As evening approached, Qi Yuanshan suggested they have dinner together.
He picked a small restaurant in town, offering to treat.
However, Yan Yi’s thoughts weren’t on dinner. “Commander Qi, it’s not that late. Why don’t we go to Uncle Meng’s and have dinner there instead?”
Qi Yuanshan: You can do that?
“Let’s hurry, or we won’t have any food if we’re late.”
Qi Yuanshan: He even knows this?
Yan Yi knew a lot about the Meng family's affairs, except for the young girl whose master was an extraordinary hermit.
Secretly, his admiration for that hermit was like that of a fanboy, even surpassing his admiration for the person on the dragon throne.
Qi Yuanshan didn’t understand Yan Yi’s thinking and wasn’t very keen on the idea of going to the Mengs’ for dinner.
But in Yan Yi’s eyes, his own status was too insignificant to matter.
“Alas!” What a situation.
Qi Yuanshan let out a barely audible sigh.
“Why are you sighing? I don’t eat people.”
Qi Yuanshan really wanted to say that the Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard) barracks were more than just a place that ‘ate people’. It was said that very few who entered ever stood up again.
But these were words he couldn’t speak.
…
It had been raining since the afternoon and showed no signs of stopping. Fu Xinci suggested to her grandfather that they have hot pot.
The old man had been preoccupied with worries these past few days. Although he tried his best to hold back in front of his children and grandchildren, appearing outwardly composed, his appetite had noticeably decreased. He hadn’t truly enjoyed a meal in a while.
Seeing her father-in-law growing thinner day by day, Fu Yu’s heart ached so much that his lips had even developed sores.
Fu Xinci felt the same heartache for her grandfather as her father did.
But she couldn’t express it openly, so she secretly replaced the spring water her grandfather used to brew tea with spring water from her spatial dimension.
Indeed, products from her space were always top-notch.
This wasn't an empty saying. After drinking the spring water from her space for two days, the old man’s complexion improved significantly, gradually regaining its rosy hue.
Father and daughter felt a slight sense of relief seeing this.
Realizing his children and grandchildren were worried about him, the old man no longer dwelled in his gloom.
The rain today had been drizzling for most of the day. When the old man heard his granddaughter suggest hot pot, his two grandsons also stood nearby, humming their agreement. His youngest grandson even hugged his leg and whined, “Grandfather, please agree quickly! Ning’er’s craving is about to bite me!”
“Alright, we’ll have hot pot today.”
“Oh, oh, oh, hot pot!”
Seeing his grandfather agree, Ning’er trotted off to the kitchen to tell Aunt Cheng and Grandma Han that they would be having hot pot that evening.
“Alright, we’ll start preparing now.”
Tian Shi and Grandma Han readily agreed and quickly began boiling bone broth.
As the weather grew colder, the family’s warm shed was put to use again.
The newly sown seeds – baby bok choy, baby spinach, and young rapeseed – had grown to about three inches tall, perfect for hot pot.
With many people in the family, Fu Xinci worried it wouldn’t be enough, so she secretly dug up some more from her space to supplement.
Recalling the half-pig of lamb she had brought back last night in the name of her friends, it was perfect for the hot pot today.
They also had sea shrimp and sea fish at home, so she could make some shrimp and fish balls, which everyone in the family loved.
Hearing the bustling sounds from the kitchen, the old man couldn’t sit still. He watched his two grandsons picking vegetables under the eaves through the glass window, put on his shoes, and went out to help.
Qi Yuanshan and Yan Yi left the commander's office and rode their horses along the main road towards the Meng family courtyard.
They rode at a leisurely pace, almost like a stroll.
Normally, pedestrians on the road would greet Commander Qi whenever they saw him.
Today, however, seeing Commander Qi accompanied by a tall man in a red Feiyu suit (a type of embroidered uniform worn by the Jinyiwei), they were too intimidated to approach.
Qi Yuanshan mused that it was no wonder he was a Jinyiwei Commander. Without doing anything, he could scare people away.
An idea suddenly struck him: if he were to put this fellow on a battlefield between two armies, would the Tatars or Japanese pirates perhaps be so terrified upon the first encounter that they’d flee back in disarray?
He really wanted to try it and hoped heaven would grant him the opportunity.
While Qi Yuanshan was lost in thought, he saw Han Zhi running towards them from the opposite direction.
Han Zhi spotted Qi Yuanshan and grinned from a distance, calling out, “Commander Qi, you’ve arrived just in time. Grandfather Meng sent me to invite you over for hot pot.”
Before Qi Yuanshan could speak, Yan Yi interjected, “It seems I’m quite fortunate. I only arrived at Yingzui Cliff today, and Uncle Meng’s family is having hot pot.”
Han Zhi was about to reply with a smile, but as he clearly saw the attire of the person next to Commander Qi, his face turned pale.
His tongue seemed tied, and he couldn’t utter a sound.
Yan Yi was accustomed to such reactions and didn't pay it much mind.
Qi Yuanshan, however, smoothed things over for the boy. “Han Zhi, hurry back and deliver a message to Uncle Meng. Tell him that Commander Yan and I will be there shortly.”
“Yes, I’ll go back and deliver the message to Grandfather Meng right away.” After speaking, Han Zhi turned and ran back.
However, his two legs couldn't outrun four.
Seeing the young boy turn and run, Yan Yi immediately urged his horse forward.
Qi Yuanshan: This man has been in a position of authority for too long and doesn’t consider the feelings of those around him. They were walking slowly and peacefully just fine.
Now, he suddenly accelerated without any prior notice. It was truly inconsiderate.
These were thoughts he could only have in his mind, not voice aloud.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to handle not just a Jinyiwei Commander, but even an ordinary Jinyiwei.
Yan Yi arrived at the Meng family courtyard. As he rounded the screen wall, he heard a clear, youthful voice from the kitchen.
“Sister, shouldn’t we wait for Brother Qi to return before slicing the lamb?”
Yu’er glanced several times, afraid his sister might cut her hand. He didn’t dare to say that his sister’s lamb-slicing technique was… astonishing.
“It’s fine, I’ll slice it.”
“Let me do it.”
Hearing the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice, the siblings looked up simultaneously.
The sight that greeted them was the Feiyu suit that could soothe a child’s night terrors. The siblings, as if connected by telepathy, spoke in unison to greet him.
“Greetings, Commander Yan.”
“Greetings, Commander Yan.”
“Ah, greetings to everyone.”
Grandfather Meng, who was still tidying up the picked vegetables with his grandson, looked up upon hearing Yan Yi’s voice.
Seeing that it was indeed Yan Yi, the old man smiled and said, “Commander Yan, what time did you arrive?”
“Just now. Commander Qi and I were discussing coming over to Uncle Meng’s for dinner when we saw a boy running to deliver a message, so I came ahead.”
Qi Yuanshan, who had just entered, wanted to say, You’re unethical. You just ran off without warning, forcing me to chase after you on horseback.
But his mouth was smaller than Yan Yi’s, and he was the one who followed orders, so he decided to say nothing.
However, by leveraging his connection with the Meng family today, he could boast about this experience.
He figured that in the Great Ming Dynasty, there probably weren’t many people who had eaten lamb sliced by Yan Yi himself.
He had tasted it today, and to find psychological balance, he had eaten a considerable amount of that lamb today.