The next day.
Qi Huan woke up when the day was already bright.
After finishing breakfast, she continued copying medical books. Suddenly, she heard voices from outside the window.
She craned her neck to look and saw Xu Nanny smiling and greeting Li Shuchen.
Her right eyelid twitched, and sure enough, after Xu Nanny asked to see her, she began to lecture Qi Huan.
"Miss, I shouldn't overstep, but people's gossip is fearsome. You've come of age, and it's not appropriate to live under the same roof with several men. Why don't you move to the orphanage and let this old servant attend to you?"
Qi Huan understood her reasoning.
However, the Qi family's home was remote, with very few visitors. No one would know how they lived behind closed doors.
She didn't want to be separated from Shuchen.
Once they returned to the Capital City, it would be extremely difficult to meet. She especially cherished this final period of tranquility.
Just as she was struggling with how to refuse, Li Shuchen slowly walked over, his gaze sweeping past Xu Nanny: "Your young lady is wealthy, with considerable assets in Mo County. There's more than one person with ill intentions towards her. If she goes to live at the orphanage, you won't be able to protect her."
"I will protect her."
"Mo County is far from the Capital City. I promise that no rumors damaging your young lady's reputation will reach the capital."
Xu Nanny sighed, admitting that the young master had a point. However, she came up with a compromise.
"Miss, the old madam sent us servants to attend to you. Why don't we move in to live with you? We can take better care of you that way."
Qi Huan blinked innocently: "There's no room. We don't have any spare bedrooms."
Xu Nanny insisted: "I can share a room with the little maid."
Yan Qing, who was being looked at, quickly waved her hands: "I snore, grind my teeth, and sleepwalk."
"I can sleep on the floor in the young lady's room."
"The floor is cold. If you fall ill, how will you accompany me back to the Capital City?"
Xu Nanny had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Qi Huan invited them to stay for lunch, then had Yan Wu escort them back. Just after seeing them off and preparing for an afternoon nap, Tao Su suddenly arrived.
"Miss Qi, are you going back to the Capital City soon?"
"That's right," Qi Huan nodded.
"Can you take me with you? I'm the little slave you bought, costing a whole five taels and five mace of silver. You'll definitely take me along, won't you?"
"Haven't you saved enough money to buy your freedom?"
"No." Tao Su shook her head like a rattle drum, lying without a hint of guilt.
She had already made up her mind to follow Miss Qi for life.
Miss Qi was the kindest person to her besides her mother. She couldn't bear to part with this warmth.
So, she quickly squeezed out some tears and looked at Qi Huan pitifully, saying: "Miss Qi, I want to go to the Capital City to taste some tao su pastries."
Tao Su wanted to eat tao su.
Qi Huan smiled: "I can have the merchant caravan send you some."
"......"
After a moment of silence, Tao Su added: "I can cook too!"
"So can I!"
"But when you go to the Capital City, you'll be a young lady from a great family. How can you cook for yourself?"
Qi Huan thought about it and realized she had a point.
Whether she moved into the Song family's house or not, in the future, when she was with Li Shuchen, she would definitely need to pay more attention to her diet.
It would be more reassuring to have her own people cooking in a small kitchen.
She scrutinized Tao Su.
When she first met Tao Su, the girl wasn't very well-behaved. But later, Tao Su proved to be very loyal.
From choosing to inform Qi Huan behind her father's back, to picking up a stool to protect Qi Huan when Shopkeeper Chen attempted assassination. She had changed a great deal.
Moreover, she had a real talent for cooking.
Tao Su was impatient, and while Qi Huan was considering, her heart felt as if it was being clawed by a cat.
She gritted her teeth and said frankly: "Miss Qi, why don't you feed me a poison pill? I heard from my mother that that's how people in power manage their subordinates. Once they've been given the drug, most people become very obedient and loyal. So, if you give me a pill, you can feel at ease taking me with you!"
Qi Huan gave her a folic acid tablet.
She swallowed it without hesitation and said with a grin: "Miss Qi, does this mean you've agreed to take me to the Capital City?"
"Yes. I'll ask Mr. Xu to buy another cook skilled in culinary arts, and you'll teach him how to make the small braised pork. Before spring arrives, wrap up all the matters at hand."
"No problem!"
Tao Su's eyes sparkled like stars in the sky.
She returned to the orphanage in high spirits, planning to learn some etiquette from Xu Nanny. From now on, she would be Miss Qi's exclusive little cook. When they reached the Capital City, she couldn't embarrass Miss Qi.
Watching her leave happily, Qi Huan smiled.
New clothes are better than old ones, but old friends are better than new. Rather than expending effort to investigate others' backgrounds and slowly train them, it was better to keep Tao Su by her side.
She was becoming more and more loyal, ... and her cooking was very good.
In the afternoon, Qi Huan went to the restaurant to talk to Mr. Xu about the cook, but saw a group of three to four-year-old children under the restaurant's porch.
She couldn't help but look a few more times, then stepped over the threshold and asked Mr. Xu: "What's the story with these children?"
"Ah, it's a cruel fate. They're like Little Stone, children of female convicts. They come here every day, eagerly waiting for the noodle shop to distribute free meal vouchers."
Qi Huan looked outside and saw that they were dressed in rags, with holes worn through their shoes, exposing toes that were red from the cold, and their hands were covered in chilblains.
It was truly pitiful.
Adopting them would be easy, but it would only treat the symptoms, not the cause.
Some of the female convicts were innocent women implicated by their families, some were even once pampered young ladies from great houses.
Once they fell from grace, it seemed anyone could bully them.
As a woman herself, she felt deeply saddened by this.
