As soon as Gu Jiulian hears about money, she becomes full of energy.

She doesn’t even care about the tied up Lu Xiao, and starts by spreading the news around the village.

Her daughter has opened a restaurant in town.

Then she boasts in front of all the women in the village, "I, Gu Jiulian, am born with the destiny of a lady, unlike you mud-legged folks. When I go to join my daughter, I’ll be living the good life!"

This gossip naturally reached the ears of Wang Fugui’s parents.

Wang Fugui’s father found a servant from the household and hastily reported it to the government overnight!

Back when his son was beaten senseless by Xia Guagua, Wang Fugui’s father never forgot about it.

If Xia Guagua hadn’t escaped, he felt he might have already gotten justice by now.

The assailant who beat his son senseless has returned, and has even opened a restaurant. He absolutely won’t let Xia Guagua get away with it!

Anyway, this news quickly reached Mu Shuangshuang’s ears!

She sighed at Gu Jiulian’s foolishness on one hand, and on the other, she had to find a way to prevent Xia Guagua from being enraged and bringing about mutual destruction!

Once home, Mu Shuangshuang didn’t rush to cook but instead wrote a few menus on paper.

Previously, the restaurant only served stir-fry dishes, but she hadn’t tried any dry-pot dishes there.

There were also some more unconventional dishes like spicy crayfish, snails, clam shells, and pork offal, which Mu Shuangshuang had never made at the restaurant.

Now it’s time to give them a go!

After preparing several menus, Mu Shuangshuang tucked them away and then started cooking dinner.

Once dinner was ready, those who went out had mostly returned home.

As Lu Yuanfeng and Xing Beichen walked, their legs were trembling.

It seemed today’s training was quite intense.

Upon seeing Mu Shuangshuang, the two young men immediately straightened up, trying to appear presentable to her.

Mu Shuangshuang smiled and, perhaps intentionally or accidentally, glanced at Xing Beichen.

"Xiao Nan said she would come over tonight, not sure when exactly!"

Xing Beichen’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Mu Shuangshuang, somewhat incredulous: "Shuangshuang, Xiao Nan is coming? Now? Or after dark?"

Anyone could see Xing Beichen’s feelings for Fu Xiaonan.

However, since he was heading to the Northwest, Xing Beichen didn’t know when he’d be able to return, so he didn’t dare approach Fu Xiaonan.

Each time, he’d pretend to just pass by Fu Xiaonan’s house, secretly hoping she’d come out.

"I don’t know, she only said it would be tonight! But it seems she won’t be joining us for dinner!" Mu Shuangshuang added.

Xing Beichen pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, "Fengzi, I’m going back to take a shower and change into clean clothes!"

Xing Beichen didn’t want Fu Xiaonan to see him all sweaty.

Likewise, Lu Yuanfeng didn’t want to show up at Shuangshuang’s kitchen all sweaty either.

So he suggested, "Why don’t we go bathe by the creek and then come back for dinner?"

"Sounds good!" Xing Beichen nodded.

In rural households, when there’s a small river or creek in the village, the men would bathe there in the summer.

They might even swim to cool off, and if lucky, catch a few fish for dinner.

After making up their minds, the two looked at Mu Shuangshuang.

"Shuangshuang, we’re going to the creek for a bit. If it’s dinnertime, start without us!"

"Go ahead, I’ll give you half an hour. Be back in that time to eat!" Mu Shuangshuang said.

The two happily headed to the creek.

Mu Shuangshuang watched Lu Yuanfeng’s direction, a bit absent-minded; she actually wanted Lu Yuanfeng to check if Little Black was there.

Then she recalled what she had said earlier, and had to let it go!

With their change of clothes, Lu Yuanfeng and Xing Beichen headed to the creek at the foot of Niuwei Mountain on the north side.

This place still sees few visitors!

The villagers’ attention was on the longer river on the south side of the village, making things easier for the two.

They quickly washed up, and cleaned their dirty clothes in the creek.

Just as they were about to leave, Lu Yuanfeng noticed Little Black and Little Black Dog on the hillside.

The little fellows seemed to spot Lu Yuanfeng too and hopped towards them.

Picking up Little Black, Lu Yuanfeng and Xing Beichen hurried back to the third branch.

By this time, the table was already set, waiting for them to eat.

Mu Shuangshuang saw Little Black in Lu Yuanfeng’s arms and Little Black Dog running inside, her eyes welled up with tears, almost crying. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Mrs. Bai was even happier, shouting, "They’re back! Shuangshuang worried all day, and now her heavy heart can rest!"

"Aunt Bai, what’s going on? Why was Shuangshuang worried about Little Black?" Yu Si Niang asked curiously.

Then Mrs. Bai recounted the day’s events to the group, and everyone finally understood.

"Anyone would be like Shuangshuang in this situation!" Mu Dashan chuckled.

Once the chat started, the atmosphere became lively.

The meal was incredibly enjoyable, and after eating, those who needed to go home did, and others went out for a walk.

As for Mu Shuangshuang, she cleaned the dishes in the kitchen, with Lu Yuanfeng assisting.

"Shuangshuang, I learned a lot from Elder Cheng today!" Lu Yuanfeng said.

Mu Shuangshuang smiled, "That’s good, but looking at you and Xing Beichen, you seem exhausted. Want me to give you a back rub later?"

"No... that’s not necessary, I’m fine! Elder Cheng said the harder it is now, the easier it will be on the battlefield, where conditions change instantly. Without good stamina, you could die to the enemy’s blade!"

Although Lu Yuanfeng understood what Cheng Dagang said, hearing it directly made him feel particularly grateful.

"That’s true! It’s just a tough period now, but don’t push too much; the body has its limits. Take it slowly, don’t make a big leap!"

Listening to Mu Shuangshuang’s advice made Lu Yuanfeng feel blissful inside.

But thinking about the imminent separation made him somewhat sad!

If only there wasn’t a war in the Northwest!

The Northwest isn’t closer to Qianzhou Prefecture than the Capital, requiring one or two months of travel.

Seeing Shuangshuang would be tough!

"Shuangshuang, if only I had wings like a bird, maybe I could fly back from the Northwest to see you in just a few days!" Lu Yuanfeng sighed.

"Wings?" Mu Shuangshuang tilted her head in thought, and instantly thought of airplanes.

But given ancient technology, building airplanes was impossible—unless in dreams!