Knock, knock, knock—
“Boss Lady Luo, the shopkeeper has everything arranged. Please come downstairs.”
Luo Qingqing answered and turned to Gu Jing’an. “I’ll go out first. When school lets out, go pick up the two little ones and bring them here. We’ll have hotpot for lunch.”
“Okay.”
Luo Qingqing went to the back mountain behind the old woman’s house. There was a huge patch of chili peppers, enough to last them for quite some time. The mountain was barren land that belonged to no one. But there was no guarantee that someone wouldn’t become jealous of the business at Zui Jiang Lou in the future, so they still needed to make plans for this chili field as soon as possible.
She first purchased enough chilies to last about a week. Once she returned, she would discuss transplanting the chili plants with Shopkeeper Li.
“Brother, why are you here?” Gu Qiran was a little surprised. When the school gatekeeper had called him over earlier, he had almost not believed it.
“Is Sister-in-law here too?” Gu Xuanning hurriedly asked.
“She is.”
Gu Jing’an held one child’s hand in each of his. Xuanning on his left practically wanted to fly, while Qiran on his right was walking faster than usual as well.
By the time they arrived, the hotpot was already boiling. They only needed to add the ingredients.
Luo Qingqing ordered a medium-spicy broth. Since they had been able to handle the spicy diced chicken last night, they should be able to handle this too. She was worried the two children wouldn’t be able to tolerate a mala broth. She would draw a design for a divided hotpot this afternoon so that next time she could enjoy the spicy broth herself.
“Big Sister-in-law.”
“Big Sister-in-law.”
“Good children, come wash your hands.”
“It smells so good!”
“How could anything Sister-in-law makes not smell good?”
“…The chef made this. I only provided the recipe.”
“That’s still amazing! Not everyone can come up with recipes.”
“…Yes.” Luo Qingqing was completely defeated by her cuteness. This little girl praised her far too much.
“Eat. You only have half an hour.”
Gu Jing’an was somewhat helpless. The two little ones were simply too noisy.
The two children immediately sat properly, and Luo Qingqing couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Gu Jing’an’s ears had turned slightly red. Fortunately, the hotpot was surrounded by billowing steam, so it was difficult to notice unless one looked carefully.
As Luo Qingqing explained how to eat the various dishes, the two children occasionally asked questions. The atmosphere around the table was warm and cozy. He no longer cared about the rule of “not speaking while eating.”
This kind of warmth made him want to indulge in it for just a moment.
After lunch, Gu Jing’an took the children back to school while Luo Qingqing went with Shopkeeper Li to the government office to sign the documents.
In the afternoon, Luo Qingqing drew designs for a divided hotpot, a colander, and a barbecue grill, then instructed the workers to make them according to the drawings.
She also gave Shopkeeper Li the recipes for sour plum drink, egg fried rice, and pickled vegetables, asking him to purchase all the ingredients first. She would teach them how to make everything later.
Once everything else had been arranged, the two of them ran into a problem regarding the chili plantation.
At present, there was no suitable farmland available for rent. Relying solely on the patch behind the mountain definitely wouldn’t work. Eventually, they would run out of chilies.
Gu Jing’an knocked on the door and entered, only to see Luo Qingqing biting the end of a brush with a troubled expression. She hadn’t noticed him coming in.
He reached out and took the brush from her mouth.
“How old are you, still biting your brush?”
Luo Qingqing froze.
That action had been somewhat…ambiguous.
“What are you discussing?”
Gu Jing’an’s deep, alluring voice brought her back to her senses.
“Do you know anyone who owns a farm? We want to transplant the chilies there, but we haven’t found a suitable place.”
Was something like this really worth troubling over for half a day?
In a couple of days, he could have Ling Yi bring over the deed to the farm north of the city. They just had to handle things carefully; Kyoto probably wouldn’t discover anything.
“My master owns a farm. When he returns, I’ll take you to have a look.”
“Mm-hmm. Then let’s buy some things before we go back and make some food for your master.”
The book said that Yan Mingzhi liked sweet things. Luo Qingqing planned to win him over by making some fruit jam and pastries.
“Shopkeeper, Boss Lady, the ingredients have all arrived, but the blacksmith says the barbecue grill won’t be ready until tomorrow.”
The newly hired shop assistant spoke while sneaking a glance at Luo Qingqing. He was curious about what the woman who received such respect from the shopkeeper actually looked like.
Beautiful.
She was truly beautiful, pure as a fairy from the highest heavens, making him feel as though even looking at her was disrespectful to the gods.
“Got it. The barbecue grill isn’t urgent. Tell him to take his time and make it properly.”
Even the fairy’s voice sounded as pleasant as a clear spring flowing over stones.
The shop assistant wanted to sneak another couple of glances, but suddenly felt a chill run down his back.
Standing beside the fairy was a handsome young man. His cold gaze seemed to sweep over him intermittently, as though he were being subjected to a slow execution.
“Why don’t you go to the bookstore and read for a while? Once I’ve taught them everything, I’ll come find you.” Luo Qingqing was worried about delaying his studies.
“No need. You do what you need to do. I’ll wait here.”
Gu Jing’an looked at her with bright, intent eyes.
Shopkeeper Li wore an expression that practically screamed, I’m witnessing something wonderful.
“Hahaha, you young couple really have a good relationship. You can’t bear to be apart even for a moment. It’s wonderful to be young.”
After saying that, he laughed and got up to leave, with the shop assistant following behind him.
Luo Qingqing’s face instantly turned bright red. She stammered for a long while, but Gu Jing’an couldn’t make out what she was saying.
He leaned closer to her and asked with a lazy smile, “What did you say?”
Luo Qingqing’s face became even redder.
She was particularly susceptible to attractive voices.
Gu Jing’an’s voice was deep, mellow, and clear—the exact kind she loved most. Whenever he spoke, it felt as though a feather were lightly brushing against the depths of her heart. A tingling sensation rose from the soles of her feet all the way to her heart, leaving her momentarily unable to move.
The young woman before him had a small face flushed crimson, as though she had drunk too much wine. Her eyes shimmered brightly.
Under the warm sunlight, her delicate skin seemed covered by a hazy glow, soft and captivating.
Gu Jing’an’s gaze darkened slightly. His Adam’s apple moved as he slowly straightened up.
Luo Qingqing was surrounded by the cool, subtle fragrance of green bamboo that clung to him. She took two small steps away before she dared to breathe again.
Watching her reaction, Gu Jing’an could not suppress the amusement in his eyes.
“Let’s go.”