"Delicious!"
"So delicious!"
Yan Wu and Yan Qinghe praised the food concisely, their eyes sparkling as they spoke in unison: "Will we have this again tomorrow?"
Not wanting to disappoint them, Qi Huan smiled and nodded.
For a cook, having their food appreciated and loved by others was a deeply fulfilling experience.
However, after cooking noodles all afternoon, she felt physically drained, with an aching back and waist.
Noticing the subtle change in her expression, Li Shuchen suggested thoughtfully, "After we move into the new house, we'll hire a cook to help you."
Although the new house didn't have servants' quarters, the kitchen was spacious enough to partition off part of it for storing firewood, freeing up the woodshed for the cook to stay.
As his words reached her ears, Qi Huan's first thought was about her credit score.
For cooking three meals a day for Li Shuchen, she could earn three hundred credits, nine thousand a month, and one hundred eight thousand a year.
It was no small sum; after ten years, she would have enough credits for the system to reach its maximum level, enabling it to develop more features.
After considering for a moment, she raised an objection, "...Shuchen, I still want to cook for you myself."
Hearing this, Li Shuchen raised his eyebrows in surprise and slight bewilderment.
After a while, he mulled over Qi Huan's words and, upon understanding her meaning, his eyes were filled with delight.
Qi Huan had said "you," not "you all."
She meant that she only wanted to cook for him.
Yan Qinghe and the others were simply benefiting from his presence.
A warm feeling surged within Li Shuchen's heart, and he cast a satisfied glance at the group across from them, speaking slowly.
"From now on, Qi Huan will only cook for me. You all can eat at the restaurant, and have Yan Jiu reimburse you for the expenses."
Understanding his meaning, Yan Qinghe blurted out, "Why?"
"You eat too much. Qi Huan will get tired from cooking so much."
"Don't you eat just as much as I do?" Yan Qinghe protested.
At that moment, Yan Wu tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Don't argue!"
The restaurant offered a wider variety of dishes to choose from, and they wouldn't have to help with cooking or washing dishes.
Any fool would know which option to choose, but Yan Qinghe didn't seem to. Yan Wu decided to give this fool a proper lesson and dragged him out to the courtyard for training.
Soon, the sound of clashing weapons echoed from outside.
Inside, Li Shuchen also turned to Qi Huan and said, "Are you tired? Let me massage your shoulders."
Hearing this, Xiu Wen, who was carrying bowls and plates and about to leave, stumbled, nearly falling over. He had never seen the Prince serve anyone else.
This was something he knew nothing about. Xiu Wen steadied himself and quickened his pace.
After everyone had left, Li Shuchen stood up and placed his hands on Qi Huan's shoulders, massaging them with moderate pressure.
"Shuchen, how did you learn to massage shoulders so well?"
"I used to help my father and mother when I was young."
Upon hearing this, Qi Huan became flustered, "But I'm just an ordinary person."
"It doesn't matter. There's hope for the future."
Li Shuchen's eyes held a deep gaze as he looked at the girl before him, wanting to offer her the best of everything in the world.
Sweet words have always captured hearts, and when Qi Huan woke up the next day, a faint smile still graced her lips.
In a joyful mood, she went to Lu Yueming's residence.
"Yueming, look, these are the noodles I made yesterday afternoon. Would you like to try them?"
"Mmm!" Lu Yueming nodded eagerly, feeling the noodles curiously and asking in puzzlement, "They're so hard, how do you eat them?"
"Come, let's go to the kitchen, and you'll know once I've cooked them."
It so happened that Lu Yueming hadn't eaten breakfast, so she also steamed some white rice.
Paired with stir-fried noodles, the breakfast was a bit greasy. However, since it was just for a taste test, Lu Yueming could accept it for today.
Compared to Yan Qinghe and the others' manners the previous night, Lu Yueming ate more elegantly, but she still ate bite after bite until she was full.
"Qi Huan, this dish is fragrant and hearty. If it were served at Qi's Restaurant, the customers would surely love it."
Then she joked, "When will you have a free tasting? I'll go and get a free meal too."
"This time, it won't be a tasting at the restaurant."
"Ah? ...That strategy of yours is quite popular with customers. If you suddenly cancel it, won't they feel uncomfortable?"
Qi Huan smiled, "It's inevitable. But what I mean is, we'll have the tasting somewhere else. Since my new house is completed, I plan to hold a House Moving Feast, so I'll introduce this dish then."
The timing of the House Moving Feast and the new dish launch were quite close, so she might as well debut the new dish at the feast instead of having a separate tasting at the restaurant, which would save the cost of a free tasting event.
"Wow, Qi Huan, you're moving into your new house so soon!"
Lu Yueming was more interested in the new house than the new dish.
The last time she had accompanied Qi Huan to visit, the courtyard construction was mostly done, with just some finishing touches remaining. She hadn't expected it to be completed so quickly.
It seemed that many hands really did make light work.
Fortunately, she had kept the craftsmen who were about to quit after finishing their work and hired them to build her own residence. She believed it wouldn't take more than a few months for her new house to be completed, and then she could be Qi Huan's neighbor.
Qi Huan was unaware of Lu Yueming's thoughts, so she simply responded with an "mmm" before moving on to explain the reason for her visit today.
"Yueming, I came today to teach some people how to make noodles. In the future, we can not only sell starch but also noodles."
"Alright, I'll take you around. You can pick a few people you like, and have them learn from you."
Saying this, she linked arms with Qi Huan, and the two strolled through the back courtyard of Lu's residence.
There were many small courtyards in the back, each with a small kitchen added. The maidservants and elderly women all wore the same style of sleeved dresses, with their hair tied up according to the requirements.
Qi Huan carefully observed them and selected some of the more meticulous workers, arranging for them to learn noodle-making from her.
They worked until nightfall, and finally, she had taught them.
From then on, Lu's staff divided into two groups: one making starch and the other making noodles.
Ten days later, when the Yunying Caravan came to collect the goods, they set off with the recipes Qi Huan had provided, newly hired cooks, and the hopes of Qi Huan and the others.
Watching the caravan disappear into the distance, Qi Huan let out a long sigh. She had done all she could, and the rest was up to the caravan.
She turned her gaze away, mounted her horse, and hurried back to Qi's Restaurant, gathering everyone there.
"The day after tomorrow we'll take a day off and go to my new place for the House Moving Feast. Let's all work hard, and you'll get a bonus the day after."
In Mo County, it was customary to hold a House Moving Feast when relocating, inviting acquaintances to dine.
Qi Huan decided that anyone who sincerely wished them well on the occasion could come and feast. On one hand, it spread happiness and joy; on the other, she wanted to earn virtue points.
Over the past half year, she had earned nearly six thousand taels of silver. It didn't sound like much, but was more than enough for her to live on in ancient times. Moreover, her restaurant was steadily earning money.
If the Yunying Caravan brought back good news, she would earn even more silver.
Having resolved her clothing and food needs in ancient times, Qi Huan's next goal was to accumulate more virtue points, helping the system level up fully, unpack more packages to obtain more modern items, and improve her quality of life.
So she decided that whether or not they brought gifts, anyone who sincerely celebrated would be able to attend the feast.
After all, if no monetary gifts came in, virtue points would still accumulate, and she could build her reputation. It wasn't a loss.
As such, the day after would certainly be busy. The more work, the more pay, so it was only right to give the workers a bonus.
With her mind made up, she began arranging for the House Moving Feast.
