When Jiang Yanyi returned, Chi Qing and the others had not yet left.

Upon entering the shop, she saw Chu Yangu at the counter with a gloomy expression.

She immediately asked, “Didn’t I tell you to rest properly in your room? Why are you here in the shop?”

Chu Yangu didn’t mention that he wanted to help her with the accounts; instead, he smiled and said, “It’s too stuffy in the room. I came out to get some fresh air. An old man came to deliver wine and is currently having a meal with some acquaintances. Sister, you’re back! Did the business negotiation go well?”

Jiang Yanyi glanced at the account book on the counter, noting that it had clearly been checked, and she realized that Chu Yangu had come here to assist her.

Being siblings, she understood that he was worried she wouldn’t let him help.

She replied, “It went quite smoothly. We should be able to start work soon.”

The owner of the noodle shop owed a considerable debt, and the gambling house was forcing the noodle shop to sell at a very low price to settle the debts.

Therefore, when Jiang Yanyi expressed her interest in taking over the noodle shop, the young owner was nearly in a panic and did not bargain with Jiang Yanyi, ultimately agreeing to a price of three hundred and fifty taels of silver.

The skilled noodle makers in the shop were all servants, and their contracts were transferred to Jiang Yanyi.

She and the noodle shop owner went to the government office to finalize the transfer, and now both the land and the shop were hers.

Although she had spent all her savings, Jiang Yanyi was still happy.

As long as instant noodles began large-scale production, it wouldn’t be long before she made her money back.

On her way back, she remembered the duck neck she had been craving for days and bought a few ducks, planning to prepare them for a celebratory feast.

Yang Xiu carried several ducks into the backyard.

At this time, the shop had become busier, and Jiang Yanyi saw the old man sitting together with Chi Qing for a meal.

Since the old man was familiar with Feng Shuo and recognized Chi Qing, it was no surprise.

She approached with a teapot to refill their cups, smiling as she greeted them, “Master Chi, old sir.”

Chi Qing nodded in acknowledgment, while the old man smiled and replied, “You’ve arranged your shop well, and the dishes are quite good.”

Jiang Yanyi said, “You flatter me. I didn’t know you had to wait so long for the wine delivery today.”

The old man waved his hand dismissively. “Not a problem, not a problem. I’m just enjoying my meal.”

Jiang Yanyi then said, “Then please continue eating. After you’re done, we can count the wine and settle the accounts.”

The old man nodded in agreement.

After Jiang Yanyi went into the kitchen, Chi Qing glanced at Chu Yangu at the counter and asked the old man with a smirk, “What do you think that little brat was brooding about earlier?”

The old man didn’t respond as he was busy eating.

Chi Qing continued, “He’s probably thinking about how to have the two martial artists in the shop tie us up.”

The old man coughed lightly. “Isn’t that ambitious and strategic? You should practice with him first.”

This time, Chi Qing fell silent as he drank his soup.

The old man had initially intended to teach Chu Yangu himself but changed his mind after asking that question.

Chi Qing was known as the “Smiling Tiger” in the military; he looked innocent on the outside, but his heart was dark.

Although Chu Yangu was still young, he had a ruthless streak in him.

If the two ever crossed paths in the future, it could be troublesome.

The old man naturally didn’t want his disciples to harm each other.

He thought it best for Chi Qing to train Chu Yangu at first, allowing them to test each other’s personalities.

This way, no matter what situation they found themselves in later, they would have the bond of brotherhood and wouldn’t end up in a deadly rivalry.

---

Jiang Yanyi rubbed her hands as she simmered sour radish and duck soup in the kitchen.

In this weather, a bit of warm, sour soup was perfect for nourishment and appetite.

She chopped the cleaned duck into pieces, boiled water in a pot, added cooking wine and ginger slices, and blanched the duck meat to remove the gamey smell.

After rinsing off the blood foam, she placed it in a clay pot with broth to simmer.

She cut the sour radish into pieces and added them to the clay pot, along with scallions, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise, letting it simmer for an hour until the soup turned a bright, clear color.

She saved the chopped duck necks, planning to cook them along with the duck necks she had just bought.

There was no traditional market for selling duck necks, as they had little meat and many bones, making them unpopular with both the poor and the rich.

Jiang Yanyi was willing to pay for the necks, so anyone who bought a duck would have the butcher kill it and then sell the necks to her.

Yang Xiu couldn’t quite understand Jiang Yan Yi’s actions and thought she must be a bit giddy with joy.

The benefit of moving to the larger courtyard was that when Jiang Yan Yi wanted to cook something delicious, she no longer had to compete with Chef Yao for the kitchen.

The kitchen in the west wing was more than twice the size of her old kitchen.

Jiang Yan Yi put the cleaned duck necks into cold water and brought them to a boil, allowing the blood and impurities to rise from the bones.

After boiling, she took the duck necks out to drain.

In the pot, she drained the water and added oil.

Once the oil was hot, she tossed in bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and prickly ash to fry until fragrant.

Then she added the duck necks to stir-fry and, to achieve a nice color, she added a bit of soy sauce and a small spoonful of sugar to enhance the flavor.

After evenly stir-frying, she poured in boiling water to cover the duck necks, and the pot bubbled with deep brown foam.

Jiang Yanyi covered the pot, boiling it on high for a while before lowering the heat to simmer until the sauce thickened.

When the sauce was nearly dry, she turned off the heat, and as she lifted the lid, an enticing aroma wafted out.

The braised duck necks had a reddish-brown color, and because some meat had fallen off during stir-frying, they looked incredibly tempting.

Jiang Yanyi divided the duck necks into several plates and took them to the small kitchen outside to share with Chef Yao and Aunt Guo, while also bringing a plate specifically for Chu Yan Gui.

Due to the limited quantity of duck necks, everyone felt they had not had enough.

When the old man entered the courtyard to check on the number of wine bottles with Jiang Yanyi, she invited him to join in on the duck necks.

Chi Qing, with a look that seemed to have eyes on the back of his head, followed in behind.

When it came to food, he had no principles at all.

After asking Jiang Yanyi about her recipe for duck necks, the old man pondered for a moment before asking, “Can chicken necks be made like this?”

Jiang Yan Yi suddenly felt concerned for the ten or so chickens in the old man’s courtyard and awkwardly smiled, “Um… that might not work.”

After settling the payment for the wine, Jiang Yan Yi thought about how far the old man had come just to bring her the wine.

She gifted him a large bowl of pickled radish and old duck soup as a thank you.

Holding the bowl of soup, the old man felt a moment of wavering.

As he was leaving, he murmured to Chi Qing, “Little Chi, if you’re having a hard time, I won’t blame you. I can teach him myself…”

“It’s not a hard time at all,” Chi Qing replied, biting into a duck neck as he walked out the door, looking quite frustrated.

He clearly felt there was still meat on the bones, but he just couldn’t get it off.

It was so annoying!

---

When Chi Qing returned to the Feng residence to report, he noticed the food box on Feng Shuo’s table hadn’t been cleared away, and he immediately spotted the leftover dumplings inside.

With a smug smile, he said, “I told you there were carrots inside, but you didn’t believe me. Let me take these home for a late-night snack!”

He reached out to grab the food box, only to find it was stuck.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that Feng Shuo had placed a hand on top of the box, his tone dark. “This prince is keeping it for a midnight snack, isn’t that right?”

Chi Qing pouted, deliberately boasting, “I went to her shop and not only had lamb soup, but I also had duck neck.”

Feng Shuo replied with an indifferent, “Oh.”

Chi Qing continued, “The old man said that Jiang’s young master hasn’t even finished reading the Four Books and Five Classics. He wants me to guide him for a while. Are you going to arrange something? Should I stay at the prince’s residence or at her place in the west wing?”

Feng Shuo frowned tightly, as if he could crush a fly. “Stay at the prince’s residence.”

This was something Chi Qing had anticipated.

With a mischievous smile, he added, “By the way, there’s no need to prepare meals for me at the prince’s residence. I think Jiang Ji can provide my meals.”

Feng Shuo picked up a stack of documents from his desk. “…I just remembered you must be quite busy lately. Take these and handle them. If you don’t have time to teach, don’t force yourself. This prince can take some time to teach him instead.”

Chi Qing: !!!

If that happened, wouldn’t he miss out on the free food and drinks over there!

He quickly changed his tone, “The food at the prince’s residence is so fragrant! I love eating what the royal chef makes.”

Feng Shuo cast him a long, scrutinizing glance, and only after Chi Qing forced a smile did Feng Shuo place the documents back down.