Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 373: One Pot Isn’t Enough

The guesthouses in the Prefecture were bustling with business near the year’s end. Qin Yao and her husband went to three mid-range guesthouses in a row, but there were no ordinary rooms available; they either had shared accommodations or super luxurious rooms.

This time, there was no Qi Xian to foot the bill, so Qin Yao decided it was time to spend wisely and save prudently. With a wave of her hand, she said, "On to the next one!"

She couldn’t believe that finding a place to stay was this difficult.

Liu Ji, with only a few coins in his pocket, had no say in the matter and resigned himself to his fate, continuing to drive their carriage around the city in the biting wind.

Although the Prefecture is further south than Kaiyang County, the temperature was unexpectedly lower because of the river in the town, and the humidity made the cold pierce into their bones.

After two more unsuccessful attempts, the couple finally found an ordinary room at the guesthouse where they first stayed when they came to the Prefecture for a long visit and successfully checked in.

After all the hassle, it was already evening.

Qin Yao quickly sent Liu Ji out to deliver visiting cards so that they could make their social calls the next day.

She stayed alone at the guesthouse, sorting the New Year gifts they had brought.

The two baskets of farm eggs were perfectly intact, and the Deer Horn Ganoderma lay well in the gift box. However, the four plump farm chickens were frozen and looked quite droopy. Qin Yao doubted they would survive the night.

She tried enticing them with rice to get their blood pumping, but after fifteen minutes, the four chickens didn’t even leave the coop, huddled in the straw with their eyes half-closed.

"If you keep being lazy, I’ll have you all slaughtered tonight!" Qin Yao threatened.

The four chickens: "..."

Obviously, such a threat only worked on someone who understood human speech like Liu Ji.

Footsteps approached from behind, along with a humming tune. Qin Yao turned to see Liu Ji returning from delivering the visiting cards, holding a warm bag of buns and smiling broadly.

The couple exchanged a glance, and Qin Yao’s expression turned even sourer.

Liu Ji gave her a puzzled look, "My dear, I didn’t upset you today, did I?"

He had only used his money to buy a few meat buns; surely, she wouldn’t be upset over such a small matter, would she?

Qin Yao naturally snatched the paper bag from his hands and thrust a bowl of coarse rice into his, "If these four chickens aren’t energetic enough to leave their coop soon, I’ll have to kill you tonight instead!"

Liu Ji, understanding human talk, shivered immediately but couldn’t help bursting into laughter, "Hahaha, so it’s these four chickens making my dear unhappy. You scared me."

As for the part about killing him, Liu Ji felt like he’d heard it so often his ears were getting calluses. She loved him too much to do that!

"Dear, you go inside and warm up. Have a couple of buns to fill your belly. These rebellious animals are my problem now." Liu Ji gave what he thought was a handsome smile, lifted his robe, and squatted by the chicken coop.

"Cluck cluck cluck—" he called to them while feeding them rice.

Qin Yao left the guest room door open and sat inside, savoring the meat buns, and suddenly, everything felt wonderful.

If Liu Ji could always be this obedient, she wouldn’t mind offering him more sweets.

But alas....

"Dear, I think this chicken has stiffened up." Liu Ji reported nervously, holding a dead hen with closed eyes.

Qin Yao held her forehead and took a deep breath. In the dead of winter, her words felt even colder, "Stew it."

Liu Ji beamed and hurriedly took the freshly frozen chicken to the guesthouse kitchen.

Fortunately, the remaining three chickens, tempted by food, finally left their coop and were chased around the courtyard by Liu Ji, regaining their vitality.

That night, the couple enjoyed a pot of delicious chicken soup while watching the three lively farm chickens in the corner of the room. With furrowed brows, they simultaneously said,

"Three isn’t lucky. Should we kill one more?"

They exchanged smiles, everything understood without words.

Qin Yao had a big appetite, and one pot of chicken wasn’t enough. Late into the night, Liu Ji stewed another for her as a midnight snack, and she was satisfied enough to sleep.

Liu Ji sensibly laid a floor mat to sleep on. Better to have both eyes open tomorrow when meeting important people than to appear with a black eye.

The visiting card mentioned a meeting at noon, allowing the host family time for breakfast and avoiding dinner.

Sufficiently rested, the couple tidied up their appearances; Qin Yao carried the gift box, and Liu Ji, holding the chicken coop with one hand and eggs in the other, left the guest room, ready to visit Prefect He’s house.

Just as they stepped out of the guesthouse, a modest blue carriage stopped at the entrance simultaneously.

A small head poked out from the carriage—a cute pink and white girl in a bunny-eared hat.

"I remember you, the strongwoman rower!" He Zhanghua said with a cheerful laugh.

Qi Xian followed out of the carriage, greeting them as madam and junior apprentice brother. Only then did it dawn on Qin Yao that the little girl’s words were directed at her.

"Senior Brother, did you come to pick us up?" Liu Ji asked excitedly.

Qi Xian nodded, introducing the girl beside him, "My cousin, He Zhanghua."

The couple politely bowed, "Miss He."

"No need for formalities, get on the carriage. My cousin and I are here under my mother’s orders to fetch you." He Zhanghua, showing no airs of a lady, was as spirited as a friendly neighborhood girl, taking in the couple with her big bright eyes.

When her gaze met Liu Ji, a hint of amazement flashed, but she was soon captivated by the chickens in the coop.

Qi Xian, a bit proud, said, "These are raised on worms caught by the villagers themselves."

He Zhanghua frowned; what was there to boast about!

But she couldn’t help feeling envious inside.

Last night, when she heard Qi Xian tell their mother that he’d even built a Lotus Courtyard of his own in Liu Family Village, she nearly cried from envy.

And upon hearing that Qi Xian’s junior apprentice brother’s wife was the strongwoman who had helped her win the dragon boat race on the Dragon Boat Festival, she was beyond eager. This morning, she begged her mother to let her come and meet the guests, just to see them sooner.

Since He Zhanghua was a girl, Liu Ji sensibly stayed outside the carriage while Qin Yao and Qi Xian sat inside.

Eyeing Qin Yao with anticipation, He Zhanghua asked, "Madam, do you remember me?"

Qin Yao nodded, "Of course, I remember."

"We really are fated." He Zhanghua said excitedly, "I didn’t expect you would not only help me win first place but also save my cousin and that old man Gongliang Liao."

That old man? Qin Yao subtly curled her lips; there was something intriguing about that title.

Qi Xian glanced disapprovingly at He Zhanghua, "You shouldn’t be so disrespectful to our teacher."

"He might be your teacher, but he’s not mine. He spoke poorly of me to my father; what’s wrong with calling him an old man?" He Zhanghua, repelled by the old man and even finding Qi Xian, a disciple of the Great Scholar, displeasing.

The cousin pair argued yet again, while Qin Yao watched without saying a word.

Finally, the carriage stopped at the side gate of the He household, and the coachman said, "Young Miss, Young Master, we’ve arrived."

The quarreling cousins then suddenly realized, the guests were still here—

Qi Xian wasn’t particularly concerned. After all, he and the Qin Yao couple were already well-acquainted.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, He Zhanghua led the guests through the entrance, too shy to speak much along the way.