Xu Jing, her face flushed, hurried into the courtyard and saw her parents butchering a chicken. She approached them and asked, "Mom, why the special meal for noon? Ask Brother Zhao to stay and eat with us."

"Of course," Mother Xu replied. "If Brother Zhao weren't here, would your father ever let me slaughter this old hen?"

Father Xu chimed in, "Don't talk like that, as if marrying me was some hardship. When you were confined after giving birth, I braised no less than a dozen old hens for you."

Mother Xu laughed, "That's true. You are a good husband and father. If our Jingjing can find a man as considerate as you to marry, I can rest easy when I die."

Xu Jing and her father objected, "Why bring up death again? It's such bad luck."

Xu Jing found herself staring towards the office, momentarily lost in thought about Yu Qinghai's earlier address of her as 'younger sister-in-law.' Her parents noticed her distraction. Father Xu sighed, "Jingjing is fated to be unlucky. Her Brother Zhao already has a girlfriend. Otherwise, with Jingjing's looks and personality, Brother Zhao would surely like her."

Xu Jing certainly heard her father. She lowered her head, "Dad, I'll go start the fire."

The major issues were settled. The remaining work wasn't something that could be sorted out in a few words, and restructuring the company wouldn't yield a plan overnight. So, we didn't discuss business for the rest of the time; the three of us had a long, engaging conversation about life and ideals before Yu Qinghai finally took his leave with a hearty laugh.

The kitchen was a small room converted from a corner of the original courtyard. Seeing Xu Jing sweating profusely while tending the fire inside, I walked over and said, "Xu Jing, let's build a modern kitchen here tomorrow. It must be too hot for you like this."

Xu Jing threw another log into the stove opening and replied, "Don't waste money, Brother Zhao. This little bit of heat is bearable."

I walked into the kitchen, sniffed deeply, and said, "It smells wonderful. I'll have the village head renovate this place later. Since the production workshop has air conditioning, we can run a pipe over here to keep it cool while cooking."

Xu Jing nodded, deeply touched. Cooking in this tiny kitchen was like being in a steamer; having air conditioning would be so much more comfortable. After cooking, she always had to sneak back to her room for a shower.

"Smells good, Brother Zhao, the chicken is braising for you in the pot."

"Really? Made especially for me?"

Xu Jing nodded, "This is an old hen we raised in the yard. No feed, naturally green, very nourishing. This kind of soup is the most nutritious for a woman postpartum."

Sweat broke out on my brow. Postpartum food? "I think I shouldn't eat it then. After all, it's women's food; I'm afraid it's not suitable for a big man like me."

"Not at all," Xu Jing countered. "Men can eat it too. This chicken is cooked in a very special way, look," Xu Jing lifted the lid for me to see.

Inside the large pot was an inverted large clay basin. The contact points between the basin and the pot rim were sealed entirely with mud. The heavy iron pot was glowing red-hot, radiating intense heat.

"There's a basin inside the basin. The old hen is in the inner basin. We don't add water to the bottom of the pot; it cooks purely by the trapped heat. With this method, the chicken meat becomes tender and succulent when done—the meat separates easily with chopsticks, and it's soft and delicious to eat. Because the pot rim is sealed with fresh earth, you can even sense a refreshing earthiness when you eat it. This chicken soup is highly nutritious, just a bit rich and heavy, perfect for new mothers. I saw Brother Zhao was up late again, so drinking some won't hurt. If you don't like the soup, you can just eat the meat."

As Xu Jing explained, my mouth started watering. My mom certainly couldn't cook like this. She would just chop the chicken into pieces with a cleaver and boil it in water until it was done.

Xu Jing finished explaining and ushered me out of the kitchen. "Brother Zhao, you go rest in my room for a while. It's still early. I'll call you for dinner when it's fully cooked."

To be honest, I was a bit sleepy. Moreover, sleeping in Xu Jing's room last time left me wanting more. Experiencing it again today wouldn't be a bad idea.

Xu Jing's bedding was soft and fragrant, somewhat reminiscent of Zhang Xiaoya’s room. When Zhang Xiaoya was home, I loved to lounge in her bed and never leave. I couldn't help it; she’d let me hold her to sleep, but if I got too handsy, she’d bite me, and she’d kick me out back to my own home before dawn.

Half-asleep, my hand groped something on the bed. When I picked it up, it turned out to be Xu Jing's bra. Judging by the cup shape, it must be a C. I hadn't realized Xu Jing’s breasts were that substantial. Of course, I couldn't compare them to Cheng Susu's.

The thought of Cheng Susu made my eyes glaze over. My hand involuntarily brought Xu Jing's bra up to my nose to smell it. A faint scent of soap mixed with an almost imperceptible body fragrance filled my lungs, intoxicating me. Sometime later, I drifted off to sleep.

"Brother Zhao Qian, Brother Zhao Qian," someone was shaking me.

I opened my eyes to see Fang Yanmeng. I immediately pulled her into my embrace, "Why are you here? Stay and sleep with your brother for a bit."

Fang Yanmeng struggled, "Wake up, Brother Zhao Qian! This is Sister Jingjing's room!"

I always preferred holding someone when I slept, and I hadn't had any 'action' for two consecutive nights. To be honest, I really wanted to pull Fang Yanmeng down and have some fun, but Fang Yanmeng was right—this was Xu Jing's room.

I released Fang Yanmeng and asked, "What's up, Mengmeng?"

Fang Yanmeng suddenly seemed to have discovered a new continent. She snatched the bra from beside the pillow and exclaimed, "Oh, Brother Zhao Qian, you're in trouble! This is Sister Jingjing's underwear. Look, you're drooling again! Last time in Taohua Village, you drooled onto Sister Chu Chu's chest, and this time onto Sister Jingjing's underwear. It seems your saliva really loves to fall downward—'downward flow,' in short."

I looked down and saw a large patch of Xu Jing's bra soaked with my drool. Disaster! How was I going to explain this?

Fang Yanmeng grabbed the bra and stuffed it into her small bag, saying to me, "Just take it. It's better than Sister Jingjing finding out about your shameful behavior. Brother Zhao Qian, I have something important. Get up and wash your face to sober up."

There was a washbasin and clean water in Xu Jing's room. After washing my face, I asked Fang Yanmeng, "Tell me, what is it?"

"My dad invited you to lunch—today!"

The hand holding the towel stopped. My future father-in-law hadn't taken much of an interest in me before. I had saved his daughter for nearly a year, yet besides signing a check for me at the alumni meeting, he hadn't shown any other form of appreciation. This sudden invitation to lunch—could it be a trap, a Hongmen Banquet?

Fang Yanmeng continued, "Time is tight. You have to come with me right now. I need to take you to buy some new clothes first. Sister Chu Chu and Sister Xiao Rou are waiting for us at Baixing Shopping Center. Sister Zhao Fen, Sister Zhao Fang, and Xiao Yudi have gone out to buy you a gift."

I dropped the towel. "Good heavens, the whole family is mobilizing! Why is your dad inviting me to lunch? Is there some hidden motive?"

Fang Yanmeng replied, "I don't know either. He just called me moments ago and told me to bring you to lunch. If time weren't so short, I wouldn't have troubled the sisters to help! You don't need to be too nervous; it's just a small gathering. With me covering for you, I guarantee nothing will happen."

That sounded like the tone of that triad boss, Zhu Da. Since the entire family was mobilizing, I couldn't make them wait outside. "Alright, I'll go. An ugly daughter-in-law must eventually meet the in-laws. Let me tell Xu Jing first. We were supposed to eat the braised old hen here at noon. Ah, that chicken smells so good; it makes my mouth water just smelling it."

Seeing that the old hen was about to come out of the pot, my sudden departure made Xu Jing a little reluctant. Fang Yanmeng also licked her lips at the smell of the braised chicken. "Sister Jingjing, how about you save some for me and Brother Zhao Qian? Can we come eat tonight?"

Xu Jing smiled, "Sure. I'll wait for you tonight. Hurry up if you have business, or my parents will come out of the workshop soon and insist on keeping you here."

Tie Niu Tofu had restarted production, and its sale on Baixing Shopping Center shelves was now a certainty. Other sales channels, with the disappearance of Jin Niu Tofu, would inevitably return to Tie Niu Tofu. This battle was a complete victory for us.

Fang Yanmeng drove her Ferrari and sped toward Baixing Shopping Center with me in tow.