Shen Miao used to like mixing cornmeal with wheat flour to make cornbread, which had a sweet corn flavor and tasted better.
But since there was no corn now, she used pure wheat flour, which was still good.
She kneaded the dough until smooth, divided it into small portions, and soaked them in cold water for a while.
Then she took them out, stretched them into long strips, and stuck them around the edge of the iron pot.
She deliberately stuck them lower so that the bottom half of the bread would soak in the thick broth of the iron pot chicken.
The bread would absorb the chicken’s flavor, and the chicken would get the bread’s taste, making it incredibly delicious.
When eating, they didn’t serve it out.
While the bread was steaming, Shen Miao used leftover bricks from building the house to make a small stove in the yard.
She took an iron tray from the kiln, filled it with charcoal, lit it, and placed it on the stove.
This way, when eating the iron pot chicken, they could just place the iron pot on the stove, and everyone could gather around it, eating hot from start to finish.
By the time the iron pot chicken was ready, it was getting dark.
The two chickens and a pile of side dishes filled the large iron pot.
Shen Miao took a deep breath and lifted it out.
The broth, just off the fire, was still bubbling slightly, making a gurgling sound.
She placed it on the brick stove.
Youyu quickly brought over stools.
Jie Ge and Xianjie set out the bowls and chopsticks.
The little dog, who had been out all day, came back, smelling the delicious aroma, and immediately sat on Shen Miao’s feet, wagging its tail like a fan, refusing to move no matter how much she tried to shoo it away.
Leiting was much more reserved, slowly walking over and finally choosing to lie down by Jie Ge’s feet.
The sky was low, not yet completely dark, with a few silver stars like nails in the indigo sky.
The warm summer breeze gently blew over the courtyard wall, stirring the charcoal in the stove.
The wood crackled, and sparks flickered.
The chicken in the pot was boiling.
Shen Miao stood up and lifted the lid, and the aroma surged out like a thick fog, filling the yard as Xianjie exclaimed, “Wow!”
The four of them gathered around the big pot.
Between each pair, Shen Miao placed two extra stools for wine bowls and bone plates.
The children couldn’t drink alcohol, so she poured them each a bowl of cypress leaf wine chilled in the well.
Jie Ge and Xianjie drank the sour plum soup that Mei Sanniang had brought to sell.
She pinched Xianjie’s pouting lips, which could have hung an oil bottle, and cheerfully had everyone raise their bowls for a toast.
“Today, there’s nothing else. It’s all to celebrate our Jie Ge passing the Piyong Academy exam! And not just passing, but being in the top A Class! You’re amazing! From now on, Jie Ge can study at the best academy, and his future will be smooth and successful!”
“Smooth and successful!” Xianjie shouted in repetition.
“And happy!” Shen Miao added.
“Ah! Ah!” Youyu exclaimed excitedly.
They all raised their ceramic bowls high, and under the night sky, the stove fire, and the boiling pot, they clinked together with a “clang.”
The wine and soup splashed out, and the laughter and blessings seemed to flow with the moonlight that had quietly climbed the trees into the small yard.
After that, everyone focused on eating because it was so delicious they couldn’t spare a moment to talk.
The chicken was tender, and the flatbread soaked in the broth was so flavorful it almost made them bite their tongues.
Halfway through, Xianjie remembered to throw some large bones to Leiting and the little dog.
They grabbed the bones and lay down again, focusing on chewing slowly.
After eating, Shen Miao fried the remaining flatbread that hadn’t soaked in the broth and mixed it with pork bone soup for the two dogs.
Leiting also ate until his belly was round.
He lay down on the front porch, seemingly too full to move.
Xianjie was so full she had to hold onto a pillar to walk.
She collapsed onto Leiting, hugging him and closing her eyes, refusing to move.
Jie Ge wasn’t much better, pacing around the yard.
Youyu obediently went to wash the dishes.
Shen Miao used a long bamboo pole to take down the lantern in the yard, lit it, and hung it back up.
The lantern lit up, and the moonlight that had spilled across the yard turned into a warm glow, shimmering like water.
Only the little yellow dog ran out again, returning after a while with something in its mouth.
Seeing it carrying something, Shen Miao felt uneasy.
This puppy had grown more mischievous.
Recently, it not only loved running outside but also enjoyed bringing home stinky shoes, stolen from who knows where.
It had done this several times, always picking the same shoe.
The owner of the lost shoe must be cursing up a storm.
Shen Miao had later placed a basket in the alley to collect the smelly shoes the dog brought back, allowing people to claim them.
So, when she saw the dog excitedly returning with something in its mouth again, she assumed it had stolen another shoe.
Her scalp tingled with frustration, and she quickly ran over, grabbing the dog’s ears to scold it:
“How many times have I told you not to pick up random things! You never listen. If Leiting punishes you, you’ll know what pain feels like! Where did you even get those shoes before?
What’s in your mouth now? Hurry up and return it…”
Before she could finish, the dog spat out what it was carrying.
Shen Miao looked down and saw that it wasn’t a stinky shoe but a furry, multicolored rat, still wriggling on the ground.
She let out a startled “Ah!” and took two steps back.
Upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem like a rat.
Do rats have multicolored fur?
Aren’t they usually gray?
Moreover, this “rat” was making a “meow…” sound.
A sense of foreboding crept into Shen Miao’s heart.
She crouched down and gently poked it with her finger.
It was soft and warm.
When she turned it over, she realized it was a kitten with its eyes barely open!
It had yellow, white, and black fur, and its body was wet from the dog’s saliva.
Only one eye was open, and it seemed unable to see clearly, meowing as it crawled around on the ground.
“Where on earth did you steal this kitten from?!” Shen Miao pointed at the dog, exasperated.
“What am I supposed to do now? There’s no mother cat or goat milk. How can I raise this little thing? Where did you get it? Hurry, let’s return it before the mother cat notices.”
The dog barked, looking utterly innocent.
Shen Miao grabbed the basin she usually used to feed the chickens, placed the kitten inside, and led the dog outside, searching everywhere for signs of a mother cat with kittens.
She walked from Willow East Alley to Willow West Alley, asked other cat owners, and even crossed Golden Beam Bridge to look, but found nothing.
Finally, she even found the tabby cat-since Shen Miao stopped setting up her stall on Golden Beam Bridge, it had led its gang to a kind fish shop, where it now helped watch the stall every day in exchange for a few small fish.
Shen Miao, feeling lost, led the dog and carried the kitten back, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, she heard someone calling her from afar.
Turning around, she saw a carriage struggling through the crowded street, pulled by a familiar chestnut horse.
“Whoa-“
Zhou Da wiped the sweat from his forehead and finally stopped the carriage in front of Shen Miao.
Xie Qi, surprised and delighted, quickly got out of the carriage:
“Miss Shen, I didn’t expect to run into you at the night market.”
What night market?
She had been completely let down by her dog.
Shen Miao forced a bitter smile: “I… well… I’m out looking for a cat.”
Xie Qi looked down and saw Shen Miao holding a flat clay basin with a kitten inside, barely larger than a rat.
He nodded and said, “Found it? Does Miss Shen have a cat at home now?”
“Not at all! It’s all this dog’s fault!” Shen Miao, furious, recounted the dog’s misdeeds-how it kept stealing shoes and now even a kitten.
Her anger made her storytelling vivid and amusing, lightning Xie Qi’s heavy heart.
Tonight, he had been seeing off his third brother, Xie Zhao, who was leaving the city.
Xie Zhao had decided to leave abruptly, and no one could persuade him otherwise.
Even their father, after returning from court, had tried to convince him for an hour to no avail.
So, that night, Xie Zhao packed his bags, took two horses, and left the city with only two servants.
Xie Qi had accompanied him to the outer city’s post road, where Xie Zhao urged him to return.
Under the clear night sky, with the ancient road stretching behind him, Xie Zhao mounted his horse and said with guilt,
“Brother, I’m useless. From now on, I’ll leave our parents and grandmother in your care.”
He then smiled self-deprecatingly, “But I’m probably worrying for nothing. You’ve always been more sensible than me. Even without my words, you’ll do just fine.”
Xie Qi didn’t know what to say, his heart heavy.
Finally, he stepped forward and said, “Brother, take care of yourself.”
Xie Zhao laughed heartily, “Don’t worry, I won’t die.”
Though his words were light, his expression quickly turned serious.
After a moment of thought, he beckoned Xie Qi closer and whispered from atop his horse,
“In my room, the fourth tile under the bed is loose. Beneath it are the evidence I gathered from the Xu family case, which I paid for with this broken hand of mine.”
“Three years ago, I also found two night watchmen who witnessed someone climbing over the wall when the Xu family was poisoned. Unfortunately, the next day, a horse panicked in the inner city, trampling the watchmen to death and injuring innocent vendors. The rider claimed it was an accident, and the matter was hastily dismissed.”
“If I can truly reopen the Western Regions route like Marquis Bowang and return alive, you can treat these words as if I’ve just let out a fart. But if…” Xie Zhao paused, then smiled, patting his brother’s shoulder,
“If news of my death ever reaches you, don’t forget this case. If you get the chance, continue the investigation for me. Don’t let so many innocent deaths go unavenged.”
With that, Xie Zhao straightened up, took one last deep look at Xie Qi, tightened the reins with one hand, and spurred his horse westward like a shooting star, never looking back.
After Xie Zhao left, Xie Qi stood alone in the night for a long time.
Their parents and grandmother had wanted to see him off, but he had refused, saying he didn’t want to leave in tears, which would make it harder to go.
He said he had already failed too many people in his life, with friends and teachers passing away, and only wanted Xie Qi to accompany him for the last stretch.
Perhaps he had already made up his mind, not wanting to burden their parents with more worry, and wanting to leave these final words with Xie Qi.
Thinking of Xie Zhao, Xie Qi looked at the kitten in Shen Miao’s arms and felt a pang of sadness.
Xie Zhao’s courtyard had also housed two fat cats that never caught rats but loved scratching the bed curtains.
As a result, all of Xie Zhao’s bed curtains were tattered with tassels.
Now that Xie Zhao was gone, the two cats had been sent to their grandmother’s courtyard, hoping they wouldn’t ruin her curtains as well.
“Sigh, I’ve walked around twice now, but I haven’t found the kitten’s mother or any other nursing cat. Otherwise, I could spend some money to have someone else’s cat nurse it. This is really troublesome,” Shen Miao sighed deeply.
The flickering lights of the night market cast a rippling reflection on Shen Miao’s furrowed brows, giving her a beauty like flowers seen through water.
Xie Qi glanced at her and quickly looked away, instinctively saying,
“I have cats at home. Perhaps I can help Miss Shen raise it for a while and return it after it’s weaned.”
Shen Miao was overjoyed: “Then I’ll entrust it to you without hesitation!”
Xie Qi, blushing at her smiling face, instinctively took the soft, palm-sized kitten.
Without thinking about whether the cats his brother left behind were male or female, he instead looked down at the kitten, gently stroking its back, and asked,
“What should we call it?”
“We just met, so it doesn’t have a name yet…” Shen Miao scratched her head, embarrassed, and pointed at the dog at her feet:
“I’m really bad at naming things. I’ve had this dog for so long, and it still doesn’t have a name.”
Xie Qi thought for a moment and smiled,
“Since you already have Leiting at home, why not call this one Gale? That way, you’ll have two of the four elements-wind and Leitang. As for this kitten, with its yellow patch on its forehead and short, thick tail, let’s give it the fire element and call it Qilin (Kirin).”
Shen Miao nodded eagerly.
Finally, someone had given her pets good names.
Now Aunt Li wouldn’t have to glare at her anymore.
After parting ways with Shen Miao, Xie Qi carried the kitten named Qilin in his arms.
He looked down at the little creature nuzzling into his chest, gently poking its soft fur, and murmured to himself,
“You’re Miss Shen’s cat. Even though you’re staying with the Xie family, you should still take her surname. So, your full name will be Shen Qilin. When you grow up, I’ll give you a courtesy name…”
The carriage swayed as it moved, and Zhou Da, who was following, overheard Xie Qi’s ramblings and shook his head.
The old lady was right-Xie Qi seemed to have truly lost his mind.
When Xie Qi returned home, he hurried to his grandmother’s courtyard to find the cats.
But when he lifted the tails of the two fat cats, he was stunned both of his brother’s cats had two round, furry testicles.
How could they both be male?
Grandmother Xie, who had been grieving over Xie Zhao’s sudden departure, had cried with Xie’s father during dinner.
She had just been comforted by Lady Xi and was starting to feel better.
But when she heard Xie Qi’s idea of raising the kitten, she laughed so hard she spat out her tea, forgetting her sorrow.
She pointed at Xie Qi, shaking with laughter,
“Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother, not only are these two male cats, but even if there were a female cat, how could it nurse a kitten if it hasn’t given birth? You’ve never raised furry creatures before, so you have no common sense.”
“Never mind, never mind. Aunt Yu, go and prepare a bowl of my daily goat milk cake to feed our Ninth Brother’s kind-hearted kitten!”
Xie Qi breathed a sigh of relief, holding the goat milk and the kitten, and resigned himself to being a cat father for the night.
The next day, with dark circles under his eyes, he was summoned by his mother, Lady Xi.
He stumbled in, exhausted-Shen Qilin meowed hungrily every hour and a half, forcing him to get up and feed it.
At such a young age, he was already experiencing the hardships of raising a child.
As he entered, Lady Xi was still doing accounts, not looking up as she moved the abacus beads and asked,
“I didn’t have time yesterday, but I remembered today. How did your discussion with Miss Shen about the workshop go?”
Xie Qi stood still for a moment before remembering.
He tapped his head, his mind filled with the sound of meowing.
Looking at Lady Xi’s puzzled gaze, he forced a bitter smile,
“Miss Shen agreed, but… she mentioned something about firewalls and separating finances, and I forgot…”
Lady Xi:”….”
Seeing Xie Qi yawning from exhaustion, she helplessly closed the ledger in her hands and thought, “Never mind, I’ll go myself today.”
This child had been acting strangely lately.
It was a good opportunity to see what was going on.