Reforming the Empress Dowager

Liu Chang'an took a tissue and wiped Zhou Dongdong's drool clean. She wasn't disturbed, which made Liu Chang'an realize that she could enter the barrier by watching others eat.

Liu Chang'an went to start a fire, without calling on the others who were enthusiastic about starting the fire to join in. He planned to make a meal of wild boar blood sausage and chicken stew over firewood that evening.

Chickens bought casually at the market these days have a fishy smell rather than a fresh one if not properly seasoned.

Wild boar blood sausage, a type of cured meat, has a smoky aroma that effectively removes the fishy smell and enhances the taste.

Thinly sliced pork belly is also essential. Adding whole cloves of garlic and scallion segments during the stir-frying process helps prevent the dish from becoming sticky and ensures that the five flavors are distinct.

The fire was lit, and Zhou Dongdong had finished watching her "mukbang" (eating broadcast). When she saw Liu Chang'an tending the fire, she hurriedly ran over and took a spot in front of the stove, indicating that she was still an active participant in tending the fire.

"Brother Chang'an, I just ate so much delicious food!" Zhou Dongdong said with a satisfied burp.

"You were just watching others eat delicious food," Liu Chang'an reminded her, urging her to face reality positively and not get lost in her fantasies.

"I clearly felt like I was eating something delicious!" Zhou Dongdong thought to herself, puzzled.

"No, that's what other people are eating. You were just watching." Liu Chang'an poked her stomach with his finger, and at the same time, he understood that she hadn't entered the barrier because she was watching others eat, but because she thought she was eating herself.

Zhou Dongdong looked down at her stomach, then touched it, and was shocked. Her stomach wasn't round at all. Could it be that she hadn't eaten anything at all?

Zhou Dongdong was heartbroken. She had already achieved her dream of happiness, so why did Brother Chang'an have to ruin it for her?

Liu Chang'an laughed and pointed to the large stove, "Start a fire."

Zhou Dongdong was so sullen that she forgot to start the fire.

"Besides eating, what else can you do?" Liu Chang'an shook his head.

"Besides eating... I can eat and eat some more."

"That's impressive."

I need to work even harder!

"If you could study as fast as you eat, that would be great." Liu Chang'an thought that if Zhou Dongdong studied to that level, she would be comparable to Gao Dewei.

"How could there be a kid who's good at both studying and eating? The kid who's the best at studying in our class isn't as good at eating as me. I'm the best at eating! Everyone has their strengths!" Zhou Dongdong felt that being good at eating and being good at studying were equally important abilities, and maybe even a little more important. But Zhou Dongdong wouldn't say that because she was already a kid who knew a little bit about humility.

I don't want to talk to you anymore.

Why?

Talking to you will make me stupid.

"It doesn't matter if you're stupid. If there are smart kids everywhere, and everyone tries to be number one, who will be number last?"

"You, I know it's you, it has to be you." Liu Chang'an pointed to the sycamore tree, "Go stand over there and don't talk to me."

Liu Chang'an needs to maintain his intelligence.

Zhou Dongdong threw a large wooden stick into the stove and then ran to stand under the sycamore tree.

After standing obediently for a minute, Zhou Dongdong slowly moved back. Realizing that Brother Chang'an didn't intend for her to continue standing, she squatted down and rested her head on his knees to watch him tend the fire.

Liu Chang'an picked up the large wooden stick that Zhou Dongdong had thrown in, chopped it in half with one palm, and then burned it. Just as the food was ready, Shangguan Dandan pushed open the door of the storeroom and came out.

Zhou Dongdong was serving rice when Shangguan Dandan took a bowl, held it with both hands, and carefully placed it in front of Liu Chang'an, then aligned Liu Chang'an's chopsticks.

Dan Dan is doing housework again; she's so hardworking.

When cooking over a wood-fired stove, people naturally sit around it. Liu Chang'an still placed a damp towel on the edge of the pot in front of Zhou Dongdong. This child is so engrossed in eating that it's common for her to accidentally burn herself on the edge of the pot.

Liu Chang'an continued eating, showing no intention of spreading a dish in front of Shangguan Dandan. Shangguan Dandan, holding her bowl, paused for a moment, taken aback.

She helped with the housework, so why didn't he give her the same treatment?

So Shangguan Dandan went back and took out her thermos, placing it by the stove.

Liu Chang'an ignored her. These preserved wild boar blood dumplings were really delicious. They were boiled briefly in water before being put into the pot, infusing them with the flavor of chicken broth. They were salty and spicy, yet still very flavorful, making them extremely appetizing and perfect with rice.

Shangguan Dandan was angry for a minute, but because the food was so delicious, she stopped being angry, especially the preserved wild boar blood dumplings. Shangguan Dandan took a big bite out of one!

After finishing her meal Shangguan Dandan, carrying her thermos, prepared to return to her room and said to Liu Chang'an, "I'll watch TV for a while, then I'll come out later to help you wash the dishes."

"Where do you have a TV to watch?" Liu Chang'an asked, puzzled.

"When we were playing cards this morning, I told him my TV wasn't working, and Xiao Qian said he knew how to fix it. He'd secretly seen Xiao Qin Family's internet password and memorized it, so he connected my TV to the internet and I could watch TV now," Shangguan Dandan said gratefully. Although the old man Xiao Qian had tried to win Shangguan Dandan 'Shangguan Dandan thermos, she had already forgiven him.

Liu Chang'an nodded at the meddlesome old man.

"So when he came to set up the TV for you, he saw your coffin and didn't say anything?" Liu Chang'an had always kept the coffin hidden from everyone, except for Zhou Dongdong, who had secretly seen it when he used to throw the little hen into the armored transport vehicle.

He asked how I got such a big coffin, and I told him I brought it, and he didn't say anything more.

"Why didn't he say anything when you said I brought it?"

"Because he thinks you're a weird person, so there's nothing weird about you," Shangguan Dandan explained.

Liu Chang'an simply said "Oh," and then remained silent.

That evening, Liu Chang'an went to play mahjong and won thirty yuan from the Old Man Qian, which made him so angry he jumped up and down. Liu Chang'an calmly went home.

Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Shangguan Dandan came out, looked around, and frowned slightly. "Didn't I say I'd come out later to help you wash the dishes? How come you've already finished?"

Liu Chang'an calmly took a basket of bowls from the stove and placed it in front of Shangguan Dandan. "Wash them."

He's hiding here, waiting for her.

Shangguan Dandan took two steps back, looking at Liu Chang'an in disbelief. How could he treat her like this?

"I... I'm tired, I need to rest today." Shangguan Dandan nodded. "You should wash yourself."

After saying that, she closed the door and went back inside.

Liu Chang'an realized that even with his wisdom and resourcefulness, there was nothing he could do when faced with someone who would abandon the dignity of the Empress Dowager's golden words just to avoid doing housework.

Liu Chang'an let out a long sigh of relief and decided that he would no longer try to transform this old feudal remnant of the royal family into an ordinary working person.

After all, we are no longer in an era of massive construction and universal labor being the most glorious thing. People's views have changed a lot. Some people even find it cute that Shangguan Dandan pretends to work hard even though she clearly doesn't like to, which is really unbelievable.

After washing the dishes, Liu Chang'an looked up at the gray sky and felt the humidity in the air; it would probably rain tomorrow.

If it rains, it will be colder tomorrow, but I doubt it will cool down the scalding bodies of the girls attending the anime convention. They will probably still show off their youthful bodies as freely as they did today.

Liu Chang'an certainly doesn't plan to go tomorrow; his main reason for going today was simply to support his old classmate.

Just as Liu Chang'an was thinking of going to Wang Jiangzi's shop again tomorrow, he received a call from Su Nanxiu.

"Qin Yanan is pregnant." Su Nanxiu's tone was very calm.

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Requesting monthly votes and recommendations, and also recommending a book, <The God of Europe>.

Spiritual energy is reviving.

Hong Xiaofu has awakened—and what he's awakened is luck!

That's really impressive.