It was in Dongzhou Restaurant.

The fragrant smell from the two white porcelains with ice cracks quickly fulfilled the whole kitchen.

Being tempted by the smell, Manager Jiao leaned forward and stared at the two gourmet meals. In his eyes, some desire and appreciation appeared.

He deeply swallowed saliva, staring and ceaselessly praising,

"Great! Great! The two meals were not the same as the hot pot. Of course, they were not the same as the hot pot."

One cook beside Manager Jiao looked amazed, rubbing his jaw with two fingers and saying in a skeptical voice,

"I have been a chef for decades but never seen this kind of unusual way of cooking. So, you casually put some materials in, add a scoop of flavor, and pluck them. Then a meal can be made?"

Another cook also nodded,

"Yeah, I had been working in Songhe Restaurant of the Central Plains for three years. And I have made over one thousand meals concerning fried food, food with brown sauce, sweet and sour fish, but I have never seen her unusual way of cooking, which is neither frying nor stewing."

When Manager Jiao heard the arguments in the surroundings, he seemed to be convenient and get upright, cunningly shifting in his eyes,

"Madam, could I acquire the name of the two meals?"

Gu Yunxi calmly responded with no waves in her eyes,

"They are my own creation, Stir-fried Meal and Flavored and Roast Fish. Now it is meaningless to say anything. The taste of the two meals can only be judged by guests."

"Servants, take the two meals to the front hall. Tell guests they are new meals made by us. Guests can taste them for free and make some comments."

Two servants held the meals and went to the front hall.

Before long, they ran back in a hurry. In their faces, surprise and delight couldn't be covered.

"Manager, some guests have tasted Madam Hua's meals. And they are all full of praise. Now two vessels of meals have been shared out, and those guests who haven't tasted them hustle to order. The situation is just like the day when Madam Hua sold those flavors. We can't control that anymore."

Manager Jiao seemed to be a little stunned, blankly asking,

"Really?"

Another servant hustled to ask,

"How could we determine the price of the two meals? Please give an idea, manager."

"Well..."

It happened suddenly so that Manager Jiao unfolded his hands tremblingly. For a while, he was blank and couldn't make a determination.

Gu Yunxi softly smiled and reminded,

"Those vegetables are chosen by me casually. While ordering, you can make servants acquire the kind of materials. According to the materials of all vegetable, all meat, and half vegetable and half meat, you can flexibly make the price."

Manager Jiao was immediately enlightened, applauding and saying,

"Good idea! On the premise of being higher than the price of the original capitals, the number of profits we earn from a meal completely depends on the kind of materials. Madam Hua, you give a great idea!"

In his words, some more respect occurred. Manager Jiao raised his hands,

"Sir, madam, please go to the meeting room and talk with me."

At that time, Gu Yunxi and Leng Qingtang went back to the meeting room confidently. The couple naturally enjoyed the tea given by Manager Jiao in person.

While talking, Manager Jiao was a little curious and asked,

"Madam Hua, just now I found you skillfully using the kitchen knife while cutting, so I assume that you are also an excellent chef. Could I ask that who is your teacher?"

"..." Gu Yunxi slightly lowered her eyes and was stunned, showing some hesitation.

Leng Qingtang slightly smiled in his mouth. He didn't think more but wanted to take the bargain quickly and bring his wife back. Hence, he replied for her,

"Manager, you have asked a key point. My wife's skill is originated from generation to generation. Her mother once worked in the Imperial Kitchen of the Palace in Da Yi. And just a cake casually made by her could be called imperial."

"Ah..."

Gu Yunxi suddenly felt upset in her mind. Limitless chills were like the ice cracks of the white porcelain, spreading into her body around.

She slightly opened her lips, intending to stop Leng Qingtang from continuing to say.

But he had already blurted out, which made it meaningless to stop him.

More beaming lights occurred from Manager Jiao's eyes, just like all kinds of fireworks in the dark evening.

He started to look at Gu Yunxi again, ceaselessly saluting,

"Aye yo! I have been impolite. It's because of my ignorance that I haven't recognized this noble madam."

Seeing his instantly changing expression, Leng Qingtang just felt funny.

While slightly rubbing the cup's brim, Leng Qingtang owned a calm expression which was as quiet as the deep water,

"Manager, we Hua Family isn't a famous clan indeed. But there is someone who had worked in the Palace so that we are somewhat proud and knowledgeable. Along the border, your restaurant is on the top. Now that it is a large restaurant, you could also own the determination of making a great business. We are relieved to cooperate with you."

"But if you think our flavors are in too high prices, it doesn't matter. Because we will never force you."

"We will take the 750 packets of flavors away immediately and visit other restaurants. I believe that by means of our background, unique ingredients, and the imperial meals, those flavors can be equal to five taels of silver."

Along the border, people weren't limited by the regulations. Therefore, if one product was defined as imperial or noble, its price would be doubled more.

As soon as those products didn't cause chaos and the merchants offered enough tributes, the local officials also didn't want to regulate those "imperial" products.

Leng Qingtang knew clearly the fact. Besides, Manager Jiao had been at the border so long that he also understood that.

"Ah, no, no!"

Seeing Leng Qingtang getting up, Manager Jiao hustled to move his body and got in front of the square table. He bent and unfolded his arms to protect the flavors in the table, smiling at them and apologizing,

"It is just my blame. Respected guests, please be calm. I will immediately go to the accounting office and take the bank notes to you."

In the following, all went well. It was just a thing of giving the money.

There was one pile of bank notes all together, equal to 5,000 taels of silver. Besides the payment of the flavors in half a month reply, more than 1,200 taels of silver were left, which was the down payment of the flavors in the next half month reply.

When they went off, Manager Jiao asked them the next bargain location.

However, Gu Yunxi immediately changed her words. She still insisted that Leng Qingtang and she themselves would visit him and timely supply flavors for the restaurant.

After leaving, Gu Yunxi and Leng Qingtang rent one house in one village on the north border.

It was not large and there was only one bungalow. But the yard was square and tidy.

In the yard, there was one pomegranate tree and a prune tree, which were admired by Gu Yunxi.

The village was not far away from the business street so that it was convenient to supply flavors for Dongzhou Restaurant.

Besides, being in the largest business areas, they could purchase all kinds of food materials at one time.

The landlord was a middle-aged woman and looked kind. In terms of her wearing and talking, she was also one person from the Central Plains.

When she first met Leng Qingtang and Gu Yunxi, the landlord ceaselessly looked at them with sharp eyes, appearing to be somewhat strange and confused.

After all, by viewing the couple's appearance, Leng Qingtang was at least thirty years old while Gu Yunxi should be less than twenty years old. It seemed that they had a big age gap.

It was the puny thing that made Leng Qingtang feel upset for a great while.

Unless Gu Yunxi liked the place, he would never be so generous and paid for a five-year rent at one time.

The living things were all in the loft and they needed to go back and package them. Then they could spare two days to completely move there.

When they went back to Ping Mount, the day was already dark. Leng Qingtang thought his wife had been busy all day so that he let her go upstairs and have a rest. He himself cooked some simple meals and ate them together with Gu Yunxi. Then he went to the yard and fed horses.

Gu Yunxi was left in the room alone. How could she fall asleep quietly?

She was afraid most that once closing her eyes, she would be in those endless bloody dreams.

Wearily and unhappily, Gu Yunxi opened the arch window in the colored glaze. As the blank eyes shifted through the mild moonlight, she overlooked the handsome man in front of the barn.

Leng Qingtang poured some feed into the stable. While seeing the horses happily chewing, he softly patted one's head with love. He muttered to them and Gu Yunxi didn't know what he said. As the clear moonlight shed on his angular face, Leng Qingtang happily and contentedly smiled.

It seemed that he was so satisfied with the current life.

As a wife, Gu Yunxi could be loved by her husband and they respected each other. She also felt happy.

However, since the day when she had the nightmare, she couldn't help being a little stressed in her mind.

Those happy and safe days and minutes seemed to be stolen by her.

Now her only hope lay in Lu Qiange.

She hoped that Lu Qiange could fulfill her requirement and achieve the two things.

After cleaning up, Leng Qingtang went back to the bedroom.

When he opened the door, he found Gu Yunxi sitting in the bed and quietly staring at the burning flames on the desk.

In her delicate eyes, a wisp of mist seemed to be hovering and couldn't be disappeared.

Leng Qingtang quietly sat beside his wife, with one arm softly holding her shoulders. There were some concerns and anxieties in his calmness,

"Darling, what’s wrong with you?"

He was so sensitive that he had already realized her changing emotion. It was not simply because of exhaustion.

Gu Yunxi slowly raised her head, seriously watching all his organs in the face. In her eyes, she seemed to be blank and helpless.

How to talk with him?

It was only for the fact that she once had a nightmare, then she was indulged in endless doubt and worry.

The things concerning the gods and ghosts were originally baseless. Now that she had been worried, how could she make him participate in the thing and not feel the wonderful and safe life anymore?

"Darling, are you angry about the fact that I speak plenty of words in Dongzhou Restaurant today?"

He lowered his thick and long eyelashes, attentively staring at her. In his eyes, the emotion was soft and mild, appearing to be beaming.

Instantly, Gu Yunxi felt more upset in her mind. She lowered her head, trying to dodge his careful eyes.

What he said was indeed right, but not completely right.

Those nightmares made her panicked and worried. She became careful and even much too sensitive. And she only hoped that no one could know the past things of Leng Qingtang and her, trying to avoid something terrible.

Gu Yunxi bent and leaned on Leng Qingtang's warm chest, saying in a soft and somewhat worried voice,

"I am not angry, but we have just left Da Yi not long before. Hence, I don't hope that too many people know our past things. Darling, we should be careful all the time."

Leng Qingtang turned to be serious in his eyes, lowered his head, and leaned on her head. He slightly shook her body in the light, softly comforting,

"Now it's I that haven't been considerate. Later I will never do so."

His obedience and blandness made Gu Yunxi feel warm in her mind. Her eyes became moist and watery, and then she hustled to pull Leng Qingtang's arm and leaned her face on his chest more.

At night, Leng Qingtang embraced her and fell asleep. His staunch arms were always on her body. They were like a firm and hard shield, protecting her and keeping away all hardship for her.

Lying in his arms, Gu Yunxi slowly and deeply closed her eyes. In the yard, the cold wind in the early winter blew and dispersed the chilling late autumn.

During the long night, her dream was still sweet and quiet, where flowers blossomed and birds sang.

...

As Lu Qiange once said, the winter of western tribes came a little earlier than that of Da Yi.

Today Lu Qiange rode a horse and came here alone. He wore a royal garment of Udan. In the white silk, the leaf-shaped embroiders were beaming in the sunlight.

When Leng Qingtang saw Lu Qiange come here alone, he appeared to be astonished and asked,

"Where is Jiyan?"

"Oh... The marriage is coming, so she stays at the Palace and doesn't get out."

Lu Qiange shifted his purple eyes, seeming to casually respond.

Leng Qingtang didn't mind it too much.

Originally, the two young people were always together and also argued with each other so that he was worried that there could be some displeasure between them.

But now he heard Lu Qiange's explanation and considered it could make sense.

Gu Yunxi walked to the porch, showing a little panic on her face.

By contrast, Lu Qiange was calm. His eyes were as clear as the water, shifting from Leng Qingtang to Gu Yunxi's face. He said softly with some implications,

"Aunt, how about your business among the border? Today I come here just to ask if you and Uncle need something."

Gu Yunxi understood and slightly nodded. She knew that he had made some progress in the two things she had entrusted to him. Immediately, she felt both worried and happy, being unable to refrain herself.

Trying to calm herself down, she made a stiff smile at Lu Qiange,

"It's an adequate time now. I have achieved that business and need to purchase plenty of flavors and beef tallow."

"What a coincidence! I come here with a carriage. I might as well purchase materials together with you now."

"Are you going to be out?"

Leng Qingtang frowned and felt confused, turning around near the porch,

"Wait a minute. I will change a simpler gourmet and follow you."

"It's not necessary." Gu Yunxi suddenly stopped Leng Qingtang and held his hands. Her smile seemed to be covered by a gauze, being not clearly understood,

"There are some unfinished flavors. Please help me make that, darling. I will come out together with Hua'er and it will take us at most half a day to come back."

Leng Qingtang resignedly turned around, seeing the plates and jars on the table. He knew Gu Yunxi had been working too much in those days, so he nodded and agreed.

After Gu Yunxi left there, the yard seemed to be too vacant. That made Leng Qingtang feel a little bored and uneasy.

He ground those flavors on a stone pestle as some cracks occurred. It seemed that some wheels were rubbing and rolling on the small stones, and he repeated the rigid behavior over and over again.

A knock suddenly occurred, and then Leng Qingtang raised his head and looked around, smiling and putting the tools down.

"Do you forget anything?"

He said in a loud voice, getting up to open the door.

It was Huanan Jiyan outside, who looked pale and sad, with her eyes moist and red. Evidently, she had suffered some losses.

Seeing Leng Qingtang, she carefully looked at the yard with her sad eyes and asked hesitantly,

"Uncle, is Zhu there?"