The aroma wafting from the kitchen reached the room, causing the two people who were bickering to immediately cease their argument upon smelling it.
When the two finally tidied themselves up and came out, they saw Secretary Sun squatting under the eaves outside the kitchen, holding a small bowl and sipping soup. Beside him sat a small bowl of freshly made braised meat. Upon seeing Elder Hua and Madam Hua emerge, he instantly stopped chewing, his posture becoming even more rigid.
Fortunately, he wasn't eating alone. Ye Yu and Ji Haoqi were keeping him company, making the situation less awkward. Elder Hua was momentarily taken aback by the sight of the usually dignified Secretary Sun in such a state, and seemed on the verge of a laugh, but he managed to hold it back.
Seeing the two emerge, Ji Xingmi had her two elder brothers fetch small stools and place them next to Secretary Sun. She then served them both bowls of soup, urging them to drink first.
"Grandpa Hua, Grandma Hua, would you like some braised meat? You can have a small portion to try the flavor!" Ji Xingmi asked Hua Qingming, who was drinking soup.
"Yes, please!" Hua Qingming's heart was warmed by her words. Madam Hua also looked at Ji Xingmi with doting affection. Ji Xingmi then served the two a small bowl of braised meat. She also had her second and third brothers deliver some to the guards, and the rest, she would turn into jerky! This way, she could make snacks for Elder Hua.
After Elder Hua finished a bowl of soup, Ji Xingmi didn't let him eat more. She told him to stroll in the courtyard to aid digestion, as she needed to examine the medicinal herbs Madam Hua had brought that morning. During this time, Ji Xingmi secretly brought out many usable medicinal herbs from her space. Since they wouldn't understand anyway, she could do as she pleased. She found a stool and sat in the courtyard to sort the herbs. Ye Yu and Ji Haoqi didn't seem to have anything to do, so they also brought stools and sat beside her.
"Second Brother, go ask Uncle Sun to get a large wooden tub, the kind for bathing. And a large iron pot!"
"Okay!" Ye Yu agreed and immediately went to find Secretary Sun.
"Spider... Brother?" Ji Xingmi called out without looking up. She had only learned yesterday that Elder Hua's guards only had code names, no actual names. Moreover, their names were all small, inconspicuous animals! Yesterday, Elder Hua had found time to introduce her to them, and Elder Hua had also privately instructed a few of them to protect Ji Xingmi. However, Ji Xingmi was unaware of this.
"Miss, you're looking for me?" A person suddenly appeared behind her. Ji Xingmi was mentally prepared, but Ji Haoqi seemed a bit startled.
"Spider Brother, you can just call me Xing'er, and the other brothers too! Spider Brother, can you help build a stove in this courtyard? One that can hold a large iron pot!"
"Yes, I can build it quickly!"
"Thank you!"
Spider turned and went to fetch tools, soon returning with a lot of items.
"Xing'er, how did you do that? Did you just see him?"
"He's Grandpa Hua's guard. Grandpa Hua said yesterday that you can call them if you need anything! Brother, do you ever observe your surroundings? If you were suddenly captured, and no one else was around, you couldn't just wait there, could you? You should first look around, see what you can use on yourself, or what's around you. While waiting for rescue, you should also think about escaping yourself or signaling someone!"
"Xing'er, you're so capable, and Eldest Brother is already working at his unit early. What should I do?"
"Have you ever thought about what you want to do? Help me slice this herb!" Ji Xingmi asked him a question while assigning him a task.
Ji Haoqi fetched the tools and returned to sit beside Ji Xingmi. After a while, he spoke, "I don't know either. I used to think about joining the army, but then I realized I wasn't cut out for it. My eldest cousin took me for a month, and although I could endure it, I found I didn't like that kind of life. Besides, someone in the family is already in the army, so it wouldn't make much difference if I went!"
"What does that have to do with the family? Your eldest cousin being in the army is his business, it has nothing to do with you. Just like the food you eat, the meat won't grow on me! Why do you think about others? You are yourself first. What do you want to do? What kind of person do you want to become?"