Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 195: Finally Back to a Warm Bed

"Alright, so how many mushrooms do you have?" Su Yijia was afraid the woman might take them home to eat, so she decided to buy them herself. Since the woman had no ill intentions, and the basket of mushrooms didn’t seem like a large quantity.

"I have two pounds," the woman happily replied.

"Then I’ll give you fourteen eggs in exchange," Su Yijia spread a handkerchief in her bamboo basket, poured the mushrooms inside, and signaled Gao Huabin, who was standing at the courtyard gate, watching the commotion, to bring over fourteen eggs.

Once the woman confirmed the egg count, she looked at Su Yijia and earnestly advised, "Let me tell you a method. When you stir-fry them later, use less oil, cook them longer, don’t cover the pan. This way, they will definitely be fully cooked."

The forced smile on Su Yijia’s face almost froze, but she could only respond with a nervous laugh as she saw the woman off. When she returned to the courtyard, Gao Huabin was curious and asked, "Sister-in-law, can these mushrooms really be eaten?"

"The ones I just bought can’t be eaten; they’ll cause hallucinations," Su Yijia shook her head.

"What do you mean by hallucinations?" Gao Huabin looked even more puzzled.

"It means you’ll see strange things in front of you, like visual distortions," Su Yijia explained. Although these mushrooms were toxic, the effects weren’t too severe. She was just unsure if the local hospital could treat them effectively.

Gao Huabin thought for a moment, still somewhat puzzled. "Sister-in-law, how do you know all this so well? Have you eaten them before?"

He had never seen mushrooms being sold in Hu City, so he wondered if she had bought them on the black market.

"My master told me," Su Yijia had prepared her explanation in advance.

Gao Huabin thought it over and found it plausible.

The sister-in-law’s master must have spent a considerable amount of time in Yun Province, using poisonous insects in medicine. Otherwise, how else could she understand these things so thoroughly? Su Yijia washed her hands first and then went to the stove to check what was cooking. Both dishes were almost done, so she covered one and soaked the bolete mushrooms in warm water in a bowl.

She took a piece of pork belly, separating the fat from the lean meat, and chopped them into minced meat. Combining mostly fatty with a bit of lean meat for one, and more lean meat with less fat for the other, she rinsed the bolete mushrooms in warm water again.

Then, she laid the bowl with more lean meat at the bottom, making a hollow space in the center. Trimming off the ends of the bolete mushrooms, she dried them and stuffed them with the meat patty, layering the mushrooms like flower petals on top of it.

She poured the freshly cooked pork rib soup into the adjacent pot and continued to simmer it with the congee. Using another emptied pot, she added water, placed chopsticks as a base, and steamed the meat patty on top for twenty minutes, causing a delightful aroma to waft throughout the courtyard.

Even the staff from the guesthouse gathered around, eagerly eyeing the stove from which the aroma wafted.

"Comrade, what delicious dish are you making? It smells incredibly good!" one of the staff couldn’t resist asking, his mouth watering.

"I’m making steamed meat patty with bolete mushrooms and eggs," Su Yijia casually answered. She was preparing the meal directly in the courtyard, without any secrecy.

She then cracked five eggs, poured water into a bowl, and, watching the time, promptly removed the soup bowl wrapped in cloth from the pot after seven minutes had passed.

The already dominant aroma, now mingled with the deliciousness of eggs, not only enticed the people at the guesthouse but also drew the attention of passersby on the street. Curious heads peeked into the courtyard, eager to catch a glimpse of what was being cooked.

Su Yijia prepared two bowls of steamed eggs, adding a few spoonful’s broth from the meat patty. She then mashed it all together before feeding a small amount to Qin Kaize.

The essence of the broth, fully extracted from the bolete mushrooms, made the dish appetizing and nutritious, even if one hadn’t actually eaten the mushrooms themselves.

"My master once said that not eating mushrooms in Yun Province during the summer is akin to coming here in vain. So this time, we’ll definitely indulge. When we can’t have it after leaving, we’ll miss this taste terribly," Su Yijia expressed her disappointment, foreseeing the uncertainty of having such delicious mushrooms again upon their return.

"After we leave, I’ll contact our teammates here to help us preserve and send them after drying," Qin Kaize consoled her, noticing her dejected expression at the mere thought of not having these mushrooms.

However, the mushrooms Su Yijia prepared were undeniably much better than the meals they had had on their previous visits. They were not only delicious and aromatic, but even the meat patty was steamed to a crystalline and vibrant hue, enticing enough to eat with a hearty appetite.

Su Yijia also prepared a dish of fired bolete mushrooms and meat, exuding an even more exceptional aroma. If it weren’t for the six men among their group, the guesthouse staff would have eagerly asked if they could buy a portion of the dishes.

Finally, in the evening, Su Yijia was able to lie down with Qin Kaize. She happily rolled around on him.

"On our way here, were you scared?" Qin Kaize asked, showing some concern after she settled down.

"It’s not that I was scared. With so many people protecting me, why should I be afraid? Besides, I can defend myself. Remember those people on the train who bothered me? They didn’t have a pleasant ending, did they?" Su Yijia propped her chin on her hand, her gleaming eyes filled with a playful smile as she looked at him.

"Indeed, those people haven’t accomplished anything they intended. I can’t believe that the so-called professionals were defeated by my unprofessional little wife," Qin Kaize’s mood was extremely complex. He couldn’t decide whether those people were too incompetent or if his wife was just incredibly lucky.

"Anyway, we still need to be careful. This time, Uncle Xia has called in trustworthy people, and I’ve also arranged for some of the most trustworthy individuals from my former unit to help. They will come here to protect you secretly, so don’t worry," Qin Kaize reassured gently. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Uncle Xia, but this time the people he brought were not only trustworthy but had also shared life and death moments with him. They had saved each other’s lives multiple times. It was these kinds of ties that made them safeguard Yijia, giving him a bit of peace of mind.

"Okay," Su Yijia smiled sweetly and hooked her arms around Qin Kaize’s neck. "How can you be so good?"

Being a husband, was that considered good enough?

Qin Kaize blinked with a hint of sorrow in his eyes, looking at the young girl in his arms. Growing up in such a family, where care was lacking, made her easily content with little.

"I’ll continue to treat you better in the future," Qin Kaize’s gentle eyes gradually turned profound, as if they held the shattered moon and stars. Su Yijia was nearly drowning in these tender affections.

A faint blush spread across her fair face. Afraid that Qin Kaize might notice, she quickly buried her face into his neck.

Well, she admitted defeat. It turned out that there was difference between people who never had a relationship before. She had always thought she possessed great skills of flirting, only that she was a girl, but now she understood that she was nothing but a naïve little girl.