The business at Peng Lai Residence had gradually stabilized. Although it wasn't making a fortune, overall it was in a state of profitability. After all, being a small teahouse, it wasn't realistic to expect huge profits at the moment.
Feng Qingyi and Xu Linghe had a cup of tea at Peng Lai Residence before going to find the carpenter who had previously made their furniture. The tables and chairs they had ordered were now ready.
Feng Qingyi examined the wooden furniture. Not only were the surfaces shiny, but the patterns on them were also very exquisite. They were much better quality than the tables and chairs at her home that cost thousands of yuan, completely exceeding expectations for the price.
"Qingyi, shall we have them moved back now?" Xu Linghe asked.
Feng Qingyi shook her head, "Let's wait until later. There are customers now, so we'll move them after the teahouse closes in the evening."
Xu Linghe: "You're right. Then let's look around some more and find someone to move them when it gets dark."
As the two were strolling down the street, a runaway horse galloped past on the busy road.
Xu Linghe pulled Feng Qingyi to the side, "Who is that? How dare they ride a horse on Changning Street! Qingyi, wait here for me. I'll go stop him before something serious happens."
Feng Qingyi: "Linghe, be careful and stay safe."
Xu Linghe moved incredibly fast. To everyone's amazement, she caught up with the galloping horse. With a light leap, she landed on the horse's back.
The man riding the horse screamed loudly, "Everyone get out of the way! Help!"
Xu Linghe pushed him aside, grabbed the reins with one hand, and seized the rider with the other. In an instant, she had brought the wild horse under control and lifted the rider off, setting him down on the ground.
By the time Feng Qingyi ran up to them, the horse was lying on the street, and the young man in luxurious clothes was profusely thanking Xu Linghe. He had a baby face and looked no older than fourteen or fifteen.
"Miss, I'm so grateful to you today!" he said.
Xu Linghe: "Don't you know that horse riding isn't allowed on Changning Street?"
"I do know that, but for some reason, the horse lost control even before we entered Changning Street..." the boy said apologetically.
Xu Linghe crouched down to examine the horse, "Did you feed it some poisonous grass?"
The boy shook his head, "I don't know. The horse is usually fed by the staff at home. I just had a whim to take it out for a ride today, and then this happened."
"Alright, go back and have your horse thoroughly checked. Be more careful in the future. And make sure to compensate the street vendors whose stalls you knocked over," Xu Linghe continued.
The boy nodded, "I understand, Miss."
Xu Linghe took Feng Qingyi's hand, "Let's continue our walk."
"Linghe, when did you start learning these martial arts skills?" Feng Qingyi asked curiously.
Xu Linghe: "When I was about three years old."
"...Three? That's amazing. When I was three, I was still playing with Play-Doh every day," Feng Qingyi remarked with some awe.
Xu Linghe: "My mother said that when I was little, my father wanted me to practice calligraphy, but I didn't want to. I would cry my eyes out at the sight of ink and brush. But I would laugh non-stop watching the guards practice martial arts in the courtyard, so my father sent me to learn martial arts instead."
Feng Qingyi asked, "Do you think I could still learn qinggong and cultivate inner strength at my age?"
"These are usually learned from a young age. It might be a bit late now. Qingyi, you're already very capable. You don't necessarily need to learn qinggong, and besides, I'll protect you in Shengjing," Xu Linghe said.
Feng Qingyi: "I was just curious. Let's continue our walk."
...
At the Tianqi Military Camp.
Torrential rain drummed on the tents, creating a crisp sound.
The desert rain came unexpectedly.
It rarely rained in this land. People usually breathed in dust, and it was common for them to go without a bath for ten days to half a month.
With this rare rainfall, everyone seized the opportunity to wash themselves. The cooks brought out pots and pans to collect water. With this rainwater, they wouldn't have to travel miles to find a water source.
Qin Yuchuan stayed in his tent, reading the latest message.
Rong Sheng had returned to the camp, but there had been no movement from the Southern Frontier in recent days, which he found very strange.
The message contained the words "internal strife". After the recent battles, he had a general understanding of the internal situation in the Southern Frontier's military camp.
Murong Yi, as the commander-in-chief of the Southern Frontier, was unpopular. Now news from the Southern Frontier capital indicated that Rong Sheng held the highest authority, essentially negating Murong Yi's existence as the commander.
In his view, Murong Yi certainly wouldn't relinquish power easily. As the commander-in-chief, he must still have some leverage.
To reclaim his leadership position, conflict with Rong Sheng was inevitable sooner or later.
He could seize this opportunity to launch a preemptive attack.
Outside the tent, it was bustling with activity.
Yan Yang tilted his head back to drink some rainwater, "The rainwater in the Southern Frontier is acidic. It's nothing compared to our Tianqi."
Yan Chi: "It's already quite rare to have this rainfall. Don't be so picky. Drink more while you can, or you might not get the chance later."
"What are you two lads doing hiding here? Aren't you going to take a shower?" Na Muqi asked.
Yan Yang: "We're fine just rinsing off here."
Na Muqi: "Don't tell me you two are shy like girls?"
Yan Yang: "What's there to be shy about? We're just worried about catching a cold if we stay in the rain too long."
Na Muqi pointed at Qin Yuchuan's tent, "Has the General come out at all?"
Yan Chi shook his head, "No, he hasn't."
Na Muqi said, "Then I'll go in and call him."
Yan Yang stopped him, "Na Mu, don't worry about the General. He's busy."
"This rain might stop soon. He should at least come out and take a bath. The General has always been fond of cleanliness," Na Muqi said.
Yan Yang: "The General always smells nice. I'm sure he doesn't need to wash with this rainwater."
"Indeed, the General has his own methods. You don't need to worry about it," Yan Chi agreed.
Na Muqi persisted, "What methods does he have?"
Yan Yang: "We've been in the rain long enough. We're going back to our tent to rest. Na Mu, you're not as young as you used to be. You should head back too, or you might catch a cold."
Na Muqi still wanted to ask more, but the two ran off so quickly that they disappeared in the blink of an eye.
At dusk, Feng Qingyi and Xu Linghe hired some people to move the new tables and chairs back to Peng Lai Residence.
After replacing the old furniture with the new ones, Peng Lai Residence immediately looked more high-end and classy. The Chinese style appeared grand and imposing.
"Qingyi, why did you remove all these tablecloths?" Xu Linghe asked.
Feng Qingyi: "We used tablecloths before because the tables didn't look good. Now that we have new tables, we don't need them anymore."
"But I still think it looks better with tablecloths," Xu Linghe shared her opinion.
Feng Qingyi thought for a moment, "We can ask for the customers' opinions tomorrow. If they agree with you, we'll put them back on."
"If they think it looks fine like this, then we don't need to use them. After all, tablecloths need to be washed frequently and replaced periodically."
"Besides, the tablecloths I bought this time are quite cheap and not of very good quality. If you like, I can buy you some nicer ones."
Xu Linghe nodded, "That sounds good. I'd like to put some nice tablecloths on our tables at home too."
After arranging the tables and chairs in the teahouse, they each went back to their own homes.
Feng Qingyi returned to her bedroom and had just finished taking a bath when she saw Qin Yuchuan, soaking wet from head to toe.
"What happened to you?" Feng Qingyi asked with concern.
Qin Yuchuan: "It rained today, so I went out to enjoy it."
"...It's not like you've never seen rain before. Why did you go out in it? Aren't you afraid of getting sick?"
Feng Qingyi threw the large bath towel she was holding onto Qin Yuchuan's head and pushed him into the bathroom.
"Hurry up and take a hot bath. Don't catch a cold. You're a grown man, you should know how to take care of yourself. It's late at night and the temperature is low, why on earth did you go out in the rain!"
Listening to Feng Qingyi's nagging, Qin Yuchuan felt very happy. He obediently walked into the bathroom.
Feng Qingyi turned on the air conditioning in the room, adjusting the temperature. It was her first time using heat in the middle of summer.
Qin Yuchuan finished his shower quickly, coming out with only the towel Feng Qingyi had thrown him wrapped around his waist.
Seeing his bare upper body, Feng Qingyi quickly averted her gaze and hurriedly pulled out pajamas from the wardrobe, tossing them to him.
"Why aren't you dressing properly?" she asked.
Qin Yuchuan replied, "Does Qingqing perhaps want me to wear the clothes you left in the bathroom?"
Feng Qingyi suddenly realized something and instantly blushed. She had forgotten to take out the clothes she had removed, leaving them in such an obvious place. "...What did you see?" she stammered.
Qin Yuchuan put on the pajamas Feng Qingyi had handed him. "Whatever Qingqing thinks I saw, that's what I saw."
"...You're so annoying!" Couldn't he give her a break and not make her feel so embarrassed?
Qin Yuchuan, completely unabashed, finished changing into the pajamas and walked over to Feng Qingyi. "Qingqing, help me dry my hair."
Remembering the awkward moment from earlier, Feng Qingyi secretly stepped on his foot and quickly moved away.
Qin Yuchuan looked down. "What's wrong?"
Feng Qingyi replied, "Nothing. Sit here."
Qin Yuchuan sat down as instructed. Feng Qingyi blew a puff of air on Qin Yuchuan's head. "I'm done blowing. As for the rest, I'll leave it to the air conditioner."
After saying this, Feng Qingyi pushed the chair a bit closer to the air conditioner. "Just sit here obediently."
As Feng Qingyi was about to lie down on the bed, Qin Yuchuan pulled her into his arms. "It hasn't been that long, and Qingqing doesn't like me anymore?"
"I do like you," Feng Qingyi protested.
Qin Yuchuan looked at Feng Qingyi with a hurt expression. "Then why won't you dry my hair for me?"
"...I'm lazy. I don't want to move. I don't even want to dry my own hair. Yours is longer than mine and thicker too. It takes too much time," Feng Qingyi explained.
