Li Hui looked at Li Xin with some surprise. If Li Xia had said those words, he wouldn't be surprised. But for the usually dignified and well-mannered Li Xin to speak in such a way, it seemed the saying "When you're close to vermilion, you turn red" was true.
Li Xia was startled by Li Hui's peculiar gaze, looking herself over but finding nothing amiss. Li Hui withdrew his gaze, "Alright, we'll buy an estate and build a racetrack, then buy some horses. You can ride them however you like."
As they arrived at their destination, it was bitterly cold, making it impossible to dig for wild vegetables. The river was still covered in thick ice.
Zhang Hu had some thick tents set up, but the wind was strong, stinging their faces. Li Xin took some people into the tents to shelter from the wind.
Li Hui brought a bow and arrows to try hunting for wild chickens. Li Xia, meanwhile, stared at the frozen river surface, calling for Qiu Chan to move some rocks to break the ice. She took out a homemade fishing rod to fish.
"Miss, can you catch any fish?" Qiu Chan stood nearby, shielding Li Xia from the wind with her sturdy build.
Hearing the movement under the ice, Li Xia was confident, "Yes."
But she was quickly proven wrong. Though there were many fish swimming towards the hole in the ice, not a single one took the bait after a long while.
"Miss, shall I strip and dive in to catch them?" Qiu Chan carefully suggested, seeing the situation.
"No need." Li Xia handed the fishing rod to Qiu Chan, then fetched some branches and used her wind abilities to stir up the water, stunning the fish. She thrust a branch into the water and pulled up a string of fish.
Qiu Chan gaped at the fish strung on the branch, "Miss, you're amazing!"
Li Xia arched an eyebrow proudly, "Of course."
After stringing up fish on three branches, Li Xia stopped. Qiu Kui brought a basin over, and she and Qiu Chan prepared the fish. Once done, Qiu Chan carried a basin of fish to the tent, where Zhang Hu had set up a simple stove and boiled water.
The chef, Madam Bai, cooked some fish into soup - a warm soup was needed on such a cold day. Qiu Kui strung the remaining fish on branches to grill them, which she was quite skilled at, though not as good at cooking rice.
Li Xia entered the tent, and Li Xin handed her a hand warmer, "Warm your hands."
Li Xia hugged the warmer, letting its heat spread through her body.
Li Hui had also returned with Qing Zhu and Wen Zhu, accompanied by Cao Fugui and his bodyguard Ding Yi. Cao Fugui had been forced out by his mother, Lady Luo, to go on a matchmaking meeting, but ended up encountering the three Li siblings instead.
After handing over their hunted game to Zhang Hu, Li Hui led Cao Fugui towards the tent.
"Greetings to the two ladies. Pardon the intrusion," Cao Fugui bowed to them.
"Lord Cao, no need to be so courteous," Li Xin and Li Xia rose to return the courtesy.
"It smells delicious," Cao Fugui was drawn in by the aroma of grilled fish. Having left home in a huff without eating, he was now quite hungry, his stomach growling audibly at the enticing scent. Even the thick-skinned Cao Fugui felt a little embarrassed, flashing them a sheepish smile.
Qiu Kui had initially grilled three fish for the three masters, but with Lord Cao's unexpected arrival, she was at a loss.
"Brother Cao must be hungry. Have a grilled fish first," Li Hui spoke up, and Qiu Kui brought the grilled fish over. Cao Fugui didn't stand on ceremony and took a big bite, praising its deliciousness.
Madam Bai's fish soup was also ready, and she served four bowls. Taking a sip, perhaps because he had caught the fish himself, Li Xia found the soup exceptionally delicious, with a lingering aftertaste.
After two bowls, Li Xia finally stopped. Qiu Kui had also grilled more fish, serving them up. Li Xia took one, eyeing the hopeful Qiu Kui before taking a small bite. To her surprise, Qiu Kui's grilled fish was actually quite good.
Seeing Li Xia's satisfied expression, Qiu Kui felt a little proud – while her cooking wasn't great, she excelled at grilling.
With a full stomach, Cao Fugui slowed his pace, eating more elegantly. "Brother Li, what brings you out on such a cold day?" After a pause, he suggested, "A countryside excursion?"
"I'm always studying, with no time to go out. I took advantage of these couple of New Year's days to explore outside the city walls," Li Hui explained. Cao Fugui admired Li Hui's self-discipline and hard work, knowing he could never match it.
"Brother Li, why do you study?" Cao Fugui suddenly asked.
His question made Li Hui pause, not expecting such an inquiry.
Seeing Li Hui's silence, Cao Fugui realized his inappropriateness, "Brother Li, my apologies, I didn't mean to..."
"I'm just thinking of how to answer you. When I first started learning, the teacher taught that studying is: to establish the mind for Heaven and Earth, to establish the destiny for the people, to carry on the unbroken teachings of the sages, and to open an era of peace for all generations. But as I grew older and my studies deepened along with my experiences..." Here Li Hui paused, glancing at the distant Li Xin and Li Xia chatting while eating, "I realized that my most important reason for studying is to protect my family, to let them live without worry. Only after that comes serving the people."
This answer surprised Cao Fugui, though he understood. Thinking of himself, as the second son of the Marquis of Cheng'en, he didn't need to work hard to enjoy wealth and glory thanks to his family's status. So he spent his days leading his subordinates on reckless sprees, getting into fights whenever he took offense. Others would shake their heads at the sight, sighing at the wastrel son.
Previously, he had been quite proud of that lifestyle. But after recent interactions with Li Hui, Cao Fugui felt that drifting through life aimlessly wasn't ideal.
Lost in thought, Cao Fugui didn't notice when Li Hui left to join Li Xin and Li Xia, who were watching Li Yu prepare a dish called "Flower Chicken."
Li Yu had learned this dish from escort masters in his mercenary days. He stuffed the ingredients into the chicken's cavity, wrapped it in leaves, then coated it in mud before burying it in the fire to bake. Once the mud dried and the chicken cooked through, it would be ready to eat.
Breaking open the hardened mud and unwrapping the leaves released an intense aroma. Li Yu tore the chicken open, and Li Xin and Li Xia dug right in despite the heat, savoring the delicious flavor.
On the return journey, everyone was full to bursting. Li Xia and Li Xin leaned against each other, falling asleep in the carriage.
After entering the city, Cao Fugui parted ways with the three Li siblings and returned to the Cao residence. Seeing his torn clothes, Lady Luo remarked, "You went outside the city again."
Whenever Cao Fugui clashed with his parents as he grew older, he would run outside the city walls, either hunting or horse riding to vent his frustrations.
"Mother, could you give me two more years? Your son wants to make something of himself before getting married, to show those who mocked me." Inspired by Li Hui's clear goal of the Imperial Examination in Spring, the usually aimless Cao Fugui felt he needed to find his own purpose.
Delighted to see her son's rare ambition, Lady Luo only gave him one year.
After a year, Cao Fugui no longer avoided Lady Luo. Lady Luo also stopped pressuring her son. For a time, the atmosphere at the Cheng'en Marquis Residence improved significantly.
Lady Luo also learned from Ding Yi that it was Li Hui's words that made Cao Fugui come to his senses. She had an even better impression of the Li siblings.
Even without going out, Li Xin enjoyed sitting with Li Xia in the courtyard, setting up a reclining chair, closing her eyes to rest and bask in the sun. It was truly comfortable. While they were sunbathing, Wen Zhu came and said that Cao Fugui had arrived, accompanied by a young lady. Li Hui asked them to go meet the young lady.
