Before her were a group of little bald kids of varying heights, all skinny as rakes, with their patched cotton clothes hanging loosely on their frames.
They stood ramrod straight, their eyes burning with desire and anxiety etched on their youthful faces.
Unable to let them fret any longer, Qi Huan soon gave them the answer they yearned for.
"Welcome, little delivery boys, to Qi's Noodle Shop. As long as you work hard, everyone here can eat their fill."
"Thank you, Sister Qi!" they chorused.
Qi Huan smiled warmly. "You'll earn your food through your own labor."
"By helping me deliver orders, I'll also make more money. This is a win-win situation for us both."
Hearing her words, Little Shitou and the others' eyes lit up instantly.
Having lived so long as beggars, their backs were bent from constantly bowing and scraping. Sister Qi was giving them not just a job, but a chance to stand tall and walk upright.
Qi Huan felt gratified to see their spines straightening, and she asked for their names.
Soon, she had committed their distinctive monikers to memory.
Besides Little Shitou, the boys were named Shi Zhuan, Shi Kuai, Shi Zhu, and Shi Qiao - all very hardy names given by the female inmates, in hopes that they would lead tough lives and survive.
The girls went by Qing Ke, Qing Guo, Qing Cao, Qing Miao, and Qing Cai - all verdant, life-affirming names.
After memorizing their names, Qi Huan asked Nuan Dong and Xiu Wen to help the children bathe and trim their nails, while Tao Su was tasked with distributing the new cotton clothes she had bought earlier, two sets per child to ensure they could stay clean.
Meanwhile, Qi Huan retrieved the powdered milk she had hidden in the cupboard earlier.
She mixed ten bowls of milk, giving one to each child after they were washed and clothed.
Then she cooked each of them a extra-large serving of beef noodles, finally filling their bellies.
By the time they finished eating, night had fallen completely.
The kitchen was dimly lit by a lone candle flame.
Its glow danced across the children's faces, each beaming with happiness - this was the most filling meal and the cleanest they had ever been in their young lives!
At the same time, the system prompted Qi Huan, "Doing Good Deeds +10, Points +10."
Qi Huan's smile deepened as she straightened Little Shitou's jacket and asked with concern, "It's getting late, let me walk you all home. Where do you live?"
"No need, Sister. Our place isn't far, just by the Exile Camp."
"We used to live with our mothers when we were little. The warden, Madam Ding, turned a blind eye and let us stay for years."
"But the higher-ups eventually banned it. Luckily, Uncle Wang who tends the cattle is kind-hearted and has let us sleep in the cowshed these years, as long as we don't disturb the cows..."
Hearing this, Qi Huan felt a pang in her heart.
The cows were good-natured, as was kindly old Uncle Wang.
But a draughty cowshed was no fit place to live - dirty, cold, and what if the children soiled their clothes or caught colds? That would hamper the delivery service too.
After a moment's thought, Qi Huan asked, "Little Shitou, would you all like to stay here with me instead?"
"I don't have a spare room at the moment though, so you'll have to make do with sleeping in the kitchen for now, I'm afraid."
"I'll get you some quilts later, and you can lay down some straw to sleep on, bundled up. It's not ideal, but it'll be warmer than the cowshed at least."
"Thank you, Sister!"
Qi Huan and Li Shuchen went to knock on the door of the cloth shop, buying ten quilts with silver.
One quilt per child, mattress and covering included.
The night temperatures were frigid - they would need to curl up like caterpillars to stay warm.
After making the purchases, she asked the shop to deliver the quilts to the noodle house by wheelbarrow.
The quilts in her own courier cache were too expensive, so she had bought new ones outright.
The noodle business had been lucrative of late, leaving her with ample funds. Besides, these quilts would last years, and Little Shitou and the others wouldn't be freeloading - they would become the noodle house's most loyal workers in time.
Returning her thoughts to the present as the barrow arrived, Qi Huan called out towards the backyard, "Come get the quilts!"
When Little Shitou and the others came running out and saw the pile of clean, thick cotton quilts laid out for them, they broke into tears of gratitude.
They tenderly carried the quilts into the kitchen, making light work of it with their numbers.
After clearing a space and laying down some hay from the woodpile, they quickly had their pallets made.
Once they were settled, Qi Huan cautioned them repeatedly:
"There are still some embers in the stove pit that will die out on their own soon. But be careful all the same - we don't want any fires breaking out."
"If you need anything else, you can go next door and ask Tao Su or Nuan Dong for help."
Satisfied by their obedient responses, Qi Huan felt reassured.
After a few more reminders, she went to the front hall to find Li Shuchen.
"Let's go home, Li Shuchen."
"Alright... let's go home."
Li Shuchen closed his book, lit the wick in his lantern, and walked to her left side to light her path.
The moon was obscured by dark clouds tonight, shrouding their surroundings in inky blackness save for the faint glow from Li Shuchen's lantern.
Qi Huan was a bit scared of the dark, so she sidled up close to Li Shuchen's side.
To dispel her fear, she struck up a conversation with him.
"Li Shuchen, I really wish we had a bigger home."
"I want to save up and buy us a plot of land registered in your name, then build a proper house so we can live more comfortably. And with a new house, Little Shitou and the others would have a place to stay too..."
"...But even with a new house, it would still take time to build. I don't know how long Little Shitou and the others will have to stay in the kitchen in the meantime."
Seeing her become despondent, Li Shuchen offered a solution. "The Yunying Caravan has vacant lodgings they could stay in for now."
His calm words made Qi Huan burst into laughter. "Li Shuchen, you're so naive! The caravan folk have no relation to them - why would they let a bunch of strangers stay in their quarters?"
"The Yunying Caravan is one of my enterprises."
Qi Huan froze. "You own a caravan, but why did you live in such misery before?"
"It's a recent acquisition."
She was his godsent savior, so Li Shuchen saw no need to hide the truth from her.
"In the first two years after I was exiled to Luoxian County, I had many agents from the Capital City by my side. I feigned being a broken cripple, and the more wretched I seemed, the more at ease they felt."
Recalling the past brought a cold smirk to his lips.
"Eventually, they all met with 'accidents' of one kind or another."
"The people in the Capital must have thought I was a spent force by then, not worth wasting manpower on anymore. With all eyes on the newborn Second Prince, I was conveniently forgotten."
"The Yunying Caravan was originally one of my hidden pawns for keeping tabs on the various regions... No outsiders knew of its connection to me."
"I couldn't make contact before, but Luoxian County is now firmly under my control... I'll ensure you live well from now on."
This was the most Qi Huan had ever heard him speak at length.
But of course, the more secrets one knew, the more likely one was to have their throat slit!
Qi Huan quickly covered her ears and rolled her eyes innocently. "I didn't hear a thing!"
