130, dense as a stone, afternoon tea.

“Are you out of your mind? What does it have to do with your sister-in-law that you came here? Can you heal a leg injury?” Aunt Liu couldn’t help but smack her son on the back. Her son was good in many ways, but sometimes he just didn’t catch on. Xiao Gao had just explained that it was because of Qingxin’s care that the leg injury had healed, yet her own son failed to grasp the deeper meaning. Oh, her foolish son’s emotional intelligence was truly frustrating. When would he finally bring home a daughter-in-law for her?

“I can take care of the company commander too!” Liu Gang grumbled discontentedly.

“Godfather, godmother, Aunt Liu, please try not to tell outsiders about Qingxin making the pills,” Gao Shen cautioned.

It wasn’t that this was a secret or something shameful. Gao Shen simply didn’t want too many people to know about Qingxin’s abilities, lest they come knocking on their door, disrupting Qingxin’s peaceful life. Although the villagers all knew about it, none of them had actually witnessed the miraculous effects of Qingxin’s pills.

“Yeah, we all understand!” The three nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go boil some water for everyone first. Please have a seat and rest!” Qingxin said, feeling the conversation had run its course, and headed toward the kitchen.

Gao Shen immediately stepped forward to stop her. “I’ll boil the water. You should pack your things first.”

Qingxin knew he was aware she couldn’t start a fire herself and wanted to do it on his own. But her trip to the kitchen wasn’t just to boil water; she intended to take out some supplies from ‘Flowing Light Brocade’ while no one was paying attention.

They had returned late today, and the market in town was already sold out of meat and vegetables. At home, they could only offer some dried goods and grains. Fresh vegetables and fruits were out of the question—no one leaves greens and fruits out for days expecting them to stay fresh!

Qingxin gave Gao Shen a sly wink and smiled, “I’ll go myself.”

Without waiting for Gao Shen to catch her meaning, Qingxin headed to the kitchen. She knew the women at home would soon come to help.

Once inside, she immediately retrieved some grains and dried goods stored in the cupboard. Leafy vegetables were inconvenient to take out, but she could bring out some hardy vegetables like potatoes, lettuce, green peppers, and eggplants.

When Qingxin had sown seeds in the ‘Flowing Light Brocade’ land, she had scattered several types of vegetable seeds—not too many of each, since plants grew quickly in that space—thus increasing the variety rather than quantity.

She boiled water and brewed a pot of flower tea for everyone. Yes, just one pot, because the family didn’t have enough enamel cups, which meant she’d have to go to town tomorrow to purchase more tableware.

Everyone sipped the tea while sharing one or two vegetable buns each, which Qingxin had steamed warm while boiling water. They hadn’t eaten the buns on the way because everyone was sleeping on the journey.

They had an early lunch, and now there were still two or three hours before dinner—consider it a light afternoon snack.

But looking at the scene in the main room made Qingxin want to cover her face. One bowl of tea in one hand and a vegetable bun in the other—this tableau was almost too pitiful to behold.

After finishing their tea, they rested a while, feeling refreshed. Everyone eagerly asked if there was anything they could help with.

Gao Shen glanced at the time. There were still several hours before nightfall. He knew the household outwardly had no meat, and Qingxin couldn’t bring out any more from her space. Since the guests were here to help with their wedding preparations, they needed to be well entertained. How could they manage without some meat dishes?

The market was sold out, so there was only one solution: head into the mountains!

After a pause, Gao Shen said gravely, “Liu Gang, you come with me into the mountain later to catch some game. We’ll have a better feast tonight.”

“Alright! No problem! It’s been a long time since I stretched my legs. Staying at the grain station all day, I feel like I’m about to waste away!” Liu Gang agreed enthusiastically, eager to try his hand.

Then Gao Shen turned to the two elder women. “Godmother, Aunt Liu, Qingxin and I don’t know much about the customs and preparations for our wedding. Could you discuss what we need and what we’re missing? We’ll go to town to buy what’s necessary tomorrow.”

“Alright!” The two women happily agreed, as they were the only ones present capable of taking on this important task.

“Qingxin, start preparing dinner. We’ll see how our luck goes in the mountains,” Gao Shen gently instructed.

Seeing that her name hadn’t been mentioned, Jiang Min quickly asked, “Brother-in-law, what about me?”

“You can help your sister in the kitchen with the fire and other chores,” Gao Shen replied calmly.

“Okay!” Jiang Min responded cheerfully. She was familiar with kitchen work, having done it for over ten years.

Zhang Liangping had waited for a while but, not wanting to be left out, asked, “Xiao Shen, what about godfather?”

This novel is first published by Xiaoxiang Academy. Please do not repost!