This side of the Lotus Courtyard.

Liu Ji and Erlang delivered the pickled radish just in time, just in time for Gong Liangliao and Qi Xiangguan, the master and apprentice, to have their meal.

Shitou asked the kitchen to cut the radish and brought it to the table himself.

Gong Liangliao had not been able to go out for a wheelchair ride these days because of the cold weather. He had not exercised, so his body's energy consumption was low and naturally he had no appetite. As he was looking at the table full of farm dishes and thinking about when to go to Qin Yao's house to have a meal made by Awang, he smelled an enticing sour smell.

It was a very fragrant and sour taste, a mixture of many spices. Just by smelling it, he could think of the small shop selling pickled goods in Kyoto.

The various side dishes in that restaurant cannot be made by the chef in the mansion, and even if they are made, they don’t taste the same.

When his appetite was poor in the summer, he would order the kitchen to cook a pot of thick white porridge, which he would eat with pickled vegetables from the store. He would drink two large bowls of it.

"What's that smell?"

As soon as Shi Tou entered the room, the old man looked over, his eyes fixed on the porcelain plate in his hand, his expression becoming brighter and brighter.

Shitou put the pickled radish down and replied, "Sir, this is the pickled radish sent by Master Liu. Perhaps he knows that you don't have a good appetite today, so he specially sent it to you to whet your appetite."

Qi Xianguan stood up slightly and took a look. The white radish dotted with bright red dogwood fruits looked very appetizing.

Gong Liangliao did not show it on his face, and even complained about Liu Ji for doing these improper tricks, but he stretched out his chopsticks the fastest.

He put a piece of radish into his mouth. It was slightly cool, but the room was very hot, so the slight coolness was just right. It was refreshing and crisp. Gong Liangliao didn't say anything more and started eating it with chopsticks.

Qi Xianguan waited and waited, waiting for the teacher to speak, and then he started eating.

Who would have thought that the old man couldn't stop eating. After a long time, Qi Xianguan could hardly swallow his saliva. The old man seemed to have just remembered him and waved his hand, asking him to try it too.

Only after the master spoke did the apprentice dare to try. Unfortunately, before he could taste two slices, the porcelain plate was as shiny as new, but all the pickled radish was gone.

Qi Xianguan smacked his lips. If it wasn't for the dark and slippery road outside, he would have wanted to take a walk to Qin Yao's house and steal all of her jars for soaking radishes.

Shitou looked at his own son pitifully, then looked at Gong Liangliao who had finished a big bowl of white rice with a satisfied look on his face, and secretly winked at his own son, and there's more.

Qi Xianguan was secretly delighted. After finishing his dinner and spending some time with his teacher, he asked Shitou to take him to have a snack as soon as he left the hall.

"Don't worry, sir. The person has already been prepared and placed in your room." Shi Tou said with a smile.

Qi Xiangun happily stepped into his bedroom. The lights were already lit and two charcoal stoves were lit, making the room warm.

A pile of pickled radishes as white as jade was lying quietly in a green porcelain plate, waiting for him to taste.

Qi Xianguan ate it all in one breath, then looked up and found Shitou still standing in front of him, looking like he was waiting for something to say. He asked suspiciously, "What else?"

Shitou: "Sir, a big event happened in Kaiyang County recently. Would you like to hear about it?"

Qi Xianguan guessed it immediately, "Is it related to Liu Ji?"

Shitou nodded reluctantly, "I guess so. After all, he is also Lady Qin's husband."

That was related to Qin Yao. Qi Xianguan looked puzzled. Wasn't she always running the stationery factory in the village? What did the big event in Kaiyang County have to do with her?

"No one in the village is talking about anything important." Qi Xianguan said puzzledly.

Shitou looked in the direction of Qin Yao's house and sighed deeply, "Sir, few people in the village go out, so no one talks about it, but in Kaiyang County, it's so lively."

Shitou told his son the story of the golden toad.

He was one of the three evildoers in Kaiyang County. Because of a grudge over a hundred acres of land, he was retaliated and fell from power overnight. Everyone wanted him to be killed. Even operas didn't dare to write this story in this way.

The source of all this was Liu Ji and his wife. The news spread all over Kaiyang County. No one could mess with this couple, or else they would end up like the Jin family.

Qi Xiangun was surprised. He didn't expect that the people around him had done such a big thing in the past two or three days.

But he still said objectively: "This is to eliminate harm for the people, isn't it a good thing?"

Shitou also holds the same view on this point, but it is terrifying to think about it carefully, young master!

"Do you know how the remaining two evils call Madam Qin behind her back?"

Qi Xiangun shook his head, signaling Shitou to stop keeping him in suspense and finish his words in one breath.

Shitou whispered, "The bullies all call her the Evil Ghost Lady."

Isn't it scary that a person who looks cold on the outside but warm on the inside may actually be a cruel person who takes revenge on the spot and kills people without blinking an eye in places they can't see.

Qi Xianguan was stunned. How could an evil ghost be beside him?

Looking up at Shitou's horrified look that made his scalp tingle, Qi Xianguan felt that he was thinking too much.

The young man said seriously: "The bullies call her the Evil Ghost Lady because she stands on the side of the innocent people. In the eyes of the people who are persecuted by the bullies, she is their hero!"

"Shi Tou, you should listen less to those storybooks in the future. They are all made up by poor scholars to deceive people." Qi Xianguan looked serious and warned his men as a master not to demonize heroes.

Shitou knelt down hurriedly, bowed his head and clasped his fists, saying: "I know I was wrong, please calm down, sir!"

The room was silent for a while before Qi Xianguan said gently, "Get up."

"Thank you, sir." Shitou then stood up and retreated behind the door.

Only a book boy was left in the room to serve. Qi Xianguan came to the desk and selected a book to read, but his mind was not on the book.

Qi Xianguan suddenly felt that his usually shameless Junior Brother Ji was being too normal this time, which made him seem awkward.

Such a big thing happened, but he didn't even inform me. What if he has a better idea?

After thinking about it, Qi Xianguan decided to learn from Qin Yao and never waste his time on internal things. He put down his books and went to bed. He would get up early the next morning and personally ask Liu Ji what his junior brother meant and whether he took him, his senior brother, seriously!

The next day, after Liu Ji finished his housework including washing clothes, sweeping the floor, exercising, and memorizing books, he ate a mouthful of hot food in the morning and hurried to the Lotus Courtyard carrying his book box.

Before he could enter, he was blocked at the door by a junior brother wearing a black cloak.

The cold wind blew, and Liu Ji's back tensed up and he shivered with cold. "Brother, why are you standing at the door in the cold? Come inside and warm yourself by the fire. I'm freezing to death."

As he said this, he was about to take action, and as usual, he put his arm around the junior brother's shoulder, preparing to put his arm around his shoulders.

With a "pa!" sound, Liu Ji was caught off guard and was hit on the back of his hand by a small hand.

Compared to the slap from the evil woman at home, this was a piece of cake and I felt nothing at all.

but!

Dignity is lost!

Liu Ji subconsciously raised his hand to hit him on the head, but Qi Xianguan narrowed his eyes and stared at him, shouting, "Liu Ji, how dare you!"

The young man raised his hand high, and finally gently placed it on the boy's forehead, "Hey, look at you, brother, your hair is messed up by the wind. Come, let me comb it for you."

Qi Xianguan snorted coldly but breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Fortunately, Liu Ji did not dare to hit his senior brother on the forehead.

So the elder brother asked the younger brother: "Why didn't you tell me when you were in trouble? Did you think I was too young to help you?"

Qi Xianguan approached Liu Ji and added in a low voice: "My uncle is the lord of your place!"

Liu Ji was pleasantly surprised and asked, "Then for next year's prefectural examination, can you ask the Lord of the Prefecture to make an exception and let me pass directly?"

Qi Xianguan stared: "What did you say?!"

Liu Ji was surprised and asked, "Brother, what are you talking about?"

They were talking nonsense and looked at each other in silence for a while.

Gong Liangliao's full-throated roar came from the courtyard: "Should we attend this class or not?"

The two brothers looked at each other awkwardly before they started moving again.