After finishing the last word, Pearl looked calmly at Alaric and said, "Is Madam's method really effective?"
Facing his questioning, Pearl responded lightly, "Of course."
She took the paper from his hand and placed it with the ones she had written before, then walked out holding them.
Alaric wanted to call out to her but was too late. He could only follow behind.
Pearl ran into someone and asked where Servant Wang was, then headed straight to find him.
When she found Servant Wang, he was playing with a child. Upon seeing Pearl, he quickly bowed, and then immediately bowed to the person behind her. "Greetings, Madam. Greetings, Marquis."
"Mm."
A soft response came from behind. Pearl turned and saw Alaric standing there. She was puzzled as to why he followed her.
Turning back to Servant Wang, she said, "Servant Wang, this is a method I wrote for raising cattle. If you follow what's written here, I guarantee your cattle will grow fat and strong. It also includes solutions to common problems so you won't have to worry about them dying easily anymore."
"Take this." Pearl handed him the paper.
Servant Wang looked at the paper, then looked at Pearl to confirm she wasn't joking. He glanced at Alaric, and seeing Alaric nod silently, he respectfully accepted the paper.
With a respectful smile, he said, "Madam, I will follow your instructions exactly."
Seeing his reaction, Pearl was pleased. "Good. I'll leave now. Sorry to bother you."
She didn't bother with Alaric and turned to leave.
When Alaric returned, Pearl was sitting happily in a chair, eating fruit.
Alaric leaned in close, chuckling softly. "Madam, what's made you so cheerful?"
Pearl gave him an annoyed look, pushed him away, and continued eating fruit at ease.
Alaric smiled, picked up a fruit, and sat beside her to eat as well.
After a short rest, Pearl called for Servant Xin and took people up the mountain to pick apricots.
Alaric silently watched her movements and followed behind.
Looking at three full hills covered in golden-orange apricot trees, Pearl felt joyful. With such a huge orchard, she imagined how beautiful the blossoms must be in spring.
Curious about how they handled so many apricots, she asked Servant Xin.
Servant Xin said, "If there are buyers, we sell them. If there are extras, we make dried apricots or brew wine."
"How long does it take to make dried apricots?"
"Madam, it takes about half a month. If you like them, you can wait."
"Haha, half a month, huh? I was just asking. Who knows what things will be like by then. I might be long gone."
Servant Xin led Pearl to a tree and smiled. "Madam, the apricots on this tree are good. Let's pick from here."
"All right." Pearl responded with a smile.
The two began picking apricots. It didn't take long to fill a basket, then they picked up another and filled that too. The people who came along carried the baskets, and the group headed down the mountain.
Back at the estate, Servant Wang came to report that dinner was ready.
At the dining hall, the table was again filled with over ten dishes. Alaric and Pearl sat down to eat.
Pearl walked for a while, then sat down feeling thirsty. She immediately scooped a bowl of fish soup and drank it. The soup was fresh and delicious, and she couldn't help drinking a few more sips.
She looked at the full table of dishes: steamed chicken wrapped in lotus leaves, stewed goose, roasted bird meat, white-brined rabbit meat, stir-fried river shrimp with chives, braised meatballs, sweet and sour pork ribs, soy-braised pig trotters, stir-fried green beans with shredded pork, sugar-dressed tomatoes, stir-fried cabbage, tofu fish soup.
Pearl picked up some food to taste, trying each dish one by one.
Then she focused on the ones she liked most and continued eating.
Alaric noticed which dishes she liked and added some to her bowl, his eyes watching her with a gentle smile. Pearl felt a bit helpless.
After dinner, Pearl decided to take a walk. Alaric followed. After walking a few steps, he took her fair, slender hand.
Pearl tried to pull her hand back but didn't succeed, so she let him hold it. They walked hand in hand slowly along the village road.
The village houses were built along the mountainside. Ahead was a wide stretch of farmland. The two walked in one direction. People they met along the way lowered their heads respectfully and didn't dare look at them.
As they walked, a few children suddenly appeared ahead, running and chasing each other with cheerful laughter.
One boy wasn't paying attention and ran straight into Pearl. Both of them let out a cry of pain.
The boy looked up at Pearl and realized he had bumped into someone. He quickly said timidly, "I'm sorry, sister. I didn't mean to hit you."
Pearl smiled after hearing his apology and gently said, "Next time be careful when running. If you hit someone, it could be bad. But since you apologized, I forgive you. Go play."
The boy beamed with joy and said, "Thank you, sister!" Then he looked back at his little companions who were catching up and ran forward again.
The other children chased after him, running past Pearl and Alaric.
The two continued strolling forward. The sky was filled with beautiful sunset colors. The harvested fields stretched far into the distance. Groups of chickens, ducks, and geese were running and calling, moving in the same direction.
As they walked, they came across the flocks of poultry, all scrambling for food. One person was feeding them.
Pearl walked closer and saw he was holding bits of meat. Looking more carefully, she realized it was pig organs. She was surprised.
They kept walking. Up ahead was a pear orchard, with unripe green pears hanging on the trees.
Seeing how far they'd walked, Pearl decided to head back. By the time they returned to the village, it was already dark. Pearl went to bathe. After bathing, she lay down and immediately fell asleep.
At dawn, Pearl woke up and found herself being held. She quietly tried to move his arm away, but as soon as she lifted it, the arm pulled her in tighter.
Pearl had no choice but to stay still, closed her eyes again, and pretended to sleep.
After a while, she heard some movement beside her. She didn't plan to open her eyes. The hand around her moved away, but the next moment it slid inside her clothes and began to roam.
Pearl, annoyed, grabbed the wandering hand and turned to glare at him. Alaric simply smiled and leaned in to kiss her lips, not letting go.
Pearl struggled but couldn't escape his hold. In the end, she could only endure.
After the kiss ended, Alaric pulled back and chuckled, "Wife, how was my morning kiss?"
Pearl closed her eyes and refused to look at him.
"It seems like you enjoyed it too," Alaric said with a low laugh.
That one sentence made Pearl instantly open her eyes and glare at him.
"Heh…" Alaric laughed again, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her. "Did I say anything wrong?"