When twilight fell, Han Chuan and the three of them hurriedly walked back to the court from the inner palace, and the three of them buried their heads in the second gate and exchanged the signs, without letting the guards see the clues.

Halfway through, Han Chuan suddenly remembered something, and his voice was dumb, "Didn't the Huanyi Bureau establish new rules, and palace people must travel in pairs without being alone?" ”

Xiao Qiu'er was wooden, standing in place, with a red nose and round eyes motionless, "... Today, Mama Zhong asked Li Tao to go to the inner palace with me to deliver the washed clothes, and when I came back, Li Tao said that her stomach hurt and left me there alone, and later... That's what I did..."

Xiao Qiu'er didn't continue, her face turned pale, she understood, and Han Chuan also understood.

It's like the five taels of silver.

The human heart is always easier to capture than imagined.

Han Chuan touched Xiao Qiu'er's head, looked at the sky, sniffed, and said softly, "Let's go, let's go to the inner dining room, I'm hungry, I'll make you something to eat." ”

Dinner had already been sent away, two or three oil lamps were lit in the dining room, and the palace daughter who was keeping vigil was dozing off on the stove, and when she saw Han Chuan, A Cicada and a little palace person with a raw face coming in, she hurriedly greeted her, "Chu'er, A Cicada, where have you been?" Master Bai almost sent someone to look for you! I heard that the queen's mother was in Changle Palace, so I dispelled this idea... The time for the palace ban is approaching again, so I will be left here to wait for you..."

In the dim light of the oil lamp, it was impossible to see the red and swollen eyes and haggard looks of the three people.

Han Chuan fooled two sentences, "... On the way back from Changle Palace, there was no one to take us, and we got lost.... happened to meet Xiao Qiu'er from the Huanyi Bureau next door, so they came out together..."Changed the conversation, "Do you still have any ingredients?" We're still hungry. ”

The palace daughter pointed to the bamboo basket, "Master Bai left you a few pieces of bread, you will eat them." Yawned, "I'll go back first." ”

As soon as the daughter of the palace left, the inner dining room became quiet again.

The cake left by Master Bai has resurged, and it is soft, just like Xiao Zhuozi who was smashed to the ground by a stone, and the soft neck.

Han Chuan suddenly lost his interest in eating cakes, and then looked at A Cicada and Xiao Qiu'er, A Cicada sat on the chair and stool with a sluggish face, Xiao Qiu'er hung her head low, the two of them were like two wooden stakes, and they didn't move, except for the slight sound of breathing, there was no louder sound.

Han Chuan stood up, took a deep breath, set up another stove, took a porcelain bowl and scooped out pine nuts and walnut kernels from the cloth bag one by one, crushed them, added sugar chips and grease, and put them into the noodles. Roll up your sleeves, knead the dough into a ball, press it into a cake, and bake it in a stove with charcoal fire on the top and bottom.

After a while, both sides of the cake were browned, and white sesame seeds were sprinkled neatly with the crumbling seeds.

Cooking allows her to detach herself from other emotions.

The greasy sweet aroma, the rich fat aroma and the satiating wheat aroma come out of the pot on both sides.

The charcoal fire baked the cake to a "sizzling" sound, and the white sesame seeds turned golden brown after a while, Han Chuan put on thick gloves to send the cake out of the fire, and then used a flour sieve to pass a layer of milky white soufflé, and then put it back into the charcoal fire to fry and bake, the rich milky fragrance could no longer be hidden, and woke up the two sluggish people.

"Chu'er... We just killed someone..."A Cicada was stunned for a long time, and opened her mouth as if she had just woken up from a dream, "You smashed the back of a person's head with a big rock, I removed a person's arm with one hand, they... cut out his tongue in front of us..."

A cicada turned her head mechanically, looking at the natural baking of the baked cakes, and couldn't help but ask a soul, "Yes... Am I the only one who had this dream? ”

Burn the cake on the stove.

Han Chuan didn't answer Cicada's question, turned around and cut a cluster of fresh leeks, and saw that the pot was still warm with the mutton bone soup left by Grandpa Bai.

The soup was practiced in vain, bubbling and bubbling, and the big bones of the lamb with sinew meat were stewed until the flesh and bones were separated.

Han Chuan took advantage of the unused flour of the baked cakes, added water and salt, kneaded a large dough three times and five times, pulled out three or a few pieces, and handed it to A Cicada with a natural expression, "Take a hand, let's support the ramen and eat." ”

The cicada took a few of them and began to make repetitive mechanical movements.

Xiao Qiu'er froze.

Two hours ago, they had just killed someone.

And now, they're ready to eat ramen.

Xiao Qiu'er shook her head, and before she could react, a bowl of fragrant lamb soup ramen sprinkled with leeks and chopped green onions, and a golden and crispy soufflé pancake were placed in front of her.

Han Chuan said softly, "Eat." ”

It's so fragrant.

Xiao Qiu'er's brain was empty, and a mouthful of noodles was sent to her mouth, the noodles were hung with the strong fragrance of mutton soup, which was exclusive to the fragrance of mutton, not fishy, the noodles were strong and smooth, and the time of passing the water was especially when, just after the core was fished out by the master, and the teeth were snapped in the mouth. After taking another sip of the soup, it took too long to boil, and the soup was full of the smell of meat, and the aroma of leeks also melted into the soup, but the leeks were not yet cooked soft, and the texture was crispy and greasy.

The taste buds are finally opened.

The soufflé cake was bitten down, and the rich taste washed the mouth again, and the sweetness of pine nuts, walnut kernels and brown sugar instantly seized the high ground occupied by the mutton soup just now. The cake is crispy and sweet to the heart.

Xiao Qiu'er buried her head in the big bowl of mutton soup, and the horror of the rest of her life and the trembling of seeing blood for the first time were all resolved by this bowl of fragrant mutton soup noodles and this plate of crispy and sweet baked cakes.

Xiao Qiu'er ate very well.

That's the power of food.

Han Chuan's voice was very soft, and it seemed to have a hint of meaning to see through and see, "If you don't kill Xiao Zhuozi, it will be you and us who will die." Xiao Zhuozi, after he succeeds, he is afraid that the matter will be revealed, and he will do everything to kill you. And now... It was he who died... It's not us..."

This is different from the dream.

Xiao Qiu'er is still alive to eat sheep noodle soup...

Cicada felt Han Chuan's emotions, held her hand tightly, and smiled back.

Wake up so long, so long.... The pain in her chest seemed to disappear suddenly.

She felt herself, and that's when she really woke up.

Messing around in the court, of course, can save your life... But what about her life? Is there only one meaning in her current life to avoid Xu Yi? Don't dare to cook well, don't dare to enter the inner palace, don't dare to make a name for yourself in the palace... Just because I avoided Xu Yi...

Where should she go in life?

The cicada beside her, the little Qiu'er she worked hard to save, and the white grandfather who returned to his hometown, what about their lives? Can it be different?

Just like Xiao Qiu'er, who should have been killed by conspiracy under the fiery red maple leaves, is now sitting in front of her decently.

Han Chuan looked at the burning fire, and then looked at Xiao Qiu'er and A Cicada, who had eaten and drunk enough in front of him, and regained his spirit, pursed his lips and asked with a smile,

"Is it delicious?"

The oil lamp was bright, the stove was dim, and Xiao Qiu'er felt that the girl in front of her, who had just saved her life, had eyes brighter than the stars in the sky under the light of the fire.