Chapter 34

Just making a few dishes, this was no problem for Zhao Chen. Once out the door, he immediately instructed Cheng Chumu to gallop to the College of Physical Objects to fetch the materials—oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, pots, and pans. There was no way to make delicious dishes with the things from the Lao Qin family.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumu had no hesitation and immediately nodded, turning around and sprinting away like a rabbit. Qin Yuyan was still sobbing, and Cheng Chumu was almost at his wits' end.

"That... I just promised to cook for Uncle Cheng!" Watching Cheng Chumu flee like a rabbit, Zhao Chen finally turned to Qin Yuyan, who was still wiping away her tears, scratching his head awkwardly and stammering.

This girl is really something. It's just a cucumber; does she really need to cry for so long? I'll give you a whole basket of cucumbers, and you won't even want it. You can't spit it out, can you?

"Brother is still being punished by Mother!" Qin Yuyan wiped away her tears, glaring at Zhao Chen and suddenly spoke.

"Punished?" Zhao Chen was immediately puzzled. "Why is he being punished?"

Qin Haidao had been with him all this time, determined to compete with Liu Huer. This was the first time he had returned home. Why was he being punished by Lady Qin as soon as he got back?

Qin Yuyan gritted her teeth and said irritably, "It's all because of you. Brother, who is usually so well-behaved, became unruly after staying at the College of Physical Objects for a while, not respecting the hierarchy!"

Zhao Chen's eyes widened. He could understand the unruliness, given that he had been with Liu Huer. But what did she mean by not respecting the hierarchy?

"Where is Haidao now?" Zhao Chen paused for a moment, suddenly realizing why Qin Yuyan had been so angry at him, not just over a cucumber.

She must have suddenly seen him and remembered that Haidao was being punished because of him, which made her even more upset, eventually leading her to cry.

Qin Yuyan wiped away the tear marks on her face with the back of her hand and pointed irritably in the direction of the inner quarters. Seeing this, Zhao Chen took a deep breath and walked toward the inner quarters.

As soon as he entered the inner quarters of the Qin residence, Zhao Chen saw Qin Haidao standing in the courtyard, a small child with his chest puffed out and a proud look on his face. This wasn't a punishment; it was a challenge!

Looking at the direction Qin Haidao was facing, it was Lady Qin's bedroom. Zhao Chen clutched his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Brother Chen!" As soon as Qin Haidao saw Zhao Chen, he immediately put away his proud look and excitedly called out to Zhao Chen. His face was beaming with excitement, as if he had accomplished something worth boasting about.

Zhao Chen put his finger to his lips, signaling Qin Haidao to be quiet, then quietly approached him and asked in a low voice, "Tell me why you're being punished."

As soon as Zhao Chen asked, Qin Haidao's face turned red with excitement. He glanced cautiously at Lady Qin's bedroom, clenched his fists, and excitedly told Zhao Chen the whole story.

As Qin Haidao recounted the story, Zhao Chen gradually felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

It turned out that Qin Haidao had made a bet with Liu Huer, saying that he could free all the servants in the household. The result was predictable: Qin Haidao's actions not only earned him a severe punishment from Lady Qin but also terrified the servants he had threatened to free!

Qin Haidao had been narrating the story with enthusiasm, but he suddenly noticed that Zhao Chen was looking at him with a strange expression. He was very familiar with this look; Liu Huer called it the "stupid look."

"Brother Chen, what did I do wrong?" Qin Haidao, seeing Zhao Chen's "stupid look," immediately lowered his head, bit his lip, and asked with red eyes.

"Three points!" Zhao Chen looked seriously at Qin Haidao, holding up three fingers and said bluntly, "First, you constantly show your advantages to your opponent, not knowing how to use them, and instead, let your opponent use them against you, turning your strengths into weaknesses!"

Qin Haidao frowned, thinking back to his time with Liu Huer. Indeed, he often boasted about being the young master of the Qin household in front of Liu Huer. This time, Liu Huer had just goaded him a little, saying he could free the servants, and he immediately admitted to being the young master of the Qin household.

"Second!" Zhao Chen continued, his face stern, "Lack of judgment. A person can be impulsive and be goaded into doing things, but they must also have the ability to discern right from wrong. Some things can be done, but others, even if it means losing your head, should never be touched!"

Qin Haidao bit his lip hard, his eyes red, and occasionally sniffed. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he wiped it away with his hand.

Qin Yuyan, who had entered the inner quarters just after Zhao Chen, looked at Qin Haidao and then at Zhao Chen, surprised. She couldn't believe that her brother, who had been stubbornly refusing to admit his mistake in front of their mother, had been brought to his knees by just a few words from this rogue.

"Third, I was clearly wrong, but I was still stubborn and didn't realize it, right?" Qin Haidao tried to hold back his tears, lifted his head, and asked Zhao Chen with red eyes.

"You're right, but also wrong!" Zhao Chen took a deep breath and looked at the confused Qin Haidao, saying, "You're right because you were indeed wrong and still stubborn. But you're wrong because there's a more serious mistake than this one!"

Zhao Chen's words made Qin Haidao and Qin Yuyan both look up in surprise. Qin Yuyan's mouth opened slightly, and her eyes fixed on the rogue with curiosity.

"Stubbornness! Arrogance!" Zhao Chen paused, looking at Qin Haidao and said sternly, "The sage said, 'When three people walk together, one of them must be my teacher!' Even the sage is like this, and you, a mere child, are so stubborn that you can't even listen to your own mother!"

"Today's incident is just a childish prank. But what about the future? If you encounter something more serious in the future and remain as stubborn as this, what will be the consequences?"

"Brother Chen, I was wrong!" Hearing Zhao Chen's stern words, all of Qin Haidao's stubbornness crumbled in an instant, and the next moment, he burst into tears.

"Go and apologize to your mother!" Seeing that Qin Haidao had acknowledged his mistake, Zhao Chen stood up, patted his head, and said with satisfaction.

Seeing Qin Haidao nod and walk toward Lady Qin's bedroom, Zhao Chen suddenly remembered something and said to him, "Remember to admit defeat to Liu Huer. A man can lose once, but we have plenty of time to make it up in the future!"

"Okay!" Hearing Zhao Chen's words, Qin Haidao, who had been dejected, suddenly straightened his chest, nodded vigorously at Zhao Chen, and marched proudly toward Lady Qin's bedroom.

"Is this the teaching of your master?" Zhao Chen was still basking in the satisfaction of educating Qin Haidao when he suddenly heard Qin Yuyan's somewhat angry voice behind him.

"What?" Zhao Chen turned around, puzzled, and saw the anger on Qin Yuyan's face. He asked, somewhat confused.

"Brother used to be humble and polite, with the demeanor of a gentleman even at a young age. Now he has become competitive, arrogant, and stubborn. Is this the teaching of your master?" As Qin Yuyan spoke, tears began to stream down her face again. She had heard Zhao Chen's words to Qin Haidao and was particularly frightened by the mention of his stubbornness and arrogance, which made her even more afraid.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't cry, okay?" Zhao Chen was most afraid of women crying. Once they started, he didn't know how to comfort them. Qin Yuyan was especially prone to crying, and seeing her cry, Zhao Chen immediately panicked.

For heaven's sake, this is the inner quarters, and Lady Qin is in the bedroom. If she comes out and sees her precious daughter crying, she'll surely tear him apart!

However, Zhao Chen's words only made Qin Yuyan turn around in embarrassment and cry even louder.

This girl is crazy!

Seeing this, Zhao Chen didn't dare to stay in the inner quarters for a moment longer. He mumbled something and immediately fled like a rabbit.

Not long after leaving the inner quarters, Cheng Chumu, out of breath, carried a large bag of items and entered the Qin residence from the gate. He was then led by the Qin household steward to the kitchen.

Dongpo pork, sweet and sour pork, braised meatballs, Kung Pao chicken, braised lion's head, and five-spice beef were all prepared. Considering that they were all veterans of the battlefield, Zhao Chen had a barbecue grill set up, with a whole lamb on it, brushed with seasoned sauce, and slowly roasted.

There were no vegetables, only a few cucumbers and a large cabbage. The cucumbers were smashed, sprinkled with seasonings, and drizzled with sesame oil. The cabbage was sliced and stir-fried with vinegar.

The Qin household chefs, who considered themselves the best in Chang'an, were stunned by the sight of the delicious dishes being prepared. In comparison, what they had made before was like pig food!

Zhao Chen maintained his attitude from the mountains: if they wanted to learn, fine; if not, too bad. If they got beaten by Old Qin in the future, it would be their own fault!

An hour later, a table full of dishes was ready. Zhao Chen set aside a portion to be sent to Lady Qin in the inner quarters and had the rest delivered to the hall.

---

Cheng Chumu, out of breath, carried a large bag of items and entered the Qin residence from the gate. He was then led by the Qin household steward to the kitchen.

Dongpo pork, sweet and sour pork, braised meatballs, Kung Pao chicken, braised lion's head, and five-spice beef were all prepared. Considering that they were all veterans of the battlefield, Zhao Chen had a barbecue grill set up, with a whole lamb on it, brushed with seasoned sauce, and slowly roasted.

There were no vegetables, only a few cucumbers and a large cabbage. The cucumbers were smashed, sprinkled with seasonings, and drizzled with sesame oil. The cabbage was sliced and stir-fried with vinegar.

The Qin household chefs, who considered themselves the best in Chang'an, were stunned by the sight of the delicious dishes being prepared. In comparison, what they had made before was like pig food!

Zhao Chen maintained his attitude from the mountains: if they wanted to learn, fine; if not, too bad. If they got beaten by Old Qin in the future, it would be their own fault!

An hour later, a table full of dishes was ready. Zhao Chen set aside a portion to be sent to Lady Qin in the inner quarters and had the rest delivered to the hall.