The crooked handwriting on the pristine paper seemed particularly jarring. Li Shuchen's temple twitched involuntarily as he covered Qi Huan's hand with his palm, grasping her slender fingers to guide her stroke by stroke.
Sensing that the young lady in his arms was spacing out, he gently admonished her, "Focus!"
Qi Huan scowled, unable to concentrate.
His hand was covering the back of her hand, and his broad chest was pressed against her back...
Most distracting of all were Li Shuchen's exhalations beside her ear, leaving her flustered and restless.
"Li Shuchen, could you please let go of my hand? It's improper for a man and woman to have such close contact..."
"There's no need for such formalities between teacher and student."
"Oh, I see." Qi Huan nodded suddenly in realization. "Since you're my teacher for life, I can just treat you like my father..."
With that thought, the previous sense of intimacy instantly dissipated.
Her heart settled, and she began practicing her calligraphy in earnest.
What she failed to notice was that behind her, Li Shuchen's face had darkened like charcoal when she suggested treating him like her father.
Even when it was nearly bedtime, Li Shuchen still could not let it go.
"Do I look like a father?" he asked.
His question brought the other three in the room to a halt as if they had been struck by paralyzing blows.
...At least he didn't look like their fathers.
Li Shuchen asked again, "Or do I just look old?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Qinghe chimed in, "Some people, despite their young age, always have a cold expression. You could say they're mature for their years, or you could say they just look old."
That morning he had called Li Shuchen "brother", so now he had to regain some face.
But as soon as he finished, he felt the chill of two icy stares directed at him.
Yan Qinghe followed their gazes to see a hint of anger on Yan Wu's face as well. He quickly explained, "Brother Yan Wu, I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about Shuchen. Let me explain..."
"No need. An extra hour of practice tomorrow."
Yan Qinghe immediately wilted.
His father was often away from home, so Yan Wu acted as his martial arts instructor - a half-teacher he could not disobey. He could only mumble in acquiescence, "Yes."
In contrast to the oppressive atmosphere in the west wing, Qi Huan was lying contentedly on her bed in the east wing.
Admiring the characters she had written, her satisfaction grew the more she looked at them.
"System, quick, take a look! My writing is starting to look just like Li Shuchen's - so beautiful!"
"This system has no eyes to see with, Host."
"What a pity you can't appreciate such beautiful calligraphy."
"This system would rather not have that blessing."
The system added, "A friendly reminder for the Host: Rack your clever little brain and think - throughout history and into the future, what has happened to those whose handwriting resembles that of the emperor?"
"Bad things happen?" Qi Huan felt a chill run down her spine.
"If I tell Li Shuchen now that I don't want to learn calligraphy anymore, can I still be saved?"
"You could try."
After trying, Qi Huan felt that Li Shuchen's gaze alone could kill her right then.
"Why?" he asked sternly.
Withering under his cold stare, Qi Huan fidgeted with her fingers and said meekly, "Aren't you afraid that I might forge your handwriting in the future?"
"No."
"Well, I'm afraid." Qi Huan looked up at him earnestly. "You'd better stop teaching me calligraphy. Just teach me to read - I can get a copybook and practice tracing the characters myself. You should know, if you become powerful in the future, having someone able to perfectly imitate your handwriting could be very dangerous."
"I trust you," Li Shuchen stated definitively.
Taken aback by his unconditional trust, Qi Huan felt awkward and mumbled evasively, "Anyway, I should go check on the noodle shop."
At the Qi Family Noodle Shop, Qi Huan unexpectedly noticed a young man loitering outside the entrance.
She paused and asked curiously, "Can I help you with something?"
"I wanted to ask what time the Qi Family Noodle Shop opens," the man replied.
"We open for business at noon, so if you want noodles, you'll have to wait a bit."
Lin Xiang quickly waved his hands in denial. "I'm not here for noodles. I'm looking for the owner of the Qi Family Noodle Shop."
"That's me."
"I didn't expect the owner to be so young." Lin Xiang scratched his head with an awkward laugh before stating his purpose. "Owner Qi, I'm here to discuss a business deal with you."
"Oh, let's go inside to talk then." Qi Huan pushed open the noodle shop door, gesturing for him to enter.
Once in the main hall, Nuan Dong heard them and quickly brewed a pot of hot tea to bring over.
After taking a seat, Qi Huan pushed a cup of tea towards Lin Xiang and inquired about the unfinished topic.
"Mister Lin mentioned a business deal. What kind of deal did you have in mind?"
"Recently, one of the staff from the Shengyan Building in Lingzhou visited his hometown in Mo County. After tasting the unique flavor of the spicy noodles made by your Qi Family Noodle Shop, he brought some back to Lingzhou. Our boss tasted them and couldn't stop raving about how delicious they were, so he sent me to discuss purchasing the spicy noodles from you, Owner Qi."
Thrilled at the business opportunity, Qi Huan gave a slight smile and asked, "What kind of arrangement did your boss have in mind?"
"I don't know if the Owner is willing to sell the recipe for the spicy noodles?"
Qi Huan nodded. "That's possible."
Lin Xiang was surprised at how easily she agreed, his eyes flickering with a hint of astonishment. But he quickly regained his smiling demeanor and continued, "Then may I ask the Owner to name a price?"
"Mister Lin may not be aware - the spices used to make the spicy noodles are a secret family recipe passed down through generations. Even if I sell you the recipe, you won't be able to replicate it without those spices."
At her words, Lin Xiang's smile faltered slightly. He had a feeling it wouldn't be that simple.
But he persisted hopefully, "Then...would the Owner consider selling the recipe for the spices as well?"
"I'm afraid not." Qi Huan shook her head apologetically.
Making spice powders like chili powder was simple enough - just grind the spices into a powder. But the issue was that she had never seen chili peppers in Mo County, so even if she told Lin Xiang, he wouldn't be able to find the ingredients.
However, she couldn't let this opportunity slip away either.
Taking a sip of tea to clear her throat, Qi Huan continued, "But Mister Lin need not be discouraged. I have a proposal for you to consider.
I'll sell you the recipe for the spicy noodles for one hundred taels of silver. As for the required ingredients, you can send someone to Mo County each month to collect them - mainly tapioca starch, chili powder, cumin powder, and five-spice powder. The tapioca starch is one tael per pound. The other spice powders are more difficult to obtain, so two taels per pound.
One pound of spices can make quite a lot of spicy noodles. Moreover, as a prefectural capital, Lingzhou is far more prosperous. I'm sure you'll be able to adjust the prices accordingly when you sell the spicy noodles there. It won't take long before you've earned back your investment and turned a tidy profit.
What does Mister Lin think of this proposal?"
The proposal seemed feasible. As long as there was profit to be made, Lin Xiang would not let the opportunity pass.
He tried to negotiate a lower price several times, but Qi Huan refused to budge.
After all, if he didn't buy it, there would eventually be other restaurants that would discover this business opportunity. Qi Huan was in no hurry.
Seeing her calm and confident demeanor, Lin Xiang finally gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.
