Seeing her pretending to be ignorant, Lady Mei gave a cold laugh and sneered, "Miss Qi, are you injured in the back or in the brain? How could you be so forgetful? Hand over the five hundred taels of silver I brought earlier, or else..."
Before she could finish her harsh words, she was met with a cold glance from Li Shuchen, which sent a chill through her heart, and she fell silent.
Qi Huan's next words enraged her even further, causing her to tremble with anger.
"Madam, you clearly said earlier that these were gifts to apologize to me. I accepted them, so why are you taking them back now?"
She took out the paper signed by Lu Baiian from her pouch and smiled sweetly, unfolding it and reminding Lady Mei, "Look, it's written in black and white. Lord Lu's apology is sincere, and I'm very pleased with it. Now my back is hurting a bit, so I need to rest. Qingcao, please show the guest out!"
"Yes!" Qingcao responded, opening the door and gesturing invitingly, "This way, Madam."
Lady Mei's well-maintained face instantly contorted with rage. She gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear apart the stinking wench on the bed, but she was held back by the presence of Li Shuchen.
With a cold snort, Lady Mei hurried away to find Lu Baiian for support.
Lu Baiian lay on the brocade bedding inside the carriage, glaring angrily at the roof. Although his wounds had stopped bleeding and were thickly bandaged, the pain still burned through his bones.
He finally understood why the man in black hadn't killed him with one strike - he wanted to torture him!
But who? Who could be so vicious?
Faces flashed through his mind, and gradually, he developed a suspicion.
At that moment, a sound of sobbing came from outside the carriage, with Lady Mei crying bitterly.
From her disjointed description, Lu Baiian learned that his five hundred taels had been wasted, and he struggled to slap her, but his hand could not muster any strength. Enraged, he passed out.
Lady Mei burst into another fit of panicked wailing.
Despite the gloomy atmosphere outside, Qi Huan lay on the bed, happily humming a tune. After counting the silver and ingots, she stored them in her spatial pouch.
The days of recuperation flew by quickly, with her time spent eating and sleeping. She wouldn't mind another year of such a life, with the only downside being that her score had not increased for a long time.
Since her injury, all her meals had been brought back from the restaurant by Li Shuchen, blocking the simplest path to earning points.
Qi Huan sighed dejectedly, resting her head on the wooden table.
After returning from the Lu Mansion, Yan Qinghe entered the room and saw her dispirited state. Thinking she was just bored, an idea formed in his mind.
He sat down casually, propping one leg on the bench and resting his elbow on it. He said nonchalantly, "Ah Huan, I have a favor to ask of you."
Upon hearing this, Qi Huan immediately perked up, as her greatest desire at the moment was to help others.
"What is it? Just tell me."
"It's nothing big. Ah Shu's birthday is coming up. The guy was born on the second day of the second month, the day when the dragon raises its head. I'm wondering what I should give him. Could you help me think of something while you're free?"
Qi Huan nodded in agreement and began searching through her spatial pouch, wondering what she could give Li Shuchen as a birthday gift.
Just then, Li Shuchen returned from the restaurant with their meals, and everyone washed their hands and began eating.
Qi Huan ate without tasting the food, still pondering what would be a suitable gift.
That night, lying in bed, she reviewed all the items in her spatial pouch, and slowly, an idea formed.
The most important thing about a birthday gift is the thought behind it.
Qi Huan took out the raven-blue yarn that had been sitting in her pouch for a while and wound all five strands into a ball.
With the preparations complete, she retrieved the thick wooden needles from the bottom of the bag, holding one in each hand. She began skillfully knitting a scarf with the yarn.
This skill dated back to her middle school days when a yarn shop near the school gate had found a new business opportunity. For twenty yuan and two liang of yarn, they taught students how to knit.
Many young girls rushed there after class, eager to learn and knit scarves to give to their crushes.
Qi Huan had accompanied her classmates, but she had given the scarf she knitted to the principal's wife.
Recalling those memories, she continued working diligently by the light of the oil lamp and the moonlight filtering in.
Using the simplest garter stitch, she finished a warm scarf within two nights.
She tried it on, and it felt wonderfully cozy against her neck.
Qi Huan then knitted another scarf for herself with the remaining yarn.
As for Yan Qinghe and the others, she regretfully informed them, "I'm all out of yarn."
By the time the yarn was used up, the second day of the second month had arrived.
The second day of the second month, also known as the Dragon Head Festival, was celebrated throughout Mo County with a festive atmosphere.
Households were busy offering sacrifices to the Land God, borrowing oxen to plow their fields, and shaving the "dragon heads" of their children...
Meanwhile, Qi Huan was busy cooking longevity noodles for Li Shuchen's birthday.
After boiling the noodles in the bone broth, she placed them in a bowl, garnished with a few stalks of greens. She also sliced some carrot pieces and carved the words "Happy Birthday" on them, arranging them on top of the noodles. Finally, she cracked an egg over it, completing the dish.
She held the bowl and carried it into the hall, presenting it to Li Shuchen with a beaming smile, "Li Shuchen, happy birthday! May you always be happy!"
Taking the bowl, warmth spread from his fingertips to his heart. Li Shuchen's stern expression softened, and he replied, "Thank you."
After Li Shuchen finished the noodles, everyone began presenting their gifts.
Xiu Wen's gift was a handwritten rare book. While the precious books in the Lu Mansion could only be read and not copied, Lu Yueming graciously granted his request. In return, however, he had to paint a portrait for Lu Yueming.
Yan Wu gifted a hidden weapon ring containing poisoned needles, which he had acquired as a spoil of war after sparring with Yan Jiu from the Yunying Caravan.
As soon as he handed it to Li Shuchen, Li Shuchen passed it on to Qi Huan.
Judging it to fit her ring finger perfectly, Li Shuchen gently slid the dark bronze ring onto her slender, delicate finger, making her hand appear even more pale and fair.
"If you encounter danger, twist this part and aim it at your enemy."
After he finished explaining, Qi Huan looked at him with mixed feelings, "Li Shuchen, do you know what it means to wear a ring on the ring finger?"
Li Shuchen raised his eyebrows slightly, his thin lips parting, "Decoration?"
Seeing his ignorance, Qi Huan changed the subject, but she did not remove the ring from her finger.
Yan Qinghe's gift to Li Shuchen was a handful of air. He cupped his palms together and awkwardly brought them from his chest to Li Shuchen's face.
"Here, this is my heart's intent... Ah Huan said that intent is the most precious, so I'm giving you my intent... You will always be my best brother."
...
Everyone fell silent.
Li Shuchen let out a light laugh, breaking the silence, "Not a bad gift, but don't give it again."
If Ah Huan had given it, he would have appreciated it.
But coming from that foolish Yan Qinghe, it just felt awkward, no matter how he looked at it.
Withdrawing his hands, Yan Qinghe also sensed the awkwardness and urged Qi Huan to present her gift, so they could all share in the discomfort together.
Qi Huan wiped her hands clean and returned from her room with the scarf. With sincere eyes, she handed it to Li Shuchen, "Li Shuchen, this is a scarf I knitted by hand. The gift is small, but the sentiment is great. I hope you like it."
"I do like it," Li Shuchen replied, a smile gracing his usually aloof expression as he accepted the scarf and draped it around his neck.
Taking a closer look, Qi Huan nearly laughed out loud. She had given him a scarf, not a khata (ceremonial scarf), yet he was wearing it around his neck as if it were one.
She stepped forward, rising on her tiptoes to properly adjust the scarf for him. In her mind, she suddenly recalled scenes from TV dramas in her previous life where wives would straighten their husbands' ties.
Lost in her daze, the system prompted her: "Doing good deed +1, score +100."
Adding the hundred points from giving the longevity noodles, she had earned two hundred points today. Qi Huan snapped out of her reverie and retreated happily.
Once she stepped back, Yan Qinghe approached Li Shuchen, circling him and feeling the new scarf, only to be swatted away by Li Shuchen.
"How is Qi Huan's scarf made? It looks very warm, with it, the cold wind won't blow into your clothes, right?"
Everyone was fascinated and praised it.
Amidst the stream of compliments, an idea gradually sprouted in Qi Huan's heart.
