Chapter 83 Assorted Hot Pot Xie Qi's stomach also started rumbling...

It started raining in Bianjing City. Although it was just a light drizzle, the lanterns that were half-erected on the Imperial Street were still soaked. The craftsmen hurriedly pulled up tarpaulins to cover them up, and even the local soldiers were mobilized to help.

Firecracker debris and embers mingled in the mud, and the lantern vendors huddled in twos and threes under the eaves of the roadside. The streets, which should have been bustling with activity during the first month of the lunar year, suddenly felt deserted in the rain.

The damp smell of rainwater wafted in, and Chen Miao sat behind the counter, the abacus beads clicking.

Taking advantage of her free time, she thoroughly reviewed last year's accounts.

Since opening her shop, her monthly turnover has averaged around 150 guan. By the end of the year, Shen Ji's turnover had reached as much as 1,350 guan.

Gross profit accounts for 60% of the annual turnover, and net profit is about 45%. The cost of vegetables and grains accounts for 30%, seasonings and consumables account for 3%, oil costs account for 2%, and the price of firewood and charcoal rises in winter, which together account for 3%.

The labor costs of Youyu, Atao, Tang Er, and Fuxing accounted for 12%. In addition, a total of 5% in taxes also needed to be paid.

In addition to the extra income from cooking at people's homes (of which the Feng family contributed the majority), Shen Miao has earned approximately two thousand guan since last year.

Compared to later generations, the profits at this time were much more substantial. After all, labor costs and various expenses in later generations were far higher than they were then. Here, because she didn't need to pay social insurance and housing fund contributions for her employees, she saved a considerable amount of money.

Shen Miao secretly pondered that in the future, she should give them more money during holidays and when distributing year-end bonuses. Now that the fast food restaurant had opened this year, she should also try to earn more money to raise their monthly wages.

After a moment's thought, she subconsciously began to consider whether the annual increase in salary management should be set at five percent or ten percent... After all, it's wrong to wait for employees to reach their breaking point and ask for a raise.

A good boss is one who proactively raises salaries.

Although human strength is considered the most worthless thing in this world, Shen Miao still decided to do it.

People often say that humans are worthless, but in her eyes, humans are not plants or trees, and she cherishes everyone around her from the bottom of her heart. As the owner, she can clearly sense whether she treats her employees well or badly by observing the smooth and efficient operation of the shop.

Shen Miao closed the ledger and looked back into the kitchen—Tang Er, Fu Xing, and A Tao were all secretly “working overtime.”

Chopping, cutting, and washing vegetables—starting from the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, they often got up early to prepare all the ingredients needed for her family's meals, and now they were quite skilled at it. Although Shen Miao always let them and the children go out to play, business at the shop wasn't good, and she could manage to prepare the dishes herself.

Atao buried herself in picking vegetables and said softly, "We've had enough fun, it's time to settle down."

Tang Er swiftly sliced ​​the meat with his knife, saying, "How can we watch our wife toil away while we enjoy ourselves here? There's no such logic in this world!"

Fuxing, who was cooking the soup, said, "We're just sitting around doing nothing anyway, but if we lend a hand, my wife can finish it faster."

Later, even Ji Ge'er came to help.

With them around, Shen Miao's burden has been much lighter. Besides, they've temporarily hired two idle men to help deliver meals, and in addition to their own son, Shiyilang, they've also rented a donkey cart. Once they hire a cook after the Lantern Festival, the fast food restaurant will be able to operate independently.

Shen Miao has already signed the lease for half of the shop. Since she doesn't need the house behind it, the rent is only twenty guan a month, which fits her budget perfectly.

Running a catering business is actually quite profitable. In her previous life, Shen Miao often split the profits 50/50. This is because you don't need a large shop; a kitchen, two or three cooks, and delivery people are enough. Moreover, the more compartments and finer the boxed meals are divided, the more elaborate they look, but the less food they actually hold. The meals are priced affordably because the costs are already low. Even in her later life, when labor costs were several times higher, she still achieved a peak monthly revenue of 100,000.

But she wasn't among the top performers. Rumor has it that some of her friends who were extremely successful in restaurant marketing even earned 160,000 yuan in a single month. [Note]

In fact, many seemingly inconspicuous small stalls and shops are quite profitable.

In Shen Miao's hometown, a small town, there's a roadside stall selling steamed buns that earns 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a month. In that economically underdeveloped town, this income surpasses that of most government employees and corporate workers. However, this seemingly ordinary livelihood is incredibly hard work; they have to get up before dawn to knead dough and make the buns.

That said, what ordinary person doesn't have a hard life? In the United States, many people work two jobs a day but still struggle to keep their homes.

She was already quite fortunate to receive more for her hard work, and she was very content. She liked her life now.

The fast food restaurant is currently in a bit of a rush, simply due to a shortage of manpower. But the Lunar New Year is a good opportunity to open up the market; with other restaurants closed, it's the perfect time for Chen Miao to do something big.

She currently has orders for about fifty soldiers and about thirty people from the Kaifeng government office. She's also negotiated with the well-connected Dwarf Ya Bao in the entertainment district; although the exact number of people for the group meals hasn't been reported yet, she expects it to be at least several dozen. While the number of orders isn't fixed daily—some people might eat today and not tomorrow, causing fluctuations—it generally stays within the range of seventy or eighty meals.

Once the fast food restaurant staff were all present and things were gradually getting on track, Shen Miao felt that its profits should not be lower than those of the soup noodle shop.

Shen Miao also asked Tang Er to go to the outer city's water gate to find Aunt Nian. They arranged for her to deliver meals to the entertainment district from now on. This way, Aunt Nian wouldn't have to work so hard sewing and washing clothes, and she wouldn't have to soak her hands in cold water in winter. The meal delivery job was relatively easy, and Shen Miao paid her five copper coins more per day than she used to earn at the entertainment district.

Aunt Nian had already agreed. If it weren't for the fact that the kitchen at Chenmiao Fast Food Restaurant hadn't been renovated yet, she would have wanted to come back to work with Tang Er that very day.

The new shop required a newly built stove, and she even commissioned two enormous iron woks, each 2 feet 2 inches (70 cm) in diameter, from a blacksmith. These woks were like the kind used at rural banquets in later generations, capable of cooking for 50-70 people at once. The matching spatulas were over 4 feet (1.5 meters) long. However… the cook she needed would probably have to be an exceptionally strong man; an ordinary person would find it difficult to wield those spatulas.

At that time, Dwarf Ya Bao was leisurely playing with birds at home with his legs crossed, but Shen Miao suddenly dragged him to talk business. When she asked him to hire a cook, he exclaimed that it would kill him, but he still readily agreed and would find someone for her after the Lantern Festival.

Incidentally, Shen Miao also pasted the words "Hiring" on the door panel of her own shop.

After settling the accounts, Shen Miao went into the kitchen to get busy.

The rain was pattering outside, so Xiangjie and her cats and dogs couldn't go out to play.

But the courtyard was quiet, which made Shen Miao cautiously peek out.

If a child is quiet, they're definitely up to no good.

Sure enough, under the old osmanthus tree, which had become quite bare in winter, many puddles had formed due to the rain. The rain was light and gentle, like mist, and several children, wearing straw hats and holding umbrellas, were playing in the mud with two dogs.

This was originally normal, but someone started it up, and they began smearing mud on each other, having a great time in secret. When Shen Miao discovered it, Chen Chuan, Xiang Jie'er, and the two dogs were all covered in mud. When she turned around, the sight of the beggar's chicken made her dizzy.

Fortunately, there was plenty of hot water in the kitchen. She put her hands on her hips, called the people and the dog over, and went back to fetch a basin of water for them to wash themselves.

Thunder and Wind knew they had made a mistake, their two dog eyes kept glancing at Shen Miao, and their tails were tucked between their legs.

Xiang Jie pulled Chen Chuan along, not daring to utter a sound. They stood hand in hand in front of Shen Miao, obediently wiping their faces and washing their hands with handkerchiefs. Their hair was even stuck together in a clump.

"Xiang-jie, did you drag Xiao-chuan into this again? It's already cold, and you two dare to play in the mud in the rain." Shen Miao glared at Xiang-jie while wiping the dog's body with a handkerchief. "She's going to learn law from Lawyer Deng tomorrow. How can she go looking all dirty? She can't take a bath right now."

When Shen Miao invited Lawyer Deng to the yamen to discuss business, he casually mentioned Chen Chuan's talent in law to Lawyer Deng. Shen Miao praised Chen Chuan to the skies. At the time, Lawyer Deng didn't say anything, but later he specially chose a day to come and see him, tested him on a few laws, and saw that Chen Chuan recited them very fluently. He also saw the characters that Chen Chuan had taught himself, so he agreed to let Shen Miao send the child to Xingguo Temple in the first month of the lunar year, so that he could become his apprentice from then on.

He would teach him to write, do arithmetic, draft contracts, and write legal documents. In the future, he could even take a specialized legal exam, and once he passed, he could officially enter the profession. Although being a lawyer required cultivating relationships with government officials, it was a very respectable and lucrative profession.

For the next few days, Chen Chuan was very happy; even his usually expressionless face was beaming with smiles. He even found the clothes he would wear tomorrow and asked A Tao to iron them for him using the bottom of a teapot. It was clear he was really looking forward to it.

Shen Miao usually didn't interfere with their playful antics, but since the perfume shops weren't open yet, it would be difficult to wash their hair if it got dirty.

Xiangjie glanced at Shenmiao's face and realized that her older sister wasn't really angry. So she tugged at Shenmiao's sleeve and pleaded, "I was worried that Xiaochuan would be busy studying all day at Lawyer Deng's and wouldn't have time to play, so I brought him along to play. Sister, please don't punish him with candy, punish me instead." She paused, then added in a soft voice, "Okay?"

In the past, when Xiang Jie and Chen Chuan were mischievous, Shen Miao would confiscate their snacks. When Chen Chuan first arrived, it was impossible to tell what he liked or disliked. At that time, he was in poor health and easily frightened. But later, perhaps influenced by Xiang Jie, he now particularly loves sweets, always carrying one or two candies in his pocket, and often even sleeping with a candy in his hand at night.

She was actually worried that the two children were playing too wildly and catching a cold. There were no vaccines back then, and catching a cold was awful; you just had to tough it out. So, she put on a stern face and scolded Xiang'er a few more times, telling them that they should take care of their health even while playing: "Don't always try to fool your older sister with your sweet talk. You're not allowed to play like that again next time, understand? If you really catch a cold, you'll both have to drink bitter medicine, wouldn't that be even worse?"

Upon hearing this, Xiangjie suddenly picked up the piece of clothing that she had grabbed, pouted unhappily, and said, "Why is it that when Ninth Brother acts cute with his older sister, she agrees, but I can't? Older sister is biased."

Shen Miao's face instantly flushed: "What? What did you say?"

"Didn't Ninth Brother also tug at his elder sister's sleeve and act cute back then? I saw it all clearly!"

Shen Miao's eyes widened, her face burning hot. Usually, she could talk for half an hour straight without stumbling when negotiating prices and making sales, but now she was so shocked that she stammered, "You...you...you...how could you have seen that! Weren't you guys ice skating at that time?!"

"We were going, but Liu Douhua said her family had just made a block of tofu and had specially set aside some tofu pudding. Her mother had also made brown sugar syrup, which was delicious when poured over the tofu pudding and mixed with some white sugar. She told us to eat it before we went. So we ate at her house before we went to play." Xiangjie covered her mouth and chuckled. "After we finished eating and went out, Yanshu tilted his head and said he thought he heard Ninth Brother's voice, so we all peeked through the crack in the door."

Back then, outside the courtyard gate, heads were piled one on top of another, a string of children with bright eyes, secretly watching her and Ninth Brother...

The sky has fallen.

Shen Miao dared not imagine how beautiful that scene would be.

"It's alright, sister. I've already told them not to gossip outside." Xiangjie patted her chest confidently. "I've made it clear that no one is allowed to tell anyone before you and Ninth Brother get married. Gou'er and Liu Douhua both swore an oath to me, so don't worry, sister."

"Get married! When did I say I wanted to get married?" Shen Miao was so embarrassed that she laughed in anger. She reached out to pinch her chubby face and pinched Chen Chuan, who was snickering next to her, as well.

“Sister, why did you agree to it? You’re acting like a heartless man in a play.” Xiang’er rubbed her face and leaned closer, saying in a precocious way, “But… Sister, even if you are a heartless man, you are still my sister. From now on, we will ignore Ninth Brother.”

“…Thank you.” Shen Miao’s steps were unsteady.

"You're welcome!"

After Shen Miao finished cooking the large pot of food, the idlers took all the food away, and she was still in a daze from the sudden social death.

She sat in the empty shop when a plump, upright tail swayed past the tables and chairs. She casually grabbed the Qilin, which was patrolling its territory, and held it in her arms. She petted the cat and quietly gazed at the street outside under the rain.

The city of Bianjing, shrouded in rain and mist, possessed a unique and gentle beauty, which captivated her.

Xiang Jie'er and Chen Chuan had already gone back inside to dry their hair. Shen Miao overheard Xiang Jie'er testing Chen Chuan on which female general was the most powerful. She suddenly remembered the jade dagger that General Xi had left for Xiang Jie'er. Shen Miao found two red strings, strung the dagger together, and put it into the small wooden box that Xiang Jie'er used to store her "treasures".

Shen Miao thus learned of the agreement between General Xi and Sister Xiang.

When she first heard about this, a little worry did creep into her heart: marching and fighting on the frontier, how arduous! And swords have no eyes; what if something unexpected happens?

But the thought had barely surfaced in her mind when it vanished into Xiang Jie'er's bright eyes. When she held up the jade dagger for Shen Miao to see, her eyes shone like black grapes with dewdrops. She proudly said, "Brother is wrong. General Fei said that it doesn't matter if you are fat or can't climb trees. He said I am brave and have a lot of talent to be a general."

She didn't recognize the character "Xi," so she called Xi Feijing "General Fei."

"General Fei also said that when Ninth Brother comes back, I can learn martial arts from him." She counted all her playmates on her fingers. "Liu Douhua likes to make tofu, Xiao Chuan can recite the law, my brother is very good at studying and wants to take the imperial examination; Gou'er said that the private tutor said he is not qualified enough and might not be able to pass the county-level examination, so he will become an accountant in the future. Before, when they asked, 'Xiang-jie, what about you?' I could never answer. But now—"

Xiang Jie gripped the jade dagger tightly, smiling as she spread her arms and circled around Shen Miao, truly like a bird about to take flight. "Sister, I can answer now too! I want to be the most powerful female general in the Song Dynasty!"

Shen Miao paused for a moment, then smiled.

She's worrying unnecessarily; that's Xiang Jie'er's life, she should be happy for her.

Whether it's bitter or sweet, the most important thing is to be willing to do it.

So afterwards, she put the matter aside and stopped thinking about it. Xiangjie was still young, and at this time, her desire to become a female general and learn martial arts was something that deserved encouragement no matter what the future held. As her elder sister, regardless of whether Xiangjie would really go to the border when she grew up, it was enough for her to be the home behind her, a home that would always be there whenever she looked back.

Children who grow up beside you will always fly far away.

She had heard people say that a child's growth is a process of separation from the very beginning, and the first to say goodbye are the people who raised them. This sounds somewhat sad, but it seems that only in this way can a grown child live a unique life that belongs to her alone.

Whether you are a parent or an elder sister, you must let go, like flying a kite until the very end. Hold onto the last bit of string, then let go and watch her soar high on her own.

As Shen Miao stroked the qilin's back fur, her initial shyness was carried away by the misty rain.

The New Year is almost over. I bet Ninth Brother had a very lively time in Chenzhou. There are so many members of the Xie clan. I'm afraid he'll have to spend the whole day paying New Year's visits and his feet will be sore from all the walking.

On her way to Bianjing, she had also passed through Chenzhou, an ancient and rustic city with pitted and uneven water-polished bluestone slabs, low eaves, and many fields planted with fresh and bright daylilies.

It wasn't as bustling as Bianjing, but it was still a prosperous place.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of Ninth Brother again. She had been very busy before, and would fall asleep as soon as she finished her work each day. Her thoughts were simple, but now, a mere rain had stirred up a sense of nostalgia in her.

"Qilin, do you miss Ninth Brother?" She picked Qilin up upright, supporting its head by its forearms, and looked into its bright eyes. She asked in a low voice, "I dare not say this to anyone else, but I can ask you."

Suddenly, it stretched its neck, twitched its ears, and moved its nose. Then it twisted its body, struggled, and ran away meowing.

"Hey, Qilin, you can't go out."

Shen Miao hurriedly stood up and chased after him outside the shop, but then slowly stopped.

The Qilin didn't run far. It meowed and pawed at the leg of a large chestnut horse in front of the door, trying to climb up. The rider nimbly dismounted, landed steadily on the ground, scooped the cat into his arms, and then looked up at Shen Miao with a smile.

Shen Miao was somewhat stunned.

Xie Qi, alone on horseback, seemed to emerge from the misty rain.

But upon closer inspection, one could see that beneath the hood, a thin layer of sand covered his fair face, his hair was disheveled, and fine strands of hair, damp with rain, fell softly to his ears, and even his hands and face were red from the cold.

He didn't even bring Yan Shu with him. No, perhaps Yan Shu and Zhou Da and the others were still behind him.

He was the only one who rode back at breakneck speed, braving wind and rain.

Shen Miao lifted her skirt and tried to come forward, but Xie Qi, holding the cat in one arm, came to meet her. He shielded her under the eaves, lowering his eyelashes still wet with raindrops: "Don't get wet in the rain."

It was clearly a cold and damp day, yet something seemed to be burning in her heart. She tilted her head slightly to look at him, scrutinizing him closely. The raindrops on his eyelashes were refracted by the sunlight, slowly wetting his eyelashes. His eyelashes were tangled together, making his eyes appear even more distinct, and even his gaze seemed wet.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Shen Miao finally looked away and asked this question in a soft, seemingly random voice.

But Xie Qi understood. He just kept looking at her without saying anything.

When he said goodbye to Madam Shen before the New Year, he did not tell her when he would return. But after the New Year, although he did not show anything on the surface, he was secretly anxious, like sitting on a hot plate, unable to concentrate on anything.

In Chenzhou, gazing at the snow-covered courtyard, he sat on the veranda, his thoughts drifting to the Shen family's small courtyard. The osmanthus tree's branches must be bent low under the weight of the snow, right? Qilin and Leiting must be snuggled asleep in the embers of the kotatsu again, and he couldn't quite recognize the animal that Xiang'er had built in the snowman… He thought of everyone and everything in the Shen family, but dared not dwell on the people he held dear.

Otherwise, he feared he wouldn't be able to resist wanting to see her.

I tried to hold back, but as the sun rose and set, I couldn't hold back any longer.

As soon as they left Chenzhou city gates by carriage, he began to wonder if Zhou Da's driving skills had deteriorated, as he was moving so slowly. He then decided to ride ahead on horseback, letting them leisurely follow without rushing to catch up. Even as he galloped along, he still wished his horse had eight legs, so it could run faster, much faster.

The closer he got to Bianjing, the faster his heart pounded.

Finally, he stopped in front of Shen's Soup Dumpling Shop and saw Madam Shen. All his anxiety, dazedness, and boredom vanished the moment his eyes met hers. Even his numb hands and feet gradually warmed up, as if hot blood was flowing through every inch of his skin. Yes, his body was more honest than his heart.

After dismounting, the wind carried the scent of rain and food from Madam Shen's body.

He could almost smell the faint spiciness of old ginger; Madam Shen must have been chopping ginger just now.

Xie Qi couldn't help but smile.

The two stood facing each other in front of the door, letting the wind blow on them for a while. Chen Miao couldn't stand it anymore, so she haphazardly reached out and patted Xie Qi's body to dry off. She then beckoned, "Come in and warm up. Honestly... you're completely soaked. Did you bring any clothes?"

Xie Qi obediently followed, honestly saying, "The clothes are all in the back, and I'm afraid they won't arrive until tomorrow. But there are a few more sets in the house in the west alley; I'll go back and get them."

Shen Miao took a deep breath: "If you don't mind, I'll have Tang Er go get it. You've been wearing wet clothes, getting soaked in the rain and then exposed to the wind. Don't catch a cold. Go inside and warm yourself by the fire, don't move around."

Xie Qi readily agreed and quickly pulled out his keys.

He didn't mind at all.

Rainy days bring darkness quickly, and the daylight is dim. Xie Qi soon changed into dry clothes and was pressed into the quilt by Shen Miao, warmly nestled in the Shen family courtyard, which was filled with the scent and traces of Madam Shen.

He hugged the warm, chubby Qilin, then turned to look at Madam Chen, who was standing on tiptoe with a long bamboo pole, lighting the lantern. He couldn't help but say, "Let me hang it."

Shen Miao turned her head and raised her hand to stop her: "Don't move, just sit there."

Xie Qi had just lifted his buttocks, so he had to sit back down.

As the lights in the Shen family courtyard gradually came on, his heart finally settled down.

After settling down, hunger welled up from deep within my body.

He hadn't eaten properly for two days when, just then, he heard the sound of bone broth bubbling in a pot coming from the kitchen.

Xie Qi's stomach also rumbled loudly.

He quickly covered his abdomen.

Unexpectedly, Shen Miao, with her sharp ears, overheard this. She smiled, put down the bamboo pole, went to light another lamp, and turned back to say, "We're having a mixed hot pot tonight. It's ready. I'll bring it out in a bit."

How embarrassing! Xie Qi blushed, unsure what to do with his hands and feet, but still managed to nod and say, trying to appear calm, "Thank you."

Only when Shen Miao lit the lantern under the front porch did he muster up the courage to look over again.

She wore a long, crimson jacket with fur trim, the snow-white rabbit fur at the collar framing her softly shaped chin. She was standing on tiptoe to light the lamp, and as she tilted her head back, a small section of her slender neck was slightly revealed. The lantern was held above her head, and the flickering light of the candle enveloped her.

She was bathed in the warm light that dispelled the gloom.

Xie Qi's gaze followed the candlelight upwards, slowly landing on the hairpin in her hair.

White jade-like clouds were hidden in her hair.

Xie Qi lowered his eyes and smiled.

Shen Miao hung up the lantern, clapped her hands, and jumped down. She didn't notice Xie Qi's expression, which was like that of a little wife who wanted to wring out her handkerchief. She went straight into the kitchen and brought out the casserole.

On such a damp and cold winter day, a mixed hot pot is just what you need. Use pork bone broth and chicken carcass as the base for the broth, then add fried meatballs, fried tofu, mushrooms, white cabbage, dried bean curd sticks, white radish, wood ear fungus, sliced ​​pork, and quail eggs. Simmer for ten minutes and it's ready to eat. The soup is incredibly delicious.

The most noteworthy item is the fried meatballs.

Add scallion and ginger water, eggs, minced ginger, starch, five-spice powder and other seasonings to the minced pork and mix until it becomes sticky. When the oil in the pot is about 80% hot, put the meatballs in and fry them until they are golden brown with a slight tiger-skin-like brown color. They can be taken out and eaten alone with dipping sauce or soaked in the soup in the pot. They are delicious either way.

Sprinkle with chopped green onions, and while it's still boiling, take the whole pot out and place it on the kotatsu table to warm it up before eating.

A light rain was falling under the eaves, and the corridor was filled with warm steam.

Before Xie Qi had even eaten himself, he scooped up a quail egg, carefully blew on it to cool it down, broke it open, and then fed it to Qilin.

The Qilin lay on his knee, and with its pink tongue curled into his mouth from his palm, it ate while purring and meowing, busy eating an egg.

Thunder and Wind Chaser also had their own hot soup and hot meals. Shen Miao specially cooked a bone with meat on it for them, without adding salt, and the two dogs ate it with gusto.

Fuxing heated up the Tusu wine and gave everyone a bowl. Drinking Tusu wine in the first month of the lunar calendar is a custom that has been passed down since the Tang Dynasty. It is said to have been brewed by Mr. Sun Simiao and can prevent typhoid fever.

Gu Tusu, who lives across the street, got his name because he was born in the first month of the lunar calendar and his family brewed wine.

Atao led Xie Qi's Rolls-Royce into the donkey shed and tied it up side by side with Shen Shiyilang. The Shen family didn't have a stable, and if it wasn't with Shiyilang, it would get rained on outside and be more prone to illness.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, just make do with Shiyilang for now." Atao patted the horse's back and came back to eat the hot pot.

Rolls-Royce entered the donkey shed with its head down. When it straightened its neck, its forehead bumped against the roof, and it had no choice but to lower its head again in frustration.

Turning its head, it saw a donkey wearing a donkey hat and a scarf, chewing on straw as if nothing was wrong, seemingly enjoying the coarse hay.

The horse snorted silently and with disgust.

Shen Miao served Xie Qi another bowl of hot soup, along with a large bowl of overflowing vegetables and meatballs, and told him about the fate between General Xi and Sister Xiang.

Xie Qi thanked her, his ears turning red. When he took the bowl, his fingertips had almost brushed against Madam Shen's fingers, and his heart was pounding. When he heard Shen Miao mention Xi Feijing, he was stunned for a moment: "My uncle?"

"You even praised Xiang Jie'er for being so amazing, and told her to learn the Xi family stick technique from me?" He then looked down at Xiang Jie'er sitting beside him, and Xiang Jie'er looked up at him and grinned.

No wonder he was wondering why Sister Xiang had taken the initiative to sit next to him today. So that's why.

Xiangjie tugged at his sleeve: "Ninth Brother, would you be willing to teach me?"

Xie Qi pondered silently for a while, then nodded firmly: "Since Uncle said so, and Xiang'er is willing to learn, I will naturally teach her with all my heart."

Xiangjie cheered and generously put a piece of fried meatball on Xie Qi's plate: "Ninth Brother, you're so kind. Eat more. The meatballs your sister fried are so delicious."

Shen Miao was amused and pretended to scold, "Look at this little devil, he's already starting to flatter me."

Xie Qi also smiled.

He was secretly delighted: wouldn't that mean he'd have a legitimate reason to visit Madam Shen's house every day? That would be wonderful! He wouldn't have to rack his brains every day to find excuses to borrow needles and thread anymore!