing everyone to look in Liu Ming'an's direction.
Liu Ming'an had no choice but to approach and greet everyone, "Third Great Aunt, Aunt Lin Er, Aunt Li Er, Sister Xiangyun, Yiyi, what a coincidence to see you all here."
"Brother Ming'an, come over here, there's plenty of space!" He Yiyi beamed upon seeing Liu Ming'an, quickly rising to make room for him and squeezing closer to her mother.
Aunt Li Er and her daughter-in-law Li Xiangyun exchanged glances, both letting out a soft, derisive chuckle.
Aunt Lin Er, seeing her daughter's unladylike behavior, frowned disapprovingly and yanked He Yiyi to the side, scolding her in a low voice, "Mind your own business! Who asked for your concern?"
Though her voice was low, Liu Ming'an heard it clearly. His expression remained calm, a smile on his lips as he spoke frankly, "Thank you, Sister Yiyi, but I think Third Great Aunt's spot is quite suitable."
Third Great Aunt smiled and responded, "This old woman came earliest, so naturally, I got the best spot."
Liu Ming'an smiled, placed the wooden tub on the rocky shore, rolled up his sleeves, intending to finish the washing quickly and return home.
The two women from the Li family had been about to leave, but seeing Liu Ming'an arrive, Li Xiangyun unhurriedly continued to knead the clothes, casually starting a conversation, "Ming'an, how's that woman you bought doing now?"
Everyone present had their own thoughts and perked up at this question. Liu Ming'an was different from the other villagers – he had no parents, no attachments, and rarely went out, so there were few opportunities to inquire about his affairs.
"She's fine," Liu Ming'an replied without looking up.
"With her hands and feet cut off, doesn't she need you to wait on her? Eating, drinking, using the toilet, bathing – don't you have to do it all? I must say, you look so refined, but how could you make such a muddle-headed decision? Spending three taels of silver to bring home an ancestor to serve – what were you thinking? Ming'an, has all that studying addled your brains?"
Li Xiangyun's words came out like firecrackers, irritating Liu Ming'an, who furrowed his brow tightly.