Family of Three

The warm sun was setting in the west, and smoke was rising from the old alley that had not seen the lives of common people for a long time.

Most of the courtyard had been tidied up, and even the pillars had been wiped clean. The setting sun was shining on the kitchen window on the left. Two pieces of smoked meat, a salted fish, and some ginger, garlic, and dried vegetables were hanging from the window.

The fluffy bird was squatting on the windowsill and staring at the big salted fish eagerly, its bright black eyes filled with regret that there was nothing in its beak.

Beside the wooden table by the window stood a young woman in a blue dress. She was holding a brand new kitchen knife in her hand and cutting a handful of lush garlic sprouts. Her delicate face was glowing with a crystal-clear color under the sunlight. She really looked like a fox fairy who had gone to a farmhouse to repay a favor.

Beside the stove at the back, a handsome man in black was skillfully cooking stir-fried meat with a spatula.

Because Heroine Zhe didn’t know how to cook, she looked like a little girl in a family of three. She was squatting beside the stove to add firewood while looking at Ye Jingtang eagerly. “I didn’t know a grown man like you could cook.”

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“I was raised by my foster father. There were only two men in my family. I couldn’t possibly eat out every day. Speaking of which, you’re a girl. How are you going to get married in the future if you don’t even know how to cook?”

“I am from Jianghu. In Jianghu, you are always on the road. If there are restaurants, you eat there. If there aren’t any, you’ll eat dry rations. So there’s no need to learn how to cook.”

“So, you’re already fifteen or sixteen years old, yet you still let your martial mistress do all the cooking alone?”

“My master will also…”

“Yunli!” Luo Ning turned around and shouted fiercely. Then she looked at Ye Jingtang’s back as if she wanted to throw the kitchen knife at him.

Zhe Yunli looked at Ye Jingtang and pondered for a moment before saying coquettishly, “Big Brother Jingtang~”

Oh my god…

Ye Jingtang and Luo Ning staggered at the same time and looked at the coquettish Zhe Yunli.

Zhe Yunli’s sweet face was full of smiles. “You’re making a living in the capital, so you definitely have more connections than Martial Mistress and me. Is there any way to sneak into the Black Office and help us save Hero Qiu?”

“…”

Ye Jingtang was naturally not interested in helping these two crazy women break someone out of prison. But he would indeed go to the Black Office to build a good relationship with the Imperial Court so that he could figure out the situation and find an opportunity to enter the palace to dig up the Roaring Dragon Chart.

Furthermore, he knew that his foster father had a grudge against Xuanyuan Chao, but he didn’t know the cause of the grudge. Qiu Tianhe and his foster father had known each other back then, so he probably knew a little. While he was getting close to the Black Office, it didn’t seem impossible for him to think of a way to meet him…

While Ye Jingtang was deep in thought, his lower back was suddenly hit by an elbow. When he came back to his senses, he saw Heroine Luo standing beside him with the kitchen knife and garlic sprouts, her eyes slightly annoyed.

“The food is burning!”

“Hmm?” Ye Jingtang realized that there was smoke coming out of the pan. He quickly tossed the food in the pan and asked Luo Ning to put the garlic sprouts in.

“I’ve long heard that Hero Qiu is chivalrous. I’ll go to the Black Office tomorrow and ask. However, let me make it clear first. I’ll at most help you confirm Hero Qiu’s safety. I won’t help you save him.”

Luo Ning saw that Ye Jingtang was really going to help her inquire, so the annoyance in her eyes subsided a little, but she was also a little suspicious. “You’re helping me just like that? There’s no… improper request?”

Ye Jingtang knew what Heroine Luo meant. He shook his head and smiled. “If you feel embarrassed, you can teach me a few moves as compensation.”

Zhe Yunli patted the poached eggs on her chest heroically. “That’s simple. If you can help save Hero Qiu, I will ask the Eight Chiefs to teach you martial arts.”

Luo Ning nodded. “I won’t owe you a favor. If you help me, even if it’s just to find out about Qiu Tianhe’s situation, I’ll teach you martial arts. However, I’ll only teach you one move.”

Hearing this, Ye Jingtang was naturally forthright. “No problem.”

Crackle…

The aroma of the stir-fry gradually filled the small courtyard in the deep alley.

As the sun set in the west, a small table was placed in the main room.

As an ‘elder’, Luo Ning sat on the main seat and faced the door. Ye Jingtang and Zhe Yunli sat opposite each other while the bird stood at the edge of the table.

On the table were three bowls of rice, four dishes, and one soup, as well as a small plate with food for the bird.

Three people and one bird were eating in the old but neat courtyard. The scene looked quite harmonious. Even if officials came in, they would probably not be able to see any clues.

Luo Ning was holding her small bowl and eating slowly. Her demeanor and actions were very ladylike. Occasionally, she would help Zhe Yunli pick up some food. Ye Jingtang naturally didn’t have such good fortune.

He didn’t take the initiative to curry favor. He only occasionally fed the expectant bird with its beak open.

As for Zhe Yunli…

Zhe Yunli had a very lively personality. Seeing that her master’s wife had been a little unhappy for the past two days, perhaps she wanted to make a joke to tease her. While eating, she quietly raised her embroidered shoe under the table… and rubbed it against her leg!

!

Luo Ning suddenly froze as she was taking a small bite of food. From the corner of her eye, she looked at Ye Jingtang, who was ‘acting’ as if he was playing with the bird, and boundless anger and shame surged in her eyes. Then… she pretended nothing had happened and continued eating.

??

Zhe Yunli frowned in disbelief.

Why didn’t Martial Mistress react after I teased her?

Shouldn’t she be blushing or glaring at Ye Jingtang?

Could it be that she doesn’t dare to flare up?

Zhe Yunli thought that this was the only reason. She pondered for a moment and raised her embroidered shoe again. Following the orientation of her master’s wife, she quietly rubbed her shoe against Ye Jingtang’s leg.

Ye Jingtang reacted extremely quickly. He turned his head and looked under the table. Then he looked up at Zhe Yunli with a strange gaze. “Why did you kick me?”

!!

Zhe Yunli’s expression stiffened.

Why didn’t you pretend not to notice? Aren’t you afraid of embarrassing me?

After thinking about it, she got up and wanted to run.

Luo Ning realized that it was Yunli who was causing trouble just now. She was so angry that her willowy eyebrows were vertical as she slammed the table. “Yunli! Come back here!”

“Ah! Martial Mistress, I was wrong. I was just joking…”

Pa! Pa! Pa!

As soon as Zhe Yunli got up, Luo Ning caught her, picked up the broom in the room, and smacked her butt twice. “You’re a pure and unmarried girl. How could you rub a man’s leg? Didn’t your master teach you how to behave? The older you get, the more presumptuous you become…”

“Ah—! Martial Mistress, I was wrong. I was just joking. Don’t be so angry…”

Ye Jingtang naturally didn’t care to help Zhe Yunli. She was the one who made the joke and jumped into the volcano herself. He buried his head in his food, pretending not to see anything.

The bird, on the other hand, was very warm-hearted. It flew to the two of them to persuade Luo Ning to stop. “Chirp, chirp, chirp…” It was probably saying: Stop hitting her. You should be beating Tangtang…

Fortunately, Ye Jingtang didn’t know. Otherwise, they would be eating poached chicken for dinner…

———

Unknowingly, the moon had risen.

The courtyard hidden in the old alley already had a brand new look. The ground and steps were neat and clean, and the cracks in the doors and windows had been repaired. A simple bird’s nest had even been made under the roof.

Tap, tap, tap!

Zhe Yunli, who was wearing a flaxen dress, was squatting on the roof of the main room and nailing wooden boards over the hole with a small hammer.

Ye Jingtang was standing on top of the kitchen in the neighboring courtyard, tearing down tiles and throwing them to Zhe Yunli. Of course, he had already informed the landlady about this.

In the afternoon, Luo Ning’s head hurt from being angered by Zhe Yunli, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to go out and walk around. She had entered the room earlier and gone to sleep with her head covered, ignoring everyone.

After working hard for most of the day, they completely repaired the roof, and the place was already like a normal small house.

The two of them jumped down from the roof. Although there were a few small stools in the room, if they sat in front of Luo Ning at this time, they would probably not be treated with a smile. Under the alluring moonlight, they practiced martial arts in the spotless courtyard.

Zhe Yunli had learned many martial arts. At this moment, she was slowly practicing a fist technique under the eaves. The bird was imitating her not far away. But other than ‘White Crane Spreading Its Wings’, it was all flapping around.

In the middle of the courtyard, Ye Jingtang was standing with his saber at his waist, eyes closed and focused.

After comprehending the first saber move through the ‘introduction’ taught by his foster father, he was considered to have gotten started.

Ye Jingtang felt that the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade should be a combo technique. This could be seen from the drawing of the saber with the left hand.

As for the combo, it would definitely be ‘one move with the back, followed by two moves with the front’, with no gaps in between.

The left hand should draw the saber in a reverse grip and cut horizontally. After stopping, the tip of the saber should be pointing outward, and the hilt should be pointing to the right hand, which would then allow for the ‘main hand grip’.

Crack!

Ye Jingtang drew his saber with his left hand in a reverse grip and swept it across. He sent the saber in his left hand into his right hand. His posture changed to a posture of holding his saber with his right hand while leaning forward. Then he thrust his saber forward and slashed, making a vibrating sound in the air.

Swoosh!

After feeling it for a while, he began to adjust his feet, waist, and back, looking for the most suitable movements for the saber technique.

Zhe Yunli was punching slowly. After watching for a long time, she said in puzzlement, “What are you practicing?”

Ye Jingtang sheathed his saber. Then he cut horizontally and slashed again. “Practicing with the saber. Can’t you see?”

“You call this a saber technique? It’s completely a sham…”

“Yunli!”

At the window of the main room, Luo Ning was secretly peeking. Because she had witnessed Ye Jingtang’s astonishing comprehension ability, she naturally wouldn’t mock him. Instead, her expression was solemn. “Are you creating your own saber technique?”

Ye Jingtang shook his head. “I’m just learning the moves taught by the older generation. It’s impolite for others to ask questions when people are practicing martial arts.”

Hearing this, Luo Ning and Zhe Yunli naturally stopped interrupting and just looked at Ye Jingtang seriously as he practiced.

But in the end, as the night deepened, they didn’t see Ye Jingtang accomplish anything.

Today, Zhe Yunli had gone out and bought bedding. The small room on the east side had also been cleaned up. There were bed frames inside, which had already been laid out.

Ye Jingtang didn’t mind sharing a bed with a girl, but Luo Ning and Zhe Yunli certainly wouldn’t agree. So they slept in separate rooms, and the day ended just like that…