Chapter 141: Oh, Eating, Are We?

When Ji Huo returned to the small courtyard, he found Xia Ningshang sitting under a tree, completely absorbed in a popular novelette, letting out an occasional, giggling "hee-hee" sound. Her small feet dangled leisurely, and she looked quite at ease. Compared to the bustling capital outside—where people were arriving in droves and working feverishly to rebuild the city—this little courtyard felt like a sanctuary of peace. For her, these past few days had been a rare and relaxing reprieve.

Seeing Ji Huo enter, Xia Ningshang quickly snapped the book shut, wiped the smile from her face, and gave a dignified cough. "You're back."

Even though she tried to hide it, Ji Huo recognized the book instantly. He couldn't help it; he had been the one to find the illustrator for that cover, costing him two taels of silver.

"Mm," Ji Huo replied with a smile.

"You seem very happy. Did something happen?" Xia Ningshang asked.

Ji Huo walked into the kitchen and began skillfully preparing a pigeon, laughing as he replied, "I just ran into my older brother and Master Wen. They look like they haven't slept in days; they seem incredibly busy these days."

Xia Ningshang let out a long, drawn-out "Ah," and smiled. "Well, such a massive event has occurred in the capital, and they’re busy with the founding of the new nation, so there’s certainly plenty to do. But it’s fine; I’m sure my brother has plenty of capable people around him to help."

As she said this, Xia Ningshang felt a twinge of guilt, remembering her own brother. According to their plans, he was likely just as busy running around. *Well,* she thought, *thank goodness I ran away, or I would have been dragged off to do hard labor too.*

"It’s fine, as long as my brother doesn't come to bother me. I’ll keep hiding as long as I can," Ji Huo said cheerfully.

Xia Ningshang covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, finding his current streak of laziness rather amusing. She watched his back as he prepared the ingredients, and for a moment, she became lost in thought. Suddenly, she caught sight of him casually pulling out a handful of pigeon feathers, and the patterns on the quills seemed strangely familiar.

Xia Ningshang’s heart skipped a beat. She leaned over quickly, sifted through the discarded feathers, and her mouth twitched. "Where did you get this pigeon?"

"Found it while I was walking around. It looked quite plump, so I caught it for you to have some nourishment," Ji Huo said nonchalantly. "I checked—there’s no scroll case on its leg, so it shouldn't be anyone's carrier pigeon."

Xia Ningshang tried to piece the feathers together, but after a long while, she couldn't make sense of anything. She narrowed her eyes at Ji Huo and said gloomily, "This is a carrier pigeon from my Dragon Kingdom. The messages are written on the feathers using shamanic script for rituals, which only a handful of people can read. The one you caught... was a pigeon looking for me."

Ji Huo blinked. Xia Ningshang blinked back.

"Is the soup from the last few days delicious?" Ji Huo suddenly asked.

"It's quite good," Xia Ningshang replied subconsciously.

Ji Huo pointed to the half-processed pigeon. "That was also made with this kind of pigeon. This is the fifth one."

"..."

Xia Ningshang was both annoyed and amused. "So this is where all your ingredients have been coming from these past few days?"

Ji Huo shrugged. "It’s hard to find food in the capital right now unless you go miles away. I just happened to run into them when I stepped out, so I grabbed them."

Xia Ningshang smiled speechlessly. She tried piecing the feathers together again, but could only make out sporadic bits of information—words like "wind" and "call." *Strange,* she thought, *what is the High Priestess saying? It almost sounds like a bandit raid in the Central Plains.*

Ji Huo leaned in. "Can you make out anything else?"

"No. This type of shamanic script only reveals its message when arranged in a specific sequence. Once scrambled, the information becomes chaotic. It’s a security measure to prevent enemies from reading it." Xia Ningshang thought for a moment. There didn't seem to be anything major happening in the Dragon Kingdom, other than her brother being overwhelmed and wanting her to come back and help—which she certainly wouldn't do. She shook her head. "It shouldn't be anything important."

Ji Huo pointed to the pigeon on the cutting board. "What about this one?"

"Braise it in soy sauce," Xia Ningshang decided flatly.

"You got it!"

Later that evening, the meal was ready. But before they could even start eating, Old Man and Bai Rou caught the scent and arrived.

"Oh, you've already started? What a coincidence that we arrived just in time," the Old Man said with a chuckle.

Ji Huo replied with a deadpan expression, "Old Man, you always seem to arrive at such 'coincidental' times."

Xia Ningshang was already accustomed to fetching extra bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen. The Old Man and Bai Rou sat down comfortably in the empty chairs. The Old Man bounced his leg, smiling brightly. "We aren't here to scrounge for food, you know. We were just strolling through the garden with Sister Rou and happened to pass by, so we thought we'd stop in. What a coincidence, indeed!"

Xia Ningshang brought over two bowls of rice—one of them an oversized portion piled high—and placed it in front of Ji Xiaoxiong. She smiled and said, "Since you're here, let's eat together. This guy makes plenty of food anyway, it's enough for everyone."

"Hahaha, little Xia is so sweet!" Ji Xiaoxiong picked up his bowl without the slightest bit of hesitation. "Don't be shy! Treat this like your own home. Come, come! Eat and drink! If you want anything, little Xia, just help yourself! If that’s not enough, just make this brat serve you."

Bai Rou looked at Ji Xiaoxiong with a helpless expression. Though this was standard behavior for him, she still felt a bit embarrassed by his shamelessness in scrounging for meals. For a while, Ji Huo had tried to give the two of them space, so he hadn't bothered them, and thinking that a city this big couldn't possibly run out of food, he hadn't paid much attention. It wasn't until one night, when Ji Huo had just finished cooking and was about to eat, that he found the Old Man lurking by the door, his eyes glowing with hunger. That was when he realized the two of them had been living off packed rations from the Flying Bear Army camp.

Since that night, they had made it a point to pass by the courtyard right at mealtime. Over time, Ji Huo learned to always cook extra.

As for the relationship between the Old Man and Aunt Bai, there had been zero progress. The Old Man perfectly embodied the phrase "She is just my little sister," and somehow, Aunt Bai didn't find anything wrong with it. Occasionally, Little Hongtang would come back to eat, but the girl had become addicted to patrolling the city; every time she appeared, one could see a growing red glint in her eyes—a sign of extreme excitement. Ji Huo could only offer a silent prayer for anyone caught by her.

The Old Man took a large gulp of white porcelain wine and let out a satisfied belch. "Son, you've got good taste. You like this white porcelain wine too, eh?"

Ji Huo replied casually, "Oh, I scavenged this from under your study."

Ji Xiaoxiong’s smile froze.

Ji Huo added, "My older brother was worried I wouldn't have anything to drink, so he told me about the other two places you hide your stash in the manor."

"..."

Ji Huo thought for a moment and added, "He also told me where you hide your private money. Old Man, I don't mean to lecture you, but you're a grown man—why are you still hiding your secret stash under the bed like a child?"

"...You unfilial brat!"

Xia Ningshang and Bai Rou exchanged a glance and covered their mouths to hide their laughter. A gentle breeze blew through, and the leaves rustled softly.