Inside the house, a figure flashed by the window.
Ye Shenyan's eyes gradually darkened. That sentence had deeply hurt him.
Since when had he become so hesitant in his words and deeds?
At this moment, Han Xiangmei took Ye Shenyan's hand. The warmth of her hand was like the morning sun seeping into his heart.
"Just do what you want to do. So what if it's in the Northern Border?"
She knew that he was worried about his family and those behind him, which was why he was so cautious and constrained in everything he did.
When Ye Shenyan looked up, his eyes were filled with a thousand words, all converging into a warm glow.
Ye Zhinan noticed that there was no sound from inside the house for a long time. She walked up to Qin Yihuai and pointed at the wild ducks in the duck shed.
"These were caught on the mountain. They can be used as breeding ducks. Those are their ducklings!"
Qin Yihuai's eyes trembled slightly. He looked in the direction Ye Zhinan was pointing.
Sure enough, a group of ducklings were following a mother duck. The wild duck was plump. It didn't look like a wild duck at all, but more like a well - raised domestic duck.
"We can raise these wild ducks in captivity. Then the marinated food business can reopen soon. I can also come up with some new products. Little by little, we can make a fortune."
Ye Zhinan's eyes sparkled. When it came to making money, she was full of energy.
"It's getting late. Inspector Qin, why don't you have a simple meal at our place?"
Han Xiangmei suddenly walked out of the house.
"Mom, you're the best. I'll make rabbit heads today."
Ye Zhinan excitedly grabbed her mother's arm and dragged her towards the kitchen.
"You can make rabbit heads?"
Ye Yingfeng had heard her talking about rabbit meat for a long time. He couldn't help but tease her.
Ye Zhinan popped her head out of the kitchen and pointed at Ye Yingfeng without mercy, shouting, "How could you eat rabbits!"
After saying that, she stuck out her tongue and went back into the kitchen to get busy.
This was the first time Ye Zhinan had made rabbit heads. Han Xiangmei couldn't bear to see such cute rabbits being cooked. She stayed far away, looking disgusted. Her eyes seemed to be saying, "Daughter, how could you be so cruel!"
Ye Zhinan took out the bean paste she had prepared earlier. When she was getting the chili peppers ready, Han Xiangmei's voice came from the door.
"There are so many parts of a rabbit. Isn't it better to eat the meaty parts?"
Ye Zhinan shook her head. "Mom, just wait and enjoy. Rabbit heads are delicious."
Han Xiangmei still didn't give up. "I never saw you eat rabbit meat in the capital. Why has your taste changed since you came to the Northern Border?"
"The capital is different from the Northern Border. Life here is so hard. We have to plan carefully when it comes to eating meat. So today, you'll just have to force yourself to eat the heads."
"Aren't you inviting Inspector Qin? Eating heads might not be very appropriate, right?"
Ye Zhinan stared at Han Xiangmei, her eyes focused.
"Let's just eat rabbit meat then."
As Han Xiangmei took out the rabbit meat, Ye Zhinan pushed her out of the kitchen.
"Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Go outside and rest. I'll bring the food out when it's ready."
Ye Zhinan helplessly pushed her out. Before closing the door, she stuffed a ginseng root she had picked on the mountain into her mother's hand.
"Use this to whet your appetite first!"
Then she closed the door.
Han Xiangmei looked at the small, dried ginseng in her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Qin Yihuai, who had been staring at the kitchen. She quickly hid the ginseng in her sleeve.
Poaching medicinal herbs was a serious crime. She couldn't ask for trouble.
Qin Yihuai was staring at the kitchen. He didn't notice what was in Han Xiangmei's hand. Instead, he was looking at the person busy inside.
A delicate woman actually dared to tear a rabbit apart with her bare hands and even claimed she was going to eat the rabbit head.
This woman was truly extraordinary.
The people outside had different concerns. Ye Yingfeng looked inside worriedly.
"Sister won't burn down the kitchen, will she? Why eat rabbit heads? I should have just had porridge."
It didn't matter that Ye Zhinan couldn't cook. The important thing was that she might set the house on fire.
Ye Yingfeng was worried not just about today, but about every day in the future.
"Whoever marries her will have to live in constant fear."
When Qin Yihuai heard this, his eyes darkened imperceptibly.
"It smells good!"
Ye Shenyan and Han Xiangmei both looked at him.
The solemn look in Ye Shenyan's eyes appeared instantly, as if saying, "This young man is teachable."
Han Xiangmei looked incredulous. She leaned over and smelled it.
Sure enough, the aroma of the sauce was overwhelming. The bright red chili oil and crushed peanuts combined perfectly, covering up any unpleasantness and making people drool.
Ye Yingfeng couldn't wait any longer. He stood guard at the kitchen door. "Is it ready?"
Ye Zhinan opened the kitchen door. A puff of thick smoke immediately billowed out.
Everyone's expressions changed slightly. They followed the direction of the smoke to look for the figure inside.
They only relaxed when they heard a voice say, "The rabbit heads are ready!"
As soon as Ye Zhinan came out, she saw Qin Yihuai standing straight at the door, with a hidden smile in his eyes.
Ye Yingfeng eagerly took the plate. "Four is just right."
After saying that, he stuffed a rabbit head into his mouth. But in an instant, his face contorted in pain.
"My tooth!"
"You're really wasting good food. How could you eat rabbits like that!"
Ye Zhinan looked disgusted. She picked up a rabbit head and demonstrated.
She first sucked the marinated juice off the rabbit head. Then, from the mouth area, she grabbed the lower jaw with both hands and easily broke the head in two.
She put the upper part aside and started eating from the lower part of the face.
As she ate, she explained, "This is where there's the most meat. You can eat it first, but I actually prefer the other part."
"Why?"
Ye Yingfeng's hand had already reached for the plate. Qin Yihuai gave him a sharp look. He then wiped the red oil off the edge of the plate. When he retracted his hand, he didn't forget to lick it.
Ye Zhinan's eyes lit up. She scooped out something from the upper part of the rabbit head with a spoon.
It looked soft and formless. Then she handed it to Han Xiangmei.
"Mom, try it!"
This time, Han Xiangmei didn't refuse. She took a bite, with a satisfied and nostalgic look on her face.
"The taste is so amazing. It's spicy and fragrant, fresh but not greasy, and the texture is soft. This is..."
"As long as it's delicious. What it is doesn't matter!"
If Ye Zhinan told her mother that there was brain and eyeballs in that pile of things, her mother would do more than just feel nauseous.
Ye Yingfeng was impatient. He showed no sign of a general's demeanor. Ye Shenyan glared at him. He picked up a piece of rabbit head and gave one to Qin Yihuai. By the time Ye Yingfeng reached out his hand, the plate was already empty.
"This..."
Ye Zhinan squinted her eyes. Looking at her brother's pitiful expression, she pointed at the kitchen.
"There are still some in the pot. They're hot."
Before she could finish speaking, he had already run over.
Ye Zhinan closely watched everyone's reactions. After the plates and bowls were clean, she rubbed her hands, which were dyed red by the oil, and asked,
"Well?"
"Um, it's really delicious! I didn't expect that the least - appetizing part of a rabbit could be so delicious."
Ye Shenyan's tone was neither too light nor too heavy, but the look of satisfaction in his eyes gave Ye Zhinan more confidence.
"Is it suitable for the taste of the people in the Northern Border?"