Drawing seriously

Yi Shen's words were so serious that Qi Kong smiled and couldn't help but say, "Wei Chong, you're still the same as before."

No matter what Wu Qi did, he always said she wasn't causing trouble.

It wasn't that Yi Shen blindly trusted Wu Qi.

Rather, it was Wu Qi who knew his limits.

"Alright, you've all grown up now. Your parents aren't chains to you. Do whatever you want from now on. Just remember to come home and find your parents if anything happens." Qi Kong glanced at the four of them. He didn't realize when they had all grown up. "Stay for dinner."

Among the five great families, the Wu family's food is the best. They have everything from roasting and frying to grilling and baking, and they also have all kinds of pastries and sweet soups. Everyone can just say what they want to eat, and as long as the ingredients are available, there is nothing that the people in the Wu family's kitchen cannot make.

The four of them each said what they wanted to eat without any formality. Lin Kuo, in particular, ordered four dishes without any hesitation. Qi Kong and Wu Shanyun did not stop them, but simply instructed the kitchen to control the portion size of each dish, just enough for the four of them.

Wu Qi asked, "Aren't you going to eat with us?"

"No, with us here, the four of you won't feel comfortable, and you won't be able to say what you want to say," Qi Kong joked with a smile. "There should still be some distance between parents and children."

Wushan Yun agreed, “That makes sense. You all go and eat. Your mother and I will have a separate table and eat whatever we want.”

Even if the relationship between parents and children is the best, they are ultimately on two different paths in life, and as parents, they should not interfere too much with their children.

In particular, these four young people, just beginning to experience romantic feelings, should not be sitting at the same table with their parents for a meal.

Wu Qi understood these principles as well.

So the four of them ate together at the same table.

As soon as the food was served, Lin Kuo couldn't wait to put a piece of fish on Song Yinxing's plate. "Zhiyun, Zhiyun, eat up, it's your favorite fish."

Without the elders present, they were indeed more at ease eating together. Yi Shen quietly pulled his chair closer to Wu Qi.

This subtle movement was noticed by Song Yinxing, but Lin Kuo completely ignored it. He said while eating, "When I was a child, I thought my family's food was delicious enough. I always praised my family's food as the best in the world. Later, after I came to the Wu family with Weichong and had a meal there, I realized what true culinary delights were!"

Everyone in the Wu family's kitchen was personally selected by Qi Kong. Regardless of background or gender, as long as you cook well and make delicious food, you can establish yourself and make money in the Wu family's kitchen.

The pastries were sweet but not cloying, the fish soup was fragrant, and even the usual fatty meat had no fishy smell. Lin Kuo put down his chopsticks, poured Song Yinxing a cup of tea, and then picked up his chopsticks again to enjoy the meal.

"Wei Chong is really not being fair. He knew your kitchen was good, so he came here himself. If I hadn't shamelessly followed him, I wouldn't have known there was such delicious food in the world." He said this to Yi Shen, but he was looking at Wu Qi, as if he were complaining to Wu Qi.

As he spoke, he paused, as if he had suddenly realized something. He put down his chopsticks, looked at Yi Shen, and asked seriously, "Were you really there to eat, or were you just using this as an excuse to see Xiao Qi?"

Yi Shen replied, "Both."

Wu Qi was not surprised by Yi Shen's answer.

Lin Kuo, however, hadn't touched his chopsticks for a long time. The word "beast" was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say it. Who would believe that Yi Shen, as a child, would do something like freeloading just to see Wu Qi?

I'm afraid no one would believe me if I told them.

What was he doing at that time?

Lin Kuo thought for a moment, then realized that he had thought the Wu family's food was so delicious that he should bring Yinxing to try it. He had forgotten that, given Song Yinxing's relationship with Wu Qi, how could she not have eaten the Wu family's food? But at the time, he was only thinking that Song Yinxing was too thin and should eat more.

Thinking about it that way, he's not much different from a "beast."

Therefore, Lin Kuo could no longer call Yi Shen a "beast." He always felt that when he scolded Yi Shen, he was scolding himself. So he could only eat in silence. When he finally finished eating and put down his chopsticks, there wasn't a single vegetable left on his plate.

The portion sizes of each dish in the Wu family's kitchen are just right.

"Let's go, let's go home." After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Lin Kuo put his arm around Song Yinxing's waist and urged Yi Shen as they walked, "Hurry back to the Yi residence. You have no reason to stay at the Wu residence right now."

“He doesn’t need a reason; he can just stay if he wants to,” Wu Qi said sincerely. “Isn’t his desire to stay the biggest reason?”

"Xiao Qi, what kind of bewitching potion did Wei Chong give you?" Lin Kuo exclaimed in surprise. "You actually said the words of a lovelorn woman who would never have a good ending in a novel!?"

Song Yinxing patted Lin Kuo and said disapprovingly, "What are you saying? What do you mean by 'no good ending'?"

Lin Kuo, despite being hit, showed no anger. After spitting out three "Pui, pui, pui" sounds, he said righteously to Yi Shen, "She can be a devoted woman, but you can't be a heartless man. Leave the witch's mansion at once!"

Yi Shen stood in front of the Wu Mansion and said, "Uncle Su hasn't come to pick me up yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, a carriage drove up from a distance. Even from a distance, Wu Qi knew it was the Yi family's carriage. However, usually only Uncle Su was there. Why was there another person beside Uncle Su today?

His back was somewhat hunched, like that of an old man.

When the carriage got closer and passed a glass lamp, Wu Qi finally saw clearly who the person next to Uncle Su was.

He was the old man she and Yi Shen met in Qingcui City.

It is no exaggeration to say that if the old man had not tried his best to inform Song Yinxing, Song Yinxing would not have led the Golden Armor Army all the way to rescue her and Yi Shen, and she and Yi Shen might have really died in Pingwu City.

He is my savior.

The old man, however, showed no awareness of being his savior. Instead, after getting out of the carriage, he bowed to Wu Qi and Yi Shen. Since his wife's death, he had lived deep in the mountains and had long forgotten all etiquette, so his bow today was naturally improper.

"Thank you both for saving my brother and sister-in-law."

The fact that Su Xiting and Hehua have been able to live peacefully in the capital for so long must be due to the protection of powerful families. The reason why General Wei's son, Wei Luanhua, dared not exterminate them is also because they are members of powerful families, and Wei Luanhua could not touch them.

Wu Qi hurriedly bowed to the old man as well. Her movements were hasty, but her bow was proper and respectful, as if she were bowing to her savior.

In Qingcui City, while Yi Shen was talking to the old man, Wu Qi was feeling unwell in the house and was not fully asleep. In his half-awake state, he vaguely heard about Wei Luanhua's evil deeds and also learned that Su Xiting was the old man's younger brother.

But at this moment, the old man was almost her and Yi Shen's savior.

Besides, Uncle Su and Aunt Hehua weren't rescued by her and Yi Shen.

Wu Qi explained, "You're exaggerating. Uncle Su and Aunt Hehua weren't saved by me and Yi Shen, but by our mothers."

Coincidence is always intertwined with fate.

Qi Kong and Wen Ru rescued Su Xiting and He Hua and brought them into their household. Under the guise of a prestigious family, they protected the two of them. In turn, the old man saved Wu Qi and Yi Shen.

After Yi Shen and Wu Qi helped the old man up, Wu Qi said, "We can tell which is more important, a small favor or risking one's life to save him."

In this world, some people can exaggerate the smallest acts of kindness into something as vast and profound as the ocean, endlessly forcing others to repay kindness by using the saying "a drop of water in need should be repaid with a spring of water."

But the girl in front of him was not that kind of person. For some reason, the old man suddenly remembered something Yi Shen had said to him—that she had the fewest selfish motives.

It seems that this is indeed the case.

Song Yinxing knew what had happened to Wu Qi and Yi Shen in Qingcui City, so she bowed to the old man and said, "Thank you for coming all this way to find us and let us rescue them."

Indeed, we should express our gratitude, and Lin Kuo also bowed and thanked them.

Seeing everyone thanking him repeatedly, He Huating, who had come with him, couldn't bear the scene and advised the old man, "Tomorrow, they still have to go to Cizige. If they are late, they will be punished. Let them go home and sleep."

The thought of having to go to Cizige to study tomorrow and deal with heavy coursework made Wu Qi feel melancholy, and his smiling eyes were tinged with dejection.

Yi Shen said, "Don't overthink it, see you tomorrow."

"Okay! See you tomorrow!"

After they left, Wu Qi returned to her residence. Before going to sleep, she was still praying—please don't let it be Master Sun's lesson, lest she receive the evaluation that "it has no form or spirit, it's a worthless painting."

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating.

The next day, Wu Qi sat blankly at the table, staring unfocusedly at Master Sun as he stepped through the door.

When Master Sun saw that Wu Qi and Yi Shen had returned, he showed no expression. After looking around, he said, "Ning Xunxu didn't come again? Which of you lives closer to the Ning family? Tell him that if he doesn't come to Cizi Pavilion for class tomorrow, I will go to the Ning residence to teach him."

Wu Qi shuddered, thinking, "How terrible."

But things got even worse.

Master Sun said in a strong voice, "One hour to paint a red plum blossom. Submit the painting on time and I will review it on the spot."

The students sighed, and before they could even welcome Wu Qi and Yi Shen back, they were about to take out their brushes and paper to listen to Master Sun's words.

He Qi, whose painting skills were always on par with Wu Qi's, felt much more relaxed. Wu Qi was finally back, and finally, he wasn't the only one being scolded by Master Sun.

If Wu Qi were here, it wouldn't be a problem if the two of them were scolded together. But Wu Qi hasn't come to Ci Zi Ge lately, so Master Sun has been scolding him alone. A few days ago, he scolded him for a whole hour.

Now that Wu Qi is back, they can all be scolded together. He Qi turned his head and glanced at Wu Qi, his heart, which had not yet fully relaxed, suddenly tensed up.

Wu Qi was actually painting seriously!

Her painting skills were the worst in Cizi Pavilion, but in the marketplace, her paintings were priceless. In terms of painting skills, Wu Qi was not bad, however, Master Sun's comments on her were always—lacking both form and spirit.

This is because, when painting, Wu Qi was only painting the exterior.

Today is a little different.

He Qi turned his head and looked at Wu Qi for a while. He saw a familiar smile in her smiling eyes, but the gentleness in that smile was unfamiliar to him.

In this painting, she is not depicting the outward appearance, but rather the essence and spirit.

Why did this change occur?

The gaze from not far away made He Qi uncomfortable, so he turned his head to look.

In Ci Zi Pavilion, there was only the faint sound of paper and pen touching. Yi Shen had stopped writing at some point and was staring at him from a distance. His eyes were distant and indifferent, but his gaze did not waver. He sat upright and looked at him.

The two stared at each other for only a moment before He Qi was defeated and turned back to sit down in a disheveled state.

How could he forget...?

Master Sun asked me to paint red plum blossoms today.

And, red plum blossoms are Yi Shen's floral emblem.