Making Boots for Jiang Danhe

The next day, Jiang Danhe and Li Shouji were not around. They said that they had something on, and left in a hurry early in the morning. Neither of them mentioned what the matter was.

Zhuang Zhuang and Xiaoyi went to the study room again. During the last time, Jiang Danhe had bought a lot of books for Zhuang Zhuang. Thereafter, the studious boy would hang out in the study room every day with Xiaoyi.

Xiaoguo was the only one left with nothing to do, so she wandered around the mansion.

Unknowingly, she arrived at the kitchen.

The kitchen was very quiet now, except for the soft conversation between the two chefs.

Xiaoguo made a sound to let them know that she was here, in case her sudden arrival startled them.

“There you are, Madam!”

The fatter cook greeted Xiaoguo happily.

“Yes I’m here. What are you guys doing?”

Xiaoguo was uninhibited around them. She grabbed a stool and sat down beside them.

“I’m embroidering. I’ll sew it onto my shoes later.”

The fat cook pointed to a pair of half-finished shoes in the basket.

Intrigued, Xiaoguo took the embroidered piece from her. The stitches were very fine. “They are so well made.”

The fat chef smiled shyly. “Auntie Xu taught me this.”

As she spoke, she pointed to the older chef..

When Mrs. Xu heard this, she said humbly, “Sigh, don’t listen to her. I am just an amateur, my skills are so-so.”

“Don’t be modest.”

The two of them laughed after speaking.

Xiaoguo put down the half-finished shoes and thought of something.

“Do you want to make something too, Madam?”

Mrs. Xu was a discerning person. She could tell at a glance that Xiaoguo was thinking about something.

“Huh?” Xiaoguo was taken aback. Then she felt embarrassed. “I want to make a pair.”

Xiaoguo suddenly thought of Jiang Danhe. He had whispered in her ear during dinner yesterday. SInce he had been nice to her, should she make him a pair to express her gratitude?

Seeing the look on Xiaoguo’s face, the fat chef said teasingly, “Madam, you’re making this for our general, right?”

Xiaoguo blushed at that. It felt like someone had stepped on her tail and her hair was now standing on ends. “Who said that? I was just asking. Just asking.”

She was beginning to sound incoherent. Her eyes were unfocused and her cheeks were flushed. It was obvious that the fat chef’s words had hit the spot.

The two chefs had been through this before. Seeing Xiaoguo behave like this, they knew that she was being shy. Hence, they did not say anything even though they knew what it was about and quickly changed the topic.

The three of them chatted casually. Xiaoguo watched the chefs carefully as they worked on their sewing. She even tried to find out where they had bought the shoe soles.

After getting the answer she wanted, Xiaoguo took her leave.

She had already been in the capital for a few days. She wasn’t sure when she would return home, so she had better get the boots done and give them to Jiang Danhe before she leaves.

Following the recommendations of the chefs, Xiaoguo arrived at the shop. The carriage stopped and Xiaoguo got out.

She walked into the shop and looked around. The shop was not big, but there was a wide range of merchandise inside.

The shop assistant came out to greet her. Xiaoguo had chosen a larger sole based on Jiang Danhe’s shoe size. She was going to sew a layer of fur into the boots to keep the feet warm.

The shop had just about anything, so Xiaoguo was able to get all the materials she needed from there.

After handing over the silver, Xiaoguo returned to the carriage. She held the soles in her hands and measured them against her small hands. They should be about the right size.

Initially, she didn’t know the size of Jiang Danhe’s feet. But before she came out, Xiaoguo managed to find his shoes in the room she was sleeping in. And this room was actually his bedroom. After she arrived in the capital, she had been occupying his room.

Xiaoguo placed the soles in her hands to gauge the length and felt that it should be the right size. It was a fingernail bigger than his shoe, but it didn’t matter. After sewing on the thick fur and lining, the shoes would fit perfectly.

The carriage returned to the mansion.

When Xiaoguo returned to the house, she began to work on the shoes hurriedly. She could go back anytime, so she had to speed up.

Zhuang Zhuang and Xiaoyi came to look for Xiaoguo while she was sewing. Both of them gave Xiaoguo a piece of rice paper with a poem neatly written on it. When she compared the two pieces of paper, she realized that they had copied the same poem.

Xiaoguo studied it carefully and found that it was a poem praising motherly love.

Xiaoguo was touched. She put down the boots in her hands and looked carefully at the two pieces of rice paper in her hands. The more she looked, the happier she got.

When she was teaching Zhuang Zhuang how to write in the beginning, his handwriting wasn’t so neat. This was the first time she saw his proper handwriting. She couldn’t get enough of looking at it.

Zhuang Zhuang’s handwriting was sharp. The last stroke of every character was lifted at the end.

Compared to Zhuang Zhuang, Xiaoyi’s handwriting was rounder. The entire font was round and full. One could easily tell that the person who wrote it was a cute little brat.

As expected, handwriting is a good gauge of a person. Just by handwriting alone, Xiaoguo could tell the character of the writer.

Zhuang Zhuang was a little calmer, while Xiaoyi was more playful.

Xiaoguo kept the two pieces of rice paper and intended to mount them up when she got home. She will place them beside Zhuang Zhuang’s bookshelf.

After putting the paper away, Xiaoguo continued sewing the boots in her hands.

At noon, Jiang Danhe and Li Shouji, who were supposed to be at home, had not come back. Xiaoguo was feeling a little curious. Ever since she arrived, the two of them had been at home most of the time. She was still a little unaccustomed to their sudden absence today.

Before lunch was served, Zhuang Zhuang suddenly brought Xiaoyi along with him. They were clamoring to eat Xiaoguo’s cooking.

Xiaoguo asked them why they suddenly wanted to eat the food she made. Zhuang Zhuang replied, “Xiaoyi has never eaten your cooking before, so he’s a little curious.”

After Zhuang Zhuang finished speaking, Xiaoyi nodded. “Zhuang Zhuang said that your cooking is very delicious, so I’m a little hungry…”

Xiaoguo looked at the two of them and slapped her thigh. “Let’s go!”

With that, she threw down the boots in her hand and brought the two children to the kitchen.

When the two chefs heard Xiaoguo’s intentions, they generously offered the stove so that she could cook first.

After thanking them, Xiaoguo got to work quickly in order not to delay their cooking.

She cooked a few simple dishes, made a pot of porridge, and heated a plate of steamed buns. Then, she placed the porridge and steamed buns on a tray and left. The rest of the dishes were left for Zhuang Zhuang and Xiaoyi to bring out.

It had been a long time since Zhuang Zhuang had carried a plate for Xiaoguo. When he saw Xiaoguo pick up the porridge and steamed buns, he excitedly brought Xiaoyi with him and they each picked up a dish. Then, Zhuang Zhuang led the way and followed behind Xiaoguo like a big brother. Xiaoyi was also very happy. He exclaimed in surprise and followed behind Zhuang Zhuang.

Mrs. Xu sniffed at the air and was intoxicated by the fragrance of the dishes. “Oh my, Madam’s cooking is so fragrant…”

The fat chef stood at the side and watched Xiaoguo and the others leave. “That’s right. I couldn’t help but sneak a bite. Haha…”

“How dare you!”

Mrs. Xu patted the fat chef gently as she wiped away her own drool. They were waiting by the side and the fragrance kept wafting into their noses. The food was really calling out to them. “Stop talking about it, I feel like eating too. Haha.”

The two chefs leaned against each other and sighed.

“Auntie, what are we eating today? I could smell the fragrance from outside.”

At this moment, a soldier who had just finished his shift came over with his bowl and chopsticks. Although it was not time for lunch yet, the smell was too enticing. He could not help but come to the kitchen after his shift.

Seeing that he was looking into the pot, the two chefs looked at each other and said helplessly, “We haven’t cooked yet.”

“Sigh, stop kidding around. It smells so good…”