The prepared herbs were put into sacks and placed in high places to avoid moisture. Gu Fengyan rarely got up early the next day. He left the bedroom rubbing his hazy eyes when the sun reached the top of the mountain.

"Why are you up? It's still early. Why don't you sleep a little longer?" Father Huo was sitting on the edge of the yard, weaving a basket with green bamboo strips.

There are already several piles of bamboo strips on the ground. The strips are crisscrossed, tight and beautiful, and can be used to store food.

"I can't sleep," Gu Fengyan smiled and leaned over to watch Father Huo's deft hands flying, "Father can also do this, his hands are really deft."

Father Huo picked up a bamboo strip and added it in. "I thought you could use it when you collect mountain products, so I just made a few. People get old and can't sit still... There's rice left in the pot for you. We've all eaten. Wash your face and go eat."

Gu Fengyan agreed, but when he didn't see Huo Duan, he asked again, "Brother Duan went to the fields?"

"There are still a few plots of land that haven't been weeded yet. Your brother Dashan happens to be free today, so ask him to help weed... It's still early for lunch, so I'll send some of the steamed cakes I bought to them at noon so they can fill their stomachs first." said Father Huo.

Gu Fengyan thought about it and decided that he had nothing to do today, so he said, "Father, give me this job. I happened to pick some mint leaves yesterday, so I made some tea for them. It can help relieve some of the heat on such a hot day."

Seeing that he loved Huo Duan, Huo's father was naturally happier than anything else. "Well, Brother Yan is really thoughtful. Remember to wear a straw hat to avoid getting a heat stroke."

Gu Fengyan agreed. The corn porridge in the pot was served in a ceramic bowl, with a plate of cold-mixed Chinese toon sprouts next to it. He ate quickly, washed the bowl, and put it on the chopping board.

The weather was so nice that Gu Fengyan planned to take out all the bedding to dry in the sun. Father Huo helped him set up a bamboo pole between the peach and jujube trees in the yard and hung the bedding on it to dry in the sun.

When cleaning the bedroom, Gu Fengyan saw Huo Duan and his dirty clothes again, so he put them in the wooden basin and washed them with water, using a soap ball made from a mixture of wood ash and soapberries.

However, Gu Fengyan had always been a lazy person who had everything handed to him. He didn't know how to wash clothes at all. He rubbed and rubbed until the clothes became a ball. Father Huo looked at him for a few seconds and realized that he didn't know how to wash clothes. He smiled and said,

"It's getting late. Brother Yan, go and give some cakes to Erdan and the others. I'll wash the clothes."

Gu Fengyan was a little embarrassed, "Father, I'll finish washing soon, and I'll go after I'm done."

He was really embarrassed to let an old man like Huo Adie wash their clothes, so he quickly rubbed the clothes and hung them up. Huo Adie did not stop him, and planned to secretly return to work after Gu Fengyan left.

…

Mint can dispel wind and heat, and clear the head, so it is the most suitable to be used to soak in water in summer. Gu Fengyan picked only the tender tips of the mint he had picked yesterday, washed them, put them in a water bottle made of bamboo, and poured a pot of boiling water into it.

The steamed buns were cold and not soft enough to eat. While waiting for the boiled water to cool down, Gu Fengyan picked out some Chinese toon sprouts, chopped them into small pieces, marinated them with oil and salt, cut the buns in half and stuffed them with the sprouts... It tasted better than eating plain steamed buns.

After putting all the things into the wicker basket, when the sun was at its hottest, Gu Fengyan thought about it and decided to put on the straw hat woven from wheat straw.

"Dad, I'm going." He said to Father Huo, then carried the basket and went out.

Huo's father was annoyed by the sun, so he moved all the bamboo strips under the eaves and reminded him, "They are probably in the ditch. Be careful on the way and come back when you get them."

"Oh." Gu Fengyan agreed and closed the gate again.

The sun burned hotly on Gu Fengyan's skin, leaving red marks all over his body.

This kind of weather is suitable for eating something cold, such as watermelon. Just now, when I was using wheat straw to boil water, I saw an open space behind the house with fertile soil.

Gu Fengyan planned to clean up the land after lunch, and then go to the county to buy some vegetable and melon seeds to plant, so that he would have fresh vegetables to eat in a few months.

While daydreaming, he arrived at the edge of the ditch and saw from a distance Huo Duan with a bitter face following Ye Shan, weeding here and there.

The fields were dotted with green. The wheat had sprouted and the weeds had also grown. The weeds were very strong and had to be weeded out in the sun. They would not revive until they were wilted.

"Brother Dashan, Brother Duan, I brought steamed buns and water. Come and take a rest under the tree." Gu Fengyan walked towards the big willow tree by the river and waved at the two of them.

Huo Duan called Ye Shan, dropped his hoe and walked over, "It's so sunny, what are you doing here?"

"I'm wearing a hat." Gu Fengyan smiled and pointed at the straw hat on his head. He took out the bamboo bottle from the rattan basket and gave it to Ye Shan first, "Brother Dashan, drink some water."

Gu Fengyan always knows how to read people's faces. He could tell from the very beginning that Ye Shan didn't like him very much.

Ye Shan is a strong man with a righteous look on his face. He has always been indifferent to Gu Fengyan, the devilish brother, and has never been very happy with him. But today, since his silly brother is here, he doesn't want to offend Gu Fengyan. He took the bottle of water handed to him and hummed coldly.

He opened it and took a few sips, tasting it for a long time. "What is this? It tastes cool and quite delicious."

"Yesterday I went up the mountain and saw some mint leaves so I picked some. Today I'm going to use them to soak in water to cool down..." Gu Fengyan said with a smile, and handed Ye Shan the Chinese toon sandwich he made. "Brother Dashan, here are some steamed buns. Have some. If you're not enough, there are more in the basket."

"Well, I'll do it myself. You give it to Erdan." Ye Shan washed his hands in the river before taking it and taking a bite.

The steamed buns with vegetables tasted great too. Although they were cold, they tasted much better than the ones his wife had brought him when he went up the hill before.

Ye Shan didn't expect that Gu Fengyan, who looked delicate, would be able to deal with these foods. Then he saw his silly brother's eyes glued to him all the time. Gu Fengyan also diligently handed Huo Duan water to wipe his sweat, looking like a loving young couple.

In his heart, he also accepted Gu Fengyan as his sister-in-law.

"The sun is so strong, just let Erdan do these things from now on. We are men, so a little hardship is nothing. Don't let yourself get burned." Ye Shan finally smiled at Gu Fengyan.

Gu Fengyan was flattered and agreed immediately. Seeing the two of them being so affectionate, Ye Shan took the cake and water and sat on the ground, "Erdan, take your time eating. I'll sit over there for a while."

"Hey, brother, call me when you're hoeing the fields." Huo Duan said.

After Ye Shan left, Gu Fengyan dared to talk to Huo Duan, "I didn't realize that Mr. Huo is also a good hoe."

Huo Duan took a sip of water and said, "You're being forced to do something. You have to pretend to be able to do it even if you don't know how to do it... This mint tea tastes pretty good. Do you want some?"

Gu Fengyan was actually a little thirsty, so he took it and took a sip. It was refreshing and cool, with a mint toothpaste flavor.

"It's pretty good." He took off his straw hat and fanned himself with air. His snow-white cheeks and neck were sunburned red as if they were dripping with blood.

"Don't take off your hat," Huo Duan put it on him, feeling somewhat distressed. "Your face is sunburned. Go back now. I'll bring the basket back this afternoon."

It was indeed getting late. Gu Fengyan thought about going back to take care of the house, so he pulled Huo Duan's sleeve and said with a smile, "Mr. Huo, you have worked hard. Come back early for dinner."

He said something to Ye Shan again before leaving.

The bamboo shoots that were picked yesterday were still piled in the kitchen. Gu Fengyan returned to the yard and washed his face with water before he began to pick up the bamboo shoots. He picked out about 20 kilograms of good ones to sell, and dried the rest for storage. They were great for hot pot or stir-fry in winter. The rest was used to make a dish of braised bamboo shoots this afternoon.

The bamboo shoots were very thick, and Gu Fengyan was not very skilled at cutting them. His knife was shaking all the time, and even Huo's father was afraid, so he could only pull a small stool to help.

"Be careful." Father Huo used the tip of the knife to cut along the tip of the bamboo shoot, removed the shell, and repeated the steps. In a few strokes, he peeled a bamboo shoot.

Gu Fengyan responded and tried to do it, and gradually he learned it.

The peeled bamboo shoots cannot be put directly into the pot, they must be blanched first to remove the bitterness. Huo's father lit a fire, and Gu Fengyan boiled a large pot of water. He cut the bamboo shoots in half and poured them into the boiling water. After boiling for a while, he took them all out and put them into a wooden basin filled with cold water.

The sun had begun to set, and Gu Fengyan was preparing lunch. In addition to braised spring bamboo shoots, he also planned to make scrambled eggs with toon sprouts and a dish of cold-mixed grass heads.

The Chinese toon sprouts and grass heads were blanched, and the spring bamboo shoots only needed to be picked up from the wooden basin and cut into sections. Today, Ye Shan was here, so we didn't eat wheat porridge, but steamed rice instead. Father Huo washed the rice, and Gu Fengyan cooked the vegetables. In less than half an hour, the meal was ready.

The meal was warming on the stove. The sun was setting outside. Gu Fengyan went out to put the bedding into the bedroom. Huo Duan and Ye Shan happened to come back.

"You're back just in time, and the meal is ready. You can eat after washing your hands." Gu Fengyan took the basket from Huo Duan.

Father Huo brought two benches and asked the two of them to sit down and rest.

Huo Duan washed his hands and face, and helped Gu Fengyan to take the quilts into the house. Seeing his changed clothes hanging on the bamboo pole, he felt a little embarrassed, "Mr. Gu, you help me wash my clothes? This is so embarrassing. I'll do it myself from now on."

"I am your nominal husband. If people know that I don't wash your clothes, they will poke me in the back..." Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan spread the quilt together, saying, "I don't wash your clothes for nothing. I just found a vacant space behind the house when I was getting firewood. I'll trouble Mr. Huo to clean it up for me later."

Huo Duan nodded, "It's not a big deal, but what do you want to do?"

"I'll go to the county some other day to buy some vegetable and fruit seedlings and plant them back so they'll be easier to eat." Gu Fengyan smiled and realized that he was very good at managing the household. "I'll have to stay after Mr. Huo goes back. I have to make some plans."

Huo Duan nodded blankly. He hadn't thought about returning to the modern era for a long time. Life seemed to have suddenly become more comfortable. If Gu Fengyan hadn't mentioned it, he would have forgotten about it.

"I'll clean up after dinner," he said.

It became cooler after the sun went down, so Father Huo opened the gate to the courtyard to let the wind in, and placed the meal on the stone table under the peach tree.

A dish of braised spring bamboo shoots, a dish of scrambled eggs with toon sprouts, a dish of cold-mixed grass heads, four bowls of white rice, and four bamboo cups filled with mint tea.

"Dashan, try it quickly. This meal is made by Yan'er. If it's not enough, there's more in the pot. Ask Erdan to serve it to you." Father Huo always wanted to praise his daughter-in-law, either openly or secretly.

The table was filled with dishes that Ye Shan had never seen or eaten before. The aroma went straight into his nose, "Hey, uncle, you guys eat too."

Ye Shan took a bite of the spring bamboo shoots. It was fresh, tender and smooth, a taste he had never tasted before. In the past, he only thought that Gu Fengyan was a spoiled and two-faced witch, but he didn't expect that he could cook. He couldn't help but change his impression of him a little.

Of course Gu Fengyan didn't know this. He was busy pouring mint tea for Huo Duan. While Huo's father was talking to Ye Shan, he whispered in Huo Duan's ear to try the dish he cooked.

Father Huo and Ye Shan just smiled without saying a word, and focused on eating... It's natural that people are happy to see that the couple have a good relationship.