When Old Hu arrived after receiving the news, he saw Xu Milu cooking something, while his granddaughter, transformed into a ball of red fur, nestled at Xu Milu's feet for warmth, her tail swaying from time to time, looking incredibly content and at ease.
"Old Hu is here?"
Xu Milu smiled, pretending not to notice the tension on Old Man Hu's face, and made no mention of Eleven's lawsuit with the Lu family:
"I made some peach drink to nourish you in autumn, and I also added some white fungus. Would you like a bowl, sir?"
"No need, no need. I left in a hurry today and didn't bring anything precious with me. I wouldn't dare trouble Madam Xu to look after my naughty granddaughter. I'll take her back now."
Old Hu waved his hands repeatedly, his eyes darting around until he knew Xu Milu probably knew the inside story. He sighed deeply, his face crinkling into a deep wrinkle, and scolded Eleventh Sister:
"You little brat, aren't you coming back with me? What kind of behavior are you doing, disturbing Madam Xu like this?"
"Grandpa, I'm in so much pain! You didn't even ask how I am. I'm going to get angry!"
Eleven Sister flicked her tail; her entire fox fur was glossy and smooth, clearly showing she hadn't had much good food these past few days.
"These past few days, the youngest daughter of the Lu family has recovered considerably. Madam Lu has stopped sending people to hunt demons for elixirs and has even opened the Lu family's granary to distribute grain, waiving the tenant farmers' taxes for this year. She's certainly done a good deed. As for Lu Wenshan—"
Eleven Sister took the opportunity to stretch out her two paws and land them on Xu Milu's knees, acting all cute and affectionate. A perfectly normal fox had turned into an adorable pet.
"He was impeached and has now lost his job as a member of the Imperial Guard. Madam Xu told him that I was dead, so he probably won't bother me anymore."
"If you were still alive, who knows how much trouble you would cause. The Lu family is a powerful clan with considerable influence. Your marriage was arranged in front of the City God. If he comes to bother you again, it will inevitably affect your cultivation path."
Xu Milu smiled and ruffled Eleven's fox-like head:
"You were husband and wife with him for forty-nine days, which means your fate has run its course. After Lu's younger sister dies, you can come back and take away the demon core. By then, Lu Wenshan will have no reason to bother you anymore."
By the time Lu Xiaomei dies, Lu Wenshan will be an old man with white hair. Xu Milu can only wonder what kind of regret and indignation he will feel when he sees the still beautiful and youthful Shiyi Niang.
Old Hu quickly responded, as if afraid of being blamed by Xu Milu:
“Absolutely, absolutely, what Madam Xu said makes perfect sense. The Lu family was destined to die out, and by the time of Lu Wenshan, there were no more heirs. My Eleventh Sister originally wanted to bear him a son or daughter to repay his kindness, but unexpectedly, Lu Wenshan chose his own sister—”
He paused to observe Xu Milu's reaction, then carefully explained:
"We can't expect Xiao Shiyi to have another child for him, take care of all the household chores, and then lose half her life to Lu Xiaomei. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
As for Lu Wenshan's current predicament, isn't it his own doing?
“Grandpa, Madam Xu understands my feelings.”
Shiyi Niang changed her position and lay face down on the ground, saying earnestly:
"I never intended to be Lu Wenshan's wife for all eternity. I only wished to repay his kindness, sever my ties to this world, and then go into seclusion to cultivate. The Lu family, having received my favor, would naturally no longer harm the fox sisters. Little Sister Lu received half of my Yuan Dan, and all her ailments will be cured, and she will live a peaceful and prosperous life. I will then be able to focus on my cultivation and ascend to immortality as soon as possible."
I haven't wronged Lu Wenshan. He approached me with the intention of taking my inner core from the beginning. I merely went along with it to end this karmic ties. Now that our marital relationship is over, Madam Xu is saying this to prevent him from bothering me again.
"Old Master Hu, there's no need to worry. The matter between the Lu family and the Hu family ends with me. I won't tell anyone else except Mo Xuan."
Xu Milu laughed: "I like Shiyi Niang's personality. It wouldn't be too late to ask her to stay and have some peach juice before she leaves."
...
...
Autumn peaches are the freshest, and you can always see vendors selling them on Chang'an Street. Each peach is plump and pink, and they smell sweet when you hold them in your hand.
Remove the leaves from the peach, rinse the skin clean, peel off the skin, and cut the peach flesh into chunks.
Since cooked peach flesh can have a slightly astringent taste, Xu Milu uses peaches to make jam instead. She mashes the peach flesh into a paste, adds a little dragon fruit juice, and slowly pounds it with brown sugar granules to get a sweet peach jam.
Don't throw away the peach peels. Put them in a pot with water and Flame Glass Leaf Soup Powder, bring to a boil over high heat, and you'll get a pot of beautiful pink soup.
Place dried jujube slices, shredded white fungus, and dried goji berries in a pot, turn to low heat and simmer slowly until the soup thickens. Take glutinous rice flour, add boiling water and knead it into small rice flour balls, about the size of a little finger. Cook them in a pot until boiling, then add them to the white fungus soup.
The freshly cooked white fungus soup is pink in color, with a few red date slices floating on top. The white fungus looks like blooming flowers, and there are also translucent rice flour dumplings scattered among them. The top is a spoonful of brightly colored peach jam, which makes people feel sweet before they even take a bite.
"This sweet soup is very flavorful. I never expected that peach skin could be cooked to produce such a bright and beautiful color."
Eleventh Sister has no hands, but her pair of fox paws are quite nimble. She held up the soup spoon, took a sip, and the red fur around her mouth got covered in sweet soup.
"So delicious! After drinking a bowl of this, I feel like my inner core doesn't hurt anymore—wait, it really doesn't hurt anymore!?"
She smacked her lips, causing her fox fur to stand on end.
"This peach jam contains century-old peaches, and the spiritual energy in a bowl of sweet soup is enough for you, little demon, to enjoy for quite some time. If it weren't for my lady Xu's blessing, would your injuries have healed so quickly?"
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