Xie Wenyin bought back some fine rice, white flour, and meat, and Grandma Xie originally planned to save them for a slow enjoyment.

But in the end, she couldn’t resist her grandson and cooked a thick white porridge along with a big pot of braised pork. The rich oil and soy sauce made Grandma Xie feel heartbroken, and she grumbled for a long time about the waste.

However, Xie Wenyin and his cousin Xie Wengqi were quite happy.

One of them had enjoyed a high position in his past life, indulging in countless delicacies; the other had crossed over from the future, and the quality of life was needless to say. Suddenly returning to a life of eating chaff and vegetables was indeed quite a challenge.

The rest of the Xie family felt the pinch of money too, but it was rare to eat fine rice and meat, so they were mostly happy.

Little Brother Xie, happily munching on the braised pork, advised, “Grandma, if there’s something delicious, you should enjoy it! Why feel sorry? This is something my brother specially bought to honor you and Grandpa. If you just keep feeling sorry and don’t eat the meat, what a pity!”

Xie’s mother also laughed, “Exactly, Mother! Our Wulang studies well, and there will be plenty of good days for our family in the future.”

Xie’s father proudly raised his head, “Mother, do you look down on Wulang’s abilities? Do you think he won’t be able to provide a better life for you two in the future?”

When it comes to comforting the elders, the third branch was quite skilled.

Hearing this, Grandma Xie immediately stuffed the braised pork she had been reluctant to eat into her mouth!

“Don’t talk nonsense! No one’s grandson is as promising as our Wulang. I’m not feeling sorry for the meat; I’m just reluctant to part with Wulang’s filial piety. I want to savor it slowly. Unlike you all, a bunch of gluttons, wolfing it down without any grace!”

“Grandma, you can still say four-character phrases…”

“Of course! Our Xie family will be officials in the future. I can’t be like those sharp-tongued old women in the village, bringing shame to our Wulang.”

Everyone was not angry at her words and laughed while eating.

Grandma had this kind of temperament—hard on the outside but soft on the inside, and loved to nag. You couldn’t argue with the elderly.

As Xie Wenyin enjoyed the different flavors of the meal, he casually asked, “Grandma, today’s dishes are really fragrant. It doesn’t seem like Second Aunt’s cooking. Did someone else take over the kitchen?”

“Our Wulang is smart; he noticed right away! Today’s dishes were made by Silang,” Grandma Xie quickly replied.

Second Aunt also laughed, “I really didn’t notice that Silang’s cooking was this good…”

“I often roast meat and cook for myself when I go hunting in the mountains, so I’ve practiced my skills. Recently, I’ve been lying around to recover from my injury, and it’s not good to do nothing, so I thought I’d find something I could manage to do.”

“Anyway, I’m not taking the imperial examination, so I don’t have to stick to that. A gentleman stays away from the kitchen! During this time at home recovering, I’ll take care of the kitchen.”

Xie Wengqi explained a bit nervously.

He didn’t want to easily expose anything that didn’t match the original owner, but he was also thinking about starting a food business after he healed, so he needed to show off his culinary talent.

After all, even though he had the original owner’s memories, he still didn’t dare to go hunting in the mountains. The ancient mountains were too dangerous, with tigers, bears, wild boars, and so on—terrifying enough to scare someone to death!

If he were to take the imperial examination, he could manage with some effort, but his personality wasn’t really suited for politics. If it weren’t for necessity, he would prefer to go into business because he enjoyed it.

In the future, with his cousin in power and him making money in business, they could support each other, and the Xie family would surely rise.

Xie Wenyin understood this cousin who had crossed over very well and quickly guessed his intentions. He fully supported his cousin’s path in business and offered to help cover for him.

He smiled and said, “Fourth cousin, the saying ‘a gentleman stays away from the kitchen’ means that a gentleman has a kind heart and cannot bear to see killing, so he stays away from the kitchen. It doesn’t mean that a gentleman should not enter the kitchen or look down on cooking.”

“So, it’s not shameful for a man to cook. Cousin, don’t belittle yourself.”

“With your cooking skills, I think you should consider working as a chef in a restaurant during your recovery and then open your own restaurant later… After all, hunting is too dangerous; it’s better to do something stable.”

This made Xie Wengqi feel deeply moved.

He was worried that his desire to do business would make the family think it was shameful and affect his cousin’s studies, and they would stop him.

The original owner’s cousin was not only kind and reliable but also a true gentleman!

Look at how he spoke and his attitude—this is what a real scholar should be like, not those who only know how to preach morality and twist the teachings of their ancestors into something filthy and rotten.

“Fifth cousin, you make a good point. I will think it over. Hunting is indeed too dangerous.”

Xie Wengqi nodded along, feeling incredibly touched.

Xie Wenyin took a sip of egg soup and continued to smile, “It’s good that you have the heart, cousin. By the way, this egg soup is really delicious. I feel refreshed and full of energy after drinking it. You should make more in the future.”

“Sure! I’ll go gather some herbs at the foot of the mountain later and make some herbal tea bags to help you stay alert. I have a secret recipe.”

Xie Wengqi said proudly and happily.

Today’s meal was delicious because he secretly added some spiritual spring water to help the Xie family replenish their health. Spiritual spring water is a great thing; how could his cousin not feel refreshed after drinking the soup!

“Then thank you, Fourth cousin…”

Xie Wenyin smiled and cupped his hands, exuding warmth like jade.

He finally confirmed his guess!

If he wasn’t mistaken, the so-called divine doctor who healed him in his past life was most likely his cousin himself, and his cousin had some extraordinary abilities.

Because in today’s meal, there was a special flavor that was exactly the same as the soup medicine he drank when the divine doctor treated his leg.

Others might not be able to taste it, but he was different.

He had an extraordinary memory; everything he had eaten, smelled, seen, and heard was clearly stored in his mind, and he would never mistake it.

Coming from the future and possessing extraordinary abilities, his cousin was indeed blessed!

If it were the young Xie Wenyin, he would have been driven mad with jealousy, wondering why all the good things and good fortune fell to this silly cousin.

But after experiencing great storms, Xie Wenyin’s mindset had changed, and he didn’t feel much different now.

Even though the good things belonged to his cousin, weren’t he and his cousin on the same side now? Aren’t they a loving family? Good brothers should support each other, right?

He believed that his cousin, being so good, would definitely share treasures with him and work hard for the rise of the Xie family.

As for what if he didn’t want to share?

Xie Wenyin said there was no such option, thank you!

So, after dinner, Xie Wenyin quietly called over his father, mother, and little brother to a corner and whispered his instructions.

“Dad, Mom, little brother, you guys keep an eye on Fourth cousin for me recently. See if there’s anything unusual about him. It’s best not to miss him when he’s bathing or going to the toilet.”

Xie’s father: …

Xie’s mother: …

Little Brother Xie: …

What happened to the righteous gentleman, son/brother!

---

On Xie Wenyin’s side, he unexpectedly discovered another secret about his cousin who had crossed over and was planning to set up another scheme.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yujing returned to the Yongchang Bo Mansion, and the situation was also chaotic.

The reason was simple.

Because his good mother and fake father were discussing selling him off!

The Bo Mansion had this idea mainly because Qiao Yujing had made his biological father empty the treasures hidden in the mountains of the Bo Mansion.

As mentioned before, the Yongchang Bo Mansion was able to marry the second son Qiao Yuling to the crown prince as a concubine because they promised financial support to the crown prince in the future.

Now that the treasures in the mountains were lost, the Bo Mansion didn’t dare to expose the news. To avoid the marriage being canceled, they could only grit their teeth and continue to gather a huge dowry for Qiao Yuling.

But the Bo Mansion’s finances were not ideal, and they couldn’t just sell off their ancestral property, right?

So after thinking it over, they decided to set their sights on other unmarried daughters and sons in the family, thinking of marrying them off to earn bride price.

No matter how down the Yongchang Bo Mansion was, their title still held weight.

Powerful families in the capital might look down on them, but wealthy merchants and officials from other places were eager to curry favor. Spending a sum of silver to form a marriage alliance with nobility was something they were very willing to do.

Among all the children, Qiao Yujing was the one being focused on.

Although his appearance was only handsome, his demeanor and temperament were stunning, and his talent and reputation were praised by everyone in the capital. Plus, he was a legitimate son!

In simple terms, he was very valuable.

After discussing, the Yongchang Bo couple decided to marry this son off to Jiangnan, as Jiangnan merchants were known for their wealth, and the Bo lady’s family was from there, so they had connections to facilitate the match quickly.

The couple thought it was a good plan, temporarily keeping it from their youngest son and would notify him when it was time for the marriage.

But Qiao Yujing, who had managed to carve out a place for himself in the mansion despite not being favored, was not someone who could be easily fooled. He naturally had his own ears and eyes in the mansion.

So, the news was leaked.

“Master and Madam are going too far! We are all legitimate children; why should our young master be a stepping stone for the second young master? Why do they always treat our young master unfairly? Is our young master some kind of foundling?”

Zhiqin and Zhishu were furious.

They were all born of the same mother, legitimate children, and the master and madam were being too biased. Their young master had hidden his looks, yet they still had such ideas—this was simply too much.

No matter how good the Jiangnan merchants were, they were still merchants. Once they stepped out, they would be looked down upon, and they were still a thousand miles away.

Their young master would be marrying far away without any family support; how difficult would life be in the future?

Qiao Yujing’s face also darkened as he asked, “Which family in Jiangnan have they chosen?”

“The current head of the Yun family in Jiangnan is willing to offer five hundred thousand taels as a bride price,” the informant maid revealed.

Bang!

Qiao Yujing directly smashed the teacup.

Then, he angrily stood up, drawing his sword and rushing towards the main courtyard.

Because the current head of the Yun family in Jiangnan was an old man with many children and grandchildren.

If he married over, he would not only be a secondary wife but would also be directly holding grandchildren!

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Note 1: The explanation comes from Baidu.