Xiao Tian was still helping Baozi tidy up in Yi Qing's room, so he came out a bit late.
Yi Qing was sitting on a small stool. She pressed the deer's head with her left hand and held a dagger in her right. With a swift and decisive motion, she slit the deer's throat, and blood gushed out immediately.
Huang Xu felt like vomiting again.
This woman was so fierce!
Only Xiao Tian could tolerate her, Huang Xu thought. His admiration for Xiao Tian was like the surging river.
No wonder the little brother he had admired since childhood was now so extraordinary in choosing a woman.
"Um...," he took the initiative to start a conversation. "You're Yi Qing, right? I'm Huang Xu. I'm Xiao Tian's buddy. We grew up together, practically naked."
Yi Qing just grunted and continued to skin the deer with her head down.
Huang Xu watched as the dagger seemed to have a spirit of its own, moving back and forth in her hands. Soon, she had skinned the deer completely. The skin was clean, with hardly any meat left on it. Her skills were even more proficient than a butcher's.
Huang Xu was amazed. He said excitedly, "Miss Yi, besides treating patients, can you also slaughter pigs?"
Yi Qing looked up. "I can't slaughter pigs, but I should be able to kill people."
Huang Xu said, "Interesting. Actually, I also like killing people. How about we exchange some experiences?"
Just then, Xiao Tian came out. With a look of disgust on his face, he said, "Come in and sit down and wait. I'll go light the charcoal. We can eat soon."
Huang Xu rolled up his sleeves. "I'll help light the charcoal. I haven't done this for more than a decade. I remember when we were kids, we stole koi and roasted them without even gutting them. Thinking about it now, how stupid we were!"
Yi Qing thought to herself that he didn't seem any smarter now. He was clearly a big oaf.
In less than half an hour, they all sat around the table. There was a hot copper pot in the middle, and the table was filled with venison, fish slices, shrimp balls, tofu, bean curd sheets, black fungus, Chinese cabbage... There was a bowl of sauce in front of each person.
Huang Xu dipped his chopsticks into the sauce and tasted it. "It tastes good."
Xiao Tian scooped a spoonful of meat from the pot for him. "Eat quickly."
Then he scooped food for Yi Qing and Baozi in turn, and finally for himself.
While eating, Baozi excitedly told Yi Qing about the hunting. "Mom, Uncle Xiao is so amazing! He never misses his target, you know?"
It was said that one should not talk while eating or sleep.
Huang Xu thought that Yi Qing, who was so strict, would definitely get angry. But unexpectedly, she listened with a gentle look in her eyes and said, "Baozi will surely be more amazing than Uncle Xiao when he grows up."
This woman must be schizophrenic.
Or maybe she was just mean to him. How hateful!
But the soup base and the seasonings were so delicious. Huang Xu ate with his head down.
"At most, I'll be as amazing as Uncle Xiao," Baozi said.
"You did well. You even shot two birds with one arrow," Yi Qing said as she picked up some fish slices for him. "Eat more fish. It will make you smart. Don't pick them out."
Baozi made a bitter face and tried a piece.
Xiao Tian brought the water to his mouth, and Baozi took a sip.
Then Xiao Tian picked the fish from Baozi's bowl and put it into his own. "If he doesn't like fish, let him eat meat. Why force the child? You don't eat many things either."
Yi Qing said, "Don't meddle in other people's business!"
It was her business to teach her son not to be picky about food. What did it matter to him?
"Baozi is not just your son."
Oh, this honest man could be quite sharp-tongued when he wanted to be!
Huang Xu's eyes darted back and forth between Xiao Tian and Yi Qing, but his mouth never stopped eating.
Tsk tsk, these two were in love and at odds with each other. There was definitely something going on between them.
Xiao Tian, Xiao Tian, you've forgotten your own identity. You're about to "betray your master"!
There were many ways to betray one's master, but there was no doubt that coveting the master's woman was an unforgivable sin! Let's see how you'll end up!
After the meal, Huang Xu lingered, not wanting to leave. Xiao Tian dragged him out and handed him over to his guard.
Watching the door close rudely in front of him, Huang Xu pounded on the door angrily. "Xiao Tian, you wait for me!"
Xiao Tian was lying on the desk, with his head close to Baozi's as they drew a breakdown diagram of the bow and arrow. Yi Qing came in after finishing cleaning up and asked, "Is Huang Xu a playboy?"
Xiao Tian was stunned for a moment and then said, "Why do you say so?"
"Not only a playboy, but his status is also higher than yours, right?"
Xiao Tian might have complained about Huang Xu, but he still served him meat first, which showed that Huang Xu's status was not low.
"Yes," Xiao Tian didn't deny it.
"And he worships you and likes to follow you around like a shadow."
Xiao Tian said, "Well, you can't put it like that."
"Understood, but that's basically the case."
Xiao Tian was speechless.
"Then he or his family can help Xiao Jinghan, right? If you ask, he won't refuse."
Xiao Tian was silent for a moment and then asked, "What do you want to do?"
"I don't want to do anything. I just think it's too unfair for Xiao Jinghan to die silently like this."
"Don't you want Baozi to inherit his father's business?"
"As long as no one forces me to remarry, I don't want to," Yi Qing said. "Do you think I want to put Baozi in that position to be watched?"
After all, her biggest danger came from the Huaien Marquis Mansion.
As long as Lady Di believed, no, as long as she couldn't prove that she was a fake, she would be safe.
Xiao Tian didn't say anything else.
Maybe because of the hunting, Baozi was stimulated. In the following days, he practiced martial arts extremely hard, even more diligently than studying.
Yi Qing didn't have any particular opinion about this and didn't want to interfere. As long as he liked it.
His hard work paid off. With Xiao Tian, a famous teacher, as his guide, Baozi made rapid progress.
But what was excessive was that Xiao Tian actually openly encouraged Baozi to fight and even took him to do it.
Yi Qing opposed it several times, but Xiao Tian always blocked her with the excuse that "men's business doesn't need women to interfere."
Sometimes Baozi came back with a bruised face, but he was still excitedly discussing moves and strategies with Xiao Tian.
Yi Qing thought that if this continued, Baozi would surely be turned into a warmonger by Xiao Tian.
Why hadn't she noticed before that her son had a warmongering gene?
One takes on the attributes of one's company. The ancients were really right.
There was still no news about Xiao Jinghan, but there was news from the Huaien Marquis Mansion, which was good news for Yi Qing.
"Is it so easy to cancel the engagement?" Yi Qing asked.
Lu Tianzuo, the messenger, smiled and said, "Our Lu family is not overreaching. If it were the Duke's Mansion, we might be inferior, but the Huaien Marquis Mansion is actually overreaching ours. Since Yi Weiwei dared to do such a thing of substituting one bride for another, how could we swallow this insult?"
"Miss Yi may not know that because my cousin has a disability in his leg, my aunt has always doted on him. Although their relationship has become a bit estranged for various reasons, my aunt will never allow anyone to bully my cousin."
The carefully planned marriage for her daughter was ruined, the relationship with her best friend was broken, and her daughter didn't appreciate it and even made a big fuss. Lady Di was so angry that she fell ill.