The two gray rabbits together weighed at least 20 kilograms, enough for Lu Qiqi's family to have a hearty meal.

Lu Qiqi thought the fur of the two gray rabbits was nice, and thought that Liu Tong should take good care of them so they could be used as scarves in winter.

Upon hearing that there was rabbit meat, Liu Tong immediately put down his work and rushed back to his tent. He figured everyone would agree; who wouldn't want to finish their work and go home to a feast?

When Lu Qiqi saw Liu Tong return, she said, "Uncle Liu, we hunted two rabbits today. I want to keep the rabbit fur to make collars and use the meat to eat."

Liu Tong rubbed his hands together when he saw the plump rabbit in the wooden basin. He was so excited that he could hardly contain himself and laughed heartily, "Don't worry about it, just leave it to me."

After saying that, Liu Tong carried the wooden shed out of the tent.

As the sun and moon rose and set, the candlelight shone brightly inside the tent.

Zhu Zi brought a large pot of spicy rabbit meat to the table, and the children at the table had been eagerly waiting for it because of the aroma.

Actually, it wasn't just children; adults couldn't help but swallow their saliva too.

Unlike the strict rules of ancient families who refrained from talking while eating or sleeping, Lu Qiqi picked up a piece of rabbit meat and put it in her mouth. The aroma filled her entire mouth, and the meat melted in her mouth, both spicy and numbing.

Lu Qiqi gave Liu Tong a thumbs up and said, "It's delicious!"

Liu Tong scratched his head sheepishly and chuckled, "This is all thanks to your spices. I've traveled all over the country for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever used so many spices when cooking."

Lu Qiqi smiled and said, "From now on, you can use these spices to create your own recipes."

Liu Tong was stunned. He hadn't expected Lu Qiqi to be so considerate of him. Every chef has their own unique recipe, and his eyes gradually reddened.

When Madam Lu thought about her own cooking skills, she realized that they were far inferior to Liu Tong's. Considering that Liu Tong had never given her any pointers, she felt that he was a very capable person. She smiled and said, "Chef Liu is indeed a master chef. The dishes you make are really delicious. I appreciate that you don't mind my cooking."

Liu Tong sniffed and quickly waved his hand, "No, no, it's no problem. When I came home, there was a hot meal. That was when my parents were still alive. Sister-in-law, I am already very grateful for what I have today. So, I will use tea instead of wine to thank you all for taking care of us three, master and disciple."

After saying that, Liu Tong finished drinking the tea in his cup.

Everyone picked up their teacups, gestured, and took a sip. Even Xibao drank it all in one go with great gusto, making a satisfying sound.

***

That day, Lu Qiqi and Liu Tong, master and apprentice, drove their oxcart into town to set up their stall. The pork bones and pork belly were bought by Zhu Zi in town the day before. Now all they had to do was push the cart into town, set up their stall, knead the dough, and wait for customers to come.

As soon as Lu Qiqi entered the city, she went to the South Market. She set up a spicy noodle stall, which required pork. She wanted to find a pork stall to negotiate the supply of pork and pork bones so that she wouldn't be stuck without the ingredients.

Lu Qiqi's first choice was still the pork stall where she bought pork for the first time.

After all, the butcher had given her a pork bone as a gift.

She walked up to Zhu's meat stall and asked, "Boss, are all the pigs you slaughter every day this big?"

Boss Zhu has dark skin, is not tall, but has a burly build, and has a large dimple at the corner of his mouth when he smiles.

Mr. Zhu laughed and said, "Miss, I remember you. Wasn't the pork you cut last time delicious?! I bought these pigs from Chen's pig farm. They don't let their pigs go to market until they weigh less than 300 jin."

Lu Qiqi smiled faintly and said, "If all the pigs in his place are of such good quality, then doesn't that mean most of the pork stalls in this town come from his family?"

Mr. Zhu said, "It's pretty much true. Some are raised by farmers themselves, but most come from his pig farm. You can buy with complete peace of mind."

Lu Qiqi said, "Boss Zhu, I'd like to cooperate with you long-term. Right now, I'll come to your store the day before the market and buy four to ten pork bones with meat on them, as well as twenty to fifty catties of pork belly and shoulder meat at market price. Once the city gates are no longer guarded, I'll place orders every day. The contract is for one year. Are you interested?"

How could he refuse such a good business opportunity? Boss Zhu nodded repeatedly, feeling that the location of his stall today was perfect, and he had welcomed a female god of wealth early in the morning.

Lu Qiqi and Boss Zhu signed a contract, and an old gentleman was found to act as a middleman. Lu Qiqi could tell from the old gentleman's upright posture that he must be an old man with some influence in Qingshui Town.

He immediately read the contract, signed his name, and affixed his fingerprint.

Lu Qiqi put the contract away and went to the West Market. She figured Liu Tong and his apprentice had already set up their stall, and she needed to go back and help.

Lu Qiqi walked to the intersection of West Market Road and saw a group of people gathered around, watching something. Before Lu Qiqi could push through the crowd to get a clear look, she heard a man cursing loudly.

"You fatso, get out of here with your men. Don't you know that this territory has always been used by me, Ge Dan?"

"You outsider, how dare you seize the locals' territory? I bet you want to go to jail with the vagrants."

Liu Tong was verbally abused by the skinny monkey in front of him. His face turned red and then pale. He bit his cheek and protected his two apprentices behind him.

He had originally planned to apologize properly for mistakenly taking someone else's spot to set up a stall, pack up his things, and find another place to set up his stall.

Unexpectedly, the skinny monkey's insults were so offensive that, in a moment of impulse, I punched him in the face.

The skinny monkey, having suffered a loss, brought seven or eight people to seek revenge in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Liu Tong was at a loss as to what to do in this situation. The destruction of the items was a minor matter; his biggest fear was that he wouldn't be able to protect his two young apprentices.

"Brothers, get them! Arrest them and send them to the government office. These three must be with the group of vagrants who were vandalizing the place."

After Hou Si finished speaking, he gave a wink to a tall man beside him. The man seemed to understand immediately, nodded, and led his men to rush over.

"Then let's go to the government office and find the officials to properly distinguish right from wrong." Lu Qiqi's clear voice attracted everyone's attention.

The group of people who had rushed forward stopped and looked at the beautiful girl behind them.

Hou Si was annoyed that the tall man and the others had stopped, and he was very disgusted with the young girl in front of him who had ruined his plans, even though she was somewhat pretty.

Hou Si said, "Why is this young lady out here mingling instead of embroidering at home? I advise you not to meddle, or you'll be sent to the authorities too."

Lu Qiqi strode over to Liu Tong and said, "Do you think my family's affairs are none of my business?!"

As Liu Tong watched Lu Qiqi walk towards him step by step, the unease in his heart gradually subsided. It was as if he knew that as long as Lu Qiqi was here, nothing would happen to him and his disciple. He completely forgot about the age and gender of the little girl in front of him.

Hou Si saw that Lu Qiqi and Liu Tong were in cahoots, so he forgot all his good advice and thought only of taking her down with him so that no one would compete with him for his territory and business.

Hou Si said, "All of you, get them! Don't let that little brat escape either!"