Chapter 19: Preparations

At the corner of the street, Li Feng was waiting at the entrance, with two bundles of firewood beside him.

“Li Ge,” Cao Xi walked over quickly.

Li Feng said, “I’m not busy today, so I brought some firewood for you all.”

He smiled warmly, making it feel like delivering firewood was just a casual favor, without any pressure.

Cao Xi replied, “That’s really too kind. I was planning to go to Qin Zhao’s place to get some firewood, but you’ve brought it here instead.” As she spoke, she unlocked the door and invited Li Feng into the yard.

Li Feng skillfully placed the firewood in the wood shed and went to the well to fetch some water for them to drink.

Cao Xi said, “Li Ge, stay for lunch. I made some braised meat yesterday, and there’s some left for you to try.”

Li Feng responded, “I’d love to. I really enjoy the meals you make.”

Qin Zhao didn’t like Li Feng’s demeanor; he felt that Li Feng’s smile concealed something, making it hard to read him. He preferred to stay close to Cao Xi, which annoyed him.

Cao Xi prepared a cold dish with the leftover braised meat, stir-fried some spicy intestines, and steamed the remaining vegetables and buns to heat them up.

Once Li Feng arrived, he took over the cooking duties in the kitchen. Qin Zhao leaned against the door frame, feeling like an outsider waiting for his turn to eat. He didn’t like this feeling and disliked their way of interacting.

“Qin Zhao, let’s set the dining table under the jujube tree. Today we’ll eat outside,” he said, waiting for Qin Zhao to respond.

Li Feng interjected, “No, with me here, how can I let my cousin do all the work?”

Listening to this, it sounded like he was taking over the place, like a bird occupying a nest, which was quite annoying.

Qin Zhao replied, “I’m fine. As the guest, how can I let you do all the work?”

He shot a sideways glance at Li Feng and turned to set the table.

Cao Xi said, “Let him be. It’s good for the kid to get some exercise.”

Li Feng smiled, not saying much. At the dining table, Cao Xi served Li Feng several pieces of braised meat and asked him with a smile if he liked it.

Li Feng said, “Your cooking has never disappointed me.”

Though he had eaten braised meat before, he was sure that such dishes were definitely available in the market. If sold, they would surely make a fortune.

“If you like it, eat more,” Cao Xi said, serving him two more pieces of braised meat.

Cao Xi kept serving Li Feng, and Qin Zhao couldn’t find a reason to stop him. He kept coughing to draw Cao Xi’s attention.

Li Feng said, “If my cousin isn’t feeling well, he should drink some water.” His tone was gentle and warm, but Qin Zhao sensed a hint of sarcasm.

Cao Xi knew that Qin Zhao’s old habit had flared up. He didn’t like to see others serve him, and once he felt uncomfortable, he would start creating various distractions to draw attention to himself, which he always thought was just a child’s possessiveness.

“Ah…” Cao Xi picked up a piece of braised meat and held it to Qin Zhao’s mouth, signaling him to open up.

Qin Zhao, realizing he was being exposed, was reluctant to open his mouth to be fed.

His thoughts were momentarily interrupted when he saw Cao Xi turn her chopsticks and feed him. He couldn’t believe that she had taken the food he was about to eat.

Seeing the eagerness in her eyes, Cao Xi couldn’t help but laugh as she offered him a piece of spicy pepper. Qin Zhao, not knowing what it was, opened his mouth and swallowed it. By the time he realized what had happened, his face was flushed from the spiciness, and he was caught between wanting to spit it out and swallowing it.

His reaction amused Cao Xi, who burst into laughter, while Li Feng exchanged glances with them, a hint of loneliness in his eyes.

After this exchange, Qin Zhao had completely forgotten his earlier discomfort and focused on eating, lacking the courage to even look up at Cao Xi.

After lunch, Qin Zhao squatted by the well to wash the dishes, while Li Feng, under the jujube tree, rolled his eyes and said, “Why aren’t you helping me with the work anymore?” He knew that Cao Xi was nearby.

Li Feng ignored Qin Zhao and changed the topic to ask Cao Xi, “What are your plans? Are you going to continue selling bamboo dragonflies?”

Cao Xi replied, “I’m not selling them anymore. I plan to set up a stall on the street and sell food.”

Li Feng asked, “What kind of food? Is it the braised meat you made before?” He had developed a strong interest in the braised meat from before and found Cao Xi’s new idea quite intriguing.

“I’m not making that. I plan to make oden,” Cao Xi briefly introduced oden.

“That sounds good. It’s a type of food that’s quite suitable for the current market,” Li Feng thought this idea was very promising.

Cao Xi wanted to recruit Li Feng to join him and invited, “Why don’t you come work with me?”

Li Feng was fourteen, which was considered quite young in ancient times, so it was good for them to look out for each other. With his current physique, pushing a cart would be quite exhausting, let alone setting up a stall.

Cao Xi said, “How about we split the money we earn fifty-fifty?”

Li Feng replied, “Sure. Let’s give it a try.” He believed that with so many options, they should pursue whichever was most profitable.

The two of them settled on oden as their business idea.

Next, they divided their tasks for shopping. Li Feng was responsible for buying the cart and charcoal, taking the drawings that Cao Xi had made to the blacksmith to make the utensils. Cao Xi would handle buying ingredients and seasonings, as well as the detailed work of skewering.

Cao Xi asked, “What’s the water buffalo doing nearby?”

Li Feng answered, “He’s weaving baskets to sell.”

Cao Xi said, “Can you ask him if he can deliver a bundle of firewood to me every two days? I’ll pay him ten wen each time, based on the amount he brings.”

“I’ll ask him. It’s better than weaving baskets,” Li Feng replied.

Cao Xi said, “Don’t disrupt his main work. If he’s selling baskets, he can bring the firewood along.”

Li Feng nodded, “Got it. I’ll pass on the message.”

In the afternoon, Li Feng left the courtyard to prepare the necessary items for the oden.

Qin Zhao asked, “What have you two been chatting about for so long?”

Cao Xi replied, “We’re talking about making money. What are you doing?”

Qin Zhao said, “I’ve flipped through the books I bought. I’m not sure what they’re about; I just skimmed through them.”

“Why are you so diligent?” Cao Xi teased, pinching Qin Zhao’s cheek.

“Let’s go inside,” he said, ignoring Qin Zhao’s protests and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, leading him into the house.

Qin Zhao stumbled slightly, almost losing his balance.

His face turned a shade of peach red, and he thought Cao Xi was being a bit too reckless, but he found it annoying yet didn’t mind having his arm around Cao Xi’s waist as they entered the house together.

Cao Xi took out the fabric he bought in the morning, measured it with a ruler, and began to draw on it with chalk.

“What are you making?” Qin Zhao asked, leaning over the bed to see what Cao Xi was doing, feeling a bit lost.

Cao Xi replied, “I’m making you a backpack.” Seeing Qin Zhao looking up at him, he felt a bit embarrassed and quickened his pace.

Qin Zhao said, “Don’t bother. I can just carry the books.” He didn’t want to trouble Cao Xi.

Cao Xi shot him a glare, “Why not? Having a backpack makes it easier to carry. Besides, you don’t want to be lugging bowls and chopsticks around everywhere.”

The Qingsong Academy provided meals at noon, and students had to bring their own utensils. Moreover, this task had a sense of ceremony; after all, it was his first time stepping into the unknown.

After about half a cup of tea’s worth of time, Cao Xi had stitched the cut fabric together, and a backpack took shape.

Cao Xi said, “It’s done. Now, sew it according to the shape I pieced together.”

He didn’t feel that Qin Zhao would have any trouble with sewing, so he left it to him.

“You’re really impressive,” Qin Zhao said, taking the needle and thread, following Cao Xi’s method to sew.

The two of them leaned close together, with Cao Xi directing while Qin Zhao fumbled around, and it wasn’t until late at night that the backpack was finally completed.

Cao Xi placed the bamboo pen and books into the backpack, shook it a bit, and the backpack hung diagonally across Qin Zhao’s body.

After taking a few steps, there was a crackling sound.

That night, Cao Xi told Qin Zhao the story of “Journey to the West,” explaining that Sun Wukong was a being born from a stone, raised by no one.

Qin Zhao listened with great interest; he felt that Sun Wukong’s intelligence was much higher than that of several other characters in the story.

As the evening grew late, he found it increasingly difficult to stay awake, but was forced to go to sleep by Cao Xi. That night, Qin Zhao dreamed entirely of monkeys.