Chapter 95

Very grateful to the following classmates for their rewards: **, Qisan Qisi Ziyedan, bqf8858shjhwyt, Jueyun Bingbing, vip7, Chenyu.

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After Li Qi left, Bai Shizhong and Wang Zhongling sat for a while longer, then patted their butts and left without mentioning the meal cost.

Of course, even if Bai Shizhong offered to pay, Mrs. Qin wouldn't have accepted it.

"Relationships," this is the most complete culture passed down through China's five thousand years!

As soon as these two big shots left, Li Qi slipped out of the kitchen, went to the backyard lounge, found Mrs. Qin, and asked, "Madam, those two old—Mr. Bai and your father, have they already left?"

Mrs. Qin nodded slightly, then glared at him and said, "You need to be more careful with your words in the future. Don't act so recklessly again."

Li Qi smiled awkwardly and probed, "Madam, this time your father and Mr. Bai came, it doesn't seem to be just for a meal, does it?"

"You noticed too?"

Nonsense. I'm not a three-year-old kid.

Li Qi nodded and said, "Then, Madam, do you know the reason?"

Mrs. Qin shook her head and said, "I don't know. They didn't tell me."

"That's strange."

Li Qi frowned and thought for a moment, but still had no clue. He thought to himself, it doesn't matter. If it were something important, Wang Zhongling would have reminded Madam. Since he didn't say anything, it must not be a big deal.

Thinking about this, Li Qi felt relieved. Suddenly, he remembered that Bai Qian had not shown up at the shop since the first few days it opened. He asked curiously, "By the way, Madam, Bai Niangzi hasn't been to the shop much these days."

Mrs. Qin sighed lightly and said, "Seventh Sister is unwell and has been resting at home these days."

Is she sick?

Li Qi was startled and thought, could it be because she helped me take care of those refugees and overworked herself? He asked anxiously, "Is her illness serious?"

Mrs. Qin shook her head and said, "I visited her a few days ago, and she should be fine."

Li Qi felt a great relief but still felt uneasy, as if he had a guilty conscience.

Seeing his strange expression and silence, Mrs. Qin asked curiously, "What's wrong with you?"

Li Qi was slightly stunned, shook his head, and said, "Oh, nothing. I—I'll go back to work now."

Saying this, he didn't wait for Mrs. Qin's response and opened the door to leave.

The next day. It was still dark.

In the Qin family's kitchen.

"Cough, cough, cough—damn—cough, cough, cough, damn, why isn't there an exhaust fan in this era?"

Li Qi squatted by the stove, holding a bamboo tube, and blew a few times at the fire, but was almost choked to death by the thick smoke.

When it came to starting a fire, he was no match for Wu Xiaoliu.

The kitchen door suddenly opened from the outside, and Li Qi's face tightened as he shouted, "Who's there?"

"Li Qi?"

"Madam?"

The person who came in was Mrs. Qin, followed by Xiaotao.

"Madam, why are you in the kitchen?" Li Qi looked at Mrs. Qin curiously.

"I just got up and saw the kitchen light was still on, so I came to check."

Mrs. Qin looked at Li Qi's blackened face and her lips twitched. She asked curiously, "It's not even dawn yet. What are you doing here?—What's that, it smells so good. What are you cooking?" She glanced at the stove.

"Nothing, nothing."

Li Qi was slightly stunned, stood up suddenly, blocked Mrs. Qin's view, and shook his head vigorously.

"Nothing? What's in that clay pot?" Mrs. Qin pointed at the stove.

Sweat! Caught.

Li Qi's eyes rolled, and he realized, "Oh—Madam, you're asking about this. I thought it was something else. I'm just cooking porridge. These past few days, I've seen how busy you've been with the shop, so I wanted to make something nourishing for you to help you recover."

Mrs. Qin's face was stunned, and she felt both grateful and ashamed. "Compared to you and Uncle Wu, what I've done is nothing. You even got up in the middle of the night to cook porridge for me. You've really worked hard. In the future, let Xiaotao do this."

"It's not hard, not at all."

Li Qi shook his head and said, "Madam, you should wait outside to avoid being smoked out."

Mrs. Qin looked at him gratefully, nodded slightly, and then turned to leave.

About half an hour later, Chen Anan sneaked in.

"Anan, is the driver here?"

Chen Anan nodded and said, "The driver is already waiting outside."

"Good, let's go quickly. Remember, don't let Madam see us."

"Okay."

The two of them, one carrying a small coal stove and the other holding the pot of porridge, sneaked toward the back door.

Mrs. Qin had just come out of the house and happened to see Li Qi and Chen Anan's suspicious figures. She was stunned, smiled, shook her head, and then turned back into the house.

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Leaving the Qin family, Li Qi and Chen Anan followed the driver, driving a donkey cart, and passed through several streets. They saw a grand gate with a red-painted door. Two fierce stone lions stood on either side, and above the main gate hung a gilded sign—Bai Family.

My goodness, it's so big. Tsk, tsk, if this were in the future, wouldn't it be a clear invitation to the anti-corruption bureau?

After sighing, Li Qi arrived at the Bai Family's gate and knocked a few times.

After a while, the door opened.

A servant poked his head out, looked at Li Qi with surprise, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Bai Niangzi."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Li Qi from Zui Xian Ju." Li Qi hurriedly said.

"Please wait a moment."

"Bang!"

The door closed again.

Damn, what kind of manners.

Li Qi's face stiffened, and he cursed inwardly.

After a while, the door opened again. This time, the servant was accompanied by someone else, Bai Qian's personal maid, Xing'er.

"Oh, Master Li, it really is you." Xing'er saw Li Qi and smiled.

Li Qi rolled his eyes and pretended to be angry, "Is there anyone else who would dare to impersonate my name, Li Qi? Tell me, and I'll beat him to death."

"How shameless."

Xing'er made a face at Li Qi and said, "Seventh Sister is in the back garden. Follow me."

"Wait a moment."

Li Qi hurried to the cart, took the clay pot off the coal stove, and said to Chen Anan, "Anan, go back to the shop. Remember, don't tell anyone about this, especially Madam and Liuzi."

Chen Anan nodded and said, "Okay, I know."

Li Qi nodded, came to Xing'er's side, and smiled, "Now we can go."

Inside the mansion, everything was lively. In the front yard alone, there were more than ten servants sweeping the ground, trimming branches, and working busily. Compared to the Qin family, it was much better.

Li Qi followed Xing'er through several twists and turns and arrived at a quiet small courtyard. Inside, it was filled with flowers and plants. The peonies, the peony, the chrysanthemums, and the orchids were all in full bloom, creating a beautiful scene.

However, no matter how beautiful the flowers were, they couldn't compare to the woman in a white dress sitting under a small pavilion in the courtyard.

But at this moment, her beautiful face was much thinner than before.

Seeing this, Li Qi felt very guilty.

Bai Qian saw Li Qi and smiled slightly, gesturing for him to sit down, "Master Li, please sit."

Li Qi sat down without hesitation and saw a seven-stringed zither on the table. He smiled, "These flowers are truly fortunate. They can hear Bai Niangzi's beautiful music as soon as they wake up."

Bai Qian smiled bitterly and shook her head, "Master, what brings you here today?"

Li Qi chuckled and said, "It's like this. I heard from Madam yesterday that you've been unwell these past few days, so I came to see you. By the way, have you had breakfast?"

Bai Qian was stunned and shook her head.

"Perfect."

Li Qi smiled and placed the clay pot on the table, "Jingmi porridge, just cooked, perfect for someone who has just recovered. By the way, Xing'er, go get some bowls and chopsticks. The porridge must be eaten while it's hot."

Xing'er didn't go immediately but looked at Bai Qian with a questioning gaze.

Bai Qian didn't give Xing'er any instructions, glanced at the clay pot, and then at Li Qi, and suddenly said, "I heard my father visited you yesterday?"

Li Qi was stunned, nodded, and said, "Yes."

Bai Qian smiled and said, "If you came here today just for that, you might have come in vain, as I'm not very clear about it either."

Li Qi's face changed, and he was stunned for a long time, frowning, "Do you mean that I brought this porridge just to find out why your father came to see me?"

Bai Qian was stunned and said, "Isn't that the case? You wouldn't have brought porridge just for me, would you?"

It seemed that Li Qi's words, "If a merchant gives you a meal, it's not free," had left a deep impression on her.

Li Qi's enthusiasm instantly vanished. He glanced at the pot of porridge, his eyes dimmed, and he nodded, forcing a smile, "It seems I can't hide anything from you. Since that's the case, I'll—go back to the shop and get busy. The porridge—since it's already here, you might as well eat it. I'll take my leave."

Saying this, Li Qi didn't wait for Bai Qian's response, stood up, bowed, and then turned to leave.

"This guy is so pretentious. Seventh Sister, we don't need to drink his porridge. I'll just pour it out." Xing'er glanced at Li Qi's back disdainfully and huffed.

Bai Qian shook her head and said calmly, "No, go to the kitchen and get some bowls and chopsticks."

Xing'er was stunned, nodded, and left.

A moment later, Xing'er returned with a bowl, opened the pot lid, and a burst of fragrance rose with the steam.

"Why is the porridge still so hot?" Bai Qian asked curiously.

Xing'er said, "Seventh Sister, you don't know. He hired a donkey cart and brought the stove along. It seems he really wants to know why the master came to see him."

Bai Qian was slightly stunned and said, "You mean he brought the stove along?"

"Yes, I saw it at the gate."

Xing'er nodded and served Bai Qian a bowl of porridge.

Bai Qian stared at the bowl of porridge in front of her, her eyes filled with a hint of fear. After hesitating for a while, she picked up the spoon, scooped a small spoonful, and put it in her mouth. The jingmi rice melted in her mouth, the fragrance lingering on her lips, and a warm feeling flowed into her heart, making her feel incredibly comfortable.

This bowl of plain jingmi porridge, though far less impressive than the "smiling face" dish, contained a special ingredient—sincerity, or rather, a sentiment.

Bai Qian's face was pale, and she was stunned for a long time. Suddenly, she was startled and said, "Xing'er, go and see Li—," but she couldn't finish her sentence.

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{Piaotian Literature}