Jiang Yanyi returned home with the cats and temporarily placed their shelter in the firewood room.

The kittens, now in an unfamiliar place, huddled close to their mother, too timid to wander around.

Jiang Yanyi brought over a plate of cat food, and while the mother cat ate, the kittens slowly grew bolder.

Two of the kittens attempted to imitate their mother by eating the meat stew, but their lack of skill left them with broth smeared all over their faces.

One kitten shook its head, accidentally splattering its siblings with broth, which made Jiang Yanyi chuckle.

Because of the cold weather, she didn’t dare give the kittens a bath.

Fortunately, the mother cat patiently groomed them afterward, sparing Jiang Yanyi the worry.

With Chef Yao and Aunt Guo managing the kitchen, Jiang Yanyi finally felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.

She took up the role of a full-time shopkeeper, focusing on handling accounts at the counter.

Some of the regular customers, upon hearing that Chef Yao had joined her establishment, started asking if the dishes he was famous for at the Lai Fu Restaurant would be available here as well.

Since they had tried his stir-fried dishes before, they hoped to taste his signature dishes once again.

As Chef Yao had just joined today, Jiang Yanyi hadn’t had the chance to prepare for such dishes yet, so she simply told them that it was something in the works.

Later that evening, after a busy day, Jiang Yanyi and her team gathered around a pot of lamb stew for a meal.

She brought up the customers’ requests about Chef Yao’s signature dishes.

Initially, she hadn’t planned on adding these to the menu, primarily because her shop focused on various hot pot dishes.

Additionally, the demand for the dry pots was already quite high, and she worried that adding stir-fried dishes would overwork Chef Yao.

She turned to him and said, “Chef Yao, the customers were asking for your signature dishes today. They miss your stir-fries from Lai Fu Restaurant. I wasn’t sure if we should add those here, but if you’re up for it, we could consider introducing a few of your dishes on certain days. What do you think?”

Chef Yao, after a moment of thought, replied, “Miss Jiang, I came here because I appreciate how you run this place. If the customers want it, I’m more than happy to prepare a few of my dishes as long as it doesn’t interfere with my main duties here.”

Relieved by his willingness, Jiang Yanyi smiled. “Then let’s try adding a couple of your specialties to the menu a few times a week. We can start small and see how it goes.”

They clinked their tea cups together, and the team continued enjoying their lamb stew, warmed by both the meal and the camaraderie shared around the table.

However, since the diners had made such a request, Jiang Yanyi felt it was still best to consult with Chef Yao himself.

After all, those dishes were his signature specialties, and she didn’t want to waste his talent.

Chef Yao was a straightforward man. When Jiang Yanyi mentioned it, he immediately said, “What kind of chef refuses when diners specifically ask for his dishes? You, Manager Jiang, are paying me such a high salary, so how could I not show all my skills?”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “I was just worried that you might be too busy in the kitchen. Since you’ll be preparing stir-fried dishes now, I’ll find you an assistant to help out.”

Chef Yao waved his hand dismissively, “It’s not that much work. Don’t look down on old Yao! Instead of hiring more help, save that money to buy some good wine for the restaurant.”

Since Chef Yao said so, Jiang Yanyi didn’t insist further.

That evening, they finalized the menu. Chef Yao listed the ingredients and seasonings he needed, and Jiang Yanyi noted them down, instructing Yang Xiu and Bing Shao to pick up the items the next morning when they came.

As for the seasonings, her kitchen was already fully stocked, so there was no need to buy more.

Then Chef Yao made another request: “Manager, could we get a few more knives? At the very least, we should have a boning knife, a cleaver, and a serrated knife.”

Jiang Yanyi was a bit embarrassed.

Since her restaurant primarily sold hot pot, the cutting techniques for ingredients weren’t that particular, so her knife selection had always been casual—just a slicing knife and a chopping knife were enough for her.

Now that Chef Yao mentioned it, Jiang Yanyi quickly agreed, “Sure, I’ll buy them tomorrow.”

Chef Yao added, “I hope you don’t mind me speaking up again, but the knives sold in the market aren’t as good as the ones custom-made by a blacksmith. There’s a blacksmith named Luo on the west side of town. His craftsmanship is among the best in Xizhou. If you trust me, you can have him make a few knives.”

“The blacksmith on the west side of town? Isn’t that the same blacksmith who made my stove?”

Jiang Yanyi had a good impression of that blacksmith, so she said, “Master Yao, don’t say that. I lack experience in this area, so I rely on your guidance. I’ll head to the west side tomorrow to see Blacksmith Luo.”

With that, the meal concluded.

When Yang Xiu and Bing Shao were about to leave, Jiang Yanyi gave them some dried meat she had prepared the night before to bring to Chu Changping.

The old scholar was heading the same way as them.

Ever since it started snowing, Jiang Yanyi had been worried about him walking alone and getting into an accident, so she always had them escort him part of the way home.

Tonight was no different.

After seeing the old scholar safely inside his gate, Yang Xiu and Bing Shao turned to head back.

That evening, the entire southern part of town was swarming with soldiers conducting door-to-door searches.

Yang Xiu and Bing Shao had been stopped and questioned several times on their way.

Not long after leaving the old scholar’s home, they were stopped by yet another group of soldiers.

The soldiers asked for their identities and checked whether they had any injuries, to which both complied.

Although Yang Xiu and Bing Shao were now staying with Chu Changping’s personal guards, they were not privy to every mission, especially the more secretive ones.

As a result, they had no idea what the soldiers were searching for in the southern part of town.

After dressing and glancing back at the soldiers, they murmured a few words to each other.

It was during that glance that Bing Shao noticed the lights in the old scholar’s house were still on.

This seemed a bit unusual.

It wasn’t their first time escorting the old scholar home, and they knew that in his poorer years, he couldn’t even afford lamp oil and had gotten used to living in the dark.

Even after he started working at Jiang Yanyi’s restaurant and could afford it, he still never lit lamps at night.

Bing Shao, though usually quiet, was quite observant.

He immediately remarked, “The old scholar never lights lamps. Could something have happened?”

The two people, after discussing their plan, hurried over to the old scholar’s residence.

The officials who had searched them earlier happened to arrive at the large courtyard where the old scholar lived, banging on the door with thunderous force. “Open up! The authorities are investigating a case!”

Lights began to flicker on one by one in the houses around the courtyard.

People of all ages hastily put on their clothes and came out, confused and anxious.

A child, unaware of what was happening, began to cry loudly.

The young couple, fearing trouble, quickly comforted their child until he stopped crying.

One of the men asked, “Officers, what’s going on here?”

The officer, with a stern and icy expression, rested a large, cold sword at his side and snapped, “Do we need to explain the details to you? All men, remove your shirts! Local women, present your household registration. If you’re not from here, show your travel permits!”

The courtyard fell silent as everyone complied.

The officer noticed that one house still had its lights on, but no one had come out.

He went over and banged on the door. “Open up! Open up!”

There was no response from inside.

The officer turned and pointed his sword at one of the people in the courtyard, asking, “Who lives in this house?”

The man who had spoken earlier replied, “It’s an old scholar. Years ago, he used to tell stories at the Lai Fu Tavern. Now, he tells stories at Jiang’s Antique Soup House.”

The officer continued pounding on the door.

Just as he was about to break it down, a raspy voice called from within, “Who’s knocking… cough, cough… I’m coming.”

The door opened from the inside, and the old scholar emerged, hunched over.

He appeared to be chilled to the bone, wearing a felt hat and a tattered scarf that nearly covered his entire face.

He coughed incessantly, as if afflicted by a cold.

The neighbors, seeing how ill he looked, asked with concern, “Old Scholar, what’s wrong with you?”

“Caught a chill… cough, cough…” The old scholar hunched over, coughing, his voice so hoarse that it was impossible to recognize his original tone.

The officers showed no sympathy, speaking harshly, “Old man, state your name and show us your registration.”

While others went back to retrieve their documents, the old scholar immediately took his out from his chest pocket, trembling as he handed it over.

His hands were covered with sores, wrapped tightly in cloth strips, with only a few dirty fingertips exposed.

He continued coughing, looking like a man with a serious lung illness.

Since the main targets of the search were women in Xizhou City, the officers were unwilling to stay near him for too long.

After confirming his papers, they returned his household registration to him.

To be thorough, a few officers still entered his house for a quick inspection.

The room was pitiably sparse, with only a few broken-down pieces of furniture. In the one cabinet that could potentially hide someone, they found only stacks of quilts.

After removing a few, they discovered just some patched-up sheets underneath.

One officer, losing interest, remarked, “This old man lives in such poverty but still has money to buy so many blankets.”

The old scholar doubled over in a coughing fit, unable to speak.

A neighbor, worried that the officers might trouble the old scholar further, chimed in, “The old scholar now tells stories at Jiang’s Antique Soup House. The owner there is a kind-hearted man. These blankets and even the clothes on the old scholar’s back were all provided by him.”

The officers finally backed off.

After finishing their search of the courtyard, they prepared to leave when Yang Xiu suddenly burst in.

The officer scolded, “You again?”