Chapter 431: Winter Solstice and the Little Girl Who Endures Humiliation

Winter Solstice had arrived, and Yujing was still swirling with heavy snow.

Chen Shu still made Mutton Soup; this was a tradition in Yiguo, and it had also become something he did every year without fail.

The only difference from previous years was that this year he used high-quality mutton air-freighted from Dongzhou by Daoist friend Huang; Chen Shu had plucked half a catty of Wisdom Tea from his next-door neighbor and mailed it to her in Dongzhou as an exchange. In terms of value, the Wisdom Tea was naturally higher, but Yiguo couldn't buy such good mutton, and Dongzhou couldn't buy Wisdom Tea, so it could be considered a friendly exchange between friends; the value didn't really matter.

Besides, Chen Shu hadn't spent any money anyway.

Hearing that Brother Jiang was also in Yujing these past few days, he called Brother Jiang and Brother Meng over as well.

The location was at the next-door neighbor's house.

The neighbor surnamed Zhang had already installed a sunroom in the courtyard—the kind with an alloy frame and a glass roof; the style didn't match, the color didn't match, it was ugly upon ugly, but it had cost her several months' salary, and in this heavy snowy weather, it could at least block the rain and snow.

In the middle of the sunroom sat an Eight Immortals table, and on the table were a Spirit Power Stove, an iron basin pot, a milky-white Mutton Soup base, a few thin slices of white radish, and seven or eight catties of mutton and lamb offal inside, still paired with Chen Shu's homemade Bath Kimchi to cut the greasiness, plus two large baskets of pea tips as vegetables to blanch.

"Grandmother girl, sorry for the intrusion."

"Hey, don't say that, it sounds distant," Zhang Suannai twitched the corners of her mouth, "Just call me Grandmother."

"Good morning, Grandmother Senior Sister."

"You're the well-behaved one."

As Brother Jiang and Brother Meng arrived together, the courtyard became lively; this was likely the most people the neighbor surnamed Zhang had ever had in her home since moving here, and the chill brought by the heavy, goose-feather snow seemed to have been dispelled.

"Why hasn't Chen Banxia arrived yet?"

Chen Shu stretched his neck to look outside, then immediately turned on the fire: "I'm starting the fire first; if she doesn't come, we'll eat first, no need to wait for her."

Just as he finished speaking, a knocking sound came from next door.

Zhang Suannai grinned, stretched her neck, and shouted loudly toward that direction:

"Over here!"

"Oh, oh!"

Chen Banxia followed the customs of the winter, wrapped in a thick down jacket, wearing the garment's hood with a ring of fur on top, which was now completely covered in snowflakes; after pushing the door open, she shrank her neck, lowered her head, and trotted inside, adding another trail of footprints in the courtyard.

"Why are you only just arriving?" Chen Shu said to her.

"I overslept, and I had to buy this for you, it was too late, I walked around the market twice before I found it," Chen Banxia raised her arm, her hands tucked into her sleeves, carrying a large bag of fried dough sticks, "Take it."

"Sit down."

Including Chen Banxia, there were exactly seven people and one cat present; the little girl and Taozi Daren sat on one side, and there was only one spot left next to her little friend.

"These are my two roommates; this one who looks like a girl is named Meng Chunqiu, and this round-faced one is named Jiang Lai," Chen Shu introduced them to Chen Banxia, then said to Meng Chunqiu and Jiang Lai, "This is my older sister, named Chen Banxia, to add a little pressure for you—mm, she is a teacher at our school now."

"Hello, Teacher!"

Meng Chunqiu was filled with awe.

"Hello, Teacher..."

Jiang Lai felt anxious inside.

Chen Shu revealed a smile; sure enough, people who had been students all held a kind of reverence for teachers.

"Let's eat, let's eat."

Chen Shu immediately greeted everyone to start eating: "It's already cooked, just boil it a bit more and it's ready to eat, then we'll turn it to low heat to keep it warm, otherwise in this weather the soup will be cold halfway through."

"Mmm~~"

Meng Chunqiu had just tasted a mouthful of soup when he narrowed his eyes and praised: "I heard Brother Jiang mention it last year; he had your Mutton Soup once in his freshman year, and the Mutton Soup I brought back for him from the palace later couldn't compare to that day's. I thought it was just his psychological effect, but after tasting a mouthful today, it really is more delicious."

"How long ago was that," Chen Shu said with a smile.

"Four years ago, but Brother Jiang has always remembered it," Meng Chunqiu said, "It shows how deep an impression it left on Brother Jiang back then."

"Mm-hmm," Jiang Lai nodded repeatedly.

"This is the traditional method from Shengzu's time," Chen Shu said.

"So that's how it is," Meng Chunqiu paused slightly and glanced at the fried dough sticks Chen Banxia brought, "But what is the meaning of these fried dough sticks?"

"I know!"

Zhang Suannai answered enthusiastically, almost raising her hand: "You tear the fried dough sticks into pieces and put them into the Mutton Soup; once the fried dough sticks are soaked full of Mutton Soup and become soft, you'll know how delicious this thing is."

After saying this, her face was full of pride for knowing a new piece of information.

"There's such a way to eat it?"

"Chen Shu invented it, I also learned it from them!"

"It's not really something I invented."

"Anyway, it's delicious!" Zhang Suannai had an expression of someone recommending a product, "You guys hurry and try it, hurry and try it, and this kimchi, it's super delicious."

"Okay!"

"Brother Jiang, how is your thesis coming along?" Chen Shu glanced at Jiang Lai.

"I... haven't written it yet," Jiang Lai said.

"It's almost winter break."

"What about you, Brother Chen?"

"I..."

Chen Shu rolled his eyes: "I've already finished writing it."

"Ah?"

"Ah what? I finished it a long time ago," Chen Shu said, "You're the only one who hasn't written it yet; when the time comes to rush, you won't even be able to catch up."

"..."

Jiang Lai lowered his head, and pressure arose spontaneously.

Only Qingqing gave him a light glance, said nothing, and continued picking up mutton to dip in the dry seasoning, eating kimchi after she finished.

"By the way—"

Chen Shu said to Jiang Lai again: "When are you playing in the Martial King Tournament finals?"

"The beginning of the twelfth lunar month."

"Where is it?"

"Right here in Yujing." Jiang Lai lowered his head to eat meat. "After the fight, I plan to advance to the Seventh Stage. I'm aiming to finish my thesis before the New Year."

"You all are already at the Seventh Stage..." Meng Chunqiu's expression was complex. "I just advanced to the Sixth Stage, and that was only by using a Beast Pill. Without the Beast Pill, I wouldn't have been able to advance so smoothly."

Hearing this, the little girl, who had been focused on drinking soup, immediately raised her head and looked at Meng Chunqiu with burning eyes: "What is a Beast Pill?"

"Oh, it's the essence left behind after a High-Tier beast dies naturally. It is inherently used to help offspring advance, and it has a certain effect on humans as well," Meng Chunqiu explained to the little girl in a gentle tone. "It's just that because we are on good terms with the beasts, and this item is very rare, most people don't know about it."

He paused slightly: "Don't go spreading this around after you know."

"Okay." The little girl still stared at him with a serious face. "Then how can one obtain a Beast Pill?"

"That is not easy."

"I prepared one for you," Chen Shu said, picking up a few pieces of meat. "But I already gave it to my sister. Sister said she would keep it for you and give it to you later."

"?"

The little girl's brows furrowed tightly. She was silent for two seconds, then continued to look at Meng Chunqiu: "Then how can one obtain a Beast Pill again?"

"It's very difficult."

Meng Chunqiu shook his head while eating; he always waited until he swallowed before speaking. "Generally speaking, you either have to pick one up from a Forbidden Land, or the major top sects or the Imperial Family are on good terms with the beasts and receive them as gifts. Other methods are unrealistic; at the very least, taking them by force won't work."

"..."

The little girl lowered her head and fell into deep silence, only adding another piece of meat for Taozi Daren.

On the other side, the duo of young ladies ate voraciously. One was frantically grabbing meat, savoring the freshness of the Dongzhou Mutton Soup, while the other was frantically blanching pea tips. The blanched pea tips were tender and slippery, dipped in the mutton soup, and were also a rare delicacy in this world, causing Chen Shu to start uncontrollably competing with her for them.

Outside, the heavy snow was still falling.

After lunch, Brother Jiang and Brother Meng left through the snow, while Chen Banxia stayed at the young ladies' house.

Chen Shu stood under the eaves, watching the little girl carry bowls and chopsticks back and forth between the pavilion at Zhang Suannai's house and his own kitchen. The wind and snow filled the sky, and he inexplicably thought of a certain group member again—that group member was just like Brother Jiang, whose first bowl of mutton soup in life was made by himself.

He made too much that day.

I wonder how he is doing now; is he still alive?

If he is still alive, this Winter Solstice, when he eats mutton soup, will he feel it isn't as delicious as that bowl from back then?

If he is still in Duqin, he probably doesn't have mutton soup to eat, right?

Seeing that Cao Ci is on the verge of becoming a god, and the Bodhisattva of Tribulation has been merging with the origin for over a year, there is always Buddha Light shining at night in the direction of the Killing Forbidden Land. Meanwhile, this group of silly group members is advancing to the High-Tier one after another, and the key figures have all appeared one by one. Where is this group member?

When Chen Shu withdrew his gaze, he saw that the little girl, in order to get the Seventh-tier Beast Pill from her sister, had started pounding her sister's back and legs, looking aggrieved.

Her sister was expressionless, quietly enjoying it.

Sometimes she even picked faults.

Chen Shu couldn't help but sigh.

This is enduring humiliation for the sake of defeating her sister.

The twelfth lunar month had arrived.

The little girl began her exams, and Chen Shu finally finished his thesis of over eight thousand words.

Today happened to be the day of Brother Jiang's Martial King Tournament grand final, held at the Royal Martial Arts Hall in Yujing. This final condensed the expectations of the nation; posts about Brother Jiang's grand final on major online platforms had all surged to the top of the charts. Even those who were not fighting enthusiasts were cheering him on.

Ticket prices were bid up to sky-high levels; they were hard to come by.

Fortunately, as a contestant, Brother Jiang had a quota for friends and family tickets, and the whole group benefited from him, with each group member getting one ticket.

The Royal Martial Arts Hall is near the Imperial Palace. The buildings in this area are all traditional architecture, with flying eaves and upturned corners, white walls and dark tiles, which have a unique charm in the heavy snow. Most pedestrians on the road were wearing down jackets, and there was no shortage of people who had come specifically to take pictures.

A long string of footprints had already been trodden into the road.

Chen Shu and Qingqing were also wearing down jackets, one black and one white. Both had their hoods up, just like when they were children, yet they were holding hands as they walked toward the Martial Cultivation Hall.

Ticket check, enter the hall.

Chen Shu pulled Qingqing along, looking for their seats.

The tickets for the friends and family group were all together. Chen Shu quickly spotted those two eye-catching figures—

A moon-white Daoist robe and a yellow monk's robe.

Beside them were the group leader, Zhang Suannai, Meng Chunqiu, and Yan Keling.

The two of them walked over.

"Yo!"

Zhang Suannai had the expression of a single person. Behind her disdain was actually a thick sense of sourness: "Still holding hands?"

"Hehe."

Chen Shu pulled Qingqing to sit down, greeted everyone first, and then looked at Dharma Master Tongdeng and Master Xuanzhen: "The two masters have come as well?"

"I've been quite free lately and didn't know what to do. Cultivating in the temple is also boring, so I might as well come out for a change of mood," Little Master Xuanzhen said, seemingly wanting to indicate that he didn't actually like watching this kind of fighting program.

"Amitabha, this poor monk just loves watching fights."

"Did you eat mutton soup on the Winter Solstice a few days ago?"

"Mutton soup has a strong flavor, so we generally don't make it in the temple, but this little Daoist went down the mountain to eat it," Little Master Xuanzhen said.

"What about Dharma Master Tongdeng?"

"Amitabha." Dharma Master Tongdeng pressed his palms together and bowed to Chen Shu, saying, "Qingcai Caike, beware of falling into the eighteen levels of hell in the future."

"Hahaha..."

Chen Shu withdrew his gaze and aimed it at the competition Arena.

Brother Jiang was preparing under the Arena. He had actually brought a team in a decent manner, with someone using a special method to loosen his muscles and bones. Opposite him was a Night Person exuding a gloomy aura, covered in Runes, looking very difficult to deal with.

Chen Shu grasped Qingqing's hand, playing with it delicately.

Quietly waiting for Brother Jiang to shock the world.