The Lucky Heiress

“Mhm.” Wei Jinyi responded.

“Are these medicinal herbs a gift from my second brother?” Wei Ruo asked. “Mhm, I ran into them on the way and picked them casually.” Wei Jinyi replied. Wei Ruo laughed out loud. This lie from her second brother was too clumsy. Firstly, the rarity of these medicinal herbs was precisely because they were hard to find, not something found everywhere. She could believe him if he said he chanced upon one plant, but it was too unbelievable for him to pick a whole box casually.

Furthermore, her second brother was not a doctor. If he didn’t intend to pick these herbs, he wouldn’t even recognize them and would disregard them as common weeds.

Seeing Wei Ruo laughing, Wei Jinyi knew his lie was exposed, and a hint of red crept up his face.

“Thank you, second brother. I really love your gift!” Wei Ruo joyfully said. This gift was not only precious in and of itself but more importantly, it represented her second brother’s heartfelt intentions.

To find these medicinal herbs, one must have prior knowledge about them spend time looking for them, and even risk danger picking them. All of these required a lot of effort. This intention was more valuable than anything else. “I’m glad you like it.” Wei Jinyi replied.

Wei Ruo looked around. It was getting late and it wouldn’t be proper for them to linger outside.

So Wei Ruo moved closer to Wei Jinyi: “Second brother, come to my courtyard tonight. Let’s have a late-night snack together!”

“The main door between the men’s and women’s courtyards is closed after nightfall.” Wei Jinyi replied.

“Second brother, stop teasing me. I know you’ve climbed over the wall before.” Wei Ruo laughed.

She almost believed him, looking all decent and proper.

He was usually a stickler for propriety, but there were quite a number of times when he was not.

“Mhm.” Wei Jinyi responded, a confirmation of his past wall-climbing exploits as well as acceptance of Wei Ruo’s invitation.

“Well, that’s settled. Wait for my signal in the courtyard.” Wei Ruo said, her smile naughty.

“Mhm.” Wei Jinyi agreed.

After returning to Tingsong Garden, Wei Ruo and Xiumei brought a pile of ingredients. Most of the ingredients were from the main kitchen, procured by Xiumei. Given Wei Ruo’s current status in the Wei Family, the kitchen staff wouldn’t dare give Xiumei a hard time.

A small part of the ingredients were taken out of Wei Ruo’s storage.

She kept a large quantity of grain like rice and wheat in her storage, and also kept some fresh meat and vegetables.

The storage space and her farmland area in her storage increased as her storage level increased.

Wei Ruo’s storage level had now reached Level 5, and her storage slots also reached Level 5, enough for her to store the grains she produced in her storage. So, she hoarded quite a lot of other fruits, vegetables, and meats in the remaining space.

The mam advantage of storing things in the storage was that they wouldn’t spoil, and would remain in the state they were in when stored.

For Wei Ruo, food was her sense of security. Seeing the full stock of food in the storage, Wei Ruo felt inexplicably at ease.

After Wei Ruo and Xiumei prepared the ingredients, they lit a charcoal fire in the courtyard. There was still plenty of silver charcoal left from last winter, which came in handy now.

Then they placed the prepared ingredients on the rack over the charcoal fire for grilling.

While Xiumei was grilling, Wei Ruo climbed a ladder leaning against the wall. She held a thin bamboo pole with a red ribbon tied at its end, reaching out and waving it towards Welcoming Bamboo Garden.

After waving it twice, a white figure leaped across the wall in the middle, reaching Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo smiled: “Second brother, your agility is impressive.”

Wei Jinyi looked at the bright and radiant smile on Wei Ruo’s face. Though he never thought his agility was something worth praising, seeing her delight made his heart happy.

Xiaobei also deftly climbed over the wall. His moves were agile, just slightly not as good as Wei Jinyi’s.

Xiumei called Xiaobei over: “Xiaobei, come and help.”

Xiaobei rushed over: “Lady Xiumei, just tell me what to do!”

Xiaobei was more than happy to assist Xiumei, and his face wore an unconscious smile whenever he looked at her.

Wei Ruo invited Wei Jinyi to sit down on a vine chair.

Wei Ruo specifically mentioned: “This set of vine table and chairs has been in this courtyard for quite some time. It’s the first time I’m hosting a guest.” No one usually enters Wei Ruo’s courtyard. Even if they did, they wouldn’t have the leisure to sit in the courtyard with her and chat over tea.

Wei Jinyi paused slightly, catching the implied meaning in her words.

If she had prepared a set of vine furniture in her courtyard but had no other visitors, it meant that she has been waiting for him.

Wei Ruo prepared milk tea for Wei Jinyi: “This is taro ball milk tea, try it, second brother.”

“Taro ball milk tea?”

“Mhm. The taro balls are made from taro. The milk tea is made by boiling fresh milk and black tea together. The milk has to be very fresh, otherwise, it spoils quickly. Boiling it with the black tea also effectively removes harmful substances. Nowadays, teahouses outside also sell milk tea, but this taro ball milk tea is unique, only found here!” Wei Ruo explained.

Hearing Wei Ruo’s explanation, Wei Jinyi scooped up a spoonful and slowly put it into his mouth.

It was his first time tasting taro balls and milk tea, but Wei Jinyi had already gotten used to Wei Ruo introducing some unconventional food.

“Tasty?” Wei Ruo asked.

“It’s sweet, has a milky aroma and also a hint of tea, although this tea taste is not the same as the usual tea, its flavor is more soft and smooth.” Wei Jinyi replied.

“Do you like it?”

“I like everything Ruo makes.” Wei Jinyi said.

“Second brother, now you know how to compliment me, saying that everything

I make is good.” Wei Ruo smiled.

“Mhm.” Wei Jinyi didn’t deny it.

“If you are staying for a longer time this time, I will let you try more of my culinary innovations. I have to prove worthy of your compliment.”

“Mhm. I will stay for a longer period of time this time.” Wei Jinyi answered.

“Great! Then I’ll let you try my drunken crab?” Wei Ruo grinned, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Second brother, if you don’t like drunken crabs, we also have drunken prawns, made from freshly caught river prawns from East Lake. They’re delicious.”

“Second brother, you look very cute when you’re drunk and you talk more than usual.”

“Second brother…”

“Ruo, I don’t drink.” Wei Jinyi interrupted.

“Hahaha, ok, ok. I won’t get you to drink.”

Wei Ruo found that she quite enjoyed teasing her second brother. It was probably because he was normally too serious and aloof.

Wei Ruo’s smile was brilliant. The warm light from the oil lamp fell on her face, making her look even warmer. Wei Jinyi found himself momentarily lost in her smile.

“Second brother, why are your cheeks a little red?”