How could someone be unhappy living in a matriarchal society?

Chapter 64 Making Scented Sachets

Shi An went out of the room and into the backyard, where he fed the rabbit and the donkey.

After feeding them, he returned to his room to continue embroidering.

Soon, the sun reached its zenith, and Shi An looked up at the sky, realizing it was time to make lunch.

He went into the kitchen, tied on an apron, and prepared to start cooking.

First, Shi An took out fresh ingredients: tomatoes, eggs, eggplant, garlic, pork, etc.

Then, skillfully chop the tomatoes into small pieces, crack the eggs into a bowl, add an appropriate amount of salt, and stir well with chopsticks.

Next, he turned on the stove, poured some oil into the pan, and after the oil heated up, poured the egg mixture into the pan.

Stir-fry until golden brown.

Then, Shi An set the scrambled eggs aside, added a little oil to the pan, and sautéed minced garlic until fragrant.

Next, he poured the tomato chunks into the pan, stir-fried them for a few seconds, added appropriate amounts of salt, sugar, and soy sauce for seasoning, then poured the previously scrambled eggs into the pan and stir-fried them together with the tomatoes. A delicious tomato and egg stir-fry was then complete.

Shi An was very satisfied with the dish; it was delicious, visually appealing, and had a wonderful aroma and flavor.

Next, he began preparing the second dish—eggplant with minced meat.

Shi An washed the eggplant, cut it into thin strips, and set it aside. Then, he poured a little oil into a hot pan, added minced garlic and minced meat, and stir-fried until the minced meat changed color.

Next, he poured the shredded eggplant into the pot, stir-fried it quickly, added an appropriate amount of seasonings, and finally added a small amount of water. He then covered the pot and simmered it for a few minutes to allow the eggplant to fully absorb the flavors of the seasonings.

When the lid was lifted, a rich aroma wafted out.

Shi An took a bite and found it delicious. The eggplant was soft and flavorful, and very tasty. So he plated the minced meat and eggplant and placed it on the table.

Looking at the two dishes that had been completed on the table, Shi An thought for a moment, took out the sausage, cut it into small pieces, and then stir-fried it in the pot with the washed and chopped celery.

Once the aroma is released, add an appropriate amount of salt to taste, and a fragrant stir-fried sausage and celery dish is ready.

Then, he ladled out two bowls of the yam and pork rib soup that he had started simmering that morning. The steaming soup emitted an enticing aroma.

And so, a hearty lunch was complete.

Shi An wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned around and went to the study door, gently knocking: "My lady, dinner is ready."

A gentle reply came from inside: "Okay."

Then, Chu Ci put down the book in her hand, got up, took Shi An's hand, and went to the kitchen together.

Nowadays, physical contact between the two has become very natural, and they both thoroughly enjoy this intimacy.

After enjoying a delicious lunch, Chu Ci pulled her husband back to the bedroom for a nap.

The two lay in bed, Chu Ci holding Shi An tightly, feeling the other's body temperature, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Shi An listened quietly to Chu Ci's steady heartbeat, feeling a sense of security fill her heart. Gradually, she became sleepy, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier...

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Ci woke up, stretched, and, after calming herself down, decided to go to Zheng Yi's bookstore.

Firstly, he wanted to collect his share of the silver, and secondly, he needed to buy some Xuan paper and ink.

When she told Shi An about this idea, Shi An said she also wanted to go out for a walk with her.

So, the two tidied up a bit and went out together to the bookstore.

Zheng Yi was sitting behind the counter eating candied hawthorns when she saw Chu Ci and the others, and was pleasantly surprised: "Why did you come today?"

Chu Ci smiled and said, "I'm here to collect my share of the profits."

Zheng Yi took out his abacus and started calculating rapidly: "It's three taels of silver in total. Come here, I'll give it to you."

Chu Ci didn't rush to answer: "Wait a moment, I'll buy some more things."

“Okay, feel free to look around,” Zheng Yi said.

Chu Ci picked out some Xuan paper and ink, and also bought several storybooks for Shi An.

Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow: "What are you going to do with all this Xuan paper?"

“I’ve recently been studying policy essays under Master Li, and I’ve moved to Kongtong Alley.”

Zheng Yi was surprised: "Policy essay? You want to continue taking the imperial examinations?"

Chu Ci shook his head: "It's a military examination."

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Yi asked curiously, "The martial arts examination requires a recommendation, so who recommended you?"

"Lord He Sheng."

Upon hearing the name, Zheng Yi was stunned and exclaimed in surprise, "It's our town mayor!"

Chu Ci nodded.

Zheng Yi put down his abacus and said to her in a slightly teasing tone, "Looks like you're about to rise to great heights!"

Chu Ci smiled slightly, did not respond to his words, but simply picked up the silver on the table and left with Shi An.

Walking down the street, Chu Ci asked Shi An, "Is there anything you want to buy?"

Shi An nodded slightly and said, "The wiring in the house is missing some colors, and I need to add some."

So they went to a shop that sold needles and thread.

Shi An carefully selected threads of various colors, looking at them very intently.

Chu Ci first strolled around the shop but didn't find anything that interested her, so she walked to the shop entrance and waited quietly for Shi An.

Just then, Yanqiu came out with the brothers from the brothel to buy daily necessities.

He looked up and saw Chu Ci standing tall and elegant at the door.

Yanqiu's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on her face. She wanted to go up and make a conversation, but Shi An had just finished paying and came out, and took Chu Ci's hand.

The two walked away chatting and laughing, truly a perfect match.

Yanqiu's face darkened instantly. He cursed inwardly, thinking, "Shi An is really lucky!"

Seeing Yanqiu's resentful expression, the young man standing to the side couldn't help but curl his lip and say, "You shouldn't even dream about a girl like that. People like us are not good enough for her."

Upon hearing this, Yanqiu's face broke into a smile that was more like a grimace, while she gritted her teeth in hatred.

He yanked hard on the handkerchief in his hand, turned around, and strode away.

Hmph! I never expected Shi An to be so lucky; even Zhao Qing couldn't kill him.

How abominable!

Yanqiu walked and cursed, her heart filled with resentment and jealousy.

Why is he always so lucky? He has a loving wife, while I'm just a worthless, unwanted cabbage...

Why!

Yanqiu grew angrier the more she thought about it, so she tore the handkerchief in her hand into pieces and threw it hard on the ground.

"Just you wait, Shi An. I'll drag you down with me sooner or later! I'll make you taste the bitterness of pain!"

Chu Ci continued shopping with Shi An, but when she stopped in front of the spice shop, she was taken aback.

From the day she met Shi An, Shi An had never applied perfume.

I never expected him to come here today.

"Young master, are you here to look at spices?" the shop assistant greeted him warmly.

Shi An nodded shyly, "I'd like to buy some herbal scents, floral scents, and fruit and wood scents are also fine."