Afternoon sunlight shone through the lattice window, spilling across the spotless floor.
From the kitchen drifted the aroma of food, mingled with the damp scent of freshly turned earth.
Ji Mingyue wore the Plain Cloth Apron she had just bought, holding a wok spatula as she carefully served the final dish of Lotus Leaf Chicken onto a porcelain plate.
The Immortal Crane squatted in the doorway, tilting its head as it watched the steam rising from the pot, letting out a soft cry from time to time.
Jiang Ning sat on the stone stool in the courtyard, shelling the bean pods Ji Mingyue had just bought back.
A long while later.
"Dinner's ready!" Ji Mingyue stood by the table, hands on her hips, her face full of smug pride.
Jiang Ning looked at the six dishes and one soup on the table, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
The way these dishes were prepared differed quite a bit from the food of Great Xia; they were all mainly stir-fried or pan-fried.
"When you were in the Imperial Palace before, did you learn how to cook too?"
Looking at the six dishes and one soup, complete in color and fragrance, Jiang Ning asked.
"No!" Ji Mingyue shook her head with her hands on her hips, then continued, "In the Imperial Palace, as the Seventeenth Princess, my ten fingers never touched spring water! So you'd better be happy! This is my first time cooking. Even my father never enjoyed this treatment."
Hearing these words, the surprise in Jiang Ning's eyes deepened.
"Then why does your cooking skill look so outstanding?" He looked at the six dishes and one soup in front of him and spoke.
"Secret!" Ji Mingyue smiled mysteriously.
Then she picked up the wine jar she had just