Li Huowang looked at the little boy in Gao Zhijian's arms, his big eyes wide as he gazed back at him in bewilderment. Li Huowang picked up his chopsticks, dipped them in the sauce, and brought them to the boy's lips.
The old eunuch at the side was just about to step forward and stop him when a single look from Gao Zhijian forced him back.
The chubby Crown Prince licked the sauce with his tongue. Upon discovering its spicy taste, his features immediately scrunched up like a steamed bun, and he burst into loud, healthy tears.
At the sight, the two men exchanged smiles, and the atmosphere instantly returned to how it had been before.
"Is the village doing all right?" Gao Zhijian handed the crying child in his arms to a eunuch beside him and asked Li Huowang.
"It's doing fine. With all that silver you sent, how badly could the village be doing?" Li Huowang said as he picked up a slice of camel hump with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.
"I heard Sun Baolu brought his family from Qingqiu to our village?" Gao Zhijian picked up a piece of steamed bread, dipped it in a layer of oil from the braised pork bowl, and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.
"That never happened." Li Huowang shook his head. "Back when the grass in Qingqiu turned yellow, he was afraid they wouldn't be able to survive there, so he did consider it."
"But later, the grass in Qingqiu turned green again. Naturally, he stayed in Qingqiu with his people and kept herding sheep."
"I reckon that unless they're truly left with no other road, they won't come to Oxheart Village. Those Qingqiu People might not be able to get used to a life