She bent down to pay her respects, her gaze lowered to the ground, only seeing the person’s feet clad in black satin boots embroidered with cloud patterns.

The fabric of the hem glistened and slid smoothly; just looking at its quality indicated it was expensive, with intricate hidden patterns faintly shimmering under the light.

“Is the Fire Camp still cooking at this hour?”

Jiang Yanyi heard the other party’s question.

The voice was low, rich, and cold, as if a north wind had cut through the heart in the icy wilderness, bringing an endless chill.

For a moment, Jiang Yanyi couldn’t tell whether he was questioning her or simply asking.

However, since the person had come at this hour, he surely knew about the private kitchen and couldn’t possibly hide the truth.

She braced herself and said, “Yes, we are. May I ask what the strategist would like to eat?”

She kept her head lowered and did not see the slight frown that crossed his brow upon hearing her address him as “strategist” again.

After a long silence, Jiang Yanyi finally heard that cold voice speak again: “A bowl of wontons.”

She felt a sense of relief wash over her and quickly replied, “Please wait a moment; the wontons will be ready shortly.”

Jiang Yanyi was already worried about the punishment for operating a private kitchen.

Moreover, his commanding presence made her feel slightly breathless just standing there, and by this time, her back was already drenched in cold sweat.

Finally, having received his order, Jiang Yanyi hurried back to her quarters to prepare the wontons.

As she turned, her gaze unintentionally swept over the strategist, and her heart skipped a beat.

This strategist was… too beautiful!

Yes, beautiful!

For the first time in her life, Jiang Yanyi thought to use “beautiful” to describe a man.

Yet, this beauty carried a sharp, bone-chilling coldness, like the frost on the tip of a sword.

The wind began to pick up, causing the lantern hanging at the entrance of the quarters to sway, casting a hazy yellow light all around.

He stood there under the glowing light, with slightly upturned phoenix eyes, a few strands of hair falling across his forehead, his expression cold and indifferent.

The dark patterns embroidered on his black robe with dark red and golden threads shimmered softly under the light, noble yet chilling.

Before he could turn his gaze toward her, Jiang Yanyi quickly looked away and hurried into her quarters, clutching her racing heart.

If only she could turn back time now; she’d have all the beautiful male protagonists in novels to admire!

Feng Shuo watched the fluttering curtain at the entrance of the tent, raising an eyebrow slightly.

He despised being scrutinized for his looks, but this little cook was sharp, alert like a rabbit.

He casually found a table, lifted his robe, and sat down.

A few soldiers on duty approached nervously to serve him; their hands trembled so much while pouring tea that a few drops spilled out.

They secretly sighed; the general’s demeanor was indeed extraordinary, rivaling that of nobles and dignitaries.

Little did they know, the man sitting at this small table was not their general strategist but their great general.

Feng Shuo had learned from the physician that the menu he received was nonsensical.

After verifying with the kitchen staff, he found the physician’s words to be true, leading to an uncontrollable fury.

Returning to the camp at night was meant to capture the audacious cook who dared to mock him.

However, the journey to the West Camp on horseback allowed him to calm down.

The cook at the Fire Camp definitely didn’t have the guts to fool him; there might be some deeper reason behind this incident.

On the way, he saw several soldiers from the West Camp carrying food back, mentioning the private kitchen at the Fire Camp.

Realizing he had just taken over the West Camp and hadn’t yet managed the military’s food supply, he felt compelled to stop by and take a look.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, several junior soldiers addressed him as “strategist.”

It was not surprising that the people from the Fire Camp had never seen him and didn’t recognize him.

But how could they mistake him for Chi Qing?

Feng Shuo chose not to correct them and decided to ask Chi Qing about this matter later.

He surveyed the cooking team with a cold gaze.

Running a private kitchen in the military was utterly inappropriate.

Starting tomorrow, the entire cooking team needed to be replaced!

As he was pondering this, the curtain at the barrack entrance was lifted again.

The young kitchen maid who had just entered came out carrying a plate of caramel-colored candied chestnuts, placing it on the table. “The wonton skins and fillings need to be made fresh, so please eat some candied chestnuts to tide you over first.”

After speaking, she bowed slightly and withdrew.

Her beauty was striking, and her demeanor was graceful.

Feng Shuo watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.

Such manners and training likely came from a well-off family.

How did she end up here, in a military kitchen?

He lowered his gaze to the plate of candied chestnuts in front of him.

The shiny chestnut shells had split open in places, revealing the yellow flesh inside, which looked very tempting.

The air was filled with a sweet aroma.

In the end, Feng Shuo didn’t touch the plate of candied chestnuts.

He wasn’t fond of these little treats that women liked; peeling them was troublesome, and he couldn’t appreciate their taste anyway.

In the barrack, Jiang Yanyi was busy kneading dough.

In ancient times, if you wanted to eat dumplings or wontons, you had to do everything yourself, from the skins to the fillings, as there was no one selling dumpling or wonton skins yet.

She pressed down on the nearly kneaded dough and covered it with a white cloth to let it rest for a while.

They say that dumplings are about the filling while wontons are about the skin; to make delicious wontons, the key is in the skin, so the dough needs to be allowed to rest until soft.

Taking advantage of the resting time, she selected a piece of pork with three parts fat and seven parts lean, chopped it up for the filling, added a little minced ginger for flavor, and to balance the texture, she also chopped some greens.

After cracking an egg to increase the stickiness, she seasoned it with salt and finally drizzled in some sesame oil, mixing it well to lock in the moisture of the filling.

Once everything was prepared and the dough had rested enough, Jiang Yanyi rolled the soft dough into a long strip, cutting it into small pieces.

Then she used a rolling pin to roll each piece into a thin wonton skin as delicate as a cicada’s wing.

Qiu Kui watched in amazement, exclaiming in wonder.

Jiang Yanyi picked up a piece of wonton skin and began wrapping the filling, smiling, “If you want to learn, I’ll teach you another day.”

Qiu Kui nodded vigorously, full of anticipation.

Jiang Yanyi was quick at wrapping wontons, usually scooping a full spoon of meat, pinching it with her fingers, and it was done.

The wrapped wontons were plump, almost bursting through the thin skin, looking adorable.

Over the past few days, Jiang Yanyi noticed that people in the military had a large appetite, so fearing that this military strategist wouldn’t be full, she specifically made enough for two.

As the water in the pot began to boil, she dropped the wontons in.

As the old saying goes, “boil the filling with the lid off, boil the skin with the lid on,” Jiang Yanyi waited for the wontons to start floating, covered the pot for a moment, and then told Qiu Kui to quickly turn off the heat.

There was still some broth left from earlier, which she originally intended to save for the generals’ noodles in the morning, but unexpectedly it came in handy now.

She added some seasonings to a bowl, poured in the broth, scooped up the wontons, and sprinkled a pinch of chopped green onions.

Just the aroma made one feel like it would be delicious.

The edge of the bowl was too hot, so Jiang Yanyi used a cloth to cushion it before serving it on a tray and taking it outside.

Seeing that the plate of candied chestnuts hadn’t been touched, she raised her eyebrow slightly.

It seemed this military strategist didn’t like sweets, or perhaps he thought peeling chestnuts was unseemly?

Based on her earlier experience with the candied chestnuts, Jiang Yanyi realized that this military strategist preferred a quiet environment.

Therefore, this time, when she brought the wontons, she focused on her work quietly and said nothing unnecessary.

Feng Shuo looked down at the kitchen maid as she set the bowls and chopsticks.

The night made his eyes appear darker, and the hand in his view was very beautiful, with slender, pale fingers that looked delicate.

As his gaze moved up, he saw her wrist, which was exposed outside her sleeve, white as frost.

It was so thin that he could see the faint blue veins beneath.

“Military strategist, please enjoy the wontons.”

A soft voice, imbued with respect and distance, reached his ears, pulling Feng Shuo back to reality.

He lifted his gaze slightly, his wandering attention landing on her simple yet beautiful face.

His eyes lingered for a few seconds on the scar on her forehead, and his expression deepened.