Li Qing had never met a person like this who would insist they were not hungry. Their Lord Heir’s mansion was not lacking in food either so why would this guest want to embarrass themselves? If that was the case, Li Qing was not in the position to question him further. If the guest said they were not hungry, then they were not hungry!
Li Qing soon exited the side hall.
…
Back in the dining hall, everyone was savoring the hot pot in a lively atmosphere. Qi Qingyao gave her children a bit of the dishes so that they do not have to poke around the pot with their chopsticks! The children ate the piping hot meat slices and vegetables which, on this cold winter’s day, actually made them begin to sweat at the tip of their noses under the heat of the food. Dabao looked at his mommy as she dug into the red mala pot on her own. His mouth feeling somewhat greedy, he tasted a slice of meat and ended up almost crying from the spiciness. His eyes were red as he was reduced to sitting at the side chugging water! Heir Pei then got someone to prepare the child some sour plum drink and almond milk tea! Dabao enjoyed the sour plum drink while Xiaobao and Erniu preferred the almond milk tea. Qi Qingyao took a sip of the sour plum soup; it was not cold enough. So, she got Li Qing to bring over some ice. After adding in the ice, the sour plum soup’s sour taste was enhanced and became more refreshing! It complemented the mala hot pot nicely and eating them together improved the dining experience.
Lu Yan typically liked to drink cherry tea at home but after drinking the almond milk tea, he found the taste of the milk to be quite heavy but still acceptable. The sour plum drink, on the other hand, was too sweet for him.
Heir Pei glanced at the children’s cute appearance as they ate. They made no fuss or ruckus and were very polite as they dug into their meals obediently. He suddenly felt that having a child was not such a bad thing!
Heir Pei asked all of a sudden, “What do you plan to do next? Are you going to return to the village, or…?”
Qi Qingyao pondered for a moment before replying, “I plan on taking the carriage and bringing my children to Qingzhou City for vacation tomorrow. I want to bring them to take in the metropolitan scenery.”
“Then, why not we go together?” Heir Pei suggested carefully.
Qi Qingyao was stunned. “The Lord Heir was also planning to go to Qingzhou City?” She boiled some vegetables in the Sanxian soup base then scooped them into her bowl.
Heir Pei put his chopsticks down. He took a sip of the almond milk tea as he said slowly, “For these past four years, I’ve been on my back in the capital city for two years before lying down for another two in this attached mansion. After being treated by you and recuperating for a month, it’s about time I return to Qingzhou City as well.” His father had also been convinced and he was allowed to enter the capital after a period of time.
Qi Qingyao heard this and suddenly spoke out excitedly, “Ah! Since the Lord Heir has extended an invitation to me, I’ll accept it graciously.” If they were to go to the capital city together with Heir Pei, then their safety would be assured. Not only that, their meals would also likely be covered by him!
Heir Pei followed by extending an additional invitation. “Then, why don’t you stay the night in this attached mansion. We’ll head out tomorrow morning.”
Just as Qi Qingyao was about to accept, she suddenly thought of something and shook her head. “I can’t, I still have luggage back at the inn in town. If I am going to Qingzhou City and won’t be returning for some time, I need to check out from the room and take care of my luggage.”
After pausing for a bit, she continued, “Since you will be passing by the town when you leave from here, why don’t we gather at the inn in town and then we can depart for Qingzhou City?”
“That’s fine as well.” This journey would become quite interesting as long as he could travel together with this woman.
Lu Yan was watching Heir Pei when he took the initiative to invite Qi Qingyao on the journey. Eyebrows knitted tightly, Lu Yan downed his almond milk tea as he said with an attempt at casualness, “I also plan to return to Qingzhou City tomorrow.”
Heir Pei, “Oh.”
Qi Qingyao seemed to not have heard this comment as she continued eating her boiled vegetables.