Poison Doctor Roaming the Martial World

Chapter 113 Picking Water Chestnuts

Yuan Suxin had no problem with Prince Ning himself, but the appearance of Puyang Xuan gave her a glimmer of hope.

She doesn't need to use her children's marriages to maintain power dynamics; she only wishes that they can all find their own happiness.

Prince Ning is a good person, but he only has the title of prince and doesn't have much real power. He often hinders people's actions. In order to consolidate the relationship in the future, he may take another subject's daughter as a concubine. Jianwu will definitely be unhappy if she marries him.

Puyang Xuan is different. He can resist the temptations of royal power. He is the head of a palace and governs a region. He doesn't need to rely on marriage ties. As long as he loves Jianwu enough, he doesn't have to worry about causing her any trouble. He also has no parents, so there's no need to worry about difficulties between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. If they have children in the future, she can help take care of them...

General Yang was unaware of his granddaughter's affair with Prince Ning, but Puyang Xuan was the first man his granddaughter brought home—wasn't that obvious?

Yang Jianwu had never felt so embarrassed. She wasn't some rotten cabbage in the field... Her mother and grandfather were just too... sigh...

And Puyang Xuan, really, couldn't you at least say you're married? Or that you have someone you love?

Yang Jianwu quickly finished her meal and fled the scene. She felt she would die of embarrassment if she stayed there any longer!

With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, Puyang Xuan had no family ties and was in no hurry to return to the temple, so he simply stayed at the General's Mansion to celebrate the festival.

Yang Jianwu wanted to add a few dishes to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, so she went to prepare the ingredients early in the morning. Puyang Xuan followed her everywhere.

You just get rid of one, and another one comes along. Why are there so many people in this world who like to be tails? But how can you refuse free labor that's offered to you?

"Boss, give me a piece of fatty meat."

"Sword Dance, do you like to eat fatty meat?"

I can't believe it, Sword Dance is so thin, she would like to eat that kind of greasy meat...

"Shopkeeper, weigh out some dried fruit, including walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and black and white sesame seeds..."

"Sword Dance, so you like eating these nuts..."

"Hey buddy, did you collect any honey today?"

"Sword Dance, honey is so sweet, eating too much will make you fat."

Yang Jianwu's forehead throbbed; how come she never realized Puyang Xuan was so talkative before...

"Puyangxuan, shall we go out in a small boat to pick water chestnuts?"

Puyang Xuan's attention was entirely focused on rowing the small boat, and he had no idea what picking water chestnuts was for; he was just happy to be with Jianwu.

Yang Jianwu rented a small fishing boat from a fisherman by the lake and bought a bamboo basket. Puyang Xuan, seeing the novelty, happily followed behind, carrying the bamboo basket.

I was dumbfounded when I went to pick water chestnuts in the lake... No worries, there's always a first time...

"Ouch! It hurts so much..."

Puyang Xuan was pricked by a water chestnut as soon as he made his move.

"fool!"

Waaah~ I was rejected. I tried my best to pull off a water chestnut and put it in the bamboo basket.

"Pick them gently, or you'll tear them and waste the unripe ones!"

"Oh well……"

"Puyangxuan! Pick and handle with care!"

"Oh, okay, I'm paying attention..."

Her originally slender and fair hands were soon riddled with small holes, and they turned white from being soaked in water.

Yang Jianwu didn't mean to mess with Puyang Xuan; she just wanted him to lend a hand. She didn't expect him to be so inexperienced. She should have gotten him a pair of gloves.

"Stop picking, the basket is almost full, let's go back."

"I'm fine, Sword Dance, really, this little wound will heal in two days."

Yang Jianwu pulled Puyang Xuan's hand up and took out iodine and a bottle of ointment from her sleeve. "This is disinfectant. Use this to clean it first, and then apply the medicine."

Pu Yangxuan took the iodine solution. Both of his fingers were injured, so he could only clean one hand first.

Helpless, Yang Jianwu took the iodine from Pu Yangxuan and resignedly disinfected and applied the medicine.

Puyang Xuan was secretly delighted. This minor injury was nothing to him. Jianwu cared about him, so how could he let her down?

So he could enjoy Yang Jianwu applying the medicine without any qualms, and even thank this ugly thing.

"Sword Dance, why do you insist on picking this today?"

While applying the medicine, Yang Jianwu explained, "The time around the Mid-Autumn Festival is when water chestnuts are at their most plump and mature. They are sweet and crisp. You can boil them, peel them, and eat them as a snack. You can also peel out the flesh and use it to cook porridge. Eating some water chestnut porridge can also help to relieve greasiness and clear internal heat."

Puyang Xuan picked one up and turned it over in his hand. "I really didn't expect that this ugly thing could be so refreshing."

Yang Jianwu rolled her eyes at him, "There's a lot you don't know. Because the word '菱' (líng) sounds like '伶' (líng), during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the elderly give water chestnuts to children, hoping that the children will grow up smart and clever. This is also the best blessing for the younger generation."

"Hehe, Sword Dance, you really know a lot. So, what else do we need to prepare?"

In the past, Mid-Autumn Festival was always celebrated in the palace, without so many formalities. Now, with Jianwu, it feels like real life.

"I'll go buy some taro later. Taro sounds like 'surplus' in Chinese, and taro root sounds like 'good fortune'. People hope for a good life with plenty of food, so eating some taro is a good omen and I hope for good luck to come one after another."

This time, without Puyang Xuan even asking, Yang Jianwu provided an explanation.

After applying the medicine to Puyang Xuan, Yang Jianwu rowed the boat to shore. There were still many things to prepare when she got home, and this guy had already wasted a lot of time.

The two returned to the general's mansion. Yuan Suxin was just about to go out when she saw them returning with large and small bags. She smiled so much that her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Ah Xuan is back! Wow, you must have worked so hard buying all this stuff."

Yuan Suxin hurriedly called the servants to carry the things, and even pulled Puyang Xuan to rest, leaving Yang Jianwu speechless.

“Mother, since you like him so much, why don’t you just adopt him as your godson?”

Yuan Suxin turned around and secretly glared at Yang Jianwu. This child really has no sense of propriety. Who is she doing all this for?

"Sword Dance, are we making mooncakes again this year?"

Yang Jianwu's mind went blank for a moment. They made mooncakes every year, so why was she asking that question?

"Go ahead and do it. I've bought all the ingredients."

Yuan Suxin immediately pushed Puyang Xuan next to Yang Jianwu, "Jianwu, Xuan never had a chance to properly celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival before. Now it's different in our family. He should experience the atmosphere of a normal family celebrating the festival. So you take Xuan to make mooncakes!"

"what!"

Yang Jianwu felt that her mother had changed and no longer loved her...

Puyang Xuan chuckled softly; he seemed to have discovered a weakness in the sword dance...

Yang Jianwu pouted and glared at Puyang Xuan without any threat, then smiled and pulled him to the osmanthus tree.

"At this time of year, the air is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. Making osmanthus cakes and infusing osmanthus wine with osmanthus flowers can add a unique aroma to the festival. So, for a better experience, let's start by picking osmanthus flowers."

"Got it!"

Puyang Xuan was incredibly efficient in executing the requests made by Yang Jianwu.