"A beautiful and enchanting woman... Excellent! Absolutely excellent! Brother Qin, you have composed such a fine poem in such a short time, and described Miss Su Su's beauty so aptly. I am truly impressed, truly impressed!" As soon as Qin Mu put down his pen, Lu Chengli immediately recited the poem, shaking his head, and then cupped his hands in a gesture of praise.
"You flatter me, you flatter me. I was just describing Miss Su's beauty, it's nothing!" Qin Mu said modestly.
“Even so, to compose such poetry in such a short time is something I can’t match. I was originally thinking of competing with you again, but now it seems unnecessary,” Lu Chengli said with a wry smile.
Qin Mu found it difficult to respond to this, so he could only smile and remain silent.
"Thank you, Young Master Qin!" Su Su smiled with delight and bowed to Qin Mu.
"Miss Su, you're too kind," Qin Mu replied with a curt bow.
Su Su looked at Qin Mu so calmly and couldn't help but scrutinize him with curiosity. It's rare for an ordinary person to be so calm. Even if his face was normal, his eyes were different.
"Hmph!" Changsun Chong's face was ugly. He snorted coldly, glared at Qin Mu, and left in a huff.
Seeing his emotions so readily displayed, Qin Mu couldn't help but shake his head inwardly, realizing that he was still far inferior to the people from the Lu, Cui, and Wang families.
"My brother is a victim of your actions?" Wang Jun's gaze swept back and forth between Yuchi Baolin and Qin Mu before he asked coldly.
They looked so bitter and resentful; you could tell they couldn't be friends. Qin Mu guessed that they couldn't afford to offend Princess Changning, so they held a grudge against them.
"Who is your brother?" Since they couldn't be friends, Qin Mu naturally didn't give him a friendly look and glanced at him indifferently.
“My third brother, Wang Hao, is the one whose leg you broke today,” Wang Jun said through gritted teeth.
"Oh! You mean that idiot who dared to flirt with Princess Changning!" Qin Mu said, pretending to suddenly realize something.
“It’s already a miracle he’s still alive!” Yuchi Baolin added coldly.
Qin Mu and Yuchi Baolin's words surprised the others. They couldn't believe anyone would dare to flirt with Princess Changning; they were truly asking for trouble. Therefore, they nodded in agreement, thinking that being alive was already a blessing.
Actually, this was just a matter of personal conviction. Although Princess Changning had beaten many people, she had never actually killed anyone. However, given her strength, even a single punch from her would keep someone in bed for ten days to half a month. That's why people were terrified of her.
"Hmph!" Since Princess Changning was involved, Wang Jun didn't say much. He glanced at Qin Mu a couple more times before turning and leaving. He knew Yuchi Baolin and was naturally curious about who Qin Mu was, but with his family's influence, he was sure he could find out.
There aren't that many fools who would retaliate in public; their words were merely a fit of anger.
"It's getting late, and I should head home. Farewell, both of you." After the conflict, Qin Mu had no intention of continuing the game and bowed to Lu Chengli and the other man.
"Until we meet again, Brother Qin."
After saying goodbye, Qin Mu left, and although Yuchi Baolin was somewhat reluctant to see him go, he did not stay.
"Sigh! I was almost able to have a long talk with Miss Su by candlelight, brother, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Yuchi Baolin said with a hint of resentment.
"Come on! Even if they were having a long talk by candlelight, it was with Brother Qin. What business is it of yours!" Yuchi Baoqing exposed without hesitation.
"Second brother, are you getting too cocky, or am I too weak to lift a knife?" Yuchi Baolin grinned sinisterly, revealing his white teeth as he looked at Yuchi Baoqing.
"Tch! You even copied Brother Qin's words, and you still have the nerve to say that? Do you think everyone else doesn't know that it was Brother Qin who wrote it?" Yu Chi Baoqing, afraid of really getting beaten up, leaned against Qin Mu's back and said somewhat guiltily.
"What if Miss Su Su likes my handsome and dashing appearance?" Yu Chi Baolin said, shaking his folding fan.
Yuchi Baolin's proudest achievement was that he resembled his mother and was far more handsome than his father and brothers, with less dark skin. Yuchi Baoqing couldn't refute this, and instead felt somewhat indignant.
"Heh, you think you'd be interested in me? You're dreaming. You've been there so many times, you've spent all your money, you don't even have enough to treat Brother Qin to a meal. Have you gotten what you wanted?" Yu Chi Baoqing sneered without hesitation.
"Nonsense! I was trying to move her with perseverance." Yu Chi Baolin blushed and retorted guiltily.
"Yes! So did you move her? I noticed her eyes were always on Brother Qin." Yu Chi Baoqing asked innocently.
"Brother, it seems I have no chance! Why don't you get her yourself? It's better than letting someone else have her," Yu Chi Baolin said dejectedly.
"It's okay, keep going, and one day you'll get what you want," Qin Mu encouraged him, patting his shoulder.
“No, that won’t work. After the courtesan selection, they’ll all start taking customers, and then it’ll be too late,” Yu Chi Baolin said, shaking his head.
"Aren't you lusting after her body? Prostituting yourself to clients would be even better; money talks," Qin Mu said with a smile.
"That's different, okay! I..." Yu Chi Baolin twisted his neck and said angrily, "I'm not talking to you anymore."
"Hehe! It's rare to see him get his comeuppance. Brother Qin, you're really something." Yu Chi Baoqing laughed happily as he watched his older brother walk ahead in a huff.
"??"
Faced with Qin Mu's questioning gaze, Yuchi Baoqing explained, "Big Brother has been obsessed with that woman since last year. He's spent all his money on the Rouge Pavilion, not even sparing my and Third Brother's money. Luckily, he was dealt a blow today, otherwise, he would have spent all the money he and Brother Qin earned in the future."
"Speaking of which, your elder brother is not young anymore, why hasn't he taken up an official post? And why isn't he married?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
“Of course he’s taken up an official post! My eldest brother is the Vice Minister of the Imperial Guard, but it’s a sinecure. He only goes on duty when His Majesty travels or when there are sacrifices. He’s also been arranged to marry someone from the second branch of the Cui family in Qinghe. Aunt Cheng arranged the marriage, and they will get married next year,” Yuchi Baoqing introduced.
"Oh!" Qin Mu responded, finding this to be normal; after all, how could someone with meritorious service not receive some kind of honorary title? However, it was somewhat surprising that Yuchi Baolin was actually the Vice Minister of the Imperial Guard. Even if he was only one of the Vice Ministers, it was still a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, which was quite different, especially since he was so young.
After escorting Qin Mu home, the Yuchi brothers returned home. This shows that Yuchi Baolin is very thoughtful.
It was already dark, so Qin Mu didn't disturb Qin Qiong and the others, and went back to his courtyard. He stretched for a bit, then washed up and went to bed.
"Big brother, big brother! Where did you go yesterday? You didn't teach me to sing." Qin Mu had just gotten up the next day when his two younger sisters arrived. As soon as the little girl saw him, she ran over and hugged his legs, asking.
Looking at his younger sister, Qin Mu felt a warm glow in his heart and was very happy. He picked her up and asked with a smile, "Big brother went out for a while. Have you been a good girl at home?"
"Ling'er is very well-behaved; she's been keeping her second sister company while she practices calligraphy!"
"Mmm, Ling'er is such a good girl. Big brother will make you something delicious."
"Really?" Qin Yuling asked in surprise.
"Of course it's true, but go practice your skills now." Qin Mu said, pinching her nose, and then put her down.
Upon hearing that there was something delicious to eat, Qin Yuling became even more enthusiastic. She jogged to the tree, closed her eyes, and began to take deep breaths.
Qin Huaiyu also got his turn. Looking at the older sisters who had arrived earlier, he felt a little guilty and looked at Qin Mu. However, Qin Mu didn't say anything to him, but instead led him in practicing boxing.
The Qin family's boxing style was being unleashed with tremendous force by the two brothers. Qin Mu sensed his younger brother's surging blood energy and couldn't help but nod in approval. He knew that his younger brother was about to develop a fierce, murderous aura.
Early in the morning, Qin Yong and his companion started simmering bone broth, since they had only used a third of it last time.
"Haha, it's good to be early! Brother, you're cooking bones again!" Yuchi Baolin asked excitedly, looking at the large vat in the corner.
"Yes! But we can only eat at noon." Qin Mu nodded.
"It's alright, it's alright, I can wait half a day," Yuchi Baolin said, shaking his head.
When the three brothers arrived, Qin Mu felt bad about turning them away, but he asked somewhat impatiently, "Has the still for the distillery been made yet? Why don't you come back at noon?"
"It's ready, I've already had someone send it over," Yuchi Baolin said, waving his hand.
“We went back to the blacksmith’s shop yesterday and stayed up all night to finish it. We were originally going to ask you to come with us,” Yuchi Baoqing explained.
"I'm busy today, maybe tomorrow. I'll definitely go tomorrow," Qin Mu said, rubbing his forehead. He didn't want to work sporadically, but he had a lot on his plate and no other choice.
"It doesn't matter, you've memorized it all anyway, you can practice the rest slowly. You can practice at home too, if you don't have a hammer, you can use something else." Yu Chi Baolin said, keeping his eyes fixed on the firelight.
"Yes, the effect is a bit less, since there's no iron block, it's harder to control the force," Yuchi Baoqing explained.
"Okay, I understand." Qin Mu nodded. This problem was actually easy to solve, even without the iron block for comparison and his keen eyesight. There were other methods. For example, swinging a knife, mimicking the force of a hammer swing, using a reference point, and swinging to the same height each time. It was just more difficult.
"Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to make something? Tell me about it, and I'll see if I can make it," Yuchi Baolin asked.
"Hmm, it shouldn't be a problem. These things are all very simple. I'll draw the diagrams for you after I finish eating," Qin Mu nodded.
As the sun rose, Qin Mu led his younger siblings to finish work, then sat down around the stone table to eat.
"Huaiyu, you and Ling'er go and bring down the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone from my study."
"Okay!" Qin Yuling listened to Qin Mu's words very well and immediately ran upstairs, with Qin Huaiyu following closely behind.
A blueprint for a hot pot with two broths was freshly drawn up, followed by some gadgets whose purpose Yuchi Baolin couldn't understand. Yuchi Baolin didn't ask about them, and Qin Mu was too lazy to explain.
"Haha, everyone's here!" A rough laugh rang out, and then the three Cheng brothers walked in.
If it weren't for Cheng Huaimo, the leader, having a scruffy beard, Cheng Huailiang, who looks very similar to him, would actually look quite handsome.
"It's true that timing is everything!" Cheng Huaimo's eyes lit up when he saw the large vat in the corner.
"Why did you come here instead of taking care of the distillery?" Qin Mu asked curiously, since Yuchi Baolin had already sent over the still, so distillation could begin.
“I know! That’s why I came to let you go and take a look,” Cheng Huaimo nodded.
"Didn't you see me use it?" Qin Mu asked, his eyes wide, then turned to Yuchi Baolin and asked, "You made it, didn't you send anyone to install it?"
"They sent people! They must have sent someone to install it." Yu Chi Baolin said, after a moment of surprise.
"I've sent people, but I'm not entirely confident," Cheng Huaimo said with an embarrassed smile.
"Don't worry, I'll go over and blend it after the distillation is complete," Qin Mu waved his hand, not wanting to stand guard and wait. Both brewing and distillation are simple; only the final blending requires careful attention.
"Alright, I'm relieved to hear that," Cheng Huaimo nodded.
As the group was chatting, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. Looking over, they saw Qin Qiong and Aunt Zheng walking in.
"Father! Aunt Zheng."
"Uncle Qin! Auntie!"
The younger generation in the courtyard all bowed in greeting.
"Once you're here, just have fun. I'm just going to say a few words to Mu'er," Qin Qiong said with a smile. These guys have been to the Qin family quite often, so they've never been shy about it. They're just a little reserved because of the elders.
Hearing that Qin Qiong had something to say to Qin Mu, the others tactfully stepped aside.
"Mu'er, remember to bring guards with you when you go out in the future," Qin Qiong said with a smile.
"Father, you know everything?" Qin Mu asked.
"A member of the Wang family had his leg broken in Chang'an. How could I not know about such a big thing? But you don't need to worry too much. The Wang family wouldn't dare to do anything to you. But it's good to have guards with you when you go out, in case someone takes a risk and uses dirty tricks," Qin Qiong said affectionately.
"Thank you for your concern, Father. I understand." Qin Mu felt a warmth in his heart and nodded in agreement.
"Mu'er, go to those brothels less often in the future," Aunt Zheng said with a hint of reproach.
"It was my aunt. I didn't know it was a brothel. I won't go there again," Qin Mu said innocently.
"Yes, I knew it. Mu'er is new to Chang'an, how would she know about those messy places? I must tell the Duchess of E to give Baolin a good beating." Aunt Zheng nodded and smiled slightly.
Qin Mu felt no guilt whatsoever when he shifted the blame onto the Yuchi brothers.
"Mu'er, you're not getting any younger. These next few days, your aunt will carefully select a marriage partner for you," Aunt Zheng said with a smile.
"Thank you, Aunt! But I hope I can decide for myself when the time comes." Qin Mu knew this was unavoidable, so he pleaded.
"Of course, I will definitely make you satisfied."
"By the way, Auntie, does our family own an inn outside the East Market?"
"Yes, there is indeed an inn, but business has never been very good." Aunt Zheng paused for a moment and then nodded.
"Then can you give it to me?"
"Ahem! Mu'er, what are you doing with the inn? That's your aunt's dowry, you can't just touch it." Qin Qiong asked curiously.
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