On his way to the kitchen, Lu Yuan ran into Zhao Qiao’Er and Song Meiqin.

Each of them was holding a tray piled high with food.

Seeing his two aunts walk toward him, Lu Yuan clutched his "precious," which was still a little sore.

He’d gone at it so hard last night that even his "precious" couldn’t take it anymore.

Zhao Qiao’Er giggled and said, "Sweetheart, we haven’t seen you for a while. How come it feels like your stamina has dropped?"

Lu Yuan felt like a man who’d eaten a bitter melon but couldn’t complain—they seemed to think he’d just come back from a vacation.

This trip, he’d first slain an Ancient Poison Scorpion, then fought a Flying Corpse, and on top of that, he’d had to outwit and outfight people. His body was completely drained.

And as soon as he got back to the Zhao Mansion, he’d been squeezed dry again.

Song Meiqin was the more understanding one. She said gently, "Alright, sister, stop teasing our nephew."

Song Meiqin walked up to Lu Yuan, showing him the bowls in her hands, and said, "Nephew, you must be hungry. We made you some breakfast. Let’s go back to your room to eat."

Lu Yuan praised, "My two aunts, you really know how to dote on your nephew."

Zhao Qiao’Er said, "Of course! You were sleeping so soundly this morning, so your Aunt Song and I snuck out of bed. We’ve been busy in the kitchen for a while. In a bit, you can try your aunt’s cooking and see how it compares to your mother-in-law’s."

"Alright! Let’s go. Back to the room to try my two aunts’ cooking."

Lu Yuan shuffled back to his room and propped a pillow against a chair to lean on.

Seeing Lu Yuan’s somewhat weakened state, Zhao Qiao’Er complained, "Look how tired our nephew is. It’s all your fault for last night, wanting to go another round."

Song Meiqin retorted, unconvinced, "We were both just as greedy. Why are you blaming me? As if you didn’t indulge yourself last night too."

Seeing his two aunts bickering, Lu Yuan said, "Alright, alright, my dear aunts. I’m fine, just tired. I can take another nap after I eat."

Zhao Qiao’Er’s eyes lit up. "Do you need your auntie to lull you to sleep?"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan waved his hands frantically. "No, no, that won’t be necessary. Maybe some other day."

"Fine, fine. Eat first. Some other day, then," Zhao Qiao’Er said, lifting the inverted bowls that were covering the food.

They had done this to keep the food warm, worried that Lu Yuan might not wake up for a while.

The breakfast the two had made for Lu Yuan consisted of seven or eight small, exquisite dishes, each with a modest portion.

Lu Yuan took a spoonful of the congee. The single mouthful was half goji berries and half black rice and black beans.

Chewing the spoonful of congee, Lu Yuan could distinctly taste the goji berries.

He then picked up a piece of pickled vegetable and crunched on it. "Mm, not bad," he said. "This dried radish is really crisp."

Zhao Qiao’Er said, "What dried radish? That’s white ginseng from Buxian Mountain. A tiny little root like that costs several taels of silver. As long as my sweetheart loves it, we’ll buy out the merchant’s entire stock next time he comes!"

Lu Yuan looked at a small bowl of soup on the table—black chicken and seaweed soup!

It tasted great, too. Song Meiqin had brewed it.

After the meal, Lu Yuan snacked on a small dish of cashews, walnuts, and hazelnuts.

These ingredients... forget about common households, not even the imperial family and their relatives ate this well.

Take the post-meal nuts, for instance; several varieties weren’t locally produced but were shipped in from the south.

After eating, Lu Yuan felt his energy mostly restored. He stood up, stretched his back, and said, "The meal was delicious, my dear aunts. I really enjoyed it."

"We’re glad you liked it. We knew you just woke up and couldn’t handle anything greasy, so we made it all rather light," Song Meiqin said.

"Exactly. It’s already afternoon now that you’ve eaten. My sweetheart should lie down for a bit and get some rest. You’ve got a busy night ahead," Zhao Qiao’Er said, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled.

Lu Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony. Time was short and the mission was critical, so he had to seize the chance to rest.

A few more days passed, and Su Changliang also returned to Taiping City.

The Governor in the Provincial City had made Su Changliang stay for a few days, so he left the Provincial City later than Lu Yuan and the others.

Although Lu Yuan and Su Liyan had also been delayed for quite some time in Dongchang City, the motorcycle was still much faster than Su Changliang’s horse.

Upon returning to Taiping City, Su Changliang immediately began asking pedestrians on the street and learned that his sister and brother-in-law were already back at the Zhao Mansion.

Su Changliang headed straight for the Zhao Mansion to see his mother, sister, and brother-in-law.

Su Changliang carried some pastries he had bought from a shop. Several of them were his sister’s favorites, and he also brought a few meticulously chosen outfits for the children.

The clothes might be a little too big; Su Changliang hadn’t known what size to buy.

Su Changliang had told the shopkeeper he was buying for a three-month-old baby and a two-month-old baby, and had let the shopkeeper pick out the sizes.

The shopkeeper had said that children grow quickly, so choosing a larger size would let them wear the clothes for longer.

Carrying his things, Su Changliang stepped through the Zhao Mansion’s Gate, filled with joy, and ran right into a Little Fox who was just about to leave.

"Oof~" Xiaoqian was nearly knocked to the ground by the hurrying Su Changliang.

Su Changliang, both hands full, simply stood there stunned, watching the beautiful young woman he had just knocked back several steps.

Xiaoqian, however, was very polite, saying, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bump into you."

Su Changliang finally snapped out of it and said sheepishly, "It’s okay. Oh, no, it was my fault. I was in too much of a hurry."

Xiaoqian looked at the naive young man before her. ’He just stood there like an idiot and didn’t even think to offer me a hand.’

"Are you a Half-Demon? A Fox Spirit?" Su Changliang asked bluntly.

Hearing this, Xiaoqian stomped her foot. "I have a name, you know! It’s Xiaoqian! Who goes around calling someone a Fox Spirit the moment you meet them?"