The next day.
Chen the county magistrate ordered his servants to prepare a generous gift and went to the Qi Family. Just as he arrived, he caught sight of Qi Huan smiling foolishly at a pot of green beans.
He couldn't help but doubt his decision again.
Out of courtesy, even though the courtyard gate was wide open, he still tapped on it with his fingers.
As soon as the tapping sound was made, he saw his own foolish son run excitedly to Qi Huan's side, helping her pick the green beans.
"Ah Huan, my father has come to give you a gift."
Upon hearing this, Qi Huan put down the green beans, stood up, and greeted him with a polite smile, "Magistrate, what's this?"
"Little Qi, there's no need to be so formal. Just call me Uncle. Uncle should be thanking you for discovering that someone had ill intentions towards You. So I've prepared a small gift for you. Where should I have it placed?"
Qi Huan didn't stand on ceremony either. A few days ago, she had painstakingly written a script for Chen Jinyou and helped him identify the problematic parts in the original script, so she had indeed made contributions and put in hard work.
Receiving a gift was not too much.
She led the servants to place the gifts in the main hall and brewed some hot tea for Chen the county magistrate.
After taking a sip of the tea and clearing his throat, Chen the county magistrate slowly spoke, "Little Qi, I heard that you haven't settled your marriage yet... You's marriage hasn't been settled either.
Isn't this just a coincidence?
Although my son You is not very capable, he has quite a few fields and manors under his name. Whoever marries him will be able to live a prosperous life in the future.
Let me be frank with you, there's news from the capital that a pardon may be issued soon. By then, you'll be able to shed your criminal status and freely marry.
You listens to you a lot, and you've also guided him back to the right path. My wife and I are very pleased. Although you're still in mourning, Uncle wants to consult with you first. When you're out of mourning, Uncle will seek a matchmaker to propose a marriage between you and You. What do you think?"
After understanding Chen the county magistrate's words, Qi Huan immediately refused, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Uncle."
"To be honest, I've already 'seen' a man's leg condition, and he insisted on repaying me with himself."
"So, please excuse me from being able to accept becoming your daughter-in-law."
As her words fell, Chen the county magistrate was dazed, never expecting to be rejected.
His son You had a mansion and silver, only lacking a bit of intellect.
But a minor flaw couldn't overshadow the merits.
If it weren't for Qi Huan being able to manage You, Chen the county magistrate wouldn't have considered this rather unsuitable marriage.
Chen the county magistrate sighed with slight regret.
At the same time, Li Shuchen, who had better hearing than ordinary people, heard the conversation between the two and stopped cutting the meat. He came out from the kitchen with a cleaver in hand, glanced at Chen the county magistrate, and then turned towards Qi Huan.
"Ah Huan, are the green beans picked yet? I've finished cutting the meat and am just waiting for the vegetables to be cooked."
"Coming, coming. Cook some extra rice, we have a guest at home."
Li Shuchen moved his wrist, and the cleaver in his hand spun with it. He coldly refused, "The rice has already been steamed, only enough for two people."
After gulping down a few mouthfuls of tea, Chen the county magistrate finally came back to his senses. What did he just hear?
The former Prince, actually cooking in the kitchen?
He examined Li Shuchen's attire and the courtyard of the Qi Family, thinking to himself: After Li Shuchen got together with Qi Huan, their living conditions seemed decent.
Turning to Qi Huan, Chen the county magistrate advised with a serious tone, "Little Qi, you should reconsider. You is really not bad... Also, look at what happened to Mrs. Lu as a result of keeping a man."
After pondering for a moment, Qi Huan finally understood Chen the county magistrate's implication.
It seemed that Chen the county magistrate didn't know that the Yunying Caravan was Li Shuchen's business, mistakenly thinking that Li Shuchen's improved living conditions were entirely due to her.
She couldn't explain, so she could only smile and pretend to be oblivious.
Noting that Li Shuchen had only made enough rice for two people, she suggested, "Uncle Chen, I didn't expect your sudden visit today and haven't prepared any dishes. Why don't we go to a restaurant for lunch instead?"
Chen the county magistrate quickly waved his hand, declining the offer as his wife was waiting for him to have lunch at home.
Walking to the courtyard, he called his son, who was still picking green beans at the stone table, and hurriedly bid farewell.
The household regained its usual tranquility.
Li Shuchen put down the cleaver, pursed his lips, and said with a frown, "Time passes so slowly."
He couldn't wait for Ah Huan to finish her mourning period so he could take her back home as his wife, sparing her from being coveted by others.
Wrapping her slender waist, Qi Huan smiled up at him and said soothingly, "What does it matter how fast or slow time passes? As long as we're together, it's the best time."
"Mm."
Li Shuchen hugged her back, resting his chin on her head and rubbing it a few times, causing a slight itch on her skin, but his eyes were filled with laughter.
As long as they were together forever, they had no fear of time.
And no fear of others coveting her.
Ah Huan belonged to him alone.
Recalling Chen the county magistrate's news that the Emperor intended to issue a pardon, it seemed that his people had already taken action. Li Shuchen's eyes shone with determination.
He could deal with the affairs of the court gradually.
For now, the most important thing was that Ah Huan must be hungry, and he needed to cook for her.
After letting go of Qi Huan, Li Shuchen took the cleaver in one hand and held her hand with the other, walking towards the kitchen.
After finishing cutting the green beans, he said, "This is my first time cooking. Please correct me if I do anything wrong."
"Go ahead, Ah Shu. No matter how it turns out, I'll be happy to eat it!"
With her hands behind her back, Qi Huan smiled radiantly.
However, after Li Shuchen finished cooking, she suddenly had some regrets.
Earlier, she had told Li Shuchen that undercooked green beans could be poisonous, so he should cook them a bit longer. Little did she expect that he had overcooked them to the point of charring.
Staring at the blackened meat and green beans, Qi Huan suddenly felt she wasn't that hungry anymore.
But this was Ah Shu's first attempt at cooking, so he needed encouragement.
Just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks, Li Shuchen stopped her.
"Let me taste it first to see if it's edible."
After taking a bite, Li Shuchen struggled to swallow it. He then turned, picked up the plate, and dumped the food into the dog's bowl.
Taking Qi Huan's hand, he decided, "Let's go to a restaurant instead."
Seeing his slight regret, Qi Huan smiled and said, "Although I didn't get to eat the dish, I appreciated your intention."
Hearing her words, Li Shuchen's lips curved slightly upwards.
"Shall I try again?"
"No, no! I can't bear to see you work so hard. Let's just go to a restaurant!"
Qi Huan quickly pulled him out the door.
She was afraid of facing another plate of food without any color, aroma, or flavor.
After a few months of treatment, her menstrual pain had already subsided, but Ah Shu still wouldn't let her cook during that time.
Accepting his kindness, Qi Huan ate several meals of the only dish he knew how to make - Yangchun noodles.
Today, she could finally go to the restaurant and eat something else.
After finishing her lunch, Qi Huan continued counting the silver coins sent by the Yunying Caravan.
The money from selling the recipe books belonged solely to herself, while the money from selling the starch was divided into three parts.
One part was put into her spatial storage, one part was stuffed into Li Shuchen's pocket, and the remaining part, she prepared to send to Lu Yueming as agreed.
