Chapter 118: They Seem to Be Doing It on Purpose
Shopkeeper Qiu chuckled to himself.
Seeing him smile, Xie Yushan thought there was hope and quickly followed up, “My disappointing son hasn’t been home for quite some time. In a few days, I’ll bring him back to pay a visit to you, sir.”
Shopkeeper Qiu didn’t respond. Instead, he glanced at Xie Anyi and said lightly, “This is your youngest son?”
Xie Yushan nodded and tried to move closer to speak, but two people stood between them. They acted as if they didn’t see his hinting look asking them to make way. With no choice, he called out, “Yi’er, come greet Mr. Qiu.”
Xie Anyi had been happily chatting with Datou and Jin Xiuyi about their fun experiences in Gutong Village when he heard his father calling. His small body stiffened, and he hurried over without delay to bow to Shopkeeper Qiu.
“Greetings, sir.”
Xie Yushan added, “Sir, this is my son Anyi. Speaking of which, he shares quite a connection with the Wen family.”
“Oh?” Shopkeeper Qiu raised an eyebrow.
Xie Yushan felt delighted. He had only planned to test the waters using the Wen family, yet Shopkeeper Qiu clearly took the bait.
“Yes. My son’s life was saved by Doctor Jin’s beloved disciple.”
Shopkeeper Qiu looked at Wen Jun. “Is that so?”
Wen Jun answered respectfully, “It is true. That day, Yaoyao and I happened to pass by and saved Young Master Xie.”
Before Xie Yushan could continue building rapport, Wen Jun added, “However, Master Xie has already given two hundred taels in thanks.”
The implication was clear: the money had been paid, the favor repaid—they owed each other nothing.
Xie Yushan now deeply regretted letting Qiu Rongrong use money to dismiss this family. Otherwise, with the excuse of repaying a life-saving favor, he could have visited Qiu Zhi frequently. Given enough time, how could the man refuse to teach?
“Th-this… Young Master Wen saved my son; of course we should express gratitude. But a life-saving favor can never be forgotten. The Xie family has never forgotten this kindness,” Xie Yushan hurried to add.
By then, Datou and Jin Xiuyi had returned to Doctor Jin and Shopkeeper Qiu’s side. Datou was even lifted onto Shopkeeper Qiu’s lap.
He looked at Xie Anyi and asked in his childish voice, “Do you want my godfather to teach you to study?”
Xie Anyi glanced at his father and bit his lip. He didn’t want to study. He liked listening to his mother read account books and talk about business. He didn’t like studying with his father. But he didn’t dare say that aloud, so he nodded.
Xie Yushan was pleased—until Datou added another sentence that froze his smile.
“But my godfather swore he wouldn’t accept students anymore.”
Xie Yushan’s face stiffened, while Xie Anyi looked visibly relieved.
Datou continued, “Since my godfather won’t take students, you can take me as your master. I’ll teach you.”
Xie Yushan: ?????
Xie Anyi was stunned. “You’re younger than me—how can you teach me?”
Datou frowned. “My godfather said you shouldn’t judge by appearance. Who says someone younger can’t teach you?”
Xie Anyi was speechless. It sounded reasonable… but they were about the same age—why should he become his student?
“I don’t want to,” he blurted childishly.
Datou spread his hands. “Godfather, he doesn’t want to.”
Shopkeeper Qiu was about to burst with laughter but forced himself to hold it in.
“In that case, forget it. Though I swore not to accept students, I did say that if they were Zhao’er’s students, I’d naturally take responsibility as his godfather. Since Young Master Xie is unwilling, let’s leave it. The Xie clan school is also a fine place. Master Xie can send him there—your sons can keep each other company.”
After this speech, Xie Yushan’s face shifted from pale to red to black like a palette.
If he still didn’t realize that Shopkeeper Qiu and this “rustic” family were deliberately embarrassing him, then he truly was a fool.
He simply couldn’t figure out when he had offended them.
———
In the kitchen of Zuixian Restaurant, Qiu Rongrong arrived with Wen Yao, throwing the busy kitchen into even more chaos. With the owner present, the rhythm was disrupted—chefs no longer shouted, and the helpers stopped joking. Finally, the restaurant manager hurried over.
“Miss, why have you come to the kitchen?”
Qiu Rongrong frowned. She had never entered a kitchen before—not even back in the Qiu household. So this was what it looked like.
So messy.
Manager Lu was helpless—why did she have to come cause trouble today?
Qiu Rongrong looked to Wen Yao.
Wen Yao asked, “Manager Lu, is there a small private kitchen I can borrow?”
He was confused.
Qiu Rongrong said, “Go prepare it. Also, arrange two assistants for Miss Wen.”
Though he didn’t understand what was going on, Manager Lu obeyed. Soon the kitchen returned to normal, and he arranged two helpers and a small kitchen for Wen Yao.
Dressed in luxurious clothing, Qiu Rongrong looked completely out of place.
“Yaoyao, what are you going to make?”
Wen Yao smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see soon.” She began instructing the assistants to prepare ingredients.
They ran back and forth fetching items.
“Miss, dogwood… but do we need this much?” one asked, carrying a sack.
“Just put it there. Slice the meat.”
After the ingredients were ready, Wen Yao felt confident. Today she would make boiled sliced pork.
At this time, chili peppers didn’t exist yet. People relied on Sichuan peppercorns or dogwood for heat. But dogwood was so pungent that most people couldn’t tolerate it, so restaurants rarely used it.
Today, Wen Yao would do the opposite—using dogwood to create a bold, stimulating flavor to capture diners’ taste buds.
After slicing the pork, she began marinating it. The key to delicious boiled pork slices was whether the meat was tender enough.
Fortunately, she had plenty of tenderizing powder—twelve coins could buy a whole pound, and she had as much as she needed.
