Chestnut Soup

Hearing a male voice coming from her side, Xu Xiang raised her eyes and saw the middle-aged officer staring at her soup. Seeing him swallowing his saliva, she rolled her eyes at him.

"Sir, didn't I give you the gold leaf this morning? Why are you here again?" She asked as she took the hot earthen jar out of the fire.

The officer glanced at her and said, "I just came to see what you cooked. Why are you so hostile?"

If she believed him, she must be an idiot. She ignored him and took the roasted chestnuts out of the fire with a twig. Seeing the pile of roasted chestnuts, he said, "Young lady, you still have something else? Give me some."

Before he could get his hand on those roasted chestnuts, she slapped his hand away and said, "There's nothing free in this world. If you want my roasted chestnuts, exchange them with bowls or spoons."

"So stingy! You wait here. I'll get you some bowls and spoons." As he spoke, he walked away sullenly.

While waiting for the officer, she put the roasted chestnuts into the bamboo basket to eat later. Not long after, the officer came back with three bowls and one ladle.

"I can't find a spoon, but you can get this ladle instead." He said as he handed her the bowls and ladle.

After taking the bowl and ladle from him, she checked them to see if she could use it. Watching her carefully examine the bowls and ladle, the officer snorted and said, "You don't have to worry. You can use them. Now, give me the roasted chestnuts."

Putting down the bowl, she gave him two handfuls of roasted chestnuts. The officer looked at the chestnut in his hand and left contentedly. After that, Xu Xiang secretly washed the bowls and ladle with her lake water. Then she filled the bowl with creamy chestnut soup and called Xiao Han.

"Second Young Master Xiao, can you come here and bring these over?"

When Xiao Han heard her calling himself, he hurriedly said to his family. "I'll go and have a look first."

Xu Xiang was not far from them, so Xiao Han arrived very soon. Without waiting for him to speak, she said, "I see that your elder brother has woken up and made this chestnut soup. Take it back for him to eat to restore his strength. I made a lot, so all of us can have a share."

Xiao Han looked at the chestnut soup and swallowed his saliva. The more he smelled the fragrance, the hungrier he felt. Since both of them agreed to share the chestnuts before, he didn't say much, and brought over two bowls full of chestnut soup.

"Thank you, Miss Xu." He said while holding two bowls of chestnut soup.

Smiling at him, she said, "You are welcome."

Walking back to his family with two bowls of chestnut soup in both of his hands, Xiao Han couldn't hide his smile. Before he could say anything, Xiao Jing had already stood up and looked at the bowls in his hands. Her eyes widened the moment she saw the creamy chestnut soup.

She looked up at Xiao Han and asked, "Er Lang, did Miss Xu give these to you?"

"Yes. We found a lot of wild chestnuts in the forest. She said that since my elder brother was awake, she made this soup for him to eat and restore his strength. I don't know how it tastes, but judging from the aroma, it should be delicious."

While speaking, he had already brought a bowl to his father and squatted beside Xiao Shao. "Elder Brother, quickly drink the chestnut soup while it's hot."

Xiao Shao looked at the smiling faces of his family, then glanced at the chestnut soup for a few seconds, before taking the bowl from Xiao Han. He lifted up the bowl to his chapped lips and took a sip. As soon as the chestnut soup went into his mouth, he was surprised by the thick sweetness and creamy taste.

'What kind of soup is this? I had never heard of chestnuts before. Is this a new type of crop? There is also a very distinct sweet fragrance.'

"Elder Brother, don't you like it?" Xiao Jing asked when she saw that he stopped drinking the chestnut soup after taking a sip.

He smiled and said to her, "It's delicious. I like it."

"Then drink more. You need to recover your strength." Xiao Yi said while passing his bowl with the remaining chestnut soup to his wife.

Seeing that his father only drank a little, Xiao Han said, "Father, please finish the soup. Miss Xu has made a lot of soup, enough for all of us to eat."

Xiao Yi shook his head and said, "She picked these chestnuts herself, how can we eat her food?"

Xiao Han smiled and said to his father: "Don't worry, father. We found these chestnuts together and agreed to share them. What you eat now is my share."

"Is that so?" Xiao Yi asked suspiciously.

"Yes. So quickly drink it, and I'll get more for my mother and elder sister." Xiao Han urged.

Looking at the calm face of his youngest son, he nodded. "All right."

After Xu Xiang drank the chestnut soup and washed her bowl, she saw Xiao Han coming back with two empty bowls. She smiled at him and asked, "Do they like this chestnut soup? I hope it's to their liking."

He smiled at her, put down the bowls, and said, "My father and elder brother both said they liked it. They said it's delicious."

She pointed to the earthen jar and said, "That's good. Well, since they like it, you can bring the remaining soup over. I'm already full."

Seeing that she wasn't lying, he nodded and said, "All right. Thank you for the food."

She nodded at him and said, "You are welcome."

After speaking, he brought back the three bowls and the earthen jar containing the remaining soup. Seeing that there was still time before they continued the journey, she leaned against a boulder, closed her eyes and took a rest. As for the Xiao family, after being exiled, they finally had their fill for the first time.

After eating, Xiao Shao looked at Xu Xiang who was sleeping soundly, and then asked his father. "Father, who is she?"