"Host has gifted medical books to Sun Doctor. These books, passed down through generations, will benefit countless patients. This is a great act of kindness. Rewarding the host with 10,000 points!"
"To be honest, I still have six medical books left to copy. If I finish copying and give them to Sun Doctor, can I earn more points?"
"Yes, diligent host."
"Great!" Qi Huan exclaimed, rubbing her hands excitedly. "As long as I get enough points, I can be the production team's donkey!"
In the following days, she began to write fervently.
Copying medical books day and night, she worked until her head spun, her eyes blurred, and her back ached.
"I can't take it anymore. My hands are about to fall off from copying. Let's switch projects for a bit. My hands say they haven't opened an Express Delivery in a long time and are itching to do so. I'll exchange 666 points for some Express Deliveries and have a little fun!"
"Very well, host."
Swish, swish—
Four Express Deliveries arrived.
Qi Huan eagerly started opening them.
The first delivery was a pair of sneakers, slightly too big. She exchanged them with the system for the right size.
The second delivery contained a large amount of folic acid. The instructions said it was suitable for women preparing for pregnancy.
The third delivery was a set of pink bedding with strawberry prints.
The last delivery was three sets of underwear. Unlike the previous underwear she'd received, these were complete sets with both tops and bottoms!
Judging by the size, they would fit Yue Ming. Good friends should share, so Qi Huan didn't return these three sets, planning to give them to Yue Ming.
Then, she repurchased three sets of size A underwear for herself.
After tidying up the deliveries, Qi Huan suddenly remembered the camisole nightgown she'd given to Yue Ming earlier. The silky texture was smooth and perfect for sleeping.
So, she repurchased one for herself and washed it along with the underwear.
After washing the clothes, Qi Huan found a piece of red cloth, wrapped Yue Ming's clothes in it, and cheerfully walked next door.
"Yue Ming, these are some intimates I just received. They're really nice. I'm giving them to you!"
Holding up the underwear against her body, Lu Yueming's lips curled into a soft smile.
"Thank you, Qi Huan!"
"I love them!"
She believed her husband would love them too!
She was eager to wear them, but Qi Huan advised, "It's better to wash intimate clothing before wearing."
"Alright! I'll wash them and then dry them over the charcoal brazier."
She needed to dry them before her monthly visit.
Without delay, Lu Yueming exchanged some points for warm water and started washing. After washing, she also wanted to invite Qi Huan for a meal.
"Qi Huan, I have nothing but silver. Repaying you with silver seems a bit crude. How about I treat you to a meal instead?"
Looking at her expectant gaze, Qi Huan nodded against her will. "Just make something simple."
"Great, then I'll make scrambled eggs with tomatoes!"
"Okay, I'll help you heat the wok." Qi Huan sat on a small stool in front of the stove, filled it with a few sticks of firewood, arranging them in a crisscross pattern.
In her host's memories, Qi's Mother taught her that people should be loyal-hearted, and fire should be hollow-hearted for the firewood to burn brightly.
After arranging the firewood, she stuffed a handful of kindling into the stove, then blew on a fire stick and lit the kindling.
As the flames licked the bottom of the wok, dancing in the stove, the firewood burned vigorously. There was no need to add more wood yet, so Qi Huan relaxed.
She dusted off her hands, stood up, and looked over, only to be stunned.
In the steaming iron wok, whole tomatoes had been thrown in and were now scorched, their skins wrinkled and blackened.
Next to them lay two eggs and their broken shells.
As smoke billowed from the wok, Qi Huan coughed, quickly added some water, and then removed the firewood, placing it in the snow outside.
"The scrambled eggs and tomatoes from earlier are inedible. How about I teach you?"
"Okay..." Lu Yueming stuck out her tongue sheepishly.
She had never seen anyone cook. Xiu Wen never let her into the kitchen, never let her be smoked and scorched by the fire.
Xiu Wen always said cooking was simple: just throw the ingredients into the wok, and they'd be stir-fried.
She believed him, tossing things in carelessly, standing by, waiting for the wok to cook the food.
She hadn't expected the scrambled eggs and tomatoes in the wok to go so wrong...
"First, roll up your sleeves, then let's wash the tomatoes and blanch them to remove the skins," Qi Huan instructed seriously, guiding Lu Yueming to cut the tomatoes into chunks and beat the eggs.
Just as they finished, Xiu Wen returned. He always came back on time to cook for Yue Ming. Before marrying him, she was a young lady of a wealthy family; after marrying him, she was his cherished wife. He tried to take on all the chores.
Seeing Yue Ming cutting vegetables, he hurried over:
"Yue'er, put down that tomato, let your husband do it!"
"Husband, I want to cook for you too!"
...
Seeing the wok smoking while they argued, Qi Huan simply said, "How about I cook?"
"No!" They both refused in unison.
In the end, Xiu Wen taught Yue Ming how to make the dish, guiding her hands.
While they cooked, Qi Huan tactfully slipped away. When she returned home, only Li Shuchen was there.
"Where are the others?"
"At the restaurant."
Qi Huan then remembered that Yan Jiu had come to give Yan Wu and Yan Qinghe their monthly silver. They'd probably taken the little ones out to celebrate.
"Why didn't you go?"
As she spoke, she caught Li Shuchen's deep gaze. He simply said, "They didn't invite me."
Qi Huan burst out laughing. She had thought Li Shuchen would say he couldn't bear to leave her, but it turned out he wasn't invited.
With one hand behind her back and the other extended in invitation, she bent slightly, smiling sweetly. "Then I invite you to dine with me. Would Shuchen like that?"
"I would." Li Shuchen took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. "I want to eat meals with Qi Huan for a lifetime."
For dinner, Li Shuchen once again made plain noodles.
"Shuchen, why do you always make plain noodles?"
"Because I want you to think of me every time you see plain noodles."
Li Shuchen made up an excuse with a straight face.
And secretly decided to learn more dishes in the future to win Qi Huan's heart through her stomach.
After dinner, night fell.
Copying books at night strained her eyes, so Qi Huan went to bed early.
By early November, the clothes she'd washed earlier were half-dry. After warming them on the bed, they were completely dry.
Changing to the pink bedding, Qi Huan smiled contentedly. After bathing and returning to her room, she put on the camisole nightgown and rolled around on the warm kang.
She was completely unaware that because of the clothes she'd given away, next door wasn't quiet even late at night...
