Chapter 583: Chapter 583: Eat More, You’re Too Skinny

Qin Yao smiled, "Lord He, have a safe journey."

Bai He was so taken aback that he almost fainted from anger on his horse.

Hurriedly, he tossed his bag to his subordinate beside him, urged his horse to catch up with the Qi Family’s convoy in front, and left without looking back.

Very soon, the grand procession disappeared at the end of the road.

Qin Yao took a deep breath of the chilly air, exhaled a long breath, and relaxed both mentally and physically.

Best of luck to old Zhu Gongliang.

And she wished her own life would remain peaceful.

Qin Yao extended a hand to Liu Ji, "Come on up, time to head back."

Liu Ji gladly took her hand, and a force pulled him up onto the horse, sitting securely in front of her.

His peach blossom eyes glanced sideways, leaning in slightly, almost resting in her soft embrace.

Qin Yao extended her palm and pushed him back, nearly making him bury his head into the horse’s mane.

"Sit with your legs apart! You’ve ridden so many times and still can’t do it?" she harshly reminded him, without a hint of romance.

Liu Ji just wanted to lift his head but was pressed back down by her, "Don’t block my view."

Liu Ji held his breath; luckily, Old Huang was thoroughly cleaned by Ah Wang, otherwise, he felt he might have to spit out a mouthful of horsehair.

With a low command from Qin Yao, Old Huang immediately started trotting excitedly.

Liu Ji slumped over the horse’s neck, as if dead, with a heart that felt utterly defeated.

The person in front of him didn’t move for a long time, Qin Yao frowned and tapped his well-rounded head, "Are you dead?"

"... My heart is dead," Liu Ji replied weakly.

From above came her mocking laughter, and Liu San, who was usually thick-skinned and shameless, was suddenly stimulated. He sprang up, "I’ll take the reins!"

Qin Yao laughed twice and retorted, "Really?"

Liu Ji reached for the reins in her hand and lifted his chin, indicating for her to hold on to his waist to prevent falling off when the horse picked up speed.

Qin Yao clicked her tongue twice, finding it somewhat novel, and according to his arrangement, completely released the reins in her hand and held his waist.

Liu Ji wiggled uneasily, a bit ticklish, but he endured it for the sake of dignity as a man!

"Giddy up~" he urged Old Huang weakly.

It was his first time riding with someone, so he was a bit nervous.

But thinking about how he was always pressed against the horse’s neck whenever he rode with Qin Yao before, he instantly felt motivated.

He secretly vowed that from today onward, he would never slump over the horse’s neck again.

Qin Yao, just wait to obediently sit behind me, holding on tightly to my waist!

"Heh heh heh..." Just imagining that scene made Liu Ji chuckle to himself.

Qin Yao raised her hand and gave him a pat on the back of his head, "What are you laughing at? Watch the road!"

Liu Ji’s smile froze, and he quickly adjusted his demeanor, focusing on the road.

Since there wasn’t much to do today, Qin Yao leisurely waited for him to slowly take her home.

Throughout the journey, Liu Ji walked steadily, looking nothing like his usual hurried self.

With his handsome looks, even though they only got home after dark, and she was so hungry her stomach shrank before eating, she wasn’t angry at all.

After finishing five large bowls of rice first, Qin Yao didn’t get up to return to her room. She lazily sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, watching Liu Ji, who hadn’t finished eating yet, and urged him, "Eat more, you’re too thin."

She spoke in a calm tone with affectionate eyes, expressing her concern for Liu Ji.

Regardless of whether she had any inappropriate intentions, the straightforward concern for Liu Ji, without sarcasm, was enough to make everyone at the table stunned.

"Pfft!" A splash of soup came from Da Lang Brothers and Sisters, as well as Ah Wang and Yin Le, after Qin Yao said that, spraying a mouthful of soup out.

Ah Wang, Yin Le, and Da Lang reacted quickly, turning their heads to spray the soup onto the ground.

Second Lang and the Dragon and Phoenix Twins couldn’t do it, spilling all the soup they choked on onto the table.

With meat still in his mouth, Liu Ji’s peach blossom eyes blinked, his long and dense eyelashes like small brushes, making his eyes look large and innocent.

"What are you doing?" Liu Ji scolded heartbrokenly, "You ruined the perfectly good dishes!"

Qin Yao also glanced over, and the two adults and one child who had sprayed the soup quickly lowered their heads in guilt.

"Do you find me funny?" Qin Yao asked in confusion, frowning slightly.

Six heads shook like rattles.

Before she could continue asking, Ah Wang and Yin Le, sensing danger, quickly stood up.

Ah Wang said, "I’ll cook two new dishes."

Yin Le said, "I’ll take these dishes out to dispose of."

With that, the two of them hurriedly carried the dirty dishes out of the hall as if escaping.

Left with the four Da Lang siblings, Si Niang, relying on her cuteness, tried hard to grin.

Da Lang and Second Lang bowed their heads pretending to tidy things up, acting busy though it was unclear what occupied them.

Sanlang was still dazed, looking back and forth between Mother and Father. Suddenly, he pointed to Liu Ji’s chin, "Father, the soup is dripping from your mouth."

Liu Ji wiped his chin; it wasn’t soup but the little brat’s saliva from earlier.

Liu Ji put down his bowl and chopsticks, took a deep breath, and just as he raised his hand, the four siblings instantly shrieked and scattered out the door.

"You little brats, stop right there!" Liu Ji didn’t hesitate and chased after them.

The quiet North Mountain slope suddenly became lively, and anyone unaware might think they were celebrating the New Year.

Qin Yao lazily yawned, feeling lazy, and returned to her room to lie down. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Amidst the noisy background sound from the courtyard, she drifted into a beautiful dream.

The departure of Gongliang Liao and Qi Xian only saddened the family briefly before things returned to normal.

With the wall of the Lotus Courtyard collapsed, taking advantage of the clear weather, Liu Ji and Ah Wang went to Lower River Village to buy bricks and tiles, carefully repairing the courtyard wall that had fallen due to Qin Yao.

The stationery factory had reached a critical delivery stage.

Qin Yao busied herself daily supervising product quality and details to ensure every Lady’s Box sent out was in perfect condition.

After being busy for five or six consecutive days, by the end of November, Liu Bai and others set out with the assembled Lady’s Boxes for delivery at the Prefecture wharf, allowing Qin Yao to finally relax a little.

Before long, it was the twelfth lunar month, and the Ding Clan School had stopped classes, allowing students to study at home on their own.

After finishing the repairs on the Lotus Courtyard wall, Liu Ji was immediately tasked by Qin Yao to deliver New Year’s gifts to the Ding Family and discuss the matter of Third Brother and Fourth Sister attending the Ding Clan School’s main branch next spring.

Meanwhile, returned gifts also arrived from various families, including high-quality fabrics, nutritious herbs, and various decorative items and stationery, all in abundant variety.

Qin Yao placed these return gifts uniformly on the shelves outside the storeroom, so at a glance, it almost looked as if her family was running a convenience store.

After calculating with a small abacus, she found that 95% of the New Year’s gifts she sent were returned in kind.

What surprised Qin Yao, in particular, was that the He Family from the Prefecture returned a New Year’s gift instead of giving silver directly.

The status determined the level of thoughtfulness from the He Family.

It seemed that Liu Ji’s scholar status was still quite beneficial.