Chapter 54

In the kitchen, the stove was burning brightly, making the room particularly warm. The chopping board was sprinkled with flour, and Suniang was kneading the dough into a long strip, then cutting it into small pieces. Next to her, Zhuo'er held a small rolling pin and quickly flattened the dough pieces into dumpling wrappers. Aunt Wang sat beside the chopping board, holding a pair of chopsticks in her right hand to pick up some filling and place it on the wrapper. With a quick motion of her hands, she formed a plump, white dumpling.

A couple of days ago, it was the Winter Solstice, and the family followed the custom from the north to eat dumplings. However, they had made too much filling, and on the Winter Solstice, they couldn't finish it all. Although it was cold, leaving the filling for too long would make it sour. Therefore, Aunt Wang decided to make dumplings again at noon to finish the remaining filling.

"Let's eat dumplings again! I'll help!" Zhou Chong pulled back the curtain and entered the kitchen, seeing the busy Aunt Wang and the others. He smiled and rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands and help.

"You, a man, can't always do these things. Go sit in the room and wait. I'll bring you some when they're done!" Aunt Wang held him back, insisting that the kitchen was not a place for men. She believed that men who entered the kitchen were not ambitious, and Zhou Chong, who was destined to study and become an official, shouldn't be cooking every day, even though she also enjoyed the dishes he made.

Zhou Chong, however, said indifferently, "It's fine. Making dumplings is more fun with more people. We can chat while making them, and it feels like a family."

But before Zhou Chong finished speaking, Suniang, who was at the chopping board, smiled and said, "What the young master says is true, but you are the head of the household. With us women here, if even cooking is done by you, what are we here for?"

After a few days of getting to know each other, Suniang had become more familiar with the Zhou family and was no longer as restrained as when she first arrived. She now felt comfortable speaking to Zhou Chong. At this moment, Zhou Chong realized that Suniang was quite articulate and always hit the right points, making it hard to argue with her.

"Brother, you should go keep Little Sister company. We can handle this here!" Zhuo'er also chimed in, turning to Zhou Chong with a bright smile.

Seeing that Zhuo'er and the others didn't want his help, Zhou Chong shook his head and left the kitchen. As he stepped into Aunt Wang's room, the white ball, which was playing with Duo'er, immediately hid in the bedroom upon seeing him. Duo'er, however, ran over and threw herself into Zhou Chong's arms, begging him to play with her.

Playing with children was always Zhou Chong's forte. As he was happily playing with Duo'er, he suddenly heard heavy footsteps in the courtyard. Then, Manager Xu pulled back the curtain and entered, saying, "Young Master, Miss Xie has come to visit Miss Zhuo'er. She is now waiting in the warm pavilion of the front hall. Should I invite her to the inner quarters?"

Usually, guests would be received in the front hall, but since Xie Lingyun was a woman and specifically came to visit Zhuo'er, it was more like a visit between close friends rather than a formal visit. In the past, Zhuo'er would bring her friends to the inner quarters and receive them in her own embroidery tower. However, the Zhou family's situation was different now, and Manager Xu was concerned that Zhuo'er wasn't prepared, so he had Miss Xie wait in the warm pavilion of the front hall.

"Alright, I'll go tell Zhuo'er to change her clothes and then go with me to meet her!" Zhou Chong immediately said. Although Miss Xie said she was visiting Zhuo'er, Zhou Chong knew that Xie Lingyun had more than just a simple visit in mind.

Zhuo'er was also very happy to hear that Xie Lingyun had come to visit. Since the family's decline, Xie Lingyun was the first of her former friends to visit her. Moreover, the rouge Xie Lingyun had given her last time had deeply moved Zhuo'er, and she now considered Xie Lingyun her best friend.

Zhuo'er quickly changed her clothes and rushed to the warm pavilion with the gifts Zhou Chong had prepared for Xie Lingyun. Zhou Chong couldn't catch up with her. When he arrived at the warm pavilion, he hadn't even entered when he heard Zhuo'er's cheerful voice: "The soap and glycerin were made by my brother. The process is like magic, and I still can't understand how it works..."

Hearing Zhuo'er's words, Zhou Chong smiled. He wanted to teach Zhuo'er, but she had no chemistry background, and explaining the principle of saponification would take more than a few words.

Zhou Chong stepped into the warm pavilion and saw Zhuo'er and Xie Lingyun sitting on opposite sides of a tea table. The little maid, Suizhu, stood behind Xie Lingyun and gave Zhou Chong a fierce glare when she saw him.

The gift box on the table was already open, and the soap and glycerin were taken out. It seemed that Zhuo'er had already introduced these items to Xie Lingyun. Xie Lingyun's hand gently touched Zhuo'er's cheek, feeling the difference in her skin after using the soap and glycerin, while Zhuo'er was praising her brother's abilities to Xie Lingyun.

"Miss Xie, your visit truly honors our humble abode. I apologize for not being able to welcome you properly," Zhou Chong said, bowing to Xie Lingyun. He didn't particularly like or dislike this cunning and calculating woman, but he instinctively didn't want to deal with her too much to avoid being taken advantage of. However, he always maintained proper etiquette.

Seeing Zhou Chong enter, Xie Lingyun looked at him with a strange expression, a mix of curiosity and scrutiny. She was genuinely surprised that Zhou Chong, besides writing novels, could also make soap and glycerin.

"Master Zhou is truly a man of many talents. I have never heard of soap and glycerin before, but their effects are astonishing. Where did you learn to make them?" Xie Lingyun asked after a moment, smiling.

"Ha ha, the soap and glycerin are just small gifts I made on a whim. They don't deserve such high praise from Miss Xie!" Zhou Chong laughed, not wanting to reveal too much about the soap, which was one of his key strategies for accumulating funds.

"Oh, so you came up with them yourself. I am truly impressed!" Xie Lingyun smiled, her eyes carrying a hint of unreadable amusement. She then turned to Zhuo'er, "Sister Zhuo'er, it's already noon. I've been running around all morning and haven't even had breakfast. Would you be willing to let me stay for lunch?"

Zhuo'er was clearly taken aback. She considered Xie Lingyun her best friend and had no problem inviting her to stay for lunch, but she hadn't known Xie Lingyun was coming, and the only food prepared in the house was dumplings. It was already noon, and there was no time to prepare other dishes. Serving only dumplings to a guest might seem too frugal.

Zhuo'er was young and had experienced significant family changes, making her self-esteem particularly sensitive. She thought a lot about such matters. In contrast, Zhou Chong had fewer reservations. Hearing Xie Lingyun's request to stay for lunch, he immediately responded, "Miss Xie, we would be honored to have you stay for lunch. However, most of our servants have left, and we haven't prepared any other dishes. Aunt Wang and the others have made some dumplings. If you don't mind, please join us in the back courtyard."

Xie Lingyun was impressed by Zhou Chong's straightforward acknowledgment of the Zhou family's current situation without any sign of embarrassment. She smiled wryly, "I am not a pampered young lady. As the only daughter of the Xie family, I manage the family business and often don't know where my next meal will come from. Many times, I have to eat snacks in my carriage to tide me over. If possible, I wish I could have a good brother like Sister Zhuo'er to protect me."

As she spoke, Xie Lingyun's eyes showed a rare hint of envy. No matter how capable she was, she was still a woman, and the heavy responsibilities of the family should not have fallen on her shoulders. Unfortunately, she had no brothers or younger siblings, leaving her with no choice.

Zhuo'er, hearing Xie Lingyun's complaints for the first time, felt deep sympathy and was grateful to have a good brother. However, Zhou Chong was surprised. In his impression, Xie Lingyun was not the type to easily reveal her feelings. Her sudden change in demeanor and willingness to share her struggles with him and Zhuo'er seemed unusual.

Since Xie Lingyun was staying for lunch, Zhou Chong couldn't let her eat only dumplings. He and Zhuo'er took her back to Aunt Wang's courtyard, where Zhuo'er chatted with her while Zhou Chong asked Aunt Wang and Suniang to prepare a few more dishes. Aunt Wang and Zhuo'er joined them for lunch.

After lunch, Zhuo'er continued chatting with Xie Lingyun, while Zhou Chong returned to his room to organize the manuscript of "The Golden Lotus." He was certain that Xie Lingyun would eventually come to him to see the new manuscript. Thinking about her reaction to "The Golden Lotus," Zhou Chong couldn't help but smile slyly.

Sure enough, Xie Lingyun didn't keep Zhou Chong waiting for long. Half an hour later, Zhuo'er brought Xie Lingyun to Zhou Chong's room, with the little maid Suizhu following behind. Xie Lingyun looked around the room, surprised to see only a table, chairs, and a stove for heating. She was amazed that Zhou Chong had written such a sensational novel in such a simple setting.