"You're talking too much, mute."
Ending the conversation with the system, Qi Huan came to her senses and looked around the bright room with satisfaction.
Six night bright pearls plus an oil lamp illuminated the room as if it was daylight.
As the light suddenly became brighter, Li Shuchen's vermilion brush moved even faster in his hand. An hour later, he stopped writing and handed the paper to Qi Huan.
Qi Huan read it while reciting aloud, asking for the opinions of the other three.
As the saying goes, "Three cobblers with their wits combined surpass the strategist Zhuge Liang." She called upon Yan Qinghe, Xiu Wen, and Lu Yueming not only to help light the room, but also to pool their collective wisdom.
"Isn't it troublesome to transport the starch back and forth? Why must it be processed in Mo County before being transported out?"
After voicing his innermost doubt, Yan Qinghe offered a solution.
"We could simply set up starch workshops in every prefecture and county, and sell the processed starch directly. That would save us from having to go back and forth."
Qi Huan had considered these points before.
However, considering that they had not yet opened up sales channels, making so many upfront investments seemed risky, so she opted for a relatively more stable approach.
"You're right, but I want to take it one step at a time, building steadily.
First, we'll process a batch of starch in Mo County, and the caravan will take it to local restaurants to seek cooperation. Once we have sales channels, we can then open starch workshops in various prefectures and counties."
"Miss Qi is right. You can't get fat from one big meal. Once sales pick up, we can open starch workshops without delay," Xiu Wen chimed in.
This topic was put aside, and Qi Huan discussed with them in detail how to persuade restaurants to purchase large quantities of starch.
At the root of it all, there had to be a practical use.
So Qi Huan took the vermilion brush from Li Shuchen's hand, grabbed some xuan paper, and wrote rapidly.
Mapo tofu, braised eggplant, home-style sauteed shredded potatoes, carrots and bell peppers, sweet and sour fish, and dozens of other dishes requiring starch as a thickener - she wrote them all down, as well as techniques for thickening soups and coating meat slices.
By the time she put down her final stroke, the table was covered in xuan paper, with a few sheets even on the bench.
The ink dried quickly, and Qi Huan gathered the recipes, stacking them into a pile which she handed to Li Shuchen.
"Shuchen, give these recipes to the Yunying Caravan. We'll also hire a reliable chef to go with them. Once there, they can first demonstrate a dish to the restaurant proprietors. After they're hooked, we can discuss selling the recipes and the starch."
"Understood." After Li Shuchen took the recipes and rolled them up in his hand, he prepared to personally visit the Yunying Caravan the next day to instruct them.
For him, nothing of Qi Huan's was a small matter.
With their sales strategy finalized and the moon already high in the sky, the matter of expanding their starch workshop would have to wait until tomorrow to discuss further.
Qi Huan yawned, a hint of drowsiness in her voice, "It's getting late, let's sleep. Early to bed and early to rise is healthy. We can talk about the rest tomorrow."
"Alright," they all replied in unison.
After a simple wash-up, Qi Huan quickly fell into a deep slumber.
When she woke again, daylight had already broken. She dressed and coiled her hair, then went to the kitchen to fetch water and brush her teeth.
As she rinsed the frothy suds from her mouth, Li Shuchen, Xiu Wen, and the others returned, followed by Lu Yueming in a red riding attire.
"Qi Huan, hurry up and wash your face. I've brought you meat buns, and after eating, we'll go riding in the countryside together."
Seeing her look so energetic and glowing, Qi Huan's eyes crinkled into a smile as she gave a crisp "okay" in response.
She quickened her pace, rapidly washing her face, then returned to her room to hastily apply some moisturizer and sunscreen before heading back out.
Looking at her wide-sleeved long dress, she realized this attire might not be very convenient for horseback riding.
Just as she was pondering this, Li Shuchen handed her a package.
"Change into this."
"What is it?"
"Riding clothes."
"Shuchen, you're so thoughtful." Qi Huan smiled gratefully at him, then turned to the others, "Please give me a moment."
Back in her room, she opened the package to reveal a pale blue riding outfit.
The ancient "pale blue" color was not pure white, but rather a faint bluish tint. Dyeing with indigo and then lightly rinsing gave the cloth a color close to white yet also close to blue - light and refreshing.
Qi Huan took off her white cotton dress and changed into the riding outfit. Unfortunately, without a full-length mirror in the room, she couldn't see how she looked.
Not wanting to keep the others waiting any longer, she trotted into the courtyard with a smile, asking, "How is it?"
"Beautiful!" Yan Qinghe complimented sincerely upon seeing her lively appearance.
Awkward with words, Yan Qinghe pondered for a moment before adding, "Very beautiful!"
Li Shuchen's amber eyes also shone with appreciation as he looked at her.
Meeting his gaze, Qi Huan's smile deepened. A woman strives to please herself, but she only wanted to please Shuchen.
"Oh? Qi Huan, your riding clothes and Lord Li's attire, are they made from the same fabric?" Lu Yueming's gaze swept between the two as she mused aloud while supporting her chin.
Standing beside her, Xiu Wen smiled as he explained, "Yes, His Highness said that's the only way to show they are a pair."
"I see," Lu Yueming turned her head, looking thoughtfully at Xiu Wen's plain-colored robes.
Perhaps she should gift her husband some new robes one of these days?
As she pondered, Qi Huan hurriedly finished her buns, wiped her hands clean, then came over and linked arms with Lu Yueming, leading her towards where the horses were tethered outside the gate.
The large tree by the gate leaned slightly from years of being buffeted by the northern winds. Now, four reins were tied to its trunk, securing four horses.
Neither Qi Huan nor Xiu Wen knew how to ride. Since they were all among their own people with no need for pretense before outsiders, Li Shuchen naturally extended his hand to Qi Huan and helped her onto the saddle to ride together.
Yan Qinghe, Yan Qinghe, and Lu Yueming also swiftly mounted their horses.
Only Xiu Wen remained on the ground.
He had ridden with Yan Qinghe on their way back, so he once again extended his hand to his old friend of many years.
Seeing their joined hands, a glint flashed in Lu Yueming's eyes as she grabbed the horse whip and struck the horse's flank viciously.
Stung by the pain, the horse bolted in a mad dash.
The others gave chase, eventually reaching the desolate countryside.
Here, the sky was vast and the clouds wispy, with a gentle breeze rustling the leaves and rippling the surface of the Mishui River.
Bathed in the warm sunlight, Lu Yueming shed her usual gloom, her red attire vivid as she spurred her horse into a gallop.
Not to be outdone, Yan Qinghe and Yan Qinghe brandished their whips as well, racing alongside her.
On horseback, Xiu Wen was gulping down the wind, shouting, "Let me down!"
Just then, Yan Qinghe also felt that Xiu Wen was a burden, so he obediently threw him by the roadside.
After abandoning Xiu Wen, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Indeed, it's faster to ride alone!
Looking at Li Shuchen and Qi Huan, who were left far behind him, Yan Qinghe nodded in secret, more convinced of his judgment.
He spurred his horse to chase after the people ahead, leaving the two even further behind.
Li Shuchen and Qi Huan were in no hurry, but rather leisurely enjoyed the scenery of the wilderness.
The pleasant mood made Qi Huan hum a tune, singing the same song "The World's Beauty is Intertwined with You".
"It's now the season when the orioles fly and the grass grows long, the one I love is on the way..."
Accompanying the singing voice, Li Shuchen lowered his eyes to look at her, then gazed around at the surrounding scenery, suddenly understanding the phrase—tranquil years.
Her singing voice was melodious and lingering, and the system couldn't help but softly harmonize with her.
When the song ended, it had to admit one fact: "Compared to this system, the host does sing a tiny, tiny, tiny bit better..."
"Then please try to improve that tiny, tiny, tiny bit... Sing better next time."
"What did the host say?... The wind is too loud, I can't hear clearly."
