Chapter 47: Returning

The wind howled as they entered the government office. The constables told them to wait for a moment and would notify someone right away.

Within half an incense stick’s time, loud laughter was heard, and a figure appeared before the sound.

“Is it Qin the scholar? He’s truly impressive, having passed the imperial examination and achieved the status of a scholar at such a young age. Congratulations!”

The voice drew closer, and soon a slightly overweight man, walking with a bit of a stumble, came into view.

Qin Zhao immediately bowed and said, “Governor, I respectfully greet you.”

“Don’t stand on ceremony! I’ve already been informed. There are only five scholars in our Qizhou city who passed the imperial exam, and among them, you stand out the most. You are the pride of Qizhou!”

Qin Zhao replied, “Governor, please don’t say that. It’s thanks to your excellent governance, which keeps the people safe and well-fed, that allows us to focus on studying.”

“Hahaha, no matter how you put it, it’s indeed a point of pride that we have these scholars.”

Qin Zhao quickly bowed again, “Thank you, Governor, for your kind words.”

“No need to bow so much. You’re being too formal. I hear you’re here to handle the property deed?”

“Yes.”

“Come, I’ll personally take care of it for you.”

With the governor’s approval, the deed was quickly processed, and before they left, the governor personally escorted them out of the office.

Outside, the landlord divided the group, with Cao Xi and Qin Zhao heading to Runxiang Garden.

Upon arrival, the shopkeeper greeted them warmly. “Cao Xijie, Qin the scholar, welcome!”

“We were just passing by and thought we’d stop by,” Cao Xi said with a smile, turning around and taking a quick look around the store. Despite it not being a meal time, the place was quite busy, with a steady flow of people.

“When is our young master returning?” Cao Xi asked the shopkeeper who was following closely.

The shopkeeper, smiling, responded, “How would I know? The young master is always coming and going at his own pace.”

Cao Xi, slightly taken aback, smiled politely to ease the awkwardness.

…

After leaving Runxiang Garden, Cao Xi turned to Qin Zhao. “I’m in the mood for some spicy hot pot. If we don’t head back to prepare gifts now, let’s go there first.”

Qin Zhao agreed, and the two of them returned to sort out the gifts before heading to the hot pot shop. The shop was bustling, with Qiu Ju, the cashier, drawing Cao Xi’s attention. She was surprised; hadn’t Li Feng insisted on not letting anyone mix with the shop’s operations?

The new waiter didn’t recognize them. “Ladies and gentlemen, what would you like to order? We have all sorts of hot pot ingredients.”

Cao Xi smiled and said, “I know, I’m not in a hurry.”

The waiter, taken aback by her familiar tone, was momentarily stunned but quickly turned to greet other customers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them heading toward the kitchen and quickly stopped them. “Ladies, please be careful. If you go further, you’ll be in the kitchen.”

“I know,” Cao Xi answered with a smile.

Their conversation caught the attention of Qiu Ju, the cashier.

“Wait, who is that? Isn’t that the newly appointed scholar? What brings you both to my humble shop today?”

Her words left Cao Xi a bit stunned, realizing that when Li Feng had left earlier, the property deed had indeed been handed over correctly.

“The matter of this shop,” Cao Xi thought, “We need to make sure we understand the ownership and whether it was transferred to Li Feng personally.”

Qiu Ju was speechless when asked, genuinely not knowing the answer. Cao Xi had always been the one with the money, and everyone had assumed that Cao Xi was just a helper.

The two of them were talking loudly enough that Chuan, who was in the kitchen, could vaguely hear it. Thinking it might be Cao Xi’s voice, Chuan went to check, and sure enough, it was Cao Xi and the others returning.

“Shui Niu, Shui Niu! Sister Xi and Qin Zhao are back!” Chuan shouted as he walked to the kitchen, notifying Shui Niu.

Seeing Chuan and Shui Niu, Cao Xi’s smile became even brighter.

“Chuan, Shui Niu, we’re here! Come to the back courtyard; I brought gifts for you.”

Xiao Rui, who was frying the base ingredients in the back courtyard, was so overcome by the spiciness that tears were streaming from her eyes. Hearing footsteps, she turned around and recognized that it was Chuan coming to get something. It wasn’t until Cao Xi patted her shoulder that she finally turned back.

Xiao Rui’s face lit up with a smile upon seeing Cao Xi. “Sister Xi, you’re back!” Then she nervously turned to Qin Zhao, who was standing beside Cao Xi, and shyly said, “Brother Zhao, congratulations on passing the imperial exam.”

Qin Zhao felt the growing distance between them, and perhaps, a bit of unwillingness stirred within him. As he walked farther away, Xiao Rui could only look up at him from a distance, especially now that she had already decided to marry Shui Niu.

Cao Xi placed the gifts on the stone table. “These are for you, from me and Qin Zhao. We picked them out based on your preferences.”

Cao Xi handed a delicate box to Xiao Rui.

“This is a pomegranate skirt from the capital, specifically chosen in peach pink. I hope you like it.”

Xiao Rui eagerly took the box, and when she opened it, the beautiful peach pink color immediately caught her eye. She was so pleased that she quickly thanked Cao Xi.

“Thank you, Sister Xi, this skirt is so beautiful. I really like it.”

After giving the gifts to Shui Niu and Chuan, Cao Xi had originally planned to place Li Feng’s gift in his room, but seeing Qiu Ju’s eyes lighting up, she decided to wait for Li Feng to return and give it to him personally.

As Cao Xi took a step forward, Qiu Ju, puzzled, asked, “You’re leaving?”

Cao Xi pretended to be confused and asked, “Leaving?”

Qiu Ju asked, “Aren’t we giving Li Feng a gift too?”

Cao Xi said, “He’s gone to the Western Regions. I bought something to send, but it couldn’t make it, so it’s a cheap little mouse.”

When Qiu Ju saw Cao Xi’s sharp look, she immediately felt uncomfortable. What was the matter? Wasn’t it just that she had a scholar fiancé? This fiancé could belong to anyone, and Qiu Ju turned away and headed out to the back courtyard.

Cao Xi looked at her retreating figure and asked Xiao Rui, “How long have you been here?”

Xiao Rui raised her skirt and replied, “After Brother Li left, I came. I didn’t follow after.”

Cao Xi nodded, “How’s business recently? I’ve opened a new spicy hotpot stall at the street corner.”

Xiao Rui let go of her skirt and sighed, “Talking about that makes me angry. A few months ago, there was a customer who came here to eat spicy hotpot. At first, he liked it and even took some to go, but who would have thought that behind our backs, he was studying our recipe. Now, there’s a stall next door, serving spicy hotpot, with decorations just like ours.”

Cao Xi wasn’t surprised. In a competitive business, it was common for others to try to imitate successful models.

Cao Xi thought for a moment, “We just need to focus on making our food better and improve our service.”

Xiao Rui nodded, “Yes, Shui Niu is the one who recognizes this, but Brother Li doesn’t know. When will he return? We’ve already been bullied to the doorstep.”

Cao Xi sighed, “I think he should be coming back soon.”

The cheerful atmosphere dipped a bit when Li Feng was mentioned. Xiao Rui couldn’t help but worry about whether he was safe on his journey.

………………………………………………………

Meanwhile, Li Feng was on his way back. The journey hadn’t been smooth. The merchant caravan had encountered some roadblocks, and despite the formidable bodyguards Li Feng had hired, they couldn’t hold off the bandits. By now, half of their group had been killed or injured.

“Ah Feng, how much longer until we reach the city?” Ban Nuo leaned against Li Feng, her body slightly shielding him from the sun.

Li Feng gazed into the distance, his voice low and steady, “We’re almost there. Just five or six more miles, and we’ll be at the city gates.”

Upon hearing this, Ban Nuo’s face brightened like the sun. It would only be a few more miles to reach Ah Feng’s hometown.

Li Feng had met Ban Nuo at the slave market. She had been locked in a cage, ready to be sold. Though she looked ragged, there was a fierce, unyielding look in her eyes that made people hesitant to approach her.

This fierceness attracted Li Feng, and he decided to buy her.

At first, Ban Nuo resisted him, even harboring strong animosity toward him. Li Feng never pushed her, allowing her the freedom to leave whenever she wanted. Over time, she stopped resisting and began to fall for this wise man.