Raspberries, Qi Zhenzhen had eaten plenty of them in her previous life. When she was on missions, she often went into the mountains, and as long as the season was right, she could always find them.
"These are delicious," Qi Zhenzhen picked a few and ate them. "Chunfeng, send some over to Madam."
Er Xi quickly took off the purse at her waist. "Sister Chunfeng, take these for Madam."
Er Xi felt a bit heartbroken. These were snacks she had saved for herself. Now that she had given them away, she would have to go pick more in the afternoon.
"Xuanxuan, would you like to copy scriptures with me here this afternoon?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
Qi Xuanxuan's small face was filled with pitifulness. "Second Sister, my handwriting is terrible."
"When copying scriptures, whether the handwriting is good or bad is secondary; sincerity is what matters," Qi Zhenzhen said. "Besides, precisely because it's not good, you should practice more, right?"
"I'll practice after I'm done with my reply," Qi Xuanxuan did not compromise.
"It's fine if you don't want to copy scriptures, but you're not allowed to go out anyway." Qi Zhenzhen looked at her rosy little face. It was summer, and even in the mountains, the sun was still quite strong. After spending half a day outside, her face had turned bright red. If she stayed out longer, her skin might peel.
And, she would get tanned.
It was never good for a young lady to get tanned.
Qi Xuanxuan only felt it was fun and didn't care about anything else. She would regret it when she realized she had gotten tanned.
Qi Zhenzhen pushed the mirror in front of Qi Xuanxuan. "Look for yourself, do you still want to go out?"
In the mirror, Qi Xuanxuan's face was extremely red. It hadn't recovered after coming inside; instead, it had worsened.
"It's just a little red." It didn't hurt, and Qi Xuanxuan really didn't think it was a big deal.
"Redness is the first step to getting tanned. If you think getting tanned is okay, then I won't force you. At most, Grandma will scold me when we get back," Qi Zhenzhen pouted.
Young girls who cared about their appearance would not tolerate getting tanned. Qi Xuanxuan saw that her Second Sister was speaking earnestly, not trying to trick her. Moreover, her face in the mirror was indeed very red and not very attractive. Finally, she reluctantly agreed.
"If you don't want to copy scriptures, you can do something else. Taihe Temple grows peaches. Let Er Xi ask the temple for some, and I'll teach you how to make peach jam," Qi Zhenzhen thought.
Qi Xuanxuan loved to eat. Hearing Qi Zhenzhen say this, her eyes lit up.
"Can I do the cooking?"
"So that you don't find it boring, yes, you can."
Her slight disappointment at not being able to play in the back mountains was instantly smoothed over.
Qi Xuanxuan often ate delicious food made by Qi Zhenzhen and greatly admired her Second Sister's culinary skills. If she learned, she would surely make delicious food for herself every day.
A small stove, a small clay pot, and a basin of peeled peach flesh.
Under Qi Zhenzhen's guidance, Qi Xuanxuan began to cook the peach jam.
The fruit softened, turned into a sauce, thickened, and finally became a golden brown.
The sweet and sour peach jam with a peach aroma was ready.
All it took was watching the fire and stirring constantly.
"It smells so good, Second Sister, am I very talented in cooking?" Qi Xuanxuan asked smugly.
"People who eat well are generally divided into two types: one who only eats but cannot cook, and the other who can both eat and cook. You probably belong to the second type," Qi Zhenzhen said.
It wasn't that she was flattering Qi Xuanxuan; it was that this little girl indeed had a talent for cooking.
Peach jam, while simple, was also quite difficult, as it required controlling the heat. This point could stump many people, but for Xuanxuan, it was not a problem at all. She only needed to be told once, and she could complete the entire process on her own.
"For dinner, let's make some pan-fried flatbread ourselves and spread it with peach jam," Qi Zhenzhen said.