Chapter 22 Oh? How does it taste?

When Fan Xiaoxiao and her two companions returned to Old Zhao's house, they ran into Chen Ergou from next door at the door. He looked disheveled and exhausted, his face revealing his weariness and exhaustion. Upon seeing Fan Xiaoxiao, his expression immediately turned ugly, and he slammed the door shut in front of the three of them.

"Bang"

Looking at the tightly closed door next door, the remaining three stood facing each other in bewilderment. Aunt Wang clutched her chest and said, "My goodness, my heart was pounding. Is this person perhaps a little crazy?"

Fan Xiaoxiao smiled and glanced at the tightly closed courtyard gate, saying, "Who knows? Maybe it's a ghost."

After saying that, the three of them entered Old Zhao's house. As soon as they entered the yard, Xiao Bao toddled over and hugged Aunt Wang's leg, looking up at the three of them and asking, "Grandma, have you finished buying and cooking yet?"

His little face practically screamed, "Is there anything left? Can I have some?" Aunt Wang picked him up and rubbed him for a while, then said with a smile, "Sold out! All sold out! Even the sauce is gone!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bao's head immediately drooped, and he muttered somewhat dejectedly, "It's all sold out, it's all bought up, that's good, now we have money."

Fan Xiaoxiao found this amusing and tugged at Aunt Wang, saying, "Alright, Auntie! Stop teasing him. Didn't you leave him some to put in the jar?"

Xiao Bao, whose gluttonous little scheme had been exposed, blushed as red as an apple. He carried the jar into the kitchen, and Fan Xiaoxiao took out the wood ash that Fan Shi had sifted for her under the eaves. The three of them then continued to clean the internal organs in the yard using well water.

A short while later, Xiao Bao came out again with a bowl. He first walked up to Aunt Wang, held up the bowl and chopsticks, and said to her, "Grandma! Let's all eat together! Xiao Bao asked his mother to save some for Grandpa Zhao, let's eat together!"

Aunt Wang was so moved by this gesture that she wiped her eyes and felt a wave of tenderness in her heart. Where could there be a more sensible child than Xiao Bao!

“Good boy, you eat. We just ate at the stall.”

Xiao Bao was a little skeptical and turned to Fan Xiaoxiao beside him, asking, "Really?"

Fan Xiaoxiao rubbed her face against Xiaobao's hair and laughed, "Really! Xiaobao, you eat first. Auntie will make some new delicious food for everyone to eat together tonight. You have to eat your fill. You can help Auntie with some chores this afternoon!"

Hearing this, Xiao Bao finally felt relieved and sat down under the eaves to eat. After a few bites, he remembered that Fan Xiaoxiao had asked him to do something, so he looked up blankly and asked, "By the way, what does Auntie want Xiao Bao to do?"

"You eat first, you'll find out this afternoon!"

The shadow guard, who was secretly watching Xiao Bao, was eating heartily with his bowl in hand when he felt a presence approaching from behind. Startled, he immediately drew his dagger and swung it around.

"Don't be so nervous, it's me."

The languid young man leaned against the tree trunk, the dagger that the shadow guard had just thrown between his fingers.

"Greetings, my lord."

Gu Zhongtai waved his hand: "Alright, what are they doing?"

The guard glanced at the group of people in the courtyard and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, they are washing their offal."

Gu Zhongtai raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled. Was Xiahou's money bag filled with stones? Why would they need to wash such things when they had silver?

"They didn't use the money Xiahou gave them?"

"yes!"

"Ha, so they live off eating this offal?"

"No, this sewage treatment is their business."

Gu Zhongtai's interest was piqued. In his mind, sewage was an extremely dirty and foul-smelling thing. He found it hard to believe that it could be used for business.

How does it taste?

Upon hearing this, the guard immediately broke out in a cold sweat, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate deserves to die; I shouldn't have had any contact with the mission target!"

"Oh, so how does it taste?"

Sweat trickled down the guard's forehead. He lowered his head and stammered, "It's...it's alright."

Gu Zhongtai gave a lazy chuckle, then turned and left, leaving only the words: "Send a copy to Xiahou tomorrow, and also report to me on this girl's whereabouts over the past few days."

Fan Xiaoxiao, washing the drains in the yard, was completely oblivious to everything. She was pondering where she should go to collect what she wanted that afternoon…

(End of this chapter)