In case there were still spies hiding in Wulan Province, the three of them ‒ Yu Xiang and her maidservants ‒ remained in the group of monks dressed as lay disciples.
The first thing Ku Hui did when he arrived at the military camp was to treat the wounded. In order to reduce the pain caused by the chafing of the cloth, most of the injured had already removed their combat robes and bared their chests. There were some who were not even wearing trousers because their legs were wounded.
Therefore, as soon as Yu Xiang offered to attend to the wounded, Yu Pin Yan shot her a fierce glare. She had no choice but to go back to her room with Tao Hong and Liu Lu to rest.
Although Yu Pin Yan had special privileges as a commander, the courtyard he lived in was small. There were five rooms and two additional rooms full of sundries. A soldier was there to do all the washing and cooking. It did not even contain any woman, living a life of hardship and self-discipline.
Yu Xiang took a turn and took a turn around the courtyard and found no traces of a woman. She felt satisfied and said gruffly to the young soldier, “Go back. I’ll take care of this place.”
Because the Commander had ordered him to comply with everything this person commanded, the young soldier didn’t ask further and went out obediently. Yu Xiang immediately changed her voice to a clear one, “Quickly start a fire. I will cook for my elder brother, so that when he comes back, he can have a hot meal.”
Tao Hong squatted in front of the stove and started the fire, while Liu Lu rummaged through the vegetable basket and asked worriedly, “Young Miss, you’ve never cooked before. Can you do it? You must be careful not to burn the kitchen down.”
“I will only know once I give it a try.” Yu Xiang picked up the kitchen knife and vigorously gestured back and forth at the pork on the chopping board. After a lot of hustle and bustle, the pork was undercooked, the vegetables were burnt, the eggs were smashed on the floor and the rice was mushy ‒ she didn’t burn down the kitchen, but all the ingredients were ruined.
The corners of Tao Hong’s and Liu Lu’s mouths twitched as they witnessed this scene. In this life, the phrase ‘a good wife and loving mother’ will never be associated with Young Miss.
“Forget it, Young Miss. You can cook the pancakes. This is the easiest. Look, I will first mix the dough, ferment it, and then spread it out into cakes. All you have to do is rub the lard paste on the inside of the pan. Then, put the pancakes in and press it against the wall of the pan. Turn it over from time to time and when both sides of the pancakes turn golden brown, you can fish them out. Simple, right?” Liu Lu explained as she poured the flour into the basin and mixed it with water to make a floury mixture.
“Simple. Simple. I can with one look. Step aside, let me do it.” Yu Xiang pushed Liu Lu out of the way with her buttocks. Then, stuck her hand into the dough mixture and stirred it around, twisting a dough ball and pinching it into the shape of a little pig.
Tao Hong and Liu Lu felt that it looked fun, so they each made a few. However in the end they all flattened them and pressed it onto the hot pan.
The three of them, masters and servants, worked together and finally produced a pot of golden brown pancakes, which smelled quite fragrant after garnishing with spring onions. Just as the pancakes were placed on the table, Yu Pin Yan returned with his body smelling of blood.
Yu Xiang did not feel the least comfortable, leapt up to cling onto his neck and gave a dazzling smile, “Elder Brother, I have cooked pancakes for you with my own hands. Come and try them!” She even emphasised the word ‘hand-made’.
The hostility that lingered in his heart instantly dissipated. Yu Pin Yan laughed softly. He held her buttocks with both hands and carried her to the kang. The kang table was already completely covered with a pot of pancakes, a plate of cucumber sticks, a plate of shredded onion and ginger, and a plate of sauce.
Yu Xiang got out of her elder brother’s arms and took some cucumber sticks, shredded spring onion and ginger and sauce, wrapped them in the pancake, and held them out to his mouth, “Taste it and see if it’s good.”
The little girl made them herself. Even if they were covered in arsenic, Yu Pin Yan would swallow stoically. Not mentioning the burnt pancake, even the sweet cucumber, spicy onion, ginger julienne, the thick and creamy sauce, were surprisingly and unexpectedly delicious. He fed the rest of the pancake to his younger sister’s mouth and genuinely praised it, “It’s delicious. The handiwork is very good.”
Yu Xiang smiled so brilliantly that her eyes turned crescent. She took a big bite and chewed slowly, asking, “Don’t you feel that I’m extremely virtuous? Don’t you think you are lucky to marry me?”
“Yes, very virtuous. To be able to marry you is the greatest luck in my life.” Yu Pin Yan laughed heartily and moved over to kiss his younger sister’s oily little mouth and licked the sauce off her lips.
Yu Xiang put down the pancake and earnestly requested, “Elder Brother, I want a kiss flavoured with scallion pancake. Can you give it to me now?”
Yu Pin Yan laughed even louder. In the end, he pried open his younger sister’s bright red lips and sucked them deeply. After moving away from them, he said in a hoarse voice, “Little demon, how can you be so adorable? How Elder Brother wishes he could eat you up.”
“Then, you can eat (me).” Yu Xiang’s eyes flickered as she stood up and brought the kang table to the desk not far away.
“What do you mean?” Yu Pin Yan’s smile disappeared and his voice became raspy.
Yu Xiang did not reply. Instead, she looked towards Tao Hong and Liu Lu who were standing in the doorway. Liu Lu winced and hurriedly covered the door of the room pulling Tao Hong far away.
  ——————————
Yu Pin Yan was not afraid of fighting on the battlefield or secretly schemed against, but he was afraid if something happened to him, he would not be able to return and leave Xiang’er alone in the world. Who would take care of her in the future? Who would dote on her? Who would hold her in his arms
 Scenes like those were something he dared not even think about.
The question of whether he wanted Xiang’er or not had also troubled him deeply. But now the blazing, soft, unrepentant body he held in his arms had dissipated all his fears and concerns. Since Xiang’er dared to entrust her life at this time, why should he be afraid to receive it?
Never before had the two embraced so intimately like this.
At the peak of their passion, Yu Xiang bit down hard on Yu Pin Yan’s shoulder. Her expression was as wild as a wolf cub, “Don’t you ever get rid of me in this life, or I’ll bite you to death.”
Knowing that he shouldn’t laugh at this time, Yu Pin Yan still laughed softly. His voice was very raspy, “Good Xiang’er. If I could get rid of you, I wouldn’t be here today. Don’t worry. I’ll carry you for the rest of my life.”
“Good. That’s right.” Yu Xang patted his sweat-soaked cheek, then was quickly swept into the turbulent whirlpool.