Chapter 44:

At the end of that gathering, Wei Yanyi unilaterally declared that he had decided to befriend Qin Chaoyu, completely disregarding whether she was willing to be friends with him. As for why he wanted to befriend Qin Chaoyu, in his words, “Anyone liked by Miss Bai must be an outstanding person!”

It must be said that Wei Yanyi was truly a character. That one sentence not only complimented Qin Chaoyu but also subtly flattered Bai Pengpeng.

Qin Chaoyu didn’t mind having one more friend. Wei Yanyi seemed to have a decent personality, so being friends with him wasn’t hard to accept.

As for Bai Pengpeng, to be honest, she wasn’t too pleased. Although Wei Yanyi had subtly flattered her, it didn’t matter—there were countless people trying to flatter her every day, and she wasn’t impressed. Could Chaoyu really be swayed by such things?

Still, no matter how unwilling she was, Qin Chaoyu’s wishes came first. Since Chaoyu didn’t mind, then… fine, she’d reluctantly let him be Chaoyu’s friend. But if he dared to take up Chaoyu’s time, he’d better watch out!

After warning Wei Yanyi, Bai Pengpeng felt much better.

Wei Yanyi was both amused and exasperated. He didn’t care about Bai Pengpeng’s words, though he hadn’t expected her to warn him—no, not just warn, it was more like a threat. But honestly, the main reason he wanted to befriend Qin Chaoyu was still because of her.

~

As time passed day by day, the Spring Festival drew closer.

As the most important holiday in the hearts of Chinese people, its significance was evident. No matter how busy people were, they would make time to celebrate with their families when the holiday arrived.

In Qin Chaoyu’s previous life, there had also been a similar festival called the Yuanla Festival. Some details might have been different, but the customs—worshipping deities, honoring ancestors, cleaning away the old to welcome the new, and ushering in good fortune—were the same.

On New Year’s Eve, a lavish dinner was prepared, and the whole family would gather to stay up late, welcoming the new year.

Qin Chaoyu didn’t need to buy vegetables or fruits—those grown in her space were far superior to anything outside. After giving some to Bai Pengpeng, the girl had fallen in love with the fruits from the space. Bai Pengpeng had thick skin and didn’t know the meaning of shyness in front of Qin Chaoyu, so she unabashedly asked where the fruits came from, wanting to buy some.

Qin Chaoyu simply said they were grown in her yard. This wasn’t entirely false—the fruit trees in her courtyard had been cultivated in the space for a while before being transplanted. Though they couldn’t compare to the ones grown entirely in the space, nourished by its spiritual energy, the trees in her yard, watered with diluted spiritual spring water, still bore exceptionally delicious fruit.

However, Qin Chaoyu refused Bai Pengpeng’s request to buy them. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to share—there was plenty in the space, and to her, these fruits weren’t treasures. But letting Bai Pengpeng buy them? What kind of person would that make her? Instead, she forcefully gave Bai Pengpeng more than half of the fruit her yard’s trees could produce, leaving Bai Pengpeng deeply moved.

Aside from vegetables and fruits, Qin Chaoyu still needed other ingredients, so she went to the supermarket. With the year-end promotions, the supermarket was packed, and after one trip, she had no desire to return.

On New Year’s Eve, Qin Chaoyu followed tradition by putting up spring couplets and hanging red lanterns, transforming the lonely villa into a festive scene.

After finishing these tasks, she began preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Her culinary skills were excellent. In her previous life, confined and neglected by the marquis’ household, she had to fend for herself and learned to cook out of necessity. In this world, her master was a man whose cooking was merely edible—taste was out of the question. Once she was capable, she took over the kitchen, so her skills not only didn’t deteriorate but improved.

Thinking of her master, Qin Chaoyu paused while sorting vegetables, then lowered her head and continued quietly.

While Qin Chaoyu cooked, Tuan Tuan behaved well, sitting on the cupboard and nibbling on the pine nuts she had given him. Every now and then, he would glance up to make sure she was still within sight before returning to his snack.

By the time the New Year’s Eve dinner was ready, it was already 8 p.m. The afternoon’s labor had yielded impressive results—twelve dishes, symbolizing the twelve months of the year and each carrying auspicious meanings. These were dishes Qin Chaoyu had learned from cookbooks, including not just the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast but also recipes from her sect’s predecessors. In truth, many professional chefs couldn’t match her skills.

The fundamental reason Qin Chaoyu had worked so hard to learn cooking was that she was a latent foodie. Otherwise, in her past life, she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to improve her culinary skills just to eat better—even if the servants’ delivered meals were cold and unappetizing, they were still edible.

At the table, Qin Chaoyu carefully set out two sets of utensils—one for herself and one for her master, Qin Bingwen.

Qin Chaoyu believed in the existence of souls—her own rebirth was proof enough. Setting out an extra set was just in case her master’s soul returned home for the reunion dinner.

“Boom!”

The fireworks display had begun. Every year during the Spring Festival, Yuzhou City held a fireworks show. Due to environmental and safety concerns, it was held at Changqing Square near Huaming Lake, an artificial lake. The proximity was one reason Qin Chaoyu’s residence, Yuping Huayuan, was located there. From her home, she could clearly see the fireworks lighting up the night sky in dazzling colors and shapes, a breathtaking spectacle.

Against the dark canvas of the night, the fireworks bloomed brilliantly, if only for a moment.

Qin Chaoyu could almost hear the laughter and cheers from the crowd at Changqing Square. She turned back to the table full of dishes and whispered, “Master, another year has passed. Today is New Year’s Eve… Happy New Year’s Eve.”

With a faint smile, she picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.

Her raised arm hid the sorrow and longing in her eyes.

Time to eat. She couldn’t let the afternoon’s efforts go to waste.

“Chirp?” Master?

Tuan Tuan was sensitive to Qin Chaoyu’s emotions and could tell she was unhappy. Tilting his little head, he hugged his precious pine nuts, hopped over to her, and pushed them toward her.

“Tuan Tuan?” Qin Chaoyu was confused by his actions. Why was he giving her his pine nuts?

Tuan Tuan kept pushing the nuts while chirping urgently.

From his behavior, Qin Chaoyu hesitantly guessed, “Are these… for me?”

Seeing that she seemed to understand, Tuan Tuan stopped pushing the nuts and instead jumped onto her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek.

Human emotions were too complex for Tuan Tuan to grasp, but he knew his master was unhappy. Offering his pine nuts was his way of trying to cheer her up—in his mind, nothing could resist the joy of pine nuts!

Qin Chaoyu roughly understood his intention. After spending so much time together, just as Tuan Tuan was attuned to her emotions, she had also learned to interpret his behavior. Of course, it helped that he was a squirrel with simple thoughts and actions.

She picked him up, patted his head, and said softly, “Thank you, Tuan Tuan.”

Thanks to Tuan Tuan’s antics, Qin Chaoyu’s sadness vanished. But her appetite for the feast was gone. Setting down her chopsticks, she carried Tuan Tuan upstairs.

Oh well. She might as well read a book and go to bed. So what if it was New Year’s Eve? She was still alone.

~

Ben Yuan Zhai was exceptionally busy today. Since its opening, the restaurant had firmly established itself in Yuzhou City thanks to its signature dishes and customized medicinal cuisine. Countless people clamored to dine there every day, but Lu Yaoqing adhered to an exclusive, high-end model, strictly limiting the daily servings—especially the signature dishes, capped at twenty per day.

This left wealthy patrons with money but no way to spend it, yet none dared to boycott the place. They could only wait patiently. Just when they thought they’d eventually get their turn, regular customers began noticing improvements in their health—gray hair darkening, chronic ailments easing. The news spread like wildfire, and demand for Ben Yuan Zhai’s cuisine skyrocketed, making a meal there a status symbol in high society—proof of one’s influence and connections.

After careful consideration, Lu Yaoqing decided to unveil a second signature dish on New Year’s Eve—a medicinal cuisine for women’s beauty. Realizing many men also cared about appearance, he consulted Qin Chaoyu, who tweaked the recipe to enhance its effects for men.

Originally, the dish had been suitable for men, though less effective. After Qin Chaoyu’s adjustments, its benefits for men became significant.

Alongside this, Lu Yaoqing introduced six other medicinal dishes, all with remarkable health benefits.

Naturally, competition for reservations on New Year’s Eve grew even fiercer. Those who secured seats flaunted their success, while those who missed out could only lament.

Bai Pengpeng, however, was uninterested. No amount of praise from Wei Yanyi about Ben Yuan Zhai’s cuisine could spark her enthusiasm.

Her thoughts were with Qin Chaoyu. Knowing Chaoyu was an orphan, she couldn’t bear the thought of her spending New Year’s Eve alone. She had wanted to keep her company, but her brother had ordered her to accompany Wei Yanyi to this “damn medicinal restaurant.”

The mere thought infuriated her!