Not lending you any. Get lost

In the kitchen, several cooks were busy washing and chopping vegetables, starting the fire, and chatting as they worked.

"We'll be living in the inner city from now on," the cook said with a smile as she chopped vegetables.

The people of the capital yearned for the inner city as much as Xu Lingyin yearned for gourmet food. Those who lived in the outer city were not necessarily from the lower classes, but those who lived in the inner city were definitely from wealthy families.

In terms of both people's livelihood and public security, the inner city is far superior to the outer city. There are almost no slums in the inner city. Young ladies can go out shopping without fear.

They might boldly venture into a secluded alley, though this is not something to be encouraged.

"Dalang is really promising. I heard from Madam that the house is worth five thousand taels of silver," the cook washing vegetables chimed in.

"Five thousand taels? That's about the same as our house," said the cook who was tending the fire.

"What do you know?" the cook washing vegetables spat. "I heard from the madam that that mansion costs at least seven thousand taels of silver, and it's much more impressive than ours."

As for why it only cost five thousand taels, that's because Dalang is capable. He's Nightwatchers, so buying a house at a low price must be a piece of cake for him.

"Madam told us that she'll be taking us to stay in the inner city in a few days. Let me tell you, the inner city is incredibly bustling."

Many of the lower-class people living in the outer city rarely had the opportunity to go to the inner city. Without riding a horse or taking a carriage, it would take one or two hours to get from the outer city to the inner city on foot. If they set off in the afternoon, they would arrive in the inner city close to sunset.

The servants in the manor were very much looking forward to moving to the inner city, and they had been working extra hard these past few days, fearing they would be fired. Except for Lü'e, a maid who had been sold into servitude in the Xu Residence since childhood and Xu Dalang could sleep with at will, the other servants had contracts that were open to contractual obligations.

"I've noticed something," the cook, who was chopping vegetables, suddenly interjected. When the other two cooks looked over, she whispered:

"Madam is increasingly fond of boasting about Dalang, always talking about him, but whenever Dalang comes home, she never gives him a kind look."

"Cough cough."

Suddenly, a cough came from outside the door, interrupting the cooks' chatter.

"Why is Dalang here?" the cooks asked in surprise.

The kitchen is a greasy and dirty place, not a place for homeowners to go.

You old women are really dramatic. My aunt wouldn't be so boastful about me. Xu Qi'an, holding a bowl, nodded and said:

"I created a unique recipe and came to cook for you."

Xu Qi'an swept around the kitchen. It wasn't exactly dirty or messy, but it wasn't clean either. After all, years of cooking fumes had left the walls and stove covered in a layer of grease that couldn't be wiped off.

However, as long as you wash pots, pans, and other kitchenware frequently, there won't be any problems.

"What is this?" The cooks looked at the bowl in his hand, a sticky blob of stuff.

"This is good stuff, don't look at it carelessly, it's a secret recipe." Xu Qi'an turned aside, not letting the cooks see his treasure.

The cook didn't pay any attention and continued working. Let the Dalang stay if he wants; he's the master, and they are just servants. Servants shouldn't have the right to boss their master around. Besides, every time the mistress argues with him, she gets so angry she rolls her eyes.

Besides the master, the only other person in the family who could argue with the Dalang was Erlang, who had a silver tongue.

Xu Qi'an stood to the side watching. The first dish was stir-fried winter bamboo shoots with pork. While the cook was stir-frying, he scooped in a small spoonful of "chicken essence".

Then he picked up a piece with his chopsticks, tasted it, and nodded slightly.

The umami flavor has been enhanced considerably, but it still can't compare to real chicken bouillon.

Guanylic acid and monosodium glutamate complement each other; to achieve the taste of the past life, we still need to develop MSG. Xu Qi'an was fairly satisfied.

Seeing this, the cook picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of bamboo shoot, and savored it carefully.

Her eyes widened instantly, and she forgot about cooking.

The flavor was both familiar and unfamiliar to her. It tasted like chicken, but chicken could never be this fresh. A tiny spoonful had elevated the umami of the bamboo shoots several notches, something that even a rich broth couldn't achieve.

Xu Qi'an glanced at her, then snatched the spoon from her and started stir-frying the vegetables to prevent them from burning.

"It looks... delicious?" The other two cooks looked at her, somewhat intrigued.

"It's so delicious! I've never had such flavorful food before," the cook exclaimed excitedly.

In the front hall, Xu Lingyue arrived right at mealtime, looked around, and asked in a sweet voice, "Where's Big Brother?"

At this time of day, the eldest brother would usually be sitting at the table waiting for dinner, casually teasing Xu Lingyin, squeezing her under his armpits and giving her a fatal sway.

Or they might argue with their mother, and the aunt and nephew might dislike each other.

"He's off duty today, probably went to the Imperial Academy of Music," said Xu Pingzhi, who was wiping his sword.

"Father is just talking nonsense. My eldest brother doesn't even go to brothels." Xu Lingyue puffed out her cheeks, looking displeased.

Yes, I used to think so too. You, who used to frequent brothels, are now the most sought-after courtesans in the Imperial Academy of Music.

Xu Pingzhi sighed inwardly, saying, "He's now in the Qi Refining Realm, he no longer needs to guard his chastity. Going to the Imperial Academy of Music is only natural, what man wouldn't go?"

Suddenly sensing a murderous aura from the side, Xu Pingzhi didn't even look up, continuing to wipe his sword, and changed his words, saying, "Your father and I never go. Ningyan Erlang have gone, but it was always because of social obligations, there was no other way."

"Speaking of which, none of the men in our Xu Household like to go to brothels."

Xu Lingyue believed her father's words, thinking that her proud second brother and honest eldest brother were indeed not the kind of men who frequented brothels.

With a soft "Mmm," she sat down at the table, feeling at ease.

"Mother, I want to go to Cassia Moon Tower." Xu Lingyin crawled out from under the table, startling her aunt.

Her aunt ignored her. Second Uncle Xu earnestly admonished his daughter, "Lingyin, you can't go to Cassia Moon Tower often; it costs money."

"My older brother took me there yesterday," Xu Lingyin protested.

"Then go find your older brother." Xu Pingzhi waved his hand, unwilling to educate his daughter anymore. This daughter was too stupid; even the teachers at the Cloud Deer Academy couldn't teach her.

My aunt sighed, "The chef at Cassia Moon Tower is said to have come from the palace; his skills are unparalleled in the capital. How wonderful it would be if we could hire a chef like that!"

"It smells so good!" Xu Lingyin suddenly said, twitching her nose and looking towards the door.

A second later, Xu Pingzhi, a peak Qi Refining Realm cultivator, finally smelled the rich, savory aroma.

A moment later, the cooks brought in the food, accompanied by Xu Qi'an. However, even Xu Lingyue, who adored her eldest brother, paid no attention to him, her gaze fixed on the dishes.

The dishes included glistening winter bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, yam soup, stir-fried eggs with chives, lotus root stewed with pork ribs, and water bamboo shoots in chili oil, as well as pork trotters fried by Xu Qi'an himself.

"The food smells so good today!" Xu Pingzhi Outer Dao.

He beckoned over a piece of pork hock with a crispy skin, coated in a grayish sauce. The mouthwatering aroma made Xu Pingzhi eagerly stuff it into his mouth and chew.

"It's so delicious!" he exclaimed in astonishment.

"Master is too extravagant." The aunt pursed her lips, and after the cook set out the dishes, she picked up a bamboo shoot with her chopsticks, chewed a few times, and then her beautiful eyes widened instantly.

The dish was the same, nothing special, but the umami flavor exploded on the taste buds, creating a delightful sensory experience.

In the past, when cooking, I would only add a spoonful of stock at most. Stocks were also divided into different grades, but they weren't as delicious as I imagined because the stock in this era didn't have MSG or other seasonings to enhance the flavor.

Even just eating mushrooms, like chicken soup, is enough to make you feel the freshness. But Xu Qi'an uses two whole baskets of purified essence, which has an extremely strong impact on the taste buds.

The aunt looked at the cooks in surprise, her eyes sparkling. "Today's dishes are so different from usual, how did you manage to do that?"

Xu Lingyue and Xu Pingzhi also put down their chopsticks, waiting with great interest for the cook's answer.

Only Xu Lingyin didn't care; all she cared about was how much delicious food she could eat.

"It's Dalang's secret recipe," the cook quickly waved her hand.

The whole family immediately looked at Xu Qi'an, Xu Pingzhi asked in surprise, "Where did you get the recipe?"

Xu Lingyue and her aunt looked at him curiously.

Xu Qi'an ate quickly, explaining, "I just felt the food at home was bland, and the food at Cassia Moon Tower was too expensive, so I just made something myself, and it looks pretty good."

Second Uncle Xu nodded slightly, then turned to look at the table, his eyes widening. "Xu Lingyin!"

Xu Lingyin climbed onto the table and moved the plates of food closer to herself.

"They're all mine," she said crisply, her eyebrows raised.

Xu Qi'an arrived at the yamen at dawn, but did nothing until noon, spending all his time dealing with the gongs and cymbals that came from those returning from prison.

They had learned from their colleagues yesterday about the downfall of the Minister of Ministry of Works and the case that would determine their fate.

Without Xu Qi'an's role in the middle, the fate of many of them might have been different.

Having finally dealt with them, Xu Qi'an tied up the gong, hung up his sword, and began his afternoon patrol.

"Ningyan, you haven't been to the Imperial Academy of Music) for a while," the usually taciturn Zhu Guangxiao suddenly said.

"Because I'm having this illusion now, it's not that I'm patronizing courtesans, but that they're patronizing me," Xu Qi'an said helplessly. "I feel like I'm almost at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm, and I'm planning to try and break through to the Spirit Refining Realm."

Peak Qi Refining Realm. Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng stared at him blankly.

They were both at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm, which wasn't difficult. With consistent practice of breathing exercises, reaching the peak was only a matter of time.

The difficulty lies in accumulating merits to exchange for visualization diagrams.

Xu Qi'an has only been with the Nightwatchers for two months at most, and he's already at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. What kind of talent is that?

"Then you'd better accumulate merits carefully," Song Tingfeng said sourly, then added dejectedly, "But with what you've accumulated since the Sangbo case, I feel it's already enough."

"Hmm." Xu Qi'an casually changed the subject. "I plan to save up for two weeks before going to the Imperial Academy of Music."

The Imperial Academy of Music was always their favorite topic to liven things up. Song Tingfeng winked and said, "That Miss Fuxiang is really in trouble."

As they walked and talked, they arrived at the entrance of the government office, where their attention was drawn to a tall and robust monk in a blue robe.

His monk's robes were slightly worn, a thick Buddhist rosary hung around his neck, and there were two rows of scars on his bald head. His expression was one of deep bitterness and resentment.

It was none other than the monk Hengyuan.

Upon seeing Xu Qi'an emerge, Hengyuan's eyes lit up. He strode forward, clasping his hands together in greeting, "Lord Xu."

"No, get out." Xu Qi'an interrupted him, saying helplessly, "Master Hengyuan, I have official business to attend to. Let's get straight to the point. My monthly salary is only five taels of silver, and I'm short of money."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted down and he noticed that Hengyuan's cloth shoes were tattered, with two toes sticking out.

It turned out that Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao, who had come to Ningyan to borrow money, were staring at Hengyuan with unfriendly expressions.

Seeing Xu Qi'an's decisive refusal, Hengyuan remained silent for a long time before bowing and saying, "This humble monk understands."

Seeing the monk's departing figure, Xu Qi'an inexplicably thought of his father, who used to travel a long way to deliver vegetables to him when he was in middle school. After being scolded by Xu Qi'an for not delivering the vegetables on time, his father would also leave alone.

"Hey, wait a minute," Xu Qi'an called out to him, letting out a breath, "How much silver do you want to borrow this time? Make it clear first, I won't lend too much, I really don't have much silver lately."

P. S.: There might not be any extra updates today. I'm a bit tired and want to sleep.