After the Lin He family finished their meal, everyone clamored to start making sausages. Little Bao bounced with excitement upon hearing they were making sausages again, exclaiming it had been ages. Indeed, the last time was when they slaughtered a pig at home, so it was no wonder Little Bao missed the flavor so much; even the adults like Er Niu felt a distinct craving remembering it.

Wen Ningmo had originally planned to take a nap—it was a family custom to rest briefly after lunch, a habit ingrained since childhood. But upon hearing about the sausage-making, he refused to sleep, insisting on staying to watch.

Cai Qing and the other maids in Lin He's household had never seen this 'sausage' before and were equally thrilled. They insisted on helping with the process. Lin He put Zi Qing and Zi Yu in charge of the main tasks, with Cai Qing and the others assisting where needed. Making sausages was better with more hands: the hog casings needed washing, the meat needed careful trimming and chopping, and then came the stuffing. Er Niu had bought quite a bit of pork, so with more people, the work naturally progressed faster.

Da Bao hauled out the old oven they had used before. Wen Ningmo, watching so many people working, instantly became a curious child, asking why this was done one way and how that was done another. He asked in such detail that anyone observing might have thought he was there to learn the trade secrets, intending to sell the recipes later.

Seeing the young master's keen interest, Lin He answered all his questions patiently. Nearly ten people from the household were busy all afternoon. As dinner time approached in the evening, the first batch of sausages was finally ready for roasting. Lin He used chopsticks to offer some to the young master and Little Bao. As the young master ate, he said with evident satisfaction, "It turns out these sausages are even tastier hot than cold, and the aroma is so rich—truly delicious. It would be wonderful if He'er could come to my home as a chef."

"Hehe, if I came to your house to be a chef, you’d probably tire of them after eating too much. Besides, eating these sausages occasionally is fine, but too much gets tedious. Since the young master likes them, eat your fill today," Lin He replied with a smile.

"No, He'er, you cooked the midday meal too, didn't you? That food was so good. Except for that rabbit meat, everything else was delicious. My family’s cook makes the same few dishes every day; it's incredibly boring. The food you make is fragrant; this is the first time I’ve tasted it. I never knew that simply stir-frying eggs with chili peppers could be so tasty," the young master remarked.

Lin He realized then just how endearing this young master was; he was sweet-tongued, and no longer as irritating as she first thought. It seemed some people only reveal their true character after long interaction. When she first met Wen Ningmo, his initial hostility toward her made her find him utterly annoying—pretentious and gossipy. But after a day of interaction, she found that while the young master was a bit mischievous, he was well-mannered and fundamentally a kind child.

The second day the young master visited was Laba Festival. Lin He asked Da Bao and Little Bao to take him out to play, reasoning that since he rarely visited the countryside, he must want to see the surroundings. Lin He planned to prepare some special food for him at home. For Laba Festival, they traditionally ate Eight-Treasure Rice Pudding in the evening, a dish Lin He had made before for her family.

Lin He decided not to make it this year. Noticing they had some small yellow millet, she thought she would steam it and make a kind of Niangao (New Year Cake) similar to what she remembered from her past life, for everyone to share. Making Niangao was quite simple: remove the husks from the small yellow millet, soak it briefly in water, then steam it until it turned into cooked rice. Once steamed, the rice needed to be pounded until it became a sticky mass. This small yellow millet had strong adhesive qualities, so once pounded, it naturally held together. It was best eaten hot, perfect for dipping in sugar or bean powder.

To make the Niangao slices, the pounded yellow millet needed to cool slightly and firm up before being cut into thin pieces, then stir-fried with other ingredients. While the taste wouldn't be exactly the same as the Niangao from her past life, it bore a resemblance, and the flavor was still excellent.

When Da Bao returned in the afternoon with the others, Lin He made them some stir-fried Niangao. Everyone declared it delicious, and the young master was utterly delighted. Lin He said she had made plenty for him to take back, instructing Da Bao to write down the method so the young master’s cook could prepare it.

In the evening, they ate the Eight-Treasure Rice Pudding. During his few days at Lin He's house, the young master found everything incredibly novel—things he had never encountered before. The card games, Go, and Tianxia Taiping games Little Bao played were all new to him, as was the food Lin He served. Wen Ningxuan had always assumed Lin He, being a country girl, knew nothing, but visiting her home this time left him somewhat deflated. He realized that as a young master, there were so many things he didn't know; he felt inferior to Little Bao, who was several years his junior.

Wen Ningmo couldn't help but envy Little Bao, who had so many novelties to play with every day. His own routine consisted solely of reading and practicing horse stance in the courtyard—it was dreadfully monotonous.

The young master stayed at Lin He's for three days. On the afternoon of the third day, Uncle Wen sent someone to fetch him. Before leaving, the young master gifted Little Bao and the others the jade pendant and sachet he wore, thanking Little Bao for teaching him so many games so he wouldn't be bored at home anymore. He also promised Little Bao and Chen'er that the next time they had a chance, he would have Lin He bring them to town, and he would certainly show them around.

He looked back at Little Bao and the others with reluctance as he departed. Er Niu and Huang Shi also told the young master that the countryside was particularly wonderful after the New Year when spring arrived, and he should visit again if he had time.

Wen Ningmo happily agreed, promising he would definitely return next spring. The few days the young master spent at Lin He's meant the Lin He family had been busy for several days, but everyone, from top to bottom, had taken a liking to him. They commented that the young master was remarkably approachable, contrary to their expectations that children from wealthy families would all be spoiled and domineering; this young master seemed to lack those flaws.

Zi Qing and Zi Yu, who had previously worked in Uncle Wen's household (though not serving the young master directly), gave him a very good review. They mentioned that the young master treated the servants in the estate very well, rarely throwing tantrums, and even when he did, he never resorted to hitting or scolding them. They credited this to the excellent upbringing at Uncle Wen's house.

And truly, a child is essentially a blank slate; what adults draw upon it becomes black or white. To cultivate good character in a child, the parents and elders of the household must provide exemplary education.