Xu Zhi pulled Xu Bai along and walked to the dried goods store. When the shop assistant saw Xu Zhi, he quickly came over to greet her, saying, "Oh, it's Miss Xu! Please come in."

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Brother Li, I'd like to buy some dried shrimp and seaweed, as well as some fresh dried shrimp and scallops."

Because she comes here often, Xu Zhi already knows the surnames of several of the shop assistants. Not only when she comes to the shop, but also when she sees them on the street, she will greet them. She is very approachable.

This was Xu Zhi influenced by Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci's past behavior. Whether it was Xu Rao or Zhang Zhaoci, they were quite mindful of hierarchy when they were in their own household. But outside, these people weren't living off their monthly stipends, so why should they act superior to them? Besides, Xu Rao wasn't one to put on airs either. Over the years in Hexi, everyone knew that Magistrate Xu of Hexi was a kind and approachable person with no airs.

Xu Zhi pulled Xu Bai along and followed the waiter to the inner room, where there was a simple reception room. Distinguished guests were usually entertained here.

As soon as Xu Zhi entered, she saw the cotton curtain facing the inner courtyard of the store suddenly lifted. A figure walked in, saying impatiently to the people behind him, "I don't care what you think, I've had enough of being here. I've been here for three months, and it's going to snow soon. If I don't go back, am I going to spend the New Year here?"

When the person entered, Xu Zhi could see clearly that he was wearing a black cotton cloak with the hood up, deerskin boots, and a light gray cotton robe underneath. He was only a head taller than her. He probably sensed that someone was in the room and looked up at Xu Zhi. When Xu Zhi saw the person's appearance, she felt as if she had been hit hard on the head with a heavy hammer. She sat there blankly, not knowing what to do.

The newcomer frowned slightly when he saw Xu Zhi's gaze, and said to the waiter standing next to Xu Zhi, "What's going on? Why did you bring someone here?"

The shop assistant quickly bowed and said, "Young master, this is the daughter of Magistrate Xu of the county government. She is a regular customer of our shop. Every time she comes, she buys a lot of things, some of which have to be taken from the back warehouse, so she rests here for a while."

The young man, whom the shop assistant called the young master, nodded, then lifted the curtain and left the room. Xu Zhi then came to her senses, her eyes still staring blankly at the cotton curtain that was still swaying slightly.

Seeing Xu Zhi's expression, Xu Bai frowned slightly. He was very reluctant to see his sister like this. Xu Bai loved this sister very much. As an only child, and later alone, Xu Bai liked all his older brothers and sisters, but he loved his sister the most, who had always taken care of him. Seeing his sister showing such excitement, sadness, and even helplessness in front of a strange boy, Xu Bai felt his initial excitement about getting something delicious also dampen.

The waiter quickly served tea to Xu Zhi and Xu Bai, and also put some dried fruit in a fruit plate. Xu Bai asked, "Waiter, who is that person?" What Xu Bai wanted to find out most right now was the identity of the boy who had made his sister show such a strange expression.

The shop assistant said, "This gentleman is the young master of our trading company."

Xu Bai asked curiously, "He's so young."

The waiter laughed and said, "Yes, he's only twelve years old."

Xu Bai then asked, "Doesn't he miss his parents when he comes here? My brother is fourteen years old and has always been with our parents."

The waiter didn't know how to answer, mainly because he didn't know his young master very well. Xu Zhi pulled Xu Bai aside and said disapprovingly, "Little brother, how can you ask such a private question?"

Xu Bai glanced at the now calm cotton curtain and remained silent, but in his heart he was thinking, why did I ask? Wasn't it because I saw that the other person's expression was not right that I asked?

Xu Zhi forced herself to stay calm and, after buying what she wanted, took Xu Bai home.

Back home, Xu Bai clung to Xu Zhi the whole time. Xu Zhi had originally planned to sort out her memories, but because of Xu Bai's joking around, she had no choice but to take him along. She put the chopped and cleaned bones into a large pot, filled it with water, and then placed the pot on the iron stove in the house.

This iron furnace was developed by Xu Rao with the help of Xu Di.

Xu Rao was sent to the countryside with his parents when he was a child. Later, he revisited the place and stayed in the village for two days. Because it was winter, the villagers put an iron stove in Xu Rao's house. Whether burning charcoal or wood, the iron stove heats up quickly. They put a kettle on top of it and sealed the bottom of the stove with a small iron plate when they went to sleep at night. The room was warm and not dry all night.

When Xu Rao first came to Hexi, he hadn't thought about it. It wasn't until the following year, when Xu Rao talked about his time in the countryside and mentioned the iron stove, that Xu Di became very interested. He insisted on hiring a blacksmith to make the stove. However, the chimney of the stove was difficult to make, so Xu Di built a chimney out of bricks in the house. Because industry was underdeveloped at the time and iron utensils were expensive, there was no need to promote this stove.

The aroma of bone broth soon filled the room. Xu Zhi sat on the large kang (heated brick bed) by the window. The stove was placed outside near the door. Not only was a chimney built of bricks, but a large space was also built between the stove and the chimney using bricks and yellow mud. Since there was no cement, they could only smooth it out with yellow mud and then attach a sheet of iron to the outside, which served as a radiator. In the cold winter, socks and other items washed on it could dry overnight.

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