Chapter 93 Sweet Lotus Root "We are friends!"

It had been over half a month since Lin Yao last visited the children at the martial arts school. Looking at the remaining lotus roots in the kitchen, a brilliant idea struck her: besides making lotus root sandwiches and lotus root starch, lotus roots could also be made into sweet lotus root. This soft, sweet treat would surely be a hit with the children.

She selected some robust lotus roots with short, thick segments, as these have a high starch content and will be more tender and creamy when stewed. First, she rinsed the mud off the lotus root skin with clean water, then carefully scraped off the outer skin to reveal the fresh lotus root flesh inside.

Next, Lin Yao cut the lotus root into evenly sized sections, each about three inches long, and soaked them in water to prevent them from oxidizing and turning black.

Wang Xiaoyu was clearing away dishes in the kitchen when she saw her busy with lotus roots again. She went up to her and asked, "Master, what new and interesting dish are you making this time?"

"I'll make sweet lotus root and send it to the martial arts school as a snack for the kids." Lin Yao said as she added water to the clay pot. "Sweet lotus root needs to be simmered slowly with rock sugar until the lotus root flesh turns a deep red color."

She put the soaked lotus root segments into a clay pot, sprinkled a handful of rock sugar on top, and added a few slices of ginger, saying it would neutralize the cooling properties of the lotus root. She covered the pot and simmered it slowly over low heat.

About an hour later, Lin Yao lifted the lid of the pot, and a rich, sweet aroma wafted out. The originally white lotus root had turned deep red, and the soup was thick. With a gentle poke of chopsticks, the lotus root flesh could be easily pierced, and it looked incredibly soft and tender.

"It smells so good!" Wang Xiaoyu leaned over to take a sniff and couldn't help but swallow. "This sweet lotus root smells delicious. The kids will definitely fight over it."

Lin Yao filled a large bowl, poured some broth into it, and waited for the sweet lotus root to cool completely. She then put it in a food box, covered it with a clean cotton towel to keep it warm, and carried the food box to the martial arts school.

Inside the martial arts school, Song Mi stood outside the courtyard gate as punishment.

Lin Yao saw her as soon as she entered the room. "What happened?"

“Last night I sneaked into the kitchen and took a piece of bread.” Xu Zhiheng’s voice came from the courtyard. He was standing on the steps, his face showing no anger. “I said he would stand there for half an hour as punishment, and there’s still a quarter of an hour to go.”

Song Mi then muttered softly, "I woke up hungry..."

"Why didn't you tell your master if you were hungry? Eating cold food will only give you an upset stomach." Xu Zhiheng raised his eyebrows, his gaze sweeping over the food box in Lin Yao's hand, his tone softening a bit, "Alright, for Sister Yao's sake, the rest of the time will be waived."

Song Mi immediately raised her head, her eyes sparkling. She first bowed respectfully to Xu Zhiheng, saying, "Thank you, Master Xu." Then she turned to Lin Yao and called out obsequiously, "Sister Yao, what is this?"

"This is the sweet lotus root I just made," Lin Yao said, opening the food box. The lotus root segments were soaked in thick sugar syrup, and the sweet aroma seemed to spread out and keep wafting into people's noses, making Song Mi swallow hard.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Yao couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on, let's go to the yard and eat with everyone."

Xu Zhiheng watched her retreating figure and smiled. Did the fact that she didn't correct his form of address mean that they had taken a step closer?

If Lin Yao knew what he was thinking, she would laugh so hard she couldn't stand up straight. She had lived as a modern person for over twenty years, and being addressed as "Young Master" and "Young Lady" all the time made her uncomfortable. Now, being able to call him by his name directly felt much more comfortable.

As soon as they entered the inner courtyard, the children who were playing stopped and all looked at Lin Yao and Song Mi with surprise in their eyes.

"Sister Lin!" the children called out in unison, their voices clear and loud.

Jin Yu walked over from the side and said, "Lady Lin, you've finally arrived. The children have been talking about you for days."

"I brought some sweet lotus root for the children, let's all try it." Lin Yao opened the food box, and the children cheered and gathered around, their eyes fixed on the food box.

Lin Yao gestured for everyone to line up, then picked up a clean bamboo skewer, threaded the sweet lotus root onto it, and distributed them to the children one by one.

"Thank you, Sister Lin!" Each child thanked her sweetly after receiving the sweet lotus root, then found a place to sit down obediently and began to savor it in small bites. The courtyard instantly became much quieter, with only occasional satisfied sighs and the children's quiet conversations.

Looking at the children's well-behaved appearance, Lin Yao smiled gently. She turned around, took out a small ceramic jar from the basket she had brought, walked to Xu Zhiheng's side, and handed it to him: "This is lotus root starch that I just made in my workshop. Mix it with warm water and then add boiling water, and it will become a smooth paste. Try it."

Xu Zhiheng looked down at the lotus root starch in his hand, then looked up at Lin Yao, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in his eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Why are you so good to me?" His voice was lower than usual, with a hint of probing, secretly hoping to hear a different answer.

Lin Yao didn't think much of it. She just felt that he was not only Lin Song's teacher, but also had a lot of business dealings with her, so it was only right to give him something. She smiled and said, "Because we are friends. Isn't it natural for friends to think of each other?"

Xu Zhiheng's smile froze for a moment, the expectation in his eyes gradually dimmed, and he replied softly, "Yes, friend."

Jin Yu, who was standing to the side, watched all of this with a look of astonishment, as if she had discovered something extraordinary, and even forgot to chew the lotus root in her mouth.

It wasn't until Lin Yao finished packing up the food box and returned to the restaurant that Jin Yu came to her senses and gossiped as she approached Xu Zhiheng, "My lord, could it be that you're in love with Miss Lin?"

Xu Zhiheng's ears turned slightly red. "So what if it is?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a small figure peeked out from behind a pillar. It was Lin Song, who had run over at some point. He was still clutching half a piece of unfinished sweet lotus root in his hand, his round eyes wide open, looking at Xu Zhiheng and then at Jin Yu, his little face full of curiosity.

"Master, do you have feelings for my elder sister?" Lin Song asked confidently, clearly having understood their conversation.

Xu Zhiheng coughed lightly: "What do kids know? Don't talk nonsense."

Jin Yu laughed so hard she almost fell over, and patted Lin Song's head: "Song'er is such a clever little devil, he heard everything."

Lin Song blinked, walked up to Xu Zhiheng, tilted his little face up, and said earnestly, "I know what Xin Yue means, it means you want to marry my older sister, right?"

Xu Zhiheng was speechless when asked by a child. Looking into Lin Song's clear and innocent eyes, he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Jin Yu laughed even harder: "Song'er, what do you think of your master? If he wanted to marry your older sister, would you agree?"

Lin Song tilted his head and thought for a moment, then counted on his little fingers and said, "Master teaches us martial arts and buys us candy, which is great. But," he changed the subject, "it seems that my older sister doesn't like Master."

Hearing this, Xu Zhiheng felt a pang of sadness. The embarrassment of having his thoughts exposed by Lin Song was instantly replaced by a deep sense of loss. He sighed and reached out to ruffle Lin Song's hair: "You don't understand adult matters yet. Go and play with the other children."

Lin Song persisted, "I understand! Master Bai said that if someone is in love with another person, they will often mention that person, but she rarely mentions you."

Xu Zhiheng: "..." This child, why does he speak so directly?

Jin Yu laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

"Why does Bai Yi tell everything to the children?" Xu Zhiheng glared at Jin Yu. He turned to leave, but Lin Song grabbed his sleeve. "Master," Lin Song looked up at him with sincere eyes, "I will put in a good word for you and ask my sister to think of you more."

Looking at Lin Song's precocious manner, Xu Zhiheng felt both amused and annoyed. "Alright, alright, thank you."

Lin Song then released his grip with satisfaction and turned to skip and jump to find other children to play with.

Xu Zhiheng suddenly remembered something and quickly grabbed him, his expression turning serious: "Song'er, we can't tell your sister what we just said, understand?"

Lin Song blinked, seemingly puzzled: "Why?"

Xu Zhiheng pretended to be stern and said, "It's not for any reason. If you tell your older sister, you'll have to practice horse stance for an extra hour every day from now on."

Upon hearing the words "horse stance," Lin Song's face immediately fell. Horse stance was his least favorite thing; he was always exhausted and his legs would go weak after practicing it. He quickly shook his head vigorously, "I won't say it! I won't say it! Don't worry, Master, I promise I'll keep my mouth shut!"

Xu Zhiheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Go have fun."

Lin Song felt as if he had been granted a pardon and disappeared in a flash.

Seeing Xu Zhiheng's expression, Jin Yu leaned closer and said, "In a few days it will be Miss Lin's birthday. Since you are fond of her, why not take this opportunity to prepare some decent gifts? Maybe you can win her favor."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiheng looked up at Jin Yu and asked, "How do you know A Yao's birthday?" He had never heard Lin Yao mention it, and he hadn't even had a chance to find out himself.

Jin Yu gestured towards the courtyard, where Lin Song was chasing after several children. "That kid Lin Song was pestering Bai Yi to teach him to paint a few days ago, saying he wanted to paint the most beautiful picture to give to my sister as a birthday gift. But my husband was recuperating at home those days, so it's no wonder you didn't know."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiheng turned around and left the martial arts school.

Jin Yu was secretly delighted. His young master had finally come to his senses and knew to go and choose a gift early. The general and his wife would surely be happy if they knew. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he subconsciously followed, wanting to see what novelties his young master would choose to please Lady Lin.

To everyone's surprise, Xu Zhiheng didn't head towards the jewelry shop or the silk shop at all. Instead, he headed south, going further and further off the beaten path. He didn't even stop when he passed by a cosmetics shop.

Xu Zhiheng led him through a maze of turns until they found an inconspicuous Kang Family Ironware Workshop in the alley south of the city where blacksmiths gathered.

Kang Lan was originally a craftsman in the army, possessing unparalleled forging skills, said to be able to forge swords that could cut through iron like mud. However, for some reason, he offended the prince who came to supervise the army. The prince ordered him to be punished according to military law, but the general who had once recognized his talent secretly protected him, allowing him to hide in Qingquan Town under an assumed name and become an ordinary blacksmith, making a living by forging farm tools and ironware.

"No way..." Jin Yu was both amused and exasperated. Besides sickles, hoes, and iron pots, Uncle Kang only had a few forged daggers and longswords. What could he possibly give a young lady as a gift?

My lord is such a blockhead.

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Author's Note: Jin Yu: [Question mark]

Writing this wasn't easy, please add it to your favorites! [Please][Crying emoji]