IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Everyone is so nice, the days will definitely be… a chaotic mess!!!

“No, no.” The hostility in Yun Qi’s eyes grew, and Gu Zhan frantically waved his hand to deny it, “No, no.”

He looked towards the front yard and saw Cheng Que lighting a small lamp to sort out the accounts. Only then did he lower his voice and continue, “I envy you, I envy Brother Lin. If only Cheng Que could be so lively…”

Yun Qi looked at Gu Zhan and said nothing, but the meaning in his eyes was very clear.

If you like someone lively, go find one. Why force others to change into someone you like?

Gu Zhan’s attention was all on Cheng Que, completely blocking out the signals Yun Qi was sending. He stared infatuatedly for a long time until Cheng Que closed the ledger and went to tidy up the counter. Only then did he let out a heavy sigh, “Cheng Que wasn’t like this before. He used to be gentle and bright, but after Aunt Zheng passed away…”

Some rustling sounds came from outside the wall. Gu Zhan craned his neck to look, but saw nothing.

He scratched the back of his head and continued the previous topic, “Did you see the earring on Cheng Que’s ear?”

Ge’er wearing earrings was a trend started by the late Emperor. It was said to make them look more beautiful and elegant. The upper echelons always imitate those above them, so a trend of Ge’er wearing earrings swept through Great Zhou.

Ge’er wearing earrings found it inconvenient to move around or work. Even turning their heads required caution. This trend did not spread far among ordinary people, but it intensified among upper-level officials.

Now, besides those Ge’er from official families, those who wanted to marry their Ge’er into wealthy families, and the Ge’er in brothels, normal families would not wear such earrings.

Gu Zhan spat at the courtyard gate, his eyes full of disgust, “After Aunt Zheng passed away, that woman made Cheng Que wear earrings and even encouraged the old man Cheng to find a group of damned disciplinarians to teach Cheng Que manners properly, so that he could marry into a good family…”

White, who had been chased out of the backyard, finally found a gap in the wall and squeezed in with great effort. He bypassed the two people chatting in the courtyard and quickly locked onto his target.

Lin Yan had just come out of the warehouse when he saw the big fat cat posturing coquettishly.

No one can resist a fluffy creature, especially Lin Yan.

White gurgled and acted spoiled towards Lin Yan. After receiving Lin Yan’s permission, he began to inspect the backyard and quickly set his sights on the chickens wandering in the yard.

“Huh? This looks fun.” Gu Zhan, who was lamenting his unfair fate, was instantly attracted by White. He didn’t want to work either, so he stuffed the axe into Yun Qi’s hand and joined the war of chasing the cat, “Brother, I’ll leave the firewood to you.”

“You…” Yun Qi looked at Gu Zhan and clicked his tongue in distaste. But when he saw Lin Yan, only a look of doting remained.

The backyard was in a mess, with chickens squawking and birds chirping loudly enough to be heard clearly through the courtyard walls. Cheng Que hesitated slightly but still chose to come and see what was going on.

The once relatively clean backyard was now covered in chicken feathers. Lin Yan was holding a chicken that looked half-dead, and Gu Zhan was chasing after a nimble black cat. In the process of scurrying around, the black cat kicked over a basket full of eggs.

Cheng Que felt a headache coming on. He tried hard to suppress the tremor in his voice, “Young Master Yun, Young Master Lin, have you finished tidying up?”

Eggs were rolling all over the ground. Lin Yan caught White, who was having a blast. The chicken, whose feet had touched the ground again, squawked twice and fell to the ground, trembling non-stop. The battlefield was nearing its end. Yun Qi, in charge of logistics, rolled up his sleeves and prepared to enter the scene to clean up the mess and, by the way, appease Cheng Que, whose face was growing paler and paler. “Almost.”

“Xiao Qi, where’s the boiling water? Quickly stew this cat…” Lin Yan came over with the cat and paused for a moment when he saw Cheng Que, “Shopkeeper Cheng?”

Cheng Que took a deep breath and tried hard to ignore the chaotic backyard. He forced a smile, “Mo, Young Master Mo, Young Master Lin, please come with me.”

Gu Zhan grumbled in complaint, “I’m right here, and you don’t invite me along.”

“Gu…” Cheng Que thought of his current status and felt even more depressed. His attitude became more respectful. He bowed politely, “If Husband is willing, please come along too.”

“Husband?” Gu Zhan picked up Cheng Que, his eyebrows furrowed together.

He hated this title. In Great Zhou, only prostitutes who had been bought back home would call their master “Husband.” Cheng Que was degrading himself… or maybe that woman had poisoned Cheng Que too deeply.

Gu Zhan took a deep breath and corrected gruffly, “Call me Husband.”

These things couldn’t be rushed. With his pampering and indulgence, those influences would fade away. The immediate priority was to get Cheng Que to change this damned title.

Cheng Que simply responded with a “yes” but didn’t say the two words. He took out a few ledgers from behind the counter with great care and held them out to Yun Qi, “Young Master Mo, these are the store’s account books. Please take a look.”

To deceive others, Yun Qi and Lin Yan referred to each other as husband and husband outside, so others naturally put Yun Qi first.

Yun Qi naturally handed the account books to Lin Yan, “Brother…”

Yun Qi’s move was to let Gu Zhan and Cheng Que know that Lin Yan was the one in charge between the two.

Lin Yan flipped through a few pages and couldn’t bear to continue. He stuffed the account books into Yun Qi’s arms, “You look at them. I don’t understand bookkeeping.”

Yun Qi flipped through them casually and returned the account books to Cheng Que.

Cheng Que carefully put away the account books, secretly relieved. These two didn’t understand bookkeeping and weren’t interested in it. That meant he was still useful and wouldn’t be chased away in the short term. His days wouldn’t be too difficult in the future.

But… these two didn’t look like they didn’t understand anything, yet they spent a large sum of money to rent this shop, seemingly for the sake of that Ge’er’s cooking skills. With such confidence, their skills must not be bad. Then he could rest assured?

The vegetables in the courtyard were toppled over, the chicken was half-dead, and the basket was still lying on the ground… Rest assured my foot.

Cheng Que secretly cheered himself up in his heart. For his mother’s ancestral property, he should be braver. He lowered his posture and asked cautiously, “The two of you are also my saviors. Logically, I shouldn’t say these words. But this shop is my mother’s dowry, and it can be considered my family’s ancestral property, so…”

Cheng Que bowed deeply, “This servant wants to see the skills of the two of you.”

“Get up, get up.” Lin Yan half-supported and half-pulled Cheng Que up. He looked around the yard and quickly locked onto his target, “This chicken doesn’t look like it will live much longer. It’s just cheap for me.”

Although the Cheng family’s shop hadn’t been open for a long time, they still had pots, bowls, and ladles. The tools were complete, and as for the ingredients… White had bitten five vegetables, one chicken, and knocked over a basket of preserved eggs in one afternoon.

Lin Yan thought for a moment and quickly had an idea. He would make Lemon Shredded Chicken and Roasted Chili Preserved Eggs.

“Xiao Qi.” Lin Yan pointed at the chicken that was only gasping for air and solemnly handed the knife to Yun Qi, “Come on, give it a quick death and let it realize its value.”

While Yun Qi was preparing the ingredients, Lin Yan decided to make the cold dishes first.

Roasted Chili Preserved Eggs were delicious and easy to make. They had no flaws except for their appearance.

Peel the preserved eggs, stir-fry the chili peppers until fragrant, add garlic, chili peppers, salt, white sugar, MSG, light soy sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Mix well, add the preserved eggs and mash them, then plate.

Lin Yan, who hadn’t eaten spicy food in a long time, chose to take a bite. The charred aroma of the green peppers intertwined with the mellowness of the preserved eggs. The skin of the green peppers was charred, but the inside was still fresh and tender. The preserved eggs were delicate and smooth, melting in his mouth.

The taste was not bad. Lin Yan was planning to savor it further when Yun Qi pushed the door open, “Brother, the chicken you wanted.”

One hand exchanged the chicken, and the other exchanged the bowl.

Lin Yan didn’t have time to taste the second bite. He had to start making Lemon Shredded Chicken.

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