Feng Shuo glanced at her with amusement and said, “You’re not worried about me taking advantage of you after drinking, but instead you’re concerned about going back?”

His delicate eyebrows and eyes seemed as though they had been painted on with ink, and his typically cold gaze now held a trace of laughter.

Because he had just been drinking, his beautifully shaped lips shimmered with moisture.

Behind him, the winter plum blossoms bloomed vibrantly.

Jiang Yanyi responded, “If you’re truly drunk, I wouldn’t be in any danger.”

Only the timid are emboldened by alcohol; if someone is truly drunk, they can’t act rashly anyway.

This time, it was Feng Shuo’s turn to be momentarily stunned. “You’re a young lady, who taught you to say things like that?”

Jiang Yanyi, her expression unchanged, replied, “I read it in a book.”

Feng Shuo couldn’t help but reflect.

Had the travelogues he’d given her really contained such things?

Jiang Yanyi smiled faintly, then poured herself a cup of fruit wine from the earthenware bowl the old man had brought.

The fruit wine was sweet with a hint of tartness, not very strong, probably similar to rice wine.

As she drank, a refreshing coolness spread from her mouth all the way to her stomach, leaving her unexpectedly comfortable.

She couldn’t quite figure out what kind of fruit had been used, but the taste was delightfully refreshing, quite a pleasant surprise.

“What kind of fruit is this wine made from? It’s delicious,” Jiang Yanyi praised.

Feng Shuo casually took the bowl she had been drinking from, raised it to his lips, and tasted it.

After frowning in thought for a moment, he said, “I can’t tell.”

He had only recently regained his sense of taste.

Though he’d drunk a lot in the past, he still couldn’t quite discern the flavors.

Jiang Yanyi noticed him using the bowl she had just drunk from and thought to say something but swallowed her words.

They had already shared a kiss, so making a fuss over this now would seem a bit too fussy, wouldn’t it?

She changed the subject. “Do you come here often?”

Feng Shuo looked out at the plum grove outside the window and said, “Not often. It’s only worth visiting when it snows.”

As they spoke, the old man had already brought out a brazier to warm them up.

Jiang Yanyi took the opportunity to ask, “Sir, what kind of fruit is this wine made from?”

The old man chuckled and replied, “It’s made from wild pears from the mountain. Tastes pretty good, doesn’t it?”

Though the old man was aged, his eyes were clear and sharp, without a hint of dullness.

Jiang Yanyi felt as if the old man could see right through her, as though he understood her completely.

A simple old man running a rustic wine shop in the mountains had such perceptive eyes?

She nodded. “It’s very good. If you have more of this wine, I’d like to buy some to take home.”

The old man laughed heartily but glanced at Feng Shuo. “It’s rare for you to bring someone to support an old fool’s business.”

Feng Shuo said to Jiang Yanyi, “This old man is very messy. If you’re thinking of buying some wine to sell in the shop, you shouldn’t buy his.”

The old man immediately put on an angry face. “Get out of here, you ungrateful brat! Trying to ruin this old man’s business?”

He turned to Jiang Yanyi with a kindly expression. “Such a fine young lady, with a good temper, too. How did you end up with this rascal?”

Feng Shuo set down the bowl. “If you keep talking nonsense, you can forget about getting paid for today’s wine.”

The old man finally relented and said to Jiang Yanyi, “There’s plenty of good wine in the cellar. Whatever you want, I’ve got it.”

Jiang Yanyi said to him, “I’ll take ten jars each of the fruit wine and the plum wine.”

The old man was so delighted that the wrinkles on his face seemed to stretch out. “That’s quite the order. Sit tight, young lady. I’ll get you something to eat while you’re here.”

After the old man had gone inside, Jiang Yanyi asked Feng Shuo, “Are you familiar with him?”

Feng Shuo, sipping his wine, seemed to drift into a distant memory. “An old acquaintance.”

Jiang Yanyi thought to herself, no wonder—this old man’s demeanor was not that of an ordinary person.

With the cold weather, Jiang Yanyi couldn’t bear the thought of leaving an elderly man to work alone in the kitchen, so she went to help.

The old man was humming a tune as he worked on a slab of cured meat.

When he saw Jiang Yanyi enter, he glanced at her and continued his work. “Young lady, you should sit by the fire outside.”

Jiang Yanyi said, “I know a bit about cooking. It’s cold outside; let me help.”

The old man saw her neat, clean clothes and her soft, pale hands—clearly a young lady of high status—and thought she was simply being kind.

He smiled and said, “Don’t dirty those fine clothes of yours.”

Jiang Yanyi insisted, “I won’t.”

She took over the half-prepared cured meat from the elderly man.

Once sliced, the lean meat appeared a reddish-brown color, while the fat had an amber-like yellow hue.

She praised him, “You’ve smoked this cured meat really well.”

The old man noticed how deftly Jiang Yanyi handled the knife, cutting the meat with precision, and realized she wasn’t just a novice.

From the meat’s color alone, he could tell she knew her way around cooking.

He opened up, “This cured meat was smoked with wild pear wood turned into fruitwood charcoal. It took a lot of effort.”

Jiang Yanyi sliced the clean cured meat into large chunks and put them in the pot to boil.

She then began peeling some bamboo shoots. “Today, I’ve seen so many good things at your place. These winter bamboo shoots are rare to find in the market.”

The old man stroked his salt-and-pepper beard with pride. “You’ve got a good eye, young girl. These mountain delicacies can’t even be bought with silver in the city, but they’re everyday fare for me.”

Perhaps because they were getting along, the old man went outside for a while and returned with a small basket in hand. “Here are some bamboo fungi. It’s cold, so I’ll kill a chicken and make soup for you all.”

Jiang Yanyi took one look and exclaimed, “Are these Zhijin bamboo fungi?”

Known as “bamboo ginseng,” bamboo fungi are considered one of the “eight mountain treasures,” showing their rarity.

In the future, Zhijin bamboo fungi would be called the “queen of mushrooms,” far more precious than ordinary bamboo fungi.

Seeing that Jiang Yanyi could name the fungi, the old man’s smile grew more satisfied. “You’re quite knowledgeable, young lady.”

In the old man’s yard, he raised about a dozen chickens, but during the winter, they weren’t laying many eggs.

When it came to catching a chicken in the snow, it caused a commotion.

The old man, with his limited mobility, left the task of catching, slaughtering, and plucking the chicken to Feng Shuo, though it wasn’t much trouble for him.

These premium bamboo fungi couldn’t be wasted.

Jiang Yanyi decided to make “Bamboo Fungi with Phoenix.”

This dish was a famous national banquet dish in her previous world, praised even by visiting foreign presidents.

Jiang Yanyi took the chicken breast that Feng Shuo had prepared, setting it aside for later use.

She cut the rest of the chicken into small pieces to stew in a broth.

In “Bamboo Fungi with Phoenix,” the “phoenix” refers to the chicken meat.

Jiang Yanyi finely minced the chicken breast with the back of a knife, adding two egg whites, a little water, and a pinch of salt, mixing it thoroughly and steaming it gently.

The key to this dish was achieving a soft texture.

The best “phoenix” would be even more delicate than tofu, melting in the mouth but retaining the rich flavor of chicken.

The old man’s kitchen was small, and too many people made it cramped.

Seeing that Jiang Yanyi seemed quite skilled in the culinary arts, the old man told her where the seasonings were before heading outside to drink with Feng Shuo by the fire.

With the chicken broth still simmering, Jiang Yanyi decided to stir-fry the cured meat with the bamboo shoots first.

Winter bamboo shoots were fresh and tender, while the cured meat had a rich, savory taste with firm texture.

The combination of the two created an irresistible flavor.

When the cured meat was boiled to perfection, a light poke with chopsticks could pierce its skin.

Jiang Yanyi took it out, let it cool, and sliced it thinly.

She then blanched the bamboo shoots to remove any bitterness.

Once the wok was dry, she heated some sesame oil until it was 70% hot, then tossed in the cured meat and bamboo shoots, stir-frying them together.

The fat from the cured meat blended with the sesame oil, making the stir-fried bamboo shoots even more fragrant.

Since the cured meat was already salty, Jiang Yanyi added just a pinch of salt, along with fermented black beans, cooking wine, and chopped garlic shoots.

Finally, she ladled in some of the fresh chicken broth.

The aroma quickly filled the entire hut.

Outside, the old man sniffed the air and stretched his neck toward the kitchen, calling out, “What’s the young girl cooking in there? It smells divine!”

Jiang Yanyi’s voice came from the kitchen, “Stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat. Dinner’s almost ready!”

The old man turned to Feng Shuo and said, “You’re quite lucky, kid!”

Feng Shuo placed a piece on the chessboard, a faint smile on his lips as he remarked, “You’ve lost.”

The old man leaned forward to inspect the board, realizing he was indeed out of moves.

He waved his hand dismissively, “No more, no more. Back in the day, I could still beat you a few times, but now I’m always losing. It’s no fun!”

Feng Shuo replied, “Learning is like rowing against the current; you either progress or fall behind.”

The old man sipped his wine, gazing at the plum trees in front of the house. “When you’re old, you don’t feel like pushing yourself anymore.”

Feng Shuo’s gaze followed his to the plum trees. “Back then, when the Mu family was wiped out, you were still willing to risk your life to remonstrate on the Golden Throne. Now, with the world divided by rival powers, why don’t you want to come out of seclusion?”

A trace of melancholy crossed the old man’s eyes. “A scholar dies for his cause, a warrior dies in battle. Chen Zhongbo died on the Golden Throne five years ago. What’s left of me now is just an old man selling wine.”

Feng Shuo asked him, “What about Chi Qing? Don’t you care about him anymore?”

The old man chuckled, “I’ve taught him everything I could. How far he goes and where he ends up will depend on his own fate. But if things ever come to a matter of life and death, I hope you can spare him.”

Feng Shuo responded, “Of course.”

The old man continued, “You’ve protected those brothers for so many years; I owe you one. If you ever find a worthy pupil, send them my way. I may not be able to train another Mu Xuanqing, but I won’t turn them into a good-for-nothing either.”

Feng Shuo didn’t bother with the wine cups anymore.

He grabbed the wine jug, took a swig, and looked out the window, wiping the wine from his lips. “We’ll see.”

“Dinner’s ready!”