Xiao Yixuan walked along, carefully sizing up Zhao Hu's residence.
Zhao Hu's place was no match for that of员外 Chen, but it was still much more affluent than that of an ordinary commoner. It could be considered a place of modest wealth.
Thinking about what Zhao Hu used to do, Xiao Yixuan had a rough idea in mind.
As he passed by the yard and saw several dogs lying on the open ground in the middle of it, Xiao Yixuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I didn't expect you to keep so many dogs at home," he said with a smile.
Sweat broke out on Zhao Hu's forehead. He replied, "They say cats bring poverty while dogs bring wealth. It's all for making more money."
Xiao Yixuan casually asked, "Oh? I wonder how many dogs you have in your mansion?"
Zhao Hu lied through his teeth. "I haven't really counted. I don't restrict them, and some of them run out and don't come back for days."
Xiao Yixuan just smiled and followed Zhao Hu into the reception hall.
After they entered the door, a dog jumped up and ran to the room where Xiao Jingcheng was staying. It barked inside twice.
[General, that annoying guy from the Fragrant Breeze Tower is here!]
Xiao Jingcheng was dozing with his eyes closed. As soon as he heard the sound, he opened his eyes and woke up.
He guessed that the fire that burned down the gambling house would alert the guards in the Fragrant Breeze Tower. He just didn't expect that Xiao Yixuan would come in person.
This was good. By diverting Xiao Yixuan's suspicion from the Rejuvenation Hall to Zhao Hu, Ye Wanmian and Li Zhao wouldn't be constantly under Xiao Yixuan's watchful eye, and they could act more freely.
He just wondered whether Zhao Hu would choose to cover for him or side with Xiao Yixuan after last night.
Xiao Jingcheng thought about it with great interest.
...
On the other side, in the Rejuvenation Hall, there were noises coming from each room. When Qi Wen opened the door and walked out of the yard, he found that Ye Wanmian was already awake. She was adding firewood and making breakfast for today.
On the other side, several large pots had already started boiling medicine, bubbling and giving off white smoke.
Thinking about what happened last night, Qi Wen couldn't help but look at Ye Wanmian carefully. He found that her expression was calm, seemingly unaffected by last night's incident at all.
Qi Wen scratched the back of his head and stepped forward to ask, "Mrs. Jiang, why did you get up so early? Is there anything I can help with?"
"Then help me knead this dough," Ye Wanmian said, making room for Qi Wen. Qi Wen quickly grabbed the risen dough in the wooden basin and started kneading it.
Ye Wanmian went to check the pork bone soup she was boiling.
Another door was opened, and Mo Zhizhang walked out of the room, yawning.
Hearing the sound, Ye Wanmian looked at him and said with a smile, "Uncle, you're awake."
Mo Zhizhang walked towards them, looking a bit curious. "I heard noises outside as soon as it got light. What are you busy with so early, niece?"
"I'm making some noodles. We need to fill our stomachs so that we'll have the energy to continue the free medical consultation today," Ye Wanmian replied with a smile, looking at her flour-covered hands.
Mo Zhizhang offered to help, but Ye Wanmian quickly refused him. "No need. Qi Wen and I can handle it."
Mo Zhizhang smiled but didn't say anything. He turned to take care of the large pots of herbal tea that were boiling.
The herbal tea had already boiled. All they needed to do was turn down the heat.
It was obvious that Ye Wanmian had started preparing early.
Mo Zhizhang looked at the girl with her back turned to him. A thoughtful look flashed across his eyes.
It seemed that she hadn't slept much last night.
Soon, Ye Wanmian put the sliced noodles into the pot and covered it. The soup for the noodles was boiled with pork bones. Soon, the aroma seeped out from under the lid and filled the entire yard.
"I could smell the aroma even before I reached the door. What delicious food is Muju making?" Li Zhao lifted the curtain and appeared in the yard.
Ye Wanmian said with a smile, "Uncle Li, you came just in time. The noodles are almost done."
A bowl of steaming noodles was placed in front of Li Zhao and Mo Zhizhang. Li Zhao picked up his chopsticks and was about to eat when he suddenly stopped. He looked at another door and said thoughtfully,
"Isn't there someone missing in this yard?"
As soon as Li Zhao said this, there was a moment of silence. Qi Wen and Mo Zhizhang both looked at Ye Wanmian involuntarily.
Ye Wanmian's hand paused. She lowered her eyelashes to cover her eyes and said, "Uncle Li, do you mean Brother Jing? He left last night."
"Oh, really?" Li Zhao smiled faintly. "It's good that he's gone. With one less person to eat, we can save some money."
When Xiao Jingcheng was driven away last night, although Mo Zhizhang didn't say anything to stop it, he heard the whole thing and knew that Ye Wanmian had deliberately driven the man away. He didn't say anything more about it and just lowered his head to eat his noodles intently.
Qi Wen wanted to say something but hesitated. Seeing that neither Li Zhao nor Mo Zhizhang asked further, he had no choice but to bury his head in his noodles too.
Mo Zhizhang was tasting Ye Wanmian's cooking for the first time. The flavorful noodle soup with just the right amount of salt and the chewy noodles filled his mouth. He couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly. He quickly swallowed it down and praised,
"Niece, you're really good at cooking. I didn't expect such ordinary-looking noodles to taste so delicious. It's no less delicious than the dishes made by the head chefs in the restaurants."
Ye Wanmian was a bit embarrassed by the praise. "Uncle, you're overpraising me. How can I compare with the head chefs? I just mess around casually. As long as it can fill our stomachs, that's enough."
"Of course you can't compare," Mo Zhizhang said. "The head chefs in the restaurants don't have such skills. This is the taste of home."
To prove that he wasn't lying, Mo Zhizhang ate all the noodles in his bowl and drank all the soup.
Looking at the ceramic bowl with not a single drop of noodle soup left, Ye Wanmian's mind flashed back to a certain night when Xiao Jingcheng, thinking he was a dog, gobbled up all the noodles in the bowl.
But she quickly pushed the image out of her mind and turned to get busy with today's work.
Having gained experience yesterday, it was much easier to prepare today.
The herbal tea was already boiling in the pots. After removing the firewood, Mo Zhizhang and Qi Wen poured the herbal tea into large cauldrons and carried them outside.
Outside the medical hall, there were already quite a few people. They were all the commoners who hadn't been able to get their pulses checked yesterday. Worried about missing out, they came early to queue up.
Ye Wanmian packed up her instruments and medical records and rushed to the awning. She sat down in her seat, smiled brightly, and said, "We distributed some number tags to everyone yesterday. Now we can start the consultation. Please come forward, Number One of the A series."
Over there, Mo Zhizhang also sat down and started to feel the patients' pulses, just like Ye Wanmian.
At this time, all the people who came were here for the consultation, so there was no one at Qi Wen and Li Zhao's herbal tea stand.
Qi Wen looked at the people queuing up on both sides waiting to have their pulses checked and suddenly sighed, "Alas."
Li Zhao looked at him. "You're so young. Why are you sighing?"
Qi Wen looked at Li Zhao and lowered his voice. "Uncle Li, actually Brother Jing was driven away by Mrs. Jiang."