Qin Zhao and Qi Qige were responsible for washing vegetables in the yard. It was the first time for Qi Qige to do this kind of work. The whole process was like playing a game, laughing and joking.
Cao Xi was responsible for preparing the hot pot base and dipping sauce. When everything was ready, Cao Xi asked Qin Zhao to take out the small stove, make a fire and add charcoal.
Qi Qige stayed around Qin Zhao the whole time, taking part in everything she did. Her delicate face was stained black and white by charcoal. Finally they placed the stove with a fire on the table.
"Why put it on the table?" Qi Qige was a little curious.
Cao Xi placed the Yuanyang pot on the stove to heat it, then mixed the dipping ingredients for them and placed them in front of them.
"You'll know in a minute. Go bring up the washed dishes and meat from the kitchen."
Qi Qige: "Ah, are they all raw?"
"Don't ask so many questions, go get it quickly." Qin Zhao dragged Qi Qige towards the kitchen.
After everything was placed, the three of them sat at the table. Qin Zhao and Qi Qige looked at a pile of lettuce, raw meat, and a bubbling pot in front of them, thinking about how to eat it.
Cao Xi picked up a plate of meat and put it into two pots. "Hot pot is meant to be eaten while cooking. Once it's cooked, you'll definitely fall in love with it once you taste it."
After hearing what Cao Xi said, they became curious and stared at the meat in the pot.
When the meat was ready, Cao Xi took a piece and put it in the dipping sauce, rolled it and put it in his mouth. It’s really delicious. It seems you still have to make money. Only when you have more money can you enjoy life.
Qin Zhao and Qi Qige also imitated her method. They took a piece of meat, rolled it in the dipping sauce and put it in their mouths. A different taste exploded in their mouths. The way to eat it was novel and delicious.
Qi Qige picked up the tofu and asked Cao Xi, "Can I just buy this one too?"
Cao Xi: "Just get off. You can get off anything on the table. If you want to separate, Qin Zhao can't eat spicy food."
Qi Qige: "It turns out that this pot was specially customized for Qin Zhao."
Qin Zhao blushed a little when he said that, took a piece of meat and put it in his bowl, "Eat more and talk less."
"You actually picked up the food for me yourself." Qiqige picked up the meat in the bowl with his trembling hands.
And motioned to Cao Xi to look at him, "The long-term efforts have finally paid off."
Qi Qige was moved beyond words.
His words didn't matter, but they disgusted Qin Zhao, while Cao Xi laughed out loud at his exaggerated expression. By the end of the whole meal, the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves.
"Cao Xi, you can even open a hot pot restaurant." Qi Qige did not leave after the meal, but helped Qin Zhao and the others clean up the dishes.
"Well, I also thought about opening a hot pot restaurant, but now I don't have enough funds."
She originally wanted to cooperate with Li Feng, but she accidentally heard from Buffalo that he was buying a house.
So she was too embarrassed to continue looking for Li Feng to invest, so she could only put her mind down.
"Look for me. My mother left me a lot of shops. I'll take out one and let's open a hotpot restaurant."
The reason why Qi Qige was ignored by his father and praised by his stepmother was because of his mother's dowry.
Now that the profits from those shops and businesses are still in his stepmother's hands, he has long wanted to get them back. It's time to do a big cleanup now.
"Okay then, let's buy some more people. Once we have the technology in our hands, we won't be afraid of competition." When Cao Xi heard what Qi Qige said, he was excited. The two of them just ignored Qin Zhao's existence. , chatting about business plans.
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After returning home in the evening, Qi Qige knocked on the door of his father's study. Qi's father was also surprised when he saw him. This son never took the initiative to look for him. What happened today.
Qi Qig: "Father, I have something to tell you."
Qi's father didn't raise his head, still doing the work in hand, "Tell me, what's the matter?"
Qi Qige looked indifferent and said in a calm tone: "Father, I want to take over my mother's dowry."
Qi's father's eyes instantly turned cold. He stared at Qi Qige for a long time before he said, "Go back."
Now that he has spoken, he cannot back down easily. If he does not get the answer he wants, Qi Qige cannot just let the conversation go.
"Father, I'm old." Qiqige also had an expressionless face, waiting persistently for an answer.
Hearing this, Qi's father sat up straight and leaned on the chair, his whole body relaxed and asked him, "So what?"
"I'm afraid my father has forgotten that I got second place in the scholar exam this year."
Scholars in the imperial court did not kneel before officials. If he went to the Yamen to complain that his father and stepmother conspired to plot his biological mother's dowry, he would definitely win but not lose.
Qi's father was aroused by his words. He picked up the inkstone at hand and smashed it hard. With a snap, the entire inkstone shattered in front of Qi Qige.
With ink splattered all over his clothes, Qi Qige said coldly, "You will go to jail if you beat a scholar, and I can't always be a scholar."
"I am your father, even if you are the number one scholar, I will still beat you." In that dynasty, filial piety was not the most important thing, so he didn't believe that this little brat could really sue him.
"You are right, so I only want my biological mother's dowry, but not your money. That dynasty was not proud of planning a wife's dowry." What's so scary about the word "filial piety"? Who doesn't know that he is a shameless person? The Lord who disciplines people.
"Get out of here, get out of here." Father Qi's body was trembling with anger.
"At this time tomorrow, I hope to see all the land deeds and house deeds. Nothing is missing. I have a dowry list in my hand." After Qi Qige finished speaking, she turned around and just left the study, she heard the sound of things being thrown behind her.
When Qi's mother heard that her stepson wanted his biological mother's dowry, she immediately exploded. Isn't this just cutting out her flesh? The income from those things to the village alone was tens of thousands of taels per year, let alone the shop's income.
The Qi Mansion is an empty shell, and all expenses are supported by the dowry of the original wife. She has long regarded everything as her own.
Dare to take something from her hand now, it's just a dream. She also wanted to leave it to her son, that white-eyed wolf who ate her own food, drank her own food, and finally cut out a piece of her flesh.
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Cao Xi and the others naturally didn't know anything about what happened in Qi Mansion.
When resting at night, Qin Zhao said awkwardly to Cao Xi, "Cao Xi, you haven't finished talking about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms yet."
Qin Zhao didn't listen to the story for more than half a month. She thought Qin Zhao had grown up. It seemed that nothing had changed. Cao Xi waved her hand at Qin Zhao and said, "Go to bed and wait for me."
Qin Zhao's face turned red from embarrassment at Cao Xi's frivolous actions. He glared at her fiercely and turned back to the bedroom.
Back in the bedroom, Qin Zhao quickly got under the desk and took out a small square wooden box with the finished hairpin inside. Qin Zhao looked at the hairpin and giggled repeatedly, and finally carefully put the hairpin into his arms.
Staring at the door with bright eyes, looking forward to the arrival of that person, but waiting left and right, the door was still tightly closed, and he was a little anxious to see her. Just as he was about to open the door, Cao Xi opened the door and walked in.
"Why are you here?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Qin Zhao realized that he was nervous. He was a little annoyed, why did he say what was in his heart.
Cao Xi looked at him doubtfully. He had never been so anxious when listening to stories before. "Are you anxious?"
"No." Qin Zhao touched his nose, his ears slowly filled with blush.
Cao Xi went to lie down on the bed to tell him as usual. As soon as she took a step, Qin Zhao stopped her and pushed her to sit in front of the desk. Seeing his uncharacteristic behavior, Cao Xi looked at him in confusion.
Qin Zhao felt even more embarrassed. He carefully took out the pearl hairpin from his arms and handed it to Cao Xi. The body of the pearl hairpin is dark red, and you can tell at a glance that it is carved from good wood. The head of the hairpin is inlaid with a pearl with full color, which is low-key and luxurious.
"Given to me?" Cao Xi was a little surprised. This was the first time Qin Zhao gave him a gift.
"Do you like it?" Qin Zhao looked at her nervously, fearing that he would miss any of her expressions.
"Like" this beaded hairpin completely matched her aesthetics, and Cao Xi fell in love with it at first sight.
Cao Xi: "Doesn't this cost a lot of money?"
The wood of the hairpin is difficult to estimate, but the pearl on the head of the hairpin is impossible to get without twenty taels.
"I bought the pearls, and I made the hairpin myself." Seeing that Cao Xi liked it, Qin Zhao finally let go of his worries.
Cao Xi was very happy and realized after hearing that it was him who did it, "You cut your hand two days ago just to make this hairpin?"
The smile in Qin Zhao's eyes almost overflowed.
“First time doing it, clumsy and inexperienced”
The wood was hard and slippery, so it was a bit difficult to carve the pattern. It was not until later that he became comfortable with it. He believed that the next Zhuchai would do better.
Cao Xi was so moved that he handed the hairpin to Qin Zhao and said, "Put it on for me."
The corners of Qin Zhao's mouth raised higher, and he carefully inserted the hairpin into Cao Xi's hair. Seeing Cao Xi wearing a hairpin made by himself, Qin Zhao's heart was filled. It looked so beautiful.
From that night on, the pearl hairpin on Cao Xi's head has never been replaced, and the pearl hairpin on Cao Xi's head has always been a treasure in her eyes.
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When Qi Qige appeared in front of Cao Xi again, more than half a month had passed.
He came here with Qin Zhao after school. On the way back, he dragged Qin Zhao to buy a hot pot side dish and a leg of lamb. He yelled for Cao Xi to make hot pot for him, which made Qin Zhao's face turn green with anger. .
"Tomorrow I will go to the spicy shop to find you and let's go see the shop together."
Qi Qige kept adding mutton to the pot. He liked boiled mutton the most.
"Okay, come over"
Cao Xi has wanted to open a hot pot restaurant for a long time. A hot pot restaurant can not only boost the charcoal business, but also make her income higher.
When Qin Zhao heard that Qi Qige wanted to see Cao Xi alone, his face turned ugly instantly. He stared at Qi Qige. When Qi Qige was sure that the fool's matter was settled, he began to eat hard.
Perhaps it was because Qin Zhao's death-like gaze was too hot that Qi Qige finally raised her head and looked at him with a confused look on her face. What are you looking at me for?
Looking at each other for a moment, Qi Qige suddenly remembered, patted her head and said, "I won't leave you behind. Let's go find Cao Xi together after school."
After hearing what he said, Qin Zhao looked back with satisfaction and picked up a piece of mutton for Cao Xi. "If you don't eat it quickly, this fool will eat it all."
Qi Qige...who is a fool.
Regarding her plan to open a hotpot restaurant, Cao Xi also wanted to tell Li Feng that although it was her own business, they had been working together for such a long time.
