He felt that he only had no children because he married Lou Xiao'e, who couldn't bear children.
But Cao Yuan, he was born unable to procreate; he simply couldn't have a son!
Cao Yuan didn't say much about Xu Damao's enthusiasm.
Although he knew Xu Damao wasn't a good person, ever since he came to this Siheyuan (Courtyard), Xu Damao hadn't done anything bad to him.
As long as he didn't cause him trouble, Cao Yuan wouldn't provoke him!
So, the two of them went to the outhouse together and began their 'water-releasing' endeavor.
Xu Damao was even more uninhibited, standing with his back straight, one hand on his hip, his movements so exaggerated that Cao Yuan almost couldn't help but burst out laughing!
"This guy, he's truly exasperating!"
Cao Yuan muttered to himself.
He never imagined someone could be so petty.
"Cao Yuan must be jealous of me!"
Seeing Cao Yuan's silent demeanor, Xu Damao couldn't help but grumble, feeling incredibly pleased, as if he had regained his long-lost pride, and he even winked at Cao Yuan.
"Hahaha!"
The atmosphere, which had been quite good, was disrupted by Xu Damao, and Cao Yuan finally couldn't hold back, bursting into laughter.
Xu Damao, however, didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with him and asked Cao Yuan with a serious face, "Brother Cao Yuan, what are you laughing about?"
Hearing Xu Damao's earnest tone, Cao Yuan finally stopped laughing.
"Nothing, I just suddenly thought of something funny."
Hearing Cao Yuan say this, Xu Damao showed a lewd smile and said to him in a self-important tone:
"Cao Yuan, are you jealous of me?"
Hearing this, Cao Yuan felt speechless, but he still smiled and replied:
"Brother Da Mao is right, you are a hero among men, truly enviable!"
Saying this, Cao Yuan deliberately put on a bitter face, "Alas, as for me... never mind, never mind, let's not talk about it."
Hearing Cao Yuan say this, Xu Damao became even more smug, pretending to comfort Cao Yuan:
"Oh, it's nothing big, brother, you just have bad luck!"
"By the way, I'm going to the countryside to show movies in a few days.
Your sister-in-law, Lou Xiao'e, is back from her parents' house, and that woman can't cook!"
"How about this, I'll treat you to a drink in a couple of days! After I leave, you help me look after Lou Xiao'e."
"When I come back from the countryside, I'll bring you some local produce, and maybe you can become like me too!"
"I wouldn't trust anyone else, but I trust you to handle things!"
After speaking, Xu Damao even gave Cao Yuan a lewd glance.
The last sentence was practically a direct statement that Cao Yuan was born an Eunuch Cao.
With that glance, Xu Damao felt even more satisfied.
He was indeed a soft persimmon, not as tough as him.
Seeing this, Xu Damao felt even more pleased, humming a little tune as he walked out of the outhouse.
Lou Xiao'e had never been able to conceive.
Only by comparing himself to Cao Yuan did Xu Damao feel like a man.
When Cao Yuan returned home, Yu Li was already waiting at Cao Yuan's doorstep, having been arranged by Third Master Yan Fugui.
"Why are you standing outside? It's so cold, come in quickly!"
Seeing Yu Li's face red from the cold, Cao Yuan quickly said with concern.
"It's fine, it's fine, I just arrived too."
After saying that, the two of them entered the house, one after the other.
Upon reaching the kitchen, Yu Li immediately beamed with joy when she saw the plump rooster Cao Yuan had bought back.
She and Yan Jiefang hadn't been married long, and they were short on money.
Although Third Master Yan Fugui had saved some money, he was extremely stingy, even calculating expenses when his family ate together.
So, Yu Li hadn't tasted meat in a long time.
As soon as she saw the large rooster, she was incredibly eager and immediately started helping to prepare it.
Plucking feathers, gutting it, she worked deftly and quickly cleaned the chicken.
Cao Yuan watched from the side, nodding, quite satisfied.
"Can you stir-fry Gongbao Chicken?" Cao Yuan, having just learned Master Chef Skill, asked Yu Li with full confidence.
Yu Li was stunned when she heard this.
She had never formally learned to cook and only knew how to make simple home-cooked meals.
Moreover, it was a time of famine, and winter, so everyone made do with easily stored vegetables like potatoes and cabbage.
Fresh vegetables were as expensive as meat, so how could ordinary families afford to make a dish like Gongbao Chicken, which required both ingredients and effort?
She thought for a moment and quickly replied, "I really can't do that! How about we stew it? I'm great at stewing chicken, and it will definitely be fragrant!"
She thought Cao Yuan didn't want her help, so she quickly changed her suggestion, telling Cao Yuan to stew it.
Hearing Yu Li's words, Cao Yuan naturally understood her thoughts.
He shook his head and said with a smile, "That's not what I meant. I meant, how about I teach you how to make it?"
"What? You make it?"
Hearing Cao Yuan's words, Yu Li was a little disbelieving.
She had never seen Cao Yuan cook more than a few meals himself; usually, when she went to Cao Yuan's, Cao Yuan cooked.
So Yu Li had always thought Cao Yuan couldn't cook.
Now, hearing him say he could, she was a little surprised.
Seeing Yu Li's obvious disbelief, Cao Yuan didn't explain anything.
He walked behind Yu Li and took her hand that held the cleaver.
Feeling Cao Yuan standing behind her and holding her hand, Yu Li's face immediately flushed, and she quickly pulled away, saying, "Cao Yuan, what are you doing? How can you be like this?"
But listening to Yu Li's words, Cao Yuan said calmly:
"Teaching you how to cook!"
Yu Li's face turned red again, and she began to blame herself for being too sensitive.
She must have misunderstood Cao Yuan.
Cao Yuan was a special person; how could he have any bad intentions?
He certainly didn't do it on purpose.
After figuring it out, Yu Li stopped struggling and let Cao Yuan hold her hand as they began to cut the chicken.
Cao Yuan stood behind her, smelling her unique scent, and feeling the softness and smoothness of her palm in his hand.
Even though Cao Yuan was a special person, his heart couldn't help but ripple.
Just like that, Yu Li held the cleaver, and Cao Yuan held her hand.
Cao Yuan began to process the rooster, meticulously deboning the meat piece by piece.
Since mastering Master Chef Skill, Cao Yuan had become adept at various advanced knife techniques.
Even while holding Yu Li's hand, it didn't affect his movements in the slightest.
The cleaver rose and fell in the air, and in Yu Li's widened eyes, in no time at all, a large rooster had its head and rump removed, and the meat and bones were neatly separated.
"Cao Yuan, you're really something! So you have this skill! You handle a knife so smoothly! Did you used to be a chef? I really had no idea!"
Yu Li was clearly astonished.
The knife skill Cao Yuan displayed, how could it look like someone who couldn't cook?
Although she hadn't seen the skills of any great chefs, she felt that this knife work was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
So, seeing this, she praised Cao Yuan without reservation.
Hearing Yu Li's praise, Cao Yuan merely smiled faintly and said, "I just messed around with it when I had nothing to do; I used to often help with farm work in the countryside."
As for the secret of his system, he naturally wouldn't reveal it.
So, he casually made an excuse to brush it off.
And as Cao Yuan spoke, the two stood so close, hearing Cao Yuan's low and magnetic voice echoing in her ears, Yu Li's face involuntarily flushed.
She then cut the deboned chicken into evenly sized small pieces.
Cao Yuan then released her hand and turned to get the carrots and peanuts he had bought earlier, beginning to wash them.
After Cao Yuan had walked away, Yu Li came back to her senses, muttering to herself, "Yu Li, Yu Li, what's wrong with you?"
"You're already a married woman, how can you fall for another man?"
"Besides, Cao Yuan is an Eunuch Cao."
Although she kept muttering this to herself, her face showed no unusual expression.
"Why does he have to be an Eunuch Cao!" She sighed, but after saying it, her gaze towards Cao Yuan became even more regretful.
Looking at Cao Yuan, although he was washing vegetables, he became even more determined in his heart that he must diligently practice Great Might Heavenly Dragon Divine Skill in the future to restore his body as soon as possible!
After washing the vegetables, Cao Yuan then personally taught Yu Li how to marinate the chicken.
With that subtle feeling from before, Yu Li didn't refuse this time, letting Cao Yuan stand behind her, holding her hand, and mixing the seasonings into the chicken.
Then, he taught her how to cut carrots.
This time, however, Cao Yuan had a little trick up his sleeve, deliberately cutting a bit slower.
Yu Li clearly noticed, twisted her body, and softly chided, "Naughty, cut faster!"
Hearing her say that, Cao Yuan slowly sped up.
But he felt delighted inside.
Although that part hadn't fully recovered, what harm was there in taking a small advantage?
After a good while of dawdling, Cao Yuan had all the ingredients for Gongbao Chicken ready.
The rest was much easier; just a few stir-fries and the dish would be done.
Yu Li wasn't idle either; she scooped two bowls of white flour from Cao Yuan's flour bin and began to knead dough to steam buns.
In this era, white flour wasn't something ordinary families could eat every day.
Unless it was a holiday or a special occasion, most families would buy cornmeal and steam cornmeal wotou (steamed buns) to make do.
Ultimately, one jin of white flour could buy more than two jin of cornmeal.
Take Qin Huairu's family, for example; even with Sha Zhu's help and Yi Zhonghai leading the neighbors to occasionally send food, their daily meals, all year round, consisted of corn wotou.
So, seeing Yu Li's family eat white flour buns every day, she felt incredibly envious.
After Yu Li kneaded the dough, she put it in the pot to steam.
Meanwhile, Cao Yuan also started to stir-fry the dishes.
With his Master Chef Skill, a large pot of dishes flew freely in his hands, his movements clean and swift, leaving Yu Li stunned.
Because of the heat from the stove, beads of sweat gradually appeared on Cao Yuan's side profile, and his healthy, wheat-colored skin appeared even more vibrant in the steam.
"Cao Yuan looks so handsome when he's serious about cooking!"
Yu Li couldn't help but praise him in her heart.
Compared to Yan Jiefang's slightly plump physique, although Cao Yuan had a natural defect, he had more masculine charm, more like a true man!
Just then, a plate of Gongbao Chicken was quickly stir-fried, and a rich aroma instantly wafted throughout the entire Siheyuan (Courtyard).
The fragrant smell of meat filled the air, and many neighbors in the courtyard cast envious glances at Cao Yuan.
In Second Master Liu Haizhong's house, the family was eating when they suddenly smelled this aroma.
"Tsk tsk, if I'm not mistaken, this smell... is Cao Yuan's family stir-frying meat, isn't it? And it's chicken! So fragrant!"
In Three Great Uncles' family, the second son, Liu Guangtian, drank his half-bowl of incredibly thin porridge, intoxicatingly sniffing the meaty aroma, and said enviously.
The third son, Liu Guangfu, also closed his eyes and said with a look of enjoyment, "Fragrant! So fragrant!"