Urbanes Super-Anbau-Wunderkind

Kapitel 50

Haohui City is destroyed, the bronze gate has collapsed, so what use is this jade tablet now?

Fu Jiuxin sighed, took out the jade tablet again, and tossed it to Su Luoyang: "You take it."

A soft laugh came from behind Su Luoyang's mask: "Sir, do you mean that the young master of Siyou Kingdom has become me?"

Fu Jiuxin paused for a moment, then said, "It's not impossible." He then pulled Dou Akou up and walked out of the room.

This time, he really will never go back.

Author's Note: If I can't cripple the male lead, then I'll just ruin the male supporting character, hahaha!

Learning to Cook

On the way back, both of them seemed preoccupied. Dou Akou was unusually silent, shaking her head and sighing softly.

Seeing her like this, Fu Jiuxin couldn't help but chuckle, and the last trace of gloom vanished. He wanted to ruffle Dou Akou's hair, but was afraid of messing up her hair bun, so he had to put his hand down: "Why are you sighing?"

“I just feel sorry for Uncle Chen,” Dou Akou said honestly.

Fu Jiuxin was silent for a while before saying, "Everyone has their own way of living. If Uncle Chen wanted, he could have lived a peaceful and happy old age like your father, but since he chose this path, he should accept the outcome and has no one to blame but himself."

Dou Akou nodded haphazardly a few times, banishing the matter from her mind. After all, with Uncle Chen dead, the matter was truly over. The dead died with unfulfilled wishes and obsessions, while the living had to continue their new lives.

Before we knew it, it was September or October. The scorching summer heat descended from the mountains, making the daytime blazing and scorching. But at night, the heat quickly turned into the cool autumn nights, which were quite refreshing.

Dou Jincai's embroidery workshop had made some progress. The embroidery skills of Dou's concubines were already exquisite, and the patterns they embroidered were novel and unique, never before seen by the people who had lived in Longfeng Town for generations. They immediately stood out from the existing embroidery workshops in the town. Dou Jincai was well-versed in business. Although their embroidery products were superior to those of ordinary workshops in terms of both craftsmanship and patterns, their prices were very reasonable, only a few coins more expensive than ordinary embroidery products. As a result, Dou's embroidery products, which were of high quality and low price, quickly became popular in Longfeng Town.

At first, it was just the aunts embroidering a piece and selling it, but soon it turned into wealthy families in town placing orders, and the business took off.

During this time, Fu Jiuxin and Dou Jincai talked in the study for several nights, probably about business. Dou Akou didn't know the specifics, but she knew that every time they finished talking, their embroidery workshop would come up with a new design the next day, making the embroidery products of the concubines sell even better.

Dou Akou's belly was already quite large, and her movements were becoming slow and inconvenient. She was already somewhat plump, and with four or five months pregnant, she appeared even more rounded and radiant. Third Aunt teased Fu Jiuxin, saying that Fu Jiuxin already doted on Dou Akou to an extreme degree, and now he doted on her even more, treating her like a pampered little princess.

Dou Akou ate and drank well, was in high spirits, and had a great appetite. She had always loved to eat, but lately her appetite had increased even more. Her aunts each used their unique skills to cook her delicious meals every day. Unfortunately, Fu Jiuxin was knowledgeable in everything from astronomy to geography, and was well-versed in three thousand years of history, but he knew absolutely nothing about cooking.

However, this did not hinder the studious young man Fu Jiuxin's thirst for knowledge. These past few days, he had been holed up in the kitchen, standing next to his aunts, intently watching the entire process from raw ingredients to a cooked dish.

Third Aunt deftly poured oil into the pot, added ginger slices and scallion segments and stir-fried them. Then she slid a fish into the pot from the edge, and the oil sizzled and popped. Third Aunt gently slid the pot with her wrist, and after a moment, she skillfully flipped the fish over. The side that was at the bottom of the pot was now fried to a golden brown.

The rest is simple. Once the fish is cooked on both sides, put it in boiling water, add a few pieces of soft tofu, and simmer until the fish soup turns milky white. Then it's ready to serve.

Third Aunt wiped away her sweat, not because of the firewood in the stove, but because of Fu Jiuxin standing next to her.

This imposing figure had been standing there since she started gutting the fish, his expression serious and focused, intently watching her every move, practically taking notes. Third Aunt knew Fu Jiuxin wanted to learn a trick or two for cooking for Dou Akou, but at least he could ask her questions. Instead, he just stood there quietly, not uttering a word. It seemed he wasn't disturbing her while she was frying the fish, but Third Aunt felt his presence alone exuded an incredibly powerful aura.

When she entered the Dou family, Dou Akou was already ten years old, and Fu Jiuxin was fifteen. A fifteen-year-old boy was already a teenager, and there should have been a separation between men and women, so the Third Aunt didn't have many opportunities to spend time with Fu Jiuxin at that time. But she always had a feeling that this boy was not an ordinary person, and for a period of time after she entered the family, she was quite afraid of this silent boy.

Sure enough, her intuition was proven correct five years later. But what she didn't expect was that this eagle, which should have soared through the sky, would have its wings tripped by her own clueless Dou Akou. It could only be said that it was fate.

Thinking this, the third aunt glanced at Fu Jiuxin out of the corner of her eye, cleared her throat, and asked, "Jiuxin, if you want to learn how to make fish soup, you can't just watch. Let me tell you how to make this dish..."

Fu Jiuxin continued to shake his head solemnly. Beneath his plain, expressionless face lay a heart churning with turmoil. He had been deeply shaken while watching his third aunt fry the fish. For instance, her spatula danced with dazzling speed, comparable to the twelve moves of the Qingyong City's "Peak-Slaying Technique." She precisely timed her movements, swiftly inserting the spatula under the fish and flipping it over—moves as fast as lightning and as swift as a shooting star. Even the assassins lurking in the shadows of the Seven Kill Linked Fortress might not be able to achieve that…

Fu Jiuxin suddenly felt as if he had recklessly stepped into a mysterious and unknown space he was completely unfamiliar with, and everything in this space seemed to contain enormous meaning: the old chopstick holder in the corner, the string of dried chilies and corncobs hanging from the rafters, the firewood burning in the stove... everything was silently and mysteriously watching him, and the huge spatula and slotted spoon on the wall even reflected a glint of light with a "clink"! Mr. Fu, who had remained unmoved even with a thousand troops in front of him, now had an urge to flee in panic. He realized that this was a world he could not control!

Fu Jiuxin was lost in thought, her mind churning out a dramatic and unpredictable little play. Meanwhile, her third aunt had already ladled out a steaming bowl of fish soup. In the large blue-and-white porcelain bowl, the milky white, delicate fish soup was topped with bright green scallions, and a small, exquisite piece of tender tofu appeared and disappeared in the soup, making it look incredibly tempting.

"Go, take this to Akou." The third aunt brought Fu Jiuxin back to her senses. Fu Jiuxin silently suppressed the raging storm in her heart, took the bowl of fish soup and went out.

For some reason, Third Aunt always felt that Fu Jiuxin's back looked a little pitiful and flustered. Third Aunt thought that this must be her imagination, after all, when has Fu Jiuxin ever been afraid of anything?

Dou Akou lay on the recliner, rubbing her round belly. As soon as Fu Jiuxin appeared in the doorway, she exclaimed excitedly, "Oh my, sir, I can smell the fish soup!"

This fish soup is something Third Auntie has been making every day since she returned to Longfeng Town. Partly it's to nourish Dou Akou, and partly because she's heard that drinking fish soup while pregnant will result in a very intelligent child.

Fortunately, Dou Akou has not experienced any morning sickness since becoming pregnant. Huang, the scholar across the street from Dou, recently married a young woman who is also pregnant. She has been suffering from morning sickness ever since, vomiting everything she eats. She vomits at the sound of fingernails scratching, smells incense, and even the sight of greasy meat and vegetables. Her face is ashen and yellow, yet she still has to eat for the sake of the child. It makes one feel that the child she is carrying is truly a curse.

In contrast, Dou Akou had a great appetite and ate everything she was offered. Her skin was already fair and tender, but now it was so smooth and supple that it looked like it could be squeezed to release water. She had lost the immaturity of her youthful appearance and gained the charm of a mature woman. She was like a flower that had just begun to bloom, but had not yet fully opened. Only the glistening dewdrops rolling down the petals could be vaguely seen, which was quite beautiful.

Dou Akou drank the fish soup sip by sip from Fu Jiuxin's hand, patted her belly contentedly, and was about to take a nap after finishing when Fu Jiuxin stopped her and coaxed, "Akou, don't sleep, let's go for a walk. The doctor said it's good for you and the baby, and it will make the delivery smoother."

Dou Akou nodded. She had been used to being oppressed by Fu Jiuxin's teachings since childhood, and she listened to whatever Fu Jiuxin said.

The two stepped out of the courtyard at dusk. A gentle evening breeze began to blow, and the air suddenly turned cool, but the sun-heated mud ground was still radiating warmth, so the temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.

Dou Akou was embraced by Fu Jiuxin, and the two chose a less crowded spot, walking along a moat surrounding Longfeng Town. The willow trees along the riverbank provided shade, and many people were cooling off beneath them. When they saw the young couple from the Dou family's embroidery workshop approaching, they couldn't help but start chatting.

Fu Jiuxin accompanied Dou Akou on walks every day, so the townspeople gradually became familiar with the family. However, those families with unmarried daughters looked down on Dou Akou. They said, "How could someone like Fu Jiuxin fall for Dou Akou? Look at her, not only is she not good at bearing children, but she also certainly can't manage household affairs. She'll definitely be an unvirtuous wife. It's just a pity for Mr. Fu; it's like a good cabbage being eaten by a pig."

The cabbage and the pig, oblivious to the gossip around them, walked along the river for a while before returning home. Fu Jiuxin pondered to himself that the child would be born in four or five months. Judging from Dou Akou's appearance, the child seemed unlikely to cause her any suffering, and presumably, the delivery wouldn't be too painful either. This put his mind at ease.

He thought that when he was a child wandering the streets, he never imagined that he could live such a fulfilling life with a wife and children. That was enough.

But what Fu Jiuxin didn't expect was that in those remaining four or five months, his child would start to cause a lot of trouble.

Ruyi Circle

It was a perfectly normal morning. Dou Akou got up as usual, ate breakfast for two as usual, took a normal nap, and then faced that abnormal lunch.

Considering Dou Akou's increased appetite after becoming pregnant, the dishes on the Dou family's table were always plentiful, with three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a bowl of soup, and the table was filled with cups and plates. Today, the aunts prepared twice-cooked pork, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, and four-happiness duck, as well as stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, three delicacies, and boiled cabbage in clear broth. The dishes were light, delicious, and refreshing, and Dou Akou practically followed the aroma into the flower hall.

She sat down, supporting her back, watching Fu Jiuxin serve her food, rice, and soup. Her mouth watered, but when the braised pork with preserved vegetables was placed in front of her, a feeling of nausea suddenly welled up in her throat.

The morning sickness came on so suddenly that Dou Akou hadn't even had time to react. She swallowed, trying to suppress the nausea, but a churning sensation in her stomach made the nausea even more intense. Instinctively, she covered her mouth, pushed the plate away, and stumbled to her feet as she rushed out.

Fu Jiuxin reacted quickly, and the moment Dou Akou stood up, he went over to support her. He didn't know what had happened, but he saw Dou Akou leaning against a tree, dry heaving, but nothing came out.

The man was terrified. This was yet another unknown territory he had never ventured into before. This tension was unlike any emergency he had encountered in the past twenty-one years. His life had been one of constant wandering, and he had been adopted by Dou Jincai. After growing up, he traveled all over the country collecting debts for him, encountering all sorts of bizarre and fantastical things. Even in the underground labyrinth of Haohui City, he had never felt this tense. Because back then, although the situation was urgent, he was confident and knew how to handle it. But as the saying goes, concern leads to confusion. Once Dou Akou was involved, Fu Jiuxin felt he couldn't remain calm, especially in a territory he was unfamiliar with.